~Page 7 - The Third Age~

At the time of this book being written, the people of Rembrant live in what is known as the Third Age. There are only two events worth mentioning at this time:

The loss of Esylana's sovereignty in Valanice, and the uprising power from the remnants of Roth, the Coventine Empire.

The people of Valanice have lost their respect and desire for magic, and a forceful rebuke of all things magical erupted among the people, prompting a great civil war. It is believed that those who rejected magic influenced its flow in Valanice, and the loss of magic, coupled with the belief in the leadership of a man named Arduin Geldamont, led to Esylana's surrender to his forces. And so, Arduin Geldamont rose up to become the new king of Valanice.

A year after his coronation, Arduin took Esylana as his wife and queen, satisfying those who still believed, quietly, in the old ways. This fully united Valanice's peoples, and there is peace, even in the absence of magic.

~~~

Not much is presently known about the Coventine Empire, save that they have begun to march across Rembrant. Their numbers are unknown, but some are rumored to have heard the cry of dragons in their midst, and to have seen the towering form of giants in the trees.

It seems that Rembrant will never truly be at peace for long.

~Page 6 - The Darkness~

During the final battle against Zekosukai, a small cottage on the fringing borders of Valanice and Advant was damaged, which, sources say, unleashed what became known as the Time of Darkness. A vast void spread like a fog through the entirety of Rembrant, and all who were touched by the 'mist' fell into a deep slumber, and a deep depression.

It was during this time that forces were rallied in the north under a leader whom went by the name of Nyraen. Most of the Ancients, those being Lady Nivita, Zul-Rheksas, Esylana, and so forth, had either faded into antiquity, or dropped into a deep, deep slumber. The Nyraen forces swept down from Elgardra and began to rally those who remained awake under his banner, to unify the nations and seek the heart of the Darkness to destroy it forever.

Upon his reaching Valanice, Esylana was roused from her slumber and, instead of joining Nyraen, struck out on her own.

Most of the resources on this era are lost to us, but it is believed she discovered the true heart of the Darkness to be a mime harlequin, and that she also discovered the existence of the leylines through which magic is channeled and carried through the land - the Land's lifeblood, so to speak.

Defeating the harlequin entailed yet again using the Eyes, but this time to seal away the Gods and Goddesses that were trying to return to the realm, and put the harlequin away with them. Documents of this time are damaged to the point of either not making sense, or being illegible.

It is known that Lord Zatrus, Esylana's son, was killed during the final struggle against the mime harlequin.

Even though worship of the Gods and Goddesses remains prevalent among most Rembratians to this day, it is known that They no longer hold physical sway over our world. The location of the Eyes has been lost, and since those days, Esylana has ruled Valanice. The other nations have had rulers come and go, and nothing has truly been stable since the Darkness touched Rembrant.

~Page 5 - The Time of The Ancients~

This timeline is meant to be brief and summarize the major points, and so this humble author will seek to keep this detailed time of history brief as well.

Esylana Geldamont was not always a walker of our world, a 'mortal' as some may still yet claim her to be. She was once a sparkling entity of the heavens, a fabled star nymph, as the story goes, who fell at the whims of twelve children, orphaned and abandoned in the depths of the Hakan mountains. Needing a home and a family, Esylana was moved by their pleas and sought to aid them in their time of need.

And so she became a mortal for their sakes, and it was good for a time, before the great warriors moved on Rembrant from the depths of the Underworld. They ravaged her home, burned all within, and only she managed to escape, scarred by the event, and desperate to stop the onslaught of marching death.

Her travels led her to Espanino, where the queen, Lady Nivita, quickly took her in and tasked her with finding the Devil's Eyes, a pair of crystalline gems that would avert the power of the God of Death in His grab at all of Rembrant. Rested and healed, Esylana sought those Eyes and came across many who deigned to help her on her quest.

A variety of larger threats also loomed over Rembrant at the time, ranging from the insanity of the risen Gods, to the wakening of the Zul, to a dread harlequin wreaking havoc and insanity upon the world as she pleased.

The Zul named Rheksas settled as ruler of the Barukin Isles, and soon after Esylana found the first Eye and was proclaimed Queen of Valanice, he invaded her lands and took her hostage. Legal rule by marriage was established and the marriage took place. It should also be noted that Esylana sanctioned the marriage, herself.

The second Eye was stolen by the harlequin, who was eventually undermined by the combined efforts of Zul-Rheksas, Esylana, Lord Aurus, and the then rulers of Elgardra and Lanucia (a nation which is now lost in the Outlands). In their final fight with the harlequin, the caves in which they sought her collapsed, and records indicate that King Seskia of Elgardra, Queen Linn of Lanucia, and Lord Aurus of Hakan were caught in the collapse of the cave-systems, whence only Zul-Rheksas and Esylana survived.

