Prelude

<Previous sections omitted>... We remember that year — which was just a few years before the start of a new century — as being the first of the era of chaos. Although that year was no different than any other in recorded history, the "prelude" to the disaster that was to come was already before us. We could not have been prepared, even had we known what to expect...

In Aden, the kingdom of Humans, the priests of the god of light gathered at the great Temple of Oren. All of them said they had already dreamt the nightmare that foresaw the ominous future. Some of them said it was a revelation of the gods, others that it was the delusion of evil spirits, but everyone was united in their feelings of insecurity. In an effort to deal with that lack of confidence, the morose gathering decided to recover the trust between the races that had been cast aside for so long and dispatched an envoy to the leader of each of the races.

In the forest of the Elves that shimmered with an emerald light, it is difficult to imagine how severe the shock, when the Elves discovered that the World Tree — the mother of all the forest, had started to die. This beautiful forest race gathered up the curtains along the boundary that had hidden them for so long and sent many of their young to the kingdom of the Humans to find a way to save the World Tree.

Although it was revealed to late, there is no doubt that at least some of the Dark Elves already knew the truth that could only be told under one's breath until now — which was the secret surrounding their goddess. As soon as the Human priests gathered at Oren Castle, their countenances revealed that they had already received the Revelation that prophesied the "dark fate that was to come."

The Orcs that know no feat were no less troubled about the winter that was to come, not knowing whether spring would follow. Pa'agrio, Lord Kakai of the Orcs sent his envoys to unify the Orcs, who had separated into various factions in preparation for the "eternal winter."

It is uncertain what the Dwarves were doing at the time. There are those that say they would have just pressed on with their business without knowing anything of the situation. But that would only profane the business acumen of the Dwarves. This is just a guess, but that tribe of the land, so eager to possess the forgotten knowledge of the titans, excavated the "Maphr Table" that had hidden the traces of that civilization for thousands of years, and were believed to discern the beginnings of absolute geometry.

Now in the year of the "prelude" that no one would name, the brave men of each race joined forces. Although hostile to one another, they fought harder still in opposition to the despair that was to come. These heroes achieved many small victories in succession, even as they bowed to a foreboding of the dark fate that awaited them.

Hindemith, writer of Dasparion (student of Hardin),
Year of the Empire 1640