The Saviours Tale

"It is said that when even the gods could not stop the evil that was ravaging the world, a hero rose up. The hero had forged four weapons, each with their own special abilities that could harm the root of the corruption. The hero, alongside his longtime companions went to battle against the nightmare that was terrorizing the world at the top of the tallest mountain. With the power of his weapons and all of the world supporting him, he managed to defeat the evil but not at the cost of his own life. To this day, no one knows where the weapons are but it is rumoured that they will come back when another hero arises to finally destroy the evil once and for all"
An excerpt from an ancient tale, talking about the mythical weapons of the saviour

Vortanor, Sword of the Australis by Aaron hoffsass

Across every culture and society of all the sapient species of Elladia, one can find a few things that are common to them. From shared beliefs such as earthquakes being caused by the moons of Elladia shaking hands with their parents to believing that the sun is the eye of a god, the variatons are still myriad. Foremost amongst them however is a tale. A tale that speaks of an ancient saviour who constructed four legendary weapons and used it to vanquish a great evil from this world at the cost of his own life, thus restoring peace and ensuring victory for the world
The story has been told in almost every medium possible. From plays to novels to live action reenactments, there is hardly a medium in which this story has not been told. It can be found in every culture and society of the sapient species of Elladia, albeit with variations that may differ slightly to vastly different retellings with only a few commonalities between them. Some tellings speak of different sorts of weapons such as axes, maces, halberds and swords whilst others speak that the saviour was in fact the main god who had created the others.
Across the world, the stories serve as upliftment for many people. They are inspired and happy to hear that even in the darkest of times, there may be a small glimmer of hope. It is one of the few things that all Elladians share, which makes them proud to live on such a planet. The importance of the story does not end here however, as they are now being revisited with the return of a sinister evil, in hopes that the key to defeating the abominations from the beyond may lie in one of the tellings of the saviours tale

Summary

A Peaceful World by JJcanvas

Long ago, Elladia lived in utmost peace. There were few if any wars or conflicts and the sapient races of the world lived alongside each other, helping their brethren out and working together for the greater good. Many advances were made in science and technology as well as arts and cultures, resulting in a golden age. The people were fully infused with scientific temper and they were keen to know more and more. They were also far more kinder to others due to them having enough resources as well as having virtuous values infused in them.
Across the world, people could easily travel to any place they liked due to the presence of open borders. This created a continous exchange of ideas of all sorts including scientific, cultural, societial and many more, giving rise to diverse variants of new cultures and resulting in the ushering of a true utopia all across Elladia. It would all change, when the corruption began to spread

The Corruption Spreads

"It spread slowly and silently at first. So much so that not even the slightest thoughts of it crossed the minds of anyone, even their brightest of minds. It would soon go on to bring them much ruin

Aztarian, Demon of War by Nekoemonn

At a certain time, a malevolent extradimensional entity had found its way into the mortal realms. This being set its sights on Elladia after searching out for a long time for souls to devour, people to torture and worlds and civilizations to enslave or raze down to the ground. It began to propagate itself through the means of a foul corruption, manifesting in many forms including a religion that worshipped it.
At first, the corruption spread slowly and stealthily. Even the most witty intelligence officers of the various empires and kingdoms on the world had barely an idea what was happening. The corruption spread not only amongst the masses but also amongst the leadership of the world as well, twisting them and allowing it to stay hdiden for a far longer time. It was not until the murders began that Elladia knew what they were facing
As the situation spiralled out of control and a full scale invasion began, the Elladians battled the forces of the destroyer in large scale battles and though some of them resulted in victory, the majority resulted in catastrophic defeats for the forces of Elladia. Entire cities and kingdoms were razed, resulting in the deaths of millions. The destroyer also caused numerous natural calamities, such as devastating volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes, underground explosions and other myriad events which devastated the population even further

The Gods Arrive

"The Arrival of our gods was a relief for them, even if it was ephemeral. They fought on harder and harder, but alas, the forces of the destroyer proved too strong"
Attributed to one of the myriad versions of the saviours tale

