War knows no bounds, no borders, no morals, and no mercy. It hounds all that is good and demands the sacrifice of blood, oceans upon oceans of dark red blood. It forces the living to endure the loss of their beloved, pouring tears like the innumerable droplets of rain during a storm. Be it man, elf, dwarf, and the rest of the eleven races, no one was spared of the war that plagued the world of Infinia. No mortal was to blame, none but the embodiment of darkness himself, the enemy who the gods call Girin-thos, better known by the mortals as the Dark Lord, Nalgurin. Through his army of orcs and all beings of evil, he sought to conquer and destroy the world that The One has created. The people of Infinia trembled beneath his power and cried in fear as his forces swept the land of all life, leaving nothing but the ruins of what were once great kingdoms that basked in the glory of the sun and the benevolence of the stars. No wall was too strong, fortress too large, nor army too vast that could stop his malicious onslaught. Heroes from different races rose and fell, each death a reminder of the nearing end of the world, a reality that many saw as inevitable. Not even the gods could intervene with their own powers being forbidden by divine law, however they did what they could indirectly to try and turn the tides of the war, yet it appears it was all for naught.
Nalgurin’s army grew with every day that passes. His orcs, drows, and corrupted beings continued their merciless assault, now led by the vicious Northrel, seven knights of darkness borne from corrupting seven warriors of light that dared to fight against the Dark Lord himself in his own fortress of Khala’Midad. All hope was lost, everyone fled from one kingdom to the next, seeking shelter and a warm hearth to rest from the tyranny that engulfed the world which seeks to snuff the life from their bodies.
The One, Ynnedraig was forced to act, being driven into a corner with his greatest creation, the world of Infinia on the verge of succumbing to Nalgurin’s will. Unbeknownst to the Dark Lord however, Ynnedraig still has one last miracle to impart in aid of the people of Infinia in this dreadful war. As nightfall sets in, streaks of light rained down from the heavens on many from the race of humans, gifting them with a strong bond with the Nogardians, the final children of The One, a new race born with the ability to harness the magic of Infinia and use them in their purest elemental form. That night was the birth of the Etheran, the empowered humans.
In the battles that followed, the existence of the Etheran slowly became known to Nalgurin as they joined different skirmishes and retaliations across Infinia against his forces. The Northrel who dominated the battlefield were set aback at the strength of the etheran, who despite still being weaker than them, were able to last longer and even inflict damage upon them to a good extent compared to their unpowered allies. While there existed some mages in the world from other races, the etheran’s affinity with magic are on a different scale, able to cast spells much faster, able to manipulate their elements in a more versatile way and have a much higher tolerance to magic allowing them to use its strength in unparalleled lengths. The other races marvelled at the strength of their new allies, but as powerful as they are, they are still mortal themselves, still trapped in the frailties of their physicality. Simply put, their physiology was merely augmented by fusing with the Nogardians allowing magic which they now call as “Etheren” to circulate through their bodies like the blood in their veins.
The Nogardians spoke one singular mission to their human hosts: “Unite the races, unite against the one true enemy, unite under The One, Ynnedraig.” Thus, with this divine message resonating within their minds, the etheran sought to accomplish this task spreading the news of unification as they battled alongside armies, kings, queens, and heroes of each race. The message, imbued with the will of The One sparked a flame in the hearts of many, and so strong were these words that even their foes hearkened to these calls. It was not long until the drows, or the dark elves, the race created by Nalgurin’s perversion of the elves heard this message and began to rebel against the tyrant who had robbed them of the light. Cursed they may still be by the darkness of the Dark Lord, yet their hearts longed for freedom from his vengeful command, and thus many of their race joined the uniting armies of the Infinian races.
With the drows’ arrival, there now stood thirteen races against Nalgurin, thirteen races that have unified in an attempt to push back the Northrel Legions and take the fight to Khala’Midad. Setting aside their differences, their quarrels, and feuds, all major kingdoms from all thirteen races formed the Unity of the Thirteen. Each race nominated one of their own to represent them in this grand council amongst their numerous kings, queens, warriors, and noblemen in their ranks. Sharing knowledge, battle strategies, fighting styles, technology, the usage of magic, and everything at their disposal, the united front of men, elves, dwarves, etheran, drows, giants, druids, sirens, ents, fae, gurens, baeren, and olkyre was a force Nalgurin could not ignore.
Looking at the fruits of The One’s message through the etheran, the Parenus, gods that reside with Ynnedraig in the godly realm of Ynnedria began to share their own powers with the mortals of Infinia, some going as far as shredding their divine power to the amount in which Infinia can permit them entry into its lands to aid the cause with their own strength. Truly the scales have shifted in favour of Infinia as each battle brings the Unity closer and closer to the Northlands where Khala’Midad stood, in the frozen lands riddled with the cold touch of death.
