Sheara's Arrival

So much time had passed… Faeo had been scorched by fire and was nothing more than a battlefield, an arena, steeped in blood. But the world’s divine roots meant its fathers could not simply abandon it with indifference. Civil war was not a time for contemplation. When the broken and powerless Faeo was further weakened by the magic of a powerful weapon, allowing external enemies to move ever closer to the membrane which protected the world and endanger all that lived there, the threat became very real and the Gods had no choice. Alarmed by the future fate of their creation, they took the decision to send a missionary, an envoy, to Faeo to show its inhabitants the way to salvation. Sheara, Mistress of Dragons was the chosen envoy.
The heiress of A’Aron the Just, Sheara, so delicate and fragile to look at, was the possessor of huge internal power, allowing her to command colossal beasts, such as dragons. The fire-breathing lizards became as meek as lambs when she raised her hands up high and ordered them to appear before her.
It was not the first time that the Mistress of Dragons had been chosen as an envoy of the Gods and sent on a long journey of salvation. And Faeo would not be the first time she summoned her servants, the dragons, to come to the aid of wayward souls and punish the guilty. The story of Toulloir, where the inhabitants were so sure of their superiority over all else that they planned to overthrow the Gods, is one such example of her work. Their plans were never realised. The Gods uncovered the plot to overthrow the higher powers and sent a punishment expedition, led by Sheara and her dragons, to Toulloir. The world’s fate was written in the stars. Once she had cleansed it of all that lived there before, Sheara populated it with dragons.
Sheara appeared in the world of Faeo just when it seemed nothing could save it. Chaos was thrusting his loathsome tentacles ever deeper into the once glorious world. The races, exhausted from fighting, fragmentation and enmity were unable to stand up to their common enemy. Survivors of the long and brutal wars between Humans and Magmars aimlessly wandered the world, occasionally forming groups, but usually alone. The ruined, once beautiful cities, emptied out; no one wanted to start over, no one had any vision of an end goal, no one hunted down the guilty. Faeo became a haven for loners, embittered creatures who were no match for Chaos, who had lost their true destiny and the meaning of life. Sometimes, Humans and Magmars would meet and try to agree a strategic battle plan to defeat Chaos, but they never succeeded. Deprived of mentors, leaders, generals and magic, the representatives of the surviving races eked out a pitiful existence. Some of them purposefully or from desperation joined the enemy and became servants of Chaos. They were reborn as featureless creatures, with no distinguishing characteristics of either race. Dark, silent shadows floated across the world, appeared first here, then there, destroying the remains of anything that had once been settled, and the star of Mirrow grew dimmer with every passing day…

“…It seemed that there would be no salvation, that soon Chaos would be the supreme ruler of all that lived, when suddenly the heavens split wide open and, amid an almighty wind, Sheara, Mistress of Dragons entered the world. Her shining face lit up the sky and it seemed as if her entire being was surrounded by an aura of virtue…”

Sheara’s arrival in Faeo heralded the beginning of a new era, the Era of the Dragons. The great white dragon Erifarius and the great black dragon Striagorn, created by Sheara from the energy of each race, became the driving force that showed the inhabitants of Faeo how to battle Chaos. Humans and Magmars regained their spirit, as if reborn, and began to take action. They were even prepared to join together to resist the servants of Chaos, but fate determined otherwise. That fate was Sheara herself. She had predetermined the eternal of Humans and Magmars, an enmity in the name of victory over Chaos.

“…With the coming of the full moon, Erifarius and Striagorn will come together in a duel from which only one will emerge victorious. The strongest dragon will come to possess the other’s energy and, together, their combined power will suffice to resist the dark soul of Chaos. And very full moon, when their strength is greatest, the dragons will fight again, but all is not eternal, for the future depends on you…”

 

 

 

Two Cities

 

