Lost Empires

[Ampolitor]

ok Im doing the background for a campaign world let me know if its good or cheesy!
this is the first part. Yes its long.
The Days before Days
Contained below are excerpts from the Histories of Fasya written and compiled by Thinius Greenberry, chief librarian of Lands End In the 1,992 year of the Fourth Age of the world.



Where there is no light there is only darkness. For eons the cosmos were engulfed in eternal nothingness. The darkness ruled the great expanse but it was not totally devoid of life.
In the center were four golden keys that contained the elements of creation and around the keys danced hordes and hordes of nightmarish creatures. These Demons and Devils celebrated for they had stopped creation by capturing the elements and stopped nature’s path.
Sitting around the prizes were the most foul and evil of the creatures the Djinn. The Djinn were the most ancient and powerful of all the demons and devils. There they contemplated on what to do with the captured elements. The Demons and devils each had different ideas, so they made a brutal war upon each other and they fought over the keys. In the great chaos they failed to see the Creator Gods slip into the darkness. Then from the void, a ray of searing light appeared and like a sword it pierced the darkness scattering the evil creatures howling in pain.
The dark creatures cowered to the darkest corners of the void howling in pain. They all abandoned the keys, all of them except the Djinn. The Gods charged out of the void and attacked the Djinn. After a bloody battle the Gods overpowered them, for then they were many compared to the Djinns few. The defeated Djinn were pushed into the darkness and the Gods took the Keys.
There in the dark center of the universe the Gods held the keys and spoke the charm of making. The God of the great Forge, Harbard the Graybeard took the keys and with the power of the rest of the Gods he created the most beautiful and flawless gem, the Gods gem. The Gods marveled as it sparkled and cast light all across the universe. Within the Gem the each of the Gods placed a small part of their powers, and with the power of the keys they gave the gem the gift of creation.
They pushed back some of the darkness and created the heavens, a great city surrounded by a golden wall that would forever keep out the darkness. The heavens became a bastion of light in the void of darkness, but it also attracted the foulest of creatures. Slowly over time more and more of the foul things gathered and spied from the blackness. There they whispered and conspired to one another and above all they watched. The Gods built there great city ignoring the creatures seeing them as no threat since they have already beaten them, but the creatures were not vanquished but only weakened
for a time.

 

[Ampolitor]

part deux, lol

After some time the Gods finally became aware of the growing threat outside their gates. The horde of creatures was growing larger and larger. They decided that they needed to finish their work and not be interupted so they used the Gem and created the Avenar, a race of angelic guardians who were tasked with protecting the heavens and its gates. From atop of the great walls they kept watch on the swirling darkness beyond. They listened to the whispers and kept a watch on the creatures that patrolled the edge of the darkness.
Deep in the center of the darkness the Djinn planned and schemed. They knew that they were not strong enough to defeat the Gods by themselves, so in the dark they united the Demons and the Devils and formed fearsome legions of creatures, they chose a leader a powerful ancient Djinn named Arioch. The Djinn led the creatures out of the darkness and stormed the walls of the heavens. The Avenar standing watch braced themselves as hundreds of thousands of foul creatures stormed the golden walls.
The unholy army led by the Djinn, Arioch poured over the walls and into the streets. There they began to burn and destroy everything in their path. The Avenar fought back killing thousands of the creatures but the forces of the dark were just too numerous and they began to fall one by one under claw or fang until their thousands became a few hundred. The creatures fought their way to the Gods great hall where they killed its guards and they stole the Gods gem. Arioch grabbed the gem and flew to the walls trying to escape as fast as he could with the gem. He jumped over the walls and tried to flee into the safety of the darkness, but before him was one of the gods. A powerful armored warrior named Belephor saw Arioch grab the gem. He faced the Djinn and warned him to release the Gem. The two locked in combat and fought over the gem. Arioch was able to free himself from Belephor by clawing his eyes. Arioch ran into the darkness and tried to escape but Belephor knowing how important it was to retrieve the gem followed him into the blackness. The cold dark instantly assaulted him draining him of his powers. He was in great pain but he was able to reach his arm out and he grabbed the Djinns arm. With all of his might he pulled and tore the creatures arm right from its shoulder. The God was then suddenly pulled from the darkness and back out into the light of the heavens. There he could see several more of the Gods looking down at him. In his hand he had the severed arm of Arioch and in its clawed hand was the gem covered in the sickly blood of the creature.
The Gods had driven the dark creatures off once again, but the heavens were set ablaze and many of the Avenar laid dead and mangled, some were even dragged into the darkness, their screams and prayers assaulted the Gods ears. The gods listened from the edge of darkness but were helpless to act. They took Belephor, their hero and tended his wounds. They placed the Gods Gem back in the Great Hall and they held a great celebration in honor of Belephors bravery, but they did not know of the dark seed that was planted that day.

