Welcome to Gaia! ::

The Era of the Shades, a time in history that the educated and elderly of the land of Arhk would rather forget ever existed. Before the 'Great Passing' the land of Arhk was in a time of prosperity, the three kingdoms of Zhae, Kahen, and Morael were at relative peace. The grand profit Mal'aer had brought the people of the land together, but he hid a dark and horrible secret. The man that they had all worshiped was actually a vassel of the nether realms, he served the dread demon Aralis, the dark god of the undead. And with his influence and power among the people, Mal'aer used the potent magical forces of the kingdoms wizards and scholars to forge a dimensional tunnel, allowing for Aralis to escape into the world. And with him, the demons, devils, and monsters that were previously no more than myth to the land. Within days Aralis had crushed the lands forces, annihilating the people with ease, as the armies of the kingdoms had grown docile in the era of peace. He destroyed the Zhae and Kahen kingdoms, leaving only the dark and secretive Morael kingdom as his throne and servants, warping the inhabitants into derange monsters of his horde. The time was dubbed the Great Passing, the era between the light and the dark, the time when the shadows of the land became filled with monsters and demons.

However, with all his power the deity Aralis had a blind spot. His ego had shielded him from what had been going on underground. The Sacrament, a group of highly trained and armed soldiers had been forming for fifty years, they started shortly after Aralis came to power, bringing together the remains of the decimated people of the Zhae and Kahen kingdoms as well as the uncorrupted people of the Morael kingdom. They were powerless at first, a loose band of untrained and weak farmers, mongers, and other types of common folk. But with the guidance of the Zhae general Solenis they were shaped into powerful warriors, and through the first fifty years of Aralis' rule, they fought and destroyed his troops, freeing more and more people to join their resistance.

The success did not last long, after a crucial blow to Aralis' army at the battle of Kahen castle, Aralis focused his efforts, finally seeing the threat that the Sacrament held to not only his rule, but his existence. Sending the full force of his army onto the land. Chaos broke loose as the forces of the Sacrament and the army of Aralis clashed, time and time again the two titans would wage battle, leaving thousands dead and miles of land destroyed, in the end, it was the Sacrament that stood at the gates of the Morael fortress, Aralis himself before them. And with the last push and a cataclysmic battle the Sacrament was able to bring down the dark god and destroy him.

But Aralis was no fool, he sealed away his power within a sword, and though his physical form was destroyed, his strength was not. The Blade was cast away, sealed inside the Morael fortress and shut away from the world. However, as all things of power the weapon was not forgotten, but its history was. Many a warrior, noble, and king came to search and hopefully wield the power of the sword. Which by legend had come to be known as Aralis' Folly. One brave knight had succeeded in obtaining the sword, and though he used it for good and his heart was pure, the blade eventually drove him mad, he slaughtered his king and conquered his country, forming an Empire. Reshaping the land to his will, his empire expanding and gaining power with each passing year. And more than six-thousand years after its end, the Era of Shades had once again begun to enshroud the land.

The forces of the world were not blind to this, the rebuilt kingdoms of Zhae and Kahen joined forces, and with all their might they brought war against the Empire. And as the war progressed the Empire's defeat seemed inevitable, until the knight turned emperor rose from his throne and unleashed the dark powers of Aralis' Folly upon the land. His slaughtered soldiers, and the fallen of the kingdoms rose from their graves, forming an unfathomable army of soldiers that could never tire, fatigue, or die, soldiers that never had to stop fighting or marching. And with this army the emperor crushed the land, sending the remaining forces into seclusion. The kingdom's forces retreated into the unexplored wilds of the west, surrounding themselves in a large valley in the mountains known as the hand of Teiris. Surrounded by the high peaks of the range on all sides, there was only one path into the valley, it was both their sanctuary and their tomb.

Now, adventurers set out from the prospering new kingdom, heading out into the world to chose their own fate. They can battle against the empire, trying to bring peace to the land, they can join the corrupt legions and smite the remaining people, or perhaps they will form a kingdom of their own and conquer the lands as the empire before them? Only time will tell what the future of the torn land...


((Well there ya go, the story it took me forever to finalize... Please post comments and questions in the OOC thread, I know there's a few unexplained things.))