When Erifarius, the great white dragon, arrived in Faeo, he was staggered by how disfigured the world was. The knowledge of what the Humans had done filled his heart with sorrow. But, being pragmatic sort, Erifarius did not let his sorrow stop him from doing what was necessary to deal with the situation. To start with, he opened communications with the commanders of the largest Human gangs from both continents and ordered them to come to him to discuss the future of the Human race together. Those who came declared the pointless war, which was not really much of a war, over. The destroyed and shattered world needed rebuilding.
Over many years, the world changed completely. All that had been previously understood and known changed beyond all recognition, famous places changed their appearance entirely and became uninhabitable, particularly the locations of great battles and once great cities, which now lay in ruins. Erifarius gathered all the Humans together and opened a magic portal, offering the chance for everyone to follow him to a place which had not been touched by war. The majority of Humans followed Erifarius but there some who remained near places sacred to them, where the blood of their kin had been spilled.
In a huge field, beyond the Chions Mountains, beyond the Shuar Forest, the gates of the portal opened and Erifarius flew majestically out, followed by those Humans who were tired of war and death. Erifarius declared that the Humans needed a new home, that there was no point in rebuilding old cities, because the earth around them was saturated with the stench of death, blood and fire. “On this field,” said Erifarius, “we will lay the foundations of a new city, a city which will become the centre of all Human culture on Faeo.” And, with a flap of his giant white wings, said Erifarius purged the soul and mind of the Humans from the painful, miserable thoughts of the past, and he said: “You did not understand your old world, for if you had, you would not have allowed what happened. Now the world is a different place, and old knowledge will only harm you in building the new. You must explore your world again, and once more learn all that you once knew. But first we must build a city!” With that the soldiers threw down the armour and remembered that they had not always been soldiers, but craftsmen, stonemasons and blacksmiths, and they set to work. Erifarius did all he could to help and directed the city’s construction. Within several years a beautiful city had grown up alongside the portal, a city they called O’Del’vays, which means “Start of a new world.” From the city left caravans and detachments of Humans to explore the new, unknown world. The Human race had begun to live again.

Striagorn, created by Sheara from Magmar energy, was not so giving. Direct and strict, he acted on principle. Using his powers, he transported the remaining Magmars to a stony, wind-exposed plateau, beyond the Caves of Fear and said, turning to the Magmars: “You had a city, you destroyed it; you had friends and allies, you turned them against you; you had a beautiful world, you maimed it. Let the memory of how this world once was be obliterated from your memories. Magmars must live and rule the world of Faeo, but do so, to allow us to effectively fight our enemies, we must build a new city and revive our crafts.” The Magmars listened to Striagorn and understood that he was speaking the truth. They forgot all that had happened before, vengeance the only thought that remained.
“I will not say much,” said Striagorn, “for time is precious. We will build our city right here.” And so the Magmars set to work, putting vengeance to the back of their minds and concentrating on the building of a new home for their race. Within several years, a city had grown on the empty plateau and they called it Dartrong, meaning “In memory of the dead.” Several years after the building of the cities, Striagorn and Erifarius met and, combining their powers, created magic portals near O’Del’vays and Dartrong which led directly to an area which both Humans and Magmars could access. It was here that the Humans and Magmars would meet to polish their combat skills and to release their anger on each other, rather than their compatriots, in preparation for the great battle for Faeo.

 

 

Our Era

 

The world of Faeo is different now. Humans and Magmars, under the leadership of the dragons, have built cities, created powerful armies and come alive once more. They are no longer small bands of restless creatures, wandering the world in search of truth or…death. Life has meaning once more; there is a desire for victory. Humans and Magmars, following the advice of their winged tutors, have confidently prepared themselves, step-by-step, for a decisive battle, a battle which will decide the fate of the whole world!
According to Sheara’s words, which confirmed the great dragons’, Erifarius and Striagorn, instructions, the war had not finished, but had simply moved to another level. Humans and Magmars had lost the possibility of communicating with each other, as was the dragons’ will. Near the cities, now the centre-point of Faean culture, portals were built, allowing whoever wanted to, to teleport across the world. The portals connected Ogriy and Khair and Humans and Magmars set off to explore the world, fully prepared for battle with each other. Violent skirmishes flared on both continents, but battle with the enemy earned the participants the most valuable thing in the whole of Faeo – experience. The dragons have been preparing their warriors for intense combat with the servants of Chaos and for the key battles when they, the dragons themselves, will do battle. Old knowledge and skills have been lost, but new ones quickly learned, such is the natural curiosity of intelligent beings. Natural leaders have emerged from the ranks of both races, following the great Dragons’ orders, knowing that only one race will succeed in repairing Faeo – the strongest.