 

[Herremann the Wise]

Hi Ampolitor,

There is a certain level of cheese in any mythology; it is perhaps more the smell that can unravel even the most serious of folklore. However, I like what you wrote (no smell at all ), particularly the decided feeling of menace between the concerned parties at the finish. It would be of interest regarding the role of Thinius Greenberry for a little background upon the sources he used for his compilation. This kind of depth could really augment the atmosphere you are trying to create.

Anyway, it looks good to me.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

[pimp]
PS: If you are of a mind and enjoy a good read, may I point you towards my Story Hour (see my signature). I would suggest reading the most recent post to get a sense of the flavour before venturing further back if it interests you. I would obviously enjoy your considered feedback.
[/pimp]
PSS: By the way, 482 words is not long at all. Just right if you ask me.

***​

 

[Ampolitor]

Part 3

The Gods rebuilt the heavens and made it more exquisite than before. They made the halls larger and the spires taller. They made great statues to themselves and held many feasts in their own honor. They were happy but they were not satisfied, they wanted more so they built a bridge made of the purest crystal and inside the crystal pulsed the light of the heavens. The darkness retreated away from the bridge as it stretched across the dark. At the end of the bridge they built the world and they named it Fasya.
They crossed the bridge and walked upon the world and marveled, as it was to be there greatest creation. They took the gem and they poured the lakes, rivers and oceans. They molded the hills, valleys and mountains and planted the great forests. When they were done they marveled at their greatness but the world was quiet and nobody else could share in their greatness. They created the animals and painted the world with all of its colors. They were deceived however for the Gem was now tainted. The seed of evil that contaminated the Gem was creating a mirror image of everything that they created. It created a mirror world, a world of shadow and darkness, the Fadalheim as we now call it. It is a world hidden from view, but real nonetheless.
Aden the leader of the gods worried that the Djinn would take the world as their own, so with the help of the Fire Goddess Marakhan they crafted the Ever burning sun and tossed it deep into the darkness. The Dark scattered around the sun and retreated far from the world. The leader of the Gods Howerver was still not satisfied that the world would be safe, so with the other Gods they created a race more powerful than the Avenar, they created the Skyrmir, the great Dragons or Air dwellers as some of the ancient scrolls refer to them. The Goddess Sorscha the keeper of magic blessed the creatures with magical powers to help tend, protect and keep the world. With their gifts they descended upon the world and marveled at its beauty. They were magnificent creatures tremendous in size, strength, and wisdom, but with their gifts of magic the Gods were satisfied that they could matchthe powers of the Djinn and theyre hordes.
.

 

[Ampolitor]

4

On the surface of the world the Skyrmir patrolled the skies, swam the great oceans and rivers, ate from the vast orchards and slept in the mighty evergreen forests. They became the gods favorite creatures, mighty and loyal which pleases them very much. Since the Avenar were unable to stop the djinn before, the Gods feared that the they would lay siege to the Heavens again. They knew that the gem must never fall into their hands for if it did they would have the power of creation and destruction in their power. The Gods did not want to destroy the Gem but they wanted to hide it.
They bestowed their greatest creation upon the Skyrmir to protect and keep well. The dragons took the gem with care and they hid it deep within the greatest mountains of the world. They were proud that the Gods had given them this great responsibility. From the highest peaks they watched over the world while they also kept an eye on the skies above.
The gem was now hidden, but this did not sit well with the Avenar who became jealous. The Avenar who time and time again had defended the heavens, the very homes of the Gods, felt brushed aside forgotten by the creators. They were once the favorite of the Gods but with the coming of the Skyrmir the gods had forsaken them or so they were told. Belephor had noticed the change in the Avenar as they patrolled the streets. He noticed their jealousy, like he could smell it unaware of the darkness that was growing inside of him. He felt that the Gods were wasting the powers of the Gem on weak creatures and painted landscapes. The rest of the gods were fools and weak compared to himself. He began to talk to himself, that Aden was not a true leader, he was soft and that if he had the gem for himself he would vanquish the Djinn once and for all. The seed of evil festered inside of him as he retreated back to his hall, and there on his throne he waited and dreamed of his own great deeds to come.

