Record 002: CONFLICT

[The Rising Dragon]

“Mankind was not born equal. Some of us are smarter, others are strongers, yet others greater at leading men! Others are born into inferiority, weak of body. Weak of mind. Listless, and untalented. All men are different. Our very existence discriminates us. This is what history has always shown us, with its unending story of unrest and war and violence.”

- Aurinar Stamarin, 5th Emperor of the Holy Empire of Stamaria

CONFLICT

The Primals stepped back from their work, which brimmed with their magnificent power, the power of magic. They watched as the first sentients stepped out into their world and made it their home. They watched as they discovered the powers that lay all around them and bent it to their will, to create the kingdoms of the world. The mortals of Ymaggion sought out the source of this mysterious power, tracing it back to key locations throughout their new world. The lines of power that permeated Ymaggion gathered together in seven different locations, each of them unique in their signature. Here, the sentients of the world built magnificent structures designed to harness and radiate this power throughout the lands. The first Temples of Power were constructed in honor of the unseen Primals, and an era of magic began. Through the ingenuity of the sentients and the power of magic at their command, the first kingdoms rose up. Borders were created, and wars were fought.

The world, and by extension the universe that kept it, had begun to change. Now filled with life, even the chaos outside of creation had been affected in profound ways. And from it, new beings emerged. These entities were different from the Primals, less elemental substance and more specialized mixture, creatures with more cultivated minds. Though weaker than the seven entities that shaped the universe, these denizens were more numerous, and within time, their power had reached out Ymaggion, further influencing the world as it evolved. As they placed their avatars on the world, the people of Ymaggion learned from them, developed their power as civilization grew. They soon sought to gain the favor of these beings, and declared them to be gods as they continued to permeate the world, spreading about their own magic. The old ways were thrown out of balance, and the energies of the Temples of Power waned in their purpose.

The Primals, forced away by the presence of these new gods, instead chose not to intervene—surely, to strike out at these interlopers would surely bring ruination to the world. And so they stepped back from their creation, leaving only the most subtle traces of their machinations in the world. Let the people choose, they decided. And so they watched as the world began to change once more. The gods were closer to the sentients in nature than they were to the Primals that came before them, and thus more prone to the emotional outbursts and the failings of man. They were argumentative and prideful, often scheming against one another and battling against one another. Their machinations ignited the greatest conflicts of their era as the Primals observed them. A time of great strife was coming.

The wars fought between the gods and the sentients that served them began to take their toll as they grew more and more outrageous. Beasts twisted by magical energies began to appear across the world. Great monsters constructed through elemental means fought against one another as man died beneath them in great battles. A darkness had begun to spread across the land, and it seemed that it would go on forever. The world needed to change once more, and disgusted by the petty differences of the Old Gods, the sentients of Ymaggion turned their backs on them and left them behind time went on. Magic was a thing of the past, and was too buried with the gods. Instead, the sentients turned to machines and technology, making science their new life. Slowly, they rebuilt their world, using their own power, instead of that borrowed from the forgotten Primals and the Old Gods.

Wondrous things were created throughout the world of Ymaggion. Sprawling new cities of metal and glass were found throughout the world, their buildings stretching forth towards the sky. Constructs on wheels and rails took people from one end of a continent to the other in only a matter of days, when travel on foot would have taken them months. Machines that could fly through the air faster than birds and dragons could be seen in the skies, transporting precious cargo across the vast oceans. Even the fiercest climates of the northern wastes and the frozen continent at the ends of Ymaggion were tamed. Medicines to cure once deadly diseases helped people evolve, increasing their lifespans and letting scores more people survive in the world. It was a new renaissance, as people created a wondrous new system that would only further the accomplishments of man.

But for all of the technological wonders they had created, the people had not changed. Their nature remained the same for centuries, and like all other eras before it, the world bore witness to the wars of man. New and terrible weapons were created, and fielded in battle, causing devastation not seen by even the most powerful of magical spells. Machines aided them in battle, providing an edge in warfare against those unfortunate to not have the proper countermeasures. Wars only escalated, and peace was forgotten. Soon, the world would be changed once more, in the form of a terrible catastrophe.