Perhaps the beginning of it all came with the formation of the world, perhaps not. But thousands upon tens of thousands of eons ago, in a flash of sound and a thunder of light, the world came to be as it once was. Each part of the world, having in itself a unique trait and distinguishing feature, that which set it apart from the rest of the lands of this wondrous planet. And in each place, a new race grew and prospered within it, creating many great civilizations. And those civilizations dubbed this fair world, Arcadia.
To the north, lay lands blanketed by ice and snow, battered by regular blizzards. Forest’s filled with great white trees twelve times taller than any man and still taller, and home to small creatures of every kind. There are large lakes where many fish thrive and yet in a strange way, the waters of these lakes remained unfrozen and free of ice. One could find great and majestic white topped mountains rising high and disappearing in the majestic clouds. In this land, rose a new people whom grew to adapt to their snow covered home, the Courani, or the Snow People. They had soft, smooth milky white skin, deep and majestic cerulean blue eyes, and long silky blond hair which distinguished their people from the rest of the world. They were known for their cunning and quick thinking, making them great hunters and great warriors. There was never a creature known in this world with the skill or speed to escape the precise and lethal arrow of a Courani. To protect themselves from the cold, they made their clothes out of furs from their prey in hunting. They built many great structures in their northern home, which they called Courallis, but the greatest was Castle Courai, a grand and imposing fortress built of stone and ice. Many great towers there were and many grandiose halls, on the throne of these people sat a Leader known as the Clomar. And for thousands of years these people prospered in the world.
To the South, lay lands both tropical and temperate in nature, covered by fruit-bearing trees of all kinds and warm showers of rain. The land was dotted by lakes filled with boiling water and many large predators in the depths and many a beautiful rainforest lay upon the land. Majestic waterfalls fell from the great mountains of the southern lands and crashed into the pools of water below. Another race arose in this land, one of great strength and ingenuity, known as the Rikari. A people easily distinguished by their sun-kissed tan skin, watchful golden eyes, and short black hair alongside their fiery personalities. They were great sailors and shipbuilders and built many a fair and noble vessel. The Rikari were known for their love of the sea and animals, passionate of both in many ways. They built grand and imposing cities on land and even grander on the coast, but the most imposing and grand of all was Amaris. A city built on land and sea for it was built over the Lake Maralis, which flowed out to the sea, the many docks and harbors of the city protected by the strong and mighty walls built up from the lake bottom. The Keep of the city where the ruler of the Rikari, known as the Rikalt, sat lay against a mountain in the back of the city. For many a year they thrived off the fine silks, wines, and art they traded with the rest of the world. And so, for thousands of years, they too prospered in the world.
To the East, lay lands covered by mountains and canyons, narrow passes and high cliffs, caves and caverns alike filled with precious gems and jewels. As far as the eye could see, mountains claimed the land and not a tree was to be found save on the few plains that dot the landscape. Hot streams flowed from many places in these mountains and fell into the canyons below, flowing slowly throughout the land. Yet another race rose in this land as well, known for their strong sense of humor and pride, the people of the Kaldaro, perhaps the greatest miners and craftsmen the world has ever known. They were most distinguished by their small button like noses, freckled skin, ginger hair, and stubby eyes, along with their love of gold and jewels. They built great cities and fortresses upon the mountains which stretched on into the mountains where the Kaldaro dwelled in the caves and halls of their cities. Their great city of Kala lay within three mountains and housed thousands of Kaldaro within its many passages and corridors. Again, for thousands of years these people lived in peace.
