Very little is known of time before the last Cataclysm, the only records which survived the last Triad reach only as far back as 100-70 BC though mention of far older times is made in them. It is known that for centuries before the Cataclysm a great and powerful civilization prospered on the surface of Aabahran. The single oldest mention of a city refers to the town of Anduin buried below the city of Caranduin and assumed to be dating back to over 2000 BC. The city of Caranduin and later on Thalos were centers of the pre-cataclysm civilization, in time where disease, sickness and evil was all but unknown on the surface of Aabahran.
This period must have been a beautiful time. The cites of Thalos and Caranduin, were teaming with activity as nature and civilization came together. Most people found employment in the basic duties of life. Farming and carpentry and faith in the gods of Order and Life was at its highest. It was for this reason that the Seer Damnil was taken as no more than a madman. Once his studies of divination proved invaluable for adventurers, a distinct change in his attitude came about in his old age. He would gather large crowds and give fiery orations about meteors striking the land and the seas rising to touch the skies. After prophesizing the coming of a terrible plague of disease and death he was nearly stoned to death. He escaped Caranduin and lived his life as a hermit, preaching only to himself.
With the forces of Life and Order so prevalent for countless centuries the power of Balance inevitably swung in direction of Death. With the Plane of Order drained of most of its strength and the Plane of Chaos in its peak, the powers of Dyphrities dwarfed the other moons. At the height of True Night of 20 BC a force of pure death was spawned by Dyphrities. Lacking the sentient mind of an Immortal and possessing the power greater then the most powerful of them The Nameless as it was called struck with its deadly fury against all that was Life and Order. Plagues of unheard of virulence broke out, while the earth spat forth living dead and whole hordes of shades, wraiths and deceivers entered Aabahran from the Limbo of Death. The forces of Life and Order rallied and for 10 years fought against the tide of Unlife. In the end they triumphed at a terrible price. Over 100 Clerics of Life sacrificed their own life and used their souls to bait The Nameless into the Pillar of Souls. Hewn from starstone and inscribed with runes by the great Archmage named Amedus Divinity the Pillar of Souls was capable of containing The Nameless’ power. It was buried far below ground on the Isle of Souls amidst the Dragon Sea, and the island was struck down from all charts and maps.
As Aabahran's twisted fate would have it, the Seer Damnil was correct. Firstday the 1st of Life 0 BC brought ominous clouds on the horizon. The next three months brought nothing but stagnation and rumors exploded about the fury of the heavens. On the first day of the month of Chaos Lysenties and Nercuros rose from opposite sides of the sky and begun their trek across the sky as the Lunar Triad begun its first phase of alignment. By nightfall the three moons were nearly perfectly aligned. Shortly before midnight of 1st of Chaos 0 BC Lysenties, Nercuros and Dyphrities completed their alignment and the Lunar Triad was complete. There exist no records of what happened exactly, however it is known that a rift into the Nexus of Chaos was opened in the area now known a the Forsaken Land. Now a cursed desert, at the time of Cataclysm it was a lush forest. As the energies of Chaos lashed out from the Nexus and clashed against the power of Order the skies lit up with energy and lighting fell as rain might. Seas rose drowning the shore villages, and the Underdark filled with hot magma embalming the races residing there. Majority of the world's population did not survive the night.
When the day broke, the skies were as of molten metal and the ground rumbled and hissed with unnatural gasses. Black lighting arced from ground into the clouds in the Forsaken Land and strange bestial cries were heard in the Dragon Teeth mountains.
The BloodLetting had begun.
With the powers of Chaos triumphant in the clash against Order, whole hordes of Demons, Shadowbeasts and other Chaos spawn entered Aabahran through the rift near Caranduin. Once a lush forest the land was now reduced to barren desert heavy with evil and tainted with Chaos. Led by an unimaginably powerful Demon called CRYPTICANT the armies of Chaos poured forth from the rift like an unholy tide. The city of Caranduin fell within a day with not a single living soul surviving the attack. Instead the taint of Chaos left the city a ghost town, its remaining citizens corrupted and twisted beyond redemption. From then CRYPTICANT rallied its forces and the tide of Chaos begun its march west towards Thalos and the heart of the civilization.
It was also during this time that a small group of Chaos’s scouts lead by a commander named VIRIGOTH happened upon a ruined mausoleum in area now known as the Isle of Souls. As the legend goes, the whole force was lost and the commander returned atop his mount. His pale complexion and glazed eyes, however, betrayed the fact that he seemed to still be alive. The commander was said to have returned to the Isle once more, with more men led by promises of treasure. What happened then is unknown but soon after VIRIGOTH arose as an Immortal with power equal to CRYPTICANT its power directly linked with The Nameless still trapped within the Pillar of Souls. Triumphant and with the ultimate force of Death behind it Virigoth unleashed the power of The Nameless and consumed the great fortress of S’handor within a single night turning it into a blighted place of Unlife and Death.
