History Lesson

"I'm trying to learn, but it makes me so sleepy."
"Not exciting enough for you?"
"No! I don't mean that. Its just... my eyelids get so heavy after a while and the things I read I forgot I read them. But I try to read it anyway! I'm reading now, see!"
"There are things you can't learn from books. One of the oldest forms of passing down knowledge is through spoken story."
"That sounds nice. Oh! How would you share it with people if they lived far away and couldn't hear you?"
"You wouldn't. Some knowledge isn't meant to be shared so readily."
"Like the books the adults read with the fancy artwork on the cover with..."
"I mean historical records."
"History?" Skeptical. "History isn't exciting, why hide history? Its just a bunch of stuff that has already happened."
"Its important to learn how things are shaped, and history shapes so many things. Have you read any books about the Second era?"
"Not many, no."
"And of the First?"
"No, none of those."
"And before the First?"
"I don't think they had books then."
"So then they shared it in what way?"
"Oh! They talked about it! But then wouldn't all that stuff be gone? Because they would all be dead now?"
"Not wrong. The records would be passed down from person to person. Generation to generation. If no one is around to hear the story then it is truly lost. I know one such story. Do you want to hear it?"
"Is it a story I shouldn't hear?"
"All the best ones are. A long time ago, before Arhor'ha had any trees and the ground was as campfire ash, there were three beings: The Dragon, the Celestial, and the Devil. The Celestial felt bound by duty by its decision to bring Arhor'ha to this world. By saving one calamity it doomed the world to another. And so the Celestial kept watch over the lands that the Devil owned as its warden. The Devil created a means to evade the Celestial's shackles and obtain its freedom. The Celestial would discover these plots and thwart them. This struggle would have continued for eternity like the rising and setting of the sun, but there was one more creature there: The Dragon."
"While the Devil desired Freedom and the Celestial desired Order, the Dragon desired Power."
"Was it a bad dragon?"
"Not at first. Over time that came to change. You see, one such plot of the Devil was split itself into many small parts of itself so that it could spread wide across the land to escape the Celestial. The Celestial split as well to meet a more distributed threat. The Dragon, in turn, split itself from his primal form into one of many forms that made up its platinum gift. Dragons of rare metal, powerful and benevolent, joined the Celestials in claiming parts of Arhor'ha and maintaining Order in exchange for the Power of dominance over those lands."
"They ganged up on the Devil?"
"Yes but the Devil was cunning. When the Dragon split, it lost its balance. Power without balance is catastrophic and if the reckless Dragons posed a threat to the Celestial, then the Celestial would be forced to treat it as an enemy. Then the Devil would have an unlikely ally in its bid for freedom."
"Oh! Did the Devil win, then?"
"No. As the dragons of metal flew through the sky, their shadow cast against the earth and gave birth to their twins. These dragons were as prideful and arrogant as their skyborn brethren, but also sinister. This restored the dragon's balance. The inhabitants could not die, as the Celestial, the Devil, and the Dragon all are bound to this land until its final days. So they fought endlessly and Arhor'ha came to be a contested land of battle not unlike the Hells. This is better known as the First Era."
"Ooooh."
"All Eras come to an end. Would you like to know what broke this cycle?"
"Was it a big weapon? Broke one side like POW?"
"Life, not Death, happened. The Elves came. Through all of the conflict the sky had become thick with magic. The ground itself a natural source of it down to the blood stained earth. And so the barrier between the Shadow and Fey became thin, allowing in greater light and shadow into the world. It was the elves who seeded the lands with the wild life you see today."
"Even west of the mountain."
"Yes. In that Era the lands were as lush as they are here."
"What happened?"
"That is a story for another day. The lands are built upon the shaping of a world from Celestials, Devils, Dragons, and now elvish kind. It became more difficult for each to establish their goals and so alliances were made and broken. More creatures flooded into the continent by boat, portal, and sky. To the immortal three, they were more soldiers in an old war. That is, of course, until their hubris got the best of them. The mortal races proved too many and too powerful. Their dependence and need of these old powers waned. They grew tired of this old war and they broke free."
"Did they kill the three? How can you stop something that can't die?"
"Well it did take a long time, but there are fates worse than death and even the tiniest bird's wing can become a great gale if done right. The mortal races eclipsing the immortal powers of Arhor'ha marked the end of the Second Era."
"What happened to them? Are they still around?"
"Oh they are still around. The Dragons, in particular, allied themselves with the new mortal powers as guardians of their new civilization. Patrons and overlords. That gamble proved short lived. The Celestial and Devil? Some people believe they live among us, plot against us to bring a Fourth Era to restore what was lost and begin the eternal war anew. Others think they have vanished. I think that history teaches us that the rules of the game can change. Anything is possible. It could happen as soon as tomorrow. But for now? You need to get to bed. I get the feeling tomorrow is going to be a big day for you."