Age Of Legends

Awlidan has gone through many different ages. The world has seen many changes but it has survived the test of time. It has seen many different eras and some have even grown to become great stepping stones to the progression of mankind. Ages come and go but as long as mankind survives there is still hope for the world. The last great Age written in the history books was the Age of Legends.

The Age of Legends was one of the longest and most prosperous Ages in Awlidan’s long history. The great minds of that Age made many breakthroughs in the areas of engineering and magic. The people’s expanded knowledge and their ability to learn new concepts and ideas at such an impressive rate surprised even the Aspects. Unfortunately the Age also spawned very dark and powerful forces.

The power of mankind was progessing at an alarming rate. Awlidan became the center of the Prime Material Plane. Many a denizen from teh other Planes came to Awlidan and the Prime Material looking for business opportunities and even the promise of power. This was almost unheard of until now. The Planes were known to be filled with knowledge, secrets, and wonders that would befuddle the simple minded. Having Awlidan become so popular among the Planes was a great milestone for the world. Or that’s what was thought to be so.

Popularity does not always bring prosperity and peace. Other things were coming through to the Prime looking to gain some sort of advantage over their enemies or their peers. Of course demons and devils, as well as other evil forces, have always had a fascination for the inner power of the sentient life of Awlidan. The world became a cesspool of life from the other Planes. It brought all new forms of trouble to those living on what was now being called the Prime World.

There are many different Planes out there with forces that prove ill for the world of Awlidan. First and foremost are the inhabitants of Hell. Devils gain influence and power through the corruption of others and the power of the sould found on the Prime Material are treasured by these creatures. THe Abyss brings a whole different threat than that of the Devils. Demons are bent on destruction and since they are archrivals of the inhabitants of Hell, that causes Awlidan to be caught in the middle. The Elemental Chaos has a special link to the Prime Material lane and the link brings denizens from those Planes more often than was at first expected. Some of the more common inhabitants of the Elemental Chaos found on Awlidan are elementals and their more powerful cousins, the Archons. These forces are sometimes found in the service of very powerful masters from both the Planes and the mortals of Awlidan itself. With the arrival of these evil and destructive forces, naturally their enemies make an appearance as well. Among the more formidable adversaries of these Extraplanar beings was the Angels. Angels are servants of the gods and the Aspects and on many occasions can be found opposed to those forces bent on undoing what the gods have done. These newcomers from strange lands are just a few of the many creatures and abominations that have come to Awlidan to increase their power and influence. There are many Planes out there and it appears that Awlidan is a prime candidate for their experiements and battles.

With the coming of all these invading forces from the Planes, this gave b irth to a number of organizations created to fight on behalf of Awlidan. King Brandor’s elite fighting unit known as the Silver Knights was founded specifically to defend the people of the Kingdom. The organization known simply as the Adventurer’s Guild was created to train and test those individuals that want to go out and defend awldian against all forms of assaults and invasions. The elf’s elite warrior mages knowns as Swordmages were trained specifically to defend the elven kingdoms from teh threat from afar. Even though these groups were created with Awldidan’s best interests in mind, there are those organizations that will go to any means necessary to meat their final goal.

There are those humans that believe they are the only ones worthy enough to inhabit the world. Some humans are under the assumption that all other races are abominations from the original design. Humans were the last race, the youngest race, created on Awlidan. THis gave humans reasons to believe they were the perfected race and the other races are no longer needed or even desired by te gods. These humans decided they would do the gods bidding and cleanse Awlidan of its imperfections. This idea of the cleansing brought these humans together and the Black Monk Society was created.

The Black Monk Society was a very elite organization and individuals joined the group through invitations only. The Society worked though secret locations throughout Awlidan, most of the time right under the noses of most governments and officials. In fact, some of these community leaders and high ranking officials were part of the Society unbeknownst to the public. This strong connection to some communities through their leaders allowed the Soceity to move and initieate their plans with little to no opposition. The Black Monk’s main goal, genocide of the other races.

After years of attempts to eliminate the elves, the dwarves, the gnomes, and even the halflings-and of course all the humanoid races-the Society was no longer secret. It wasn’t well known and still quite hidden in secret dens throughout Awlidan, but their existence was now evident. Among the commoners the Society was only rumor and urban legends to scare children into behaving. Certain individuals knew of their existence and that was where the Society’s problems started. King Brandor knew of their plans, and so did the Adventurer’s Guild, and they began working together to hopefully put a stop to the Black Monks.

