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-====== Dark Age ======
+====== Dark Ages ======
-The beginning of the Dark Age was not marked by a great cataclysm, instead is a single moment of silence that was heard throughout the world. One of the great ten gates just ceased to function. The masters of the gate immediately rushed there, but they could not get it started. Then the thought started that nobody wanted uttered, what if this happened to all the gates.
+The world of [[Miranda]] had been forcibly reshaped by those who draw upon the power of the heart of [[Mir]], an [[Empyrean Dragons|Empyrean Dragon]], which lays dormant at its core. A large war had been fought over the entire planet and it left the civilizations of the [[Age of Legends]] in ruin. With the [[Black Gates]] now closed and the [[Great Machines]] silent, Miranda resumed her long slumber. The mortals who still lived on Miranda faced a a near endless cycle of fire, pestilence, war, famine.
-One of the new masters, Gelin, forged a plan to save him. Each of the cities contained a giant crystal that served to gather and harness the magical essence for all to use. He would take these crystals by force and use their power to sustain his own existence. By these words, he gathered about him powerful followers and began the thousand-year war.
+<WRAP center round box 100%>
+**Eons:** [[lore:Creation Eon]] - [[lore:Animaeon Eon]] - [[lore:Immortal Eon]] - **[[lore:Mortal Eon]]**
-At first the cities fell without defense, as during the decades of peace and prosperity people lost the will for war. However, soon enough the cities began to mount their own offensive against the forces of Gelin. Occasionally larger cities would conquer the smaller ones, as their own crystal could no longer sustain their war.
+**Mortal Eon:** [[lore:Age of the Ancients]] - [[lore:Age of Legends]] - **Dark Ages** - [[lore:Return of the Gods]] - [[lore:Age of Man]] - [[lore:Classic Age]] - [[lore:Age of Empires]] - [[lore:Age of Heroes]] - [[lore:Age of the Magi]]
+</WRAP>
-They created powerful monsters and essence-infused warriors to do battle on a titanic scale. However, in the end the cities began to fall as their armies were defeated or joined Gelin. Once his victory was assured many of the remaining masters began acts of desperation. Some used the last of the crystals to move the city to different realms, while others mounted assaults on the gates to close them permanently.
+===== Godly Races =====
-Gelin slew the last of the masters who opposed him and built his throne from their skulls. From high atop the black mountain of Barshnor he ruled with an iron fist. All would swear loyalty to him or suffer under his power. Even the sun refused to shine, as the years were populated by a dim half-light punctuated by storms. He ruled for thousands of years until the Magi returned.
+Those races of the gods were left cut off from the beings that had created them. Many of them either left this world or simply entered a long sleep.
+The [[creatures:elf|elves]] retreated to the deep forests and wept for the punishment they foretold was now here. The mortals of this world would not listen and in their foolishness they nearly awoke the dragon of this world. The elves would ultimately pay the price as they would be forever changed. They would give up themselves in order to save the world.
-====== Gelin ======
+The [[creatures:dwarf|dwarves]] were made to pay for their sins as the [[Earthmother]] sent all but a tenth to work as slaves for the [[creatures:giant|giants]]. The tenth that she kept near would be sheltered in [[atlas:Stoneheart Hold]] until the world was whole once more.
-Gelin’s evil is not without questions; however, who he is still unknown. He was mentioned in some of the oldest records, still more spoken than written, as one of the weaker masters. This may be true, or simply a desire to paint the masters in a better light — no scholar may ever pierce the truth.
-Those paintings seen show that he was a giant of a man, standing over eight feet tall with broad shoulders and wrists larger than a man’s leg. It is believed that he was human; although his face is vaguely elven, and he has decidedly reptilian eyes. Most accounts agree that his hair was the deepest black and he engaged in perversions that would cause a demon sickness.
-Upon that note, it should be pointed out that it is not entirely certain Gelin was mortal. There have been several successful scripts written that discuss the possibly he could have been a demon or fallen angel. While the power of mortal magic seems beyond the capabilities of the gods or devils, their lesser servants can most definitely use it.
+===== A World of Fire =====
-The only account that can be completely known is that he was responsible for the thousand-year war and ruled the world during the Age of Darkness. If this was truly one thousand years, or many times more, is simple guesswork at this time. However, it will always be known as one of the greatest evils throughout time.
+The world of Miranda had been damaged by the [[primal power]] of the outsiders. Lands that had been cracked now shattered into thousands fragments, the seas rushing in to fill the void. Large volcanic eruptions spewed black ash into the sky, threatening to blot out the sun and kill all life on the world. These ash clouds dropped black rain from them, killing crops and animals with equal abandon.
