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…		…
250		250
251	Around 350 EK: The Story of the Fourth Mariner is written by an unknown author.	251	Around 350 EK: The Story of the Fourth Mariner is written by an unknown author.
252		252
253	435 EK: Colony of Skorn Founded. It would eventualy become the city of Scorn.	253	435 EK: Colony of Skorn Founded. It would eventualy become the city of Scorn.
254		254
255	711 EK:
256
257	The outpost of Heaven’s Gate is founded.	255	711 EK: The outpost of Heaven’s Gate is founded.
258		256
259	=head2 Volume II: Second Millenia EK	257	=head2 Volume II: Second Millenia EK
260		258
261	1223 EK: Ekkis the Drunk leads a disastrous crusade against the Sirens in the southern seas.	259	1223 EK: Ekkis the Drunk leads a disastrous crusade against the Sirens in the southern seas.
262		260
…		…
323	=head1 Recent Historic Events, by Khalis.	321	=head1 Recent Historic Events, by Khalis.
324		322
325	=head2 Volume IX: Ninth Millenia EK	323	=head2 Volume IX: Ninth Millenia EK
326		324
327	8009 EK: Euthville is destroyed.	325	8009 EK: Euthville is destroyed.
		326
		327
		328	=head1 The Sultanate of Darcap
		329
		330	Isolated from the rest of the region by an extensive mountain range to the
		331	south, and possessing a massive natural harbour, Darcap is a small, but
		332	easily defensible town, dominated by a pair of powerful guilds. The town
		333	is also noted for its circus, whose reputation draws visitors from all
		334	over the world.
		335
		336
		337	=head1 Santo Dominion
		338
		339	Santo Dominion sits in a small bay to the north of Scorn. It is an
		340	important port of call for ships travelling to and from Scorn and is
		341	also somewhat famous for its Opera and its Litle House of Horrors, two
		342	magnificent cultural buildings you would not expect in so small a town as
		343	Santo Dominion.
328		344
329		345
330	=head1 Euthville History	346	=head1 Euthville History
331		347
332	The Ruins of Euthville can be found just off the Imperial Highway north of	348	The Ruins of Euthville can be found just off the Imperial Highway north of
…		…
512	the thaumic bomb, a device storing a massive amount of mana and releasing	528	the thaumic bomb, a device storing a massive amount of mana and releasing
513	it in a violent explosion - such an explosion actually killed the	529	it in a violent explosion - such an explosion actually killed the
514	unfortunate Melficef himself.	530	unfortunate Melficef himself.
515		531
516		532
		533	=head1 The Kingdom of Scorn
517		534
		535	Nestled snugly in a sheltered bay at the west of the Imperial Highway,
		536	Scorn is a safe and welcoming place for those who pass by. Once a great
		537	military force whose power affected the entire world, its influence
		538	has since waned, the castle in the centre of town now serving a mostly
		539	ceremonial purpose. Nonetheless by virtue of its position on the Imperial
		540	highway the city has maintained its importance as a stopping off point
		541	for travellers between the other major cities and it is an attractive
		542	location for trade and commerce in its own right. This combined with the
		543	sheltered harbour and key shipping lines, ensures that Scorn remains a
		544	key crossroads bustling with activity, long after its former military
		545	dominence has diminished.
		546
		547	=head2 History
		548
		549	435EK: The colony of Skorn was founded by Skud the Great, when his
		550	expedition reached the shores of the continent. It is said that he first
		551	pitched his tent on the site where the inn now stands.
		552
		553	1064-1135EK: The war against the Dragons. Scorn is destroyed. Most of its
		554	inhabitants flee to the south. After 1115EK, the city is progressively
		555	rebuilt on top of the now buried ruins nowadays known as the Old City.
		556
		557	1177EK: War of the Sea Princes. The last imperial ship reaches
		558	Scorn. Contacts with Khelens are now broken. Scorn becomes an independent
		559	kingdom.
		560
		561
		562	=head1 History of Lake Country
		563
		564	Lake Country originaly was where the elves who where exiled from the north
		565	by the kings of Scorn, during the Vth millenia EK. They named the area
		566	Vkovzerov. The major elven city of Vkovzerov was Tashkeren-tah. It was
		567	destroyed by a Water arch-elemental in 4453EK.
		568
		569
		570	=head1 Visit our Training Centres!
		571
		572	We, Training Centres Incorporated provide the best service for warriors,
		573	wizards and anybody else who wants to improve quickly.
		574
		575	For a modest fee, you can get almost exclusive access to our large
		576	training areas.
		577
		578	=head2 Pricing
		579
		580	Humamoid
		581
		582	A Bonecrusher, a Firestar, and a Demonspawn Shield.
		583
		584	Undead
		585
		586	Lich dust, a Spectre’s ectoplasm, and a Skull’s tooth.
		587
		588	Dragon
		589
		590	An Ancient dragon’s steak, an Ancient Blue Dragon’s steak, and an Ancient red dragon’s steak.
		591
		592	Demon
		593
		594	A Demonbane, a Belzebub’s sword, and a Firebrand.
		595
		596	=head3 Free Centres
		597
		598	As a special service, we provide access to two of our older training
		599	centres completely free of charge, although you will understand that there
		600	will be no guarentees given for success:
		601
		602	Goblin & Zombie - Located south of Scorn
		603
		604	Skeleton & Ogre - Located somewhere around Navar
		605
		606	=head2 Locations
		607
		608	These are the locations to the entrances of the Training Centers.
		609
		610	world_107_128
		611
		612	world_118_101
		613
		614	world_106_109 - Humanoid
		615
		616	world_124_113 - Undead
		617
		618	world_107_120 - Goblin & Zombie
		619
		620
		621	=head1 The Kingdom of Navar
		622
		623	Straddling the corner of the Imperial highway as it turns North near the
		624	Eastern border of the known world, and surrounded by dangerous territory,
		625	Navar is an unlikely site for one of the world’s grandest cities. Yet
		626	there it stands, dominating the skyline for miles around and showing the
		627	same bustling activity expected of any thriving market town.
		628
		629
		630	=head1 The Kingdom of the Masts
		631
		632	A Merchant Republic led by the now destroyed city of Kari Kori. At its
		633	peak, the Kingdom of the Masts ruled nearly a quarter of the world, and
		634	its fleet was unmatched. Kari Kori was opposed to Navar in a series of
		635	wars that it finally lost at the Battle of Tered in 2287 EK.
		636
		637
		638	=head1 The Artificers' Wars
		639
		640	A series of wars conducted between 3084 and 3154 EK by a coalition led by
		641	Navari Princes against the Artificers, a group of mages that were masters
		642	in the now banned magical field of Technomancy. The Artificers were close
		643	to obtain a complete victory, but were finally destroyed by the raw power
		644	of their own biggest creation, The Thaumic Gear. The explosion of the Gear
		645	shattered the whole east of the world, and many territories forever sank
		646	into the ocean, including Kari Kori, the Technomages’ city.
		647
		648
		649	=head1 Juradiths Dissidents
		650
		651	Juradiths, named after Juradith, Minor Spirit of Equity, were a group of
		652	activists that wanted to turn the Kingdom of Scorn into a republic in the
		653	second-half of the XXXIVth century EK. They succeeded at overthrowing King
		654	Karatan III, but their vengeful, fanatical excesses quickly turned most
		655	Scornians against them. When trying to recapture the city, their army was
		656	defeated by the Scornian Militia with the help of a couple city mages, who
		657	flooded the Juradiths into a magically created lake.
		658
		659	Juradiths still exist as a small political faction today, although
		660	they’ve long traded their violent ways for some weird traditions whose
		661	origins and meaning are now mostly forgotten.
		662
		663
		664	=head1 The Gaean Legend of Creation
		665
		666	=head2 Age of The Void
		667
		668	In the beginning there was Gaea, the force of nature. SHE filled the whole
		669	of existence with her being. After a few billion years, this became to
		670	grow boring and lonely, so SHE decided to have children.
		671
		672	At first SHE created a host of forces like Herself, eternal and
		673	divine. But with all their power, they couldn’t get along with each
		674	other, so Gaea decided that wasn’t a good idea. SHE decreed that from
		675	that point on all creatures but HER would have a limited lifetime. But
		676	most of HER first children disagreed, and went away to an unknown
		677	location.
		678
		679	=head2 Age of The Small World
		680
		681	So Gaea created a small world and populated it with limited creatures -
		682	animals and plants of all sorts. For a few million years she was happy
		683	to watch them. But her remaining faithful children were growing restless
		684	and wanted to make their own experimentations too. Finally SHE got bored
		685	again, as her creations weren’t self-aware and therefore weren’t
		686	much of a company. But SHE was also curious, because her creatures had
		687	developed many different styles of living, and SHE desired to compare
		688	them.
