A woman appeared behind him. Her long dark hair snaked its way down her dark skinned body which glistened in the sunlight. Her eyes were black; no white could be seen at all. Danon felt fear and yet felt an affinity to her.
“Have no fear Danon, I am Esperin, the goddess of darkness.” She purred. “My brother does not know that I can separate myself from him. He has embraced the one God completely, I have not. There will always be a need for darkness. You are my champion Danon, the Champion of Darkness; I will grant you what you wish but only if you serve me in all things.”
Danon fell to his knees.
“I will serve you always.”
Sure enough Danon and Cliria had their first child, but to their horror it was not a child of beauty but a monstrosity. Darkness enveloped his family; they all grew bitter, twisted and angry at Niveren who continued to prosper at Sunguard. Esperin taught him the dark powers and gave him the knowledge of black magic.
The Goddess resented being trapped as Chiaroscuro, she planned that if she could show that darkness was stronger than light than the one god would have to break apart as before and she would be free once more.
Danon became a necromancer whilst Cliria became the first witch. Both of their powers were massive and their deeds were darker than their souls had become.
Danon and his malformed brood attacked Niveren and his family. Dark magic overpowered the light and once more war raged on Esperia.
The light side of Chiaroscuro realised what was happening, he couldn’t understand that somehow his dark aspect had freed itself. In his current form the one god was unable to bring balance to the world for he was not the embodiment of either power. The forces of Danon swept over the world until only Sunguard and Niveren remained.
Niveren appealed to his god but no answer came. He appealed to his brother to end the madness but was ignored. In a bid to give the light a chance Chiaroscuro forged the sword Asphodel .
The power of the blade gave Niveren the power to drive off the darkness. In countless battles Niveren drove back the evil of his brother until at last he plunged the holy sword deep into Danon’s blackened heart. The light had won the day, Danon’s soul was cast into the darkest recesses of the world and the deceitful Esperin was forcibly rejoined with Chiaroscuro, never again would the dark god be free.
The first Niver men
After the war the sons of Niveren spread across the world of Esperia. Kingdoms were formed and cities built. Technology and science came into being as finally man was free to prosper. The danger from gods and evil had passed. Wars still occurred as the essence of man was still both light and dark but balance was restored.
Part 2 – History of the Niver (1 OM- 8000OM)
The first folk settled at the base of the mountaintop upon which sat the city of Niveren, Sunguard. The war with Danon and his dark kin had reduced the once mighty city into a ruin. The glorious stone walls and temples still stood but the first men decided against rebuilding it as an act of respect for their champion. Gradually the Niver as they named themselves spread in all directions until they had a presence in the Eclin Mountains in the far north and in the basin of the Ridder River to the southwest. Various villages and kingdoms appeared and trade flourished between them.
Over the centuries the Niver took to the seas founding new lands all over Esperia. During the age of peace, technology blossomed as the first iron tools were developed. Hunting gave way to farming and with the use of magic many new skills were discovered. As magic use became more common the mages appeared. Over the centuries most of the folk began to forget the ways of old, instead focusing on farming, trade and government, the mages however continued to devote themselves to magic use.
It was the use of magic that paved the way to disaster for the early folk. A mage whose name was lost to history inadvertedly opened a portal to the void. Unable to reseal it the monsters of Vectrix entered the world of man. The first fell beasts burst forth from the Void. At first the beasts ran rampant across the world but, men are tenacious. An alliance of the kingdoms of the Niver banded together and over time culled the beast’s numbers. The best at hunting the monsters of the void were the specialist magic yielding hunters known as the Nightblades, the order which still defends the realm from the voids horrors.
The first Wizard, Aljeron sealed the portal to the void but the gap between worlds was damaged forever, beasts of the void would always seep through.
The kingdom of Nivion rose to dominate its neighbours until an empire was forged. Like Niverens realm before it, the capital of the Empire was established on the rebuilt city of Sunguard. For 200 years the empire dominated the northern continent of Esperia until it was weakened by other rival lands from across the sea. The Tulin’s, the Sarpi and Yolla empires all arose in this period.
