The world of Sosaria has seen many troubles in its long years. even before the sorcerer Mondain attempted to overthrow the binding of Sosaria, greater powers of evil had all ready run rampant despoiling the virtues. Anathema, a powerful and corrupt Mage, made comprehensive contact with the ancient race known only as Wisps. He learnt their language, and in the first time, one man was capable of communicating with this ancient race. Over time, he learnt many spells that had been lost to the world from them, and gained their trust over time. Not knowing this mans intent, the Wisps foolishly entrusted a powerful spell into his keep. With this spell, Anathema unleashed a powerful Armageddon, which destroyed almost all life within Britannia.

Many moons later, life began to take foothold upon the soils of Sosaria once again. The new order that was born unto the soils was now different. The mighty Elven Mages had foreseen the casting of the great spell, and taken measures to protect their cities from harm. They had been mostly successful, saving all but the city in the area now known as Cove. The Elves then set about resurrecting the souls of the dead. They made it their priority to raise only those true of heart and mind so that this incident could never be repeated. Those souls who were deemed as having flaws were cast into a great void, where they could never disturb the humans again. Before the casting of the spell, the humans had been rather advanced, knowing the secrets of Metallurgy and trade, but now they knew almost nothing. The tribes that formed saw the humans as now being unable to communicate with words, and knowing little else but how to fashion simple tools and weapons, and how to cook their meals on camp fires.

The region that had been known as Cove was now nothing, save for a mighty rent in the ground. The high magic of the Elves had combated the Dark magic of Anathema with explosive results. A great mountain range burst from under the formerly flat soil, and destroyed the Elven city. The whole area became a vortex of dark energy, which mutated the inhabiting Elves horribly. The creatures that emerged from the dark mist that shrouded the area were a dark meld of Elves, and the local Flora and Fauna. These creatures were came to be known as Orcs. They inherited the unreasoning rage of the animals, and the reproductive qualities of the plants. This is why they are so hard to destroy, they reproduce by shedding spores that later grow into Orcs. This fact was not learnt for many years.

The Dwarves of the Sosaria were mostly unaffected by the spell, the mountains shielding their subterranean hall from the effects of the spell. They expanded their cities, most notably the city of Karak Azum, known to the humans as Wind. They sought a new metal which had fallen through the mountain at the time of the great spell. The ore of the rock, which became known as Gromril, was stronger then any other metals known at that time. The meteoric Iron produced some of the strongest suits of armour, and sharpest rune weapons (later known to the ignorant humans as 'magic weapons'). Whilst searching for Gromril, they dug too deep into the mountains, and into an area where the void that the Elves had created to harbour the souls of the evil dead meshed with the mortal realm. From this rift, the first of the great Daemon Lords, the Baldron Azamusis, emerged engulfing the Dwarves with Azure fire. A great battle ensued as the Dwarves rushed forth to deal with this mighty threat. Many warriors died in the 3 day battle that ensued, but finally the beast was destroyed. As the beast fell to the ground, it uttered a mighty curse upon the rocks of the mountains, and where his blood spilt, his daemon warriors burst forth. The Dwarves fought a bitter war against the denizens of the abyss, and finally the great rune smiths, the Dwarven equivalent of Mages, cast mighty spells to contain the threat to the very outskirts of the city. To this day, the Daemons break forth from the soil, but the magic of the Mages of Wind is sufficient to hold them.

