Prologue: Two Sides
An Uneasy Peace
Before the rise of the
Imperium, Kleriel's lands were divided between two major powers, each reigning over their own sphere.
In the west lay
Valleria, an empire built on
martial prowess and strategic acumen, where
honor and loyalty reigned supreme, and where an individual's merit defined their social standing.
To the east was
Xia, an ancient empire rooted in
faith and magic, where
tradition and ceremony held paramount importance, and where one's destiny was believed to be guided and shaped by the spirits.
These two great Elven realms were polar opposites in their worldview, yet their histories were intertwined, marked with rivalry and competition. They rarely clashed directly, instead choosing to wage their battles through proxy wars, using the minor realms surrounding them as chess pieces.
Over time, these smaller kingdoms were slowly absorbed into the larger empires, bringing Valleria and Xia's borders ever closer and tension inescapable.
Divine Rulers
Valleria
The Vallerian Emperor was believed to be the realm's zenith, a divine bloodline left behind by the gods to guide their people. Emperor
Macil Aurelius was the epitome of such inheritance, his keen intellect and physical prowess marked him as someone of divine blood. He ascended to the throne amidst a flurry of civil unrest and succession wars, proving himself a military and diplomatic genius. He emerged from these trials stronger than ever, a phoenix reborn from the ashes, a fitting symbol for the realm he ruled.
Xia
In Xia, the leader was seen as a divine emissary, the one who walked in both the mortal and spiritual realms. The Divine of Xia,
Rhae Yin, was renowned for her elegance, kindness, and mercy. Her rule ushered in a golden age of peace and prosperity. However, she struggled to curb the corruption within her government. Yet, the people admired her warmth and deliberation, a perfect reflection of the dragon that symbolized Xia.
Collision Course
With shared borders and conflicting interests, it was inevitable that Valleria and Xia would eventually clash. Border skirmishes became commonplace, threatening to spiral into full-scale war. In an attempt to prevent such a disaster, the leaders of both empires chose to meet in person to clarify their interests and negotiate terms.
The Confluence
In the time of their meeting, both realms enjoyed a period of relative stability. Emperor Macil Aurelius of Valleria and Divine Rhae Yin of Xia, both young and energetic, led their respective empires effectively. The encounter, held on the banks of
Lake Klein, was meant to be a diplomatic tussle between the two powers. Instead, it turned into a pleasant conversation over tea, resulting in a surprising resolution to their issues.
Their agreement was followed by a series of meetings to strengthen the relationship between their realms. Trade barriers were lifted, resulting in an economic boom. Infrastructure was developed along the borders of their territories, transforming them into flourishing settlements. A city emerged at the southern tip of Lake Klein, facilitating trade and growth.
The Union
Throughout these developments, Macil Aurelius and Rhae Yin spent considerable time together, their relationship deepening into a personal and romantic one. Recognizing the benefits of their union, both to their realms and to themselves, they chose to marry. It was a peaceful union of blood and love, not a bloody battle of supremacy.
Their marriage was followed by a pregnancy, the birth of a child destined to carry the divine lineage of both the east and the west - a promise of a new age of stability and lasting peace.
Act I: The Celestial Child
Origins
The Emperor of Valleria and the Divine of Xia, bound in sacred union, were soon blessed with a child. This progeny, born of two demi-gods, stood to inherit the twin empires and bring unity to the realms. Undoubtedly, this child was destined for greatness, armed with vast wisdom and power, set to govern the lands below as the heavens do above.
They named their son,
Dominus.
Dominus, from a young age, demonstrated extraordinary potential yet struggled with focus. His mind would frequently wander to daydreams and fantasies. His stern upbringing, designed by his parents and mentors, encouraged his attention towards the tangible world and away from his daydreams. Despite his reluctance to learn mundane subjects, Dominus was indeed a dreamer with a heart for the arts.
Although his passion lay in the artistic realm, his destiny required leadership skills. As a result, Dominus was steered towards studying history, politics, economy, and battle logistics to foster his charisma and leadership potential. The history of his ancestors, the precursors, fascinated him the most.
Warm heart, wise head
Dominus, during his youth, accompanied his parents across the realms, learning from them and his private tutors. Once he matured, he was ready to attend more specialized learning institutions, providing a comprehensive education.
His parents sent him to the University of
Lay'Anwir, nestled in the empire's heart beside Lake Klein.
University life introduced Dominus to a diverse student body, nurturing understanding and acceptance of differing perspectives. To protect Dominus while maintaining his anonymity, his parents planted undercover agents in the university. Here, Dominus formed life-long friendships and encountered his first adversaries.
His university years were not always smooth. At times, he became the object of ridicule and engaged in disputes and scuffles. But on difficult days, he found solace in the company of his close friends, where he found love and acceptance.
Dominus learned to forgive and forget the transgressions of his rivals, teachers, and even treacherous friends, with the firm belief that his greatness would eventually be revealed to all.
