The Emergence of Humanity

When our land was young, the lone deity Krolm, Lord of the Wild, looked out across Ardania and felt his rage grow. No creatures knew of him — none could spread across the land and do his bidding. From his rage came life — the first Humans to walk in Ardania. They were Barbarians, followers of Krolm.

A simple philosophy bound these Barbarians together. They believed that strength is power and that the unknown must be conquered. Their god supported them in war against Ardania's perilous mysteries. They made a crude living off the dangerous land. Little else mattered.

A small group of Barbarians stumbled upon a source of great magical power. One of these men, Brashnard, was transformed. He halted his wandering and his weapon training and turned to study. Other Barbarians grew increasingly suspicious, and this greatly intensified when Brashnard succeeded in creating Ardania's first magical item — Brashnard's Sphere.

Brashnard wanted his brethren to understand the useful nature of his studies and not to fear them. While demonstrating the wondrous powers of his Sphere to the warlord Rogna Blood Axe, Rogna grew deeply afraid and killed the Wizard. With one crushing blow from his axe, he then shattered the Sphere. It took more than 2,000 years for magical study to once again surface in Ardania.

The Barbarians made great inroads throughout the lowlands, pushing back other creatures and taking land to support their nomadic lifestyle. They began to get noticed by some of Ardania's most powerful monsters. Infuriated with the encroaching Humans, the Dragons counterattacked. They rose from their underground lairs and followed their Dragon King, Andraxal- Kerlazor, into battle. The Barbarians couldn't stand against the tremendous force of the flying beasts and began to lose ground rapidly.

Krolm knew that he had to intervene, or his minions would fall. He took physical form and traveled north past the Hellfire Mountains to Dtar-Mordin. Here lived the Dwarves, a small race that excelled in the workings of steel and stone and lived primarily underground. Krolm made a deal with them. He would infuse the entire Dwarven race with greater strength. In return, the Dwarven Queen Dorva Stoneback fashioned for Krolm a sword to kill Andraxal-Kerlazor. The Dwarves' enhanced strength helped them push out from their caverns and settle on the surface, largely in the Valley of Gur- Mechina.

The battle between Krolm and the Dragon King was the most ferocious the young world had ever seen. When the dust finally cleared, the Dragon King was slain and buried, with the sword still embedded in his chest. The Dragons were broken and scattered, not to be organized again until Scrylia the Serpent Queen gathered them under her command 1,500 years later. Andraxal-Kerlaazor's sole hatchling, Vendral, was only a yearling at the time of his father's death. Without proper training he could never become a true Dragon King, and so his father was the last Ardania has ever seen.

Krolm was severely wounded in the battle and it took centuries for him to fully recuperate. During this time, his Barbarians began to drift from his teachings — some of them even settled into permanent villages. During this time Krolm sired a boy and a girl to rule while he rested. None know the identity of the mother. His son Lunord became The Moon God and his daughter, Helia, The Sun Goddess. Krolm did not know that they would one day overthrow him.