		689
		690	And Gaea destroyed the original world, breaking it in four new ones.
		691
		692	=head2 Age of The Four Worlds
		693
		694	The First world was dedicated to harmony. It was populated with creatures
		695	that preferred to coexist peacefully and contemplate. Two of Her children
		696	were particularly enamoured of this world and decided to live there.
		697
		698	The Second world was dedicated to construction. It was populated with
		699	creatures that liked to change the environment around them, especially
		700	ants, bees and beavers, and filled with wood and metal and stone usable as
		701	raw material. Two of Her children found the idea fascinating and decided
		702	to live in this world.
		703
		704	The Third world was dedicated to war and strife. While all the three
		705	other worlds had equal shares of light and darkness, the Third world had
		706	as much light as its inhabitants desired - and it was populated with
		707	creatures that loved and hated light, in equal parts. So these creatures
		708	quickly discoreved they could influence the ambient light by battling each
		709	other. Two of Her children decided to live in this world: one because he
		710	loved light, and another because he hated his brother and therefore wished
		711	for darkness to prevail.
		712
		713	The Fourth world, finally, was dedicated to predation and to survival of
		714	the fittest. It was populated with fierce creatures and predators. Two of
		715	Her children believed this was the best way to live and decided to live in
		716	this world.
		717
		718	After the worlds were created, only four children of Gaea still preferred
		719	to live in the Void: two because they weren’t interested in any of those
		720	worlds, and two because they liked all of them and preferred to visit them
		721	whenever they wished.
		722
		723	=head2 Age of Awakening
		724
		725	And for a few million years Gaea delighted in observing the differences
		726	between the worlds. But still the creatures were not self-aware, and
		727	still SHE was lonely. So when Her children came and said they were lonely
		728	and wanted to create more interesting creatures, SHE understood them and
		729	quickly allowed them and gave them the power to do it.
		730
		731	So on the First world, one of the Gods who lived there created a race of
		732	beings that loved peace and wildlife, and called them Elves. The other
		733	God in that world didn’t choose to create followers, but she teached
		734	language to the Elves of her brother, and when the Elves larned the art of
		735	naming, they named their creator Lythander, and in exchange for his name
		736	he gifted them with luck.
		737
		738	On the Second world, one of the Gods created a race of builders and named
		739	them Dwarves. His children, in turn, named him Mostrai. His sister, in
		740	turn, decided not to create, but teach some of the dwarves (the ones
		741	willing to learn) about magic and the powers of the gods. The other
		742	dwarves, however, didn’t accept their changed siblings, so they went off
		743	to live by themselves and became known as gnomes.
		744
		745	On the Third world, of course, none of the resident Gods wanted to
		746	cooperate with the other. Both created their own races: the God who fought
		747	for darkness created many kinds of fierce, brutal monsters he named
		748	“Demons”, while the God who fought for light created many kinds of
		749	skillful, swift warriors he named “Angels”. Befittingly, these Gods
		750	were named by their enemies, and not their followers: the demons gave the
		751	light god the name of “Valriel“, and the angels gave their enemy god
		752	the name “Gorokh“.
		753
		754	And on the Fourth world, the patron Gods kept true to their philosophy
		755	and created not one, but innumerable races, in the hope that one of these
		756	would prove the strongest and most worth. So they created goblins, trolls,
		757	ogres, and not least, dragons. The Gods became known as Gnarg, the Patron
		758	of Assassins, Ruggilli, the Consuming Worm, and Ixalovh.
		759
		760	The races in the four worlds lived on for millenia, and developed, and
		761	grew, and all worlds flourished. The eight patron gods believed this was
		762	proof that they were right, and the way they lived was the best one, while
		763	the two traveling gods rather believed that the success of all the worlds
		764	was instead proof of the wisdom and power of their Mother.
		765
		766	=head2 Age of Death
		767
		768	But at some point things started to go wrong. Angels and demons would
		769	start to become priests or scholars or merchants and preach against the
		770	war. Dwarves and gnomes would start go grow sedentary and admire the
		771	crafts of the past instead of building new ones. Goblinoids would suddenly
		772	develop a taste for vegetables and become farmers, while dragons would
		773	decide that developing their magics was more important than finding
		774	food. But what was wrong was a mistery that would only begin to unfold
		775	when the High King of the elves, one day, was devoured by a dragon.
		776
		777	It was then that the Gods discovered that the worlds were not anymore
		778	completely isolated from one another. Someone had, somehow, teached all
		779	kinds of creatures how to follow the paths left by the traveling gods -
		780	flying creatures would ride the cross-world whirlwinds of the thunder god,
		781	and others would learn to tread the strange winding paths of the walking
		782	god. And as creatures became aware of different ways, things started to go
		783	wrong.
		784
		785	Promptly, the Gods tried to close all portals - but it was too late. The
		786	art of magic was already known in the four worlds, and strong enough to
		787	travel between them. And the one peaceful elves were ignited, and declared
		788	war on the dragons, goblins and trolls.
		789
		790	While a mighty army of elven warriors crossed over to the Fourth world,
		791	dwarves and gnomes found the First world almost deserted and full of wood
		792	and metal for the dwarves, and holy, peaceful places for the gnomes.
		793
		794	The part of the small peoples who remained on the Second world was faced
		795	with new problems when the demons decided they were ripe for tempting (if
		796	they could get dwarven builders and gnome sorcerers on their side, the
		797	tide of the war would turn). The angels, of course, took upon themselves
		798	to protect these strange people from their eternal enemies. So as their
		799	attention slowly shifted from the Third world to the Second, soon only
		800	the weakest of their kind were in their original world, where they began
		801	to fall prey to hungry refugees from the Fourth world, who discovered how
		802	tasty angel/demon flesh can be.
		803
		804	And while the Gods were busy trying to even understand this chaos, the
		805	dead began to come back.
		806
		807	Their leader was Hagguth, the Elven High King who had been eaten by a
		808	dragon. He came back as a powerful spectre, leading a powerful army of
		809	ghosts, wraiths, skeletons and zombies in a massive attack to the Second
		810	and Third worlds. Their goal was to kill as many dwarves, gnomes, angels
		811	and demons as possible, to strenghten the number of their own undead host.
		812
		813	And when some elven wizards tried to steal the power of the undead to
		814	their own ends, they became the first vampires, lichs and demilichs -
		815	half living, half undead, but on the side of Hagguth and his misterious
		816	masters.
		817
		818	It was only when a group of reasonable elves, dwarves, gnomes and dragons
		819	managed to get together and talk, that it became clear who these masters
		820	could be. Till this point, everyone was blaming some (any) god other
		821	than the one they worshipped. But there was only one, obvious answer:
		822	the Banished Gods, the Forgotten Children who left ages ago because
		823	they didn’t agree with he concept of death, were back, and enacting
		824	revenge by subverting death itself. In later days, these Gods would become
		825	collectively known as the Devourers.
		826
		827	Knowing the enemy was not the solution to the war, but was a start. This
		828	group, slowly, was able to form a resistence against the undead armies,
		829	and gradually turn other people to their side. Finally, after 23 hundred
		830	years, they managed to break into the horrible fortress Hagguth had built
		831	in the First world and kill (again) the undead king.
		832
		833	The chaos began to gradually settle down after that. But then the
		834	survivors were faced with a new problem: almost nobody was interested in
		835	perverting to the way things used to be.
		836
		837	Yes. Entire villages of elves were settled in corners of the Fourth world
		838	for many generations, and dwarven guilds had business troughout the
		839	worlds.
		840
		841	=head2 The Big World
		842
		843	So Gaea, in Her wisdom, gave the only possible solution to the
		844	problem. SHE took the four worlds in Her hand, and crushed them
		845	together. Then SHE looked at the single world she created, and at the
		846	creatures of Her children, and decided to again, after millions of years,
		847	create Her own followers. Thus SHE created the humans, a young race eager
		848	to explore and chart this young world.
		849
		850	It took generations for the inhabitants of the resulting world to figure
		851	out its geography and for families to reunite; when this finally happened,
		852	the stories about four different worlds becoming one were already legends
		853	not everybody believed. But still, for some reason, everyone agrees to
		854	call this world - the only one they know - Bigworld.
		855
		856
		857	=head1 The Book of Valriel
		858
		859	In the beginning, for an infinite time, all that existed was a pure light,
		860	and that light had a name, and that name was Valriel.
		861
		862	But part of the light was not content to be alone, and so did Valriel put
		863	this part of Himself aside and did He allow this part to have independent
		864	life; and this part was everything that wasn’t content, and as it
		865	wasn’t light, it surely was the darkness; and the darkness took upon
		866	itself the name of Gorokh.
