THE CREATOR

             It was The Creator who first brought the planes of existence into being and set history into motion. 

            Next, The Creator brought into being the nine creator deities, infusing each with a portion of The Creator’s power. The Creator then rested, looking forward to seeing what they would come up with. When at last The Creator woke and looked over the planes, vast arrays of life forms had been created by the deities. Yet as The Creator went to meet them, all they did was make random or instinctive actions and had little intelligence beyond that required to exist.

            At first The Creator was furious for their lack of effort. It was then that The Creator realized that, without any guidance other than “create”, they had done just that. Since no purpose had been defined in the planes then none were given to the beings now populating them. So The Creator gathered the creator deities together. “Through the Law of Opposites and Understanding creation achieves its greatest potential.” With these words of guidance, The Creator brought purpose both to the creator deities and to the planes. 

           For each thing The Creator brought into being so, too, was an opposite and balancing force. Life and Death were placed into motion with Time balancing the two. Suddenly the life forms began to move, interact, spread out and procreate as survival instincts suddenly welled within them. Then Law and Chaos were established with Balance placed between them. This brought to the life forms a sense of how best to interact with each other and the environment around them. Finally, concepts of Good and Evil were allowed to creep into their hearts, with Neutrality keeping each in check. The life forms now were given both dividing and unifying purposes and a sense of need to learn about each other for purposes other than survival. Finally, to ensure these balancing forces were never lost, The Creator infused each plane with the essence of one of these forces. Each plane was then given to one of the creator deities, who was also infused with that plane’s force. Thus, the first pantheon was born.

            Pleased, The Creator withdrew to allow the deities to tend to all that had been created. Where or what The Creator is doing now is unknown. Any knowledge of the creator deities has also been lost to the annals of time. Though many have tried, no prayers to any of these deities are known to have ever been answered.

            Little else is known about the creator deities or the deity known only as The Creator – not even if they’re gods or goddesses! It is also unknown how much time has passed since these beings withdrew or what happened between then and known history. All we know is these events have been taught to mortals by the known gods and all attempts to gain further knowledge from any of them has been met with roughly the same attitude: it’s strictly the affairs of the gods, no other knowledge is needed.

HUMAN DEITIES

AZMON

SYMBOL: Armored knight with sword raised on rearing horse

            Azmon is the undisputed head of the goodly pantheon. From his fortified palace in the Heavens, he strives to promote peace between the non-evil deities while trying to keep an eye on Scyreth and bring a halt to his evil plots. He also maintains the Ivory Fortress, a huge white fortress where the goodly deities meet to discuss their agendas.

            In his true form, Azmon is a lightly tanned, middle-aged human standing 6’2 with brown eyes and thick, brown hair coming down just past his shoulders. He has broad shoulders and every muscle in his body has been enlarged to perfection through constant use and centuries of war. He typically wears simple leather garb of colors pleasing to him, summoning his plate mail armor to him only when it’s needed. He is also known to take the form of a teenage beggar, a youthful warrior, or an old sage.

            While Azmon can wield any weapon proficiently, he always uses his longsword, Law Bringer, and shield, Mercy. Law Bringer is a divine longsword made for him by an unknown deity. Beyond its inhanced powers when fighting evil, its specific powers are still unknown. Mercy is a large, adamantite shield with Azmon’s holy symbol emblazoned on it. So long as it’s held, any gaze attack directed at its wielder is automatically directed back to the source of the attack. In addition, once per day it can cause up to 200 non-divine lifeforms looking upon its bearer to lose all morale and seek to return to their homes.

             Azmon loves to learn and strives always to better himself and his understanding of everything. To this end, when he’s not honing his body and fighting skills, tending to his followers, assisting in planar wars or seeing to the goodly gods’ agenda, he takes any opportunity to grab his journal and travel the planes, learning as much as he can about the places he goes and every species (intelligent or not) that he encounters. He logs it all in his journal and adds the information to his already vast library when he returns home.

            Azmon has good ties with all the non-evil deities, though he has particularly strong ties with Mishra. While both have made clear they not a couple, it is no secret that the two are intimate with each other. They visit each other regularly and have been known to adventure together. So close are they that their clergy and paladins have even been known to share temples during dangerous and/or hard times.

AZMON’S CLERGY

            Services to Azmon are always held during the day and his temples are always brightly lit, either by candles or magical lights. Songs and sermons are always about valor, honor and/or wit and often stress the importance of the balance of all three in one’s life. A strong sense of community is often felt within his worshippers, and they all try to help take care of one another. Clergy are always expected to help foster and encourage these actions whenever possible.

