Prologue
An excerpt from “Divided Homeland: The History of Erothmael and the Downfall of Her Children” By: Eolan Libat
Published Circa: 461 A.S. (Age of Separation)
“...As it were, magic was not born into this world. It, along with the separation of the races, came into existence through forbidden desire. This unholy act warped Erothmael’s peaceful existence into the divided realm we know today.
Although the question of origin differs between demonian and human historians, it is agreed upon that we began as one people. The eras following our creation were prosperous and out of nothing we created life as we know it today. From tribes, we gained a collective. From collective, we gained towns. And from towns, we grew nations. Our people were ones who looked ever forward to reach for the stars.
A millennia passed without conflict but the years following the Birth of Nations, otherwise referred to as Collective Time (C.T.), are when historical records differ among racial lines. More specifically, the succession for kingship in the western lands of Demonia - around the dawning of the tenth and final century of C.T. - was the direct cause of this occurrence. This contention over inheritance was the sole catalyst for bringing the realm into the Age of Separation.
The human myth proceeds as such:
King Terrin V had two sons: Terrin VI and Relius. They were two sides of a coin - one brains and one brawn. Terrin VI was a hulking boy who grew into a devastating warrior. Relius, on the other hand, was a brilliant mind to which no problem was unsolvable. Terrin V could not have been more pleased with his lineage. One was a master of the battlefield and the other brought the kingdom to financial prosperity.
As their father started to age, Relius grew tired of living in the shadows of his elder brother. He had made many contributions to the kingdom but none of them were recognized to the extent that his brother’s were. For months, Relius begged Terrin V to make him the successor. Terrin V refused. Terrin VI would be the rightful king as per his birthright and his many feats. Terrin V was quoted as saying, “It is not so important to have success if you do not have the strength to defend it.”
Upon Terrin V’s deathbed, Relius prostrated himself for hours, pleading with his father one last time - making a mockery of the royal name with his head pressed into the floorboards. Terrin V furiously refused. A witness recounted that Terrin V, in his fragility, grabbed the cup at his bedside and poured it across his son. Relius, his father said, was to defeat Terrin VI in combat or accept his brother as the natural heir.
As no man, woman, or god could bring Terrin VI to his knees, Relius conceded poorly to defeat.
Terrin VI knew of Relius’ pleas to the former king having had witnessed the brazen display of disrespect himself. As the trust among brothers had been completely demolished, the first order of business at his coronation was to replace Relius as Lord Chancellor with Terrin VI’s right hand man, Lieutenant General Claves.
During the ceremony, witnesses attested to Relius’ growing anger as he sat with his fiancé, the famed beauty Tamina. And although hearsay, the marriage was thought to have been arranged at the displeasure of Tamina.
Some speculate Terrin VI’s act to bind her in matrimony was to save her from disgraces, while others believe they were lovers all along. Regardless of the circumstances, Relius was enraged at having lost his position, family, and lastly his bride. He became violently angry and had to be escorted from the castle. Barred from his only home, Relius screamed at the gates and slammed his fists into the wall until he’d imprinted himself onto it in blood.
Wallowing in his despair, it is said that he yielded to dark magic and cursed the marriage between Terrin VI and Tamina. At the very moment the sun sunk under the horizon, Tamina was seen falling from the highest tower to her death - nary a scream to remember her by.
And with that unholy act, the start of Relius’ revenge began.
Relius knew he stood no chance against his brother as he was, but he wouldn’t rest until the kingdom lay in ruins. Abroad, he heard rumors of sacred texts - one that would bequeath those willing to sacrifice everything with great power. He knew this was his only chance.
He scoured cave after cave, crossing the mountains and valleys of far off lands. It would take years to find the book and many moons more to decode its pages. After countless trials and tribulations, the secret language was revealed to him. Relius took to the information like a leech, engorging on the blighted dogma.
As he reached the final page, the book gave a final warning. There was no return should he finish the text and obtain that which no man, king, nor god should ever possess - a knowledge so dark that it would change the face of Erothmael forever. Relius, having lost everything dear to him and fueled with devotion to ending his brother’s life, accepted the terms blindly.
A scorching sensation overtook him. His eyes filled with a searing pain and it felt as if his insides were boiling him alive. He screamed but the noise was unfamiliar to his ears and monstrous to the tongue. Days passed before the affliction subsided and he numbly dragged his body to the subterranean riverside, hoping to quench the unbearable thirst that eventually overcame the pain. There, he caught his reflection for the first time. Stark crimson, glowing eyes stared back at him and a charred complexion marred his once softened face. The most alarming feature of all was the pair of thick horns curled out of his skull and rest on either side of his jaw.
Thus, the first demon was birthed into the world...”
(Pages 6-9)