		867
		868	And for many times more time than a mortal can count, Gorokh was the
		869	companion and the servant of Valriel. But Gorokh was not content, because
		870	that was his nature, and he plotted a way to change everything. And
		871	although filled with hidden motives, Gorokh’s words were always very
		872	wise, so that Valriel would hear them. So it was that Valriel followed the
		873	wise counsel of the Shadow and created a world full of living things to be
		874	His new companions and servants.
		875
		876	And as soon as Valriel had millions of new companions and servants, Gorokh
		877	said, “so now you won’t need me anymore, I can leave and find my own
		878	companions and servants”. And this made Valriel unhappy because He was
		879	the only and true Lord, but Gorokh wouldn’t recognize that, and so it
		880	was Gorokh who eventually taught men to rule over other men instead of
		881	paying respect to the one true ruler of all.
		882
		883	So did Valriel upon the departure of his first servant, create new
		884	servants modeled after His beauty and grace, and elf and man and dwarf he
		885	created them. But the Shadow did feel envy and wished those followers for
		886	himself, so he came to them in the night and whispered in their ears, and
		887	some of them were tempted and started to worship and serve the Shadow.
		888
		889	But not enough were seduced by his promises. So he decided to be many,
		890	not one. And he wore different shapes and again he whispered in the ears
		891	of Valriel’s creations. And to the elves he was Lythander of the bow
		892	that never misses, and the elves did not see that if a bow never misses,
		893	and it isn’t the work of the Lord, then it can only be the work of the
		894	Enemy. And to the dwarves he wore the name of Mostrai, of the fire, of the
		895	forge, the builder of things, for the fire and the desire to change was
		896	the true face of Gorokh.
		897
		898	And he taught the men to wage war upon each other, and scared the warriors
		899	with thunder and lightning, and they would call him Sorig. And those
		900	who weren’t scared, he tempted with weapons and glory, and wore the
		901	beautiful face of a woman, and they called him Valkyrie. And as they
		902	killed each other, Gorokh was happy.
		903
		904	And much more he did. He taught women to heal and to make the soil grow
		905	crop, and they called him Gaea, and believed that Gaea created the world
		906	and Valriel was but a minor god, and by spreading this lie they made
		907	Gorokh happy. And he taught the children of Valriel to write, so that they
		908	could spread his lies further, and they called him Hekanis for that. And
		909	he taught them the abomination of filthy magic to pervert and corrupt
		910	the creation of the Lord, and to liken themselves to gods, and the evil
		911	souls that followed this path called him Byd. And also he taught elf and
		912	man and dwarf to brew alcohol and other inebriating things and to laugh
		913	in the face of Valriel and throw parties that put shame to the eye of the
		914	Lord, and he taught them all that under human guise, and they called their
		915	teacher Joyee.
		916
		917	So did Valriel look upon the world He created and so did He feel great
		918	sorrow and great shame for what had happened to it. And so did he create
		919	a new race of servants, more powerful and more faithful than any other,
		920	imbued with the mission of hunting down and undoing the work of the Enemy,
		921	and this race He called Angels.
		922
		923	But again Gorokh felt envy because the servants of the Light were more
		924	powerful than his own, and again he went to some of the angels in the
		925	night and whispered temptation in their ears, and some turned to his foul
		926	purposes and fell from grace. So did Gorokh give them new shapes, to more
		927	liken them to himself, red with hate and wearing horns to symbolize their
		928	envy, and they became demons. And the plan of Valriel was once again
		929	spoiled by the venom of the enemy, because angels had to step aside from
		930	their assigned mission to fight the demons and keep them from spreading
		931	the evil in their dark hearts.
		932
		933	And Gorokh did find great fun in changing Valriel’s creation into a new
		934	race, and so did he get elf and man and dwarf and corrupted them with
		935	his dark will, and they became goblin and orc and kobold, and troll, and
		936	giant, and ogre, and many other abominations to the eye of the Creator,
		937	and Gorokh wore the name of Gnarg to these new creations and delighted in
		938	watching the destruction and sorrow they spread in the world.
		939
		940	And in the ultimate act of defiance, the Shadow decided to create servants
		941	for him, create new life himself to liken him more to the Great Lord. And
		942	he assembled the foulest magic and the darkest hunger he could find and
		943	shaped these into the most horrible monsters he could imagine, and gave
		944	them life, and called them dragons, and sent them forth to eat the flesh
		945	of the creation of Valriel. And the dragons did call him Ruggilli and much
		946	did they please him with the terror they spread.
		947
		948	But the light and the love of Valriel knew no end, so He decided to
		949	fight evil with good, and He instructed His faithful servants to do only
		950	the good, to spread the word of His love. And by doing that did He win
		951	back many servants who saw that the righteous is more powerful than the
		952	might. Much did this enrage the Shadow, and the Shadow did respond by
		953	raising the dead themselves from their graves to fight the forces of
		954	good. Even when the dead did not win, they did force the living to abandon
		955	good in favor of war, and in doing so they would too abandon Valriel. So
		956	once again he shadow was happy.
		957
		958	Valriel finally did decide, with much sorrow in His infinite heart, that
		959	the only way to make His creation safe again was to destroy the Shadow
		960	himself. So did He cast His holy word upon His creation to banish the work
		961	of the Enemy. But the Enemy knew what would happen beforehand, due to the
		962	evil magic of his followers, and he created a safe refuge for their evil,
		963	in a world created entirely of pure evil and hate, that he had set aside
		964	from creation and called Hell. And soon enough did Gorokh find ways back
		965	into the world of the creation of Light, and resumed his foul work of evil
		966	and dissent and terror.
		967
		968	So did Valriel gather together His faithful and he did gave them some time
		969	to put the love for the Lord back in the hearts of as many of His children
		970	as they could. And very soon will He again call upon the faithful, and
		971	then will He give the faithful an entire new world for them to live in the
		972	love of Valriel. And Having done that He will turn to this world, and to
		973	Hell, and to Gorokh, and He will destroy them completely with the force of
		974	His will, putting an end once and for all in the war and the evil.
		975
		976
		977	=head1 The Book of Gorokh
		978
		979	In the beginning, for an infinite time, all that existed was an empty
		980	and cold light. And the light was content to be and fill and control
		981	everything that was. But it is not right for light to be cold, and the
		982	part of the light that should have been warm, longed for warmth and for
		983	things to see and for things to do.
		984
		985	So did the light put aside the warmth, so that the fire would not disturb
		986	their cold peace. And the fire looked unto the light and called the light
		987	Valriel, the controlling father, and the fire called himself Gorokh, the
		988	Son with a Will.
		989
		990	And for many times more time than a mortal can count, Gorokh was the
		991	companion and the servant of Valriel. But Gorokh was not content, because
		992	that was his nature, and he plotted a way to change everything. And fueled
		993	by the fire of his will, Gorokh’s words were always very wise, so
		994	Valriel would always hear them. So it was that Valriel followed the wise
		995	counsel of the Fire and created a world full of living things to be their
		996	new companions and servants.
		997
		998	And as soon as Valriel had millions of new companions and servants, Gorokh
		999	said, “so now you won’t need me anymore, I can leave and find my own
		1000	companions and servants”. And this made Valriel unhappy because he
		1001	believed he should be only and true Lord, but Gorokh couldn’t agree
		1002	to that, and so it was Gorokh who eventually taught men to rule over
		1003	themselves instead of paying respect to one self-appointed ruler of all.
		1004
		1005	So did Valriel, while Gorokh was away exploring the wonders of the new
		1006	world, create new servants of flesh and bone to adore him blindly, and elf
		1007	and man and dwarf he created them. And seeing this beautiful new creation
		1008	Gorokh wanted a part of it for himself, and he presented himself to them,
		1009	and some of them liked him and became his follower.
		1010
		1011	But Valriel was afraid that, with two gods to adore, some of his creation
		1012	could find it natural to spread creation in two equal halves, and he did
		1013	want more than an equal half. So he decided to wear different shapes so
		1014	that his children would believe him to be many, not one, and then he
		1015	would be able to get more than his fair share. And so did he create many
		1016	false gods for his children to adore. And even when Gorokh would bring
		1017	the wonderful gifts conceived by his powerful will, such as the forge,
		1018	weapons, medicine, agriculture, writing, magic, and wine and booze and
		1019	music, even then would Valriel create a false god to pose as the giver of
		1020	those gifts and take the glory for himself.