           Azmon charges his clergy foremost with three tasks – the protection of all friendly, non-evil creatures, help to enforce the laws and keep the peace in the lands in which they dwell, and to try to bring the power of good and light to even the darkest places. They believe that once beings feel the warmth of the light, it is in this moment that they may turn from the cold of darkness and walk again on the path of the good and righteous.

            Azmon’s clergy are as much fighter as they are cleric and are often thought of as a reserve army for the cities that their temples thrive in. While it is true that they often find themselves in direct combat with the forces of evil, they also know that Azmon is also a god of wisdom and he values a non-combative solution as much as he values a won armed conflict. To this end, Azmon’s clergy strive to learn all they can about the inhabitants of an area, so they may learn how best either to dwell peacefully with them or how to protect against them. Non-adventuring clergy are also encouraged to either seek an influential political office or to advise one so that they may help to keep the peace or be given plenty of warning if conflict cannot be avoided.

            Since Azmon himself adventures often, the vast majority of Azmon’s clerics have adventured for at least a few years in their career. While most feel the need to keep at bay the forces of evil and wish to spread the light of their deity’s power to as many as possible, all keep in mind that Azmon often adventures for learning and so they too strive to learn what they can and share any such knowledge with their temple. The wealth gained from constant adventuring also help fund the priesthood so that the lay worshipers may be spared the need to tithe.

            Any clerics not in a political office are expected to spread the word of Azmon often so that as many as possible can be led to the light and kept from the temptations of the evil deities. All clergy are expected to try to cooperate with the clergy of the non-evil deities whenever it is possible to promote harmony and a united front against the evil deities. 

MISHRA

SYMBOL: Staff diagonally inside a dragon-wrapped heart  

            No deity is called upon more frequently by mortals than Mishra, goddess of protection, healing and love. From her palace she watches and listens for any in need.

            In her true form, Mishra is a beautiful, middle-aged human female with soft, white skin and blue eyes. Standing just under five and a half feet tall, she has soft brown hair that comes down to her mid-back and is always worn loose. Due to her kind and honest nature, there is an aura of ease around her making any being feel more comfortable and relaxed around her. She prefers to wear a robe and soft shoes of colors pleasing to her. She is also known to take the form of an injured bird, a child beggar, or a young maiden.

            Mishra has never slain any being - ever. Her aura makes it impossible for any non-divine being to be able to attack or harm her in any way. As needed, Mishra can will her robe and staff to her. She has also been known to loan them to her followers should she deem it necessary. Mishra’s Robe is a pure white robe trimmed in pink, her holy symbol emblazoned on the back. Her staff is a pure white staff that can use any curing or healing spell at triple-strength six times per day, affecting all friendly beings in a 10’ radius around the wielder. Any additional powers when Mishra’s wielding them are unknown.

            First and foremost, Mishra is a healer at heart. When not tending to her followers or assisting the other goodly deities, she can be found wandering the planes healing any in need. As the deity of protection, she will defend with her life any being in her charge until it is fully healed. No being has ever been successful at any attempt to harm a patient of Mishra’s.

            It is well known that she will heal any being brought before her, regardless of alignment. For these reasons, it is rumored that she has even healed evil deities though none have come forward to own it and Mishra has never sought any recognition for doing so (if she has).

           Originally there was no dragon on Mishra’s holy symbol but recently a dragon appeared on all of her symbols everywhere, as if it has always been there. She has since been seen with a silver dragon companion protectively following her around, even riding on it. No mortal knows why the change has occurred and her faithful remain hopeful that sometime soon she’ll reward their patience with that knowledge.

          Mishra enjoys the company of any non-evil being and maintains regular contact with all the non-evil deities. While they are not a couple, she and Azmon are openly intimate, visiting each other often and have been known to adventure together. So close are they that their clergy and paladins have even been known to share temples during dangerous and/or hard times.

MISHRA’S CLERGY

            Services to Mishra are held three times a day and are always followed by a simple meal for all attending as well as an opportunity to donate to Mishra’s clergy. Often scented candles are used to help keep the unpleasant odors of the sick from permeating the temple. Songs and sermons are always gentle in nature and stress the need to love openly, be kind to everyone and the belief that kindness given creates a need in the receiver to give a kindness of their own. As a result, Mishra’s worshippers always try to find the good in all beings and are kind and helpful to one another. Mishra’s clergy do what they can to promote this harmony.

            Mishra’s clergy are charged with two tasks. First and foremost – to heal ALL beings that they find in need or who come to them without hostility, protecting their wards with one’s life until their recovery is complete. Mishra’s clergy never charge for their services and in major cities their temples’ backrooms are often filled/surrounded by the sick and needy. Second, to marry any couple where both beings, Mishra worshippers or not, come and ask. Due to their kind, nurturing nature, most (about 90%) of Mishra’s clerics are female.