 

[Ampolitor]

part 1 of the age of dreams

The Age of Dreams
The Gods loved the Skyrmir and for many ages they enjoyed watching them as they patrolled the world. The Gods however as vain as they are wanted more. They wanted to be worshipped and praised, the Skyrmir like the Avenar did not understand this, they just did as they were told. This was very important to the Gods so once again they decided to create more creatures. This time they would love and worship the gods and pay them great tributes. The Gods sent for the gem and the Skyrmir brought it to them. The skyrmir watched as the Gods created the Tuatha De Aden (or the Tuatha as some of the scrolls refer to them) meaning the “people of Aden”.
They created the Elves first wo wander and tend the animals and the forests. They were people of beauty and deep culture. Then they created the dwarves, the tenders of the hills and mountains. They were given the gifts of the forge, and of the art of molding the earth and stone. After the dwarves the Gods created the Barrowmen or ground folk, as they are also known. They were to keep the records of all the great things that the Gods did, the keepers of the most sacred knowledge.
Then the Gods created the humans who were given the gift of free reign of their destiny, to do as they will but they were cursed with short lives.
The Tuatha were placed in separate areas of the world where they flourished and began their own civilizations. They built great temples and statues in honor of the gods. This pleased them very much, all of the Gods except for Belephor. He watched the Tuatha as they lived their pitiful lives praying and building. They were weak and pathetic, a virus upon the world. This made him angry, especially when they prayed for things. How dare those weak creatures ask the gods for anything, they were not worthy in his eyes.
He roamed the streets of the heavens thinking to himself, ignoring the other Gods and Avenar as he passed them bye. He watched the darkness from the outerwall, he peered into the blackness as he has always done but this time it looked back.
Belephor stared into the nothingness as it whispered to him; it told him that he was a mighty warrior stronger than the rest. This was nothing new to him, he knew that he should lead the gods, take the Gem and prove that he was the strongest. It was he that defeated Atioch, and he that saved the Gem. The gods owed him everything and they give him nothing. Why should he even protect them, he thought to himself that he could rule it all, the gods and the Djinn. He left the wall and walked back to his hall where he went back to his throne and schemed as his soul spiraled further into darkness.

 

[Ampolitor]

The age of dreams and the Nephadim

On the surface of Fasya the Tuatha flourished under the protection of the Gods and the Skyrmir. The Gods visited there most faithful in visions during their dreams. In those visions they told them what they wanted to be done, and the Tuatha listened. This was an age of peace for the Tuatha, a age of great visions and an age of dreams.

