One thousand years ago the continent of Aeyareon was a prosperous place. The 4 great nations thrived and cooperated, sharing the land and knowledge amongst each other. Each nation provided an essential aspect that ensured the success of all.
Waestumal, the nation of the elves, provided magical services such as instantaneous transport via the Portal Guild as well as enchanting services for warriors and hunters alike. Orchelm, the land of the dwarves, provided technological and mechanical wonders as well as beautifully forged weapons, armor, and adornments. Furbog, the land of the orcs, provided the security and warriors as well as providing training centers to teach martial skills to any that wish to learn. Finally, the human nation of Uplines provided the main governmental representatives.
This had been the status quo for the continent of Aeyareon for thousands of years. There were cultural differences that caused problems between the nations, and the balance was maintained with an uneasy air. The nations did not like, nor contribute to, the other races learning their skill. Slowly a rift widened between the nations, and while each contributed their part, each was looking for a way to expand and improve their station.
The fact of who started the war has been lost to history, as anyone who lived through it was far more concerned with survival than with history, but one fact was known. The elven nation of Waestumal was responsible for finishing it, and thereby leaving the world in the state it currently is in. Through the overuse of magic as the primary means of combat, wild mana spread throughout the land. Mana, being the power harnessed from the very universe, had the power of creation as well as destruction, and once released changed the very nature of the landscape, flora and fauna alike.
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Over hundreds of years, the races had new threats to contend with, and survival became harder and harder. Mana hyper-evolved all manners of lower lifeforms, and some of these creatures slowly became sentient. Capable of planning and thought, once wild creatures such as jungle cats evolved the ability to control the mana around and within them, harnessing the raw power in the form of spells and even the ability to create new life.
These apex creatures established the first dungeons of the world, drawing in and controlling more and more of the mana in the world. The speed and variation of wild evolutions slowed, and the balance of nature was restored. The established major races were no longer at the top of the evolutionary ladder though. Small groups of the once great races began establishing camps near known dungeons, and incurred heavy losses attempting to harvest resources and mana from the dungeons. The successful camps slowly became villages and cities, and nations began to re-emerge, but they didn’t ever trust each other again. Cooperation and even communications between these new fledgling nations was tense at best, and a new balance between nature and the sentient races had a new player, the dungeon masters.