History of the Worlds
In the beginning, there was nothing and the Apocrypha. The most base and creationary of forces, the Apocrypha shaped the nothing into the something and so were made the laws. By the hand of Apocrypha came the many realms. At the center was the Material Plane, surrounded and filled by eddies of powerful, magical energy. Closely bound to this realm were two others: one of endless bounty, the other, endless desolation.
To fill these realms, Apocrypha made the Preforms. These were the first of all living beings, the first children of the universe. Lacking form and purpose, but with a mind separate of the Apocrypha. From these formed the first three races, which would eventually be known as the ancient races. Foremost of these new races were the celestials, the gods. Lesser, but still formidable, were the fey and the dey.
Out in the edges of the astral, beyond the central realms, the celestials formed the Many Heavens, each their own domain in the stars. Some incredibly powerful preforms split to become pantheons, while other weaker preforms remained alone. These "celestials", as the specialized preforms became known as, cultivated their own realms, creating their individual pieces of paradise.
The fey, lead by charismatic leaders known as the archfey, found their home in the Plenty, one of the mirror realms of the Material Plane. Life in this realm shaped the preforms into what scholars now know as the fey, though a good many of modern fey are actually descendants of the original settlers. Archfey helped structure the base of a society, though the fey often preferred a less restrictive lifestyle. The elder and powerful fey were regarded like gods to the fey, but this often took the form of respect and offerings, rather than actual worship.
Meanwhile, the dey, who would soon adopt the title of demon, made a home in the Many Hells, a desolate mirror realm of the Material Plane. The harsh environment helped mold the preforms into true demons, with a strict caste structure forming incredibly quickly. Terrifying visages were valued as a sign of strength, and demonic lords and princes commanded legions of weaker demons to do their bidding.
The Material Plane, in the midst of this, was chaos. Elementals vied for space, causing violent natural disasters that threatened the organic life of the realm. This warring eventually caused four new realms to spike out from the Material, each of the four realms representing one of the elements. The vast majority of elemental populations settled their respective realms, forming societies unique to their kind. Those that chose to remain in the Material Plane lived in peace, allowing the realm to settle, and life thrived in the now fixed world. It was in this time that the first sapient being came to be.
Life, in all its forms, had existed for so long, but this new life had something that made it truly exceptional: it was its own. This life was not a force of nature, it was not a preform created to build itself into a role. It was not a still plant or a placid beast; this life lived for its own purposes, thought whatever it pleased, acted however it pleased, and it was for this, that the other beings desired it.
The celestials, reaching out from their realms, made contact. For worship, the gods granted boons and protected the souls of their followers. The fey and the demons, though, were not as powerful, and so, they sought to take this power for themselves. Very quickly, though, the two ancient races found themselves at odds, and so, fell into a terrible war. Unseen to mortals, the mirror realms battled endlessly, both sides imbued with the power of their claims, but neither winning, both losing.
On the dawn of the millionth day, the archfey Evelia and the demon lord Maltheus met on the ley, one of the pathways through the astral. So many of their kind had been lost, they said, for what they could both have. The two, most ancient of the ancients, cast a spell so deep and world-bending it could hardly be classified amongst the comparatively petty magic of mortal races. Both sides were to have their piece of the Material Plane, but only it what they could win from the mortals; they could only have what was won in a deal. It became so, and the war was ended.
The demons of the Many Hells convened and the word was spread. Maltheus became Ruler of the Dey, Father of Contract. Their realm was named the Abyss, at which Maltheus sat at the very bottom of their endless pit. To access the power of the Material Plane, demons were required to make strict contracts with mortals. Demons could still pass between realms, but they were neutered. While Maltheus sat content, the demons seethed, believing the whole deal to have been a choice of weakness, with some believing their Father of Contract to either be a fey or being in league with the fey. Still, no demon could reach the strength of Maltheus, who collected a piece of every contract, and so, he ruled supreme.
Evelia, on the other hand, was received with the greatest of praise. They deemed their realm the Feywild, and from then on, ruled as the greatest of Archfey. The fey began making deals with mortals, though their terms were often loose and vague, exploiting every loophole they could find. Mischievous, they deceived their way into greater power. And, while they were limited in their actions in the Material Plane, their creations were not. A variety of beasts were released into the Material, though the foremost agent of the fey was the Changeling, who passed unseen amongst the mortals, acting out the will of their feyrie creators.
Thus, with the Fey and Demons limited to their realms, the Era of Men began.
