Prologue

Before there were humans, there were elves and dwarves, infernals and supernals. Before the elves, dwarves, infernals, and supernals, there were elementals. And before the elementals, still, there were dragons. And even before the dragons, there were gods. And what came before the gods, only the gods may know. According to common belief and myth, there were four gods. Four of which have many different names. But their earliest given names were Romir the Rising Sun, Cordros of the North, Ylesis the Harbinger of Twilight, and Axta of the Wandering Wood.

The world was a playground for the gods in their earlier days. They drank from the streams, large hands cupping the clean water fresh from a mountain spring. Large bodies lounged between mountain peaks, and the oceans served as their tubs where they rinsed the fun of the day away. Deep pits in the deserts are said to be where large godchild feet left indents as they chased one another during their play. They made creatures that swam, and creatures that flew. They combined the earth and the heavens to create wonderous creatures of which they became very fond of. Flora flourished that fit the tastes of the gods; hearty vegetables and sun sweet fruits. 

The gods were fond of one another. Children who spent the day playing and the evenings lazing. They never knew hunger or want, they were gods! But soon they realized they missed something. And that was companionship of a different kind. Having friends was fun and fair, and the creatures they had created were enjoyable enough, but they desired more. And so, they made more. Forming creatures from the very materials around them. Scaled creatures with sharp-toothed maws and outstretched wings, capable of communication and emotion. The era of dragons began with the birth of the very first dragon, carved of sandstone and born under the rising sun of the east, Edrir of the East. A great hulking beast, sandy in color. His deep amber eyes were sharp and rumored to be able to track even the smallest of movements. Together, with his creator and his breath of fire, the two created most of the weapons and armor for the gods and their council. Romir and Edrir were known for their somewhat aggressive nature, but were well known to be lovers of merriment and a good festival. Despite the brusque and burly outer shells. 

Cordros of the North was not one who liked to feel outdone, and his creation followed soon after. Said to have been carved out of the side of the Gatileche Mountains, the great elder silver dragon was named Orrim. Despite the cold and prickly exterior, sharp ice shards and blistering cold winds following in their wake, Cordros and Orrim were known to be 'warmer' than their eastern neighbor. And a lot more sociable than their western neighbor. Orrim - Lord of the Ice - dutifully spent his nights patrolling the skies over his creator's home, casting bright colors throughout the heavens as he flew. He was content to spend much of his time at Cordros' side, the two becoming and remaining the best of friends. 

To the west, Ylesis had started to work on her own project. Born of sea foam and riptides, the dusky colored dragon - Mynarrir - was born. Stories of great storms that ripped across the land were told to have been created from the flaps of Mynarrir's wings. She spent most of her days and nights in the relative peace and quiet of her home alongside her goddess. Both dragon and creator were intellectuals in nature, and preferred pursuits of the mind. Mynarrir became so intelligent, eventually surpassing even her creator, that she found ways to project her thoughts and emotions using only her mind. Her nickname - the voiceless - was only a nickname. She was as well spoken as any of her peers. 

Axta was the last of the four gods to bring her creation to life. Made of mashed together ancient trees and earth; Shyldroath was born under the canopy of thousands of trees and rested upon a dewy bed of moss and flowers. The more excitable of the four, Shyldroath was fondly looked after by the elder three dragons. The Wandering Wood is believed to be the work of the Lady of the Lichen, when really it is just her overgrown playground that is difficult to navigate for those poor with directions. Or so the tale goes. There are some who believe the trees really do move at the command of the elder dragon and her goddess. The gods and their creations lived in peace and harmony for a long time, creating more and more winged beasts to love, to teach, and to lead. It would be only a matter of time before the dragons themselves grew bored of the present company, and asked to form their own following.

The gods were hesitant at first. To them, life was beyond perfect! But they knew the want and desire well, the desire for something to care for. Families, friends, companions. And so, the dragons were granted their wish. The four elders gathered and made a decision. What better way to honor their gracious gods than to make their progeny mirror the gods? And so, dragonfolk were born of the dragons and their desires for family. They were creatures that walked upright on two large feet. Their delicate skin covered in patches of corresponding scales, and horns upon their heads. Some had long tails, some had no tails. Some had wings, and others went without. They formed their own cities and settlements. They got into arguments and disagreements, but these were quickly and easily quelled by the dragons that came before them. As part of the agreement with their gods. They could create their own progeny, their own following and creatures to care for, but at no time would it be acceptable for them to disrupt the peace of the land. 