The Demons Arise by wacalac

As the people of Elladia pleaded to the gods to do something, the gods came down with their armies, giving the defenders a massive boost. Under their iron willed leadership, the Elladians began to fight back and win a number of victories. Legions of angels had bolstered the ranks of the mortals and it seemed as if the tide had turned, and it did indeed for a short while. Before the destroyer unleashed his full might
The Breaker had conducted some rituals that needed the sacrifice of tens of millions of souls, and when this grim and difficult task was completed by his armies, he summoned the demonic titans, a group of demonic demigods that began countering the gods themselves. The tide turned again and this time, even the gods could not do anything. As the destroyer himself joined the battlefields, the gods began to plead to whatever there was to do something, for even the 'almighty' gods had failed. Their saviour would be an unlikely person however

A Strange Figure arrives

"His name was Aurelian, as he himself had said it. Not much else was known other than that he was the saviour. The one who had defeated the destroyer and ensured that Elladia would live to see the light of another sunrise"
An excerpt from the tale, talking about the saviours arrival

Aurelian, Savour of Elladia by Dong Geon Son

One day, a large figure suddenly descended from the skies. Armies were mobilized, as the people thought that this was indeed the destroyer. But the sight of it was far different. The figure was tall, muscular and his hair glowed with the blaze of a thousand suns, alongside his eye which glowed even brighter. He was armoured in dark metal and in his left hand, he carried a massive spear that glowed so bright and burnt so fiercely that it turned demons blind, but did not affect the peoples of Elladia at all.
The figure then went to the leaders of the world and also to the gods, where he asked them about their problems. The leaders were initially reluctant to let him in but as he performed many miracels and even summoned legions of angels to fight for the defenders, they talked to him. After hearing what they had to say, he assured them that all would be fine provided that they kept up their unity and virtues and sacrificed for the greater good
The figure then set off for the far northern lands, where snow and ice persist even in the warmest of summer days. Here, he met a frost giant blacksmith and his dragon friend, who agreed to forge weapons for him for free as he was wanting it for a noble cause. The dragon eagerly agreed to use his fiery breath to forge the weapons and imbue his magical strength into them
For a few weeks, the giant and the dragon worked tirelessly all day and night long, forging the weapons that would go on to become the bane of the destroyer. The giant had mixed in a lot of other ingredients in there too, in the hopes that they would make the weapons stronger. The Dragon was a master of the arcane arts and used the strongest of his spells to make the weapons truly able to kill a god
When at last the weapons were finished, the figure looked at them, slightly disappointed that they were not upto his standards. He then took a few more materials and shaped the weapons, before pulling out a part of his soul and imbuing them with it, thus elevating them to their true power. He then went onto the lands of the mortals, where he would give the weapons to those most worthy

The Worthy Ones

Magnus, Champion of Humanity by jwm2

After returning to the lands of the mortals, Aurelius conducted a series of tests and trials, to find out who was truly worth giving the weapons to. The tests involved not only physical and mental attributes but most importantly, included the virtuous traits of the applicants, including their selflessness, kindness, bravery and other virtuous traits. When he found out suitable candidates, he gave them the weapons and told them only one phrase before they marched to war
"Today, you will embark on the journey no one has embarked upon. It is upto you and I to turn the tides so that Elladia will have a better future"
With this, the combined forces of Aurelius and his followers, the gods and the mortals took the battle to Arkanos one last time

The Final Battle begins

"On this field, we shall face the horrors of our lives, and we shall overcome them! Today all of you are here for the noblest of causes. Those who shall fall for us will be eulogized for all eternity to come"
An excerpt from a speech given by a general of Aurelius, right before a massive battle

Knights of Aurelian by Ukitakumuki

With renewed strength, the combined forces who came to be known as the alliance marched on against the forces of the destroyer. The battles were bloody and even with their bolstered strength, the alliance found it hard to win against the destroyers forces. Yet, many battles were won by them, restoring the lost morale of the soldiers and pushing them to strive and fight ever harder. They knew that this was the battle that would define the world of Elladia for centuries to come
Meanwhile, on the top of the worlds tallest mountain, another battle was taking place