As if the carnage of the Chaos troops was not enough, this Virigoth brought more plagues on the land. Newborns and the elderly began to die in scores and incurable diseases swept the backlands. The very earth was in unrest as corpses were expelled from the ground. Before they knew it, the quickly dying population of innocents now had to face vampires, wights, zombies, liches, and arch-liches as the UNDEAD rose up to wage war against life.
The combined forces of Death and Chaos quickly forced all those who opposed them into a small territory around the city of Thalos. The air was putrid, the sun did not shine for months at a time, and the rivers ran crimson red with blood. All of Aabahran dreaded to speak of the time, but those who did would call it the BLOODLETTING.
The small stronghold contained all that remained pure and true. Among these men were RAGHT and PALISON. Together with the aid of the warrior ATHAEKEETHA, these three heroes fought bravely not for their respective beliefs in order, light, or war, but for the simple cause of Life. United in spirit, they fought the Undying and the Chaos scourge and inspired others to do so. They were recognized for the heroes that they were and rose to Immortality, to face their dark counterparts.
Driven by the anger and fury of seeing thousands of their brethren fall to these infernal darkwalkers, These new Immortals struck back against the very hearts of Death and Chaos on Aabahran. God wars ensued leaving ruins the size of valleys. Fortunately the Prime of Balance once again swung in favor of Life and Order began to rise. As Virigoth and Crypticant found most of their time invested in battling Immortals their armies grew weaker and disorganized. At last after a final battle in the very heart of Thalos which left the town in ruins, the Demon Crypticant was locked away in another plane and the rift to the Nexus sealed. Virigoth sensing the powers of Death faltering retreated into the darkness, but its presence was still looming in the background as RATHE was appointed to maintain his following.
The civilization slowly recovered from the devastation of BloodLetting and a new town of Seringale was constructed not far west from the ruins of old Thalos. Yet for some reason the collective unconscious of society loomed with the deaths of millions above their heads. Life was more careful and less naive. Rulers were cautious and now a strong city included some sort of a military establishment. Scholars were also more treasured and those with wisdom began to conglomerate into small organizations. One such group was a proud lot whose name and ancient lore would survive for many ages the SAVANTS. One of the first men to rise to fame in the Savants was a mage by the name of Miruvhor. He was a greedy man, known to have a dark heart by those close to him. However, his greed behooved the reaches of human knowledge as he charged himself to study the times long buried. While searching the far reaches of wastelands, a group of his found some long buried tomes in an old shack. The name was translated to Damnil and they have been extensively studied since that time. Miruvhor himself proudly translated the first prophecy, which spoke of grand struggles ahead. Unfortunately, many still met these words with disregard and notable efforts were made to silence the Savant criers, which perhaps added to their culture of withdrawnness.
As prosperity continued, suspicion continued to shroud those who used magic. Pretty soon, a few friends banded together and began to thwart these magi who walked the lands in arrogance, presuming to know of the world’s downfall. Believing themselves to be purity manifested, these brave warriors were viewed as champions for their early battles which completely drove the Savants’ headquarters from town. During their transition, the second and third prophecies of Damnil were translated, by Sepphuc the Chaste, Third Light of Miran and Baer Kan, Last Druid of the T’Gal Trea respectively. The prophecies continued to speak of a great toil between the Primes of Life and Death. The details of this upcoming struggle were kept as the Savants’ grand secret for many years. With the weather favoring the harvest and population growing, new towns popped up on previously barren lands. The city of Miruvhor was established on the east coast, its massive harbor opening trade into the lands beyond the Dragon Sea. As the population grew within the new cities crime reared its ugly head. For the first time, cities were so large that trust could not be maintained and disputes could not always be settled by the heads of state. Organized crime was born. Bandits became a common site out of town and for a while there was a shortage of grain to the far reaches of the lands as any caravan that crossed the Dragon’s Teeth Mountains would find itself ransacked and its good sold on the black market. To answer the pleas of the people, the Gods set down a few rules and gave power to chosen to enforce them. Hence, the cabal JUSTICE was born out of a need for security. In their empowerment, these men vowed to throw down their traces of morality and became servants of the law. Nobles and other royalty would have the power to amend and clarify these laws as the lands evolved.