+For over 10 million years life teetered on the brink of annihilation. Those mortals who managed to survive had changed over the years. Gone were the great cities, instead small communities sheltered in the shadow of volcanoes hoping to survive. The was a world of kill or be killed for those left behind. Most of the mortal races created by [[The Ancients]] went extinct before the sun once again shone upon the land and the seas no longer raged.
-====== Magi Return ======
-No scholar can agree on when or why the Magi returned. Since they are no longer around, it’s difficult to answer these questions. However, it’s known that they gathered under a banner of the only city to resist the rule of Gelin. Selena, ruled by King Hukna, was located in the southern mountains and refused to bend knew to Gelin.
-It was here that the Magi held a great conference. They would send forth word and gather a great army of light. Several of the more powerful creatures of legends had fled Gelin and even now lay hidden or slumbered away from his prying eyes. The Magi would rouse these creatures to support this army, which would be led by King Hukna.
+===== The Masters =====
-The King sent his five daughters, all trained in the arts of battle, to the far reaches of the world. They would gather forth his army and meet him beneath Barshnor for the final battle. The Magi divided themselves; some accompanied the king’s daughters, while the rest prepared to destroy the gates.
+As the world once again settled down and the dragon Miranda returned to her long slumber, the mortals who survived began to built civilizations anew. Small villages became towns and towns became cities. Rising above all others were beings of immense power that were referred to only as [[The Masters]]. These Masters were each able to summon forth power only seen before in [[The Ancients]] or outsiders.
-As the armies gathered in size Gelin sent forth powerful armies to crush the rebellion before it gathered steam. However, as the Magi began destroying the gates he knew his real enemy had returned. With his personal guard he met the magi at the last of the gates. The accounts vary, but they all say that only Gelin left that accursed place alive; however, while the gate still stood it was sealed shut.
+They did not use this power to help others survive, but instead to conquer and control. These Masters worked together and divided up the world among themselves. Each Master ruled with absolute power over their region of the world. Some of The Masters used the mortals within their region as little more than toys, while others forced them to labor on the construction of vast cities and monuments.
-Gelin then turned to meet each of the armies in turn. He destroyed three of them before they could join King Hukna’s main army. These towering battles have been immortalized in song and verse — and are still considered some of the best ballads. Before he returned to defend his city, Gelin swept through the army of light and slew King Hukna for daring to openly challenge his power.
+The only areas that remained free of The Master's control were the lands controlled by the godly races. Several of The Masters tried to control these areas, but they were always met with defeat. However, other mortals that tried to flee from the land of The Masters were similarly turned back. The [[lore:Origins of Life|godly races]] stood apart from The Masters and the terror they spread across the world.
-In the final battle, the strongest champions of light made their assault upon Gelin in his great City of Eternity and forever destroyed his soul. It is believed that Princess Irik’ian was responsible for finally slaying Gelin, in revenge for the death of her father.
+For over a thousand years The Masters ruled over the land. They strode as gods among the other mortals - their power granting them near absolute control over the environment. These years of absolute rule brought about arrogance and eventually contempt even for each other. What began as amusement for The Masters eventually led to their downfall. The Masters would often raise large armies and force them to fight each other. Eventually The Masters used their armies to fight each other for control of resources.
+Once the first Master conquered another and took their lands, a race was on to each Master to conquer their weaker neighbors and secure their own power. The terror of kill or be killed drove the Masters into a frenzy of blood and violence directed at each other instead other simply the weaker mortals among them.
-====== Dwarves ======
-It was the return of the dwarves that turned the tide of battle in favor of King Hukna. The dwarven history speaks of his eldest daughter, Dak’rein, performing a great act of kindness upon a young dwarf that had ventured to the upper world. This dwarf, who would later become King Orak Peacebringer, was about to become the meal of some giants.
+==== Gelin ====
-Dak’rein slew the giant in a single blow and freed the young Orak. Orak was so thankful for his rescue that he invited Dak’rein and her followers into the tunnels of his homeland. The other dwarves were so shocked by the story they pledged their allegiance to her cause if she could pass the Test of Truth. She is the only recorded non-dwarf to pass this test — and the dwarves keep long records.
+One of The Masters, Gelin, proved to be smarter than all others. While his land was conquered by his neighbor its loss did not bother him. He discovered how to actually steal the power of another Master and add it to his own. While the rest of The Masters fought each other, Gelin would stay in the shadows and watch. When one Master was finally driven off their land he would capture them and drain their power into his own.
-Just as King Hukna reached the based of the mountain, Gelin attacked with his forces, trying to scatter him before his remaining two daughters arrived. Just when things seemed hopeless, Dak’rein and her army exited the dwarven tunnels and fell upon Gelin’s army rear flank. His army nearly routed and it was only Gelin’s overwhelming power that allowed him to retreat to his city.
+Only taking the power from the defeated Masters masked his actions from the other Masters. When they finally realized what was happening it was far too late. Gelin rounded up the remaining Masters and drained them of their power.