The Nephadim
In searching all of the ancient texts and scrolls that have been recovered there is not a lot of information on the Nephadim (Ne-Fa-Dim) as to their number or names with the exception of a few.
Belephor knew that there were a few of the Avenar who were jealous of the Skyrmir. This was something that the Gods were not aware of, that the Avenar would have this feeling, but they were more concerned marveling at the statues and great temples their blessed Tuatha were building for them. He knew that the Avenar loved the gods above all else and that they would not openly betray the gods. He knew that they would have to be deceived. He watched the Avenar as they looked down at the World in disgust and when he felt confident he summoned one of the Avenar to his Great Hall.
The most outspoken and battle hardened of the Avenar came to speak with Belephor. His name was Metaron. There in his great hall Belephor told him that he was holding him to his oath to serve the gods, and that he suspected that the Djinn planned on attacking the Crystal bridge severing it from the Heavens. He told Metaron that this would be their chance to prove to the gods that they were more powerful that the Skyrmir. This would be the first time that they would attack the Djinn instead of waiting.
Metaron agreed to serve Belephor and gathered a group of the Avenar that shred his beliefs that by setting a trap and defeating the Djinn they would once again come into the Graces of the gods. As Belephor instructed they went to the Crystal bridge and waited hiding along its sides, they were to watch for anything for the Djinn were deceptive and might be disguised to fool them.
The Skyrmir watched the Tuatha from their high mountain peaks, they watched them build the great temples and statues to the Gods while they continued their lives of protecting them. Over time however like the Avenar a few of the Skyrmir became jealous. They felt slighted by the Tuatha since they protected them and were never even acknowledged. They tried to devise a plan on how they could please the Gods like the Tuatha did so they too tried to build great monuments in their honor.
Belephor had also been watching the Skyrmir and like the Avenar he waited for his chance, and when it came he appeared to them. He told them that the crystal bridge was in trouble and that a bunch of the Djinn were disguised as the Avenar and were attempting to destroy it severing the world from the heavens. They flew to the crystal bridge immediately and like Belephor said they could sense that creatures were hiding on the bridge in ambush. They flew down upon the Avenar using their magic to route them from their hiding spots.
A great battle ensued and many creatures from both sides fell, Meteron and his companions fought hard but they could not stand up to the might of the Skyrmirs magic. The battle raged until a stray lightning bolt came from the dark and shattered a section of the bridge sending it spinning down into the darkness with many of the skyrmir and Avenar with it.
The Avenar were beaten, Metaron and the few survivors were told to flee by Belephor and hard to cross the darkness where the bridge was broken. Only a few made it out of the dark and those that did were severely wounded. Belephor gathered them up and took them to his great hall.
Belephor then appeared to the Skyrmir, he praised them and gave them leave to return to fasya to celebrate their victory.
Once they were all gone Belephor reached into the darkness and retrieved the broken part of the bridge and repaired it. He then took the wounded and broken bodies of the Skyrmir and Avenar from the dark. He took the Skyrmir back to their bretheren to be nursed back to health, as he did with the Avenar.
Before the gods became curious he went to them and told them about how the Skyrmir protected the bridge from a group of renegade Avenar whom he called the Nephadim (“ancient text refers to them as Betrayers”) He told the Gods how they planned on destroying the bridge because they were jealous of the Tuatha and that they wanted to sever the bridge from the world. It would of worked but he and the skyrmir had caght them in the act of sabotaging the bridge and they stopped them. He told them that Metaron and his dark angels were vanquished, lost in the darkness forever.
The gods were pleased with the Skyrmir but were greatly concerned how some of the Avenar betrayed them. Belephor returned to his hall where he told Metaron what had happened, how the Skyrmir said that the Avenar had betrayed the gods and that the Gods believed them. He then told them how he saved them by telling the gods that they were dead. The Nephadim were in despair, Belephor said to them that they could serve him faithfully and that he would keep them safe. They agreed and from that point they remained hidden in the great hall of Belephor. There they healed but like their new leader they were tainted by the darkness, changing with every passing moment. They hid in the heavens watching the other Gods from the shadows. They became his spies and henchmen but then the Darkness slowly overtook all of them like a strange disease to the point that their appearance started to change. They were forced to go into hiding and swore they would reappear once Belephor summoned them.

 

[Ampolitor]

The Dragon War

The Dragon War
For a long time the Skyrmir continued to watch over Fasya and there in the high peaks of the world they patrolled the skies. The many who fell during the battle for the Crystal Bridge had a seed of evil planted in them that day. The darkness festered inside of them like it did in the Nephadim and in Belephor until it consumed them.
At first they cringed away from the sun, digging deep into the earth. There they slept, they abandoned their patrols as the darkness clouded their thoughts. To them the tuatha were weak creatures, slaves of the gods. Why shouldn’t they defend themselves and their own world if they were so special. The dark thoughts overtook the tainted Skyrmir until it turned to pure hatred.
They gathered together in a deep dark cavern where they whispered and conspired. When they all decided on what they should all do they flew up to the surface where they unleashed a assault on the Tuatha so terrible that it scarred the very world itself. They burned towns and devoured anyone that crossed in their path. They enslaved entire towns, the rest of the Skyrmir watched and could do nothing. They feared that if they got involved they would leave the Gods gem defenseless.
The dark dragons were feared they became known as the Malacerbus or Dark Wings. For a long time they terrorized the Tuatha. The Elves abandoned the plains and sought refuge in the deep ancient forests. The dwarves retreated deep into the mountains and abandoned their villages on the surface forced to hide underground. The Barrowman built ships and sailed far away in an attempt to get away from the winged tyrants while the humans hid wherever they could.
The humans to honor them and to curb their anger built great statues. Many of the humans began to worship the Malacerbus, great cults spread and religions were born. The serpents began to consider themselves as powerful as the gods.
In the heavens Belephor and his stories of pending attacks by the Djinn distracted the Gods. They were busy building and constructing great fortifications to repel the impending attack and failed to see what was happening to Fasya. Belephor himself appeared to the most powerful of the Malacerbus, a powerful creature called Drahak, who’s scales were as red as all the blood that he had spilt, his claws were like sharpened spears, his teeth like razors, and his wings held the strength of a hurricane, He terrorized the lands of lower Hyperia and enslaved all of the Tuatha there. He spoke to Drahak and told him to gather his bretheren to retrieve the Gods gem and to bring it to him, for it was the will of all the gods.
Drahak overconfident in his abilities had to be reminded of who his creators were by Belephor. He did not kill him but made him remember what pain felt like. Drahak did as he asked and gathered the Malcerbus and they listened to him. Belephor promised to make them stronger with the gem if they retrieved it for him, strong enough to defeat their brethren the Skyrmir so they could rule the world of Fasya in its entirety.
They flew to the icy north where the gem was hidden. There from the shadows they quickly overwhelmed the few Skyrmir guardians and took the gem. They flew to the south as fast as they could with the gem, but they failed to see that many of the Skyrmir had followed them and were closing. There in the skies they locked in battle, dragon against dragon, tooth against claw. The skies shook with thunder and lightning struck the earth ripping it open. Magic streaked across the sky as the dragons ripped and tore at each other’s flesh.
As the twisted bodies of the Skyrmir and the Malacerbus crashed into the ground, their broken bodies released their magic unto the world.