Danon’s revenge
The descendants of Niveren prospered for thousands of years but always lurking in the shadows was the spirit of Danon. The offspring of Danon and his wife had not been idle and whilst the world above them witnessed the rise and fall of kings and empires they focused on furthering their power in the dark arts of witchcraft and black magic. A disciple of Danon known as Necron bound his soul with magic’s so foul that the site of his wicked experiments remains tainted to this day. The first Lich was born.
Necron rose to dominate all other followers of the Dark arts and his foul influence spread to the world of men. With promises of power and riches he seduced the rulers of the Sarpi Empire. In a century that once noble and rich empire had fallen to decadence and corruption, its people once noble and fair fell into wickedness.
Soon the Lich’s influence had spread to the Yolla and Tulins until only the fractured and broken Nivion Empire remained. Once more conflict erupted on Esperia. Millions perished in the bloodletting as the Nivion desperately tried to halt Necron’s power.
At the Battle of the Greenmoor the armies of three Empires clashed and their fleets fought at sea. The already weakened Nivion’s fought bravely but the power of Necron could not be broken. A knight of the Nivion Empire called Estran did not surrender. The scars of that mighty battle are evident in Delfinnia today as the once prosperous region of Greenmoor was turned into a wasteland, today it is known as the Blackmoor.
With a sword thought to be that mighty blade Asphodel, he mortally wounded Necron in single combat before he too was killed by the Lich’s forces. To this day the peoples of Delfinnia celebrate Estran with the feast of the Brave Knight on midsummer’s eve.
In a final act Necron gave himself to the spirit of Danon. The dark lord possessed the Lich, destroying its former host. Danon walked the earth once more and the world of man fell into darkness.
Dark Ages
Not many records remain from the thousand years of night. Needless to say that the world was a miserable place, the descendants of Niveren were enslaved and all life bent to the will of Danon.
For thousands of years the gods had been widely forgotten by the peoples of Esperia. For 300 years the power of Danon ruled unopposed until a small sect of mages fled to an island off the southeast shore of the lands of Nivion. In secret they worked to repeat the process of the unnamed mage who had opened the void. They did not want to open it however; instead they tapped into the power of Vectrix, the god long lost in his own universe. Harnessing the power of a god the mages were able to commune with Chiaroscuro, the god of balance who had been slumbering as men forgot his name.
Upon seeing what had happened to the world of his mother and the descendants of his greatest creation the god wept. Darkness ruled and in the absence of light it would last an eternity.
Chiaroscuro decided to once again bring balance to the world so he created a life, a child born of light with the power to undo all of the evil and restore order, a child with the spirit of his champion Niveren.
War of reclamation
Zahnia was born on the holy isle which today bears his name. Imbued with the soul of Niveren and the powers of Chiaroscuro he was the embodiment of vir
tue and righteous might. His childhood was spent in hiding on the isle and the mages taught him everything they knew. His knowledge of magic was unsurpassed. On his sixteenth birthday the mages told him it was time for him to go into the world and fulfil his destiny.
His first destination was across the sea where he brought light to the world once more. He battled the forces of Danon, winning every battle with his awesome powers. One by one he overthrew the corrupted emperors of the fallen empires.
Using his wits he liberated an entire continent and offered the people hope. In his thirty fifth years Zahnia was the most powerful man on Esperia. He beat the trials set by Danon who was hell bent on corrupting him. During his adventures Zahnia forged his legendary staff Erdasol and found the long lost blade Asphodel. With those mighty weapons Zahnia headed for Sunguard, now named Moonguard. With thousands of followers and the mages at his side Zahnia battled Danon.
The two fought for days until finally Zahnia struck Danon down with Asphodel. The Dark lord remembering the blade from long before cowered at its touch but did not die, so Zahnia raised his staff Erdasol and with a flash of lightning and fire from the sky was Danon defeated for a second time.
To prevent Danon from ever returning to the world of men Zahnia reopened the portal to the void and banished the dark one into it.
The age of darkness was over and the world reclaimed for the light.
