The Sundering of Auraiddmir
In ages past, a great Elvish civilization covered the continent of Astiria. Stretching from the Akriteru Desert, in to the region that is now The Northern Wastes and for a substantial part of what is now The Orcish Tribelands, this country was known as Auraiddmir, and was the home of the Elves.
Auraiddmir was a vast and progressive nation, the Elves of the land living in relative safety and peace. With their long lifespans, the Elves mastered all forms of crafts, and the country was a place of beauty and wonder. Indeed, the earliest recordings of the foundation date the civilisation back to around the year 5800 BA (Before Arden). Much of this early history is lost, and even modern-day Elves only know small fragments of it. Myths and Legends say that in the earliest days of Auraiddmir, the Gods themselves would visit The Material Plane, bestowing great gifts and wisdom to the Elves of the time. Such legends persist today, although all thoughts that the Gods may one day return to the lands is all but gone.
Not all that is built is meant to last, and so was the fate of Auraiddmir. After nearly three thousand years, the country was ripped apart by a great catastrophe, known as The Sundering of Auraiddmir. This story is remembered and told by all kinds of Elves to this day.
The advancements of Auraiddmir were bought about by the Elves delving in to the magical energies that permeated the world. All Elves had a link to the mysterious force that ran parallel to The Material Plane, and great feats were bought about by the greatest of magisters. Mountains were moved, rivers redirected, and cities sprouted from the earth in an instant. This time of Magic had not been seen in the world before, and has not since.
With this infatuation of magic, some of the Elves specialised greatly, at the cost of their very beings. The coastal Elves, ones that lived near the great oceans of the world, became obsessed with the sea and what secrets laid beneath. At first, this simple thirst for knowledge was deemed acceptable - all mysteries of the world should be explored. But this obsession soon became much more than a simple thirst for knowledge. With their magic, the coastal Elves dived deeper and deeper. As time went on, the magic altered their forms. Mutations to aid them in life underwater became more permanent - webbed digits, fin-like growths on their limbs, and thickly-stranded hair. Eventually gills formed, bones became denser and the coastal Elves could stay underwater for longer and longer periods.
After hundreds of years of obsessive behaviour and magical use, these Elves had become something completely different - and thus the first Sea Elves were bought to the world of Varda.
This was not overlooked by the ruling High Council of the time - a sect of Elves made up of the oldest and wisest of the land, who governed and ruled. Eventually, the magical tampering and mutations became too much, and the Sea Elves were banished, their misuse of magic thought to be a great crime against the Gods. The Sea Elves left Astiria, the families finding solitude in the depths of the oceans, where it is rumoured they still continue to thrive to this day.
There were other, more subtle changes happening to Elvish culture that were not as great as the mutations of the Sea Elves. Two sects had developed in Auraiddmir: one that utilised and followed the Arcane, and the other more akin to Nature. Some Elves preferred their grand, magical cities, using magic in their day-to-day lives as easily as breathing. Others preferred the forests and woods of the world, living in harmony with nature. Both groups of Elves would work together for the greater good of the country, seeing an opportunity to learn from each other and grow. Eventually, each would become known as the High Elves and the Wood Elves, although this did not happen until after the catastrophe still to come.
As the Elves delved deeper in to their understandings of the world and the magical realms beyond, some began to find that there were other beings calling out to them in return. Excited by their discovery, the Arcane-Magisters of the Elves pursued these voices, seeking to learn what they could. When they approached the High Council with their findings, they were instantly warned and told to stop - there was no knowing the intentions of the entities from beyond. A law was passed that none shall delve deeper in to such arts.
But there were those that opposed this, and continued their research in secret. As they spoke longer and longer with the voices from beyond, so did their obsession grow with unlocking the magics that were being promised. Corruption, lust, greed - all factored in to the knowledge being acquired. Deals started to be made between otherworldly entities, their names revealed to their new followers. Baralla, Ernozidia, Charon, Malliin - these were but a handful of names from beyond. The Elves that made these deals started to change, their skin becoming paler as they kept inside to their research. Eventually, knowledge was shared of a great ritual, one that would enable the otherworldly beings to enter The Material Plane and share their powers directly with the Elves.
