Post by Cat on Dec 5, 2009 15:15:01 GMT -8
A long, long time ago…in a galaxy far away. Yes, I’m being serious. Sort of. –ahem-
There was a world known as Krona. The world was rife with magic, full of lands populated by fantastical creatures. These creatures lived apart from one another, separated by mountains and seas. Most did not even know that creatures other than themselves and the animals they hunted existed. The most magical of these lands was a forest called Illinor. Unlike most of Krona, Illinor was known to a variety of a species called fae. These fae existed together, part of the forest itself. The magic of the land pulsed through all of them.
Illinor was loosely governed by two courts; the Seelie and Unseelie. The first governed summer and the light while the latter governed winter and the dark. Both courts were ruled by faeries, considered to be the most magical of the fae. The elves were in charge of keeping knowledge. They were storytellers and scribes, keepers of sacred libraries and inventors of the written word. Muses were entertainers; mischievous things, but fun loving and sweet when they wanted to be. Changelings were rarely seen in court, preferring to stay hidden in the wilderness.
Thousands of years ago, war broke out between the two courts. Death reigned over the forest like never before. The forest grew sad as the rivers froze and plants bloomed out of season. There were earthquakes and tornados ravaging the land. This war lasted 600 years, an insignificant amount time to the ancient fae. Then, Queen Rina of the Unseelie court met with the Seelie King and a truce was made. Both sides agreed that balance and peace must be brought to the forest. The two courts merged into one High Council. The peace treaty is kept by the elves in the Council Library.
According to the treaty, the forest will undergo three months of each of the four seasons. During Winter and Fall, the days will darken sooner and grow light later. During summer, the days will start sooner and last longer. The treaty also includes a code of honor that requires fae to always tell the truth. Lying may be punished by exile. Balance and peace were once more restored to the forest. The land healed and grew back stronger than ever before. The fae rejoiced. Illinor was alive with dance and song. Even the trees joined.
At some point during this peace, the shifters came. Nobody knows where they came from. The fae were intrigued with their ability to change forms. There were sprites, elemental creatures whose true forms could be as insubstantial as the element they were gifted with. There were celestials, who claimed they fell from the heavens. There were hunters who could, in their true forms, shift the very bones of their body into useful tools. Finally, there were the werebeasts. This group seemed to lead the others. They were cursed by Mother Moon, forced to take on an animal shape whenever she was full.
The fae welcomed such interesting creatures with open arms. The alpha wolf that seemed to be in charge was given a place to sit at the Council, though he could only speak and not vote. The fae wished to know the opinions of his people, but they did not trust outsider to understand the balance of the forest. The records regarding the arrival and growth of the shifters is vague at best. The elves believe that they came from nearby islands, though they could not say how this was done. At this time, ships did not exist. The shifters were considered to be a delightful mystery.
400 years ago, a rift in space shook Illinor…
It appeared in the Crystal Caves, to the far west of Illinor. From this tear the daemons came. There were not many of them. In fact, they seemed to trickle in by accident. Upon arrival, they would be dazed and confused. Some lost their memories. Upon arrival they began to age, a thing that never happened where they were from. Mortality came as a great surprise to them, though they still lived roughly to the age of 800 years. The rift stayed open for fifty years before it vanished. Nobody knows why and nobody knows how.
The fae found the daemons wandering around. Like the shifters, these creatures were interesting. Some were evil and chaotic while others were benevolent and pure. As they did with the shifters, the fae allowed them to have a single representative among the council. The wisdom of these ancient creatures soon earned the respect of the fae. The three species got along wonderful, each doing their part to help the others. The balanced remained intact even with the chaos brought by the daemons. As long as the fae laws were being followed and the forest was thriving, all was right.
Mostly, the daemons preferred to keep to themselves anyway. As long as the fae and the shifters let them be, they returned the courtesy. It was an easy truce. Breaking fae laws did result in exile, so the more chaotic of the daemons were forced to leave. This was rare, though. Chaos was a natural part of nature and the Unseelie had taken measures to ensure that the laws regarding chaos were vague at best. It was part of the balance. The shifters and daemon were not part of the fae’s code of honor anyway.
100 years ago, strange clouds were seen along the coast (yes, it’s a Disney reference)...
The forest dwellers had never seen a ship before. Strange things made of wood, propelled by wind. It was later discovered that the clouds they saw were called “sails.” Interesting word for interesting people. Their shapes were familiar enough. It was the same shape the shifters wore when they were not using magic. The strange thing about these newcomers was their lack of magic. They seemed awed by Illinor, frightened even. The fae did not want to seem inhospitable. They did what they could to make these mortals feel at home.
