Vandimion History, Part l: Before the First Era

## **Chapter l** - **The Birth of Vandimion**

There are no records of how the universe originated. Any memory of times as ancient as these lay buried deep under millions of years of evolution, war and catastrophe. Myths and legends are told however, of the time before the first era of man; the time of the behemoth.

Tens of thousands of years ago while the great landmasses of the planet were still in turmoil, the behemoths would roam and rule the land, sea and air. These creatures were formed by the cornerstone elements of our world; earth, water, wood, fire and magic.

The behemoths would take different shapes, often inheriting resemblances to their habitat and the element that helped form them. If you were to witness one of these magnificent creatures today, you would only see a monster too large and terrible to imagine, although they were beautiful and intelligent beings. They lived, talked and gave birth to all forms of  life wherever their magical blood was spilled.

Behemoths were only able to sustain themselves through the consumption of the very magic that created them, and it became their only source of nourishment to continue their existence. No concept of good and evil existed in their world, but it was far from a peaceful time. A primitive and merciless struggle to destroy and feed upon other behemoths to fuel their own life force was the only way of life, without this constant struggle they would all eventually perish.

After thousands of years the world entered into a time of sudden dramatic and chaotic change, for which the reason why remains a mystery to this day. Volcanos, tidal waves, comet showers and great electrical storms ravaged the land and the behemoths that still roamed. One by one the great monsters would die as a result of these uninhabitable conditions. Their blood spilled across all corners of the world to give birth to all the lifeforms we see today. Every living thing on this planet has a part of the behemoths magic existing within them. Earth, grass, trees, birds and animals, and yes, even you and me have these properties.

A massive surge of life sprung out in the wake of the behemoths extinction. Creatures of all kinds spawned from the organisms left behind by the giants, evolving at an accelerated speed, even under the extreme conditions that the planet underwent at the time. This gave birth to the mountains, rivers, oceans, lands, forests and all else that exists in the world today.

Ten thousand years would pass from the fall of the last behemoth to the birth of the elf; a humanoid and pure creatures that dwelled in the woodland realms. Their kind was the most advanced of many humanoid beings that had come to life in that age. What set the elf apart was their keen interest and specialization in the study of the ancient behemoth magic that coursed through the invisible veins of the world.

A particular specimen; an elf mage who would later be known as Aezrya the Life-Binder, was the first and only to have ever discovered the secret of immortality through her study of magic. She would use this gift to lengthen her lifespan indefinitely, allowing her to master the use of elven rune-magic, an almost primitive form of binding and controlling the behemoth magic to her will. With this knowledge she ascended above all else and took the form of a Goddess, only of her kind to have existed.

Aezrya came to use her supremacy in the most benevolent of ways, spending hundreds of years to forge her elven kin into a magical weapon in a crusade with a simple goal; to destroy all the evil that had come to inhabit the world. It would take time, but the Goddess remained dedicated to her goal. The Holy crusade would eventually end in victory, and the world entered an age of true peace.

In the aftermath of her crusade, Aezrya created a kingdom for herself in another plane of existence, in another dimension that sat far above the continent that would later be known as Vandimion. To ensure the time of peace would last in the world she raised the most prolific and powerful elven generals and royalty to her dimension. These selected few would see themselves transformed into Aezrya’s right hand; powerful warriors and ambassadors that would later be known as the “Trovohin” (meaning “holy ones”, or “sacred ones”).

The elven race had long been notorious for their violent and abrupt nature, as well as their thirst for power. The transformation of these generals and royals to Trovohin would not alter their nature in any way, though none were powerful enough to challenge Aezrya.

The age of peace went on and Aezrya would spend her time creating and helping the plethora of lifeforms that were still evolving in the world, taking a special interest in humanity. Having one of the shortest life spans of all humanoid creatures, she also saw the amazing potential for good in humans, as well as evil. There was a certain balance to human nature that entertained her.

After a long time ruling the earth Aezrya found herself lonely, the Trovohin doing little or nothing to provide her with the company she sought. However, she had her eye on one man, a human king by the name of Wregrim that rules in the kingdom of Gúrthad. Wregrim had a special understanding of magic that caught the Goddesses attention, and eventually she would fall in love with him.

Wregrim’s life span would be insignificant in comparison to Aezrya, a mere blink of an eye. The Goddess knew this and despaired and would eventually influence the balance of life by sharing with him the secret of immortality. It was the greatest gift she could have ever given him, but her affection for the king had blinded her of his true intentions. Wregrim had charmed Aezrya to win immortality, so that he too could rule the world as she did. With knowledge of far more devastating magical powers that had long since been outlawed he laid plans to overthrow her.

However, the sorcerer's human arrogance distracted him from Aezrya’s infinite wisdom, and once she eventually discovered his true ambitions she would take drastic measures to permanently end them. Wregrims powers had grown exponentially in the favourable light of Aezrya and would be difficult to overcome. In the end she saw it necessary to lay waste to the mage and his kingdom, though the magic of this magnitude required sacrifice. Aezrya cast her spell and as it left her it tore a piece of her soul from her. The soul fragment fell from the skies above Vandimion and crashed to the earth like a comet, sundering the northern part of The Great Desolation and giving birth to the Cursed Isles and the Shrieking Maelstrom.

The sacrifice of magic was enough, all life in Gúrthad was obliterated in an instant, including the sorcerer king Wregrim. It left Aezrya in a weakened state and vulnerable. Her own ignorance and arrogance had cost the lives of millions of innocents under Wregrim’s rule. The Trovohin seized the opportunity in a rebellious uproar under the leadership of Abaddon (ascended elvish general). What happened next is best described as a military coup, and Aezrya barely escaped with her life and was forced into exile on the world below.

Abaddon’s rule of the Trovohin was never secured and eventually short lived as a second rebellion would take place, sparking a war between the ascended elves that would last for millennia.

Thus, the first era of mankind saw the light of day in the wake of Aezrya’s fall, this is the true beginning for humanity..