Peace was always a relative concept, of course. Dragons had a very close tie with magic and the elements of the world. This was no exception for the dragonfolk. Magic and the elements coursed through their veins. As such, they became curious of the world and magic around them. As far as creation went, what if they created something? Or someone? Within a decade's time, elemental creatures emerged from the world without warning. They crawled from molten earth deep in the mountains, they appeared from the icy glacial structured, they emerged from the very winds themselves. No specific dragonfolk - individual or otherwise - would take accountability for the appearance of these creatures. The gods gathered and spoke amongst themselves. For the first time, the gods argued. Who had approved such a creation? It was impossible to fathom the dragons or dragonfolk had come up with such a notion on their own. Surely it was Cordros with his love for practical jokes that tended to get out of hand... Or perhaps Ylesis had taken it upon herself to test a theory without the approval of her counterparts. No one took accountability outright for the creatures that now roamed the world alongside the dragons and dragonfolk. The ones who formed bonds, friendships, and families. The gods had a choice to make. Dispel the elemental creatures back to the very building blocks they came from...or allow them to flourish among the dragonfolk. In the end, it was decided. The elementals would stay. Even if the gods and the other inhabitants of the world continued to debate their presence and their origins. 

Centuries came and went, and the dragons became less common as they mingled with dragonfolk and created families of their own. Those who remained were elders or ancients, and tended to hide away to manage their progeny from afar. Elementals had families with other elementals - and dragonfolk on occasion. The gods watched from their homes, pleased by the developing world around them. They had created such intelligent beings! Of course, with autonomy, comes discord. The success and peace the gods had come to relish would soon be at risk. What started as a squabble between dragons from high in the mountains spiraled into an all out offensive in a valley where elementals and dragonfolk alike had settled. For the first time in the world's history, mass casualties resulted from warring and fighting. When the gods demanded the fighting cease, they went unheard. In return, the gods gathered their own council, armies, and weapons, and joined the fray. For the first time ever, they had to draw their weapons against the creations they had treasured.

The valley thoroughly stained with blood, the gods were left to debate among themselves with their council. This had to have been the fault of another. Edrir insisted the other gods lacked discipline. Cordros offered the idea that the other three gods failed to balance fairness and equality between the dragons, dragonfolk, and elementals. From the west, Ylesis argued none of the other three had the foresight to consider what would come from allowing the dragons, dragonfolk, and elementals free reign. Axta insisted this had to be a misunderstanding and - with grace and understanding - perhaps they all could put this behind them. Instead of discussing further, the four agreed to disagree, and set to their own projects and management of the land. It was all becoming far too much for the four to manage as one. Instead, looking down upon the world from their place in the heavens, they dissected the land into fourths. Cordros would take the northern lands, Edrir would take the eastern part, Ylesis would retain the west, and Axta would be settled with the south. They could manage their own portion and keep watchful eyes on their creations...and their creation's creations. 

Soon enough, after the division, the elementals set out and away from the dragons and dragonfolk. They formed their own towns, which grew into cities. They governed themselves differently than the dragonfolk, and created systems of trade and bartering. With trade and bartering, of course, come the haves and have-nots. Each of the gods had become wary of their counterparts as fights and arguments continued to spawn among the inhabitants of the land. When Edrir had been asked to cease his people's advances into the north and south, he pretended to be ignorant to such advances. When Axta's fleets moved further north, Cordros reminded her of their boundaries, but continued to overstep these boundaries himself. If Ylesis' people were caught making small hamlets in the northern and southern territories, she acted as shocked as her counterparts were. To bolster their own numbers, the gods created creatures of their own. These ones they fully admitted to creating. A low blow to the elementals who...no one had claimed, still.

Edrir created a people who were stout and bulky. They found their home in the mountains and difficult landscapes. Skilled craftsman when it came to creating weapons and armor and working with the tough metals ripped from the earth. The dwarven people, created by Edrir's own hand. He was given the name Arathean the Smith by his creations, the head of the dwarven pantheon. Ylesis created a people who were lean and thin, all pointy features. They dwelled in cloistered communities in the forests and isolated settlements. Fond of pursuits of the mind and magic. The elves, molded and formed under Ylesis' hand. She became known as Tarathiel, the elven goddess. Cordros plucked the colors and stars from the heavens to create beings of ethereal value. Supernals, creatures of light and harmony. Winged creatures with varying characteristics. To them, he was the revered and honored Ceirol. Axta was the last to bolster her defenses. Reaching deep into the underground beneath her forest, she created beings of darkness and trickery, the infernals. Accepted by few, feared by many for their guile and deception. Axta was known as Anes by the infernal creations, and wore the name proudly. Of course, with the creation of their peoples, the pantheon that had once been widely accepted, split. This led to even more disagreements and arguments among the inhabitants of the world. And with free will came desire. Try as they might, the gods could not prevent their creations from intermingling with one another. And - as a result - causing even more conflict and all out battles and wars that they themselves could no longer quell. 