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Part 3 – The fall of the Niver (1GE – 976GE)
Rise of the Golden Empire
With the age of darkness over Zahnia went north and founded the city of Calderia, the home of the mages. The people loved him and proclaimed him King. Zahnia’s reign lasted for forty years and peace and prosperity came to the world. Massive new cities were built, roads, bridges and trade flourished once more. In the south massive reserves of gold were discovered bringing in a true golden age. The Golden Hills provided all of the gold for Esperia in this time and the wealth created allowed the creation of the Golden Empire.
Entire cities were constructed out of the precious metal and mighty castles sprung up around the land. In gratitude of the role they played in Danon’s second fall the people anointed mages as their lords and their power and influence increased until some were granted the title of lower Kings.
Sat on his throne of Gold was Zahnia who proclaimed the age of Gold as begun. A new epoch began that day and for nine hundred years peace ruled.
The Glory Days 1GE – 334 GE
Art, science, music, all prospered in the early centuries of the Golden Empire. Wonders of the world were built all over Esperia. The mighty golden statue of Zahnia was built into the side of the Mountains of Eclin.(long since lost to plundering thieves) The Great cathedral of Niveren was built in Sunguard and 48 wizard towers were constructed across the various continents of the world. The Wizard Lords were just and ruled well using their power to help the people and safeguard the world from evil.
Rise of the Wizard Kings 234 GE -974 GE
As time passed the wizards grew in power. The Emperor of the Empire was struggling to control the vastness of his glorious realm and so he made the most powerful wizards Kings to rule as they saw fit over the far reaches of the Empire. As the Clerics teach however all power corrupts and so it was with the wizard kings. Some grew jealous of their rivals lands and conflicts between the wizards grew common. With their magic the wizard kings had the power to topple cities. In the continent of Yundol, the empire fragmented as dozens of wizards battled one another for supremacy. The emperor was powerless to stop it. As the years passed, more and more territory slipped away from the Empire’s control as the common folk rebelled against the tyranny of the wizard kings.
The Magic Wars 974 GE -976 GE
Eventually the people grew tired of the wizards and their abuses. A group of warriors calling themselves the Free Fighters was formed and within a year rebellion had erupted right across the Empire. Battles between the Golden Empires armies and the Free Fighters became common place. Massacres and atrocities became common place and the heart of it all was the advisor to the Empress Theodora. Sivion the magistrate was secretly the head of the resurgent N’gist cult. His corrupt teachings had spread amongst the wizards and mages of the Empire. The N’gist used their dark powers to crush the rebels and raise the dead.
Millions perished in the bloodletting. One thing Sivion and his followers had not realised however was that their secret was known by a wizard known as RavenGuard. The wizard hastened west to the Great Plains where he sought out the aid of the nomadic Delfin tribe. Sivion had abducted the princes of the tribe in hopes to sacrifice her to his master, Danon who he intended to free from the void.
The King of the Delfin refused to aid the wizard but his son the Prince Markus took up his sword. With ten companions Markus embarked on a quest to save his sister. The Ten Champions as they were known infiltrated the Empire, snuck into Sunguard and freed the princess Ria and Empress Theodora. It was here that Markus met Theodora and a love that would echo down the ages was forged, it was in the royal palace too that Markus found Asphodel.
Unfortunately for the prince he had been promised to another, the daughter of the Delfin tribes arch rival the King of the Stormchaser clan. The Ten battled the forces of Sivion before fleeing back to their homeland. They returned to find their home besieged by the Stormchaser’s who were outraged upon discovering Marcus’s betrayal. Knowledge given to them by Sivion. In the battle that followed the Delfin tribe won the day but the King was slain. Markus was proclaimed King. His vengeance saw the Delfin tribe subjugate the other tribes.
The King of Delfinnia (1AGE -2 AGE)
With a vast host at his back Markus turned his attentions back to the Golden Empire which was now under the sole dominion of Sivion. What was left of the Free Fighters fled to join Markus. Mages arrayed against Sivion also swelled his ranks. With an army of close to a million men King Markus invaded the Empire. Several battles were fought and won until finally his army laid siege to Sunguard. There on the last days of the siege Sivion and his wicked followers cast dark magic which transformed him into a Lich. With his new powers Sivion laid waste to the Delfin army.