To the West, lay lands both fair and green, dotted with lush forests and rolling hills. Where kind woodland creatures grazed and roamed, where the birds sang their songs to all whom would listen, where lakes filled with many a great fish flowed from rivers in the mountains. In this land, the greatest people of all arose; known for their stout hearts and bravery, these people built towering castles and nurtured the land as if it were family. They were known as the Alari, a people of great admiration and knowledge, yet with no one feature to distinguish them from the rest of the world. They were tall, they were short, they were pale, they were tanned, they were blue-eyed, they were gold-eyed, they were black haired, and they were blond. They came from everywhere, and their lands were nurtured and harvested year-round by kind and gentle farmers, their forest animals protected by King’s Soldiers, their towns friendly and welcoming. The Alari built many a might Castle in their lands, from majestic Castle Ardain which overlooked the beautiful Lake Evanlyn, to the might Castle Halfast which stood against a mountain protected by many high towers and high walls. Yet the mightiest of them all was the Castle and City of Arnoriana, a great city of white stone and three mighty walls rising up a mountain with a part of the city within each. At the tip lay a bridge leading out behind the city to a tall Tower Fortress atop an island over a lake. The city had many great towers and many noble buildings, its people so kind and brave. Its gates were known as being impenetrable. The Tower Fortress was known as Caloriana and it was here that the great Kings of the Alari sat upon their throne. And yet again, for thousands of years they too prospered in the world.
All of these lands stood tall and noble, not far from each other, one could travel between two with a day’s sailing across the narrow sea between them all, or a few hours ride across one of the Great Bridges. There were other small lands, yes but they were unknown and isolated from the rest of the world. A disadvantage in being so cut off, but in years to come it would be a great boom. For little did any know that a great darkness was growing in the east. A darkness which would spring forth like a shadow to engulf all the world in ruin and despair.
Past the great mountains of Kaldaro to the East and the snow covered plains of Courani, a vast seemingly endless barren plain lay. Inhabited by the most vicious of predators, most of which being the wolf, this land separated the peaceful people of the world from all that was dark in the world. Camps and small villages of violent and bloodthirsty Caractar Hill Men, known for their sheer savagery in battle and love of battle, dotted this plain. Various Caves hid mighty and ferocious Boar Dragons, deadly beasts with the body and head of a Dragon but with no wings and a giant horn crowning its nose, whom crept out into the blistering night and struck at their prey. Wild and monstrous Troll’s roamed the plain looking for something or someone to eat, these beasts were five meters tall, had beady red eyes, sharp teeth, and greyish skin with enough strength to crush a man like a twig. It was a place none dared venture if they valued their lives. And yet, this was not where the great darkness was being born, no, the darkness came from a land behind the great black mountains which bordered the wasteland.
This land covered in ash black soil on its ground, held forests of dead trees which were said to come alive and snatch away any wandering travelers, lakes containing the most vicious predators in the world, mountains crawling with vicious creatures dwelling in caves, and rivers of molten magma flowing from various mountains of fire in the land. Never before had one from the great peoples of Kaldaro, Courani, Alari, or Rikari ventured as far as this desolate land of shadows and death, thus they had no knowledge of the lands which lay beyond the Black Mountains. This land was infested by the most foul and bloodthirsty beasts the world has ever known, from the gigantic Serpentalia, a massive Serpent which could grow to be 20 Meters in length, to the savage Mountain Troll, a beast 10 Meters tall with teeth big enough to chew up one of its smaller brethren. Yet perhaps the most evil of all that which inhabited this dark land, was the Sereshi, a race of people neither man nor beast but a bit of both, with souls made of pure darkness. Red-eyed, pale skinned, dark haired, fanged teeth, forked tongue, the Sereshi were a race of people whom crossed with serpents hence why many Sereshi Nobles kept Serpentalia around as pets. The Sereshi were quick, cunning, deceitful, just like their serpent friends, and were ferocious warriors in battle yet their army was highly organized and trained. They assembled their people in a brutal hierarchy, with all those considered peasants and lower class being treated like mud, and those whom were considered the upper class worshipped as gods. Even their smallest villages were walled off and guarded at gates, yet their most grand and fearful fortress of all was Sereshalt, known as the black keep because it was constructed out of a black stone.