Tired, defeated, and at a loss. The gods reconvened once more. Their creations were building capitals, governing themselves and others, starting feuds and wars. At this point, they had become glorified bedtime stories. What if they gave these creations and their progeny something else to focus their energies on? Perhaps something not tied to any form of magic. Something humanoid and unimposing in appearance. They'd be 'normal' and have dull and uninteresting features. They would live short lives and have only basic needs and wants. Lives that were not colorful by any means. Simply something to occupy themselves with versus warring with one another. Humans, they would be called. Something humane to give to the inhabitants of the world to form bonds with and to work alongside. Surely the simplemindedness of the newest creations would be pacifying for the uneasy communities. The gods, of course, had never been so wrong. 

Humans were - at first - looked down upon. How could things with no magical ties be expected to hold up against dragonfolk, elementals, dwarves, elves, supernals, or infernals? If anything, they became almost like game animals. Hunted and toyed with for sport, the same way the dragonfolk had treated elementals, and elementals their predecessors, and so on. The gods argued with one another, offended by the willingness of each other's creations to behave so cruelly. While they pointed fingers, however, their people were left out in the open and without guidance. The humans, an adaptable sort, quickly rose to finding the means to defend themselves against those around them. Magic dampening materials, traps outfitted for supernals or infernals specifically, and silver tongues that could sway even the most defiant soul. Willingness to cohabitate with anyone and everyone, if it meant gaining an upper hand or advantage. A desire to expand their experiences given their short lifespans, even if that meant finding companionship or an alliance with the most unlikely of individuals. The humans even took it upon themselves to settle the pantheon of the gods that had become so divided. The gods were renamed and the humans demanded they be addressed as such; North, East, South, and West. Of course, the pantheons of the corresponding people remained, but the 'simplified' version took over and soon became the 'correct' way of addressing the gods. Magic became restricted and viewed as dangerous if not managed appropriately. Humans with bloodlines descended from dragons, elementals, or otherwise were approached warily by their non-magic counterparts. And were even more ostracized by those born into long lineages of magic.

In trying to give the people a common 'enemy' or a common interest, the gods only succeeded in dampening their creations. There was nothing to be done, of course. While they had considered wiping the slate - the world - clean, they would not. They would rather fade into obscurity versus being known and regaled as cruel and destructive gods. While the four continued to point fingers at each other, they all agreed on one thing. Their time reigning as gods that had direct connection to the creations of the world had long since passed. It had been centuries since they last appeared directly to the living inhabitants they had created. Now was the time for rest, and rest they would. North had - long ago - retreated into the world of ice and snow. He had been missing for a long time and any arguments he had were brought to his counterparts by members of his council. And even his council had thinned out until disappearing entirely. East fought long and hard before 'resting', and this was not surprising to those who had lived long enough to remember the god in his earlier centuries of existence. He retired with sharp words and scathing observations towards other gods and the inhabitants of the world. West was just as sharp in tongue, but left haunting remarks upon her followers in the western world. Sowing seeds of doubt and skepticism that would last long after her descent into a deep, deep slumbering state. South was the last to leave, naive to the world around her as it was rapidly changing. She had been caught off guard by the change when finally made to see what the world around her at become. With a somber expression and a heavy heart, she - too - left to rest and abandoned her council as the others had. With no one left to lead them, the council members either retired alongside their gods, or left to find a home among the creations of their gods. 

The status quo had shifted. The gods had retired, and oracles - soothsayers they once were - confirmed they no longer received direct input from the gods or even an inkling of the presence of the gods. They had - as they decided to say - retired and were rumored to simply be 'resting' or in a slumbering state. Never to be awakened, having given centuries upon centuries of their existence to building this world. It was only right they be allowed to sleep. The gods became bedtime stories for children, something people presented offerings to as tradition with no true belief behind the actions. Magic could be studied, but was restricted and deemed dangerous. Dragons became few in numbers, with most retreating to isolated and remote areas. Dragonfolk remained in their ancestral settlements, rarely venturing far away from them. Elementals were pushed to remote territories, generally unwelcome by many due to their strong magical ties and abilities. Supernals and infernals - like dragonfolk - rarely ventured far from the places they called home. Larger cities and towns had majority populations of humans, followed by dwarves and elves. Those with magical bloodlines became known as outcasts and often struggled to find a place of belonging. As long as magic was restricted and managed in an orderly fashion, the Exemplars - seven individuals that sat at the head of the governing body - were pleased. Peace and pleasure could never last for long, though it did remain for centuries. It was only a matter of time before this changed and the gods were awakened from their deep sleep. Free will - as we have learned - comes with a steep price.