In the beginning, there were eight equal kingdoms: Valerion, Mythos, Eldervine, Thalassar, Nivemare, Caelestia, Venturia, and Amoris. They lived in peace despite their differences, yet nothing endures forever, and as the saying goes, it was only the calm before the storm.

The kingdom of Nivemare bore all the blame, for these Serpent-Kin of Night inspired the greatest dread by their mere appearance. They were also called cold-blooded beings, for their white skin, veined with dark lines through which black blood flowed, contrasted so starkly that it resembled marble. It was said their blood was poison, and that a single glance upon them could freeze a man with fear.

Yet war never has but one culprit, nor only a single side that fights it.

The people of the kingdom of Venturia were called the Sky-Walkers, for they were the tallest of all beings in the world. Each of them stood above two meters and towered over the rest of mankind. With their height and long legs came great swiftness, and though they possessed no gift of magic, none could surpass them in running or leaping. They were perfect scouts and messengers, serving as the eyes and ears of any who paid them fairly.

In Eldervine, the people were distinguished by their bond with nature. The Root-Bound were known as guardians of the wild, and it was said they could commune not only with beasts, but with plants as well. Every rustle of leaves in the wind carried a secret message. Their archers wielded arrows of stinging ivy, and their kingdom was warded by massive, living walls of thorn.

Caelestia was the nation of the Light-Weavers, those who healed with their light. Their eyes were golden, and they could either weave the threads of fate or mend wounds. They were able to close gashes within seconds, though in doing so they surrendered a fragment of their own life’s essence. Seers were rare among their people. One was born for every ten thousand souls, and such a birth was always celebrated as a miracle. Oracles, these individuals were called.

The kingdom by the sea was named Thalassar. The Tide-Born bore webs between their fingers and gills upon their necks, and if they allowed you close enough, you would glimpse the scales upon their skin. They were amphibious folk, able to survive both on land and in water. Yet their greatest strength lay in trade, for across the sea they could carry any supply to where it was most needed.

The most peaceful of the kingdoms was Amoris. The Empaths of Bloom were balanced and responsible beings, not merely because they must be, but because it was written in their blood. They could feel the emotions of others, pain included, and thus any battle was torment to them. Every blow struck by an enemy they felt as their own. Yet that was not all. Their presence was soothing, and thus they easily avoided conflict. They could calm wild beasts, a raging sea, even a storm split by lightning. One need only close their eyes, and the world would steady.

The last of the special kingdoms was Mythos. After the war, however, it ceased to exist, though at first it had seemed the most powerful of them all. In time it became but a prison for those who committed the gravest crimes. Amid ruins and blood-red storms, the condemned were cast bound into the void, and as was known, none ever returned. It was a fate worse than death.

Mythos had also been known as the home of mages, for there they were born. These ethereal beings wielded power unseen, able to shape not only nature, but all that surrounded them. They could change their form, read thoughts, and the most gifted among them could slay an opponent with a single motion of the hand.

Today, only a fraction of those mages remained, scattered wherever they were welcomed with open arms. That is to say… there was but one kingdom where they remained unwelcome for centuries after the war, save for within the royal palace.

The people of Valerion despised magic. It was said their hatred had arisen after the war, when they beheld the toll the differing gifts of other nations had taken upon the world. They saw soldiers poisoned, the earth torn asunder, and tears in the eyes of women and children who waited for the return of men from battle. It was for this reason that they ultimately became the rulers of all other kingdoms, granted the power to arbitrate and preserve the peace by treaty.

These events took place ten thousand years ago, yet the same laws still held sway.

The House of Eldricourt sat upon the throne of Valerion, unaware that the other kingdoms were slowly preparing their vengeance, and that a war was drawing near, one that would rewrite history.

However, there remained one more path by which peace might be kept.