The Black Monks had one last plan to put into action. If this plan succeeded it would change Awlidan forever. It included the complete destruction of all sentient life on Awlidan and possibly much of its plant and animal life as well. This was a calculated risk for the Monks but an acceptable one. The members of their own society were hidden away from the struggle they were about to cause. The Monks were hidden within a pocket dimension where the Black Monastery stood, protected from anything that happened to Awlidan itself.

The Monks discovered the Seven Daggers of Xilel’te’elinex, weapons created by a powerful servant of the Primordials. These daggers were said to be the key to controlling an ancient force possibly originating back before time began. Their power was used to sacrifice bits of land from key points around the world. Each one was used to destroy all living things in 10-square miles, the various key points corresponding with the 7 terrain types: desert, forest, hills, marsh, mountains, plains, and finally a settled area. The Monks did not truly comprehend the power or the function of the daggers. They succeeded in summoning the ancient force but the daggers gave them no power to control it. The daggers successfully summoned Maniwar, the World Destroyer.

Maniwar was created by the Primordials for the sole purpose of battling the Aspects. One by one Maniwar traveled through the Planes to do battle against its enemies on their own home Plane. Many of the Aspects barely escaped with their lives, forced to leave their seat of rule or be destroyed. Some of the Aspects were no so lucky, Maniwar succeeded in killing them. It was only when the Primordials began fighting amongst themselves that the Aspects were able to gain the upper hand and defeat them and their war machine. Finally Maniwar had come to Awlidan.

Even though Awlidan had many great defenders, mortals had no hope of defeating Maniwar. The Aspects were bound by laws set forth to protect the inhabitants of all the Planes against their possible corruption. Therefore the godly beings were forbidden to interfere with the lives of the creatures now inhabiting the Planes, and are not able to directly influence the outcome of events on the Prime Material. The situation looked bleak; the mortals were alone in this crisis. In the meantime Maniwar had arrived and was wasting no time in getting started with his primary purpose.

King Brandor and his elite troops the Silver Knights led the kingdoms armies to do battle against this new threat, knowing that it would be their last campaign. The Aspects knew King Brandor had no chance against Maniwar but were; themselves, unable to help. Awlidan would be destroyed, left lifeless under the destructive power of the World Destroyer. The Monks released a force upon the world that no mortal or god could control. There would be nothing left for the Monks to rebuild upon once Maniwar was done.

The Aspects knew that something needed to be done or the world they had watched for so long was doomed. They gave their answer to the priests in the service of the King. There would be no help for the Judge had rendered his decision eons ago. King Brandor would not accept this decision. He demanded of the gods the name of this Judge that decided all life on Awlidan should be sacrificed. The gods answered, the Tribunal decreed there would be no interference. The King called out to this Tribunal demanding a reason why the world must end. He called and called and got no answer from the One Above All. Finally when the mortal armies were clearly decimated and only a few good soldiers and adventurers remained, the King pleaded with the almighty Judge to hear his side. His request was accepted.

With King Brandor lying near death, a white light encompassed him. Upon opening his eyes he was whole again. All wounds were healed, even his armor was untouched. He awoke not where he had fallen, all around was white, but solid ground was still beneath his feet, before him stood two rows of gargantuan beings. They stood facing each other creating some sort of ominous gauntlet between them. The gauntlet path went forward to meet with a colossal throne of indescribable beauty and design. Seated on the throne was a being of such immense size as to dwarf those standing in the rows before him. His eyes were like twin suns, brighter than any Awlidan had ever seen. All attention was on this new mortal intruder daring to set eyes upon the almighty Tribunal.

The first in the right row was a being of tough blood red muscle with no flesh, throughout the body bone could be seen near the surface. His face was mostly a skull showing through the facial muscle, he had a grimacing expression. Next to the grim one stood a simple monk with brown robes, a bald head, and a welcoming smile. Third in the row was a female of such magnificent beauty Lord Brandor had to keep his face low to fight her lure. Next to the most beautiful woman he had ever seen stood a monstrous demon of unknown origin. Her appearance had strong ties to the medusa with her lower snake body and snake-like hair but she sported four arms and wielded torturous devices. Standing beside the snake-like female was another woman of incredible beauty. She wore the symbols of the four elements and a crown of storms about her head. Sixth in the line was a bestial humanoid with the aspect of many animals in one form. Next to the beastman stood a gladiator of dangerous proportions, he stood in black full plate armor and wore a horned helm with no way of seeing through it. He wielded a greataxe with an edge that could be felt when simply looking upon it. The last in the line stood close to the massive humanoid in the throne. This strange being was completely covered by a cloak that appeared to be made of the starry sky itself. Stars shifted and comets raced past as the King looked upon his form.