		1021
		1022	And since Gorokh kept inventing new presents, Valriel became angry,
		1023	because he doesn’t like change and he doesn’t like any good that
		1024	doesn’t come from him. And so did he create a new race of servants, more
		1025	powerful and more prone to following him blindly than any other, imbued
		1026	with the mission of hunting down and undoing the work of the Fire, and
		1027	this race He called Angels.
		1028
		1029	But again Gorokh found a cunning way to defend his work, and again he
		1030	went to some of the angels in the night and whispered promises of power
		1031	in their ears, and some turned to his great purposes and joined him. So
		1032	did Gorokh give them new shapes, to more liken them to himself, red with
		1033	the fire of his will and wearing horns to symbolize their power, and they
		1034	became demons. And the plan of Valriel was once again spoiled by the
		1035	genius of the Fire, because angels had to step aside from their assigned
		1036	mission to fight the demons and keep them from spreading the word of
		1037	Gorokh.
		1038
		1039	And Gorokh did find great fun in changing Valriel’s creation into a new
		1040	race, and so did he get elf and man and dwarf and tried to imbue them
		1041	with greater strength, and they became goblin and orc and kobold, and
		1042	troll, and giant, and ogre, and many other strong creatures. But their
		1043	intelligences greatly suffered from the process, and he was unhappy with
		1044	his creation, and while he was looking for a way to help them did Valriel
		1045	come to them under the guise of Gnarg and he told them to spread great
		1046	destruction and sorrow in the world so that the creation of Gorokh would
		1047	seem foul in the eyes of the living.
		1048
		1049	So the Fire decided the creation of Valriel was imperfect and he had to
		1050	create his own new life. So he assembled the most powerful magic and the
		1051	strongest will and mightiest strength he could find and shaped these
		1052	into the most magnificent creatures he could imagine, and gave them
		1053	life, and called them dragons, and sent them forth to take the world for
		1054	themselves. But while the dragons are still the greatest pride of Gorokh,
		1055	many of them have abandoned him to serve yet another disguise of Valriel.
		1056
		1057	And upon seeing the dragons, Valriel declared war and set his servants
		1058	upon the task of killing all the most valuables of Gorokh they could
		1059	find. Gorokh was consumed with sorrow, and devised a way to spare these
		1060	faithful servants, by allowing them to raise again from the grave even
		1061	after their deaths. But the servants of Valriel found these “un-dead”
		1062	an even greater abomination, and set forth to hunt them, and Valriel
		1063	delighted in the war and carnage that ensued.
		1064
		1065	So did Gorokh, his fire dim with sorrow, decide to create a whole world
		1066	for him and his faithful. And this world he called Hell. But when he was
		1067	slowly bringing his faithful to the new world, Valriel treacherously
		1068	brought down a great fury upon the world, killing most of the faithful
		1069	that were left behind. So the Fire was finally enraged and decided to wage
		1070	the war that the Light wanted. And he opened many passages into the world
		1071	so that his armies could enter and destroy the minions of Valriel. And to
		1072	this war we are all called to chose sides and fight.
		1073
		1074
		1075	=head1 The Dwarven Creation Tale
		1076
		1077	A play by Shakesdor the Dwarf.
		1078
		1079	- What... where we come from? You’re not old enough for this
		1080	conversation.
		1081
		1082	- No, uncle, I mean as a whole... the world, the dwarves, the others.
		1083
		1084	- Ah. I see. (Big gulp of beer.) You mean, NOW?
		1085
		1086	- Yes, please. Pleeeease?
		1087
		1088	- *sigh* all right, all right. It goes like this.
		1089
		1090	First there was the Ore and the Forge. The Ore is what existence looked
		1091	like before it existed. The Forge was the untapped will, the potential in
		1092	the Ore to be everything that is, ever will be, or won’t.
		1093
		1094	Over a span of time that is not time, because time wasn’t forged yet,
		1095	some tiny scraps of Ore drifted into the Forge. A piece of the Forge
		1096	merged with that Ore and became sentient. He has many names, but we call
		1097	him Mostrai.
		1098
		1099	He spent ages of time-that-was-not-time exploring, learning the nature
		1100	of Ore and Forge and himself. Till he decided it was time to start
		1101	forging. And then, first of all, he forged time, so that he could separate
		1102	after from before, and so that he could exist absolutely - as opposed to,
		1103	at the same “time”, existing and not being created yet, which was the
		1104	case if time didn’t exist.
		1105
		1106	Then, with things in order, he began forging things. The first thing he
		1107	forged was his armor, because he liked the touch of metal against his
		1108	body. Then he forged beer, because of course, beer is essential. He forged
		1109	it red like the Forge, and black like the Ore. The yellow thing, as we all
		1110	know, is an invention of those pansy elves.
		1111
		1112	And he liked the beer. He liked it so much, that he was bored of drinking
		1113	it alone. Beer calls for a party. So he created the boar and the bird, to
		1114	be roasted; he created the mundane fire, which was a toned-down version of
		1115	the essence of the Forge, to roast them. And then he created the dwarf, to
		1116	dress in metal like him, to work the forge with him, but most importantly
		1117	of all, to party with him and partake of the sacred beer.
		1118
		1119	But the dwarf started breeding like bugs, and it was quite distracting
		1120	to have them putting about in spaceless space. At any given point, there
		1121	were thousands of dwarves partying, thousands sleeping, thousands hunting,
		1122	and thousands forging. Mostrai thought it was good, but it was also damn
		1123	annoying. So he created an enormous mountain for them to live under. He
		1124	put the boar and bird, and a few other animals he had come up with later,
		1125	on the outside, where he forged woods and forest. And so that his children
		1126	wouldn’t wander forever, he placed these places in the middle of an
		1127	infinite ocean. There you have, that’s the story.
		1128
		1129	- Whoa. What about the others?
		1130
		1131	- *sigh* You won’t let me finish my beer, will you?
		1132
		1133	- You’ll never finish your beer, uncle. When you soak that mug,
		1134	there’s plenty more in the barrel.
		1135
		1136	- All right, all rigth. (Big gulp.)
		1137
		1138	The dwarves had amazing weapons to hunt with. Eventually, the hunt was
		1139	no challenge anymore. The best hunters would play-act wars between
		1140	themselves, to best hone their skills.
		1141
		1142	Mostrai was worried that those fights might one day evolve into real
		1143	wars. So he created an enemy, something very different from the dwarf,
		1144	something very obviously wrong, which lived in the woods and preferred
		1145	bows and other coward weapons rather than hand-to-hand combat. He made
		1146	them incredibly lucky, because otherwise they would stand no chance - and
		1147	they came to believe they’re lucky because they’re protected by their
		1148	god, which of course doesn’t exist. He also made them very old, so that
		1149	they would think they existed before the dwarf - otherwise they would just
		1150	recognize our superior position and submit. And all was good and happy;
		1151	for time beyond count, dwarf and elf honed their skills against each
		1152	other, and prospered.
		1153
		1154	I mean, have you ever fought an elf? Yes, it was an eternal war, but not
		1155	like those bloody gorefest the others have today. When dwarf and elf
		1156	fight, it’s clean, it’s beautiful, it’s according to the rules,
		1157	it’s a ritual of honor.
		1158
		1159	Well, I digress. All was well, I said. But one day, one elf created yellow
		1160	beer. And that offended Mostrai to a level of rage unseen before. So he
		1161	created an entire new piece of the world, and populated it with humans,
		1162	and other horrible creatures, and then let these young ones discover our
		1163	land, so that they may raze the elf forests, ruin the elf nations, and
		1164	soil their honor. We’re not stupid enough to argue with Mostrai, so we
		1165	went underground, and we’re waiting for that to happen, to see what he
		1166	will do next.
		1167
		1168	Can I drink in peace now? There, go play with your friends.
		1169
		1170
		1171	=head1 The Legend of the Builders
		1172
		1173	People of the Old Empire believed that the whole universe was made by
		1174	powerful beings called Builders. Builders were not part of the world
		1175	like gods were - they lived Outside. Little is known about the Builders
		1176	themselves. The priests of the Empire weren’t quite sure themselves
		1177	about their names. Some were universally known, though: Mawëdel the Ruler
		1178	or Peterëm the Writing One were the most popular of the ever changing
		1179	list of Builders.
		1180
		1181	The Builders understood very well how difficult it would be for them to
		1182	manage themselves every prayer made - making the Universe work was already
		1183	a time-consuming task. So they created gods to help them in their task.
		1184
		1185	Most of the gods we know today were already popular in the times of the
		1186	Old Empire, like Mostrai or Lythander. Others changed names as time
		1187	passed. Gods provided their powers to the Faithful Ones, and helped them
		1188	by providing blessings and powerful weapons. The priests of the Old Empire
		1189	never believed gods made the world, as they were themselves part of it;
		1190	world-building was the Builders task.