Facing the destroyer

"So you have come back. A Traitor whom i considered my closest ally"
"To fucking hell with your sweet insults! I have seen how much pain and suffering you"ve caused. I took part in all of them and it was you, it was fucking you who had tricked me into this"
"Now now now, don't say that. You were born like that. Born to the service of our cause, just like me. It does not matter who is right and who is wrong here. When the dark settles, only one of us will stand"
A conversation between the destroyer and Aurelian before their final fight

Champion of the Dark God by Justin Gerard

When the heroes reached the summit, they had seen the destroyer waiting for them. The destroyer laughed, saying that the mortals put up a good fight, but only due to Aurelian betraying him. This was a deliberate tactic to make the heroes doubt Aurelian, and it did work as the heroes suddenly demanded answers from him about what "atrocities" he had taken part in. Aurelian responded that it was a matter that they would talk about later, since he was on their side and they had the best oppurtunity to kill their enemy there.
Aurelians plan worked and the heroes then fought against the destroyer. Even with the weapons that could harm him, the destroyer dealt blow after blow on Aurelian and the heroes. Even after merging the souls and bodies of the heroes and their weapons with him, Aurelian was barely able to get only a few strikes in.
Having no other option, Aurelian threw the spear which he had and it impacted the right shoulder of the destroyer. He then activated it, leeching power off of him and used all of his powers to utterly obliterate the destroyers physical essence, and mortally wounded the destroyer. It used up so much of his powers that he disintegrated, but not before bidding farewell to the survivors of the war.
Thus, the war had ended. The destroyer was killed at the cost of the heroes and Aurelians life. The world was in a gloomy mood and in the millenia afterwards, would fall into disunity with the human empires being already broken. But they would live to fight one more day at least, and hope that one day, the world would be peaceful again

Historical Basis

Ruins of an ancient race by Nele Diel

So far, there has been little if any evidence of this event being based on an actual event or happening in reality. Most scientists and learned people believe that it was just a tale made during a particularly hard time or in the aftermath of an extincton event. However, there have been speculations that a barrow unearthed on Ultima Australis, the southern polar continent of Elladia has corpses that were of soldiers killed in the war. The bodies there show signs of violent death that could only be possible in warfare, and include many tomes written in an ancient language that seems to have some similarities with the argonite language
If the bodies are found to be as old as when the war happened according to the tales, this could be the very first concrete piece of evidence about the war. Much remains to be learnt however, as the barrow is still being studied and the corpses require to be dated before any conclusions can be made

Spread

"Its something all Elladians have in common. Even in the most unrelated of cultures, you will find it. Its beautiful isn"t it? Something that both i an Argonite and you a human can share?"
An Argonite scientist talking to his human researcher friend whilst exploring an island off the coast of Ultima Australis

The myth is widespread, with nearly every if not all cultures of Elladia having at least some variation of the tale. It is frequently told in households, especially during bad times so as to increase morale and motivate others to power through dark and despairing times. Though there may be many variations of it, the central themes of heroism, perseverance, unity and altruism are present in all of the versions of the tale, making it practically the most common story in the world

Variations & Mutation

"In all of my life, i have never come across a story so beautiful and so varied, reflecting the myriad cultures and diversity of the world and yet, retaining common themes that bind us together. Whoever first penned this, has all my respect"
Archmagus Rayner Lenas, talking to himself after finishing a version of the story

The tale of the saviour is just as varied as it is common, with many different variations that range from slightly different to vastly different. Some cultures have ingrained mini stories of their own too inside of them and thus, it makes for a rich study of the different cultures of the world. Some say that there was an axe, a halberd and a warhammer amongst the weapons Aurelian forged. Others say that Aurelian was the true god that would come down to save the others in their direst of times. Whilst others stated that the Frost giants and the Dragons were also part of the group of heroes, as opposed to only mortals being elevated to the status of Aurelians champions
These myriad variations of the story provide a rich ground for study, and to this day, debates are conducted about this myth and attract many bright minds from all over their respective empires. A few themes remain certain however, such as heroism, altruism, the promotion of 'good virtues' and the presence of a hero who saves the day in the end. This has prompted many to conclude that not only does this tale reflect the diversity of the cultures of Elladia, it also unites them and forges a pan Elladian identity for them

Date of Setting

Approximately 40,000 years ago