The ancients were the first people to live on Miranda. Almost nothing is known about them other than some scattered ruins. The information below is unknown to just about anyone currently living on Miranda, but is included below for completeness. These are not myths, legends, or mis-guided rumors - but a true accounting of the first race.

The ancients were not just powerful and intelligent, but possessed of a desires to create. Aside from the many artistic works they left scattered about the world their greatest creation was intelligent life. Before they discovered the elixir of life the ancients were unable to create truly sentient life. They gave birth to all manner of beasts, but true life eluded them. It was then that a stranger appeared among them. It was as if he always walked among them, but yet they had never seen him. He was the one who gave them the elixir of life, which proved to be both a wonderful gift and a terrible curse.

Using the elixir allowed the ancients to create true life, not just bestial imitations. At first they used this power to change the beasts of the world. Thus was born the kithkin, merfolk, centaurs, satyrs, shoag and hundreds more. Most have died out over the centuries, but many still survive in the places their kin roamed.

As their power grew so to did their arrogance. With the power of the elixir they had given life to nearly every animal on Miranda, but many of the ancients wanted to unleash the full extent of the elixir. Although they had been warned never to create life from un-life that was exactly what many of them wanted to do. These ancients were led by Y'tlanic and they were determined to create life. They were nearly finished when the other ancients learned of their plans and stopped them. Y'tlanic and his followers were drug before the council of the wise who threatened to banish them from this world and into the next should they continue on this path.

Meeting in secret, Y'tlanic prepared his followers for the day when they would create the highest living tribute to themselves. When that day finally arrived they stole the elixir and fled back to their workshop. Before the others could stop them, they used the elixir on some clay models they had fashioned in their own image. When the others arrived they were shocked by the hubris of their kin. Not only had they gone against the will of the council, but they created life that was a shadows of their own lives. These humans represented the pinnacle of the ancient's creations - their children.

The debate about what to do with not only their law-breakers, but the humans as well raged for many human generations. With each generation the debate hardened and the humans grew. Unlike the other races that never seemed to leave their animal heritage, the humans grew with each passing generation. The humans did not simply follow in the footsteps of their creators, but sought out new things to discover. It was the humans who first discovered magic and how to control it. The humans who could control this magic were called magi and because greatly desired by the ancients.

Because the ancients were not of this world they could not harness the magic that flowed through its veins. They new of the strands of power that held this world together, but they could do nothing about it. Now that the humans had learned to control it the ancients put aside their hatred towards the law-breakers and instead embraced them as brothers.

The peace between the ancients could not last. With no more elixir remaining they could not create any more humans or other races. The human magi were powerful but not powerful enough to either give life nor fashion the elixir. The ancients grew impatient waiting for more elixir and began to accuse each other of hording more elixir. These accusations soon grew more and more dangerous with many of the ancients stopping just short of open warfare with each other. The day of their fall was like any other as the same arguments were thrown at each other until finally C'ggolha slew By'taraghoa in a fit of rage. For the first time ever the blood of an ancient had been spilled by another.

This was too much for many in the council and soon the council voted to banish Y'tlanic and all who followed him. That was not enough for some and soon the ancients were warring among themselves. Using the many different races they created with the elixir, the ancients battled across the planet until the earth was covered in blood and hundreds of thousands had died - and that still was not enough. Using their power they created new creatures bred for war and destruction. These twisted parodies of life writhed and twisted across the world destroying all within their path.

Even with these horrible creatures stalking the land in search ancients to kill, the war continued.

The stranger had returned and when he saw what the ancients had done his wrath was terrible to behold. The heavens shook, the land cracked, and the seas boiled. As Miranda tore itself apart he stood before the surviving ancients and passed judgment. Those whose convictions refused to waver and sought to protect their brethren were killed and their bodies used to fashion the heavens. Those who committed the first sin of using the elixir to create life from un-life he killed and threw into the lowest pit of the world where they became the infernal. Those who stood by and did nothing to stop this travesty he passed the worst judgment of all. He transformed them into the mighty beasts that still roam these lands. Creatures like the dragons and phoenix were formed from the bodies and spirits of the ancients.

That was the last time the stranger has visited this world.