Element Wars
Four hundred and ninety-three years ago, the kingdoms were a very different place.
They were lands of competition, a constant struggle for dominance, a seemingly endless shift of power. Wizard-kings battled for the right to rule over the Elements, the monarchical governments that held sway over the land. And then they battled to stay alive long enough to make a mark on their kingdom. Evocation magic ruled a world where destruction was considered the highest form of power. It was a hard time. A dangerous one.
Four hundred and ninety-three years ago, King Haverford the Cruel was the ruler of the Wind Element. Spring was not known for its kindness then, a hard land like all others in spite of the bountiful harvest it boasted. Haverford was a hard man. And an ambitious one. Four hundred and ninety-three years ago, a thought occurred to him which would change the course of the four kingdoms forever.
Why, he thought, should he not rule all four kingdoms? If he was strong enough to take them.
Four hundred and ninety-three years ago, Haverford gathered his strongest wizards about him and the military might he could muster, and launched an attack on the Fire Element through the Canvas Valley. And the Element Wars began.
Despite the power struggles that formed the fabric of the four kingdoms at this time, none had ever exceeded the boundaries of one of the lands. Those that ruled the springlands stayed within the Spring Rim. Those that held sway in the winterlands never went further south than the Borderlands that edged the desert. Those that claimed the summerlands stayed far from the trees to their southwest. And those that commanded the fallands had no need to leave the forests.
As such, the land was rocked by Haverford's actions. Once breached, the sanctity of borders could not be restored. A world already marked by chaos was thrown into turmoil. The Fire King, Zroana the Unyielding, she immediately launched a counterattack on the Earth Element while also moving to the southward and attacking the Wind. From there, the Wind King, Yasorldan the Keen, entered the wars, raining terror down on the Earth Element from the top of the Spring Rim. The Water Element was the last to enter the fray, as Winter so often is. It had always been a kingdom slow to change and the nature of its landscape made it difficult to invade. The Winter King, Voloshin the Wise, was the only monarch in recent history that had achieved his throne through sheer overwhelming skill as a wizard alone rather than with the aid of more underhanded methods. He stayed out of the wars for as long as he could, but when wizards came pouring across the Spring Rim, he had no choice but to respond.
Evocation wizards from all four kingdoms flung spells of elemental destruction across borders. A hard world, a dangerous world, became a world torn apart by war.
King Haverford, having ignited an irrepressable conflict, quickly fell to an assassin. There was a moment with his death when it seemed that maybe the fighting would cease. However, Zroana the Unyielding took the moment of pause as an opportunity and attacked once more. The wars raged on without Haverford.
And rage they did.
For years.
A century of war passed. There were times when it quieted, all four kingdoms exhausted by the fighting. Yet, someone always stepped forward eventually to resume the battle. The wisest could see that this way of life was untenable. None of the kingdoms could truly survive without the resources of the others. No land could thrive as a warzone. Yet, no kingdom was willing to back down for fear of being overrun by the others. And it was a fear well founded. The four kingdoms were at a stalemate. Something would have to change if the kingdoms were to survive.
As could be guessed three hundred and ninety-three years later, change was inevitable.
The death of Voloshin the Wise shook the kingdoms. Kings had come and gone since the beginning of the war. Of course they did, it was a governmental system of murder and insurrection amid a time of war. But of all the kings, Voloshin had withstood the tests of time and violence better than any had before. And he had done it in style, never attacking needlessly, never stooping lower than he had to. And yet, when Death came, it came to him. Death was the name they gave to the man who killed him and though he was a mortal man like all others, he grew to be a specter in the minds of all who knew of him. And all knew of him in time. Odemius the Harbinger. Those that were there to witness the death of Voloshin the Wise would never forget. Exactly how he died is a truth lost to time and to the trauma those witnesses experienced, but one thing remains the same no matter whose account you hear. Odemius appeared in Voloshin’s own hall, a haunting image, dark and inexplicably terrifying. And he struck down the Water King without a word. The King who claimed and kept his throne through power alone was slain without effort. Odemius, his face a mere shadow, his body wreathed in the blackest robes, then turned to Voloshin’s court and a chilling voice echoed in the minds of those who watched. Tremble, he said, his voice worming its way into the nightmares of the strongest wizards in the land. For death will come for you next. Tremble. Wizards who only bowed to power and destruction did just as they were told. Odemius vanished, but word of him spread quickly through the four kingdoms. Everyone knew of the King Slayer, the Voice of the Dark, the Nightmare. Death. He was a power without a kingdom and it struck fear into every heart. No one was safe from an allegiance-less king. All knew of him, but