What a happy coincidence! You’ve caught the local chronicler and her assistant, an old adventurer, in an idle moment and can pester them with all kinds of questions about history!

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What a happy coincidence! You’ve caught the local chronicler and her assistant, an old adventurer, in an idle moment and can pester them with all kinds of questions about history!

“You want to know more about this continent? Study it? Or simply learn a little more than you did on the road? And you don’t know anything yet? Well… if you have the time. Please….ähm, where do I start…. And how do I word it so it’s understandable? Hmm…Mitraspera is characterized by four forces: Ignis (fire), Aqua (water), Terra (earth) and Aeris (air). These are called elements. Dreams, desires, drives and emotions are also said to have originated from them. The four then gave rise to a fifth element, which is called Magica. The element Magica connects the opposites of the other four and always strives for balance. United by Magica, the elements decided to exist together and are said to have created this continent. At the same time, the immaterial world of dreams, emotions and thoughts is said to have emerged from them. Can you follow this so far? Good.” “Forgive me, it is difficult for the good chronicler to express herself intelligibly at times, but she is really trying!”

“Well, thank you! I am trying and I really would like to explain it. This knowledge can enrich your journeys, but most of all I wish that it will arouse your curiosity. Now then: The first people on Mitraspera are said to have been the ‘Ancient Rulers’. The ‘Elements’ watched over the creation from outside the world. The Ancient Rulers, in turn, created the ‘Elemental Peoples’, as their servants.”

The adventurer continues, “Yes, and so this continent we call Mitraspera existed for quite a while. It lies under protective shells of mist, designed to let no outside powers in, nor the power of the land out. I suspect that the Old Rulers wanted to protect themselves, their creations, and the power of the land through these mistshells, or even created them themselves – but whether this is true, no one is able to say yet…”

The chronicler nods thoughtfully: “The ancient rulers had different ways, but the belief in the elements united them. However, when they had achieved all that the elements allowed them, they are said to have split into two factions. One was firm in their faith and wanted to preserve the status quo. The others doubted their own limits, turned away from the elements and sought new knowledge beyond their blessings. From this is said to have been born Doubt, the first of the Outlawed Elements. You must have heard of the outcasts. I mean, they are our worst enemies here, after all.” The adventurer interjects with a grin, “Anyway, you should know that by now.” THE chronicler concentrates again. “Often the realization that creation apart from the elements is possible, and with it the doubt that they are omnipotent, is also called “Ratio”.” “Dear chronicler, this is rather abstract, I will try to summarize it more briefly: The Ancient Rulers ruled the land, the Elements determined the laws of nature, the Ancient Rulers experimented, mostly to expand their power, and the Doubters, those were the ones who tried to defy the laws of nature determined by the Elements while researching.” “Oha, now my assistant has presented that rather abbreviated. But if it is conducive to understanding, and in view of the time….Um to elaborate somewhat: The doubters kept on researching and creating corrupted elements to oppose the old ones. Black ice in place of fire, which we call Ignis, emptiness in opposition to air, which we call Aeris, pestilence to weaken Aqua, the water, and the undead flesh in place of the earth, we call it Terra. There were other experiments, but as with any great invention, the less useful previous research results are quickly forgotten.” The adventurer adds with amusement, “And if we haven’t lost you by this point. Congratulations! And don’t worry, there are more tangible issues to follow.”

“Those were the basics, and there I prefer a precise to a tangible account, my dear colleague.” Escapes the frowning chronicler. “Understanding this world can open doors for you, but even the most renowned scholars of this land know that there is still an endless amount that remains unexplored, and therefore one must never rely entirely on one’s knowledge. Back to the story: As far as we know, a great war broke out between the followers of the Elements and the Second Creation, which today are called the “Outcasts.” The war was terrible, devastating the world and plunging large parts of it into chaos, anarchy and poverty. Then the elements themselves intervened in the war, but their too powerful intervention burned, flooded, swept away or buried everything that was still preserved of the world. Therefore, this last phase of the war is also called the ‘world fire’. At the end of the war, the elementals did not finally destroy the outcasts, but imprisoned them with their armies and creators under the seals they themselves had previously created.” Meanwhile, the adventurer brought a bowl of dried fruit. “If you visit the capitals of the seal realms, you can still see the remains of these SIeals, they look like black pyramids.” The Chronicler helps herself, and with her mouth half full, she continues, “Mmmh Diewe Fiegel follten fugleiff the land in a deep sleep, mmh so that ef fiff could rögenerate. The Old Herrffer were banished from Mitrafpera.” She swallows the mouthful. “Only after 1000 generations would their descendants return to prove themselves worthy of the inheritance. Then, according to the prophecy, they would be able to open the seals and take possession of the land, but at the same time release the outcasts.”