            Since Mishra herself adventures with Azmon, Mishra’s clergy do not shy away from the call to go adventuring. Their powers to heal and protect are well known and highly sought after – providing that all party members follow the clerics’ need to kill only when there is no other way. Creatures are expected to be driven off – not slain. Villains are to be defeated and then either set on the path of goodness or turned in to the authorities – not slain. Any time a being is slain by the cleric or their group, the cleric always feels a great sadness and the need to place prayers of forgiveness to Mishra. They have even been known to leave groups who won’t stop killing, even if it is only evil creatures/beings.

            Since Mishra’s clergy are kind and nurturing, many believe that they are naïve or not well suited for battle. This is far from the truth. As a goddess of protection, Mishra’s clergy are trained well for defense and how to detect when someone’s lying to them and means harm to them, their wards, or their loved ones.

            Mishra’s temples, though never extravagant in appearance, are always heavily protected and warded. These often serve as safe shelters for everyone during times of war or severe weather. Under these circumstances, often there are worshippers of other non-evil deities present who will happily provide any offense needed in return for the safety and protection that Mishra’s clergy offer.

ARDEN

SYMBOL: Wolf, hawk and panther sleeping under an oak tree

            Arden, the Great Hunter, delights in the joys of nature and the thrill of the hunt (whatever the prey). He is also a lover of animal companionship and enjoys having them around him. He is worshipped by those who make their living from nature or training animals and he’s often called upon by many to keep their secrets safe.

            In his true form, Arden appears as a human male in his mid-twenties. Standing 5’10 tall, his muscles are the epitome of definition and his skin is well-tanned from a lifetime spent in the wilds. He has soft, green eyes and his blonde hair has strands of brown in it. His hair is always loose and comes down to just above his shoulders. He always wears light leather clothing in colors pleasing to him, summoning his magical chainmail to him if combat threatens. He’s never without his longbow, Seeker, or his magical twin daggers. His holy symbol is derived from his three pets and friends, all of whom are never far from his side. He is also known to take the form of a young woodsman, an injured dog, or a lost child in the woods.

           He has a small palace surrounded by forest as far as the eye can see. This forest, known simply as Arden’s Grounds, is riddled with rivers, has several lakes, and four mountains in the heart of the forest. Where these mountains meet is a patch of forest darker than any night. It is here that Arden keeps safe the many secrets trusted to him. No one, god or otherwise, is known to have ever managed to enter this area without his permission. Many animals have been befriended by and trained by Arden and they form a great intelligence network that Arden uses to keep tabs on his domain and followers.

            When not relishing in the beauty of and exploring the natural lands of the plains or tending to his followers or his godly affairs, Arden delights in playing with his pet/friends, learning about new plant-life and its capabilities or tracking new animals to learn about and hopefully befriend. He’s even been known to travel to the baneful planes in his efforts to seek out new plant life/wildlife and learn what he can.

            Arden is a good-natured, jovial deity who’s said to sing as well as he fights. While not fond of large crowds, he delights in the company of animals and small bands of humanoids. Under these conditions he is well enjoyed by all goodly beings he meets.

            Arden is a loyal ally to all the non-evil deities, though he holds particularly strong ties to the twins Jaz’Kary and Kaz’Jary. He has a strong hatred of Mortinessa and the goblinoid deities for the unnecessary suffering they delight in bringing to animals and humanoids alike.

ARDEN’S CLERGY

            Services to Arden are always held outdoors, around trees whenever possible. Songs and sermons are either loud and joyous or whispered and secretive. All natural animals are always welcome in his temples. Arden’s worshippers tend to be a physically active lot and enjoy a hard day’s work and a hard day’s play. Often few in number and scattered, they strive hard to keep in contact with each other and tend to form stronger bonds than most worshippers of other deities. Arden’s clergy often assist with keeping everyone in contact and aid in calling everyone together should the need arise.

            Arden has charged his clergy with loving to live and to help keep the balance with nature. Let all who treat nature respectively and not abuse animals or each other relish in the joys of life and nature. Let those who abuse nature or one another be slain swiftly so that balance and joy may return to all. Always keep your eyes open for the hidden joys of the wilds and guard safe any secrets entrusted to you.

            Arden’s temples are rarely located inside of cities or villages. Instead, they are often on the fringes of such gatherings or in remote, natural areas. As a result, his temples often serve as welcome resting places for adventurers and/or rangers, allowing them to restock and hear of any big events in neighboring areas.