no one knew what he would do next. Stories began to float through the kingdoms of people who had seen the specter of death, who had supposedly been murdered by him, who claimed to follow him. Exactly how many of these stories were true is impossible to know. But four stories can be trusted with reasonable safety. Those of Queen Hina the Mindful of the Fire Element, King Merethriel the Vicious of the Wind Element, King Augustine the Kind of the Earth Element, and Queen Filimonova the Wary, newly crowned queen of the Water Element. All four monarchs saw Death in their courts and all four did as they were bid and trembled. They were going to die, they were certain. Fear can do impossible things. It can make the strongest of warriors squeak like mice. It can make the meekest of sheepherders carve through flesh and bone without a second thought. And it can make four monarchs hell bent on violence and hatred sit down in one room and agree to work together. Death came calling and the impossible happened. Odemius had to die, the four monarchs agreed, and it would take all of them, the strongest and canniest and most fearful wizards in the world, to make it happen. Few were privy to those discussions and so it is impossible to know what they planned. But it is burned into the books of history what came of it. Time passed with little change. The wars had paused indefinitely while everyone waited with baited breath for either the monarchs to fall or Odemius. No one knew where Death was or what exactly the monarchs were doing to find him. Time passed and people waited and the monarchs ruled, seemingly without any moves to take down the King Slayer. Time passed. And then word flashed through the land like a bird startled out of hiding: the monarchs had killed Death. At the foot of the Mouth of the Radiance, Hina the Mindful, Merethriel the Vicious, Augustine the Kind, and Filimonova the Wary ambushed Odemius, the Harbinger of Death, and slew him where he stood. The four kingdoms rejoiced. Death was dead and fear was king no longer. Everyone experienced joy and relief in a way that hadn’t been seen in over a hundred long years. No place was hard that day. Few places were dangerous. The four monarchs were welcomed back to their kingdoms with pride and celebrations. How amazing, their monarchs, who protected them all from Death himself. How wise and how strong they all were. How wonderful these kingdoms, safe at last. They could all go back to the way life was before. Before. Before Odemius, when there had been nothing but war. War that seemed to be without end… And yet, it certainly felt like the wars were over. The four monarchs had sat in a room and worked together and returned to the kingdoms to the veneration of all. It had been a long time since Haverford the Cruel. It had been so long. Surely something had changed. Once more, four monarchs sat down in one room and discussed what they were to do and, as could be guessed three hundred and ninety-three years later, something had changed. And more things would change in the days to come. The Mindful, the Vicious, the Kind, and the Wary agreed: the old ways must be done away with. They only served to harm their kingdoms and had lost sight of the injunctions of the four deities. New ways must be found to ensure that war never broke across the kingdoms again. Four monarchs left this room and returned to their kingdoms to create a new way of being. One less hard. One less dangerous. Augustine the Kind and his advisors in the Spring Kingdom decided that the monarchy was a good enough system, but that the cruelty of a monarch could never again be allowed to lead the kingdom astray. They established Augustine’s line as the rightful holder of the throne and did all they could to foster kindness in the way his children and his children’s children were raised and trained. The Primrose Monarchs grew to be known as monarchs of the people and led the Spring Kingdom to be a place that valued goodness above all. Hina the Mindful returned to her kingdom and conferred with her people; it was the masculine violence of Haverford the Cruel, they decided, that had led to everyone’s undoing. Only a woman would be allowed to take the throne. And while one monarch was needed to ultimately rule, she could not do so alone. Her husband would take the unsavory duty of military matters and three advisors would support and council her in all else. Thus, the Quintessence was given power over the Summer Kingdom, the Quintor at her side and the Quins at her back. Merethriel the Vicious decided that one alone could not lead a kingdom peacefully and established the Council of Leaves to rule the Autumn Kingdom. He appointed the first Leaves from among his trusted advisors and with them selected one person from each major group in the kingdom to represent their people. Filimonova the Wary returned to her kingdom and for a time, reigned as the wizard-monarchs always had before. The Winter Kingdom has always been slow to change and Filimonova was cautious in her movements, fearing that to establish something too quickly would be to establish something that could not last. However, she eventually stepped down from her throne and asked her people to elect a new leader, putting her faith in the decision of the kingdom. Over time, the four kingdoms grew into their new ways and beyond. A hard and dangerous and war-torn world healed from the wounds it had inflicted upon itself and moved past the Element Wars. There was still conflict, as there must be in a world with free will, but never again did the four kingdoms war with one another. All trembled at the thought.