-The dwarven army refused to bow to the crown King Hukna, but they did pay deep homage to his fathering of Princess Dak’rein. Their scrolls say the dwarven army will still march as one if a descendent of the Hukna family ever calls for aid — and there is nobody who would question this vow.
+For the next thousand years Gelin rules the land, but the immense power drove him mad. As he descended into madness the world went with him. He would create large cities from the rock of the world and then the next day destroy them. He bent and twisted the mortals of the world into armies shaped for war. These armies he threw at the elves in an effort to destroy them - for only they did not bend knee to his power.
-{{tag>lore:timeline}}
+==== Chaos and Light ====
+//See also: [[Chaos Lords]]//
+At the height of his madness Gelin knew what he had become and whose power warped his soul. His power was drawn directly from the [[Chaos Lords]] and he was only an instrument of their will. Even if he wanted to reject them, he had long ago surrendered to their will.
+The mortals were not left at the mercy of Chaos. A young [[creatures:kithkin]] girl was born with the power of the [[Light of Order]]. Even as a child where she went the madness retreated. Gelin was so obsessed with the elves that he never knew of the girl until it was too late. Now a grown woman, she was called the Font of Light by her followers who actively spread order throughout the world. These servants cured other mortals of the sickness of Gelin that had infected their minds.
+The spirit-talkers, who led the kithkin tribes, pledged their support to the child of order. Only the [[san labou]] clan stood apart, who left these lands and sought sanctuary elsewhere. Gelin, finally aware of the threat she posed, gathered his army and marched upon the City of Light. His army was so large that the cities defenders could not see to the end.
+For over a hundred years Gelin threw his army against the walls of the city. The cities defenders repulsed each of the attacks, but unlike Gelin their numbers shrank over the years. A few people trickled into the city, but Gelin was able to replenish his army from other regions of the world.
+When the city was in danger of finally falling to Gelin's army, the surviving spirit-talkers led the Army of Light into the front of Gelin's horde. While the armies clashed upon the plains, several kithkin tribes fell upon the flanks Gelin's army, causing confusion among. This created the opening for the Font of Light to gather her servants and directly battle Gelin.
+It was a titanic struggle and one never seen upon the world again. Chaos and Order battled upon the world for dominion of this world. Even the occasional movements of Miranda seemed to quiet as she waited for the outcome. As quick as it began, less than ten breaths later it was over. An explosion of sound and light lay low everyone still alive on the battlefield. The City of Light was no more - it simply vanished as if an illusion. Both Gelin and the Font of Light were gone. Gelin's army, no longer under his control, fled to the darkest corners of the world.
+The kithkin stood upon the white rock where the City of Light once stood and took blood oaths to wait for her return and the city who flew her banner.
+===== Alderok =====
+The Chaos Lords were not ye done with the world. In the last moments of his life, when Gelin knew that he had lost, he drew forth all of his power and tore open a hole. Through this hole he drug the Chaos Lord Sanmmuhhphir into this world. The Chaos Lord had but a shadow of its own power, but its presence upon the world threatened to tear this [[dominion]] asunder once more.
+For several years Sanmmuhhphir called together the survivors of Gelin's army. Twisted and scarred creatures from the nightmares of Gelin's madness crawled out of the darkness in answer to his call. Defying the power of this Chaos Lord were the last of the survivors of the Army of Light. They were battered, but not broken, as they awaited the coming war upon the white rock where the City of Light once stood.
+As the chaos army grew near blood red clouds obscured the sun and the buzz of locusts filled the air. The army stood fast as blood rained from the heavens and grubs grew and cracked the earth around them. Chaos reigned around them, but upon that rock of order they stood fast.
+Just as the battle started the clouds broke and the light of the sun blazed across the world. Descending from the heavens was [[Vayne]] and his [[creatures:Valkyrie]]s. The gods had fashioned a [[realms|realm]] that allowed Vayne to enter this world safely. While his [[primal power]] was only a fraction of its true power, the sound of battle strengthened his heart.
+Legends speak of the battle between Vayne and Sanmmuhhphir in the same breath as that between Gelin and the Font of Light. The world caught its collective breath as its future was balanced upon a precipice. In the end Vayne slew Sanmmuhhphir and brought an end to the Dark Age.
+After millions of years the gods had returned to the world to heal its wounds. [[Karash]] summoned up a large tide that swept any creatures of chaos to slow to flee into the depths of the oceans. Vayne gave the axe he used tin battle to a tribe of humans who stood against the darkness evne when all hope seemed lost. The axe [[Alderok]] now lies in [[atlas:Krandryia]] where it is used to choose their ruler.
+<- lore:Age of Legends|Previous Age^ lore:Mortal Eon|Eon^ lore:Return of the Gods|Next Age->
+{{tag>timeline}}