 

[Ampolitor]

next,, no opinions people!

The raw magic and dark essence seeped deep into the ground. A few of the Tuatha who were too close became infected, the lucky ones died right away the others ran off howling in pain as their skin smoked and bubbled. They were transformed and twisted into creatures of the dark and of nightmares. The dark essence and magic transformed these creatures into pure abominations that retreated deep into the underworld hiding from the sun. These creatures became to be known as the Unholy as the Tuatha called them.
The Skyrmir however could not defeat the Malacerbus, they were beaten back but not before they took many of the dark creatures with them. The remaining Malacerbus brought the Gods gem to Belephor before the rest of the Skyrmir could find them. Belephor greedily took the gem and retreated deep into a cavern deep under the earth. The Malacerbus flew back to their caverns waiting for what Belephor wanted them to do next.
In the cavern he knew that he had to be quick for the Skyrmir would tell the Gods what had happened and then he would be revealed to them. He set to work and created his own versions of the Tuatha he created the Orcs, Mirgaul, Aberra, and all of the other wild races of the dark. There Belephor set them free in the underground, he then examined the gem and noticed that it was somehow different, he saw a shadow. It was then that Belephor had realized what Arioch had done when he tainted the gem. He peered into the Fadalheim and marveled; he learned its secrets and how to enter the realm. He crafted a key, the great key of shadow forged like the elemental keys it held the elements of shadow and allowed him to enter the Fadalheim.
As he used the key the gods appeared scattering the Malacerbus and knocked Belephor to the ground causing him to drop the gem. He knew he was outmatched and outnumbered so he used the key and slipped away where they could not follow. A few of the Malacerbus tried to escape but were torn from the sky as they left the caverns by the Skyrmir. It is believed however that a few of them did escape deep into the underworld but I could not find any specific names or mention of them in any of the remaining ancient scrolls.
The Malacerbus Drahak quickly grabbed the gem and fought his way past the Gods and Skyrmir and tried to escape. He was followed and was overpowered by a large group of the loyal dragons. They attached themselves and together they plunged from the sky down into a large mountain causing it to erupt in a fireball that could be seen across the world.
Ancient texts and stories hint that this is the birth of Firetop mountain in the valley of the nine.
With the defeat of the Malacerbus the Dragon War came to an end and the gem was taken and hidden deep within the world once again. They did not see however Belephor who snuck from the fadalheim and gathered up the souls of his more powerful Malacerbus then stepped back into the Fadalheim. The God did not know one thing however, crossing into the Fadalheim was draining and when he returned that second time he was drained of his powers. There in the darkness he fell and he slept for many, many seasons.
The dragon war changed the world by releasing magic into the world both good and evil. The first sorcerers were born, those with the natural ability to harness the raw powers. It was also the time of the birth of the abominations the Unholy and the eaters of man. The Drahar were created but did not show themselves to the Tuatha, for the time they remained in the underworld out of the sunlight.

 

[Ampolitor]

No one reading?

man no opinions!