It was also during this time that Immortals brought to life a swirling piece of pure magic. Mircea was created with the ideologies of magical dominance and power to control the Vortex of Magic. He was forced to bring power back to the name of magic and let those who did not study it sit in pure bewilderment at mere mention of its name. His deeds ranged from pure chicanery as he impersonated rulers and ordered heads to roll all the way to diversity as he leveled acres of Underground mines. With the knowledge he gained, the Savants gladly accepted him as a member and he rose to the top. For a while, not even Justice could withstand the devastating power of the Savants. They had been transformed from an arrogant group of lore-seeking mages to an even more arrogant band of mages, truly versed in battles of the mind. Try as they might, the warriors of the land found little cohesion more than friendship and something more was needed to balance the surge of magical dominance. When Chaos ensued the streets and people feared the Savants would conquer all, Athaekeetha once again appeared on the battle front. With the body of tempered steel and the mind of a thousand war lords, Athaekeetha emerged and set himself to unify the scattered tribes of warriors in the lands. With this, a war ensued for fifteen years. For a while, neither side was gaining ground. As word spread of these warriors, the soldiers of the land answered their cry and took it upon themselves to find perfection in combat against these mages. At the time, this event was called ‘the War’, and as masters of this war and for all those upcoming, they called themselves WARMASTERS.
It was during this time that strange new races were spotted in the lands. Odd intruders in the form of Ogres who had come in from the Great Chasm, Werebeasts who slowly began to creep out of the forest, and Faeries from out of this world. The very first Faerie was an alluring petite creature by the name of Drenaar. Although her ways were new to the world, the very essence of magic was woven into the fabric of her being and she was immediately drawn to the bookish intrigue of Savants and pressed herself to protect magic. With the emergence of this faerie Drenaar, strange and grave occurrences soon began happening in the lands. Young children were said to shout unheard of obscenities. Dark clouds rolled in from the horizon and the seas slowly heated to a boil. As fiery meteors set fields of crops ablaze, all fingers pointed towards Drenaar. Try as she might to convince the people that this was not her sorcery, prophets and clerics began to rant and rave about how the heavens were angered. After about a week of this madness, Drenaar herself was captured by a small band of Chaos Demons to be carried away into the planar prison of Crypticant.
With the recent reminder of the threat of Chaos, strong factions were reaffirmed. Lord Athaekeetha appointed his right hand in battle, Razkar, to lead the Warmasters and Raght took his place as the leader of Justice. The lands were still badly damaged and now was the time for healing. A man, pure of soul, emerged known as Cormac. (Some say that Cormac was born the child of Drenaar and Palison, although this may be just a rumor.) His jolly charms and strong faith in the Light earned the following of practically all of the lands, who were eager to follow someone that would strongly oppose any dark uprisings. Peace was the dominant cause in the lands as people begrudgingly returned the backlands littered with skeletons. A kingdom of Light ruled the lands, held in place by a gallant army of Knights whose initial purpose was little more than show and intimidation. As the lands rebuilt, things started to look normal and the inevitable criminals leaked back into society. Luckily, this was no serious threat.
It was not realized how quickly the people had become complacent until Cormac was assassinated in his own home. Even the heavens mourned as this devout follower of the Light was slain. Rumors swept the land of a second Bloodletting, started by this assassination that many believed was inspired by Virigoth. Fortunately, Raght came before the other Gods and insisted that the only way for the lands to survive was for the King to have no natural enemies. Palison still believed that a society of the Light was best, but Alexander rose up to meet Raght’s words and resided as the King of Thera. Ready to accept any excuse for peace, everyone could agree on a system that seemed to favor none- not even morality. To this day Justice stands with no inherent moral bias in the spirit of peace through balance. This was not enough for some, however. A Knight by the name of Sirant decided that more radical means were necessary to form the perfect society. He headed the KNIGHTS whose sole purpose in the lands was to return the Crown to the Light and pursue the glorious kingdom once felt under Cormac’s leadership. By their conception, Knights disagree on a fundamental level with the philosophies of Justice and small clashes seem unavoidable between these two. Fortunately for Justice, the Knights found their main opposition in a small band called CHAOS who seemed to not give up on the legacy of Crypticant, now called Shadowspawn. Near the end of this time, the Prophecy of the Rebirth was uncovered which spoke of another widespread battle between forces of Life and Death.