Around the year 3100 BA, the skies split apart. Mountains shook, rivers overflowed and lava spewed from the earth. Secretly, a great ritual had been completed, and gateways to another realm tore reality apart. Creatures spewed forth from these portals, their forms hideous and beyond comprehension. Monstrosities were unleashed across the realm of Auraiddmir, legions of them tearing a path through the land. Demons. Elves were slaughtered as the hellish beings created chaos and debauchery, thousands of years of rage and insanity set free.
Not all was lost. The Elves, with their advanced age and long studies, had produced some of the finest warriors the world had seen. Armies clashed as war ravaged the land. Many Elves died, and many of the vile creatures sent back to the realm from whence they came. But as long as the gateways remained open, more and more of the demons clawed their way through. With unlimited numbers, it was only a matter of time before the Elves would be defeated.
All was not lost. In the final weeks of the invasion, the magisters and druids of the Elves came together, and with divine influence, produced a spell of their own to close the portals. But with their armies struggling to keep the creatures at bay, there was no hope of reaching the ground in which the dark ritual had been completed. In this final, desperate moment, the call for aid was answered. A host of Sea Elves rose from the oceans, swearing their allegiance to the kin that had once banished them. With a combined force, the Elves struck towards the ritual site. It is said in this final battle, the Gods themselves appeared, fighting alongside their followers. The counterspell was eventually cast, the portals across Auraiddmir closing, and the reinforcements for the invading horrors cut off.
Long years would pass before the war against the beings-from-beyond would end, and Auraiddmir was no more. With the majority of Elven-kind now gone, there was no chance for the great country to regain its former glory. The sects of Elves separated - those akin with Nature going on to form the Wood Elven Realm of Delastari, and those of the Arcane retreating to the Isle of Laheria. Despite their banishment being revoked, the Sea Elves returned to their Oceans homes. As for the corrupted Elves, they were sent far away, to the cold north of the world. It is here they finally developed in to the Dark Elves, and formed the Ibrezar Dynasty.
Many centuries would pass, and the land would heal. Other kingdoms and empires would eventually come to settle in the lands where Auraiddmir once ruled, the only signs of the Elvish nation being old ruins that had decayed over time. Never again would the world see such beauty spread across the land.
Auraiddmir was a vast and progressive nation, the Elves of the land living in relative safety and peace. With their long lifespans, the Elves mastered all forms of crafts, and the country was a place of beauty and wonder. Indeed, the earliest recordings of the foundation date the civilisation back to around the year 5800 BA (Before Arden). Much of this early history is lost, and even modern-day Elves only know small fragments of it. Myths and Legends say that in the earliest days of Auraiddmir, the Gods themselves would visit The Material Plane, bestowing great gifts and wisdom to the Elves of the time. Such legends persist today, although all thoughts that the Gods may one day return to the lands is all but gone.
Not all that is built is meant to last, and so was the fate of Auraiddmir. After nearly three thousand years, the country was ripped apart by a great catastrophe, known as The Sundering of Auraiddmir. This story is remembered and told by all kinds of Elves to this day.
The First of the Sea Elves
The advancements of Auraiddmir were bought about by the Elves delving in to the magical energies that permeated the world. All Elves had a link to the mysterious force that ran parallel to The Material Plane, and great feats were bought about by the greatest of magisters. Mountains were moved, rivers redirected, and cities sprouted from the earth in an instant. This time of Magic had not been seen in the world before, and has not since.
With this infatuation of magic, some of the Elves specialised greatly, at the cost of their very beings. The coastal Elves, ones that lived near the great oceans of the world, became obsessed with the sea and what secrets laid beneath. At first, this simple thirst for knowledge was deemed acceptable - all mysteries of the world should be explored. But this obsession soon became much more than a simple thirst for knowledge. With their magic, the coastal Elves dived deeper and deeper. As time went on, the magic altered their forms. Mutations to aid them in life underwater became more permanent - webbed digits, fin-like growths on their limbs, and thickly-stranded hair. Eventually gills formed, bones became denser and the coastal Elves could stay underwater for longer and longer periods.
After hundreds of years of obsessive behaviour and magical use, these Elves had become something completely different - and thus the first Sea Elves were bought to the world of Varda.