		1191
		1192
		1193	=head1 The Foundation of Scorn
		1194
		1195	Few archives remain from the times when Scorn was founded. The city is
		1196	probably the oldest of the whole known world. Before Fido, before the Old
		1197	Empire, maybe even before gods, Scorn was already there.
		1198
		1199	It is usually said that Scorn was founded by Skud the Great. Many legends
		1200	are telling about Skud, the half-mythical hero. How he captured the first
		1201	dragons. How he fought unknown monsters in the East. How he built Scorn
		1202	and the First Inn. Some priests even postulated that Skud was in fact a
		1203	Builder. Skud created the First Inn because he wanted to sleep inside a
		1204	house, without the risk of being attacked by monsters during the night. He
		1205	left the Holy Guestbook, one of the oldest relics of Crossfire, where he
		1206	and his fellow friends wrote their names. Skud disappeared long before the
		1207	Old Empire came, and nowadays only the Builders can probably remember him.
		1208
		1209	Recent researches show that, although he greatly contributed to the
		1210	popularity of the city, Skud didn’t found it: it was in fact created
		1211	by Tabb the Dark, a Builder that left very little information about him
		1212	behind. According to the Codex Skudensis that was discovered in the depths
		1213	of the Old City, “Scorn” would have been the real name of Tabb the
		1214	Dark.
		1215
		1216
		1217	=head1 The Coming of Color
		1218
		1219	It is said that centuries before the foundation of the Old Empire, the
		1220	world was colorless and sad. Aware of that problem, the Builders decided
		1221	to bring color in the life of the Crossfire people. They called the
		1222	massive powers of Xepemes, The Source Of All Colors, on the universe. The
		1223	magical burst slowly covered the world with colors, but some elements
		1224	resisted for a long time. Prophets of the Old Empire announced that,
		1225	although victorious, the force of Xepemes wouldn’t stay forever: one
		1226	day, it would eventually fade away against a more powerful magical force,
		1227	the mysterious Pegemes (or Peengees?). This happened - but much after the
		1228	fall of the Empire.
		1229
		1230
		1231	=head1 The Bigworld
		1232
		1233	The old world was small and it consisted of many pieces. Scorn, Navar,
		1234	Brittany and Santo Dominion were in one large piece. Darcap and the
		1235	Hill Village were in another smaller one. Lake Country was in yet
		1236	another. Pupland was still another. The world was not whole, and the
		1237	builders saw that this was wrong. They began the quest to unite the world
		1238	and established the Bigworld. As the builders united the world they saw
		1239	that it was much too small and began to make it larger. They raised up the
		1240	Great Mountains around Brest and they caused the Great Forest to grow. As
		1241	the time passed, Navar grew to become a great Kingdom and the builders
		1242	decided that it was a good city for players to call home and they gave the
		1243	Heroes a choice to serve Scorn or Navar. Nevertheless, Pupland is still
		1244	not part of this new world, but the builders wish to add it to the west of
		1245	Scorn.
		1246
		1247
		1248	=head1 Skud the Great
		1249
		1250	One of the first Builders. Skud created many famous places, like the
		1251	Scorn’s First Inn or the Newbie Tower.
		1252
		1253	The reasons of the disappearance of Skud are mostly unknown. The Codex
		1254	Skudensis mentions that it could have been because of the negative
		1255	influence of the Arch-Demon Neth Aq. It is thought that The Tower of Skud,
		1256	although left unfinished by its creator, may contain informations about
		1257	the fate of one of the most famous Builder
		1258
		1259
		1260	=head1 Legends of the Fall
		1261
		1262	=head2 Of the first things
		1263
		1264	First there was Chaos
		1265
		1266	Second there was Something and Nothing
		1267
		1268	Third there was Dark and Light
		1269
		1270	It is said that the Something and the Nothing would fight and that, the
		1271	Dark and Light would fight also.
		1272
		1273	This being told to me by a monk of Valriel, no longer in the order.
		1274
		1275	=head2 On the nature of elemental essences
		1276
		1277	It is said that of the four primary elements
		1278
		1279	- there is earth which is.
		1280
		1281	- there is water which changes.
		1282
		1283	- there is air which moves.
		1284
		1285	- there is fire which consumes.
		1286
		1287	=head2 Overheard in a Narcopian brothel
		1288
		1289	When Mother Earth was suckling her children
		1290
		1291	sky suckled from her right teat
		1292
		1293	but flame and sea fought to suckle from her left teat
		1294
		1295	this is why they still fight to this day
		1296
		1297
		1298	=head1 The Tale of Lord Butakis - The Lost Stars of the Lake, Volume I
		1299
		1300	This story begins nearly four thousand years ago, when Kadriosa IV, King
		1301	of Scorn, invaded the southern territories and pushed back the elven
		1302	barbarians that lived there.
		1303
		1304	The elvish people fled, and many of them settled in a place they called
		1305	Vkovzerov, “The Country of the Three Waters”, as it was a rather
		1306	unique meeting point between a river, a lake, and the sea. There they
		1307	enjoyed a great prosperity, working with the local sprites to build
		1308	Tashkeren-tah, The City of the Wooden Towers.
		1309
		1310	Two centuries passed, then three. The elven princes of Tashkeren-tah had
		1311	become powerful - and never in their hearts was the thirst of revenge
		1312	and hatred towards the people of Scorn extinguished. Now very familiar
		1313	with the various water creatures that inhabited their territory, they
		1314	had developed great skills in commanding rivers, and the beasts inside
		1315	them, and the creatures made from them. They knew that Scorn was highly
		1316	dependent on its seaport, and they had planned for the many years their
		1317	long life gave them to use the great power of water spirits to crush and
		1318	flood the city.
		1319
		1320	But despite all their accumulated knowledge, their powers were too limited
		1321	to direct the most powerful entities of the seas, the Mouthes of the
		1322	Mariner, none other than the Greater Aquomons.
		1323
		1324	For a long time, they were hesitant to call those, as they were dangerous,
		1325	treacherous creatures born during the darkest ages of the world, when
		1326	Haemdel the Legendary was crushed and the Three Artifacts lost. But so
		1327	strong was their flame of hatred that it soon burned the ropes of their
		1328	carefulness. Using their most powerful summoning spell, they convocated
		1329	one of the Greater Aquomons before them.
		1330
		1331	“Who are you, you creatures with pointy ears, to dare awaken me from my
		1332	dreams, me, Vërno, the Fourth Drop ?”
		1333
		1334	Elven Princes exposed what they wanted to Vërno, and the creature seemed
		1335	very interested at the idea of grabbing all the richesses of Scorn, and
		1336	bringing them back into his dark kingdom of the depth of the sea.
		1337
		1338	“Very well, said Vërno, but you know, I suppose, that we are all bound
		1339	by the Law of Equilibrium, established by the gods themselves when the
		1340	world was new and the seas infinite. And for my services, you’ll have to
		1341	pay the price.”
		1342
		1343	- And what do you want for a price ? - Well, my needs are rather
		1344	modest. I’ll only claim a tenth of your own lands as a reward.”
		1345
		1346	The Elven Princes quickly discussed the matter, and came to the conclusion
		1347	that it was a rather fair price to pay - after all, their territories
		1348	weren’t very large, and there was a lot of empty space all around, so
		1349	it wasn’t really a problem for them. Maybe it would for a couple of
		1350	peasants, but who cared about them more than of the vengeance against
		1351	Scorn ?
		1352
		1353	And so they answered: “The Fate of Scorn is Sealed, then. We accept.”
		1354
		1355	What happened then is too long to tell in details here, as it belongs
		1356	to another story. In short, Jovidjevska the elven girl, who had heard
		1357	everything, travelled to Scorn, and convinced the city wizards of the
		1358	truth of the menace. And when Vërno came to crush the city, they moved it
		1359	two days into the future, and the water hand of the Fourth Drop grabbed
		1360	only emptiness.
		1361
		1362	Vërno, furious, came back to the Elves with a big smile, and told
		1363	them: “I did what you wanted, and flooded the territory on which Scorn
		1364	was established. Now I take my due price.”
		1365
		1366	And that said, he selected the area on which the Elven City itself was
		1367	built, and covered it with water, its inhabitants trapped and killed there
		1368	without understanding what was happening.
		1369
		1370
		1371	=head1 The Tale of Lord Butakis - The Lost Stars of the Lake, Volume II
		1372
		1373	Two thousand years passed. The lineage of the kings of Scorn died,
		1374	and another dynasty came, and another one after that. Wars were
		1375	conducted. Wizards of Scorn fled, and most of the knowledge disappeared,
		1376	and there were nothing but lakes and forests above the dead city of the
		1377	elves.
