The ages before the empire were ones of tranquility and unfamiliarity.
In those days, the lands and seas of Gaia were pure and new as that of a newborn, first opening their waking eyes to the world before them. Natural beauties and monuments graced the biomes, from the tallest mountain beyond the horizon to the smallest flower in a lush, vibrant field.
It was a time untouched by the influence and defilement of both the malicious and the wicked, a time before the first raging fires of war spread upon the plains and scorched the many gifts of nature, a time before the claws of both the savage Bahji and her mindless pawns defiled Gaia’s face with blood and broken minds.
It was also in those days that all existence was truly rich with the mysterious and the hidden, waiting for the wise and devoted to seek them out and uncover what was yet to be known.
From the day of the Great Hatching of the egg of Bahamut’s kin, the Sky Keepers embraced this way of life, swimming in knowledge and the many riches of eternity that lay hidden above and below, continuing to watch over the skies and preserve the boundless forms of life that Gaia designed and the Flesh Mother spawned, as well as being the first to discover the secrets of mana and the way of magic.
Of course, they were not the only ones whose minds were opened. Many other peoples were touched by the ever-expanding currents of the Iron Scholar’s wisdom flowing upon the winds, though these peoples were not yet aware and thus their minds were still mostly dominated by their instincts. Feeling astonishment and pity for these beings, the Sky Keepers guided them and shared what they had come to learn of the world around them. Though slow to learn at first, many of them went on to prosper and embrace the path of knowledge, thus becoming stronger both in body and spirit.
When Pangloss witnessed this act, he was greatly pleased and proud.
But of all the peoples that found themselves upon the young Gaia, there came four whose minds shone brighter than all others and who the Sky Keepers believed could, in time, rival and match their own wise minds. These four peoples would come to be known as the Enlightened Children.
The first children were the Sun Seekers, who came from the grass plains over the open hills bathed by the light of Sol. The second children were the Star Gazers, who came from the vibrant forests below the glistening stars in the heavens beyond. The third children were the Night Walkers, who came from the dark caverns deep within the lush jungles under the glow of Luna. The fourth and final children were the Sea Dwellers, who came from the golden beaches leading to the vast crystal waters of the deep.
Despite being four separate races, the Enlightened Children shared an essential ancestry. They also had some of the richest pools of mana, though nowhere near as rich and strong as the Sky Keepers. However, when they first emerged, they were shy and weary. Each of the four peoples was completely unaware of the existence of the other three, as they avoided any not like themselves.
Seeing this, the Sky Keepers despaired that if they were left to continue as they were, the bright shine of the Enlightened Children’s minds would fail, and they would fall back into the claws of mindless instincts. So, much like
they had done for all other peoples, they presented themselves to the Enlightened Children, who at first responded with great fear and worry. Therefore, Avalus, a mighty Sky Keeper noble of the Yinglong clan, bestowed a great gift to each of the four peoples as a sign of trust and an offering of friendship.
For the Sun Seekers, there was a golden sword that shined a radiant light warm as the rays of the sun and provided guidance to those that wield it, for the blade was alive with that of an honor born soul.
For the Star Gazers, there was a silver woodwind that mesmerized and led all who heard its melodies, as well as shaping dreams that inspired creativity and beauty.
For the Night Walkers, there was a bronze staff that guided the roots and stems of nature itself to take new shapes and wield mighty magic, as well as being a spyglass to view worlds in the beyond.
For the Sea Dwellers, there was a crystal conch-shell that allowed one to hear and speak to spirits of the ethereal, as well as opening doorways into the seas of the astral waves.
These gifts came to be known as the Four Noble Oaths.
With these gifts bestowed, the Enlightened Children were no longer wary of the Sky Keepers and accepted the offer of friendship. Thus, the Sky Keepers shared the knowledge they uncovered and led them towards a brighter future, bringing all four peoples to finally meet and prosper together. They then taught them how to harness mana and the ways of the magic arts, making them the first to wield the powers of sorcery and giving rise to the first generation of mages.
Once the Sky Keepers believed that the Enlightened Children were ready to discover more on their own, they selected the wisest and most righteous member of each of the four peoples to lead their people. These individuals were known as Sapius, Morgant, Wukong, and Hilda, collectively called the Disciples of Nobility.
Sapius would go on to be leader of the Sun Seekers, who would inhabit the plains and the hills. Morgant went on to lead the Star Gazers, who chose to live surrounded by the forests and meadows. Wukong guided the Night Walkers, where they went deep within the jungles and the caverns. Finally, Hilda watched and protected the Sea Dwellers as they wandered the beaches and delved into the oceans.
These four were righteous and noble rulers of their people, mighty and caring chieftains who put the lives and well-being of their people above themselves. They also took on the responsibility of protecting the Four Noble Oaths. These duties would then be passed on to their successors once their time on Gaia came to an end
All four peoples went on to prosper and shine, as they went on to build mighty kingdoms and live in harmony for many generations. They would go on to discover many wonders and secrets of the world and learn of the ancient deities and guardians that walked the lands of Gaia. Much as the Sky Keepers had, many citizens of the four kingdoms chose to share the ways of the magic arts with the other peoples of the world, who would go on to start their own cultures and build their own settlements. It was an age of true prosperity, unity, and peace that stretched on for many thousands of years.
