Historical Codex

## The End of the World, the path at the end of the Danek Empire and Primal Fear.

Seeker of knowledge. Explorer of things past. There exist very little records of the beginning of the end for our ruined Ganemede. In these blasted times of terror and strife, knowledge of the past is a precious commodity. But I, despite it all, have managed to retain what I fervently believe to be an accurate history of our world. A retelling of history, which culminates in the apocalyptic nightmare in which you and I live today...

Not many knew it back then, but the planet had a will of its own.

At first, in the world of Ganemede, there were the elves. The elven people were the first to be created by the will of the planet, and always have been the closest to its spirit. As such, the Ganemede spirit entrusted the elves with an important task. They were to be the stewards of nature, to help safeguard the planet's well being. After the elves came the dwarves, and subsequently, several other sentient races (which we term demihumans in general) were born. Despite some races being more aggressive than others, such as trolls and orcs, the elves always managed to uphold their stewardship of nature.

And then humanity was spawned.

Initially, the elven people were delighted at this new creation of Ganemede. Humans had shorter lifespans than most races, yet compensated for this flaw by being a highly imaginative race. They were also quick learners, and took all they could from the elves, who became their avid teachers. Elves, the most proficient wielders of the planet's leylines, began to teach humanity about the wonders of magic. Humans, with their quick wits and avid thirst for knowledge, took to their studies well. Armed with their new tool, magic, they prospered and thrived.

The elves at first were proud, but then their pride turned to outright surprise and indignation. Humanity prospered just as quickly as their individual lifespans ended. They soon became a mighty force all on their own, haughtily turning aside their elven masters once they had taken all they could from their ancient teachers. Instead, it was not enough for humanity, for it soon began to advance the study and use of magic. Becoming a mage took time and study, and even then, not everyone could become as accomplished a wizard as the next person. However, humanity overcame this weakness, with the creation of Arcanus.

Arcanus, or magic technology, allowed any wielder to use magic almost to the same extent as the great mages of the land. With all sorts of Arcanus artifacts, humanity thrived even more. They spread all across the great continent, forming into the massive Danek Empire.

The empire was aggressively expansionist, and began to push all the other races back. Moreover, Danek began to take its toll on the land. Deforestation ran rampant, entire mountains were mined apart, or simply obliterated to make more space for the growing empire. Humanity seated itself at the top of the world, with Arcanus being its greatest power.

The elven people implored the Danek empire to cease with their flagrant expansionism, but humanity would hear nothing of it. The elves feared that a calamity would ensue, and sure enough, it did. Ganemede's spirit would not bear to have one of its creations scar the planet so, and began machinations to destroy the Danek Empire and those who allowed humans to advance their recklessness. The planet's spirit began to craft a terrible beast within its bowels, molding and shaping it throughout several years. Once the beast was ready, Ganemede unleashed it upon the denizens of the world.

The beast, named Primal Fear in later texts, attacked all races indiscriminately. Ganemede had decided to punish not just humans, but the rest of the planet's sentient species for allowing the inception of the Danek Empire. The creature was massive and powerful, and initially demolished many cities of the human empire. Elven territories, orc settlements, and other such locations were attacked as well; but humans received the largest blows. After the initial shockwaves reverberated across the continent, finally all races combined to fight back, and eventually vanquished Primal Fear. However, the repercussions of such a battle came at a price...

Primal Fear, a living embodiment of the planet's will and power, was not meant to perish in combat. The combined might of the remnants of the Danek Empire, the elven people, the dwarven kingdom, and the assorted survivors of the world desperately attacked and won against the volatile beast... and essentially killed Ganemede itself. The resulting explosion released such a shockwave of energies that it cracked the entire world apart. Those that survived the great sundering long swore that they heard Ganemede itself scream.

