Supreme Leader Rex Goldensun had been plotting to take back the Greater Realm for over a century. For generations, elves had ruled over the continent, having united in the West Realm and risen up against the dragons. They enslaved all others, and dominated all in their path. The elves lived in luxury, delighting in their power. They were the superior race, and they all knew it. Some people objected to this and claimed that other races were equally intelligent – therefore, they deserved equal rights. However, the imperial regime of Goldensun rejected these claims and suppressed information about them. Tensions rose, and even some of the elves became increasingly disillusioned.
Eventually, a single spark turned into a fire, revealing the cracks in society. Her name was Kirith. She was a young pokkit woman, and a leader in a massive slave uprising. United under the name of House Silvermoon, they managed to mercilessly slaughter many elves. They truly relished in this prospect, as they annihilated and disrespected their captors in all manner of ways. However, the slaves were ultimately unsuccessful in gaining freedom and were brutalized for their rebellion, which put an end to such things. Kirith was banished to the wastelands, and faded entirely from public view.
But one day, decades later, Kirith mysteriously reappeared, reborn and with a young body healed of its horrible scars. She had learned the Path of the Phoenix, a new form of magic that truly threatened to overturn the establishment. It made her far more powerful than any elvish warrior could ever dream of, even with their signature magic, the Way of the Leviathan. Kirith also renounced her past of delighting in the slaughtering of elves, instead promoting equality and fairness for all races. Yet this only served to make her more popular among the masses, and inspired a number of elves to join her cause.
Her renewed efforts rallied the masses to form a new incarnation of House Silvermoon. Backed by the overwhelming might of the Phoenix, they rose up and established a new territory in the East Realm. The people then made Kirith their new imperial Matriarch, Kirith Silvermoon. The East Realm proceeded from there to defeat the West Realm over the course of numerous battles – the First Civil War. Many difficulties followed, as people turned their aggression elsewhere and killed each other over power. They even went so far as to conquer the other Realms, resulting in a new continent-spanning empire. After all the chaos died down, a new imperial world order came into being – one that promoted the values of compassion for others.
The destruction caused by the First Civil War meant that Matriarch Kirith was a relatively conservative figure. She didn’t want to push the political envelope too much, for fear of causing more turmoil. Instead, the Silvermoon Empire prioritized peace and political stability, as well as environmentalism to restore balance to nature. This led to alternative energy sources being developed, as well as advanced technology to reduce peoples’ reliance on mana.
To reduce the need for energy-intensive transportation, and help coordinate their large territory, electric communication systems were implemented across the East Realm, letting people stay in touch without needing to visit one other. These were followed shortly by electronic computers to help operate the communication networks more efficiently. In time, these computers evolved into powerful machines that became part of daily life.
However, this newfound peace did not mean that there were no tensions. House Goldensun was furious at their defeat. Losing to the slaves was humiliating. Rex Goldensun, in particular, was the angriest he’d ever been. For the next century, the old regime plotted its revenge, but nothing they could come up with could overcome the Path of the Phoenix. The Way of the Leviathan had reached its limits, and they were not willing to share it with people who would only backstab them later.
At last, House Goldensun saw an opportunity in the otherworlder, John, who claimed to come from a different world called Earth. His knowledge would allow them to devise new tactics and technology, and defeat House Silvermoon’s overwhelming power by taking to the air. Surveillance, bombing raids, and more could be achieved through the use of airplanes. The thought of using flying vehicles for war was unusual since it was impossible to use magic off the ground, and it was also concerning because it gave non-mages a way to fight against mages. But it would serve the role of catching House Silvermoon off guard. House Goldensun convinced John to share what he knew, under the pretense of making the world a better place.
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To overcome the weakness of lacking magic while airborne, House Goldensun formed an alliance with House Crimsonstar of the North Realm, who were also dissatisfied with the control that House Silvermoon had over the Greater Realm. With some pressure from House Goldensun, it was decided that House Crimsonstar and the North Realm would be stripped of resources to build up the war engine. By crystallizing mana, they could use magic in the air. This made airplanes far more deadly, while fully retaining mage supremacy. The destruction of the mana streams led to poverty and energy crises across the North Realm, but to House Goldensun, it was merely a necessary sacrifice.
To make up for their lack of manpower, House Goldensun persuaded a small group of insurgents, the Magic Freedom Fighters, to work together with them, claiming that House Silvermoon was a greater evil that they needed to fight against. They knew the insurgents were researching clone soldiers to try and bolster their forces, but had been unsuccessful in teaching them magic. With the help of House Goldensun, these clones were completed, and taught House Goldensun’s magic, the Way of the Leviathan. Many innocent clones died as a result of the dangerous exposure to advanced magic. But they were the superior choice, as they were obedient and would not turn on House Goldensun once the war was over.
However, a misstep nearly cost the entire plan. House Crimsonstar’s resource extraction was discovered by House Silvermoon, and trails needed to be burned in order to throw them off. Production facilities and documents were torched to prevent them from falling into House Silvermoon’s hands. As a result, House Goldensun accelerated things. Even though the clone army, planes, and mana crystals weren’t available in sufficient numbers, they launched a series of attacks on the East Realm. They did so to catch the Matriarch off guard.
Their attacks succeeded in dealing much damage to the East Realm, and in fact also succeeded in capturing Kirith Silvermoon and burying her at the bottom of the ocean. House Goldensun’s forces also captured House Silvermoon’s newest disciple, Prelinsa, hoping to study her and learn the Path of the Phoenix for themselves. It seemed that their strategy had been effective.
However, it ultimately proved more costly for House Goldensun than House Silvermoon. Although it had been deprived of its Matriarch, House Silvermoon and the East Realm survived the bombing raids, and recovered quickly under the new leadership of Kirith’s eldest daughter, Rensa. Meanwhile, House Goldensun had lost many planes, clones, and mana crystals, a number of which were captured by the enemy and studied extensively to unlock their secrets.
Rex Goldensun made another mistake, which proved even more fatal. In his hubris, he had wanted to watch Kirith Silvermoon die in person. That slave, who humiliated him so deeply in the uprisings. He wanted to see her struggle and die in a pathetic and helpless manner. Therefore, he was present in the East Realm when Kirith was buried under the ocean.
But Kirith Silvermoon didn’t die. She rose from the ocean like a phoenix, and purged Rex Goldensun from existence. His death was celebrated widely in the East Realm, and gave them a massive morale boost. Meanwhile, House Goldensun fell into disarray at the loss of their Supreme Leader.
Their situation was not helped by the presence of the disciple Prelinsa, who mysteriously learned how to fly and use magic in midair, which allowed her to escape capture. She helped spread this ability to other practitioners of the Path of the Phoenix, significantly reducing the advantage that planes provided. As a result, the East Realm emerged victorious and defended its claim to the Greater Realm. House Goldensun had failed once again, this time in even more humiliating fashion.
Despite their victory, the East Realm, under new leadership, chose not to continue its imperialistic ways. Matriarch Rensa claimed that these old practices were destructive, and largely responsible for the uprising through causing dissatisfaction. Rather than continuing to rule over the West Realm with an iron fist, the East Realm granted it independence, and established for it a self-determining means of government. They did this as well for the other Realms, and made efforts to restore the damaged North Realm.
The otherworlder, John, was surrendered to House Silvermoon. With his knowledge, airplanes became more widespread, and eventually, space travel became possible. The world became more interconnected, and a new age of exploration beyond the surface began. The future remained uncertain, as people could easily forget, and repeat, the mistakes of the past. But for now, it was an optimistic present that looked forward to a new age of peace, prosperity, equality, and justice for all.