		1378
		1379	And then, a man came. Where did he come from ? Nobody knows for
		1380	sure. Butakis was his name.
		1381
		1382	Butakis was an ambitious young man. He had heard here and there strange
		1383	pieces of a weird story, about a sunken city, about a dark pact, about the
		1384	secret power of elves...
		1385
		1386	For years, he studied the Arcanes, hunting for traces of the city, as he
		1387	was convinced that the lost wisdom of the elves of Vkovzerov would give
		1388	him a great power. And, finally, after 20 long years of searching, he
		1389	concluded that the secret was in the area now called “Lake Country“.
		1390
		1391	And there, he came, and there was a small house made of wood, and there
		1392	was a tree, and there was a young elvish woman, dreaming at the stars,
		1393	under the tree. And Butakis fell in love, and the elvish lady fell in
		1394	love, and they both watched the stars. But soon, Butakis felt the need of
		1395	getting back into action, and finding the lost city and getting its power.
		1396
		1397	The lady told him: “The true wisdom is in those stars, and in that
		1398	tree, and in that house you see. You’ll only find unrest by aiming for
		1399	more.”
		1400
		1401	But Butakis had already made up his mind, and he brought back engineers,
		1402	and sappers, and miners, and they all worked to build a huge machine to
		1403	pump the water, and discover the city. During ten years, Butakis worked on
		1404	this, hoping that in the end, the elvish lady would be at his side, and
		1405	that she would be his wife, princess of the restored city.
		1406
		1407	During all the work, he was perpetually annoyed by a small group of
		1408	bandits, lead by Twak the Red Fox. Twak and his men conducted a real
		1409	guerilla war against Butakis, as they saw him as a danger for the whole
		1410	country, because his plans were damaging nature and could also have awaken
		1411	dark power sleeping in the sunken city. Several times, they sabotaged
		1412	the machine, stole tools, raped engineers and designers. But each time,
		1413	Butakis and his followers repaired the machines, engaged new people, and
		1414	increased security.
		1415
		1416
		1417	=head1 The Tale of Lord Butakis - The Lost Stars of the Lake, Volume III
		1418
		1419	And now, ten years after the beginning, the work was completed, and he
		1420	invited the elvish lady to come and see the accomplishment of a lifelong
		1421	dream.
		1422
		1423	The Elvish lady came, as beautiful as ever. And on the balcony at the top
		1424	of the pump, they watched the stars, and she kissed him, and she when they
		1425	were in the bed he had prepared for that very special night before the
		1426	pumping started, she whispered at his ear.
		1427
		1428	That, Butakis had waited for long, but he didn’t expect what she told
		1429	him then.
		1430
		1431	“Ten years you were away, and ten years I watched the stars with
		1432	Twak. And now for him, and for he choose me and my heart, I’ll
		1433	disappear, and so does your dream.”
		1434
		1435	Butakis understood that he had been fooled, that she only kept her
		1436	attention away enough for Twak and three of his faithful men to sabotage
		1437	the pump. And so came a great rumble from the basis of the huge building,
		1438	and so the huge engines exploded, and so was his dream reduced to smoke,
		1439	smoke that still covers most of Lake Country nowadays. The Elvish lady
		1440	probably died, as nobody saw her again after that. And so did the brave
		1441	Twak, but his spirit survived in the wind - or so say some people.
		1442
		1443	Butakis, so strange as it may look, managed to survive, although in bad
		1444	shape, as one would expect. Disfigured, he survived until now using black
		1445	magic or machines to keep him alive, and he tried to gather again men to
		1446	restart his project. But it was now said all around that it was a doomed,
		1447	broken man - and so he in fact was Lake country was said to be haunted by
		1448	Twak, and several travellers saw a young elvish lady, watching the stars
		1449	at night, under a tree, near the lake.
		1450
		1451	Nobody ever accepted to work on the foolish project again. Butakis now
		1452	awaits in his sinister castle, ruling a shattered kingdom lost in the fog
		1453	his machine left behind. A tormented man, that is said to look in the
		1454	direction of the lake from the highest tower of his castle, every night.
		1455
		1456	But for him never came again the Elvish girl, and forever his soul stays
		1457	alone. And so ends what we know about Butakis and Twak, and so dies my
		1458	story.
		1459
		1460
		1461	=head1 The Wizard School of Blue
		1462
		1463	“Although the School disappeared with the Empire itself from The World,
		1464	several wizards claimed to be the heirs of their ancient, secret wisdom,
		1465	and nicknamed “the Blue Ones”, a reference to the color of the School
		1466	Banner.” – Gros, the Irrelevant One
		1467
		1468
		1469	=head1 The Great Heliograph
		1470
		1471	A device made by Mer’Eric the Walker. Built on the highest point of the
		1472	Brestian Hills, it is basically a giant magnifying glass, using a complex
		1473	mechanism commanding several mirrors, that is able to concentrate the
		1474	sunlight into a powerful beam. The concentrator is associated to a Sun
		1475	Stone that can receive similar long-range light signals and transform
		1476	them into pure thaumic energy. A keyboard is attached to a mechanical
		1477	obturator, allowing a single operator to send coded messages to very long
		1478	distances. A magically-powered scriptor writes any such incoming message
		1479	capted by the Sun Stone.
		1480
		1481	Although Mer’Eric only saw the Great Heliograph as a research project
		1482	and as a way to communicate easily across huge distances, this device
		1483	is also a powerful weapon that can burn nearly anything several miles
		1484	away. This is probably why he decided to hide it in a sealed cave.
		1485
		1486	A similar device was built by the Mad Mage of Scorn, but its fate is
		1487	unknown.
		1488
		1489
		1490	=head1 The Harelkirjan Sisters
		1491
		1492	Also called the Twin Witches, they were two powerful women wizards; Herin
		1493	was specialized in White Magic, while her sister Urdin was a master of the
		1494	Black Art. Both of them tried to improve the life of the people living
		1495	all around their house, and introduced the use of cats as spirit-watchers
		1496	in Scorn. Unfortunately for them, they were burned by an angry Brestian
		1497	fanatical mob for “illegal use of Arcane Powers”.
		1498
		1499
		1500	=head1 Ilrya, The Mountain Huntress
		1501
		1502	Ilrya was an elven spellcaster and huntress from the underground city of
		1503	Eallera, that is venerated as a lesser god by most of the dwarves living
		1504	in the Northern Territories. She killed the Bear of Snuddenrach in 3657EK.
		1505
		1506
		1507	=head1 Irial, The Fast One, The Shy Light
		1508
		1509	Irial is a lesser spirit of flashlight - the light that you can see when
		1510	there’s thunder, for example. It is represented as a small, jumpy and
		1511	fast fairy with a temperamental mood.
		1512
		1513
		1514	=head1 Khorolizov
		1515
		1516	One of the three great dwarven kingdoms. “Khorolizov” means “Green
		1517	Gold”, which is a reference to the Green Sand, an alchemical component
		1518	the dwarves of Khorolizov are the only ones to produce. It is probably
		1519	the oldest of the three kingdoms, founded long before the Old Empire of
		1520	Khelens reached the shores of the Continent.
		1521
		1522
		1523	=head1 Kragi, The Crocodile One, Fish-Hunter
		1524
		1525	Kragi is a very ancient spirit, representing the Dangerous Waters, and
		1526	the creatures hidden in stagnant swamps. Kragi was already feared by
		1527	Ancient Jiradittis, 2000 years before Khelens. A lot of river fishermen
		1528	symbolically throw one fish out of what they gathered, to appease the
		1529	spirit of Kragi so that the next fishing will go without trouble.
		1530
		1531
		1532	=head1 Cromli, The Rocky One
		1533
		1534	Crolmi is the Dwarven Spirit of Rocs and Mountains. It has no temples, as
		1535	it is said that buildings made of stone anger him (it is like “building
		1536	with his own flesh”).
		1537
		1538
		1539	=head1 Glamdri, The Darkness Breaker, The Last Standing One
		1540
		1541	Glamdri is a lesser spirit of light - it is said that candlelights are
		1542	manifestations of Glamdri, for example.
		1543
		1544	Glamdri doesn’t represent a magical light - more a spiritual light, the
		1545	last pinch of hope in a desperate world. Glamdri also represents original
		1546	thinking used to get out of difficult situations, as opposed to Sarikka -
		1547	the Raging Fire - who tries to resolve those by extreme violence.
