Prologue

^^^^^^^^^

A long, long, time ago, desolation filled the sky. There was nothing. And then there was something. The Fabric of Space-Time conjoined in a mysteriously special way. From Nothing, became something. A minuscule sphere of energy. A singularity. The Fautum Prima. Fate rested within this singularity. The alignment of the monoliths forced this nothing to become something. And that it did.

The spinning nothingness, with the heartstrings of fate, collided with the countless otherworlds. From that singularity, a world was born. First, there was light. With the sky of nothingness alight, particles of space-dust formed. These particles collided and created new particles. From specks of dust, whole lands were formed. But these fiery hot lands were ill-equipped for life. Yet life formed. Gods were born in the volcanic ashes of the hellscape. The first council; Prima Concillus.

These Gods, with the direction of the Fautum Prima, molded the land one hundredfold. With each iteration, they gained experience. But no life was sustained. These Gods were missing something crucial. Something they did not know of. The first of five things the Fautum Prima could not account for. The Five Monoliths.

These five monoliths are linked to every otherworld. If no other resemblance between otherworlds could be found, these were consistently present. These five imposing monoliths. And the Prima Concillus could not sustain their creations without these five monoliths. For they are the points of anchor of ley lines. The magical arteries of life in every otherworld. These ley lines course magical particles throughout the lands. These particles, which would come to be known as "magicae," would sustain all benign spirits throughout the ages.

But these monoliths hold a deep secret within. Originating in the Orbis Terrarum, they also bring about ruin. Ruin to all worlds. To keep its origin thriving. A parasitic agent, bringing about prosperity only to siphon all magicae back to the Orbis Terrarum, the first world. All otherworlds are derived from this first world. And the mother feeds on the livelihood of her children. Due to this, the monoliths are equidistant from each other. Their relative positions stay fixed for all eternity. They have fixed coordinates that are mirrored in every otherworld.

Over the next few hundred years, the Prima Concillus learned from their mistakes. Out of a seemingly random impossible probability, the conditions were met for the monoliths to be erected. And so they were. Everything came together in fashion like it was meant to be. Water was sustained in mass quantities. Flora swept through the lands and the betweenlands. Aquatic Life swept through the Oceans. And, at long last, life on land was created.

Fauna of various types were born and raised by the Prima Concillus. These creatures, in turn, nurtured their own offspring, and the lands became populated. Not long after, bipedal creatures walked the earth. These creatures would band together in clans. And separations eventually led to distinct features. Beastmen, with features of animals and monstrous strength. Elves, with long, pointed ears, long lifespans, and powerful magic. And finally, humans. Seemingly average in every way, humans had an ace up their sleeves. A blank slate. They could become anything they would want to be, with enough hard work.

The second of five things the Fautum Prima could not account for: the concentration of magicae was not entirely a boon, however. With enough time, the Magicae concentrate would crystallize, forming cores for malevolent entities. Consumed with a hunger for flesh, these monsters would roam the lands, looking for the flesh of the local fauna. And the more flesh these entities consumed, the more their appetite grew. Their everlasting hunger was insatiable.

As the years went by, the land became prosperous. Seeing that their work was over, the Prima Concillus passed on, taking the role of watchers rather than doers. And the Five Ancient Clans came into power:

The Ancient Elf Clan: Oakthorne

The Ancient Dwarf Clan: Ashenforge

The Ancient Beastmen Clan: Wintertooth

The Ancient Human Clan: Hammerwulf

The Ancient Demon Clan: Silvertome

Each clan ruled their own continent in peace and prosperity. The emergence of trade brought a golden age for each of the clans for hundreds of years. Until malevolence prospered. A Demon Lord was born. With the power to force monsters with magicae cores within to do his bidding, he bided his time. Until he gained the power to wipe out all opposition, he patiently awaited. Then the day came. A day of reckoning. After twenty long years of fighting, the five ancient clans were brought to their knees. This was the third of five things the Fautum Prima could not account for.

And the remnants fled into hiding. Where they had to bide their time. Until one man contracted with the Prima Concillus. He would come to be known as the Black Viking. Born to the Hammerwulf Clan, with black hair and black eyes, he would vanquish the Demon Lord. At the cost of his own life. With the contract set, he would go and defeat the Demon Lord. Long-range support would be given by the Oakthorne clan, while close-quarter combat would be aided by the Wintertooth clan. With weapons forged by the Ashenforge clan, the strike team would once again bring prosperity to the Fauna in the area. And with his fate sealed, he would be buried with all the records kept by the Silvertome clan.

But with the Black Viking's Death, a prophecy would be born. A dark tale was foretold. The cataclysm would return. But in the face of dire straits, the return of the Black Viking would save all. Over time, the prophecy was almost all but forgotten. The clans intermingled with each other. And their relevance slowly diminished. As time is the killer of all, time eventually waned the power of the five ancient clans.

The meaning behind their names was lost by almost all. And they became normal people leading normal lives. Black Viking was forgotten. The name was forsaken. For a millenia, there was only peace and prosperity. And the people forgot the Hammerwulf prophecy. Until the prophecy became relevant once more:

The Hammerwulf Prophecy:

When the flames engulf the mountainside

And the smoke rises into the night

If this has all been for nigh

We shan't raise our glasses high

One child shall burn bright

His fate coming forthright

And When He Comes and Cries

The beer-bottoms will face the sky

The Monoliths, dry and high

Will fall, but with heavy toll

Under the Misty gaze

And blood in the breeze

The child will raze and raise

Leave us standing upon the height

Fiery Mountain beneath the moon

Under the everlasting gloom

The forges, grown ever cold

The Black Vikings must be bold

Like dawn, he will come gilded in gold

With Fate on his side, all will behold

In all his glory

Bloody and gorey

He will stand atop the land

All under his command

^^^^^^^^^

The Fourth thing the Fautum Prima could not account for was the clashing of the otherworlds. Otherworlders would sometimes be summoned or transferred into this world. The knowledge they have gained in their otherworlds caused fate to be led down a different path than the one projected. Even if these were ever so slight changes, it could not predict and correct for these events.

The fifth and final event the Fautum Prima could not account for was the great cataclysm. One that would alter history in this world forever…