High black stone walls rose up around the great fortress and encircled it within the incline of the mountain it rested against, its great black gates engraved with images of two vicious winged-serpents, two Black Towers rose high above the gates as along the high walls lay Battlements, Fortifications, Towers, and other such things. Within lay a series of bridges and crossings leading to multiple cylinder shaped structures of various size, with numerous Towers and Battlements along the outside and connected to each, as within many came chants of battle as the restless Sereshi Soldiers drilled and trained, while within others came screams and cries of pain and suffering which pierced the air. Smoke arose past these bridges as far below lay the deep pits and caverns where the Sereshi bred and armed their armies of Reguls, horrible creatures usually a meter in height with gnarled grey or sometimes black skin and rancid yellow eyes with sharp savage teeth and little to no hair at all but with strength enough to challenge any man, wherein many forges and smithies lay as they wear always at work, crafting new armor and crude weapons for the beasts. A central great bridge followed out of a massive cylinder like structure adorned by many battlements, walls, and towers, and to the main gates as century upon century of warriors marched into the fortress on the left side of the bridge and out on the right, every minute of every hour of every day. Rising past that many more great black Battlements, and high Towers, and menacing walls, and imposing structures, and barred gates, lay a citadel structure, circular in shape with twelve towers extending out of it and pointing up to the great structure above. Rising out of the Citadel, almost 100 Meters taller than the Citadel was a great black tower adorned by many smaller ones. At the top of this tower were twelve large pinnacles and on the summit was an open hole allowing the view into a vast central chamber. Out of this chamber a spiraling beam of green mist rose into the swirling clouds every minute of every hour of every day. It was from this Black Keep, that the heinous Lords of Seresh conducted their evil deeds.
There were Twelve Lords of Seresh and each more evil than the last, no known record tells of whom the first Lords we’re, only that it was they whom crafted the Twelve Blades of Seresh. Black Swords which held the malice, will, and power of the Lord who crafted it, these blades powered a great device within the chamber at the topmost tower of Sereshalt, and without their power to the device, the Sereshi would fall into ruin. The Lords were greedy and powerful, their bloodline able to wield great and terrible dark magic, but when they drew their Blade of Seresh, they obtained the power to bend the world around them as they saw fit. The Twelve Lords of Seresh rode into battle on great horses crafted seemingly out of shadow, or upon great dragon steeds whose giant bat like wings and sharpened claws soared into battle with sheer ferocity. It was said that the leader of these twelve Lords always took the title of Lord Seresh in honor of the fact that Seresh was the chief God or rather Titan of the Sereshi and the Twelve Lords were considered mortal incarnations of the twelve Sereshi Titans. These twelve Lords lay silent for thousands of years readying their armies, not yet revealing themselves to the world. For, hundreds of years ago, the two-hundredth Lord Seresh predicted on his deathbed that “Our time to reveal ourselves shall come, when one from the west comes to the gates”. The gates referred to the Serpents Pass, giant gates guarding the entrance into the lands of the Sereshi, this pass in the mountains was crawling with Serpentalia and the gates were engraved with a Serpents Head with one half on each side. Yet for hundreds of years the time did not come, and for hundreds of years the Sereshi waited, gathering their strength.
Just when it appeared that they would never be revealed to the world, destiny came to their doorstep, as a lost and wandering merchant from Rikari, having wandered on in the wasteland, arrived at the Serpents Pass. And so the time had come, a person from the west had come to the gates. And those gates were soon opened as the hundreds of thousands of Sereshi Soldiers marched out into the wasteland led by the twelve Lords, and ready to lay siege to the free world. Their armies blocked out the plain and a dark wave of shadows followed, the Soldiers armed with the sword, the spear, the shield, the axe, the bow, the mace, the Hammer, and the Flail. They were accompanied by great Siege Engines, the Catapult, the Ram, the Tower, the Ballista, and the Ladder; their great banners held high in the air as the mark of the Serpent billowed in the wind. The armies of Seresh marched across the wasteland, burning the villages of the Hill Men, slaughtering the Boar Dragons, slaying the Trolls; they marched first for the snowbound land of Courani.