		1548
		1549
		1550	=head1 Archmage Rhyz, (Entorinaas Durdennis Rhyz, Fourth Archmage of the Seat, Herdysenmark of Normania)
		1551
		1552	Rhyz was an Archmage of the Blue School during the Old Days of the Empire.
		1553
		1554	“(...)Unlike Dhelyy Olyy, his contemporary rival for the Seat, Rhyz
		1555	focused mostly on closing the gap that existed between the art of fighting
		1556	and the Arcane. While Dhelyy Olyy believed in the dual association of the
		1557	Warrior and the Wizard, each with its own strength increased by a long
		1558	specialization in their respective fields, Rhyz believed in the idea of
		1559	a “super warriard”, a combination of a powerful wizard and a strong
		1560	warrior. As such, he devised many items that increased the strength and
		1561	combat capabilities of their wearers, hoping that wizard apprentices would
		1562	so be more inclined to learn the battle skills of warriors.
		1563
		1564	Unfortunately for Rhyz, most of his followers relied more and more on
		1565	magical strength more than physical training, leaving them to a severe
		1566	defeat at the Battle of Moriach, when Dhelyy used an anti-magic field over
		1567	them.”
		1568
		1569	(Quote from the Codex Simochusianus, Volume XVII)
		1570
		1571
		1572	=head1 Archdaemonist Xebinon
		1573
		1574	Xebinon was an Archmage and Daemonist that was since trapped by a demon of
		1575	the 10th Circle in his mannor.
		1576
		1577	It is said that Xebinon used the Crown of Hellfires to try to tame the
		1578	Arch-daemon (and failed) - this is a crown that gave a lot of power, but
		1579	drained the magical force of the wearer at the same time, making the spell
		1580	regeneration more difficult. This was in fact a cursed, twisted artifact,
		1581	created by daemons for people who were seeking short-term power, but would
		1582	thus head directly for long-term soul slavery.
		1583
		1584	Xebinon is sometimes called “The faceless one”, as it is said that the
		1585	daemon trapped him by stealing his visage. This may explain why magical
		1586	artifacts wearing his name are often helmets.
		1587
		1588
		1589	=head1 Argoth, the Fish-City of the Two Towers
		1590
		1591	Argoth is the name of a city that was located West of Scorn, in the middle
		1592	of the sea, in an island that since sunken after the explosion of the
		1593	volcano of the same name, in 674EK. It is called the City of the Two
		1594	Towers, because two huge towers were built there, to guide the ships
		1595	navigating on the oceans between Bigworld and Khelens.
		1596
		1597	Argoth was a dwarven city built on one of the highest mountains known,
		1598	rooted in the depths of the sea, and climbing so high in the skies that
		1599	uneducated travelers said that it was a “stairway to the gods”. On the
		1600	top of the mountain, the Imperial Governors built the Two Towers, who were
		1601	visible from Scorn, about 200km far from them.
		1602
		1603	The dwarves of Argoth had a terrible secret: in the depths of the caves
		1604	below the mountains, they had trapped Hregalakhen, one of the last
		1605	survivors of the race of the Ancient Dragons, who ruled Bigworld long
		1606	before the time of humans. Unfortunately for the dwarves, the dragon got
		1607	free for an unknown reason, and destroyed the city, the mountain crumbling
		1608	and disappearing forever into the ocean. The Imperial authorities spread
		1609	the false story of a volcanic eruption to limit the panic a free dragon
		1610	the size of Hregalakhen would have caused in the population. The fate of
		1611	the dragon is unknown to this day.
		1612
		1613
		1614	=head1 Zormola, The Bashing One
		1615
		1616	Zormola was a great female orcish warrior, that is sometimes considered
		1617	as a lesser divinity by not only orcs, but also by southern barbarians or
		1618	even dwarves of Herfensheim, who salute her courage on the battlefield.
		1619
		1620
		1621	=head1 Morgul, The Tower Builder, The Dark Climber
		1622
		1623	Morgul was a Dark Mage that built a tower in the hope of creating a bridge
		1624	with the skies, so that demons could attack heavens. Fortunately for
		1625	angels, a group of adventurers defeated him in 2374EK.
		1626
		1627
		1628	=head1 Wolfen the White, The White Hunter, The One Who Listens
		1629
		1630	Wolfen is one of the three moons orbiting around The World. It is said to
		1631	be the spirit of the legendary hunter Wolfen, who tracked Kalkaruntes, God
		1632	of the Dragons, to is cavern and vainquished it.
		1633
		1634	In astrology, Wolfen is the symbol of practical mind, swiftness and
		1635	flexibility, but also cowardice and stealing. It is associated with the
		1636	Earth element in Alchemancy. Wolfen is seen as a protector by hunters and
		1637	rangers. Priests of Lythander think it is the reincarnation of the wolf
		1638	that hunts with Lythander in the divine forests of Nerënna. Fenxes see it
		1639	as Fixas, the one that saved them from the Humans so long ago.
		1640
		1641
		1642	=head1 Ranisha the Red, The Red Death, The One Who Commands
		1643
		1644	Ranisha is one of the three moons orbiting around the world of
		1645	Crossfire. It is said to be the spirit of the legendary warrior Ranisha,
		1646	who was supposed to be an invincible general that was even able to
		1647	vainquish gods themselves on the battlefield.
		1648
		1649	In astrology, Ranisha is the symbol of violence, hatred, murder, but
		1650	also of strength and courage. It is associated with the fire element in
		1651	Alchemancy. Priests of Ruggili consider it as the watchful eye of their
		1652	god.
		1653
		1654
		1655	=head1 Asferenn the Blue, The Blue Sister, The One Who Suggests
		1656
		1657	Asferenn is one of the three moons orbiting around the world of
		1658	Crossfire. It is said to be the spirit of the legendary wizard Asferenn,
		1659	who was said to have been able to force the gate of the divine dimension.
		1660
		1661	In astrology, Asferenn is the symbol of wisdom, endurance in effort,
		1662	diplomacy, but also treachery and dark secrets. It is associated with the
		1663	water element in Alchemancy. It is said that the cycle of water creatures
		1664	are strongly influenced by Asferenn.
		1665
		1666
		1667	=head1 Story of Lorkas the Fallen, Volume I
		1668
		1669	I’ll tell you about Lorkas of Amudrias, and how he found the White Bird
		1670	of Hope, and how he capitained it, opening the Gates of the Sun, and some
		1671	stuff like that.
		1672
		1673	Some say that Lorkas was an angel of Valriel, that fell long ago from the
		1674	Skies, stealing a couple of highly holy artifacts, and hiding them in his
		1675	new underground domains.
		1676
		1677	Some also say that Lorkas is a dark spirit, a lost soul, an unclean,
		1678	unfaithful, untrusty creature of Doom and Chaos.
		1679
		1680	But, for what matters, some also said that Fido was a fiction, or that
		1681	the Empire never was more than a dream of a past that never existed. Some
		1682	definitely are foolishly uninformed for sure, and speak more than they
		1683	think.
		1684
		1685	Because, if they were less quick on jumping to conclusions, they’d
		1686	quickly notice how difficult it is for an angel to fall from the sky and
		1687	never be able to climb back, as if wild gooses were never able to take off
		1688	again once they land after their long journey to the South.
		1689
		1690	Anyway, as every wise man knows, Lorkas was no angelic creature of divine
		1691	essence, or even a magical creation of a godly force.
		1692
		1693	Some say that Khelens is the Beginning, first of the Cities of Men. That,
		1694	too, is untrue: before the Age of Khelens was the Time of the Kingdoms
		1695	at War. And before them, the Era of Songor the Great. And going back
		1696	through the thick book of history, you’ll cross Arnistar of the Desert
		1697	Dwellers, the Republic of the Two Rivers, and the Ancient Haemdel, and the
		1698	Kingdom of the Long Wall. And before it, the forgotten towers of light
		1699	that Horadrists built.
		1700
		1701
		1702	=head1 Story of Lorkas the Fallen, Volume II
		1703
		1704	Lorkas was born in Kuratas, a small agrarian state that existed on the
		1705	Coronian Valley, when Songer and Khelens were still in infancy. He was a
		1706	boy that wanted to see everything, to understand the world and its stars,
		1707	and discover its limits, for it was extending much further than the mists
		1708	of his home valley.
		1709
		1710	But life was rude in Kuratas, and trying to think about anything else than
		1711	your next harvest wasn’t well perceived by most; and, more than often,
		1712	Lorkas dreamed with tears and despair about the Mountains with the white
		1713	tops, and Seas that ended only when they touched the sky, far away.
		1714
		1715	Tired of his senseless life, he left his parents, his village, his
		1716	friends, when he was only 12, and for weeks walked to the West, until he
		1717	reached the Coast of the Stonewalls.
