The Story Thus Far
From LiMaWiki
In the old days, in a time of great discord, the nine nations of the world drew constant war. The elves fought the dwarves and gnomes over resources. The humans slaughtered orcs and goblinkind for being “mutants”. Mages genetically grafted and created abominable golems to destroy bringers of light. Death and destruction covered the land for many centuries.
Eventually, a great man by the name of Yagir Wolf, the leader of the Directorate Human Allegiance, called for a summit of peace, high atop the Gigas Catacomb Mountains. Called to attend were the great leaders of each nation. For the first time, the races sat side by side and talked of a sovereign world, united under one purpose, to have all good life continue and to have every race prosper. As such, the nations signed a peace treaty and enchanted it with a permanency spell. For the rest of the life of the planet, the nations would remain at peace with one another. No known manner of spellcraft could break such a blood pact.
Before Yagir’s death, he had a son who he named Agate Wolf. As a child, Agate was always had a “haunted” personality; always distant and seemingly disturbed. In his youth, his father passed away, leaving a great and sudden burden on his shoulders. Unwilling to cope with everything, Agate appointed sages and seers to help run the country. However in his adulthood, he felt many deep and despicable thoughts begin to creep into his head. He still tried to uphold law in his country.
The other nations began to notice immediate changes in Agate’s rule. Irritated, Agate sent spies into the other countries. The information gathered proved useful as each race was looking to create a pact of war against the Directorate. Knowing this, he conferred with his most powerful mages about breaking the seal on the Peace Treaty. Such an act would allow Agate to send his forces to wherever he wished.
As tension grew, Agate needed a plan. His kingdom was falling apart under lies and pressure. Within the confines of his throne room a group of Thaumaturgists, Wild Mages, World Speakers, and Mystic Theurges gathered to discuss a potential end to Agate’s enemies. Each mage brought with him a specialty, one that no other mage could master.
Agate had acquired a special book, “The Resurrected Ark”. In it, the book told of an artifact that would allow a man to control the fabric of space and time. This man would become powerful that he would become one with time, seamlessly floating between the layers of eternity, controlling it with his will. One such power, called into existence a dimensional rift. If it could be created, Agate could command a limitless army one that the world would never see.
Nations slowly developed their forces. Great and powerful tools were created during this time of anxiety. The world soon saw mechanisms of destruction. Airships filled the skies above cities. The oceans churned with leviathan creatures. The lands were covered with lumbering, lizard-like, beasts. The drums of war slowly beat louder.
It took two long years of concentration however on the morning of the first day of winter, a massive rip in the seam of time took hold and a rift atop a tall tower opened. Agate stood at the entrance, with the peace treaty in hand. The first creatures through came from the 99th layer of the Gaping Maw. Snarling and destructive, these demonic beings tore the treaty to shreds. With the pact undone, Agate sent his forces out into the world.
The council of the directorate encouraged Agate to stand down but he continued to conjure more forcible creatures through the rift. Seeing that he could not be reasoned with, the council urged Agate to send warnings to stand down and resolve this peacefully. However nobody listened. The weeks went on and still the nations didn’t listen. Engineers created siege machines and super weapons and lined them along the borders of Agate’s kingdom. To combat the increased technology, Agate grafted his army with powerful psionic and magical attacks. People were enslaved and sworn into his army as cannon fodder. The city laid a slum, food ceased to grow as every person able was forced into labor.
After an almost endless stale-mate, the first strike was launched against Agate. An explosion rocked the city walls and creatures of all sizes came pouring in. All the nations began to rain fire down onto the city, sending every manner of weaponry to fight. The slaughter lasted for six days before the smoke began to clear. Millions of dead covered the land. Yet Agate sat atop his throne, disgusted by the world’s attempt at an assault. He had an infinite supply of troops, he couldn’t lose. The nations had no way to win and corruption of the world was imminent.