The death of Voloshin the Wise shook the kingdoms. Kings had come and gone since the beginning of the war. Of course they did, it was a governmental system of murder and insurrection amid a time of war. But of all the kings, Voloshin had withstood the tests of time and violence better than any had before. And he had done it in style, never attacking needlessly, never stooping lower than he had to. And yet, when Death came, it came to him. Death was the name they gave to the man who killed him and though he was a mortal man like all others, he grew to be a specter in the minds of all who knew of him. And all knew of him in time. Odemius the Harbinger. Those that were there to witness the death of Voloshin the Wise would never forget. Exactly how he died is a truth lost to time and to the trauma those witnesses experienced, but one thing remains the same no matter whose account you hear. Odemius appeared in Voloshin’s own hall, a haunting image, dark and inexplicably terrifying. And he struck down the Water King without a word. The King who claimed and kept his throne through power alone was slain without effort. Odemius, his face a mere shadow, his body wreathed in the blackest robes, then turned to Voloshin’s court and a chilling voice echoed in the minds of those who watched. Tremble, he said, his voice worming its way into the nightmares of the strongest wizards in the land. For death will come for you next. Tremble. Wizards who only bowed to power and destruction did just as they were told. Odemius vanished, but word of him spread quickly through the four kingdoms. Everyone knew of the King Slayer, the Voice of the Dark, the Nightmare. Death. He was a power without a kingdom and it struck fear into every heart. No one was safe from an allegiance-less king. All knew of him, but no one knew what he would do next. Stories began to float through the kingdoms of people who had seen the specter of death, who had supposedly been murdered by him, who claimed to follow him. Exactly how many of these stories were true is impossible to know. But four stories can be trusted with reasonable safety. Those of Queen Hina the Mindful of the Fire Element, King Merethriel the Vicious of the Wind Element, King Augustine the Kind of the Earth Element, and Queen Filimonova the Wary, newly crowned queen of the Water Element. All four monarchs saw Death in their courts and all four did as they were bid and trembled. They were going to die, they were certain. Fear can do impossible things. It can make the strongest of warriors squeak like mice. It can make the meekest of sheepherders carve through flesh and bone without a second thought. And it can make four monarchs hell bent on violence and hatred sit down in one room and agree to work together. Death came calling and the impossible happened. Odemius had to die, the four monarchs agreed, and it would take all of them, the strongest and canniest and most fearful wizards in the world, to make it happen. Few were privy to those discussions and so it is impossible to know what they planned. But it is burned into the books of history what came of it. Time passed with little change. The wars had paused indefinitely while everyone waited with baited breath for either the monarchs to fall or Odemius. No one knew where Death was or what exactly the monarchs were doing to find him. Time passed and people waited and the monarchs ruled, seemingly without any moves to take down the King Slayer. Time passed. And then word flashed through the land like a bird startled out of hiding: the monarchs had killed Death. At the foot of the Mouth of the Radiance, Hina the Mindful, Merethriel the Vicious, Augustine the Kind, and Filimonova the Wary ambushed Odemius, the Harbinger of Death, and slew him where he stood. The four kingdoms rejoiced. Death was dead and fear was king no longer. Everyone experienced joy and relief in a way that hadn’t been seen in over a hundred long years. No place was hard that day. Few places were dangerous. The four monarchs were welcomed back to their kingdoms with pride and celebrations. How amazing, their monarchs, who protected them all from Death himself. How wise and how strong they all were. How wonderful these kingdoms, safe at last. They could all go back to the way life was before. Before. Before Odemius, when there had been nothing but war. War that seemed to be without end… And yet, it certainly felt like the wars were over. The four monarchs had sat in a room and worked together and returned to the kingdoms to the veneration of all. It had been a long time since Haverford the Cruel. It had been so long. Surely something had changed. Once more, four monarchs sat down in one room and discussed what they were to do and, as could be guessed three hundred and ninety-three years later, something had changed. And more things would change in the days to come. The Mindful, the Vicious, the Kind, and the Wary agreed: the old ways must be done away with. They only served to harm their kingdoms and had lost sight of the injunctions of the four deities. New ways must be found to ensure that war never broke across the kingdoms again. Four monarchs left this room and returned to their kingdoms to create a new way of being. One less hard. One less dangerous. Augustine the Kind and his advisors in the Spring Kingdom decided that the monarchy was a good enough system, but that the cruelty of a monarch could never again be allowed to lead the kingdom astray. They established Augustine’s line as the rightful holder of the throne and did all they could to foster kindness in the way his children and his children’s children were raised and trained. The Primrose Monarchs grew to be known as monarchs of the people and led the Spring Kingdom to be a place that valued goodness above all. Hina the Mindful returned to her kingdom and conferred with her people; it was the masculine violence of Haverford the Cruel, they decided, that had led to everyone’s undoing. Only a woman would be allowed to take the throne. And while one monarch was needed to ultimately rule, she could not do so alone. Her husband would take the unsavory duty of military matters and three advisors would support and council her in all else. Thus, the Quintessence was given power over the Summer Kingdom, the Quintor at her side and the Quins at her back. Merethriel the Vicious decided that one alone could not lead a kingdom peacefully and established the Council of Leaves to rule the Autumn Kingdom. He appointed the first Leaves from among his trusted advisors and with them selected one person from each major group in the kingdom to represent their people. Filimonova the Wary returned to her kingdom and for a time, reigned as the wizard-monarchs always had before. The Winter Kingdom has always been slow to change and Filimonova was cautious in her movements, fearing that to establish something too quickly would be to establish something that could not last. However, she eventually stepped down from her throne and asked her people to elect a new leader, putting her faith in the decision of the kingdom. Over time, the four kingdoms grew into their new ways and beyond. A hard and dangerous and war-torn world healed from the wounds it had inflicted upon itself and moved past the Element Wars. There was still conflict, as there must be in a world with free will, but never again did the four kingdoms war with one another. All trembled at the thought.
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