“Eat up first.” Escapes the adventurer. “In the meantime, I’ll tell you something lively from more recent times: 18 years ago, Mitraspera, as we call this continent, was first discovered for us under the mists by the navigator Paolo Armatio, and he unleashed a wave of settlements without equal. Year after year, many more settlers continue to follow Paolo Armatio’s legacy, as adventurers from all over the world have come and continue to come through the mists to Mitraspera, just like you and me. These brave settlers of the first hour awakened the outlaws again, first by accident, later with full intention, to fight them and take possession of the land. We built civilizations and empires around the seals. In each seal area, according to the traditions of the land, leaders were chosen as ‘Archon’, i.e. supreme military leadership, and ‘Nyame’, i.e. supreme spiritual leadership by the will of the elements, and thus the great seal kingdoms were formed. But besides those, free city-states were also formed. The war against the outcasts continues until today and is not won for a long time! 

From Paolo Armatio’s legendary crew, one named Fileas Strongbow defected to the Outlaws, gained their trust, and rose to become perhaps the most powerful leader and adversary the settlers faced. Called Argus, he terrified the settlers for many years until he was finally captured and judged by us settlers for his treachery to the elements. Those were the days…”

“Exciting and beautiful times” A smile flashes across the Chronicler’s face and her mischievous look to the Adventurer suggests what stories are probably not being told today.

“Back to written history. The settlers also succeeded in pushing back the followers of the Void to a large extent, so that some were full of hope that they might have defeated them completely. But out of the darkness of Mitraspera’s history now rose the masterminds of the Ratio with their servants, who had gained the strength to return from exile and bring the war to Mitraspera. The settlers were able to win this war as well, albeit with great losses. Thus, in the battle against the Ratio, that place where the elements had begun to form their creation was damaged. The masterminds of the Ratio had converted and misused this place for their purposes as a world forge. When the settlers finally succeeded in destroying the mirror world, which had served as a retreat for the society of Ratio, the World Forge exploded!”

“Terrible” escaped the adventurer “And now it seems quite as if the elements have almost entirely turned their backs on Mythodea…” The chronicler nods thoughtfully and there is silence for a moment. 

“The elements…hm… Do you actually know anything about them? No? Well then it’s high time, I mean. Where do we start dear colleague?” “Hmm…Maybe something theoretical to start with: on Mitraspera we assign attributes to the elements.” “Yes, exactly. You can also say aspects in which they influence the world and our lives” “Yes, if you want to be practical about it. Anyway, in the past, in the constant competition of the elements, these have changed and could continue to do so.

I’ll start with the fire, called Ignis. With it we associate revenge, honor, sacrifice and community. But also, for example, passion, warmth, intoxication, struggle, anger, domination, destruction, desire and creative power. There are also elemental peoples. Beings who are very attached to this element or even created from it by the Ancient Rulers. Did we mention this before, my assistant?” “Yes, very briefly at the beginning. But without going into too much detail now, of these peoples we encountered when we settled Mythodea, you should perhaps be most familiar with the Flameborn of the Realm of Vengeance from Ignis.” “A good example. The Flameborn are also called Razash’Day in the ancient Mitrasperan language. They fought a great war against us settlers a few years ago. Since the peace, we have been getting closer and closer. If you should meet them…you might say they enjoy…unlike us.”

“Oh, yes.” The adventurer grins broadly. “Hmm. That should be enough to Ignis, don’t you think?” “You are surprisingly active today my dear. Perhaps you should use your motivation to sort through the new arrivals…. Speaking of which: Aeris, the element of air. With this we associate: Hunting, freedom, change, drive, activity and inspiration. Also beauty, competition, conquest, lightness, time, euphony, cold or winter, pride and boldness.” “I can still sort the new scrolls tomorrow….this conversation is more interesting, isn’t it? You should know the people of the Children of the Winds from Aeris. You will surely meet them. They are also called the Naldar and you can meet them in many different places. Your people have been through a lot, not only recently. Fascinating that after all this they are still open and hospitable to strangers…. Provided, of course, you can behave yourselves. “The adventurer gives you an appraising look.

