Game Lore

— As told by Sage Renfric

Children, gather around and I will tell you a tale. . .  of magic, of the Darklin, and all the forces that have shaped our world so dramatically.

Elemental magic has always been volatile.  Always.

Even so, mankind has tried to control it, with varying degrees of success and quite a bit of failure. The results of those failures were frequently tragic, but sometimes comical.  

Several centuries ago, an alchemist named Parthon was determined to create a way to channel elemental magic so that it could be harnessed as energy.  He envisioned a world where the control of magic was a panacea of sorts, solving all of mankind’s problems. This, unfortunately, was a tragic failure, although many view its results as a bit comical too.  As long as you enjoy dark comedy. . .

Parthon was able to pull the energy from deep within the earth. Earth, air, water, fire, mana, and void elemental magic was made accessible to us. . .  unfortunately we were also made accessible to it! From reading his diary, we know that Parthon was attempting to harnass and control that energy. . . from first hand accounts, we know that his tower was quite stunning as it went up in a mix of flames, magic, and swirling water and air.

After the locals searched through the rubble of Parthon’s tower, it was discovered that a small crack had formed in the earth at the base. The fissure contained a dim light that pulsed gently and over the next few days the light grew in strength until it became difficult to look at directly.

A week after the fissure formed, there was an explosive energy released at the site of the tower and a beam of light shot into the sky, eventually receding to form a “fountain” of light that seemed to flow out of the fissure. 

What happened next is a source of debate, since none who were present survived to tell the tale. The conclusion our researchers and historians have arrived at is that was the moment when the Darklins first appeared. Unfortunately, their arrival brought chaos as they were uncontrolled, completely wild, and, unlike the minor Darklins you are familiar with, already mutated.

Over the next decade, many cracks appeared in the earth, following a similar progression, some of them very large and others small, but all with common features and results.  It was not long before these elemental creatures were running rampant through the realm and humanity was truly on the brink of destruction.

Fortunately there were alchemists left that had followed Parthon, but not to his doom.  They learned first how to capture and hold Darklins, then later how to harness their might for practical purposes. Finally they discovered how to combine them and cause mutations.

It is that last discovery that has brought us to this point in history. As we all know, new weapons, which the Darklins have certainly become, are never used to create peace, but rather to wage war. With humanity’s previous governments destroyed we now have thousands of small city-states each vying for supremacy.  

Who will seize control and reign?  Only time will tell.