Textblock #9688
in game item_read_text 3 parts
part 0
"Ages ago, a time of great peace filled the realm. This was the Age of Prosperity and existed because a true balance between good and evil had been reached. The few skirmishes that occurred were trivial, personal matters and the consensus of citizens of the realm was that they felt safer than they ever had before. "Silvermere was experiencing success and growth greater than any other period in its history while alliances among all races were forged. It surely was an age of prosperity for all. Unfortunately, this could not last; prophecies, long since forgotten, predicted that the power balance would change, and change it did. "Rhudar was a bustling town full of economic wealth during the Age of Prosperity and its population was rapidly growing to rival Silvermere's. Its temple, perceived by the realm to be honoring the codes and treaties of the time, taught the ancient rituals of magick to any willing and devout adventurer who applied. This alone helped increased the popularity of the city. Unbeknownst to all, a calculated and growing evil was festering within. The Grandmaster of the Shadow Fist Temple had grown more than weary of his limited powers." "Whether the matter is understandable as mere lust for power, or the Grandmaster truly failed to appreciate that balance leads to prosperity, is academic. Thus began the end of the Age of Prosperity and the transformation of the Shadow Fist Temple to an evil brotherhood possessed by greed, lust for power and ultimate domination of the realm. "Working with a malefic diligence, the Grandmaster ordered the brotherhood to cull ancient documents and knowledge of dark magick from the realm. No one suspected his motives and no request for long-forgotten scrolls was denied. It is the nature of evil to take simple agreement for weakness and it made the Grandmaster impudently proud of the mass of information gathered by his minions. He began to train a warrior to carry out his imminent conquering
part 1
and named his choice the Dark One's Avatar. "While the haughty Grandmaster assumed his actions went ignored, one man in the realm felt the tipping of the balance scale. Dorshar Lightblade, a human and a witchhunter by profession, may have been the most balanced soul to have ever existed in the realm. It was the Phoenix, Bel-Lai, the embodiment of divine equilibrium, which selected Dorshar, and which instructed and charged him to devote his life and energies to a golden mean of balance. Neither side in the struggle for good and evil should gain too much power. Domination by one side or the other would lead to destruction of the realm. Neither good nor evil could exist truly without the other. "Dorshar worked quietly, remaining a passive observer, mindful that his own interfering within the realm might be as disruptive of balance as any overt attempt of good or evil. When he discovered the scheme of the Grandmaster and informed the Phoenix, immediate action was necessary. "Battles raged for years, yet the Grandmaster's strength increased. Dorshar, aligned with the unprepared followers of good, valiantly resisted. Then, at the darkest moment, the Dark One's Avatar moved to gain control of the Phoenix herself, to obtain ultimate power for the Grandmaster. Dorshar led the Templars of the Golden Light, a holy order sworn to protect the Phoenix, against the seemingly unstoppable Avatar. Tragically, it appeared to all that the Grandmaster would succeed in his corrupted plans." "Bel-Lai had not though, existed for eons without learning a trick or two herself. The Phoenix determined that avoiding the destruction of the realm, even at the cost of her own liberty warranted sacrifice. She entreated Morukai, a mage of legendary renown, to imprison her in a manner to keep her from the clutches of the Grandmaster. Although this was accomplished successfully and the Grandmaster was stopped in his quest for ultimate
part 2
domination and power, the Age of Prosperity was now only a memory. To this day, the scales of good and evil tip precariously back and forth with new threats to it constantly. Only the actions of new adventurers will determine what fate has in store for the realm."