            Arden’s clergy are at home in the wilds as much as any ranger, being able to track and forage safely in almost any environment. Making great use of the deity’s preference of ranged weapons, Arden’s clergy train heavily with them.

            Through their training, all Arden’s clerics find an affinity for one common animal. As part of graduation, they name this animal. From that moment onward, any member of that animal will not attack the cleric unless threatened. If the cleric manages to befriend one, then Arden (through dreams) will show the cleric how they may train their new companion so that it may serve the cleric better. Any animal so trained will be completely loyal to the cleric and will only leave them if the cleric demands it, abuses it, or falls out of Arden’s favor.

            Arden’s clerics have been known to work closely with any non-evil druid that resides in a nearby area, helping to ensure that any close humanoid settlements do not have a major negative effect on the natural areas near the settlement, especially the druid’s chosen area.

KAZ’JARY

            Kaz’Jary and his twin brother, Jaz’ Kary, are the masters of the unseen arts. While Jaz’Kary mastered the external, mystical arts, Kaz’Jary mastered the internal arts and all powers that can be derived from the body and mind (psionics and martial arts).

            Being twins, Kaz’Jary and Jaz’Kary are physically similar. Both appear as human males in their mid-twenties with black hair, blue eyes and tanned skin. They also each sport identical silver rings with runes worn on the right hand. They have both said that the rings once belonged to their parents, though who they were (are?) or what the rings specifically do remains a mystery. When traveling, Kaz’Jary is known to take the form or an experienced traveler, a hunted youth, or an animal-friendly child. In any of these guises Jaz’Kary is always present as an animal pet/protector.

          While these two are twins, they are not identical. Slightly smaller in height, Kaz’Jary’s body is more toned than his brother’s due to his rigorous training. He prefers to wear only a plain pair of leather shorts in colors pleasing to him, rarely wearing anything else. Though preferring unarmed combat, he keeps a pair of sais and nunchucks on him at all times. 

          Kaz’Jary’s primary concern is ensuring that the knowledge of the arts of the mind and body are safely stored and that as many talented beings as possible are trained in the ways. Not many possess the physical and mental fortitude required, and of those few possess the discipline needed to achieve any level of power within these trainings. Of those even fewer still possess the willingness to devote one’s life to the rigid lifestyle needed to achieve mastery. As such, he and his followers are constantly on the lookout for any talented youths to train.

         Kaz’Jary can almost always be found at his brother’s side. The two even reside together, sharing a fortress with a tower in the center of it. Even tending to their followers, the two are rarely apart. Most of their time not spent in training or tending to followers is spent in endless searching of how to further their crafts or perfecting the skills they have. Funnily enough, they do have a reputation among the gods as being quite the partiers on the occasions they allow themselves the time for revelries.

            Outside of his brother, he has no real allies or enemies within the deities. As part of the Neutral pantheon they are always ready to act as directed by Staryn, trusting to his judgements on when and how the Neutral deities need to get involved.

KAZ’JARY’S CLERGY

            Services to Kaz’Jary are quiet, contemplative occasions, often involving stretching and mind exercises. When sermons or songs are used, they are about the special bonds one can form with anyone, the power that can be harnessed from within and the need to celebrate all success no matter how small for these add up to the larger successes. 

           Kaz’Jary has high expectations from all of his worshippers, demanding that they train mentally and physically until they can keep pace with psionics and/or monks. As a result, he has very few worshippers outside of monks, psionics and those close to them. He is always trying to increase their numbers but not at the risk of lowering his expectations. It is by demanding these expectations that ensures the continuation of those able to train in the arts of the mind and body.

            For many reasons, Kaz’Jary and Jaz’kary share their temples. Each temple will always have a small number of clerics with at least one high priest to each, a monk trainer, a psionic trainer, and a magic-user trainer. These temples are rarely in any place larger than villages, most being in out of the way or hard to reach places. The only known exception to this is the temple in the capital city of Gateway, which flourishes within that city. Almost all temple-trained clergy come from this temple.

            Most clerics (about 90%) are trained by adventuring clerics while they are out adventuring, often being handed from one cleric to another as they pass through the trainee’s village/city. The pilgrimage to one of the temples is a typical early test for most clerics upon reaching the rank of priest.

            Clerics to Kaz’Jary are separated into two equal factions. At the beginning of their training they choose a path – either body or mind. From there, they are charged with mastering their path, teaching as many as they can, converting any worthy beings when possible, assisting the faithful, and finding time for fun at least once every month.

            Those who choose the path of the body go through rigorous physical training. These follow the ways of monks and martial artists. They are responsible for ensuring that these teachings are never completely lost on Eridia.

