Lore

PREHISTORY

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In the early days of the world there existed a people known as the Al'danni.  No stories remain that describe their appearance, but the ruins they left behind show they were taller than men, possibly taller than elves.  The Al'danni worshipped the gods of this realm and their prayers and offerings nourished those celestial beings and in turn the Al'danni were blessed with immensely long lives.

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In time this arrangement was insufficient for the gods, as the Al'danni were few in number and long lived.  The gods craved more worshipping, meaning more worshippers.  An accord was reached between a number of gods and the priests of the Al'danni.  Each god would be given a dozen newborn children in exchange for granting the Al'danni true immortality.  A great ritual was held on the holiest day of the year and the gods took charge of their offerings, reshaping them into completely new beings.  These beings became the first of the mortal kin.  The gods rejoiced, each granting their new progeny with varying gifts of flesh and spirit to match their own temperaments.

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Yet not all of the gods were able to rejoice.  For Greentoes, the God of Trickery had played a prank on The Surging Flame, the God of Love.  The Surging Flame missed the ritual and was denied mortal children of their own.  Their anger and despair was unfathomable, and the god lashed out wreaking havoc across the lands.  The other gods were forced to subdue The Surging Flame, whose fire, once warm and lively, had turned black and cold.  Now known as The Blackened Heart, the god fled to the periphery lands and began to brood and fester.

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Now fully embracing the cold hate and jealousy of their dark flame, the god returned in secret and attacked the God of the Moon, stealing their mortal children.  Desperately trying to reshape them without the ritual, The Blackened Heart failed and instead corrupted that mortal kin into the first of the Corrupted Kin, the Gnolls.  Wounded and given into loss the god shattered, leaving the night sky with only a curved sliver of moon and countless points of light, causing the night to become cold and dark.

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Not content with the horrible monsters they let loose on the world, The Blackened Heart tried again and again over the centuries.  Taking mortals and trying to reshaped them, but always resulting in twisted monstrous parodies of their original forms.  The world became more and more dangerous as these abominations multiplied across the lands.  Seeing this occur, The Wandering One began to walk a path across the entire world, from end to beginning, over and over again.  The god wore down a smooth path, the first road, and blessed it with their power.  All those who walked this road would find protection from the twisted creations of the corrupt god and from the dangerous beasts of the wilderness.  This is what is now known as The Godsroad, the Goodroad, or the Endless Road.