Third Age

 

Legend

“Millennia ago they came, following their God -and brought us Chaos and the Arisen.”

Skjald Ulrich

 

History

The Third Age began with an epochal event known as The Crossing, a migration across The Rim from the southern regions. Over the course of several years, a never-ending stream of Humans, called the ‘Wanderers,’ set out on this trip, exploring new regions and establishing peace with Indigenous Humans and the Other Races.

Though the chronicles of history provide testimony to this epoch, current academic endeavours have found historical records that provide a more complete picture of the past. It
becomes clear that the Wanderers displaced the indigenous populace at several points, seizing control of regions formerly held by others. Unfortunately, they resorted to violent
battles at times, assaulting and decimating the indigenous, or were attacked and exterminated themselves.

The tapestry of history continues to unravel, revealing a crucial predecessor to the massive Vular migration stream—a small fleet of Dragonheaded longboats ferrying Rimzir people across The Rim’s threshold. While the precise numbers lost to the sands of time are unknown, their effect was significant enough to weld them into a strong Horde known as ‘Ye Olde Zephyrs.’ Their narrative is linked to the search for a self-proclaimed Bullheaded God and his dedicated Vular followers.

Though this deity’s identity is unknown, its presence is defined by darkness and ambiguity, hidden beneath the mists of time. The precise number has been lost to time, and not even
Kanziganthir, a Jomzaar/Clovincaz Shaman born millennia ago and rumoured to be one of the Arisen, knows.

Skjald Sejrik

 

After passing The Rim’s limits, the Vular’s journey led them to the interesting region of Ljostari. This isle was stunning, with diverse scenery and a towering sentinel, Mt. Ljostia. This gigantic volcano, had a unique place in the realm’s fabric: it had been tamed, becoming both a kingdom and a forge for the Dwarfs of the First House. Thursar, Drakk Alfar, Fautyr, Kobold, Ljost Alfar, T'Aurs, Wickeryadi, and Indigenous Humans of these races—Archaic, Markian, Moss'ari, and Mawmen—were among the various populations of Ljostari.

When the Vular first landed on the beaches of Ljostari, they exuded humility and a yearning for friendship. They discovered a universe teeming with knowledgeable professors ranging
from Crafting to Medicine, Philosophy to Culinary Arts. Over millennia of observation and learning, their early humility morphed into arrogance. They grew arrogant, oblivious to the truth that some of the very Masters, Lords, and Overlords who schooled them were the same who had guided their forebears upon arrival, imparting talents well beyond the Vular’s
grasp. Nonetheless, their drive to unravel the secrets of ‘Magic Glass‘ and ‘Ljosti Bronze‘—the Mawmen and Kobolds’ secret recipes—lit a fire that would spark a war.

Around 3600, as jealousy and resentment grew among a rising number of Vular, they initiated a harassment campaign against the Ljost Alfar settlements. They brazenly and shamelessly
attempted to expel these ancient residents from the land they had held on Ljostari for millennia. The brewing conflict erupted into the terrible “Vular War” in the sad year of 3646.
When the Ljost Alfar had had enough of the ongoing harassing and launched an endeavour to rid themselves of the Vular presence. The fight lasted two years, culminating in a pivotal
battle just outside the Capital, in which the Vular triumphed. Following their triumph, they embarked on a destruction campaign, leaving chaos and looting in their wake.

Skjald Sigurd

 

However, as the Vular celebrated their triumph, the Divine Races emerged from their dens, Boriac and Vornir descending from the Astral in rage against the mortal Vular and their allies–and the Gods supported both sides, wreaking havoc—a recurring trigger for both help and war.

Mt. Ljostia, the sacred peak that united the World and the Astral, was severed, and the freed energies tore apart both Mana Manipulators and Divine beings, eating their energy to feed its own might. It gradually grew in power until it reached a cataclysmic tipping point, tearing the whole fabric that divided the Astral realm from the mortal plane. This heavenly upheaval, appropriately named “rain of rainbows” by those who witnessed it, culminated in a chaotic fusion—a “fabric-soup”—that tainted the seas surrounding Ljostari, forever altering the landscape and leaving an indelible mark on the realm’s history.

When the Vornir saw hundreds of millennia’s worth of effort being polluted or destroyed, they resolved to give everyone equal authority to manage and defend. Throwing down their
guardianship of all things and never wishing to see their deformed creations again, they tore out their eyeballs and sang forth the key behind the Truenames of everything’s Mana Threads in one great Mental Hymn of all extant Truenames. This utterance caused Mt. Ljostia to erupt and become Mt. Vula and Ljostari to sink into The Deep Blue–as we now refer to the seas.

Ljostari sunk to the sound of the Hymn of Truenames, and Mt. Vula erupted and expanded, gradually becoming a ghostly entity of The Void, hanging between our World and the Astral. As the visible changes of island and volcano faded, the disaster we name The Deep Blue Tsunami, formed by our world’s seas, ‘Rainbow Rain,’ and devouring Spirits, gathered velocity and increased. Sweeping across the World, it flooded tombs, rooms, mounds, and cemeteries facing Ljostari. As the Third Age drew to an end, many long-dead Carcasses, reanimated by the Spirits of the Void, opened their eyes and emerged as the ‘Arisen.

Skjald Vinotis

 

Special

The Vulars’ desire to obtain knowledge into Magic Glass and Ljosti Bonze, according to the T’Aurs, was tied to their combined capacity to influence the Bullheaded God.

Skjald Valgrif