            Those that choose the path of the mind go through rigorous mental training. These clerics are blessed with the ability to gain psionics. They are responsible for ensuring that psionics are never completely destroyed on Eridia.

JAZ’KARY

            Jaz’Kary and his twin brother, Kaz’Jary, are the masters of the unseen arts. While Kaz’Jary mastered the powers of the body and mind, Jaz’Kary mastered the mystic powers of the universe.

            Being twins, Kaz’Jary and Jaz’Kary are physically similar. Both appear as human males in their mid-twenties with black hair, blue eyes and tanned skin. They also each sport identical silver rings with runes worn on the right hand. They have both said that the rings once belonged to their parents, though who they were (are?) or what the rings specifically do remains a mystery. When traveling, Kaz’Jary is known to take the form or an experienced traveler, a hunted youth, or an animal-friendly child. In any of these guises Jaz’Kary is always present as an animal pet/protector.

          While these two are twins, they are not identical. Though slightly taller in height, Jaz’Kary’s body is not as toned as his brother’s. Jaz’Kary prefers to wear robes in colors pleasing to him and always sports a rod, staff, or wand easily visible to all. In combat, Jaz’Kary wears a dark purple robe covered in golden runes that none today can recognize. His staff is a burnt staff likewise covered in runes, though these continuously shift and change. 

            As the undisputed arch-mage of the deities, Jaz’Kary concerns himself mostly with the expansion and continued use of magic. Anytime a new spell is created, a copy of it immediately appears in his spell books. Should he find the new spell amusing or pleasing, he has been known to leave a small reward for the creator. He believes in the right that any claw, hand, or will that would reach to use magic is welcome to do so. He prefers to leave situations where magic is being used to one extreme or another to the champions of law/chaos and good/evil to dispute, though he has been known to send in his clergy (or even an avatar) if magic’s use is suddenly being restricted or forbidden on a large scale.

            Jaz’Kary can almost always be found at his brother’s side. The two even reside together, sharing a fortress with a tower in the center of it. Even tending to their followers, the two are rarely apart. Most of their time not spent in training or tending to followers is spent in endless searching of how to further their crafts or perfecting the skills they have. Funnily enough, they do have a reputation among the gods as being quite the partiers on the occasions they allow themselves the time for revelries.

Outside of his brother, he has no real allies or enemies within the deities. As part of the Neutral pantheon they are always ready to act as directed by Staryn, trusting to his judgements on when and how the Neutral deities need to get involved.

JAZ’KARY’S CLERGY

            Services to Jaz’Kary often include incense candles with light scents, arcane chantings, and readings from noted researchers on magical works. When sermons or songs are used they are about the special bonds one can form with anyone, the joys of magic and all its workings and the need to celebrate all success no matter how small for these add up to the larger successes.

            Few beings outside of magic-users worship Jaz’Kary though many will give him offerings in hopes of gaining a magical boon or in warding off baneful magics. While he is always eager to add to his worshippers, few mortals can be around so many magic-users without either feeling magic’s call or being too intimidated by its practitioners.

            For many reasons, not the least of which is lack of followers, Kaz’Jary and Jaz’kary share their temples. Each temple will always have a small number of clerics with at least one high priest to each, a monk trainer, a psionic trainer, and a magic-user trainer. These temples are rarely in any place larger than villages, most being in out of the way or hard to reach places. The only known exception to this is the temple in the capital city of Gateway, which flourishes within that city. Almost all temple-trained clergy come from this temple.

            Clerics to Jaz’Kary are given a complicatedly simple task – ensure magic’s continued use. For this reason, his clerics are divided into three groups according to good/neutral/evil aspect of their alignment. Each is responsible for ensuring that their alignment’s followers are exposed to the wonders of magic of every kind and have access to training. 

            Each alignment group has a head high priest who collaboratively lead the priesthood. To ensure the priesthood is meeting Jaz’Kary’s expectations, these three often travel secretively throughout Eridia, though always together. It is forbidden for any cleric of Jaz’Kary’s or any magic-user (regardless of deity) to use magic to bring harm to these three in any way. Any who break this rule have their magic stripped from them – forever. Only Jaz’Kary himself can restore their ability to cast spells. So far, he has destroyed all those who have made that request.

ERIDIA’S HISTORY OVERVIEW

            No records from the first three ages have ever been found. What little we do know was taught to us by the gods. From them we have learned this…

           It is believed that Eridia was first brought into existence at the dawn of time by The Creator. Whether the unintelligent plant and animal life developed on its own or were part of the creator deities’ experiments is open to debate, but what is known is that of all of Eridia’s numerous intelligent life forms it was the giants and the dragons that appeared first.

