History of the world of Lineage/Interlude

Interlude

Age of Chaos

Prophets foretold its coming. Historians chronicled its passage. But the only ones who can fully understand it are those who lived through its reign… and they are few and far between.

The so-called Age of Chaos came about through the collapse of royal power, that last remnant of the Elmoreden Empire. With each passing year, the king and his court saw their sphere of control shrink further. They could still influence events, but in the end only a little. Nor did the spiritual rulers hold sway, no matter how full their temple treasuries. The world had simply become too big, too fragmented, too diverse for any single group to dictate the course of events. Such was the nature of the chaos that permeated the age.

It was the Battle for Giran Castle that finally revealed the truth of a world turned upside down: even an unknown adventurer of common birth could aspire to — and attain — power that had until then been reserved for nobles. Bands of adventurers, already known as Clan, demonstrated their ability to dominate local and regional events, especially when they wielded the power of a castle.

Dark Protection

Clans became numerous, but most were politically inexperienced. Dark schemers sought to control them to advance their own designs, sowing widespread conflict and disorder. Like a shadow creeping across a darkening room, chaos spread mercilessly across the land. Unknown new monsters appeared, pouring out destructive rage, and ancient nightmares were reawakened.

But as the clans grew stronger, they also grew wiser. They threw off the controlling influence of darkness and asserted, consciously and deliberately, their own freedom of action. New Hero and Noblesse rose to positions of power and leadership in the clans, bringing a higher moral standard.

Once cursed by villagers and townsfolk, the clans gradually became their defenders against the forces of darkness. Their power came to surpass even such foes as Antharas, the terror of Giran, and Valakas, the lord of Goddard, who fled before them.

Once mere mercenaries of the lords, the clans eventually displaced their masters. Power was no longer an accident of birth, but the result of merit. Strength belonged to those who could not only seize it but also hold it. History had delivered its verdict... or had it?

The Reunion of Giran

The fact is that other, less visible forces were also at play. A new spirit of cooperation between the Five Races – Human, Elf, Dark Elf, Dwarf and Orc – began to grow, especially after a secret meeting of the elders of each race.

This "Reunion of Giran" came about through the efforts of a mysterious woman in blue, who gathered the elders and revealed to them the existence of a sixth race, as well as powerful primeval creatures living on a remote island that had somehow survived the ancient War of the Gods.

Faced with new opportunities and potentially new threats, the elders began secretly helping the clans with powerful new mass-produced weapons and key strategic information.

Far from being the final result, the clans were to become the building blocks of a new Golden Age, one that blended the best traits of each race: the wisdom of the Elves, the strength of the Orcs, the ingenuity of the Dwarves, the knowledge of the Dark Elves and the adaptability of Humans.

Whether that Golden Age was ever achieved is a topic for another day...