The world was dying. Its creations and denizens would do so soon after. Desperate, the remaining mages and Arcanus wielders of the Danek Empire, pitting their power together with the greatest elven leyline users, convened in the Empire's massive Halcyon Spire. Performing the most powerful ritual known throughout history, the combined assembly of magic users sunk the tower right into the ground. Barreling through the underground kingdom of the dwarves, the Halcyon Spire tore out of one bottom half of Ganemede and right into the other. Tethering both worlds together with the tower in the middle, and expending the last of their considerable power, the mages channeled their power through the Spire, preserving what life was left in the world. With the assembled mages' death, the people of Ganemede were afforded a second chance, even if the world's spirit perished.

In the fallout of Primal Fear's destruction, Ganemede was split in two. From this point in history, records exist only of the northern half of Ganemede, that blessed half which still receives light from the sun to this day. Most of humanity saw the error of its ways. They renounced the use and abuse of Arcanus, and decided to go back to how things had been before its inception -- save for those that remained in the Danek Empire's one remaining city. They settled in what little cities were still left, while the rest of Ganemede's sentient species also retreated to their own homes. The elves that had survived the Primal Fear genocide became generally wary and distrustful of humans, retreating into their own forests to avoid the abusers of their gifts.

However, a new threat loomed in the horizon for the survivors...

The Halcyon Spire, holding strong, was eventually discovered to be passable after several years. Whatever enchantments it housed thanks to the massive ritual, the dwarven people found they could pass into its halls without harm to themselves. The underground kingdom quickly and expediently organized expeditions, ready to plumb the secrets of the Danek Empire housed in the tower. What they found instead shook civilization to its core. Fell beasts, monsters the likes of which none had ever seen before, attacked the expeditions with vicious ferocity. The monsters were innumerable, and slew every exploring dwarf within the halls of the tower. In a hurricane of gnashing teeth and clawing talons, the beasts almost broke through into the dwarven kingdom... but the stout warriors defended the line and repelled the sudden invasion. The Spire was then sealed shut.

So horrible was their onslaught, that forever people were afraid of the dark half of Ganemede with a fanatical fervor. The lower half of the world has since then been likened to a hell on earth. Not knowing what lied in the Halcyon Spire, much less the world below, the dwarves were forced to remain always vigilant, lest they relinquish what was left of their kingdom. For a long time, they guarded the gates of hell itself, bitterly resisting any attempts the monsters made to enter our world. Eventually the dwarven people began to enter the spire once more, still wishing to restore their lost glory through the secrets of Danek it might hold. Tales innumerable speak of the care with which the dwarves once more explored those damned halls. They entered in force, diverting most of its legion to little by little, room by room, retake the tower from the demons themselves.

But then it happened... Somehow, the monsters finally broke through. Emerging from the Halcyon Spire, a slaughter the likes of which has never occurred again took the kingdom of the dwarves by surprise. With horrifying ease, the kingdom was shattered, and tales speak of no survivors of that time. The monsters poured out of the dwarven kingdom, spreading all throughout the topmost half of Ganemede, staging a genocidal campaign against any sentient race they encountered. We tried to fight back. We know this. But the might of the ancient elven mages, the power of the shattered Danek Empire, and the assorted tribes and gatherings of demihumans were all lost. What Primal Fear failed to do, years later, these hellish monsters have wrought. Civilization has ended.

Oh, pockets of survivors such as myself exist. This we all know. But the world has become a living horror, and each passing day I fear that more or us are snuffed out. Such is the history of Ganemede to this day. Whomever of us are left simply wait for the day we die. This is our reality. A reality without hope to cling to.

...Well, there *is* hope. But most called me delusional, when I spoke of these legends. I hardly believe them myself. But the legend states that there could be hope after all. One last act of mercy, some might say, though I think it's more an act of self-preservation. In its death throes, Ganemede tapped into specific leylines it had otherwise not allowed the people of the world to tap into. Specifically, those leylines which controlled time and space. As its last act of will, the planet caused a major ripple in its history, giving various individuals throughout time the ability to somehow travel back and forth through various points in history. Individuals who could very well be the instruments of change... for better or for worse.