The thunderclap sounded around the world to mark the return of the gods to their children. They turned back the day so that only their light would light up the world. They expected to be welcomed by their lost children, instead they discovered that many had forgotten them over the years. This insolence would not be tolerated and as they rose their hands to smite the world the Magi rose into the heavens and stopped them.

The Magi brushed aside the power that should have torn the world apart. During their long years spent studying their own existence they had uncovered the greatest secret. The gods were beings of the divine realms as much as the devils were from the infernal realms; however, the Magi drew power from the Mortal realms — and the Godswar, as it came to be called, would be fought on the Mortal Plane.

The Godswar raged for years, as first one side then the other gained the upper hand. The Magi did not want to destroy the gods or banish them from the Mortal Plane as they saw the need to belief in a higher purpose was missing from the people. The gods were hampered by the fear that full use of their divine power could awake the celestial dragon, forever returning them to the divine planes.

Still, the war took its toll on both side, the fallen gods returned to the divine plane to heal, while the fallen Magi became one with the essence. As the gods and Magi both grew weaker, the devils broke free of the laws that held them in the lower realms. Their ruler, Nardôk de Sung, knew they needed a powerful use of divine power to destroy the barrier — so he sent his Claris to accomplish this task.

Claris, disguised as a goddess, whispered in the ear of one of the gods about the true evils of the Magi and their lack of respect. Further enraged this god threw his full divine power into the world, destroying a path to its center, where it destroyed the barrier. The devils had prepared for this and immediately rushed through with their demonic servants.

The gods and Magi recognized their danger as they were greatly weakened, while the devils were ready for battle. The remaining angelic host protected the mortals against the demons, they knew their battle was lost, the demons were just too numerous. The gods and magi formed a temporary alliance and met the devils in the final battle.

The gods knew that any divine being trapped in the infernal realms was forever lost, while the Magi knew the devils would taint the essence and the entire Mortal plane. It was a desperate struggle that saw civilization teeter on the brink of destruction. The magicians, and any other mortal, who could hold a weapon joined the angelic host against the demons. This selfless act spurred on the actions of the gods and Magi to turn back the devils.

Boosted by their successes against the demons the mortals began to press their advantage against the devils. While they could not stand against their infernal power, they could stand against them long enough to help the gods or Magi destroy them. It was one warrior, Sir Charles VanShon, who finally confronted Nardôk.

He had climbed into the castle Nardôk rose from the bed of the earth and fought off its defenders. However, the very sight of Nardôk would have destroyed his soul if not for the assistance of a god and Magi. Together they inhabited his body to ward off the devil’s power. While all three were killed during the battle, Nardôk had fallen to Sir VanShon’s blade.

The power released when Nardôk was destroyed awoke the Celestial Dragon. Those devils not destroyed by its power scurried through the infernal portal before it was shut. The demons, which were left without masters, and quickly scattered to the most remote areas of the world or be destroyed. The gods also left the mortal world before the dragon turned on them — this left only the Magi to confront the Celestial Dragon’s anger.

The great Celestial Dragon pleased with the Magi’s actions in protecting their people from harm. It granted them the full ability to travel all realms, to serve as the guardians over the pact that kept each realm separate. Each was given one of the Dragon’s children as a traveling companion and guide. They would travel the realms keeping the barriers between the worlds intact until the end of time.

This empire only lasted five hundred years, but it created the idea of combining many of the smaller cities and states into a large nation. There had been enough advances in road building by the humans that they could communicate a long distance without the use of magic. As the gods and magi fought in the heavens Manzi Irillius had conquered his neighbors and crowned himself King.

Starting from the east of the Caragan Sea, King Irillius quickly expanded the reach of his empire by treaty and conquest. He united small human tribes that once warred with each other and created a nation larger than the combined elven and dwarven communities. However, he nation was so big that he could no longer maintain control of the outer providences.

Just as the nation was beginning to fall, Irrish the Serpent Queen was struck down by the devils and fell to the earth. King Irillius was dying and would not survive the year. Rather than die, Irrish possessed the body of Irillius, rejuvenating his ravaged body with her strength. Thus was born the first of the Irillian God-Kings.

Irrish gave Irillius the near limitless power of the gods, for even without her primal nature a deity’s power is still unmatched in the mortal world. Irillius gave Irrish a mortal body to inhabit so that she could survive on Miranda; however, Irrish’s power would eventually burn out the body. As this happened, she would use her power to possess Irillius’s successor — creating a lineage of God-Kings to rule her empire.

Given the power of a deity, even a fallen deity, the God-Kings regained their grip upon the outer providences. They pushed the borders of their Empire until it stretched from the Eastern Mountains to the southwestern coast of the Endless Sea. While both the dwarves and elves resisted, it was like a tree resisting a hurricane.

The end of the First Irillian Empire came when a heroic soldier, supported by a powerful magician, struck down King Popoluius, the last of the God-Kings, before Irrish could possess a different body the King’s soul fled for the afterlife. His body was laid to rest in the royal temple, where the spirit of Irrish remained trapped. When the last God-King died so did the empire, since no mortal could control the entire empire, as each providence declared their independence.

He ruled the infernal planes as any tyrant over his subjects. He slew anyone that didn’t suit his needs and tortured those souls he had captured. However, Nardôk longed for the days when he was free to walk the world and do battle with the gods. To this end he tasked his loyal followers into breaching the barrier to the mortal world.

In the past, through huge sacrifice, the devils had been able to breach the barrier long enough to send a few of their kind through. They also had the power, similar to the gods, of sending their servants into the mortal realm. However, there are few scrolls that tell tales of the gods not also sending one of their mortal champions to battle the demon.

The climatic battle between Nardôk and Sir Charles VanShon has been told in more languages than any other play. There is no other show that has played at the Royal Irillian Academy every year since the academy opened. The yearly show is very expensive and can only attended by the rich, and those who wish to be with them. Even in cultures that deny the existence of this battle, they have a climatic battle between two beings taking place during this time. Scholars point to this fact as their truth about shared heritage of many cultures.

Most scholars, and those magicians that travel the infernal planes, say that the infernal planes are in complete chaos. Before, Nardôk kept everything in check by his iron will; however, with his death hundreds of devil princes have risen up to take control. There is constant battle for control, with most of the princes forming alliances, the breaking them as soon as possible.

One of these most discussed topics among scholars is the existence of the Celestial Dragon. Many insist there is not such thing, while others argue it’s the physical embodiment of the universe. However, the few remaining works of the magi show that both the gods and devils feared its power.

Its power is said to come from the void that exists outside of the universe, but what can exist outside of a universe that is academically proven to encompass all reality. The scholars have spent generations mapping the known laws of the universe and there is no room or a being of power from somewhere else. Religious academics point to the fact that the power of the deities is without measure; therefore, how can anything be greater. The true story may always remain a mystery.

The very idea that such a creature exists defies many of the known laws of the universe. Instead, the current thought is that the reason the war was stopped as the potential for destroying the universe by the amount of power expended. While this doesn’t solve all of the problems — to many, it’s better than thinking of the alternative.