It was not long before the black armies swept across the snow covered plains, fire and death in their wake, as they pillaged, burned, and slaughtered, nothing could stand in their way. The mighty archers of Courani were helpless against so strong a force and they ran for their lives, retreating to their great fortress of Courai, hoping to stave off the invaders. The Sereshi marched on the fortress and besieged it for three long months before leaving a small force behind to starve them out and the main body of the army marched further. This time they marched towards Alari, while a different Lord of Seresh led a battle against the Kaldaro.
Within the mountains of Kaldaro the skies were blanketed by the Dragon Riders of Seresh as one of the Lords led a great host of dragons in the assault, while tens of thousands of Reguls scaled the mountains and flooded into the caves and caverns of the Kaldaro. The great city of Kala came under siege just as Courai had and they fled into the caves within as their city crumbled.
In the south, the Rikari found themselves besieged by sea, as a massive Flotilla of Sereshi Ships, each crowned at the bow with a Serpent’s head, pushed through their own blockade and their thousands of Soldiers swept onto the beaches. The Rikari were smart enough to not be there waiting for them. They fell back to their mighty sea fortress at Amaris and withstood the siege by the Sereshi. Yet still they began to give ground over the months.
It was only the Alari whom effectively fought back, their proud and mighty armies marching forth from Arnoriana, to do battle with the Sereshi. Both armies fought long and fought hard, the battle went on for days, both sides taking heavy losses as victory did not appear to be in sight for either side. The ground was bloodied and stained as Soldiers on either side died for their Lords. In the end the Sereshi were forced back into Courani where the pursuing Alari armies joined with remaining Courani armies and drove the Sereshi back into the wasteland. Hearing of the defeat, the Sereshi pulled back from Rikari and Kaldaro and regrouped with the rest of the army.
The Sereshi were forced back all the way to the Serpent’s Pass and the combined armies of Alari, Courani, Kaldaro, and Rikari besieged the great gates for nigh on a year before the Twelve Lords stepped forth with their armies to do battle. It was known as the Great Battle of the Gates, and the armies did battle on the rocky plains outside the gates, the armies of the free world fighting for their freedom and the armies of the Sereshi fighting for dominance. And so they fought, and they died. King Horace of the Alari did battle with Lord Seresh and was killed by a blow from his sword. His brother then crossed blades and was killed as well. Finally Prince Duncan forced the sword from Seresh’s hand and plunged his own blade into the villain, right through the eye slit of his helm, the Lord gave out an earsplitting shriek as his body began to glow and burn. Duncan then seized a fallen Mallet and, with one last look at his father and uncle and then the burning Lord, brought it down upon the Blade of Lord Seresh.
The Blade split into two large pieces and a number of smaller ones, but as soon as it did, green mist began to pour from it and then there was a crack like thunder as a wave of magic threw Duncan and all the Soldiers of either army within two miles back, killing many of the Sereshi. The clouds began to thunder as red lighting struck the ground around the Sereshi Army and within it, while the remaining eleven Lords were robbed of their swords which turned to fire in their hands at the loss of the Ruling Blade; these blades were seized by the Alari. Lord Seresh continued to shriek and burn as he fell to his knees and finally he went up as another shockwave emitted and the land began to change. The wind picked up as the Soldiers and Reguls were blown back and the great gates of the Serpent’s Pass began to shake and crumble. The ground shook as gaping holes opened within and hundreds of Sereshi and numerous others fell in crying out. The eleven Lords fled for Sereshalt but the shockwave had hit the Black Keep as well.
The mighty Tower which held the device split in two as the top half fell over and crashed down into the fortress below. Bridges were broken, Towers toppled, Walls crumbled, Battlements destroyed, the great fortress fell to ruin. The pits below were crushed beneath debris as the Reguls fled into caves carved into these pits, the centuries of Soldiers began to flee from the Black Keep but the Main Bridge fell as well, sending thousands of them falling to their doom.