Thus, the time rolled on and the cabals began to rise in power, yet a cautious eye was kept on the balance of opposing forces in hopes of keeping the Fourth Prophecy from coming true. As the cycles of time have shown, after the conflicts had simmered down life began to surge. The lands met many new faces. For the first time in a while, the likes of a Demon was spotted in the form of Miscreant. Soon after, another was born out of a human shell, this twisted aberration was called none other than Aberrant. With the aid of Falen and Parias, Chaos began to rise in the lands. Unluckily for the early people of the Fifth Age, Chaos seemed to find an ally in the Savants, who had some new blood as well in the form of Losigoth, Belgarath, and Kirdraxan. For a while Chaos and Savant walked in unison facing no opposition. As time continued, balancing forces came to play and the Knights constructed a new palace and began to induct some members. Although Elena and Echtelion were the first two, it was Orealt the third who was the first Knight and first Lightwalker to meet his pinnacle. The early battles were difficult for this mere toothpick in the eye of the chaotic storms, but reinforcements were soon underway. The other Knights reached their pinnacle and Aegir as well as Grumnor joined the cause. Ogres soon enlisted in the almost forgotten Warmasters. Grishnak and Smash were among the first to stand victorious against the early Savants. These wars were so dramatic that eventually the entire cabal was wiped out. The realm was in constant conflict as Knight fought Chaos and Warmaster battled Savant. The watchful eye of Justice soon ached to catch up as Rhuroerx, Trenchien, Equinox, and Andres enlisted to keep the streets safe.
The tides of Death and Chaos seemed to recede until a Demonic temptress by the name of Adelyn showed up on the scene as the leader of Chaos. Initially wanting nothing more than to study the magics of Chaos, Adelyn grew to become Shadowspawn’s most devout. However, as Shadowspawn grew closer to leaving his banishment, Adelyn became nervous. One dark night, she summoned Orealt and Andres to her study. She had in her grasp the disc of black vellum the key to Shadowspawn’s release. Adelyn realized the horror this would cause upon the lands, so she hid it. It was not long before the omniscient reaches of Shadowspawn found the key. When tormented with questions, Adelyn broke down into tears and then boldly stood against the Demon, proclaiming her love for life and desire for knowledge, not furthering Chaos. In the midst of this confusion, Andres swiped the disc of black vellum and made a run for it. Adelyn was stripped of her Demonic vessel and banished to the land of mortality once again as an Elven paladin- doomed to be murdered by the Chaos troops she led not long ago. As time went on, Andres grew dreadfully sick from keeping the black disc. His once flaxen hair turned brittle and his eyes were bloodshot and swollen from lack of rest. Andres grew so weak, that a Demon proclaiming himself to be the son of Shadowspawn himself crucified Andres and swiped the disc. Orealt returned to the lands one day to be met by Adelyn in tears again. He soon learned that Andres was murdered for his disc and even worse, that Adelyn was raped by Shadowspawn and was the mother of this Malevolant the son of Shadowspawn! Blind with rage, Orealt charged towards the gate to the Nexus, ignoring Adelyn’s words of caution. Disgusted and guilt-stricken, Adelyn took her own life.
It was not long before Malevolant freed his father, who when freed became known as the Crypticant again. Malevolant rose to immortality as the leader of Chaos and the father and son of Chaos bargained with Virigoth to enlist its aid. Virigoth refused the aid leaving the powers of Chaos to continue on its own dark agenda of Death.
It was soon after that a hooded figure appeared on the horizon, seemingly impossible to defeat with a host of powers unheard of. This Lurker by the name of Gorath waged his mysterious war against Knight and Chaos alike, facing no defeats and sewing terror and fear in the living. The trend of Unlife seemed to pick up as another man returned power to the shamed name of Savants: Harishin. The first driving force seen in ages and without a doubt the most powerful Savant ever, this necromancer rose to the top lured by Virigoth into Undeath only to disappear into the shadows for reasons known only to himself.
Eventually, the Demon side of Miscreant began to recede and his puny human shell began to speak. A mutual pact of death was formed as both the mortal leaders of Chaos and Knight Miscreant and Orealt perished the same day as a tribute to the everstrong balance between the two forces. Soon after, Smash retired to a humble home in Marak as the first part of the third century came to close.
The third century continued and the years tolled along, Aabahran remained in relative peace. The factions of CHAOS, once so dominant, eventually drew to a large scale stalemate with the forces of KNIGHT. But what brought about the new turning point within the lands was the appearance of a dark figure on the horizon one night, followed by hordes of thousands. In a large scale assault, armies of shades advanced into ValMiran and the surrounding territories. They seemed to appear from some strange and distant source, unknown to nearly all. They killed citizens of the lands in droves, and nothing seemed able to stop their unholy onslaught. Then, one day, a priest by the name of Vellencht came into some knowledge of these creatures. He fashioned an Amulet using strange stringents, and it seemed to repel the very creatures. Soon, he was selling these at the Temple of Darkness to any person who needed protection. Thus was the Dark Plan of Virigoth, to sell Amulets of the Nameless to any person, and in so doing, seal their soul. Soon, the shades slowly faded back into the shadows from whence they came. More information regarding the relationship between Virigoth and Nameless was brought to light, and Virigoth, eternally the Manifestation of Decay, was missing. Had he become this ‘Nameless’? Had this ‘Nameless’ vanquished him? It would be answered with the appearance of Rasep Dh’artep. A sinewy creature with four razor tipped arms, and an unholy skeletal face was soon seen about Thera. It hunted all with little abandon, and seemed to come from some deep and dark fissure beneath the Central Square of Val Miran. Thousands more were sent to their deaths as Rasep Dh’artep hunted with the Nameless as its Avatar. At this time, the forces of Virigoth learned the secret of the Soul Cubes, and in order to free their master from the Nameless’ treacherous grasp Maleki, Calandra, Hersnaie, and others were harvesting souls to aid in the freedom of Virigoth who it seems had been captured by the malignant force of Death.
