Aughmoore

Aughmoore is a dying planet occupied by strange creatures and magical forces.

Creations
In the beginning, a clash of elemental forces explosively brought Aughmoore into existence. It was not the first world to be born in the universe, but it was significant because of its immensely magical nature. During the solidification of Aughmoore, a great magical heart was formed at its centre. This magic was what contained the potential for life, and its seeping energies got to work before even the continents were fully formed.

The first intelligent race of Aughmoore was the merfolk. The mysterious beings thrived in the deepest parts of the ocean, the eventual formation of land either unknown or unimportant to them. In the early years, a mermaid oracle received the Prophecy of Doom, which foretold a war between land races that would threaten to kill the world. This was dismissed as a wild dream, but that maid's foretelling would eventually be revealed as all too true.

From the world's magical heart spread veins, which sprouted from the surface in the form of trees. And so it is that the trees of Aughmoore form a direct conduit to the world's magical heart, allowing magical essence called Mana to flow into the forests. The primordial magic of Aughmoore contained the potential for life, and so not just trees but all kinds of plants and creatures were born on the land.

Aughmoore's elemental creation was a violent and chaotic process. Thus, some pockets of magic were trapped in places outside of the planet's heart. The slow cooling of Aughmoore meant that these pockets eventually bubbled to the surface in a process that took countless millennia. This pure primordial magic was then encased in mud, which was then energized by violent storms. This caused a reaction, forming the eggs of the first lizardfolk. They hunted the primitive creatures of the swamps, weaved spells with mana, and began to explore the ancient landscape of their new home. But that home was about to become a lot more complicated.

The magical power within the heart and forests of Aughmoore would eventually capture the attention of certain cosmic entities which might be referred to by the primitive races as "gods". The first of these beings to take notice of Aughmoore was Norellia, a powerful entity of pure light. Her curiosity led her across the heavens to discover the Sun Stag and the Shadow Stag locked in endless battle with one another in a forest on Aughmoore. It pained her to see such beautiful creatures doomed to such a fate, so she sacrificed a portion of her power to fuse the stags together. Thus the elves were born from Norellia's compassion.

The entity known as Oghtaa the Bloody looked on as Norellia created the elves and she was envious. Oghtaa coveted the land of Aughmoore and all its rich beauty. She tried to lay claim to it by forging a strong and mighty people from the ores of celestial bodies. As these new beings were being lowered to the earth, Norellia noticed and assaulted the abominations with her blades for twenty-two moons. Many of Oghtaa's children fell and died, and those that survived were cut off from her completely. They turned to stoicism and became the dwarves.

The stoicism of the dwarves severed Oghtaa's bond with Aughmoore, further embittering the bloody divinity. She would not give up, however, and her schemes continued. Oghtaa opened her battle wounds and bled from the heavens, creating a flood of crimson rain for a single day and night. The orcs arose from the gore-stained earth. From the moment of their birth till their last breath the orcs would burn with a violent rage. They were born for war, laying claim to all of Aughmoore on behalf of their crimson mother.

Ever since the moment of creation, many species of animals had thrived in the wilderness of Aughmoore. In the deep jungles, feral lions were unparalleled kings of the food chain. As they grew bored of their far outmatched prey, the lions turned on each other in a savage conflict known as the Pride Wars. This came to a brutal climax as the alphas of each pride, Ari of the pride Kelsinia and Shi'Shi of the pride Khota, did battle with one another. Their fight sent them toppling off a waterfall and into an enchanted pool. This pool granted them enlightenment as Ari and Shi'Shi emerged walking upright, overwhelmed with magical wisdom. They were the first of the Lionkin and they formed a tribe called The Collective, which lives on today as the only Lionkin tribe.

At some point after this time, it is believed that the humans came from another world in great metal vessels. But the details of that expedition are long forgotten by all who live. And so too is most of the technology that the humans were capable of in order to manage such a feat. The reason for this is also forgotten.