Once the Elves had completed their task of resurrection the fallen, they began their hunt for the monstrous sorcerer Anathema. After many moons of searching, they located him hidden with the Marshes of the dead, north of what is now known as Britain. They removed his head from his body, and dismembered his body, a precaution taken to ensure he could not be resurrected. His bones were held in the vaults of the Elven cities under guard of the Lords of the realms. His head was buried in a temple that was constructed upon a small island South of Ocllo. His soul, which was too powerful to be cast into the void, was instead placed in a mighty crystal, forged from the magic's of one hundred Elven Mages, and set within the able hands of an Elven Mage known as Nostremus. The Elves nurtured the human tribes, re-teaching them all that they had originally known before the great spell, and soon the humans prospered once more. But one secret they kept from the humans, they would not teach them the art of magic. The humans grew superstitious of those naturally gifted with magic, and burnt them at the stake as agents of the Daemons. The Elves did not intervene with the practice, as they knew humans would be safer without magic. Those humans that stole away from the witch hunters to practice their arts in solitude found them selves meeting a sudden death under the blades of Elven assassins. One of the human tribes was taken into particular care, the tribe of the Britonai, the ancestry of the Kings of Sosaria. They had been foreseen as great leaders by the Elves, and they taught them many new things. The Britonai under the direction of their Elven mentors devised the three virtue, Love Honour and Compassion. From this, civilisation was introduced to the entire of Sosaria, and temples established to each of the virtues.

Whilst the humans had learnt the values of civilisation, the Orcs had been waging constant civil war. They fought for positions of power, and vied with other tribes for the leadership of their warriors. These tribes slowly grew, and their constant state of war ensured that only the toughest and most viscous survived. Within Cove, a great fortress had been built, from where the Orcs could mount attacks upon humans that passed within their territory, which expanded from North of Britain, to the edge of Vesper, and as far north as Minoc. The Orcs found the Humans to be interesting prey, as they were weak, and provided much entertainment as slaves. They often crossed steel with those foolish enough to claim stake to their territories, slaughtering or capturing all that opposed them. The Elves were outraged at these attacks, it was unsure if this was because they had tended to the humans, or because they hated how their former brothers had been reduced to such beasts. The Elves often hunted the Orcs that inhabited the forests, proclaiming their deaths to be the only viable release for their souls, but no matter how they tried the Orcs kept multiplying.

The Elves soon faced another threat also. Having seen what how their former brothers had been corrupted and changed into Orcs, several Elven nobles, most notably those associated with the Temple of began a quest to harness the dark energies. They captured creatures of many races, even other Elves, and experimented upon them with foul magic's. All of their discoveries, they recorded into great tombs of knowledge, and soon they had a vast knowledge of torture, Necromancy and several even darker arts. In time, the Elves began to notice subtle changes in the ways of these nobles. Their skins took a pallid tone, and their eyes slowly changed to take upon them a baleful red glow, as the power of the dark magic's infused with their being. The Elves began to question the motives of these Nobles, who managed to keep their dark secrets away from prying souls, only to have them killed or captured later. The Elves grew suspicious of these, they had become confined within their manors, seldom emerging into the light of day. They stopped attending festivals and gatherings. Over time, their influence grew, and it a great cult was dedicated to the old ways. Once the cult had amassed an army of dedicated zealots, did it expose itself. A great civil war began, splitting the Elven kin into three sections. Defending the old path of life were the High Elves. They defended the great cities against the wrath of the new order, fighting with righteous zeal to avenge the memories of all who had fallen to their dark ways. Those dedicated to the new cult became known as the Drow, dark an sinister shadows of their former glorious state. The Drow and the High Elves waged a mighty war against each other, felling their bitter opponents in their thousands. Those who did not wish to fight in the war left the cities, to live within the forests of Sosaria, and so became known as Wood Elves.

As the Elves defended their lands from the hordes of Orcs, the Drow who had retreated to the mountains launched raids upon Elven settlements. They raided the great temples, taking with them ancient artefacts and new slaves to experiment upon. The Orc clans were now starting to form alliances to battle the hated Elves, and the land broke into all out war. Under one warlord, the Orcs attacked without remorse, slaying untold thousands under their blade, and sacking many towns and villages. The Elves could not battle both enemies at the same time, and their powerful Mages, their one true defence, were slowly decreasing in number. It was due to this that the Elves decided to unleash one last secret upon the humans, the art of Magic. The human Mages quickly learnt this new skill, and were soon fighting affront the armies of their old protectors. But this was not enough. The Orcs continued their rampage, and soon besieged every major city. It was upon the battlements of Britain its self that the Orc warlord was slain by the Elven Prince Altoc. The Orcs could have quite easily have continued the assault, and taken the cities, but they fell into anarchy instead. Unable to decide upon their new leader, the army broke down into many clans once again, and they began their internal war. The Orcs scattered about the land once more, claiming new territories and building new fortresses in the forests. It was here that the Wood Elves proved their worth, hunting the Orcs and burning their settlements to the soil.