The chronicler breaks the moment of silence: “Let’s move on to aqua, water, an important element. The adventurer frowns slightly at his colleague’s judgmental remark. “To water we attribute: grace and mercy, as well as wisdom, curiosity and the urge to explore, elegance, intelligence, intrigue, clarity, healing, deception, aesthetics, vitality, control and dreams” “Phew, quite a lot. It’s easy to get mixed up.” The adventurer paints spinning circles around his face with his finger until a reproving look hits him. “Anyway, perhaps the most important people of Aqua, the Children of the Great Sea Serpents, who are also called Sephor’Assil, are hard to miss with their extraordinary blue headdress. And their song! That alone is worth a trip to them! And I’m sure they can teach you a thing or two while you’re there.”

“Let’s talk about Terra, the earth. It stands for transience and vitality, sincerity, justice and loyalty. Also, for groundedness, constitution, strength, steadfastness, protection, constancy, and love of creation.” “Terra and Ignis are perhaps the most… most tangible elements when you’re new to Mythodea” “Tangible? You’ve never run out of air, I take it? And you rarely seem to be short of water, as often as you reach for the ale in the tavern!” “Golly! I’m not there that often! Let’s agree that all the elements are important?” “I ask that! And you: go through the world with an open mind, make up your own mind.” “True, that’s probably good advice. Back to the topic: the most important people of Terra at the moment are probably the Keepers of the Cycle, they also call themselves Narech’Tuloch and lived for a long time in the many tunnels that lie beneath the surface of this land. I wonder what that must have been like for them. I mean…when they met us we had already changed the world they knew a lot…” 

“Now finally the inner element of the outer four. The magic, we call it Magica. For us it represents the balance of equilibrium and harmony. It also represents magic, faith or mysticism, and humility. As well as unity, empathy, responsibility, fusion, creation and the spark of the soul.” “Whatever the last is supposed to be” “So it is written, written word rarely lies.” The adventurer frowns in disbelief at his colleague’s remark. “Allow me to mention at once, of Magica’s peoples, two important ones that you should have heard of: First, the Elves and Naldarians of Tragant, whose pride, prudence, and diplomatic skills have survived even the loss of their home island, and second, the Beautiful People, also known as the Edalphi, who know no possessions, can be patient teachers, and live in a very special kind of community.

I guess that was quite a lot of knowledge at once, which you have to digest first. Don’t worry, even if you forget almost everything tomorrow. It will come with time.” “No doubt! Haha, it took some time for us too, didn’t it?” “Yes, but since knowledge was the key to so much, it crept in quickly. You are diving very deep into the knowledge of this continent right now. I don’t know what your profession is, but depending on it, you will only need a fraction of it. If you are as inquisitive as we are, today is certainly not the end. And there are countless more stories waiting for you on this continent. So I wish you a good journey, safe paths and….” “Dear Chronicler, there is one more thing that is important for our survival here: The outcasts!” “Oh of course! Well we have to go on with the work right away, but…this exciting and in a disturbing way fascinating matter deserves attention. Let’s talk about the outcasts! First of all, there is the black ice! The black ice consists only of essence in different forms, for the respective task which is to be fulfilled. Thus it is immune to many influences and feels no pain, only damage.” “You can’t imagine it, you have to see it! It forms soldiers, buildings, crystals…Incredible!” “It was created by the ancient rulers as a weapon and is always seeking knowledge and advancement. It strives for absolute perfection.” “The Black Ice fights in clear formations and battle lines, it always acts according to the greatest possible benefit, you will see.”

“On with the undead flesh. The first among them were once originally an elemental people of Terra called Ankorians, who fell for the promises of Old Rulers of eternal life.” “Oh, yes! So they became Outcasts: the Undead Flesh. The Mitrasperan Undeath has formed something like a kingdom, despising the elements and thus all life. These Undead take over the bodies of our fallen, or are given bodies pieced together from the dead, into which their souls are then sent by the priests of Undeath. They follow their bone queen and worship her. I believe the loyalty of the undead to the Bone Queen can be broken by almost nothing.”

