WORLD & RULES
Magic is inherent for all the elves. For other races it manifests for some and not others. Rituals can by anyone though as long you have the components and spell. Magic uses mana, of which mana all users have differing amounts within. The more powerful the spell the more mana used. Depleting one's mana can lead to unconsciousness or even death. Advanced magic users however can learn to draw mana from the earth or even the cosmos, although it's difficult to learn and risky unless you are trained. Different races are more inclined to different types of magic, even if they can do all of them. For example high elves are more prone to general arcana, dragons are prone to use fire, dwarves are prone to earth magic. Technological the world is equivalent to the renaissance, more advanced than medieval time but not modern in the current sense
HISTORY & EVENTS
In the beginning there was on the primordial void, and from it sprang the forces of chaos and order. For eons they battles and in their battle they weakened each other sending out energy and creating the universe and the planet know by it's inhabitants as Teraneus. And also from that energy sprang great beings of primordial and cosmic forces, that would eventually become worshipped as gods. And from those beings, through infinite methods of creation, came those who are referred to as the Ancient Ones.
The Ancient Ones lived for millennia. Building great cities and monuments, fighting, empires being created and destroyed. Then one day the magical tie of the Ancient ones to the world became too great and the magic manifested itself, and thus the elves were born.These elves were beings of pure magic, but they were weaker that the Ancient ones and thus even though they lived for up to around 1000 years, they were still mortal. The Ancient ones loved them as their children. But the magic wasn't done and soon other mortal creatures and races started to appear. Beings such as humans, dwarves, dragons, orcs, etc. The ancients kept harmony for they viewed all of these beings as their children. Then suddenly one day the Ancient Ones vanished.
No one knows for sure what happened. Some saw it was an apocalypse, or that they ascended, or perhaps there was a magical incident. In any case, the elves the Ancient Ones first "children" wept in sadness. Eventually a growing dived began between the High-elves and the "Low elves". The high-elves stayed as creature of pure magic, while the low-elves started to become attached to certain elements or places. And soon distrust and hatred grew between the two species of elves, and thus began the Great Elven War. Cities burned, many died, and atrocities were committed. Soon both sides grew weary, but the power of the high-elves was too great as they were pure magic and so both sides knew that the high elves would eventually win. Some of both the high and low elves grew sick of the war, and combined their magic to create a tear in the fabric of space, and make a new dimension; these elves would become the fae. Eventually the two sides of the war came together and compromised. The high-elves would rule all elves, but the low-elves would keep personal autonomy over their domains; while paying taxes and sending men for the army. The treaty was signed and called the "Treaty of Perpetual Harmony".
Soon a council was called of high and low elves and they searched for a ruler to lead them. And soon they found Baeldric Asterion: a high-elf of incredible skill, strength, prowess, wits, and magic. He proved himself to be the best in all tests and contests. The elves unanimously voted Baeldric High-king of all the elves. And thus the royal house of Asterion was born, of which the house of Vaelith is a branch from one of Baeldric's many sons. Baeldric rebuilt the now unified elven kingdoms, and then turned to conquest. He lead a massive 103 year-long conquest, that ended in the full conquest of the continent of Vaelyria. He was crowned 'His August imperial majesty' Emperor Baeldric the Magnificent. And Thus the golden age of the elves begun, and they ruled over all of the other races.
When Baeldric died, his descendants steadily grew more complacent and corrupt. This started to rot the empire from the inside out. Not to mention the elves viewed themselves as superior to the other races, as they were the first of the "children of the Ancient ones". Poor treatment of the other races bred deep resentment. So when an elvish lord named Dravanell found a loophole in the "Treaty of Perpetual Harmony", that being that it only applies to fighting between the high elves and low elves, a collapse of the empire was inevitable. Soon Dravanell began warring against lesser lords to gain power and eventually steal the imperial throne. The other lords started either siding with Dravanell, banding against him, or defending their own power. When the civil war broke out there was nothing the then Emperor Avenselius to stop it. With the elves distracted and fighting amongst themselves the other races began to revolt and overthrow their elven masters. So the empire fractured and Splintered, in what was known as the 'Great Schism'. The other races formed their own kingdoms and countries. One of the kingdoms that emerged was the Kingdom of Selenia, which became ruled by the house of Vaelith
The story begins roughly 600 years after the great schism, and creation of the modern map of Vaelyria.