Early on, strained relationships between the elves and dwarves meant the penalty for interbreeding was death. Despite this, a union between two star crossed lovers did once produce offspring. These were the goblins, and they were banished to exile upon their discovery. They managed to survive just fine on their own though, as their inherent ingenuity gave way for many innovations in magical science. Though the goblins were not capable of reproduction, given that their parents were different species, they eventually developed the magical technology to clone new offspring for themselves. Since then they have rapidly advanced, outmatching every other race in terms of technology.

Over the next few millennia, many other races would emerge by mysterious means. All of them would have a part to play in the oncoming doom of the world.

The Blood Wars
Not much is known about the ancient mythical ages of Aughmoore, but what is certain is that there was conflict. The first minor war was between the tribes of the elves and the dwarves, but they were soon forced to ally against the onslaught of a far more powerful foe; the orcs.

The orcs spread across all the lands that were touched by the lifeblood of Oghtaa their mother, destroying all in their path. Their superior steel and mighty, seemingly endless armies proved to be an unstoppable force. This time is referred to as the blood wars, but it was more like a massacre. The troll kingdom was destroyed during this time, forcing the trolls into a nomadic life.

Eventually the orcs would be beaten back by the other races, but they were not yet defeated. The wars had thrown many land claims into question, and so the blood wars were extended by an era of conflicts between all the races.

War of the Wings
The wars between the land races eventually attracted attention from the enigmatic people of a flying continent above the clouds. No one knows where the birdfolk came from, but it was clear that their society and technology were far more advanced than the dirty land races.

Vowing to end the plague of war and destruction being spread by the land races, the birdfolk swooped down to vanquish all the other races. They were incredibly successful. After the birdfolk victory, they enforced an era of peace across all the land. Halfling bards called this short conflict the "War of the Wings".

Steward Orawk of the birdfolk built temples across the continents and commanded the land races to pay alms to their wise saviours. Birdfolk worship in these temples is what perhaps led to the theory that the birdfolk are in fact fallen celestial deities. The truth of the matter is probably far more complicated.

The birdfolk mostly left the land races to their own devices after their temples were established, hoping that their new religion would be enough to keep the peace. It was not. The temples were left to ruin, the birdfolk all but forgotten, and the land races would eventually return to their old habits.

The Age of Plenty
For centuries after the return of the birdfolk to their flying continent, the races of Aughmoore prospered off the land. Great bounties of resources were harvested by the advanced techniques of the growing kingdoms. Occasionally there were minor wars, but this was mostly an era of peace ensured by trade deals and diplomatic traditions set up all those years ago by the birdfolk. But as the kingdoms advanced and expanded, the bounty of Aughmoore would eventually begin to wear thin. Natural resources were slowly depleted by the growing realms of mortals, and in secret the Demon Lord Baaledor had begun to sap Mana from the very heart of Aughmoore.

Declaration of War
Aughmoore was becoming fallow. Crops no longer leaped from the tilled mounds of fertile soil, veins of ore hardened to the pickaxe, and the very spark of magic and life began to retreat into the dark crevices of the earth. The world was cast into shadow and sickness. As anxiety peaked, the races began to turn away from one another. Scarcity strained the delicate bonds of trade, marketplaces became hives of petty theft, resources were harvested to desolation, and territorial disputes escalated.

During this harrowing time, it was Laelithar, the human paladin, who first grew distrustful and turned his back on the other races. Under the flickering glow of the great hall's sconces, he announced the Isolation Concordat; the humans would help and shelter only their own kind from now on. But as he spoke, those old allies whom he renounced were executing their plots against him.

Spindly shadows descended from the rafters. Cold steel gleamed in stained-glass painted moonlight throughout the hall as assassins cut through the crowd toward the paranoid leader. The elves had grown tired of the arrogant humans who had over exploited the earth and had the audacity to blame the elves for the world's sickness. The elves schemed and plotted, starting small coups across Aughmoore. As more assassination plots and economic betrayals were revealed, it became clear that each of the major races had been preparing for complete independence for quite some time. After the elven attempt on Laelithar's life, war was declared between the humans and elves. The orcs and dwarves weren't far behind, joining the war in a desperate bid to carve out a piece of what was left of Aughmoore. The orcs, secretly disciplining a league of armed forces, cut weapon tradelines immediately, arming only themselves with their legendary steel. Their armies began marching in every cardinal direction with standing orders to eviscerate those who now lacked the advantage of their superior metallurgy.

