HISTORY v2.0

Creation
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	In the beginning, there was the Void.  Inside the Void, resided
a being of great power called the Demiurge.  He had existed for all Time,
being both omniscient and omnipotent.  From a perfect ideal model, he 
created the world.  However, the materials that he had to work with,
Earth, Fire, Air, and Water were less than perfect so the world and the
beings that he created were inherently flawed.  Disappointed with his work,
he turned away from his creation in favor of other pursuits.

The Original Races
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	There were two original races, the Ethereals and the Elves, created 
on the new world.  The Ethereals were a mighty race both in intellect and in
strength.  Some of the more ambitious Ethereals embarked upon research into
the basic mysteries of Life.  In doing so, they gained knowledge in the
creation of life.  Eager to test their newfound knowledge, they experimented
on the animals of their world and created sentient beings from them.  The 
Elves were a more contemplative race with more of an affinity to the Arts
and Philosophy.  Elves and Ethereals generally did not interact very much,
for the world was new and their numbers were small.  The relationship between
the two races was peaceful and it was a time of tranquility.

Genesis of the Other Races
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	Many new races were created in the Ethereals' experiments.  The 
Humans, Halflings, Dwarves, and Gnomes were all attempts to create beings
similar to themselves.  It is unknown why the Ethereals did not give these
new creatures wings like themselves. Perhaps this was to distinguish the 
creators from their creation.  Besides attempting to create in their own
image, the Ethereals also experimented on various animals in order to bring
them to sentience.  In this manner were the Orcs, Gerudan, Ents, and Thranx
created. All of these new races were fully sentient in their own right.  
However, their creators did not see their creations as equals and treated 
them as slaves.  Many of the Ethereals did not agree with this position and 
neither did most of the Elves.  Many slaves escaped from their cruel masters 
with the help of sympathetic Ethereals and Elves. 

The Great War
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	Eventually there was a great war fought between the opposing Ethereals,
the Elves, and descendents of the escaped slaves.  During this time, some 
fearsome new races were created to fight for the Ethereals.  Among these races,
the Gromeks, Ogres, and Trolls, were some of the most feared.  In order to
combat these new races, the Elves harnessed the power of the elements and 
created the various Giant races. During this time, the Elves also developed 
the Arts known as Magic.  The long war devastated the land and changed the
world.  Some Elves who were captured were subjected to experiments that were
designed to convert them to the Ethereals' cause.  The experiments were 
invariably unsuccessful and resulted in yet another race, the Sprites.  Many
Elves were also displaced by the war and fled into the forests to hide from
further devastation.  Many of them remained in the forests after the war ended
and today are known as the Wood-Elves.    
	After many long years, the tyrannical Ethereals were finally defeated.
They and their leader, Marghuul were banished to the Outer Planes.  The 
Ethereals that were left felt guilty over the ruin that they had caused and 
eventually migrated to the Higher Planes, leaving the Elves to care over the 
lesser races.  However there were some Elves who had fought on the side of the
losing Ethereals.  After the war, they also took a symbolic exile into the 
underground, forever shunning the light.  The Elves became known as the Drow.
The remaining Elves became known as High-Elves.  

Formation of Magic
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	The Arts of Creation practiced by the Ethereals are technically and
historically not related to Magical Arts.  In fact, not much is known about
the Arts of Creation as their knowledge was destroyed during the Great War.
The Magical Arts were developed during the war by an elf named Dranaxar.  
He was a master of all the magical arts except for necromancy.  It was
Dranaxar who harnessed the elemental powers to create the giants.  He was
also researching a more powerful force, one that would give him control over
reality itself when both he and his tower were consumed by magical energy,
presumably from a failed experiment.  To this day, the cause of his death
remains a mystery.  It would seem that some forces are too powerful for 
mortals to control.  Dranaxar had four main students at the time of his 
death.  Unfortunately, none of these students were advanced in more than 
one particular area of study.  Thus Magic split into the various spheres
of specialization.  Kamen, student of the elements, began the school of
Elementalism.  Elysia started the school of Moon-Mages.  Mycra founded the
school of Enchanters and Tazrim attempted to follow in Dranaxar's footsteps
by starting a school of Archmages.

The Order of the Blessed Return
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	Some members of the lesser races had worshipped their cruel masters 
and served them in battle.  After the war, many of them wished for the return 
of the exiled Ethereals.  Thus, the Order of the Blessed Return was formed, 
dedicated to returning their fallen masters to this plane.  Early research
by members of the Order to open conduits to the outer planes instead yielded
methods of communicating and summoning the dead.  Tobin the Black was the
first master necromancer.    
	Ages passed and the Ethereals developed into what is known today as
Demons and Seraphs. A few Seraphs and Demons have since found their way into 
this plane once more but they are here due to accidents and temporary 
dimensional rifts.  The Order of the Blessed Return seeks to open a 
permanent and stable dimensional rift allowing the demons to return
and reconquer to land.  Their leader Marghuul, through unholy magic has
managed to keep himself alive through the Ages, nursing his desire for
revenge and striving to reclaim what he believes is his.