Finally, with a massive concerted effort, the forces of Knight, combined with the faction of a Clan known only as ‘Hope’ was able to trap Rasep Dh’artep within a shadowy forest. Carnage and death ensued, and in the end, nearly all of the force was exterminated, but, so was Rasep Dh’artep. His body withered away to dust, and an ancient, untold secret was revealed to the world for the first time in thousands of years. The location of Pillar of Souls was once again marked on the Isle of Souls, and Virigoth released with defeat of Rasep Dh’artep became the guardian of its power and its prisoner.
As the third century reached its height, the world was filled with exploration. New colonies of creatures never before seen were discovered, and secret continents were found by tough, travel hardened adventurers. A noble house came to power in both Val Miran and Miruvhor, which immediately began a bloody feud between the two cities. Queen Lindsay, and the retired Justice turned Captain of the Guard, Lord Auric, secured the Throne of Roses in Val Miran, while King Hersnaie, Queen Calandra, and Prince Baekhar assumed the Dark Throne of Miruvhor, running unchallenged. A bitter rivalry between the two cities began, and soon, the entire faction of Justice was thrown out of Miruvhor, and a state of Martial Law was declared. As cities feuded for power, and armies of each were decimated by other armies, the citizens of these places gradually began to seek shelter in safer havens. The Drow City of Xymerria was opened, as well as the deep tunnels of the Western Underdark, long thought forgotten in the lands. Soon, more races followed. The Illithids moved deeper into the Underground, living inside a recently born hive. As the races began to leave the large cities, the Knights, exacting revenge for the recent death of Tamaneril, banded with the Justice factions. The entire city of Val Miran was besieged, and the evil factions were driven out. Former dark guilds were burned, and temple and squares where evil had once been prevalent were driven out.
Much of the evil fled northward, in the form of dark serpents, that took over the desert city of Falen Dara, slaying nearly all human life within, and declaring the city home to the Slith populace of Aabahran. The rest were driven eastward, into the Dragon’s Teeth mountains, where they finally settled. The city of Rheydin was born after years of hard work and construction. Rheydin opened its gates to the fleeing refugees of the still- burning Val Miran, and a new city, over twice as large as Val Miran, was born. A small faction of gnomes, finding peace within the region for the first time in many years, founded a small village to the south of Rheydin, and the city of Tarandue was born.
The factions of Light and Evil were now separated, once again, by the spans of the Dragon’s Teeth mountains, which ran north and south, slicing Thera in half. In the median stood the heavily armored gates of Rheydin, home to thousands of all creeds. As the houses feuded, and cabals vied for power, something lurked on the distant horizon, that could spell certain victory over the Darkness that had pervaded the lands for so long…
On the thirday the 23rd of Balance of 308 PC a purple streak of light was seen descending from the northern sky. Moments later a flash from the north lit the sky and the ground shook with a massive impact. Spurred on by the news from the Immortals of Life that a massive starstone has fallen in the lands of Winter, an expedition of Knights and Savants was dispatched. As they searched the lands for the location of the strange stone, more details about the recent events were uncovered. As the Dark Immortals sent forth their own minions to intercept the Knights and Savants, it was made known that the strange heavenly stone had the power to slay any Immortal even Virigoth itself. For months a bloody competition for the possession of the starstone ensued with minions of Light and Dark waging countless bloody battles as the artifact changed hands. Finally minions of Sirant managed to secure the prize within their Cabal and the dire news of impeding conflict shot through the lands.
Anticipation ran high as the skies remained silent. Weeks passed and turned into months as Sirant’s power toiled to prepare the starstone into an ultimate weapon. Meanwhile the dark gods sensing their power endangered prepared for the conflict that lay ahead.