After countless attacks, it seemed that every fallen hero only bolstered Agate’s ranks. There was no choice, either they surrender and be doomed under the fist of Agate, or try to replicate that same force that gave Agate his power. Since none could rival the mages of the Directorate, the world turned to an anarchic and chaotic group of individuals. These people had been enslaved for years in the Directorate army and were perfect for their knowledge of Agate and the hatred that burned within them.
Rhehudio, the leader of the group, launched a powerful counter attack against the city. The goal was to distract the forces of Agate long enough for the main castle to be infiltrated by Rhehudio and his gang. The attack was successful and he was able to access the gigantic structure that housed the rift. He was able to successfully find sets of void crystals that powered the rift and with their destruction a large explosion sealed the portal and a mammoth earthquake leveled the entire city. Once his forces were now limited, Agate’s army quickly fell apart. Seeing his defeat, he opened a portal and pulled his remaining forces into it and sealed himself within an unknown dimension.
The empire was put under new management and the aftermath of the battle was staggering. Peace slowly returned to the world, with no treaty. Almost six decades passed away before trouble was brewing once again on the horizon. Every soul felt a tumultuous force scream through their veins. A dark energy blanketed the world.
It then struck without any warning. A massive gate ripped the Millenial Island to shreds and a portal was created. Demons, dragons, biological airships, leviathans, and all manner of magical beasts flew out of the rift. Last to step out was a dark and transformed figure, covered in a veil of pure hatred. It was only a matter of days and the entire world population was reduced to a few hundred. Those who fled found refuge on the island of Jenis and became completely sealed off from the rest of the world.
It was only at this time did the Gods and Goddesses of Mana decide to intervene. Doing so broke the barrier between mortals and gods and they revealed themselves to a man named Zun'Tyh. Given power, Zun'Tyh was allowed to call into existence eight beasts of Mana, each stronger than the last. The beasts were to be used to defeat the forces that threatened the destruction of the planet. Three days after summoning them, a wave of evil took hold on the grounds of Jenis and began to corrupt the very earth.
After a long war, the Dark Figure could not be found, presumably dead amongst the bodies of demons and devils. His forces were pushed back through the gate and sealed. The black winds ceased and sunlight broke through the sky for the first time in over 30 years. The Mana Beasts, none slain, refused to return to their domain and would rather remain on the planet to act as guardians and protectors should their power be needed again. This safeguard allowed the Gods and Goddesses to never intervene again on the world. The Mana Beasts were sealed within mololithic crystals and placed on a continent to the north. With exploration now at hand, the people expanded quickly.
Many ships returned to tell of stories of rifts of all sizes opening in places. Seemingly random, they closed and opened with no order. The rifts were said to lead to other elemental planes. When Zun'Tyh communed with the Gods on such a phenomenon, they responded by saying the rifts interconnect the worlds to each other. It allowed each plane of existence to further prevent such an act of destruction from happening again. Nobody knows for sure where the Dark Figure went, or even if he still exists. But many believe that he is still out there, waiting, watching, and preparing, for another strike on the planet. This strike would not just slaughter all people, but completely consume existence as a whole.
Today, there are many different views of these rifts of energy. Psychics see the energy as a source of power that they can use through themselves to manipulate their reality. They see the rifts as doors that lead to other sources of knowledge and power. Magic users, black and white mages, see the energy as a source they can call upon to give them strength and valor through such terms as witchcraft, sorcery, religion, or simply magic. They see the rifts as dimensional portals between different realms. Technological people, Super Force manipulators, warriors, commoners, leaders, see the lines of energy as random cosmic strings whose mystery is shrouded by confusion. They see the rifts as wormholes. They do not fear their power, but they are hesitant for what calamities they might bring. Some people even believe that the rifts do not even exist! They choose never to speak of them nor to venture to see them. Such people are commoners or the wealthy rulers who use terror and words to suppress the knowledge of magic to its people all together.