In the now stable world, with the elemental chaos settling to sleep, the first sapient races of the Material Plane, most generally known as the mortal races, began to take the world for their own. All mortal races would eventually emerge from these original peoples. First, there were the humanoids, incredibly adaptable and increasingly diverse. Next most widespread were the goblinoids, who were known for their perhaps lesser intelligence, but greater group cohesion. Hidden away in the mountains were the giantoids, territorial and massive. The draconoids would come to have a mixed reputation, as descendants of this group would become races such as the dragon, and on the other side of the spectrum, kobolds. Some monster would eventually be granted sapience equivalent to these original races, but did not emerge until a great deal later.
The humanoids were quick to spread across the continents, their ingenuity and sheer adaptability enabling their dominance. Those that favored farming and herding, especially on the planes, would become the humans, a race that would be considered the base idea of a humanoid. Unlike others, who would become more specialized, humans remained close to their humanoid ancestors. Settling in the hills in underground burrows were the Halflings, whose hospitality and lack of class system makes them famous among the other races. The close relatives of Halflings, the Gnome, would come to settle in the foothills of great mountain ranges, and their inventiveness granted them a quick technological superiority over other races. Up in the mountains, those who survived would come to be known as the Dwarves, a notoriously tough race who are best known for their facial hair, alcohol, and impressive mining skills. In more temperate areas, the Orcs settled in mountains and in plains, fiercely protecting the lands they gathered from, often forming close relationships with earth and air elementals. Meanwhile, Elves communed with magically intense spirits, becoming powerful in their chosen environments, but separating themselves apart from other humanoids. They sequestered themselves in hidden cities, mastering ancients magics.
The goblinoids, though not quickly conquering the world, developed some of the first societies of the world, and quickly found themselves falling away from each other. The Goblins, short in stature but closely loyal to their fellow Goblins, settled in abandoned buildings and caverns, forming cohesive tribes to protect themselves from any possible threats. Hobgoblins, although one may assume a humanoid heritage, given their stature, are goblinoid in descent. Much more clever than their shorter cousins, Hobgoblins settle in humanoid towns, abandoned or manually emptied, and pride themselves on their keen sense of military tactics. Most monstrous of the goblinoids are Bugbears, and although they are most often seen living alone in wild environments, they actually maintain vast societies spread across entire continents, a phenomenon not observed in nearly any other race.
Goblinoids
The goblinoids, wildly varying in stature and strength, were the first society builders of Fulcire. Their towns and cities were often impermanent, hastily built from wood and grasses, but the foremost nations of the modern world were built off the trade routes and settlement patterns of ancient goblinoid societies. All nations, whether they acknowledge it or not, only exist because of goblinoid ingenuity. This is owed in part to an almost instinctual understanding of the "big picture". Without training, they can unconsciously recognize the wider effects of actions, sometimes at the expense of day-to-day activities.
Most recognizable of the goblinoid races are the people that gave the family its name: Goblins. While they may be short in stature, their quickness and cleverness means that they should never be underestimated. In ancient times, as the humanoid races struggled, goblins built the first settlements out of wood and hay, centered around areas where they could more easily collect precious objects. Like magpies, goblins have an innate fascination with these objects, and so their collecting of them is almost compulsive. Trade routes between these sprawling, disorganized settlements allowed different bands of goblins allowed for the exchange of food for precious items, and vice versa. This trade of shells, precious metals, and gemstones was misinterpreted by the humanoid races interacting with these trading hubs, eventually leading to the creation of currency.
Less recognizable, but making up a large section of the goblinoid population, is the Hobgoblin. They are bigger and tougher than Goblins, reminiscent of humanoids, but are goblinoid nonetheless. This race is most in tune with the "big picture" instinct of their kind, leading to the creation of Hobgoblin bands that viewed their existence as a "collective self". While any one Hobgoblin recognizes their individuality in body, their societies function more like a gestalt, where any singular person is only an actor for the good of the whole. This eliminates any sense of gender or singularity in their language, and while names are given, their existence is less meant to separate than it is to specify. Their militaristic nature is an extension of the need to protect the self, combining base instinct with ever-increasing martial innovation. Hobgoblin bands are nomadic scavengers, claiming abandoned spaces of other races instead of creating their own, repurposing what they find for their own benefit. To be liked by one Hobgoblin is to be appreciated by them all, and to be hated by one is to receive the disdain of all.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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