When all the destruction and smoke cleared, on the plains outside the Serpent’s Pass, all that remained of Lord Seresh was a smoking helm with a sword beside it and the shards of the sword nearby. Prince Duncan came forward and took up his sword, and then claimed the shards of the Ruling Blade as payment for his father and uncle’s demise. And so the armies of the free world returned home, leaving the Sereshi in ruins, not knowing that one day that same force would rise again.
The next King of the Alari after Duncan, King Andrew, knew the Sereshi would return one day, so he set about it to form a Special Force that could keep a watch on them, and he searched throughout all four realms to find those suitable to join. He sought the bravest, the wisest, the most skilled, the best archers, the greatest swordsmen, the fastest Riders, the most cunning, of all the races. But he based his beliefs off the ancient legends of the Guardians, brave Warriors and protectors of the four realms who fought off a great darkness thousands of years before the Sereshi. He searched for those of that bloodline, knowing the natural born skill would have been passed down. Yet for over twenty years it eluded him, like a rather annoying fly that was always out of grasp.
Just as the search was to be given up, those that King Andrew sought for, came to him, they were the wisest, they were the bravest, the were the greatest archers, they were the strongest swordsmen, they were the fastest riders, they were the most agile, they were the most stealthy, they were the most cunning. They were all within the bloodline of the ancient Guardians, so King Andrew of Alari along with Clomar Pouras of the Courani, Rikalt Adrian of Rikari, and King Haldron of Kaldaro, created the Guardians of the Four Realms. There were 100 Guardians whom had shown themselves so it was decided that 25 would be based in each Realm. And there were many more whom did not show themselves out of want to live a normal life with their family. One Guardian out of every 25 in each Realm would serve as an advisor to the ruler of that Realm.
For hundreds of years the Guardians kept watch on the Realms and the Black Mountains, behind which dwelled the Sereshi. The ancient Guardian Fortress of El Austia, a mighty fortress on the edge of the wasteland, was reclaimed and a garrison of Alari Soldiers manned it to watch over the dark realm beyond the mountains. King Andrew passed from the world and then was followed by King Francis, whom sought more Guardians and increased the number to 200 with 50 serving in each Realm. By the time that six Kings had passed since King Andrew there were 1000 Guardians in all with 100 serving each Realm and 100 in each capital meaning 200 to a Realm. The other 200 were based at El Austia commanding the Garrison. And for hundreds of years they watched over the Kingdoms and the Sereshi.
Yet over time, the people began to forget about the great darkness the Sereshi wrought and memories of them began to fade into time. It came to the point where they were simply an old wives tale to tell around a campfire or to draw a crowd at a local inn. The garrison at El Austia was pulled back but the Guardians remained to keep watch, completely cut off from the other Realms. The Sereshi became talk of legend and myth as they were forgotten and the worry of their return abandoned. However Clomar Karaoh of the Courani and the Courani did not forget, they remembered the pain and suffering the dark people had caused them. The same could be said for High King Edmund of Alari, the sole believer in the existence of the Sereshi among his Court. His own sons High Prince Robert and Prince David along with his daughter Princess Cecelia did not believe his ideas to be truth.
Yet this forgetfulness also came as an advantage to those Guardians who wished to remain hidden and live a normal life with their family. But the Sereshi still existed and soon they planned to wrought a new darkness that would force all these Guardians out of hiding.
Yet, existent or not, the world steadily forged ahead without the Sereshi. Through breeding and science, new species we're created. From horses came Majestic Unicorns and Pegasi. From Eagle's came the Great Eagle's the size of a cottage. Then came the other creatures, Fawns from Alari, Elves from Courani, Dwarves from Kaldaro. However that did not mean these were the only creatures created by the world's advancement. There were others of a hellish nature. Vampyre's, Werewolfs, Demon's all nightcrawlers and hiding within the darkest recesses of the world.
Over the years the kingdoms became split in a way with many different Houses and Noble Family's rising up into power over entire cities. However that did not mean they were pure and noble-hearted for some were cruel and black-hearted to the core. However, all this would change when the Sereshi came back to the world.
Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2014 6:25 am
