The Rose Dragon
2010-12-13, 11:35 PM
At the beginning of the world, there was no world to begin with. There was broiling chaos, the rivers of endless desire and passion, and actions and events flowed from one to another without care for causality or consequences. Only the oldest of the Fair Ones, whose souls were formed within the rivers of desire, have the slightest memory of this time before time among the mortals.
Then, Ormazd, the Dragon and the King of the Skies, in his infinite power, took the chaos and forged it into form and function. Many nations know the resulting creation by many names, but all can be translated into a single word: "World".
Within the skies of the World, Ormazd shone in his manifold faces. During the day, he was the Sun, shining with a white and golden brilliance in purity and power manifest, while during the night, he was the Moon and the Stars, infinitely beautiful and complex. In his three aspects, he empowered the World and whispered to it the secrets of power and the threefold mysteries. Following the truths carved into the very essence of the World, men and women from all paths of life began to learn the arts of sorcery, and thus the first Sorcerers were born.
When the World was whole and unbroken, there were only three creeds of sorcerers who could write their will upon the World. The mightiest of them were the Sorcerers of the Sun, who took a singular approach to sorcery and were rewarded with the sole mastery of the Mysteries of the Sun. Below them were the Sorcerers of the Moon and Sorcerers of the Stars, who took a more complex approach to magic and thus were limited to Mysteries of the Night. However, Sorcerers of the Moon partook in the countless beautiful shapes of the World, shedding and donning forms as mortals could blink and breathe, while Sorcerers of the Stars looked at the Arcana writ across the night and thus shape the destiny of things to come.
Back then, the might of the Sorcerers was unchecked, and no mortal could hope to match the power of sorcery unleashed. In hubris and madness, Sorcerers weaved magic and almost tore the World apart. In response, Ormazd empowered five thousand men and five thousand women as the Disciples of the Dragon, who fought the sorcerers with magic of their own, lesser in power but blessed with a fraction of Ormazd's perfection. After hundreds of years of battle between the Dragon Disciples and the Sorcerers protecting their kingdoms, the rule of the Sorcerers was over. No longer would the Sorcerers rule over men, but become humanity's humble servants. Sorcery was a gift, but not one to be squandered on selfish desires, Ormazd taught his Disciples, and the World, broken but not shattered, survives to this day.
Now, the descendants of the original Ten Thousand Disciples oversee the successors of the Sorcerers who played their hands at godhood. The Celestial Order is upheld to this day: as Ormazd gives unto his Disciples, so will the Disciples give unto the Sorcerers. However, the World is not a gentle place, as the horrors unleashed a long time ago by the Sorcerers still echo throughout the lands, and while the Dragon Disciples are powerful guardians, the might of a Sorcerer is unmatched. As such, each Sorcerer must walk a fine path in wielding their powers as guided by the wisdom of the Dragon Disciples: stray too low, and they will die in the hands of the harshness of the World; stray too high, and the Disciples will slay them before they once more become the horrors of the ancient days.
And there are other, newer and stranger threats still, looming the edges of the World...
Then, Ormazd, the Dragon and the King of the Skies, in his infinite power, took the chaos and forged it into form and function. Many nations know the resulting creation by many names, but all can be translated into a single word: "World".
Within the skies of the World, Ormazd shone in his manifold faces. During the day, he was the Sun, shining with a white and golden brilliance in purity and power manifest, while during the night, he was the Moon and the Stars, infinitely beautiful and complex. In his three aspects, he empowered the World and whispered to it the secrets of power and the threefold mysteries. Following the truths carved into the very essence of the World, men and women from all paths of life began to learn the arts of sorcery, and thus the first Sorcerers were born.
When the World was whole and unbroken, there were only three creeds of sorcerers who could write their will upon the World. The mightiest of them were the Sorcerers of the Sun, who took a singular approach to sorcery and were rewarded with the sole mastery of the Mysteries of the Sun. Below them were the Sorcerers of the Moon and Sorcerers of the Stars, who took a more complex approach to magic and thus were limited to Mysteries of the Night. However, Sorcerers of the Moon partook in the countless beautiful shapes of the World, shedding and donning forms as mortals could blink and breathe, while Sorcerers of the Stars looked at the Arcana writ across the night and thus shape the destiny of things to come.
Back then, the might of the Sorcerers was unchecked, and no mortal could hope to match the power of sorcery unleashed. In hubris and madness, Sorcerers weaved magic and almost tore the World apart. In response, Ormazd empowered five thousand men and five thousand women as the Disciples of the Dragon, who fought the sorcerers with magic of their own, lesser in power but blessed with a fraction of Ormazd's perfection. After hundreds of years of battle between the Dragon Disciples and the Sorcerers protecting their kingdoms, the rule of the Sorcerers was over. No longer would the Sorcerers rule over men, but become humanity's humble servants. Sorcery was a gift, but not one to be squandered on selfish desires, Ormazd taught his Disciples, and the World, broken but not shattered, survives to this day.
Now, the descendants of the original Ten Thousand Disciples oversee the successors of the Sorcerers who played their hands at godhood. The Celestial Order is upheld to this day: as Ormazd gives unto his Disciples, so will the Disciples give unto the Sorcerers. However, the World is not a gentle place, as the horrors unleashed a long time ago by the Sorcerers still echo throughout the lands, and while the Dragon Disciples are powerful guardians, the might of a Sorcerer is unmatched. As such, each Sorcerer must walk a fine path in wielding their powers as guided by the wisdom of the Dragon Disciples: stray too low, and they will die in the hands of the harshness of the World; stray too high, and the Disciples will slay them before they once more become the horrors of the ancient days.
And there are other, newer and stranger threats still, looming the edges of the World...