But then came the arrival of Bahji and her Chuba, and the chaos that would lead to the War of Wisdom. As the Chuba sought to drive the Sky Keepers toward savage corruption, they brought their feral wrath down on the many peoples of Gaia. Thousands were ruthlessly slaughtered and driven into savagery by the feral claws of the Chuba, entire villages brought to ruin and left as desolate as the desert winds. While the Sky Keepers sought to stop this mad plague at the source that was Bahji, the kingdoms of the Enlightened Children took up arms against the Chuba and aided those who could not stand against their violent might alone.
In the end, Bahji and her forces were defeated, but their devastation scarred both the lands and the seas, revealing to all that not all divine beings are loving or benevolent.
This age also reminded all enlightened minds of the nature of evil. It was not long after the war when those with wicked intent began to rise and make themselves known to the inhabitants of Gaia, from petty criminals to power-hungry warlords. Many greedy and wicked individuals began to cause chaos and launched attacks on the Sky Keepers' brothers and sisters. Some even went as far as to attempt to steal the Four Noble Oaths from the Disciples.
The Sky Keepers would not allow such anarchy and madness to continue, so they took action against those who harmed the innocent. Many of the peoples of the lands and even the four kingdoms of the Enlightened Children stood up against these villains, bringing them to their knees and placing them behind bars of iron and walls of stone. All who betrayed and hunted the Sky Keepers’ brethren were brought to justice. Many were cursed with monstrous forms that reflected the blackness in their hearts; some were bound from ever using magic again; others had no option but to be slain, their souls sent to the next world.
It seemed that another time of peace and tranquility was about to begin, as order was restored, and all people were living happy lives once again.
…
But then one day, in the Star Gazers' kingdom of Arlende, the next generation of Morgant’s descendants were born, twin sisters of royal blood, one pure and the other rotten.
As these twins matured, it was evident that they were blessed with a natural talent for the magic arts. However, while the pure twin used her arts to create wonders and benefit the many, the other used her arts to destroy and benefit only herself. The pure twin was a kindhearted soul who loved all living beings, but the rotten twin saw herself as above all others.
When Avalus laid eyes upon the twins, he knew immediately that they were true opposites and that the rotten twin would lead a dark age for the Star Gazers if she were the successor to the throne.
Little did the peoples of Gaia know of the slowly approaching dark storm that would swallow them all.
Decades later, when word began to spread of the Sky Keepers of the Draig Clan being found dead within their nesting domain by Night Walker cartographers, their bodies shriveled and dry with scales brittle and gray, great worry began to spread among Gaia’s many peoples. The Yinglong clan soon discovered that their Draig brothers and sisters were slain in their sleep, their bodies drained of all mana to the point their souls were lost. This news enraged and disgusted many of their brethren, who desired to unmask the identity of this offender and deliver their infernal retribution upon them.
The nobles of the many Sky Keeper clans knew the assassin’s identity and set out to Arlende to bring down their wrath upon her. But Avalus, being the wisest and oldest of the nobles, was not arrogant and knew the possibility of failure. So, before they set out, he persuaded his fellow nobles to create a mighty charm empowered with their own mana, which would bestow great power and blessings to the one who possessed it. They named this charm the Scale Heart.
In the end, Avalus’ fears came to pass, for the rotten twin Mab, through manipulating the dark spark within her people's hearts and the power of the silver woodwind, amassed a mighty army which she unleashed upon the lands of Gaia. Though the nobles fought bravely with valor and honor, they were overwhelmed by the power of the Mad Monarch and her forces; they too were consumed and joined the collective of tormented souls.
Only Avalus escaped, fleeing with the last of his strength. But before he escaped Arlende, he came across the other twin, who was also attempting to flee her sister’s wrath. In that moment, Avalus saw a spark of hope within the maiden’s eyes. Thus, he bestowed upon her the Scale Heart. He then charged her to protect the many souls of this world, both her own who remained uncorrupted by her wicked sibling and all others of Gaia, and to grow wiser and stronger, until the day came when she would end her sister’s tyranny. She accepted this duty and would ensure that one day, all souls of this existence would once again live in harmony.
Satisfied, Avalus then fled back into the clouds. He then went on to gather and persuade as many of the peoples of the land as he could, both his fellow Sky Keepers, the settlements of Gaia, and of the Enlightened Children, to flee with him into another existence, where they would remain in comfort and security until the day came where they could once again walk upon Gaia.
The Mad Monarch, now ruler of the kingdom of Arlende, sent her legions upon the lands that could not follow Avalus in time. They were forced to bow before Mab and swear servitude or be slain and forgotten. The Sun Keeper kingdom of Edeniona was brought to ruin as their marble towers were consumed by flames and the golden sword was lost; Mab locked away their minds and made them her pets as a cruel joke. The Night Walker kingdom of Pellucidar withered and died as a suffocating pestilence caused their vine-weaved temples to rot and crumble, their people forced into slavery while the bronze staff was locked away, waiting until the day it would once again return to the hands of a wise Night Walker it could call master. The Sea Dwellers, on the other hand, were able to escape Mab’s wrath, summoning a mighty leatherback titan with the crystal conch-shell, perching their home of Finaheem on its back, and drifting off into the vast blue.
As for the Sky Keepers, they chose the path of isolation. Many went deep into the bowels of the mountains, while others chose to shelter within the caverns above and below the oceans. They stayed quiet and hid from the forces of Mab above, as she corrupted the once beautiful and peaceful kingdom of the Star Gazers into a nightmarish and ruthless nation.Thus marked the end of the Age of Tranquility, and the beginning of the Age of the Undoer and her dark empire.