“Well explained!” “Thank you! The knowledge is still present to me from many trips. After all, you can’t just learn from books all the time…” “Oh really? I think the latter is clearly more purposeful and expedient. Next, knowledge seeking guest, you should know about the Oily Pestilence: Out of a desire to find a cure for all diseases on Mythodea, some Old Rulers instead created a single disease that, once transmitted, can turn into many diseases.” “Yes! This disease, transmitted by the followers of the Oily Pestilence, weakens us settlers again on every campaign, and we just can’t get rid of it….

Let’s move on to the void.” The chronicler looks somber. “Make it short!” The adventurer nods. “Good. Originally to preserve creation and remove new ideas, some Ancient Rulers created the Void. But everything that comes into contact with the Void is forever swept into oblivion. The Vinshaar, the creatures of the Void, seem almost all annihilated on Mythodea, but sporadically some keep reappearing…” “That’s enough!”

“Yes, yes. You’re right. Let’s talk about those darn scargs instead. They’re the latest plague to hit us.” “Not much is known about them yet. From the reports I have received, I can deduce that they reached our shores by ships, and that they murder and plunder where they meet us. I really wonder what drives them…They seem to be running from something, but that in no way justifies their barbarity. I mean…there’s enough land for everyone here, right? Wasn’t that once one of the visions we used to settle the land in the beginning?” “Forgive me, my assistant sometimes gets a little passionate when it comes to settlement. For you, the main thing to keep in mind is that the Skargen are not friendly to us, and you usually don’t have to expect niceties from them, but an axe in your chest.”

“Yes, that’s true, they did indeed not come in peace. Skargs can cross your path virtually anywhere in Mitraspera these days. Speaking of which. Where does your path actually lead? Here! Take a look at the map of this continent!” The old adventurer picks up a large, creased map from the neighboring table. It was once artfully drawn, but is now covered with scribbled additions, deletions and comments. “Yes, you see, here on Mitraspera something changes every year. Wars, new foundations…oh one loses the overview. Or gets rich selling cards, I guess. Look, over the years we settlers, who discovered Mitraspera under the mists with the Sea Trade Guild, founded empires, city-states and settlements. There are still numerous places where no settler has ever set foot. Newcomers arrive almost daily, needing space to live. You can sail here through the fog from other coasts, but I think nowadays there are new and different ways to find the fabled continent and also whole new worlds! Paolo Armatio, in the end, was not much different from us.” “Enough daydreaming my dear. Look here, dear guest! On the map you will find six great empires: the Signet Empire of the East, also called the Phoenix Empire, the Signet Empire of the North or the Northern Empire, the Signet Empire of the West, the Signet Empire of the South also called the Golden Empire, the Signet Empire of the Center called the Empire of Roses, and the Marque League. There are also free city-states, for example Askalon, Asina, Blutgard, Caladh Nua, Goldwacht or Porto Leonis. You will have to travel long and far to explore everything. And there is still much to learn. I think that was really more than enough for the beginning. Now this knowledge must first settle down with you, and the understanding will come with time.”

“Yes! A lot of book knowledge today. More exciting are definitely the living stories behind the knowledge! Should you ever tread the path of a scholar, keep a fascination for the living stories! And now quite apart from what has already passed and what others have experienced!” it rumbles from the adventurer. “What is your plan here in Mitraspera? I’ve got something I don’t want you to miss. I mean a campaign where history will really be made. Pay attention! Because after years of fighting and losing, the day has come! A goal that we Mitrasperans have had in mind since the beginning is within our grasp! We, the settlers, will deal the outlaws a serious blow in order to bring the war back to the retreats of the outlaws, where they have felt safe for far too long! On the southern continent, the undead flesh of the Outcasts has long been a heavy burden on the settlers, making it difficult for them to make any progress. Even if the fight for the crown within the undead flesh seems to be decided now, only now, after the victory over the mirror world, enough armies are ready for a new great campaign. Before the new Bone Queen has fully consolidated her power on the southern continent, we will attack! Haha!” It almost seems as if an old buoyancy has been reawakened in him, for he seems almost prophetic. “The day has come when Ankor Mortis, the capital of the Undead Empire, must burn! For the elements! For Magica! Settlers and adventurers from Mythodea and around the world are joining together to prepare a final blow against the heart of the Undead Enemy. You are with us, aren’t you?”