GOLDEN AGE [YEAR 100-YEAR 666]

The first day of the year 100 is a landmark and the beginning of the Golden Age. Gothar re-instituted Ysatis’s rite and created the race of Men. He put Men into each realm to build cities and temples in his honor or in the honor of the God who they chose to revere. Gothar also let them to have the right of not believing in any.

The nine Gods were forced by Gothar to sign the « Gods’ Concordat » in their own blood. By this concordat, the nine Gods agreed that they should not interfere in the affairs of Ganareth. Gothar wished to reign alone and unchallenged until the Gods would be worthy of ruling alone. On the 77th day of the year 106, after all the foundations of the first temple had been built, Gothar felt peace and harmony coming from Ganareth and besides all, it was very good. With his right arm, he begot sixteen Immortals and entrusted them with the difficult task of preserving harmony. They were also to collect the beneficent fragrance from the people’s prayers and passed it to the nine Gods.

Around the temples, within each realm on Ganareth, were built the most remarkable cities. Within Hydra’s realm, Abysseidia, the floating city was the pride of the Gnomes and of the Goddess. The city Velladria, dedicated to the God Zephyr, became famous for its forty-nine towers, also referred as « Zephyr’s mouths » and the wind there blew a kind of tune that was interpreted by the Orcs as the divine word. Germyriad became one of the most populated and busiest cities within Ysatis’s realm. Six temples had to be erected around the first temple so that the pilgrims would find enough room to pray. The city of the marshes, Styxande, was built on piles within Malecta’s realm. It was very fair and simple and it seemed to be lying on clouds when the mist was clearing. Those who had gone to Styxande did not look like their old selves when they came back or they never came back. Within Hel’s realm, the Men built Ouraniath, a tower so huge that its top was swallowed up in the clouds. The Men put in there all the remnants of the Korrigan’s civilization which they had been able to collect. After having finished the sixteen floors of the tower, its top happened to be struck by lightning and as effect, it began to irradiate by casting a slight bluish light. The tower was never to be struck again and a city was built at the bottom of it. At the foot of one of the greatest volcanoes within Calder’s realm, the great city of Pyros was built . Seven doors were set all around the city but only one gave access to people inside. The six other doors led to an inextricable maze of alleys. No temple was ever erected but the Morgans went on secret paths down to the very heart of the volcano in order to pray and make offerings. Pyros had among its inhabitants some of the brightest minds of the day. In the very depths of the highest mountains within Agnar’s realm, Lazaria was dug. Every wall of this city had been adorned by the Dwarves with sculptures and each one more magnificent than the other. The dome in the third room was supported by four gigantic statues representing Agnar. In the centre of the room, there was a large bottomless pit laid opened inside which offerings to the God were dropped.

Within Aesir’s realm, it took the Men only forty years to cut the ice and begin to shape it into what was to become the fabulous temple of Gelzart, the famous « Ice Jewel ». For thirty years, the Kells joined the Men in order to help them to complete the temple and to build the city. Men and Kells also prayed together until the Kells, truly mastering their craft, started to cut altars to the glory of Aesir in their own homes. As the temple began to be deserted, the city started gaining in magnificence and style. In the heart of the forest of Broariàn over a hundred years old, seven giant trees which had grown in a circle, served as pillars for the basement of the temple of Harmonomrah and were dedicated to the God Neutra. The stone and the wood had been combined so artfully there that Elves could feel Neutra’s blessing and the Elvish magic that closely linked to nature which became even more powerful. Worshipping the Gods became a widespread practice in every realm as it brought forth by magic and a craze for religious rites. This period of peace, harmony and prosperity lasted indeed till 617 and the people reached a very high level of civilization. Under these exceptionally favorable astral conditions, there was an abundance of wealth in the world of Gothar and the people who had a carefree life in affluence. Progressively, the nine people gave up practicing original cults and went on idolizing Gods for ill purposes. In the year 646, people had gone more and more often to the temples but more to exchange ideas than to deal with magic or divine matters. Some sects such as the « the Lantern » started to hold sway over the population, following the lead of Kell cranks like Rouzau. Other sects, more widely spread amongst the Morgans, questioned the existence of certain Deities and claimed that only Calder was bright enough to create the Mana. Some more extremist sects went as far as to doubt whether there might be several Gods and even maintained that there might be a God, only one ruling over the world. In the year 666, the nine Gods were wounded in their pride and their hearts were bleeding. Within the moon’s core, Dragoon had been growing and feeding himself on his own fire. As an effect of the subsequent heat, craters had formed all over the surface of the moon and its inside face had been covered with crystals of various sizes and colors.