~~~

The Eyes restored, Underworld was stifled in its conquering designs upon the upper lands, and the gateway between the two realms was established, along with a Keeper. Golgotha, now known as Rig'Mortis, is where the veil between the land of the living and the dead is thinnest, and souls made their way to death once their bodies were laid to rest there. The original Keeper was a djinn, and the Lord of Death took a liking to him, starting a rather odd friendship - but never again did the Lord of Death attempt to invade the living realms.

Lady Nivita and her followers made an exodus into another realm, leaving the lands of Espanino to govern themselves. Zul-Rheksas and Esylana, along with their few remaining allies, worked towards re-establishing peace and welfare to Rembrant.

Further important events of this time include the birth of Zul-Atrus, the only living child of Esylana and Zul-Rheksas. He later denounced his name and took the name of Zatrus for himself, a choice after some disappointing decisions made by his father that shamed him to ever be called a 'Zul' in any sense of the word.

A young dhampire named Fawn aided in the discovery of a small island near Barukin named Mythos, which is the gateway to a great underground system of caves, tunnels, and a lost city. She established a haven for vampires and dhampires, but the way to the city itself has now been lost with time.

A new threat was chronicled as having attempted an invasion of Rembrant from the heart of Advant, however Lord Caiden, the newly risen king of that nation, gathered his allies from neighboring kingdoms to rise against the self-proclaimed 'Lord' Zekosukai.

Records are damaged from the era following, but there are indicators that Zul-Rheksas (some believed him to be a reincarnation of Protomas Himself) vanished from the known realm, as did Lord Shade, an active voice against the Zul and creator of a counter-Zul, Val-Sharess. Followers and natives of Devilin, Lord Shade's former kingdom, attest to his having risen to his final form as a 'god', but if this is so, then he is sealed away with the Deities in another world.

~Page 4 - The Second Age~

The champion of the Land was gone, and so too were the Gods and Goddesses. For a long time, the mortals were lost and knew not what to do, but out of the chaos, order slowly arose.

Governments were established, and the young tribes banded together to create nations. In memory of their lost Goddess, the merfolk created an underwater nation that kept to itself and came to be called Moanna.

In the fertile lands to the west, the nation of Espanino was established, where vineyards were cultivated and wine became the main source of income.

The mountains of Valanice began to be mined, the people establishing a tiny village in the valley, and the tribes of Advant remained independent of one another, never truly establishing a leader.

As time passed, leaders gradually rose to power - of particular note is the establishment of slavery and the dark use of magic that rose out of the southern lands of Devilin. With the eruption of the volcano came the nation of the man who called himself Lord Shade - a mysterious individual of great power that many came to worship as a god in lieu of the sealed Gods and Goddesses.

It also came to be known during this era that not all the Gods and Goddesses were fully sealed away, as Mother Din made Her presence known through a young queen of Espanino, Lady Nivita. Lord Aurus also returned, claiming the avatar of Lord Zero to rule and guide the Outlands, known then as the Land of Hakan. He was recognized and hailed by the dragons and their kin.

And of course, Death would never be held back, claiming His first of many avatars to rule from outside the veil of reality and life, His own dark realm filled with His minions as He plotted and waited.

The beginning of the Time of the Ancients was marked by two significant events - the Fall of the Star Nymph, and the rise of Death's army to march upon Rembrant.

~Page 3 - The God Wars~

It is written:

Shortly after the creation of Rembrant, the Gods and Goddesses turned to Themselves. They lived Their own existences and took pride and joy in governing over the people of the realm.

But Lady Pan-Pan was growing bored with the children and the people, and so She decided to create a creature that would help Her spread Her mischief and fun. A bit of magic, a bit of sugar, a bit of Her Spirit, and the mys were born, to spread laughter and mayhem. They also served as Her eyes and ears.

Lady Celeste also created Her own children, focusing on the life of the sea. She found a young mortal child, wandering on the cliffs by the sea, and took the child in Her hands, twisting her legs and forming them into a tail before dropping her into the sea. The first of the merfolk were born.