Defeat was almost nigh when Markus, wielding Asphodel cut down Sivion. With the dark wizard’s death his forces collapsed, his un-dead abominations fleeing north to cower in the darkness of the Eclin Mountains. The Empire was toppled, and Markus had conquered his enemies. With the fall of the Golden Empire the last great empire of the Nivion folk fell.
Markus was not to enjoy his victory for long. In an act worthy of the great tragedies, Marcus was murdered by the jilted princess of the Stormchaser clan. At a feast in his new capital the princess Yissa had arranged for the king to be killed. The feast hall doors were sealed. Hiding in the rafters of the hall were the assassins of the Crimson Blades. No one in the feasting hall survived. Including the Empress turned Queen Theodara.
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Part 4 – Delfinnia
A New Kingdom (2 AGE – 27 AGE)
With the murder of Marcus and Theodora, chaos followed. Civil war erupted amongst the tribes who had once been united in their campaign against the dark wizards and the Empire. After six years of conflict Marcus’s younger brother Riis won the crown.
In memory of the war a new crown was forged named the Sundered Crown, a reminder of the Sundered alliance of the tribes.
King Riis the first was a just and noble King and built upon his elder brother’s victory. He rebuilt the city of Sunguard and made the surviving champions that had aided his brother in his conquests nobles in his court. The lands now called Champia, Bison, and the Stormglades take their names from them.
Peace settled over the new realm of Delfinnia, but tensions remained high between the magic folk and commoners.
Purges (27 AGE – 494 AGE)
Violence erupted as magic users were persecuted by the common folk. In an attempt to halt the bloodletting Riis made it law that all magic users were to be exiled to the ancient city of the
Mages, Caldaria. Only magic users useful to the crown were allowed to live outside its crystalline walls. The Nightblades continued to hunt the fell beasts of the void and a number of mages served as advisors and healers to the King. It was at this time that Riis formed the council of the Diasect, a body created to oversee and protect the realm from enemies both visible and hidden. The knights of Niveren reformed under a new charter to hunt down the illegal magic hunters and the witch hunter’s guild expanded in size. Burnings and executions became common place.
Crusades of Eclin (494 AGE – 696 AGE)
Two hundred years past and the kingdom prospered. Under the reign of King Alden the third however the peace was shattered. The remnants of the magic wars swarmed from the north to attack the realm. Un-dead hordes destroyed the city of Eclin and spread as far south as the walls of Balnor.
In response the newly formed King’s legion and the Knights of Niveren mobilised, and at the battle of Balnor crossing the tide was turned. The following century saw the Knights of Niveren launch crusades into the mountains. Eventually the un-dead hordes were once more defeated but the N’gist followers who had unleashed the dead slinked back into the shadows.
Age of peace (396 AGE – 520 AGE)
With the threat of evil removed Delfinnia expanded its borders. New cities arose including the city of Kingsford. The peace lasted for three hundred years and only the brief appearance of a Lich sent the kingdom to war once more. Once again the Knights of Niveren saved the day and contained the menace in the mountains. It was during this time that King Oldus the second rebuilt Eclin and turned it into the fortress city it is today. Delfinnian explorers took to Esperia’s seas to reconnect with the other peoples of the world. What they found however horrified them. The lands that had once been home to great empires and the Golden Empire had been reduced to savage, wild places. The people were barbarians, devoid of civilisation. Colonies were established across the sea, a move that awakened the wrath of the vicious Yundol’s, the savage descendants of the long lost Yolla Empire. Masters at sea craft the Yundol’s bested Delfinnia in a number of naval battles. Defeat at sea seemed certain until the royal fleet was built. The tide turned and the Yundol fleets were destroyed securing Delfinnia from invasion for another century.
Heir to the Sundered Crown (The Sundered Crown Saga) Page 31