The humans had now proven their strength, and the Elves saw that they were no longer needed to protect them. They parted company with the humans, relocating to an unknown island that they protected with a magical shroud so that it may never be found by their enemies. Some Elves opted to stay, most notably the inhabitants of Spirit Wood and Glorindor. They, along with the Wood Elves, secretly watched over the humans, protecting them as best they could. Had it not been for the Drow, the Elves would have been all but forgotten. But the Drow had now sealed pacts with the Daemons of the void, and with their new power forged new races to battle the humans. They sought to unite the Orcs, and ally them with Trolls and Ettin, and they continued their quest for Elven artefacts. The humans at this time started rebuilding the ancient Elven cities, expanding them to home the larger population. Their cities great to great sizes, but were under constant threat. The humans turned to the Dwarves, hoping to be taught the arts of engineering and their supreme art of metallurgy, which surpassed even the understanding of the Elves. The Dwarves declined though, being content with simply trading with the humans for food and ores. They considered the humans to be unruly and chaotic. They were also rather wary of the humans, due to the size of their armies. They were afraid that the humans would take their place in the world as they had done with the Elves. For some time, the humans had to use their own knowledge to forge equipment to battle their foes.

The Daemons of the void had been studying the Orcs, and were pleased at these creations. They enjoyed watching their debased acts, and soon took the Orcs as their own. They had the Drow teach them magic, and supply them with bows, a weapon which the Orcs had never before made use of. These new armies, the Daemons set upon the Dwarves, revenge for the slaying of their master Azamusis. Although the Dwarves were powerful fighters, they could not match the numbers of the Orcs. Over time, the Orcs laid waste to five of the eight Dwarf cities, mercilessly slaughtering all inside. The Dwarves now turned to the humans. They had promised them that they would teach them in metallurgy and the making of war machines if they helped them drive the Orcs from their cities. The humans agreed, and soon a great alliance was formed. The humans saw that all three of the cities could not be defended, and ordered the Dwarves to withdraw from the city of Karak Kazum, which lay under Minoc. They had decided that the warriors of Vesper were more then enough to retard any Orc attacks on Karak Kazum. At first the Dwarves refused, determined to save all three of the strongholds. The humans defending Karak Azum, and fortified Karak Uldrum, close to Trinsic. Eventually, the Dwarves of Karak Kazum moved to defend Karak Azum. The siege on the Dwarven strongholds lasted Twelve long years. Then a great Earthquake ripped through Karak Uldrum, utterly destroying the entire city. The earthquake was so powerful that it created a large bowl in the middle of the mountain, which served to protect an army of Orcs for some years. The Paladins of Trinsic rode to this area, and destroyed the entire army, and erected a post from which warning of foul creatures in the area could be issued. The Daemons, watching from their new home within the dungeon known as Hythloth commanded the Orcs upon Karak Azum. It was not until the sixteenth year of the siege of Karak Azum, that the allies realised that the humans were commanding the Orcs. A great retinue of Daemonic warriors marched at the forefront of Orc reinforcements. The leader of this retinue of the damned issued orders to his green skinned Subordinates, and the battle reached its bloodiest. The Daemons broke into the Dwarven city, culling the terrified defenders as if they were cattle, and within a week, Karak Azum fell. The remaining Dwarves returned to Karak Kazum, which the Daemons did not know of, and the lords of darkness returned to their thrones of bone within the bowels of Hythloth. They left great numbers of Orcs within the city of Karak Azum, and considered their vengeance to be fulfilled. The humans were later able to clear the halls of Karak Azum, and it became known as the human city of Wind, a city of great learning which now homes none but the greatest of Mages. The halls of Wind are still haunted by bands of Daemons, but they are now kept in check by the Mages.

