AGE OF DISCORD [YEAR 666-YEAR 998]

On the 2nd day of the year 666, Calder and Aesir had a terrible fight. The Morgans had just profaned a chapel dedicated to Aesir and the Kells were questioning the existence of Calder as no temple had ever been erected in his glory within his own realm. During the six days of the quarrel, the Kells and Morgans were decimated and they were totally vanished from the face of Ganareth.

From then on, Gothar remained silent and brooding and the heavens were heavy and trembling. On the 8th day, as harmony was deserting the world, two of the Immortals were subjected to the « long winter of Agnar » and fell into a cataleptic sleep. They were consequently placed in sarcophagi that were used to preserve their psychic activity and thanks to the « Nave of Ishtaar » which was cut in the sun’s lava. The « Nave of Ishtaar » was brought by Gothar himself inside his realm. The two Immortals’ writings and teachings were kept there and copied out on pieces of the sacred parchment which were referred as « the Manuscripts of Lost Knowledge ».

Only on the evening of this 8th day was Gothar brought out of silence when a meteorite suddenly appeared out of the veil of Nothingness. The meteorite crashed into the moon which through the years had become a thin hollow sphere. As a result of the crash, the moon broke in two. Moon stones were scattered in heaven and formed ten cosmogonies (i.e. clusters of moon crystals that determine the ten signs of the zodiac).

A huge dust cloud was formed by the fragments of the meteorite and it took a strange stair-like shape. After Dragoon had walked down the thirteen steps to land on Ganareth, no trace of it was to be found again. Freed at last, Dragoon reached the very heart of Calder’s realm to settle down on top of the highest peak of the Burning Mount where it began to multiply.

Gothar decided then to confront the Gods with their many failures and betrayals. He looked for the Gods’ Concordat and the treaty which they had signed in their own blood but couldn’t find it as it had disappeared. Harmony on Ganareth had been broken by the Gods and they had just disturbed the peace of the Gothar’s house too. The nine Gods faced Gothar on their knees resignedly as none was able to conceive of the extent of his power.

With a single gesture of his left hand, he snatched a piece of heart from each of them and then, out of each piece, he gave rise to an entity.

Out of Ysatis’s heart, Gothar shaped Galinaa, mother of the fowls of the air and out of Agnar’s, he made Maam, the mother of mammals and Elytra, the mother of insects who was made out of Zephyr’s. Reptansa, mother of reptiles was born of Hydra’s, out of Neutra’s heart came Coccifera the mother of animated plants and Nthuma, the mother of the living dead came out of Malecta‘s. Out of Hel’s was made Plaaceb, the mother of spirits, Diplood, the mother of giants was born of Calder’s and at last came Daemonia, mother of demons whom Gothar had taken from Aesir’s heart.

Once his works were complete, Gothar sent the nine entities throughout Ganareth and called back to his side the Immortals born of his own essence. When he was away, they would be the keepers of the Wahl. As for the nine Gods, they would be condemned to stay in the tenth realm. From there, they would helplessly watch the entities born of their hearts which defend their realms or fight one another.

At the eighth hour of the tenth day, Gothar removed his hand from the face of the Earth. Left on their own to face their destinies, the nine Gods held a meeting without paying enough attention to Dragoon who had begun to lay eggs.

Amongst the nine Gods, only one understood why Gothar had chosen to put them on trial and what kind of trial it was. Consequently, he knew what lesson to draw from it. When the meeting was over, these are the new decisions that had been taken:

Hel, Ysatis and Aesir wished to be true to Gothar’s spirit.

Hydra, Neutra and Zephyr refused to voice out their opinion.

As to Malecta, Agnar and Calder, they were turning away from Gothar’s spirit.

Aesir, Zephyr and Calder would remain faithful to Gothar’s soul.

Ysatis, Neutra and Agnar kept silent.

Hel, Hydra and Malecta denied Gothar’s soul.

On Ganareth, the people began to be affected by the dreadful influence of Dragons. Some of them, though terribly weakened, resisted whereas others gave way. Powerful but less intelligent than the others, the Orcs and Trolls gradually fell under the control of the Dragons who had become their new masters.

Each of the mystic entities gave birth to multifarious creatures which multiplied and became fruitful in a chaotic way.

On his side, Dragoon hadn’t been idle. He had been blowing on crystals, thus producing the « Black Mist », made of ether and fire, crystallized in shells which the females kept fiercely. The Dragons methodically organized themselves with discipline and rigor and therefore bred even more quickly.

At the dawn of the year 999, the Dragons being powerful, organized and determined, were numbered by the thousand.