The Emergence

The Emergence was an event which introduced the godly creatures known as The Divines into the world of Samra. This monumental event marks year 0 of The Ritual Calendar.
In the ancient times, the peoples of the world believed in nature spirits and primitive deities which were too proud to mingle with mortals, or never existed in the first place. The Divines however, were tangible and real, and people quickly abandoned their old idols to serve these new, true gods. They brought with them the art of magic, which they bestowed on their most favored servants.
Decades passed, and the priesthood of these new gods grew strong in influence. Those few wielded the magic of the gods, elevating themselves above the masses in power and status. While some used their blessings to bring safety and prosperity to the people, others used their strength to subjugate the common folk. With divine magic on their side, none could truly oppose them.

The Flight of the Gods

In those years, it was common for the divines to take on physical forms on Samra. They each took on their favored shapes, and manifested in the lands to aid and heal, to trick and to reave. And just as today, the gods in those times were jealous and quarreled among each other. They plotted and schemed, always suspicious of the other.
In the second century P.E, the world went through a great upheaval. The goddess of magic was struck dead by one of the mortal races, armed with a secret which could slay the divine. It is said that she was betrayed by one of her own kind, who divulged a fatal weakness to the mortal assassin. The deities, fearful to see one of their own slain, retreated from Samra to the safety of their own interplanar domains, where they reside to this day.

The Birth of the Weave

An abundance of magical energy seeped from the goddess' remains. It infused the land and its waters, and ethereal winds flowed through the skies. The magic which permeated the world would become known as The Weave, and mortals soon learned to manipulate its threads, bringing about the first sorcerers. The secret of magic no longer belonged to the gods.
This sudden and unabated introduction of magic changed the world around it in unexpected ways. Warped by wild magic, animals and men took on new, monstrous shapes, Trees uprooted themselves, and hills and mountains themselves began to wander the earth. Many strange and wonderful creatures were begotten in these times.