The fae were shocked by the miniscule lifespan these new creatures possessed. Some thought they were simply a new kind of animal. Others said no; their consciousness was too great. In the end, the mortals, too, were allowed to have a representative on the council. The fae got to work teaching these newcomers about the balance and the magic of the forest. For some reason, the mortals seemed to find life in the forest difficult. Their mannerisms horrified the fae, but they continued to teach for the humans proved to be enthusiastic students.
The mortals believed they needed things; roads and houses, shops, and a castle. The fae did not understand what these things were, but if the mortals needed it then such things would be granted. The forest dwellers were horrified when the forest began to die, pained by the way the mortals so cruelly cut and burned them. Animals fled lest they suffer the same fate. All of the forest touched by the humans died. A meeting was called. This torture had to stop. Every tree killed, ever bush, every animal had a spirit.
This cruelty was hurting the fae. The humans did not understand the balance. To continue this destruction was to bring doom to all of them. The meeting went well. The barbarians agreed to stop in return for help from the fae. Things would be peaceful again and the forest would sigh with relief. The mortals were barbarians to be sure, but their ignorance was not their fault. It was hard to teach them about the future when they lived such short lives. The fae pitied the mortals, which seemed like naïve children. They did not mind teaching such an inquisitive species.
50 years ago the unthinkable happened…
Betrayal slithered its way into the heart of the forest. The mortals sent a messenger into the Fae High Council. Their peaceful truce was finished. All this time, the mortals had been secretly looking for a way to harness fae magic. They succeeded using fae blood combined with artifacts crafted by their own hands. To make things worse, the mortals now had a weapon that could sap the strength from the fae. It was an unnatural kind of metal that burned their skin in horrid ways. The fae watched, numb with shock, as the mortals began to burn the forest once again.
The forest dwellers were called evil. Mortal children were taught to fear them, to hate them with a surprising passion. These creatures were capable of such hate! The fae were surprised by their corruption. Alas, it was a contagious disease. As the fae spoke of war their own ideals began to disintegrate as well. Their home was dying and they would die with it. All that mattered was getting rid of these wicked, cruel creatures. Honor be damned! This was war in the name of the sacred balance! They would do whatever was needed to succeed.
The mortals could build their cities and their walls, but they would not go unpunished. The forest itself would be their enemy. Illinor grew dark and dangerous. The fae became more bitter and more cunning than ever before. The daemons remained neutral. This was not their war unless someone made it their war. The fae accepted this without complaint. The daemons lived in the forest, but it was the fae who were a part of it. The daemons did, at least, offer shelter and information to the fae. Neutral as they were, they did retain a sense of loyalty to the forest.
The mortals did not trust the daemons anyway. In fact, the natural fear they felt towards the daemons ran even deeper than it did with the other two species. They believed all daemons to be evil, monstrous creatures. For the most part, the daemons were okay with that stigma. It kept the humans out of their way. They cared very little for this war and wished only to be left out. Mortals were pathetic little things, though. The daemons actually respected the fae. If it DID come down to taking sides, there would be no contest.
10 years ago, the shifters finally chose a side…
The alpha decided to move into the mortal human city. The forest was a formidable enemy, but the mortals had numbers on their side. With the advantage of their new weapons against the fae and their known cruelty and ruthlessness, it is speculated that the shifters feared what would happen to them when the mortals won. The shifters found it easy to integrate into mortal society since they themselves had a mortal form. The shifter alpha met the with mortal king and a truce was made. Many are quick to call shifters the crown’s lapdogs.
The fae were astounded by this turn of events. The shifters were their oldest friends. The fae had no idea that the shifters were such cowards. The daemons, also, lost respect for them but on a smaller level. Other than the fae, daemons don’t actually respect much. The shifters could do what they wished. Even so, it made them smirk to see them turn tail and join the enemy just because it was safer. The decision left the shifters utterly alone. They were distrusted by their old friends and looked down upon by their new allies.
There are rumors, however, that the alpha had a reason for such a move. The rumors are not wide spread but they do exist. Pure speculation, most say. Many of the bitter shifters do not believe them. There are some, however, some of the more respected shifters who only smile when the rumors are brought up. Nobody knows anything for sure. So far the shifters have served their allies well. They fight for the mortals, spy for the mortals, and live behind the walls like mortals. Many pretend they’re completely human. Some lash out, angered by the decision of their leaders.