          Since most of their history before humanoids went largely unrecorded (or, as many suspect, is jealously guarded) it is unknown how long they went as the dominant races on the planet. Since both races adamantly accuse the other, it is also unknown just how and why the war between them started. The dragons claim the giants grew jealous of their wealth and power and sought to destroy them. Giants claim the dragons grew jealous of their cities, crafts and power and sought to destroy them. Whatever the cause, the two have been at war ever since. As the gods have confirmed, it was during one of the lulls in these conflicts that a great meteor shower rained down across all of Eridia. It was in this manner that, created in the image of their deities, that the first humanoids came to walk Eridia – elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings and man. Each of these races was born from deities embodying one of the balancing forces.

            The giants and dragons openly admit that they noticed these new races about as much as we might notice a new race of ants. Many believe that the war between them would most likely have inadvertently destroyed some, if not all, of these new races. But suddenly, they were gone. It is still unsure where they went or why, but all giants and dragons suddenly vanished from Eridia. Believing they’d destroyed each other, the humanoids began to learn, thrive and build their civilizations, starting the first recorded age – the Age of Life. Having witnessed what happened between the giants and dragons, each race also swore off war and everything to do with it.

          Elves are the children of the deities of life. Stepping out of the trees of the forests, they instinctively knew the value and importance of living as one with nature and developed their society around this belief. As a reward, the deities of life blessed them with immortality. This allowed the elves to relish in everything and never feel rushed to learn, grow, build or change. Each individual life was held sacred and always encouraged to be what it felt it was born to be.

         As the children of the deities of law, dwarves sought to bring understanding to everything around them. Through this understanding, one learns exactly what everything is meant to be/used for – which means any deviation from this is foolish. Their society is just as orderly, with everyone knowing exactly what they should be doing so that the race as a whole may flourish. To aid them, by dreams and avatars, the deities of law led them to tools and talents that help them to bring order to the world around them.

       Not surprisingly, halflings are the children to the deities of good. Wanting nothing more than to live off the land, love, laugh, and enjoy themselves, the original halflings were born without a violent thought or bone in their bodies. They were blessed with the ability to know how to live without ever taking life, foraging and farming coming instinctively to them. They immediately started to take care of each other and their gnomish friends.

       Of the humanoid races, only the gnomes and halflings started near each other and so knew of each other. As the children of balance, gnomes love activities that require both law and chaos. Could anything lend itself more to this love than inventing? Gnomes would tell you no. Blessed with a friendly neighbor race, gnomes set about inventing tools that would make their and the halflings’ lives easier/more enjoyable.

      As the children of time, man was given a lifespan of infinite possibilities. Being able to appreciate the concept of death and thus place value on their lives, man was given a need to make the most out of every moment. In addition to this, they were given no predisposition, allowing them to truly become anything they wished and giving the deities of time the joy (?) of seeing what they would choose to become as a whole.

     For at least several centuries (many historians suspect much longer) the humanoids enjoyed this peaceful time. Eventually, gnomish and elvish explorers would discover the other races. As they learned to communicate with one another trade developed, with each race marveling at the accomplishments of the others. Friendly competitions of crafts and hunting would be held between them and great celebrations were enjoyed by all. Written history began during this time, as elves and dwarves started to record events. As time passed the other races began to value the need to pass down knowledge and so developed their own written language and started their histories.

    The first cities were also built during this time. It is the only time in known history that artisans from all five of these races came together to build entire cities. On the edge of a forest, Nevoreen was built for the elves. On a mountainside, Mandorsteel was built for the dwarves. On a hilltop was built Bandoring for the gnomes and halflings. In the middle of a great plain was built Arendor for man. Each city is said to have been breathtaking to behold and a perfect home for the race it was built for. Everything was going perfectly but perfection never lasts…

   Unknown to all, the children of the deities of the other side of the balancing forces had been living underground and being taught the ways of war. Content in their power, the time to strike had come and the Age of Loss began. 

   The children of chaos, the orcs, emerged from a swamp cave and destroyed an elvish trading village, a human farming community and a halfling/gnomish settlement before they were discovered. The children of evil, kobolds, and the children if imbalance, goblins, swarmed up through mountain caves and overran two dwarvish clans. All who survived the attacks of these races were enslaved to be beaten, raped, tortured and/or slain at any time. Not surprisingly, the first half-orcs were born during this time. The peaceful races tried to talk to them, only to have all emissaries sent to them captured, raped, tortured and eaten. Realizing they had little choice, the dwarves, men, gnomes and halflings made ready for war. The elves, as children of life, fell into civil disorder as they debated the sanctity of life vs preservation. 