The Taint
But why delay greatness?
An upcoming magical affinity presentation at the
Arcanium provided the perfect opportunity for Dominus to demonstrate his exceptional abilities. To ensure a spectacular performance, he decided to amplify his magical prowess using ancient artifacts - the
precursor relics.
Sharing his daring plan only with his closest friends, Dominus was met with fear and concern, but he remained undeterred. Being a powerful mage, he believed he could control the immense power of the relics, for he, too, was a child of heaven.
Dominus successfully infiltrated the university's arcane vault during a maintenance session, and pilfered a potent pulsating precursor artifact. His plan was to showcase his command over this relic at the magical affinity presentation.
The day of the presentation arrived. The most accomplished students from various magical institutions were gathered to display their cultivated powers and skills. As Dominus took his turn, he silenced the crowd with his announcement: he would harness the power of a precursor relic for his display.
Panic and outrage erupted from the judges, but their cries were drowned by the magical energy that Dominus unleashed. He demonstrated absolute control over nature: altering weather, accelerating plant growth, manipulating water's state, and causing objects to levitate.
Once Dominus finished his awe-inspiring performance, the stunned silence transformed into deafening applause. The university elders pulled him aside, chastising him for the potential danger, but Dominus only smiled. He was indeed a celestial child, and now everyone knew it.
Emboldened by his success, he was consumed by visions of his bright future. He was convinced that he had merely scratched the surface of his potential and that the single relic was only the start of his power-hungry journey.
Trial and Acceptance
After his daring presentation, Dominus was not punished, much to the surprise of his peers. The university elders, upon consulting with the Emperor and the Divine, had decided that the young prince’s display of power, though reckless, could not be denied. It was clear to all who witnessed his performance that he was no ordinary mage. But with great power comes great responsibility, and it was up to Dominus to learn the weight of his actions.
In the aftermath of the presentation, the University elders tasked Dominus with one of the most grueling trials known to their students, the
Veil of Power. A journey into an ancient precursor temple where he must face the physical and spiritual manifestation of his magical prowess. The Veil of Power would present the young prince with a series of challenges designed to test his magical limits, physical stamina, and mental resilience.
Throughout the trial, Dominus surpassed each challenge with ease. He was pushed to his limits, using all the skills he had learned in his years at the University. However, the Veil of Power did more than just test his abilities. It revealed to him the
raw potential of precursor magic and the
danger that it posed. He learned that precursor magic, while offering
immense power, also presented the risk of
corruption. Dominus experienced this first hand as he struggled to control the potent energies that surged through him, teetering on the edge of losing himself to the raw power of the precursors.
Despite the trials, he emerged from the Veil of Power stronger and more determined. He had proven once again that he was no ordinary mage. His actions within the Veil of Power showed a level of control and understanding that no student before him had demonstrated.
A New Path
Dominus’ trial in the Veil of Power changed him. The sheer power he had harnessed left a lasting mark on his soul. He had become a beacon of magical energy, a powerful mage whose abilities were unmatched. Despite his newfound status, Dominus felt an emptiness within him, a longing for something more. He realized that, while he had an abundance of power, he had yet to find his true purpose.
His fascination with precursor artifacts grew stronger after the Veil of Power. Dominus began to spend more time in the University’s archives, studying the relics and researching their histories. His relentless pursuit of knowledge, driven by his newfound obsession with precursor magic, caught the attention of the University’s scholars and elders. They saw in Dominus a potential that went beyond just his magical abilities. He was becoming a true scholar, a visionary who saw the potential in precursor magic and sought to harness it for the
good of their world.
Dominus graduated from the University of
Lay'Anwir with high honors, earning recognition for his exceptional magical abilities and his extensive research on precursor magic. His graduation marked the end of an era for Dominus, but the beginning of a new journey. He had come a long way from the daydreaming child of his youth. He was now a young man, a powerful mage, and a scholar with a vision to unlock the secrets of precursor magic and
shape the future of his world.
The Call of the Precursors
His graduation was celebrated across the realms. The child of heaven, the heir of two empires, had not only proven his mettle but also shown a keen interest in the lost knowledge of the precursors. But as his fame spread, so did his thirst for precursor magic.
In the years that followed, Dominus undertook numerous expeditions, venturing into ancient precursor temples and ruins, seeking to unlock their secrets. His obsession with precursor magic consumed him, pushing him to the edge of his physical and mental limits. His search for knowledge led him to many discoveries and even more questions.
As he delved deeper into the mysteries of the precursors, he uncovered evidence of a
great war between the precursors and a powerful adversary,
the Nemesis. The Nemesis, according to precursor texts, was a being of immense power that threatened to consume their world. The precursors, in a desperate attempt to save their world, sacrificed themselves, sealing the Nemesis and their own power within the ancient artifacts Dominus had become so fascinated with.