The first being standing in the left row was standing calm but had the appearance of a natural predator, a hunter ready to attack on a moments notice. Next to the hunter was a short, sly looking being. He wore a hooded cloak that failed to hide his malicious smile and his crazed eyes. He toyed with a dagger, flipping it from his hands and through his fingers. The third great being appeared to be an aquatic creature in nature, with blue skin. His lower body was that of a long fish tail and he sported a ponytail of long blue hair. His weapon was a mighty trident. Next stood a being with long brown robes and a long hooded cloak; he wore sandals on his feet, carried a long staff, and a satchel hung over one shoulder as if he wad just arrived from a long journey. Sixth in this row was a handsome woman with green skin, as if she was made of nature itself. Vines seemed to move along her form of their own free will and flowers grew and shriveled along her skin on a regular cycle. The male standing next to her could be nothing short of a knight apparent. He wore bright silver armor that bore a blue tabard with a scale symbol upon it. He held his helmet under his arm showing his clean appearance, and modestly shaven face. He had a stern but kind look about him. The one standing next to the knight didn’t appear to belong there at all. He appeared as a great ogre, emaciated and sickly, almost as if dyeing from some plague. His skin was green with many boils upon it and he wore a rotting blue robe. His hair was thick with slime. Standing next to the sickly one was another of the more beautiful females among this grand audience. She had flowing golden hair and wore a beautiful white robe. Her robe was the softest of blue and her glowing beauty had the power to calm even the darkest of hearts. The last in the left row, standing closest to the throne, had a look of death from the fleshless skull he bore, a skull with horns like a devil. His body was split down the middle; the left half was normal flesh of dark gray skin. The right half was all muscle, completely devoid of skin at all. All these mighty beings stood gazing at the mortal man, gazing in judgment and in contempt, some with kindness and some with hatred. They looked upon this human, their eyes asking the question; “What mortal dares to demand an audience with the One Above All? Who is this mortal man standing where only gods dare to tread?”

Lord Brandor knew he was aboput to be judged and the trial woul not be easy. He had been granted an unbelievable boon, a gift from the One Above All, the chance to argue his case for all of Awlidan to the Tribunal himself. It is unknown how long he stood pleading his for the lives of mankind. THe Tribunal sat unmoving, silent as death, never saying a word. The king didn't know he was listening at all. Once he was done laying out his case it was time to hear from teh Aspects at court. Some believed that man brought this on themselves and should deal with it or die by their own ignorance. Others, especially the golden haired Aspect, fought for mankind explaining that they were still young and knew no better. This argument went on for a time incaculable by Lord Brandor's mind. Some of the arguments were put forth quite intelligently, the argument quite sound and difficult to dispute. Other arguments were nothing more than petty ranting about the mortals and their world. Once all was aid and done, it was time for the Judge to render his decision. All eyes were on the Tribunal.

The One Above All sat, still as a statue, the Aspects were deathly quiet. A slight motion was all it took; he tilted his head down and gazed upon the mortal standing before him. Some of teh Aspects gave notice with but a subtle twitch, or an inaudible gasp, but it was there, their surprise. The Tribunal's hands rested on teh arms of his eternal throne until he finally moved his right arm. In a slow methodical movement, his arm lifted and his hand rose. The gesture from the Creator was all that was needed, the hand and fingers thrust outward as a simple dismissive move. This minute action told the Aspects they would defend these mortals they demanded worship from. The Aspects would be going to war once again, a fight against the Primordial's creation, even if it costed them their own lives.

Some say that gods walked the earth. Others say that only their Avatars could walk the mortal Plane for their power would simply destroy it. One thing everyone seemed to agree upon, it was an epic battle. All the Aspects came down and fought against the monstrosity. It was impossible to put into words what truly happened during that time. Eventurally the Aspects prevailed and Awlidan was spared, but not without costs. Awlidan was changed forever, reshaped by the cataclysmic battle. Man prevailed to see the coming new Age, the Age of Man.

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