Five Thousand years ago…
in Sumeria during the reign of King Ubar-Tutu Shuruppak, the last antediluvian King of Sumeria.
Far to the north-eastern borders, near the mountains and the bordering kingdom of Elam, lived a man whose birth name has been lost to time, though the man is now called Khârn. Khârn was not satisfied with simply doing “good” or simply being “comfortable.” A heart which forever thirsted for more, beat within his chest. He was the leader of a small tribe that made their lives in the foothills of the mountains
In his quest for glory and power, he brought many members of his tribe underground in search of an ancient power that stories say resided there. His foolishness and impetuousness got him lost and so, his tribe languished within the endless tunnels and caverns of the below world. As their supplies ran low and thirst began to take them, they began to hear whispers. Soft and reassuring, the whispers began to gently nudge them further down towards the world below.
As they wandered their fear and desperation turned into anger and hate for another, scuffles and fist fights broke out until finally, the mistrust and tension within the tribe reached a boiling point, and the entire tribe took up arms against itself in a terrible bloodbath. Only Khârn was left standing at the end, sustained only by his hatred and greed.
Alone in the underworld, where beasts and creatures of unspeakable darkness and terror dwell, and where man is not meant to go; Kharne found the source of the whispers as the last warrior in his tribe fell from his blade.
From the dark shadows of the underworld, Angra Mainyu spoke.
Angra Mainyu is a destructive and evil spirit, found across the world, and in the hearts of evil men, but it is strongest deep underground. It thrives on hate and greed, and seeks only to increase cruelty and suffering in the world. It is a being of terrible power and, though none may know of the words that Angra Mainyu spoke, the words held power which changed Khârn forever.
Khârn was given new form, with tremendous strength and gruesome appearance, and dark powers; which he used to raise his fallen tribesmen from the grave to fight for him once more.
Angra Mainyu sent Khârn back to the surface, to conquer, kill, and destroy the world that it cannot reach. Village by village fell before Khârn’s army, which grew with every casualty it inflicted upon the world. Khârn’s army grew so large, it was described as a flood of death upon the world. Like a great wave crashing upon the shore, Khârn’s army conquered lands far and wide.
It was not long before Khârn reached the Kingdom of Sumeria. The King created a War Council to meet the threat of Khârn. Headed by Krysppa, General of the King’s Armies, and consisting of over a dozen clans from all across Sumeria, including our founder, Lugal Jushur.
The night before the battle began, just before dawn, Five angelic beings flew down from the skies and visited the War Council as they made their final preparations.
All of them were impossibly tall, the height of two men, and each appeared to be sculpted from a different stone. They wore fine silks and wielded mighty weapons.
The leader was Shu-Ahura, the Illuminating Wisdom. A man made of softly glowing Alabaster. He carried an enormous flaming scimitar on his back, and spoke without words to the thousands gathered at the battleground all at once with stunning clarity and introduced himself as a divine emissary that had arrived with a team of divine warriors to help fight against Khârn and his army.
Next was Shu-Laqiip. Three Meters tall and made of bright, shining Jade. At first she did not appear to carry a weapon, but when battle was met, she drew up bolts of light from the air and launched them at enemies using a celestial bow.
Though not initially visible, Shu-Nasaan was also three meters tall, but made of Obsidian. He wielded two black daggers and would disappear and reappear behind an enemies during battle, only to sink his daggers deep into it’s back.
Finally was Shu-Gemeti, a three and a half meter tall woman made of Limestone. She wielded a sword and a shield, and fought ferociously and with incredible awareness. She danced across the battlefield, perfectly blocking or dodging every enemy strike aimed at her, while carving a bloody path of bodies along the way.
Even with the addition of the four angels, the battle was terrible and hard-fought. Losses were substantial for Krysppa’s forces, but in the end, Khârn was forced to retreat back underground.
During the battle, Lugal Jushur, and many other warriors impressed one of the angelic beings. Whether through self-sacrifice, courage, or skill, each of the beings granted a gift to a warrior.
Lugal Jushur, and his descendants would be granted the power of telekinesis, the power to move and manipulate objects with the mind. Every son or daughter born to him and his tribe and their descendants, which bore the Jade-Green eyes of the Jade Lady would be sent up to a monastery where they would be trained to wield the Celestial Bow.
Those without the gift would also train in contemporary arts of war and make ready for the day when Khârn returned to the surface world to wage war once again. They would fight alongside their warrior-monk brothers and sisters for the good of all mankind.
And so it has been for five-thousand years. We prepare ourselves for battle, and ensure the battlefield is ready for the return of the Betrayer of Man.
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