At the start of time, the forces of chaos and order collided to form a blazing fire from which the first gods were born. First was born Artoris, the Lord of Death and Darkness and the embodiment of order. He was born with the desire to rule over a perfect world, one shaped according to his ideals, where nothing could ever surprise him. The second was Alen, the Lord of Life and Light, the exact opposite of Artoris. Alen was born with a wild fascination and appreciation of everything around him, but also with an unending hunger for new experiences. The two brothers soon realised there was no way for both their ideals to be realised, so they struck a deal.

  The deal was one of mutual benefit. Artoris would get to create his perfect kingdom, and Alen got to populate the worlds his brother created with life and randomness. They each started to create other gods, Lords and Ladies to help them create their masterpiece – Traisil. Traisil was Alen’s dream and Artoris’s magnum opus. A varied world upon which an infinite amount of lifeforms could coexist. As soon as Artoris finished the world, Alen started working on his most important creation yet. It took him centuries, during which beasts and plants started to populate Traisil, but he finally finished their design. The Evara – also called first elves or primal elves – were perfect. Immortal, attuned with all kinds of magic, physical prowess that could rival the very gods themselves. Alen released them upon the world, and witnessed their growth. He saw them discover the wonders of the world, guiding them like a proud parent. Back then, gods were free to walk in any world they pleased and visited Traisil often. However, the Evara grew jealous of the gods.

  Unlike gods, the Evara were not allowed to cross the boundary between their world and the others. No elf would ever lay eyes upon the Hall of the Gods, never sit on one of its golden thrones. As often happens, the Evara grew hateful towards their creators.

  It started with a single act of defiance. Three elven families – Zanderoth, Phyra, and Scalaris – came together and destroyed the border preventing them from leaving Traisil. They unknowingly created an entirely new plane of existence, now known as the Inbetween. Although the Inbetween allowed the elves to travel to other worlds, this defiance drew the attention of the gods. Even Artoris, who usually confined himself to the silence and tranquillity of his beloved Limbo, now had his gaze aimed towards Traisil. The gods felt threatened, but it all could have simply blown over had it not been for an even greater act of defiance from the elves.

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  Asonaran Zanderoth, head of the Zanderoth family and appointed Archmage of Traisil, travelled to the Hall of the Gods to demand an audience with Alen. During this audience, he requested a seat on the council, claiming that the creation of the Inbetween elevated him to the level of Alen and Artoris themselves. Alen grew white-hot with rage. The once-proud creator of the Evara, now confronted with the very first instance of hubris, struck down the Archmage and banished his soul into the Abyss Below it All.

  The First War was declared between the Evara and the gods. It was a one-sided fight, with very few gods actually involved in the extermination of the Evara. Alen had grown bitter with his creations, sending his daughter Naros to execute them all. Naros however, went too far. In her unbridled rage she slayed not only Evara but other creatures as well. Soon Alen turned on her, banishing her to Puros, the realm of fire.

  The gods now grew weary of their leader, Artoris most of all. It didn’t take long for him to challenge his brother for the throne. The First War was followed by the second soon after, with gods fighting gods using Traisil as their battleground. In the end, Artoris was forced to surrender. It is unknown what led to his defeat, but the outcome shaped history as we know it.

  Artoris was banished to Limbo and stripped of most of his powers. His consort, the Lady of the Abyss, was tortured by Alen for centuries. Once her mind broke, the Abyss turned violent, striking out through the Inbetween at anything its tendrils could corrupt. Alen was forever changed. He forbid any of his kin to interact with Traisil.

  Many thought that would be the end of it. However, the Evara were not driven to extinction. The gods never fully withdrew from Traisil. And Artoris would never forgive his brother for what he did to him.

  In truth, the story had only just begun.