In the second week of Death of 309 PC the sky above ValMiran became purple and rained blood as the ground split asunder and all manners of creatures of Death assailed the city. The forces of Death and Chaos have finally decided to force Life’s hand. As ValMiran was being brought to ruin around them, Virigoth and Sirant appeared in Central Square surrounded by various lower gods of Life and Death as well as Immortals of balance in form of Bryntryst and Avariel. As the ultimate powers of Life and Death prepared to battle, Avariel and Bryntryst attempted to reason with them, warning of the balance that must be maintained between the opposites of Life and Death. Ignoring them, Sirant and Virigoth clashed in battle which leveled the remains of the city. Their powers almost equal, with neither side being aided by forces of Balance the two Immortals fought for hours. Finally sensing the momentary weakness in Virigoth, Sirant unleashed the power of the starstone severing its link to the Nameless and mortally wounding the god of Death. Yet in his triumph Sirant underestimated the strength of Death and Decay and as Virigoth fell, Deezil fell upon Sirant’s back striking a foul blow which fell the god of Life even as Sirant lashed back disintegrating Deezil in a single blow.
With Virigoth oozing putrid black blood, and Sirant’s wounds laced with pure white light the two Immortals fell upon the ground and with their dying words summoned forth the mightiest of their mortals avatars to continue their battle.
Gorath the Lurker arose from the pool of black ooze where Virigoth once lay, and in a burst of blinding light Delvyn Keenen the Avatar of Light appeared in his form before his fall into darkness and chaos. With but a snarl from the hooded black figure of Gorath the two Avatars clashed as Life and Death battled on in the death throes of Aabahran.
As the two avatars tore into each other’s flesh, the most powerful of Immortals of Balance begun to recognize the first signs of the oncoming doom. With the Primes of Life and Death all but destroyed, the Arcane and Temporal forces around Aabahran were starting to quickly destabilize. The ground begun to shake, and the sky flashed with wild colors as time accelerated and halted in random spurts.
Suddenly a cry which no mortal throat could emit priced the scorched plateau that once used to be ValMiran. Delvyn’s sword still shimmering with power of Life has finally found its mark, and pierced the vile vampire’s chest reaching far into its heart. Yet the victory of life was short lived, though even as its body begun to turn to dust Gorath uttered a final curse and drawing itself up the blade sunk its vile fangs into Delvyn’s neck. Locked in this final embrace, the forces of Life and Death died in Aabahran even as Lycenties and Dyphrites begun to lose their orbital stability and slowly start to disintegrate.
Fiery rocks rained from the sky, and the seas rose into the heavens their water laced with fires of underwater volcanoes. The Underdark was engulfed in hot magma and the surface of Aabahran begun to rend itself asunder as the sky turned clear black showing the devastation of the moons above.
Knowing that the end of existence was at hand, the remaining immortals of Balance joined together and pooling their power begun to open a massive planar rift. This gateway, big enough for the whole planet to pass was their only salvation for the dying world. As the very last of the mortals died in fiery agony of the collapsing world Aabahran passed through the planar rift into adjacent plane of reality in the Multiverse.
The first Age of Aabahran came to its end on Firstday the 1st of Life of 310 PC.
These years are lost to time, waiting to be uncovered.
Some of the greatest tragedies in the history of Aabahran revolve around the fall of the gods of Light into evil. In about the year 500 PC, the once mortal god, LUQIN, surrendered his path of peace and compassion for that of evil. His body was twisted and his soul corrupted, and he became known as the Demon god Suibremoront, his body caging the shriveled soul of the once compassionate monk. The newborn demon grew in power and strength at an incredible rate, drawing the world into further chaos as those of the Light tried to free the soul of Luqin, and those of the dark to provoke further destruction. The Demon god’s purpose was to open portals to the demon realms, drawing out a horde of demons to wreak havoc upon the face of Aabahran. While many records were destroyed in the resulting conflict and turmoil, much is still known about the conflict that the Demon caused. The greatest foe of the Demon was the god Irumeru, who stood against the darkness. Unfortunately for the fate of Aabahran, the Demon’s strength was greater than Irumeru’s, and during one of their numberous battles, Suibremoront wounded Irumeru. As light poured from his wound, the Demon returned to his home, taunting the Light god, turning his forces loose upon the Knight’s castle.
Seeking to sway the war to his favor, the god Irumeru began to seek a relic of great power. It is unknown if this relic was found or not, but a great battle erupted in Val Miran as the Demon attempted to open his portals. The two gods battled as the world was swarmed by demonic forces, the faithful of these gods waging bloody war in the streets. It was perhaps this relic that saved Irumeru, who managed to cast down the Demon Suibremoront. Unfortunately the Demon’s magics, now unfocused, had an unpredictable effect, killing all the gods of the land save Irumeru, who survived.
While none knew it at the time, the powers of the gods require balance, for without this balance comes unpredictable effects. In this case, the god Irumeru, now unopposed, turned to eradicate all evil from Aabahran, focusing his power against the Pillar of Souls. This act began to destroy Aabahran, though Irumeru was blind to the consequences his actions could have. It was only the arrival of Caimor, Chayesh and Malchaeius that saved the world from total destruction.
