Blood on the Horizon

In the old myths it states that at first there was nothing but a great void that stretched across the universe, but then to the north of the darkness there soon formed a region of mist and ice, and to the south bore a region of heat and fire. Soon the heat from the south began to melt some of the ice that touched its regions and from this ice Daron, the Frost Giant, was shaped. As more ice melted more giants were formed, and together they roamed about destroying the worlds of fire and ice.

Upset by this, the great god Thraine, who until now had only been a spectator to these events, banded together with his brothers Thalus and Balther to destroy Daron as an example to the lesser Giants. Most of the Giants drowned in the great sea of blood that flowed forth from Daron's body while others, larger ones, begged Thraine for mercy. Thraine spared them, and for this mercy shown the Giants promised to help the gods with the creation of the world. From Daron's body the three gods made solid land and the giants helped to form it, creating islands and mountains. And so Araviel came to be. From the Giants skull they created the heavens known to the species created by the gods as Aravithri. This was there home, a high place where they could look down and watch their children from above.

Ymari, a giant of great size, then helped the gods to create the regions of Araviel, shaping the land some more and planting forests that sprouted up quickly thanks to the powers of the goddesses who aided him. From the stone and earth and all sorts of nature the gods then created their own species, each unique and blessed with special gifts by their god or goddess. Thraine created the mermaids and humans, shaping them from vines and ash wood. Balther created the Dwarves from sturdy stone, Alianous created the High Elves in his likeness from the leaves of the great forests, Melthalia shaped the Vale from clay, and the great goddess Azula took the soil of the earth to create her witches and the snow to create her Kairin. Other goddesses created fairies and nymphs along with unicorns, and a species of cat and lizard humanoids were brought to life as well who roamed the jungles of the far East.

Each species dwell in their own lands, occupying many regions and scattering all along the lands of Araviel. The Northern region of Etineria was home to the lands of Valestone, Orsimera, the island of Followstone, and the mountainous region of Drakir. The the East lay the region of Alesian which was home to the lands of Kattiri and the great string of islands known as the Amphirous Islands. In the southern region of Eidolonia lay the lands of Jotunhelm, Lothlorienel, the Belldroth peninsula, and the now separated territory of the humans once known to all as Summerfell. It was now know in the north as Rorikreath and in the south as Midkarth. The west was Iliannia where the wooded lands of Ikrinwood, Cythera, Eries, and the isle of Desdemonia lay. Off the shores of the west sat the island of Eriebis as well, shrouded in darkness and inhabited by the cursed creates of the night.

From some of the races came other species, those cursed by the gods for one reason or another. For their attempted destruction of the blessed island of Amphirous some mermaids were cast out by Thraine himself. They lost their gift to leave the water and walk upon the land with human legs, and instead sprouted grotesque wings from the middle of their backs which allowed them to take temporary flight, fluttering about clumsily from one rock to the next on the shores of small islands. Due to their evils during their mermaid lives they were left to feed off the life of smaller creatures. However, some choose to feed from sailors who happen to travel through the northern seas.

In the lands of Lothlorienel the High Elves came across a troublesome cult who wanted nothing more then more power. They murdered their own for such a gain only to be cursed by the god who created them. Alianous stripped these beings of there magic and changed their appearance to tell them apart from his beautiful creations.

The Dark Elves, which was what they were called after their betrayal, were then cast out of Lothlorienel to wander about in the lands of the north. Here they were attacked by giants. Those who survived escaped to the dreadful lands of Valestone while the others were eaten alive by the monstrous giants. The giant swallowed the Dark Elves whole and within it's large stomach the creatures suffered until they were able to burst forth from the large abdomen disfigured and changed. The giant had wandered into the land of Orsimera. The god Orkey took pity on them and from their disfigured species he created the strong and sturdy race of Orks.

The goddess Iris' found that while she was creating her Fairies and Nymphs from the butterflies and flowers of the lands of Cythera her magic accidentally turned the worms and maggots in the soil below into the race known as the goblins. Disgusted by these vicious little creatures Iris cast them out of Cythera to the dark woods of Eries. Out of revenge and hatred toward their creator the goblins began to capture her beloved faeries and nymphs, cutting them up and devouring their hearts and insides.

Once beautiful witches, the creatures known as the hags were cursed by Azula to take on grotesque forms. Some were so disgusted in their own appearances that they blinded themselves as not to see the curse they were forced to bear. This curse was for the misuse of their magic and the consumption of living beings like humans and elves. They dwell in caves away from others so that they may practice their evil magic.

Nocturiem, the goddess of the underworld, decided that she would try her hand at creation and used her magic on wolves, bats, and other little creatures of the island of Eriebis. Unfortunately it all went wrong. From her came the vampires, werewolves, trolls, and ghouls along with all sorts of dark creatures. Thraine, in order to control these beasts, cursed them to dwell in the darkness, but they still found their way into small villages where they would attack and devour helpless beings.

For many centuries war plagued the lands. Dark Elves sided with the Vale and raged battles upon the High Elves. Humans fought among each other over land and ideals. The Goblins murdered and plundered the forests, killing countless faeries and nymphs. This upset in the world drew the attention of the god Daedroth who was pleased by all the destruction, and one fine day the god decided he too would create a species. Flying down from the heavens, Daedroth created the race of dragons lead by the fearsome Odahviir from the large stone of the mountains.

He blessed Odahviir with skin that was impenetrable by blades and arrows of steel or iron making him an invincible foe to all he encountered. For years the new species ruled the skyies, striking fear into the hearts of many. However, Thraine cursed these beasts after watching their destruction rain down in fire upon the land. He created a soft spot in their armored flesh which could be penetrated by a weapon to weaken or kill the creatures. The mighty beasts still ruled, however, because no man could stand against them. The humans soon decided to seek a solution. Coming together, the humans and witches forged a potion from a combination of herbs, witches blood, and the blood of collected from a dragon who pitied the mortals.

Orphan boys collected from all over Rorikreath were subject to the effects of the potions. It changed them drastically, giving them strength that was similar to that of the dragons, magic like the witches, and prolonged life spans. The snake eyed men were now able to defend the lands against the flying monsters. With their abilities they could stand up against the beasts. These men were classified by many as a new species and were named by the dragons Vahkiir, or Hunters.

However, war was still an issue, and despite all the chaos of the dragons many species were still at each others throats. Out of sheer sorrow for the outcome of the world the goddess of Compassion, Aireath, cast upon the lands a calm, settling the groups and bringing a sort of peace to the lands.

Seven hundred years have passed since then.

The world has changed.

The Vale have a new ruler now who believes he is the son of the goddess Melthalia herself, and the Vale who follow him have come to believe this myth as well. Rumors have passed through all the lands of Araviel that the mad emperor is gathering together an army to take over the world they live in.

PS: The book Blood on the Horizon is available on Amazon in both paperback and on the Kindle. Please visit my author page.