In the face of possible defeat, Nalgurin brought into existence the Relic Instruments to which he made seven for his seven Northrel Knights, amplifying their power, but also bringing them to the point of immortality; immensely powerful and undying generals that will stop at nothing to bring their Dark Lord’s vision of Infinia to fruition. Nalgurin was still not done, he wanted to perfect his greatest weapons, and thus he imparted fragments of his own soul within his Northrel knights. With partial control of darkness, the Northrel were now on par with the strength of the descended Parenus.
As the battles neared Khala’Midad, the ominous aura of death slowly ensued over the armies of the Unity, the Northrel were about to be unleashed and no one knew the scale of their new power, yet the weight of their immense aura struck fear into the hearts of many. Strong as this alliance between all Infinian races may be, the siege of the Northlands will not be swift, rather it will take their army tooth and nail to crawl their way to Nalgurin’s fortress. Freeing villages, towns, and many other settlements through their journey, the Unity gained more numbers as many seek to rid Infinia of this evil.
In retaliation, the seven Northrel descend unto the battlefield against Nalgurin’s enemies armed with their newfound weapons wreaking havoc and destruction on a scale never before seen by anyone in Infinia. The dead rose before them in droves, their own allies suddenly turning on each other, plagues infesting their brethren, the Unity’s march was halted in the face of the Northrel’s unleashed power. The descended Pareni, underestimating these generals of darkness challenged them only to fall and wither in the Northrel’s might. Killing legions of soldiers was a feat far great enough for the Northrel, but slaying gods in the mortal realm is a feat that brings a stroke of terror on people, solidifying the fear of fighting one of these seven knights of darkness.
Feeling a strong shift in power, The One realized the Northrel’s acquisition of their Relic Instruments will overpower the Unity regardless of their large numbers. However, there was another crucial factor that The One has realized, and that was Infinia’s need to have a balance between light and darkness. With Nalgurin representing Infinia’s darkness, eliminating him would have terrible consequences upon the nature of the world, ultimately dooming Infinia regardless of his defeat. There was no way to seal the Dark Lord all while maintaining this balance upon Infinia, leaving Ynnedraig with one possible alternative left which was to put substitutes in his and Nalgurin’s place to balance the scales of light and darkness once again. Ynnedraig would need the help of the strongest Pareni to rebuild the structure of Infinia’s nature to which Acronus the Parenus of Time, Liora the Parenus of Nature, Tharnall the Parenus of Order, and Illandris the Parenus of Souls answered his summons.
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Beginning with the representation of light and darkness, The One decided to create into existence the two most powerful Nogardians in existence, the Nogardian of Oscurita and the Nogardian of Illumina, twin Nogardians that cannot live without each other, twin Nogardians strong enough to replace the presence of Nalgurin and Ynnedraig himself so that Infinia recognizes it as the balance of light and darkness. Meanwhile, the four Pareni did their part in supporting that balance in terms of the functioning of the world for while the balance of two opposing forces serves as its source of power, there are intricate parts of the world to keep it operating much like clockwork. The four had to create representations of these worldly functions in order to fully be able to change Infinia’s nature whilst maintaining the world’s functionality. While Liora, Tharnall, and Illandris worked in a more practical manner, constructing hosts that are each blessed with a gemstone imbued with a worldly function, Acronus was filled with a curiosity that he could only satiate by descending upon the world of Infinia where he fulfilled The One’s wishes.
Ynnedraig’s plan was now set into motion, releasing the twin Nogardians upon Infinia where they found their hosts who came to be known as Erebus and Lucielle, the etherans who were blessed to defeat Nalgurin and become the embodiments of light and darkness for Infinia’s continued existence. As warriors wrought in light and a shadow that stretches over the fields of battle, they are the final bastion of Infinia’s stand against the darkness, and a battle will soon unfold that will decide the future of the world. While the three Pareni waited for the time to send their children to Infinia, Acronus had already been nurturing his own for a brief period before leaving him to his own devices as he left the realm of Infinia, entrusting to him a gemstone hidden in the mountains deep within the region of Arnenya to the west.
As both sides of the war yearned for a swift victory over the other, this war would rage on much longer, pushing the resources of the Unity to be continuously depleted. Knowing they cannot launch a straight offensive on Khala’Midad, the Council of the Thirteen now under the higher command of Erebus and Lucielle have decided to hold the line and establish a foothold in the Northlands to resist the advance of their enemy as they recover their resources such as food, weaponry, more troops, and most especially their waning morale. Amidst the chaos, some of Nalgurin’s forces were able to advance from different regions of the Northlands and set their sights towards wreaking havoc in the west.