This was not overlooked by the ruling High Council of the time - a sect of Elves made up of the oldest and wisest of the land, who governed and ruled. Eventually, the magical tampering and mutations became too much, and the Sea Elves were banished, their misuse of magic thought to be a great crime against the Gods. The Sea Elves left Astiria, the families finding solitude in the depths of the oceans, where it is rumoured they still continue to thrive to this day.
Of Nature and Magic
There were other, more subtle changes happening to Elvish culture that were not as great as the mutations of the Sea Elves. Two sects had developed in Auraiddmir: one that utilised and followed the Arcane, and the other more akin to Nature. Some Elves preferred their grand, magical cities, using magic in their day-to-day lives as easily as breathing. Others preferred the forests and woods of the world, living in harmony with nature. Both groups of Elves would work together for the greater good of the country, seeing an opportunity to learn from each other and grow. Eventually, each would become known as the High Elves and the Wood Elves, although this did not happen until after the catastrophe still to come.
Whisperings from Beyond
As the Elves delved deeper in to their understandings of the world and the magical realms beyond, some began to find that there were other beings calling out to them in return. Excited by their discovery, the Arcane-Magisters of the Elves pursued these voices, seeking to learn what they could. When they approached the High Council with their findings, they were instantly warned and told to stop - there was no knowing the intentions of the entities from beyond. A law was passed that none shall delve deeper in to such arts.
But there were those that opposed this, and continued their research in secret. As they spoke longer and longer with the voices from beyond, so did their obsession grow with unlocking the magics that were being promised. Corruption, lust, greed - all factored in to the knowledge being acquired. Deals started to be made between otherworldly entities, their names revealed to their new followers. Baralla, Ernozidia, Charon, Malliin - these were but a handful of names from beyond. The Elves that made these deals started to change, their skin becoming paler as they kept inside to their research. Eventually, knowledge was shared of a great ritual, one that would enable the otherworldly beings to enter The Material Plane and share their powers directly with the Elves.
A Realm Sundered
Around the year 3100 BA, the skies split apart. Mountains shook, rivers overflowed and lava spewed from the earth. Secretly, a great ritual had been completed, and gateways to another realm tore reality apart. Creatures spewed forth from these portals, their forms hideous and beyond comprehension. Monstrosities were unleashed across the realm of Auraiddmir, legions of them tearing a path through the land. Demons. Elves were slaughtered as the hellish beings created chaos and debauchery, thousands of years of rage and insanity set free.
Not all was lost. The Elves, with their advanced age and long studies, had produced some of the finest warriors the world had seen. Armies clashed as war ravaged the land. Many Elves died, and many of the vile creatures sent back to the realm from whence they came. But as long as the gateways remained open, more and more of the demons clawed their way through. With unlimited numbers, it was only a matter of time before the Elves would be defeated.
All was not lost. In the final weeks of the invasion, the magisters and druids of the Elves came together, and with divine influence, produced a spell of their own to close the portals. But with their armies struggling to keep the creatures at bay, there was no hope of reaching the ground in which the dark ritual had been completed. In this final, desperate moment, the call for aid was answered. A host of Sea Elves rose from the oceans, swearing their allegiance to the kin that had once banished them. With a combined force, the Elves struck towards the ritual site. It is said in this final battle, the Gods themselves appeared, fighting alongside their followers. The counterspell was eventually cast, the portals across Auraiddmir closing, and the reinforcements for the invading horrors cut off.
Long years would pass before the war against the beings-from-beyond would end, and Auraiddmir was no more. With the majority of Elven-kind now gone, there was no chance for the great country to regain its former glory. The sects of Elves separated - those akin with Nature going on to form the Wood Elven Realm of Delastari, and those of the Arcane retreating to the Isle of Laheria. Despite their banishment being revoked, the Sea Elves returned to their Oceans homes. As for the corrupted Elves, they were sent far away, to the cold north of the world. It is here they finally developed in to the Dark Elves, and formed the Ibrezar Dynasty.
Many centuries would pass, and the land would heal. Other kingdoms and empires would eventually come to settle in the lands where Auraiddmir once ruled, the only signs of the Elvish nation being old ruins that had decayed over time. Never again would the world see such beauty spread across the land.
Date of Setting
~3100 Before Arden
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