     Even after the elves finally joined in the battle, over several decades the peaceful races were slowly driven into their cities. Though the peaceful races had superior magic talents, the goblinoid races (as they’d been dubbed) had a major military tactics and training advantage. Fortunately, while the goblinoids were far more advanced in their fighting tactics, siege tactics were very new to all the races. The sturdy, dwarven-built walls meant to shield against nature proved to be equally effective against the goblinoids. With mages, archers and gnomish machines now defending them, the goblinoids had no way to get through the cities’ defenses. While this allowed the peaceful races the time to catch up on their military training, this also allowed the goblinoids to reach such massive numbers that many didn’t believe were beatable.

    Then the dragons and giants returned.

    Having never witnessed the wars between these two races, the goblinoids were caught off guard by the immense destructive capability of these races. Unfortunately, the dragons and giants also seemed to seriously underestimate the effectiveness of the sheer numbers of the goblinoids. Perhaps worst of all, the peaceful races, believing that none of these races were or could be allies, never attempted to aid anyone. This led to battles between all sides, all the while Eridia was being ravaged on a massive scale. Magical and military secrets were being stolen and used by every race without thought to what was being wrought. It was only because every race was forced to the brink of extinction that the war finally came to an end. An uneasy truce was signed by the leaders of each race, even the giants and dragons. The time of The Great Divide began.

     Most humanoid historians and clergy agree the gods hint that The Great Divide lasted roughly 1500 years. What few records have been found agree that each race settled into recovery mode, each one staking a claim in the terrains that they are now known to mostly inhabit. Since even the land and animals needed to recover, it would take many centuries for the races to slowly build up their numbers. The first druids and rangers emerged during this time. The long time also allowed for further mastery of the races’ normal skills as well as experimentation with those skills they’d learned from the other races. Sadly, the elves, having been stripped of their immortality for taking the lives of intelligent creatures, had an especially hard road to recovery. Many tried to aid them as best they could. The first half-elves were born during this time. The powers of evil also made good use of this time and slowly worked their way into the hearts of the peaceful races, causing racial tensions to form between them for the first time.

     Before this time, the deities had few real clerics and mostly operated through signs, omens and dreams. Unfortunately, the powers of evil also succeeded in leading many to start worshipping them instead of the goodly powers. Thus, the deities on all sides started to develop their clergy, have temples built, and became more actively involved in the affairs of the mortals. Sadly, this only led to further divides between the races, causing each to withdraw into their own areas – and also set the stage for the Kin Wars.

     As evil factions grew in power and numbers within each race, soon all the goodly races found themselves in civil wars. Fortunately, the goblinoid races also found themselves involved in new wars. In an effort to gain power, goblinoids and evil humanoids had begun magical experiments with dragon and giant blood. All attempts failed with the resulting creatures cast out to fend for themselves. Some proved capable of breeding true and their creators were quick to enslave them. These experiments had inadvertently given rise to the giant-class humanoids, most notably gnolls, ogres, trolls, and minotaurs. These races were in open rebellion and now sought their own lands and to further their own power. For over two centuries the Kin Wars raged. Toward the end of the Kin Wars, the evil deities introduced new “allies” to the mortals – demons and devils. At first the goodly deities gave members of each race angelic blood to combat the fiends but soon needed to send in the angels themselves to aid in the battle.

    When the Kin Wars finally ended, the giant-class humanoids had claimed lands for themselves and the goodly races had been changed forever. Only man had managed to allow for the existence of both evil and goodly citizens and deities. The evil elves had been beaten and driven into the Underdark, where it was believed they’d be destroyed by the powerful denizens that lived there. Evil dwarves, gnomes and halflings were defeated and agreed to return to their goodly roots. Yet the influence of evil had touched them so deeply that a new god/goddess had risen within their pantheons representing these urges and the need to keep them from overwhelming themselves again.

    Sadly, each of the original cities had been lost as the powers of evil targeted them to cause panic and division within the races. A circle of evil elves ringed Nevoreen and sacrificed themselves to send it to another dimension. Mandorsteel was buried in an avalanche caused by summoned demons, who then teleported the whole mountain to some unknown location. Orcish shamen summoned a vast swamp around Bandoring then returned the swamp, with the city inside, to wherever it’d come from. Lastly, Arendor was launched into the sky by a powerful arch-devil, Baalzebul, never to be seen again.