With the western kingdoms having been weakened by sending most of their soldiers and valuable logistics to the Unity’s growing offensive in the east, the Dark Lord’s forces made swift work in decimating the villages and towns near the north facing shores of the east. Little to no aid was given to these places given the dire situation in the Northlands that rendered these places almost defenseless if it were not for the mercenaries, warriors, and other fighters that chose to stay. All that could be done was to fortify their walls, slaughter as many orcs and all the foul creatures that were sent to destroy them. Escape was limited as no one dared venture into the east with the seas being riddled with monsters that even the sirens of Neptunimis struggled to slay. The only path was to flee southwards, to kingdoms and cities still untouched by the vile hands of the Northrel Legions in hopes of surviving for at least a few more weeks before fleeing once more.
Facing certain annihilation, survivors and refugees journeyed to what safety they could find, with some even seeking refuge in places based on stories and bard songs, with one such mythical place being said to be situated in the middle of a perilous mountain range that separated the region of Arnenya from the rest of the west. The journey seemed almost impossible with orc scouts patrolling far and wide, intent on killing anyone from any race they come across regardless of whether they can put up a fight or die a pitiful death.
The orcish advance continued to raze everything down in their path, burning down entire forests and demolishing buildings. The kingdom of Lorivio was the first to fall of all the three kingdoms in Arnenya with the first great horde amassing on the nearby coasts, overrunning the human kingdom, setting it ablaze and marching on once more. The elven kingdom of Morcris was just on the horizon, unprepared and lightly defended, yet they waited once again for the next great horde to land on Arnenya’s shores before advancing to make swift their invasion.
After the fall of Morcris, the kingdom of Los Valles was the last in Arnenya to fend off the growing numbers of orcs in the region until the time came when it had to face a fully-fledged army with the arrival of two more great hordes. Nalgurin’s forces finally have a firm grasp on the lands of Arnenya, with one seemingly tiny and insignificant foe in their path which they shall trample upon and destroy, completing the conquest of Arnenya.
Los Valles, a kingdom of half-elves, had been a thorn to the orcs who were desperate to slaughter refugees and ravage the villages in the region as they repeatedly tried to repel them as much as they can. By the leadership of King Trunno Lux Valla, Los Valles paved the way for refugees and survivors to escape, with his soldiers being led by his own daughter and the only princess of Los Valles. Quick and steadfast, the princess often led a group of Los Vallian cavalrymen to fight off orcish forces in defense of the nearby villages as the people evacuated, making their way towards the gates of Los Valles.
It was not long until the heroics of the princess met much fiercer resistance against what seemed to be more experienced enemies, ultimately pushing them back slowly into the gates of the kingdom. Unlike the walls of Rivenon or the grand barracks of Kelvenfjord, Los Valles was too small of a kingdom to hold back the army that marched on their doorstep. Regardless of this massive disadvantage, King Trunno was determined to hold the line to stall the orcs while the people evacuated telling his one and only daughter to lead them away from this land. However, the princess being headstrong would not agree to such a command to which she instead decided to fight valiantly alongside her father for as long as she can.
One last battle, a losing battle, a hopeless attempt to let a seemingly insignificant number of lives escape. The burden of the death that awaited was so great that some knights decided to flee with the rest of the people to which King Trunno did not hold any contempt nor ill-will, but his final order as their king to defend these refugees until darkness takes them.
King Trunno donned his royal armor with his sword named “Olimno” or “Kin’s Protector” in the common tongue and walked towards the gates with his personal guard and all that remained of the knights of Los Valles. Meanwhile his daughter commanded troops atop the stone walls of the kingdom with her own personal guard. As the king raised Olimno, the knights of Los Valles let out deafening battle cries, the final roar of Arnenya before it’s fated doom.
Countless spawns of evil gathered from the woods of Arnenya, converging and gathering outside the walls of the kingdom, filled with bloodlust and armed with their machines of war, ready to breach the walls. Showing their loyalty to the Dark Lord, they raised their banners soaked in blood and branded with his mark they call the Harak, the crooked black blade that was claimed from Infinia’s first hero, the one who now leads the Northrel.
Well before the siege of Los Valles began, amidst the banging of shields from beyond the wall, King Trunno spoke aloud to the knights of the kingdom, “Hear this, fellow kin, my half-elven brothers and sisters. The end appears before you in the faces of our dreaded foes. Nalgurin comes to take our lands; he has come to claim the crown-jewel, Arnenya. The fact that you are standing by me today to fight the unwinnable battle is proof of your undying loyalty and faith in this land. Hither do we die, yet we do so to preserve the last spark that is Los Valles, for Los Valles lives on in our people, it lives on in those who will live on. Valla erwe fornostru!”
To which the everyone cried out, “Fornostru lon elfenye!”
“The jewel illuminates the land; May it illuminate forevermore.”
So it begins, the bloodshed that awaits Los Valles, the Jewel of the Land.