As Irumeru battled against the Demon Suibremoront, the gods Caimor Chayesh and Malchaeius were faced with a problem. Chayesh, the supremity of evil in their plane of existance had destroyed their god of Light, Juvan, causing imbalance similar to that of Aabahran. As Irumeru claimed the power of the Pillar of Souls and reality shuddered from the beating, these deities searched for a way to save their world. Yet with all their power they knew that only the presence of a balancing force could save their world. The weakened barriers in reality allowed them to sense and observe Aabahran, and they saw a way to save themselves, and one of two worlds. These three gods used their power to move themselves between the worlds, and stopped Irumeru from destroying Aabahran. This shift in power and the weakened reality caused many unusual events to occur. The four gods represented Life, Death, Order and Chaos, thus bringing balance to Aabahran once more. During these events many other gods sprang into existance through various forces and means.
Born by the forces of Gaia that Irumeru’s purity nearly destroyed was the goddess Eshaine. The conflict around the world resolved itself into the force of Karalius. The strange forces resulted in the birth of Krounoi, some how a child of a maggot. The greedy nature of the conflict became embodied by the hooded Khaede. And a lonely mage, Anithraril, gathered great power becoming the representation of all magic.
It was in the Spring of 609 that the Demon Lord Malchaeius gathered his forces of demons, humans, and turned elves to strike down the bastions of Light in Aabahran. The plots of the Demon Lord had been gathering for years, each thread of hope and aid turned aside. It was said the plan was masterful, that even those Elders of Warmaster were amazed by the majesty of it. Malchaeius had gathered his demonic forces and sent them into the world. They joined the Savants to hold the Warmasters at bay, who were then allied with the Knights of the Crown. Syndicate, the ally of the Nexus, turned its eye upon Miruvhor, strangling the fading hope of Emperor Galvatar Xebonn and stealing his armies away, capturing the city he held dear for ages. These forces gathered and the Demon’s plans grew. Queen Elise Shaenor of Shasarazade was the next to confront the forces of the Demon. While the Elves and Knights attempted to save the city by concealing the Elves in Knight clothing, the treachery of the Demon prevented the aid of Rheydin and the forces of their Regent, Bartodk Budokd. The battle came before any were ready, as the gates of the Elven city were torn assunder by hordes of Orcs. In this hour did the Queen of the Elves fall before Malchaeius, undone by the destruction of her city and people, and died in the arms of her ally, Branor Tsidkenu, King of Val Miran. Her final words, which may or may not have been confused, spoke against the Noble Seiluna, councilor to the queen, the royal of Val Miran, Jaharim. It is perhaps these words that turned the elves to aiding the Demon.
Then in the spring of 609, the Demon struck again, his combined forces assaulting the Castle of the Knights. It was at this time that the forces of the Watchers struck against Val Miran and Justice. While this seemed a grave coincidence it occurred at the plans of the Demon Lord, who had included even the Watchers in his ploy. King Branor Tsidkenu, successor to the Queen Isabeau Shrythara, was lured out of Val Miran on a diplomatic mission. With the King away, the Watchers struck. As the city of Val Miran was reduced to rubble by the Treants of Eshaine, and the halls of Justice torn down, the Knights battled for their lives against the Demon General VUTRAVIKYR, who was Malchaeius’ chosen. It is known that the Oracle Saisha Luinwe saught, earlier in the war, to decieve the demon in an attempt to learn his plans. In doing so she pretended to betray the Knights and it seemed her ploy worked. She gained knowledge, yet her actions allowed the Demonic forces the time to position themselves against the Castle. When the battle began the Knights, long allies of Val Miran, could not come to the city’s aid and thus the plans of Malchaeius were made clear, to sunder the alliances that made the western world strong. While the City of Val Miran was reclaimed by the forces of Gaia, the Knights were not defeated.
The Castle may have stood, yet the Oracle Saisha Luinwe had not forseen the underhanded plans of the Demon. Even while she pretended to aid him, he had prepared for her betrayal. Each time they spoke, each time they met he planted a small demon bug upon her person, which when she returned to the Castle hid itself. When the battle raged on even the Demon Lord Malchaeius knew the gates of Knight could not be breached from without. Thus, while the General and the Oracle confronted the Demon’s armys and commanded the Knights, the demonic bugs opened the gates from within and the demons gained the Castle. In this dark hour the Castle might have been lost forever and the Knights defeated, yet one of the Order of the Crusades, a Lord of Battle who walked Aabahran centries before came to their aid. Corim Altierre, the Fury of the One returned, though those who watched him fight say he had calmed a great deal in two-hundred years. His blade Sefirot cut down the demon VUTRAVIKYR and forced the retreat of the Demonic army. Once he was done, he again vanished into the Chasm, his final words being that he would always be ready to protect the Knights of the Crown, as would those known as the Vanguard.