    Roughly the next 2000 years are known as the Age of Discovery. Every race took this time to establish cities, even kingdoms, as they strove to establish homelands and enduring societies. As they did so, trade slowly developed between all of them. Contact with sea-dwelling races allowed for further trade, exploration and expansion as well. The first half-ogres were born during this age. The first specialist magic-users rose during this time as well as the first recorded thieves’ and assassins’ guilds. Many specialty trades and talents were started during this time as the races gained better knowledge and understanding of the world around them and all of its lifeforms. Life on Eridia was good. Unknown to any of them, life in the heavens was hell – and the Time of Madness was at hand.

    Cast out of their homes by some powerful deity for crimes unknown, the then current pantheons found themselves struck down, becoming mortals, and banished to Eridia for almost 1000 years. While here, they used any means necessary to kill one another. In fact, many believe that’s why they “came here.” The first intelligent undead appeared during this time. The first surface raids by dark elves and ash dwarves happened during this age. Gratefully, the deities’ battles were mostly personal affairs, (though some wars did break out), otherwise the surface races would have been hard pressed to repel the Underdark invaders. Sadly, many places of learning were badly damaged or destroyed so most records of this age and before were either lost or destroyed during the Time of Madness. When it ended, the now known deities, claiming success, returned to the outer planes. It’s believed at this time that Gades became the first known mortal to ascend to become a deity.

     So began the Age of Rites. During this age, the new deities solidified their priesthoods, gained the faith of their racial followers and made sure all knew of their expectations. During this time, the first known paladins appeared. The neutral deities also taught mortals of the existence and set up of the planes of existence, allowing for the first explorations from these planes by Eridia’s inhabitants, as well as leading to numerous new summoning spells. This lasted for roughly 1000 years.

    The Age of Rites gave way to the Golden Age, which lasted around 3000 years. During this time, all the races flourished, reaching the greatest heights of their power at almost exactly the same time. Even the goblinoids and giant-class humanoids flourished, using constant skirmishes between their numerous tribes to appease both their natural aggressive tendencies and the demands of their warlike deities. Extensive research, both scientifically and magically, was achieved during this time. The greatest known artisans, philosophers and wielders of magic lived during this age. It’s said that many artifacts and future relics were crafted during this time as the mastery to both craft and enchant the items were finally achieved. All of this was suddenly and violently shattered.

   In the beginning, the dangers and powers of the denizens of the other planes were treated very seriously by all races. But as mastery over the summoning of the inner-planar beings, mostly elementals and genies, was attained, many magic-users assumed the outer-planar beings could be tamed and controlled in the same manner. At first, this led to cheerful reunions with some of the angels that had helped to defend the mortals. It didn’t take long before evil mortals were out to summon and control the demons and devils. In their arrogance, they rushed to summon the stronger denizens whose names were recorded. As these powerful beings broke free of their summoners, they began summoning more of their kind to Eridia, forming powerful bands of fiends. The Age of Destruction began.

    At first, the mortal races called on the deities for the angels' aid again, but the deities said they needed to clean up their own mess and that it was well within their power to do so. Unfortunately, this led many races, especially (ironically) the evil ones, to start blaming each other for the situation. As a result, racial tensions again ran high and wars broke out while the bands of fiends continued their reign of terror. Fortunately, the bands targeted even the giants and dragons. While neither race allied with any other, they did defend themselves with brutal efficiency. Refusing to be kept a secret any longer, grey elves, long thought extinct with the other races given angelic blood, emerged from the shadows to aid Eridia’s defenders.

   It would take roughly 1000 years for the mortal races to fully defeat the various bands of demons and devils that formed from summoners’ follies. The fiends’ ability to gate in powerful reinforcements proved catastrophic for Eridia's armies, for if even one fiend survived and got away then it meant a new band appeared within a week to continue terrorizing everyone. During that time, a greater understanding of the powers these creatures wield was learned firsthand. Numerous cities were destroyed, whole clans wiped out, and several kingdoms were either fractured or destroyed before the fiends were defeated. The most tragic of all, all trolls were robbed of their intelligence, becoming mindless, regenerating monsters.

   The Age of Destruction has given way to the Age of Possibility. Humanoids with strange new powers, causing some to believe in unions of races originally thought impossible, may have occurred. Adventuring bands have no shortage of lost or destroyed places of power to explore and re-discover what's there. The sages claim that the races will never be the same after this age...

AGE SUMMARY (APPROX. YEARS LASTED)

The Beginning (unknown)

Age of Life (unknown)

Age of Loss (100 years)

The Great Divide (1500 years)

Kin Wars (200 years)

Age of Discovery (2000 years)

Time of Madness (1000 years)

Age of Rites (1000 years)

Golden Age (3000 years)

Age of Destruction (1000 years)

Age of Possibility (current age)