And Lady Lunai gave life to the star nymphs - thin humans who took on a willowy appearance, characterized by their pale, almost translucent skin, silvery eyes, and white hair. Great works of art and compassion came from Her people, and they were savants of the magical arts.

And it was during this time of growth and creation that the Goddesses Lunai and Celeste realized their feelings for the Lord of Magic Himself, Aurus. And a rivalry that would be Their downfall was begun.

What had started out as innocent and loving quickly turned petty and vicious, for while the Goddesses both shared an intense love for the God, He only had eyes for One.

In Her jealousy, the Goddess Celeste appealed to Protomas for aid in bringing down Her rival, and for some unknown reason to mortals, the God of War agreed.

It was a war that engulfed not only the Gods and Goddesses, but Their creations as well. Merfolk attempted to drown passing star nymphs. Dragons threatened to immolate the seas, evaporating them to nothing. The mortals rose in march against one another, calling for the glory of their God or Goddess, never realizing the true reason.

But one act of cruelty stood above them all as Lady Celeste cursed the star nymphs to be hunted where ever they roamed, without end, until extinction. And so it was that She revealed the nature of their blood, how even a single drop could save one from Death's grasp, and grant immortality.

Lunai turned to Mother Din in desperation and begged for relief for Her children, to stop the fighting and end the war. Love was not worth this. Mother Din, Who did not normally involve Herself in the affairs of Her Children, intervened and raised the remaining few nymphs to the skies, placing them as immortals in the heavens, forsaking their mortal lives to watch from above over the world unto eternity.

But the fighting did not cease. And finally the Goddesses faced each Other on the battlefield, Their powers ravaging the Land. And the Land responded.

A champion was chosen for the Land, a single mortal child, who walked the Land and sacrificed themselves to seal away the Gods and Goddesses. And a Great Silence fell over Rembrant.

~Page 2 - The Creation~

It is written:

In the beginning was the Land. And the Land was dark, cold, and barren. There was no light. There was no life. There was no sun, no moon, no stars, and no sky. The Land was alone. But It would not remain so.

And so the Land brought forth from Itself the Mother. And named Her Din. And it was good.

Mother Din looked around at the Land, and realized the barren darkness was no place to live. And so, She, the First, created She who would bring life to the Land. She would bring Balance and the Elements to the Land.

The Goddess Celeste wrought with Her hands the seas, and filled them with sea life. She brought forth the Earth, filling it with greens of all sorts: trees, bushes, flora, and fauna. And the Land was pleased, and it was good.

After a time, however, the Land grew weary of the black night sky, and how the sun would vanish for half the day. And Mother Din responded, creating now a new Daughter, the Goddess Lunai.

And Lunai took the night as Her domain, casting to the heavens two balls of silvery light that would govern where the sun was absent. In a fit of inspiration, the Goddess took one of Her two moons and crushed it, scattering the bits like diamonds across the black canvas to create the stars of Her night. Thus was there day and night, and beauty in both. And the Land was pleased.

For a time it was good, but then the Land grew heavy and crowded with all the life. There was too much of it, and soon there would be no room left. And so Mother Din created He who is known as Death, His true Name lost to eternity. And the populace was brought under control, and it was good. To balance Death's power, Mother Din also created the Goddess Pan-Pan, the Child of Youth and Joy, who watched over the young and their mothers. And the Land was pleased.

Mother Din could see that not all creatures were equal, and those that wandered with potential and no purpose could do better. Ambition manifested into the God of War, Protomas. And with ambition came a desire to conquer and fight. Strategy, logic, and the ability to reason also came with His creation. Man began to think, and build. And destroy.

The Goddess Lunai watched the destruction, and saw fit to bestow upon the mortals Her own gift - the gift of emotion and compassion. She gave them dreams to soothe the soul at night and inspire. She governed the night as Her domain, and ruled the heart, even as Protomas governed the desires of ambition and the cold logic of strategy.

Finally, Mother Din brought forth Her final Son, He who would bequeath to the world a very special gift. The essence of magic, of mystery, and of power. Lord Aurus was brought forth, and with Him the dragonkin, to keep the secrets of High Magic and to teach the warring, emotional, thinking mortals.

The Land looked at the world it had become, and the people who lived upon it, and the Gods and Goddesses Who had helped to shape it.

And the Land was pleased.