The elves created pacts in the darkened alleys of enemy cities they had infiltrated, trading bottles of fine wine and ancient mystical relics for information on their next target.

The humans rallied their masses, conducting public prayer and calling the earth to produce what it could to provide for the brave soldiers. Under their holy sky, humanity met their enemies not with trickery but with iron force and sheer hubris.

The dwarves sought the majestic wisdom of the timeless mountains, and mined their valuable ore, hastily constructing enormous stone fortresses to exile all those not of the Heaven-Blood.

Terror and war became the norm. Fizzling spell slinging turned to hailing comets and shattering earthquakes, brief skirmishes to violent massacres, and trade to extortion and subterfuge. Armies of all colours and creeds marched, sailed, and flew over the scarred surface of the world. The scale of destruction wrought by this war remains unmatched by history, and so it is called The Great War.

And Aughmoore's sickness only deepened as the blood of her children was spilled.

The Armageddon
As the Elves, Dwarves, Orcs and Humans slit each other's throats for food and minerals, the Goblins and Lionkin endured Aughmoore's blight through innovation and tradition. Their humility and tendency toward reclusiveness (the Lionkin hadn't even made contact with the other races yet) allowed them to remain innocuous as the world first began to crumble under the fog of war - until the Armageddon.

An elven sorcerer whose name is lost to time had managed to channel the magical core of Aughmoore to power his maddened visions of domination. His infusion returned the souls of the fallen, intending to drive his risen slaves against all who opposed him - a mistake for which the world would pay dearly. The revolt of the undead against their elven master was but a whispered premonition of Aughmoore's newly twisted fate.

The Underworld had thus been unleashed through the experimental weaponization of the dead, and it now rages to consume the world. At the heart of Aughmoore's inner flame, now fueled by the intensity of warfare, lies this sphere of unimaginable horror. It is the result of the unnamed elf's hexed tinkering with the webs of mortality, and it has tainted the very essence of the earth. As that taint spread, the violence of war spread with it.

The forces of the Underworld seeped into the swamps and perverted the rot. Fumes of decay became stronger, piercing and maddening the Lizardfolk psyche. Warped visions of unknown lands filled with tempting treasures tortured the reptillians' minds. Little by little, they began to venture forth with wild, violent curiosity. They crashed relentlessly at the gates of fortresses, weathering an endless war. As the lizardfolk and undead armies clashed, spreading disarray across already wartorn battlefields, the hatred that drove the war was now supplemented with true fear.

Panic and dissent propagated in the face of this madness, and thus the warring races desperately sought a place of brief refuge to establish new colonies. In their travels, they uncovered a long-forgotten race - the goblins. Thinking them weak because of their bastard heritage and ramshackled nomadic villages, the naive races advanced with haste, each looking to carve out their own piece of the goblin lands and resources. From the shanties poured goblins by the thousands, armed to their yellow teeth with gadgets and deadly fizzwidgets that eviscerated the invaders with ease. Though long exiled, the goblins had been lying in wait, sharpening their rusty blades.

With the goblins in pursuit and enemies old and new at every turn, traveling human armies turned to Aughmoore's last sanctuary - the desert. Mercenaries drilled through abusive sun for days before spotting a speck of promise on the horizon. They rushed toward what their commanders believed to be mere mirages of settlements. Their march erupted to riot as they converged on the humble town square. There was a brief stillness in the ghost town before suddenly the air shook with powerful roars - a trap. War had landed unwelcomed on the sanctified doorstep of the lionkin. The proud and sturdy beast men had just met another race for the first time, and they were angered by the weapons they had brought.

With so many more independent tribes of the land being drawn into the ever expanding conflict, all of Aughmoore's children began to understand there would be no rest until the chaos was absolved by a single ruler. Amidst the vengeance, deceit, insanity, and pride of all, the Underworld expanded, bringing Aughmoore itself closer to total annihilation. There could be no peaceful resolve, no final retreat from strife, until the land was either united under one new order or consumed completely.