Dominus now faced the reality of his obsession. The power he sought to harness was not merely a gift from the heavens but a
weapon of war, a power that could bring about the
end of his world if unleashed. His search for knowledge had led him down a path of potential destruction.
Faced with this revelation, Dominus had to make a choice. Would he continue to seek the power of the precursors, risking the corruption of his soul and the potential release of the Nemesis? Or would he use his knowledge to protect his world, to keep the power of the precursors locked away, safe from those who would misuse it?
His decision would shape not only his future but the future of the two empires he was destined to rule. Dominus, the child of heaven, stood on the precipice of a great destiny, his choice hanging in the balance.
ACT II: The Imperium
Fate of the Realms
Guided by his parents, Dominus began to fathom the vast capabilities of the precursor relics. These artefacts offered
unimaginable power, permitting those who could command them to reshape reality. Using these relics, Dominus
transformed landscapes to serve the inhabitants,
adjusted climate for agricultural prosperity, and even shifted the frigid Arctic circle to provide northern
Arboria reprieve.
Dominus became a
living deity - his remarkable deeds earned him reverence from his subjects.
His parents' passing resulted in Dominus inheriting both Valleria and Xia, birthing the powerful
Kleriel Imperium. Dominus' reign was characterized by unity, his ambition to consolidate all territories under the Imperium's banner. His ascension saw
Elves becoming the
chosen ones, a race predestined to continue the Precursors' legacy, and upon his ascension, he adopted the title and name of
Dominus Rex.
The Imperium spanned the majority of the continent, except the tribal Human regions to the north, the southern Orc badlands, and the magic-resistant Dwarves of the
Under-empire. The Elves held the Dwarves in high regard for their innovative mechanical advancements and intricate runewrites. As a light-loving race, Elves found little allure in the dark caverns of the Dwarves.
A Golden Age
In pursuit of further empowerment for his Elven empire, Dominus enacted a plan to harness more of the world's energy. Dominus created the
Magisterium, a council of the most adept mages who would aid him in overseeing his realms. Handpicked from their talented youth, who showed the highest affinity for magic, and rigorously trained, the magisters were responsible for employing the relics in their regions to foster prosperity and nearly eternal life.
Relic Recovery
The growing reliance on precursor relics for their inlaid power led to a shortage. In response, Dominus declared
Precursor Ruins as
sacred sites, accessible only by Magisters. An arm of the Magisterium,
the Reliquary, was commissioned to excavate relics. Anyone else exploring or tampering with the ruins was accused of tainting the holy remnants of the precursors, was branded a heretic, and faced execution.
Unsurprisingly, the lesser races who felt threatened by Elven dominance and were subjugated by them chose to sell the relics they discovered to the people who saw them as rivals instead, the Dwarves of the Under-empire, who were keen on unlocking the relics' secrets for themselves, envious of the power the Elves possessed.
Dominus' former academic colleagues headed the Reliquary, and they made a startling discovery. Ancient depictions within a ruin revealed the Precursors using a
monolithic device, positioned at the world's
arcane focal point, to disappear. Could this be the
gateway to heaven? Dominus, as the heir of two divines, and the undisputed hegemon of the known world, was determined to find it and claim his rightful godhood.
Act III: War of Ascension
The Discovery
The Under-empire Dwarves unearthed an
ancient vault deep within
the core of the world. Despite many failed attempts to access the vault for many decades, a seismic event eventually granted them entry. Within lay a mechanism connected to a monolith drawing power from the world's arcane well. If the Dwarves could control it, they could seize the precursor power for themselves and kick the pompous Elves off of their high horse.
Confrontation
When news of the Dwarves' discovery reached the Elves, Dominus descended to the underworld in force to demand access. The Dwarves, however, saw this as their moment to elevate their standing. They presented an ultimatum: either Dominus withdraws from the underworld or they would destroy the vault, potentially shredding the arcane energies flowing though the world to pieces, and causing Elven society to collapse due to it's over-reliance on it, and denying greatness to both parties.
The End
These threats only being based on speculation, as the Elves doubted the Dwarves knew how the vault truly functions, decided to invade in full force and wrestle it from their hands as fast as they could manage. This however, turned in to a prolonged engagement, which turned in to an intricate campaign, which dragged out in to a prolonged war, a war which was to be known as the
War of Ascension.
The fallout of the war between the Elves and Dwarves resulted in
The Cataclysm. The event, whether caused by Dwarves living up to their threat or Elves attempting to claim the vault and mishandling it, led to global devastation and an ensuing
Dark Age. Dominus' dream of a utopian society, now laid to ruin.
The godlike Elves had fallen, their gods betrayed them, and as such the stage was reset, and a new world began.
The Third World.
Now, it is the ruins of the old Kleriel Imperium that dot the lands, with the secrets of the Precursors long forgotten...
Only legend remains...
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