The Primordial Kingdoms

After a passing celestial storm of raw and volatile arcane energies was drawn to Adamah, it crashed into the earth with such force that the slumbering elemental forces that govern the laws of nature became riled and super charged, causing the land itself to rise up and become sentient. The living mountain, named Archonidus, was a furious, swirling brewing pot of the four elemental embodiments.

Archonidus was so big that he cast a shadow over the entire kingdom of Adamah. Frustrated by his own existance, Archonidus became destructive and sent trembling shockwaves throughout the continent, creating devastating natural disasters such as gaping ravines, floods, avalanches, landslides and volcanic eruptions. This stirred the elemental forces all across Cimmera.

Archonidus was eventually struck down by the gods of Asgal in fear that the beast would serve as a conduit and vessel for the dark forces sealed within the core of the planet.

What was left of the calamity was legions of furious elementals. Asgal sent down three Immortal brothers; Apollas, Demios and Hephastus, along with three guardians to calm the raging forces of nature.

Apollas, Demios and Hephastus were to defeat the elemental lords that rose to power and the guardians where to construct prisons to contain them. This grueling task took several years, but was eventually complete.

The mountain of Aggramar in Gehennok was used to contain the most powerful of the fire elementals and their raging lord; Ra'dun, defeated by Demios. The crown of Asgal; the crater left by the smiting of Archonidas, was used to contain the earthen elementals and their stubborn leader Teramagor; defeated and calmed by the hymns of Apollas.

Fathomus; the deepest trench in the ocean, was used to contain the water elementals and their fiendish master Achelous whereas the air elementals and their cunning prince Aeoli where imprisoned in a binding stormcloud; the aetherus, both by Hephastus.

These were known as the Primordial Kingdoms; lands scarred by the warring of the animated forces of nature, driven by rage and confusion.

The immortal kin called upon the ethereal being Megasus to create twelve magical seals, three per prison, that would ensure their safe containment. Only Megasus herself knew how to diffuse the seals, thereby making them impenetrable to mere mortals.

Some years later, the immortal Demios, guardian of Aggramar, became twistedly envious of the ever burning rage and strength that the elementals possessed and wanted to claim that power for himself. He sought out the wisdom of the serpent Szej'sha of whom he had heard had done the same with the water elementals during their free reign of the seas.. He wanted to know how he could tame the fire. Szej'sha told him that he must release Ra'dun from his bindings and drain his essence and allow it to consume him. But this would not be done easily.

Demios agreed to a jailbreak plot believing it was be an easy, small-scale operation and that his brothers would never find out. Using his ability to traverse to higher planes, Demios deceived the ethereal Megasus and kidnapped her four offspring. Szej'sha recruited four sorcerers capable of wielding the power of these mythical beasts, Being direct descendants of Megasus herself, these equines, and in turn their riders, where capable of diffusing the seals used to contain the fire elementals.

Ra'dun and his minions where released. They swarmed across Gehennok like a raging bush fire. Demios was quick to act, he slew Ra'dun in the battlefield and bathed in his extinguishing flame. Reborn in fire, Demios rose up to command the fire elementals. He enslaved their most powerful lieutenants and the rest followed.

The *"operation"* was a success, but was not as lowkey as first intended. Hundreds of miles of woodland were burnt and damaged, black ashclouds spread across the skies of Gehennok and blotted out the sun. Demios converted the prison of Aggramar into the seat of his new empire.

When approached by his two brothers, who thought him insane, he explained that with this newfound strength and army by his side he can better protect the world. His brothers pointed out the damage he had already wrought and the extent of his destructive actions. Harsh arguments broke out between Demios and his brothers, before they where interrupted by Megasus.

She told the three that Szej'sha, the serpent, had also released the other elemental prisons in their absence and that the reign of the elementals was once again upon us. This time being led by Szej'sha, the armies of the deep rose up on the shores of Stromgar and Varonar as they began to flood the land. Adamah erupted into chaos and the aetherus drifted west and rained destructed over Gorgonnoth.

Demios immediately put his army to war, ignoring the warnings of his brothers. The brothers Apollas and Hephastus went back to war against the air and earth elementals with the help of the Guardians and the Mechaea. They managed to force the elementals back into the prisons.

The brothers chose to side with Demios in order to defeat Szej'sha off the shores of Varonar. They slew the beast and his corpse was cast out into sea. Following this victory, Apollas and Hephastus saw Demios their brother no-longer. In a heartfelt betrayal, they overpowered Demios and pushed him back into Aggramar along with the other fire elementals.

It was not over. The elementals were pushing back, their broken prisons would not hold them for long. The brothers, along with Megasus, called upon their masters in Asgal to banish the prisons into another plane of existence. And so it came to pass, the primordial kingdoms of Gehennok, Adamah, Fathomus and Aetherus were transported to the void and tethered to the roots of the realm Aln; the space between spaces.

Arcaius managed to find the dark riders and killed them and their steeds, sapping their powers and sealing their bodies within a special tomb constructed by the Guardians. This tomb became known as Azkaron.