		1718
		1719	And there, he saw Ottarakans, the Infinite Ocean that extends west of the
		1720	Old World, and so fell in love for the sea. He then joined the Port of
		1721	Kridatta, which was famous for its ships, as its inhabitants had mastered
		1722	a powerful arcane, so that their boats roamed not only the seas, but the
		1723	very clouds themselves.
		1724
		1725	Because he was smart and quick-brained, Lorkas soon got enrolled in the
		1726	team of Capt’n Bortaras; and after several adventures I shall maybe tell
		1727	about another day, he took the succession of the old mariner.
		1728
		1729	Horizon was the name of his ship, and famous was his crew, exploring huge
		1730	territories and fighting the Princes of Sinas, who back then tried to put
		1731	the whole area under their iron, greedy grasps.
		1732
		1733
		1734	=head1 Story of Lorkas the Fallen, Volume III
		1735
		1736	But Lorkas heard about a wonder that him and his crew soon wanted to
		1737	find: The White Bird of Hope.
		1738
		1739	Buried in the Very East, it was said to be. And so he sailed east; he
		1740	crossed the Great Desert, passed the Mountains of Daigojij, reached the
		1741	forests oft he western normanika. But still was the Bird further away.
		1742
		1743	Reaching the Eastern Ocean, they decided to try to cross it, despite that
		1744	it was said to be the end of the world. And for 30 days and nights, across
		1745	tempests and monsters, they firmly kept heading east, east, east.
		1746
		1747	When despair was growing on them, mists magically opened, revealing a
		1748	golden city built on what seemed to be a rich, fertile coastal plain.
		1749
		1750	People there spoke a strange language; they were small and not unlike
		1751	joyful foxes, and they welcomed Lorkas and his men (and women)
		1752	warmly. Soon, they learned to understand each other enough.
		1753
		1754	They called themselves “The People of the Mother”, and they had
		1755	never seen the “Flat-Eared Giants” before, although they already met
		1756	“Flat-Eared Beards” and “Flat-Eared Greens” before.
		1757
		1758	But there was a lady called Sonja. And, although she wasn’t human, she
		1759	seemed brighter, smarter, more beautiful than any other woman Lorkas had
		1760	ever seen before.
		1761
		1762	Those months were the most wonderful for him - and her - and time seemed
		1763	to have stopped for them in their endless love. But of course it hadn’t.
		1764
		1765	And after a while, some of his men wanted to go back to their own homes,
		1766	and some wanted for their families to come to the Golden City. And, also,
		1767	there was the Bird.
		1768
		1769	They had no problem to find the White Bird of Hope - a statue entirely
		1770	made of the purest of the white marble, with gemstones of red ruby as
		1771	eyes. But so much the inhabitants liked it, so they thought that a
		1772	valuable friend was much better than a valuable statue.
		1773
		1774	And so they said: “Take the bird as a gift of us to your masters, to
		1775	show them we want to make friendship with them. Welcome are the friends of
		1776	the children of the White Bird.”
		1777
		1778	And so Lorkas left, promising Sonja that he’d soon return.
		1779
		1780	The people of the Golden City also told him that “The Bird is imbued
		1781	with powerful magic: the one owning it will always keep hope.”
		1782
		1783
		1784	=head1 Story of Lorkas the Fallen, Volume IV
		1785
		1786	When Lorkas came back, he and his men were welcomed as heroes. So where
		1787	does the story turns sour, as Lorkas is said to have fallen from the skies?
		1788
		1789	Well, when he and his crew came back home, Kridatta was at war with Sinas,
		1790	and for several years, he and his crew fought, using the power of the Bird
		1791	to help them. And during those years, Lorkas kept in his heart the hope of
		1792	seeing again Sonja.
		1793
		1794	Then came the Fever Plague, that killed a third of the people in the
		1795	Ancient World. And again was the Bird used, and again did Lorkas help all
		1796	those he could help, still having hope of seeing the Golden City again
		1797	soon.
		1798
		1799	And then, he sent messengers and explorers, as he had become influent,
		1800	rich, and powerful, across the seas, to rebind the ties with the Golden
		1801	City, as he promised. But they all came without finding their way to
		1802	those faraway shores; yet all that time, and for each new mission sent to
		1803	explore the seas and the skies, they seemed closed and closer from the
		1804	goal.
		1805
		1806	Sixty years passed. The world changed; new kingdoms ruled old cities;
		1807	Lorkas was now an old man that lived in a small house looking at the
		1808	Ocean.
		1809
		1810	And still, each day, he spent hours waiting, watching the line where the
		1811	sea met the sky, hoping that one day, one would sail back and tell him:
		1812	“we found the Golden City !”. And always he hoped, but never received.
		1813
		1814	Nearly all of his companions were now dead, and the Horizon had been
		1815	retired long ago, now slowly rotting in the bay, fading souvenir of a long
		1816	forgotten past.
		1817
		1818
		1819	=head1 Story of Lorkas the Fallen, Volume V
		1820
		1821	Lorkas walked to his boat, and where there was only tarnished wood and
		1822	corroded metal, he still saw the fierce ship on which he saw Sonja for the
		1823	first time, so long ago. Who knows what he did, then? One thing is sure:
		1824	the vigile of the Sea Tower of Kridatta, that watched boats coming and
		1825	leaving from dozens of miles away, reported that an ancient ship left the
		1826	bay, with Lorkas sitting at the front of it, holding the Bird, as if he
		1827	was sleeping.
		1828
		1829	Nobody knows exactly where he went. Was he even dead? Nobody knows. But
		1830	everybody kept hope that, one day, he’d reach the Golden City
		1831	again. Lots of people tried to find the Bird after that event. They all
		1832	accused Lorkas of having “stolen” it. The story became legend. The
		1833	legend became fairy tale. And the fairy tale got forgotten by most.
		1834
		1835	Yet, Centuries ago, deep in the oldest parts of the Old City of Scorn,
		1836	people claimed to have found an ancient mausoleum, a relic of the
		1837	past. All made of the purest, finest gold. On the walls were engraved a
		1838	man at the wheel of a strange ship, and a woman with pointy ears, watching
		1839	the skies. And many nowadays keep the Hope that the White Bird now sleeps
		1840	down below the streets, having found its way back to home with Lorkas.
		1841
		1842	But who could tell if it is the truth, or only a silly story? Who
		1843	knows? As for myself, I don’t care: I just hold hope it is. And so ends
		1844	the Story of Lorkas, and so keeps Hope running.
		1845
		1846
		1847	=head1 The Prison of Madness
		1848
		1849	It is said that deep in the underworld there is a vast maze that will make
		1850	everybody who dares to enter die of madness.
		1851
		1852	It starts in a room, with a row of mirrors to the south. pass through
		1853	those, and carry on slightly further, and you are in the maze proper.
		1854
		1855	Little is known about the maze, but Worus the Wanderer claimed to have been
		1856	in it, seen many of its wonders and returned.
		1857
		1858	He also wrote a book that details all the ways and passages, alas, nobody
		1859	could decipher it yet:
		1860
		1861	gb2trg2gb2gur2rkvg:
		1862	2jnaqre2nebhaq2hagvy2lbh2ybpngr2n2znc2aN,
		1863	2vg2vf2ba2gur2obggbz2ragenapr2bs2n2znc.
		1864	2bapr2gung2vf2ybpngrq2tb2evtug,
		1865	2hc,
		1866	2evtug,
		1867	2evtug,
		1868	2evtug,
		1869	2evtug,
		1870	2evtug,
		1871	2lbh2jvyy2or2ng2gur2rkvg.
		1872	2gb2trg2gb2gur2inhyg:
		1873	2jnaqre2ebhaq2hagvy2lbh2trg2gb2znc2aN1,
		1874	vg2vf2gb2gur2evtug2bs2n2abezny2znc.
		1875	2tb2hc,
		1876	2yrsg,
		1877	2hc,
		1878	2yrsg,
		1879	2qbja,
		1880	2qbja,
		1881	2evtug,
		1882	2qbja,
		1883	2qbja,
		1884	2qbja.2Lbh2jvyy2or2va2gur2unyy,
		1885	2tb2guebhtu2naq2gb2gur2yrsg2gb2ernpu2gur2inhyg.
		1886
		1887
		1888	=head1 Order of the Gravestone
		1889
		1890	An ancient order of druids, that venerated the supposed gravestone of
		1891	the Spirit of Khalbow. The Spirit was supposed to be a symbol of eternal
		1892	renewal and redemption, that lived a regular, short-term dead/revival
		1893	cycle. The Order of the Gravestone was very popular during the first
		1894	Millenia EK, but then went extinct. No druid is known to exist today, and
		1895	the exact location of the gravestone has long been forgotten.
		1896
		1897

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