Thus was Justice cast down and destroyed, the city of Val Miran left to the wilderness, the city of Miruvhor cast in the dark hands of the Syndicate, and the Castle of the Knights left in ruins. Thus was the War of the Demon Malchaeius.
On the Fiftday, the 35th of Nature (Summer) 625 PC, the god of the Forge Wathok, completed his first true weapon. It was named Kreyis, the Sacrosanct Blade of Aabahran. It was made to fit the hands of all wielders and granted powers beyond that of most ordinary blades, yet its strength was not unmatched by other weapons. As Wathok’s purpose was to forge weapons and see them used, he sent his metal golem to Aabahran to grant the weapon to the mightiest of champions. The golem fell from the heavens crashing into the Elemental canyon where many of Aabahran came to see what had happened. The Warmaster Yehivelid attacked the golem to claim the weapon first, though why he didn’t just ask for it, no one is quite sure. In the end he felled the golem, with a little aid from Isadrian who seemed to seek the blade as well. The elf managed to grasp Kreyis before Yehivelid and thus a fight began, where Yehivelid fell and Kreyis The Sacrosanct Blade chose the elf Isadrian as its first wielder. Naturally the invoker tried to grant the blade a portion of his power, an action which Kreyis disapproved of and reduced the invoker to ash. Thus the weapon came to Merdien who soon found all manner of creatures were drawn to its power. Thus was the begining of Kreyis the Sacrosanct Blade, and its future was entrusted to mortal hands.
Unfortunately the draw of the blade was great and Wathok had forged it too well. It continued to draw all manner of creatures. Each wielder found themselves beset by beast foul and divine alike. While Wathok was thrilled with this side-affect he came to realize he had forged it too well. Thus did he reclaim the blade to work on un-perfecting his works.
Since the destruction of Justice, lawlessness and chaos had reigned in the cities of Aabahran. While often there were rumors of various forces attempting to restore order and a number of organizations pledges to either help or hinder the forming Militia, these militia members were joined under Izlimak to bring order to the world again. While they grew quickly in number, their goals were loosely formed and until the coming of Tribunal they had no grounds to gather and do battle from. Yet upon the 57th of Life, 638 C.H. the Unliving Order called his Militia together and began to assemble the forces of Tribunal, who would bring order back to Aabahran. These daring followers were formed of previous Nobles and Justices combining their strength in a fashion none had ever before seen.
Those to first heed the call were: Bartodk Budokd the Mystic Defender of Peace, Elise Shaenor the Will of the Elven Empire, Branor Tsidkenu the Lion of Val Miran, Zimkista Mogtala the Orc Shaman, and Chrinchton the Last Voice of Law, Follower of a Forgotten Path. While others soon joined the banner, these were known as those who had held true to Order even while it seemed they had no hope.
It was mentioned by the Mighty Krounoi, in the hearing of Brambus, that he sought to have Wathok forge a blade of chaos and order, to seek a unity of the two to form something truly neutral. Unfortunately it seems Brambus took this as a command and begain to tinker with it himself. Thus on Eightday the 28th of Nature, 639 C.H. did he combine the two ( how he did this is a mystery to even the greatest of Mysterum). The results were not as he expected. When the Mighty Krounoi found him, after being shaken from his desk, burned and broken from the explosion, he took responsibility for the gnome’s actions, feeling himself at fault. After tending to Brambus’ wounds, he informed the world of the devastation wrought upon the once gentle plains south of Rheydin.
Ever since his ascension, Izlimak vowed to restore Order within the cities of Aabahran. Having founded the Tribunal, the Law was again enforced. This, however, was not the extent of Izlimak’s ambition. Val Miran, not really a city at all, had been overtaken by the very forests that surrounded it. Even Morien, former jailer of Val Miran’s Onyx Guard, was witnessed killing innocent travlers by the score. It had become the Wilderness. Miruvhor was infested with all manner of foul creatures. Legions of prostitutes, gangsters, pirates, thieves and undead called it home. Such was the nature of rule by the Syndicate, led by Chayesh’s chosen dark daughter, the Countess Messalantha. These beasts and scum marred all the remained of the former Emperor’s dream. Izlimak vowed this would not remain. Around 665 PC, the plans were put in motion. The streets of Miruvhor were cleansed of all but a few traces of Syndicate’s occupation. The tarnished alabaster and ivory towers of Val Miran were returned to their former glory. A new guard was formed in both cities to aid the Tribunal in maintaining Order; the Righteous Palm in Val Miran, the Crimson Guard in Miruvhor. At last, the three cities were united under one common banner, The Tribunal of Aabahran.