Why we Fight

The reason is simple. This war goes beyond fighting over territory, for power or control. It is not hatred that makes me draw my blades, nor lust or ambition that fuels the fires of this struggle. It is the basest emotion that drives me. Fear. Fear of the Fade.

The Fade is the nightmare that you cannot wake from. A blackness that drags you in like an undertow, unrelenting and irresistible. Panic will overwhelm you when you gasp for air that isn't there. You will flail your limbs in every direction, desperate to touch something substantial, but you will find only nothingness. It will seem as if all your senses have left you and though you cannot feel a chill on your skin, a cold, sickening energy will consume you nonetheless.

At first, you'll believe your suffering will end in death, but that is not the way of it. For centuries you will exist as something less than spirit, drifting aimlessly in the emptiness, lonely and anguished. I felt it. It was all I knew for countless years and still I am haunted by it each and every time I close my eyes.

I was saved from the Fade, pulled from the everlasting night and cast back into the living world of flowing color and glorious light. My salvation was not by chance however, I was brought back for a purpose. I must do what I do best. I must make war, for this is a time in need of great warriors. There is but one thing that keeps the shattered remains of our world from the Fade: Essence. It is more valuable than gold and far more rare.

We must fight for this Essence. Without it, our Realm will be pulled into the Fade and I will not let that happen. I will take up my blades and fight. So perhaps it is fear that drives me, but that is not what makes me fight. I fight for those who saved me from the Fade, so they will not have to suffer that horror. I will fight for them and I will fight for our future.

The horn of war blows long and loud. It is the War of the Fury and I will fight to see my Realm survive it. Our world is consumed by strife and struggle, but it was not always this way

- Gaius Fourfaiths, Reborn warrior,
Fighting for the Realm of Hadralas

Age of Heroes

Miraculous though it was, resurrection did not come without a price. As the years of strife went on, the souls of resurrected Heroes were subtly altered due to their contact with the unnatural magic of resurrection. This magic inexorably bonded these souls with the four elements of the world: Air, Water, Fire, and Nature. These souls, now fused with elements, were bound to living world and thus, could never leave it.

A Hero's soul, if not resurrected, did not go on to the afterlife, but wandered the land of living, devoid of a corporeal form. These ethereal souls would wander Altaia until by some unknown agency they were reborn in the form of new individuals.

The reborn had no memories of their past lives, only the inherent knowledge that they were different, special. Their altered souls gave them a natural affinity towards the elements and an almost uncanny control over magic. Throughout the ages, these altered souls experienced lifetime after lifetime, often changing races, societal roles and even genders. However, one thing remained constant: The reborn always led lives of great influence.

The phenomenon of the reborn did not go unnoticed by the greater populace of Altaia. The Altaian people began to recognize these special people and so named them,"The Chosen". The Chosen were often trained from a young age to be Warriors or magi and with this training, the Chosen learned how to control the elements within themselves and sometimes, even within others. This talent made them truly Heroes without equal and their exploits in battle were carried throughout the land in story and in song.

As the destinies of the Kingdoms were being shaped by the Chosen, so too was the Altaian world itself affected. The delicate balance between the four elemental forces and the constants of life and death was being thrown off by the advent of the Chosen and by the magic of resurrection.

Not only that, but as the centuries churned on the Altaian people began to worship their Heroes as Gods. The worship of the true Altaian Gods began to decline until eventually only a small few Kingdoms remained devout. The Altaians now chose to believe that the power of magic came from within themselves and not from the Gods. As such, the Altaians used their gift of magic with total abandon, forcing the elements to their every purpose. However, the Altaians would pay a terrible price for their avarice.

Unable to endure the behavior of Altaian people any longer, the true Gods left Altaia behind, thus condemning the Altaian people to death. For, with their departure, the influx of new elemental Essence into the world of Altaia stopped and the outrageous use of magic began to take its toll on the world. Magic that once used the Essence of the Gods now began to consume the natural Essence of the Altaian world itself.