For centuries, the Orcs were kept at bay. The humans expanded their knowledge of the world, and began exploring the islands that dotted the great oceans. On these islands, new colonies were established. They undertook a crusade against the Orcs of Cove, destroying half of their fortress. They were unable to continue past the mountain due to the narrow walk way, and so they were content in building their own fortress from where they could destroy any Orcs foolish enough to leave their homes. This new fortress attracted many traders who undertook the journey from Minoc to Britain, and vice versa. They found good custom in the guards of Cove, who paid well for luxuries such as soap and salts. Eventually, the families of the guards moved to Cove, and they began farming the local soils. Any surplus crops were sold to the merchants, as well as crafts made within the walls at Cove. The small market expanded, and Cove was soon known as a market town instead of a military post. Similar guard posts were built all about the lands in an attempt to curb the hordes of beasts that still haunted the forests. The Lord of Sosaria at the time, King Marcus British, made it the duty of the nobles of the land to dispel the monsters from their own lands. It was made law that a great hunt should be organised once a year, and all aggressive creatures be destroyed without exception. This law later faltered as the nobles took such pleasure that these hunts had been reduced to as often as twice a month, which almost eliminated all creatures, save for those that still hunted within the dungeons of the land. These pits were often breached by the Templar Errant, young headstrong warriors fighting to prove their worth so that they may one day become mighty Paladins. King British also had a number of maps displaying the territories of beasts, which were updated yearly. If these territories encroached upon the soils of humans, he dispatched his personal guard to bolster the local armies. With this in place, the attacks on human cities and trade routes became rare.

It was several generations before things began to wreak into chaos once more. The current Lord of Britannia was now facing a cunning and resourceful foe, the Dark Knight - Lord Blackthorn. Blackthorn was an alchemist of considerable skill, as well as a powerful tactician. He believed that Lord British was stemming the life styles of many Britannians, and wished for everyone to be able to do what they considered acceptable. This new faction of Chaos soon grew about the land. His belief that everyone should live life their own way gave murderers and brigands an excuse to go about their foul business. On several occasions, British and Blackthorn crossed swords over Blackthorns method of government. British took the original three virtues and expanded them to eight. Each town was elected a virtue:

• Trinsic with it high number of Paladins became known as the city of Honour,
• Yew held the Britannian court and prison, so was known as the city of Justice,
• Minoc, which had forsaken much growth to supply the world with raw materials was known as the city of Sacrifice,
• Moonglow, well known for the research of its learned mages became the city of Honesty,
• Jhelom, home to the greatest fighters in the land was soon known as the city of Valor,
• Skara Brae, one of the most modest cities in the land became the site of Spirituality,
• Magincia, a city which asked for nothing from the world, but supplied some of the magi known became known as Humility,
• And Britain, the birth place of the Virtue guards became known as the city of Compassion.

It was now that the Virtue guard was established. They were posted in each settlement in an attempt to curb the mass number of murders and thefts. In response to this, Blackthorn established the Chaos guard, governing his own emblem. His chaos guard were to protect the peoples right to defend their selves from British. The Virtue and Chaos guards often fought each other, but British and Blackthorn agreed this to be acceptable, a method of practice for both of the factions.

The tide of crime retarded significantly during this period, and British and Blackthorn continued their game of chess over the populace. British had a castle built for Blackthorn within the walls of Britain so that the two could be closer, making it easier for them to compare views on the land. But elsewhere in the lands, a new evil was being born. Within a Mages tower on the outskirts of the city of Yew, a young Mage had grown up. Under the watchful eye of his master, he had learnt the arcane arts with considerable speed and understanding. His master was proud of his apprentice, and taught him more and more things about the world. He also trusted his apprentice, and one day it became necessary for him to leave the tower on business. His apprentice took this time to explore areas of the tower he had not been permitted. He located the room that his master has considered secret, and began to search the ancient books. One in particular caught his attention, and ancient looking book bound in black leather. It told of the ancient times, when the Elves ruled the lands, and the monsters that haunted the forests were no more. He read on and on, to the birth of humans, and of the sorcerer Anathema. This section has caught his attention. He read how his soul, being to powerful to banish, had been locked away in a powerful crystal. The young Mage began thinking about this crystal. If he could harness its power, he would surely be the greatest Mage to walk the soils. That day, the young magi, Mondain, packed several articles of the magical variety, and set out with the book to locate the crystal. At this time, Mondain held no evil intentions of destroying Sosaria as many have believed. He simply wished to be granted enough power to be noticed. He simply wanted to be able to match the power of the Mages he had met on his travels with his master. He studied the book for many years on his travels, which took him the length and breadth of the world. He was starting to lock the secrets of many ancient incantations and spells that Sosaria had not witnessed since the Elves. The Elves had sensed this new power being unleashed, and the keeper of the crystal Nostremus was warned. They had foreseen his intentions, and so the Venerable old Elf was now travelling the world to avoid Mondain.