As a result of this consumption, the world's livable land began to literally disappear. Once beautiful, fertile, lands began to simply dissolve away into insubstantial nothingness. The Altaian people were terrified as they watched the lands they lived upon disappearing around them. Predictably, they reached out to their magical powers to stop the devastation. However, the effect was like quicksand - the more the Altaians struggled to save their lands - the faster they disappeared. This insatiable, destructive force became known as the Fade, its advent signaled the beginning of a new Age, the Age of the Fade.

Age of Virtue

The land of Altaia was once a paradise. The Altaian people lived good and happy lives. They worked hard, lived off the land and spent much of their time in worship. As their civilization grew, they constructed great temples and monuments to their beloved Gods.

The Altaians worshiped four Gods and each of them had Demigods devoted to one of the elements of: Fire, Water, Nature, and Air. These Gods were benevolent and gave the Altaian people a wonderful gift, the power of magic.

This power allowed the Altaians to harness the power of the four elements: Nature, Fire, Air, and Water. At first the Altaians were grateful, worshipping their Gods all the more. They began experimenting with their new power and soon learned to use magic to improve the quality of their lives.

With the power of Nature magic, the Altaians improved the growth of their crops and livestock. Water magic allowed them to heal the sick or injured. Fire magic gave the Altaians command of the hearth and forge, while Air helped them take to the seas in great sailing ships. The Altaians used their new powers to great effect and as a result, their civilization flourished.

As this golden era went on, great changes began to take place in Altaia. The Altaian people began to take their new powers for granted, forgetting how difficult their lives had been without the power of magic. Instead of living in peace and worship as they always had, the Altaians became ambitious and great city states called Kingdoms rose up throughout the land.

Age of Fade

As the amount of livable land decreased, the Altaians continued to fight amongst themselves, squabbling over the lands that remained. Their fighting only amplified the problem. By the time the Altaian people realized that it was their own magic that was destroying the world, it was far too late.

As the amount of livable land decreased, the Altaians continued to fight amongst themselves, squabbling over the lands that remained. Their fighting only amplified the problem. By the time the Altaian people realized that it was their own magic that was destroying the world, it was far too late.

The Fade was upon them and its voracious consumption of the world could not be reversed. Just when it seemed like all hope was lost, the people of an Eastern Kingdom known as Ahdria found a way to save the Altaian species. The Ahdrians had always held a unique position in Altaia.

Their geographical position had allowed them to stay out of conflict and while others spent their energies creating destructive spells, the Ahdrians instead used their powers to build and to create.

Using their expertise, they created great magical areas they called"Sanctuaries". These Sanctuaries were protected by powerful wards that the Fade simply could not penetrate. When they realized the true peril the world was in, the Ahdrians swept through the lands of Altaia like a whirlwind, replicating their design and creating Sanctuaries for each and every Altaian Kingdom. With this incredible act, the Altaian people were saved, but the same could not be said for their world.

The damage inflicted upon the Altaian world was tremendous. Countless lives and thousands of Altaian cities and towns were lost forever, as were the lands that surrounded them. The Chosen that managed to make it into the Sanctuaries live out their lives in peace, never to be reborn. In effect, the civilization of the Altaians was utterly destroyed, their desire for war was lost and a new age dawned: The Age of Peace.

Age of War

The strife continued for many years and as it did, the way in which battle was fought began to evolve. The Altaians began to twist the power of the elements towards evil purposes. One by one, each Kingdom began to twist the powers of the four elements, and use them to create spells of destruction.

The Altaians took to using this destructive magic quickly, the power of destructive spells increasing with every generation. In the span of a few centuries the Altaians went from attacking each other with spears and axes, to charring each other with streams of burning flame.

As the power of destructive magic increased, the number of war casualties escalated dramatically. As their numbers dwindled, the Altaians inevitably turned to magic for a way to cheat death. There were many attempts, but the first Kingdom to succeed in this effort was the Kingdom of Dermerr, which succeeded by merging the forces of Death and Life magic together in an unnatural ritual. This knowledge spread quickly and soon all the Altaian Kingdoms were resurrecting Heroes when they fell in battle.

These Heroes would go on to lead the great armies of their Kingdoms and fight countless battles against one another. They would often the feel the chill touch of death, but again and again, their souls would be called back from the afterlife. This new age of battle and Heroes grew to be known as the Age of Heroes.