Upon his travels, Mondain learnt of the bones of Anathema, and did his best to liberate these relics from the human vaults that held them. He visited each of the eight major settlements, each time taking with him a section of Anathema's skeleton. He had not known of the location of his skull, which was still buried on Avatar island, in the great temple which was now guarded by the Daemon warriors of the void. Mondain then learnt of Nostremus's current location. He had befriended the great Wyrms of Destard, and resided deep within the bowels of the cave. Mondain made his way there at once. Upon his arrival, he found the Dragon Kin had been awaiting his arrival, and was engulfed in a mighty ball of crimson flame. Mondain battled back the flames, and a great battle ensued. Mondain unleashed the fury of the spells of the ancients, and the Dragons were beaten aback. Never before had any but the most ancient of the White Wyrms seen such spells cast, and then never by a human. By the end of the day, Mondain emerged from Destard without finding Nostremus. He had opened a gate to make his escape, which had closed just as Mondain entered his chambers. Mondain, furious and frustrated unleashed his wrath upon the Dragons, slaying every single one. He siphoned off their blood, a powerful agent in the casting of spell, and once again began his quest. Several week later, he came across a raging battle. A young female Mage was being assailed by several folk Orcs. At first he ignored her screams for help, but then one of the Orcs exploded magnificently, leaving nothing but a smouldering crater in the floor. Mondain was intrigued by her power, and helped to her smite the remaining Orcs down. Upon talking to her, the beautiful young Mage pronounced herself as being Minax, a wandering Mage. Mondain saw great potential for her in his plans, and so took her under his wing. He offered her power and knowledge in return for aid finding the Crystal, and soon the two became close allies, and eventually lovers. Over the years, the search for Nostremus drove them both closer to depravity. They would now stop at no costs to recover the crystal. Villages burned in their wake, and the dead littered the streets. Warrants for their deaths were quickly issued, but to no avail.

After years searching for the stone, Mondain's views had changed significantly. The humans had stood in his way once to often, and now he wanted revenge. His aim now was to recast Anathema's ancient spell, to slay all life on Sosaria, so that he and Minax could start life again, this time as gods. Finally, one night they came across Nostremus and swiftly set upon him. In a the mighty struggle that ensued, it is said the sky turned coppery red, and a storm ripped the heavens, such was the fury that each of the three fought with. Monsters were said to have howled foul challenges the world over as they reigned blow after blow. Finally, Nostremus lay dead, and the crystal was torn from his hands. Within the great castle British, Nystul, Lord British's powerful advisor, oversaw the events that had transpired that night. When news reached Lord British, he at once ordered that a mighty hero should be sent to halt Mondain. Nystul opened a great portal to another world, and the Avatar, a being from another world, broke free into Sosaria. The Avatar hunted Mondain for many weeks, until the chased him to a black tower. The Avatar beat back Mondains foul guards, and laid waste to the evil sorcerer. As Mondain lay dying upon the cold floor of the dark tower, the Avatar took his weapon and smashed the crystal into many shards. Upon searching the Tower, the Avatar found Mondains old master, who revealed himself as Mondains father. He warned the Avatar that the world may be free of his sons evil, but it was not free of the power of the ancient gem. The old man died in the Avatars arms before he could explain what he meant.

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