In the early days of Elnerth, an ancient race of exiles found shelter in the heart of that young world. Their true origins have been lost over time: legends refer to them simply by the name of “Mystics”.

As centuries went by, the Mystics rebuilt a flourish civilization. One event between all was the reason of their renewed greatness. They were able to create the Fulcrum: a powerful source of imperishable and consumable energy. A golden age began and the Mystics started to build huge cities and tall towers that symbolized their centers of power.

The more the Fulcrum was examined, used and empowered, the more their society grew and their demand of energy rose: soon, it became an unquenchable thirst.

This ascendent spiral reached a sudden and unexpected end, a catastrophic end. Their insatiable need compromised the stability of the Fulcrum, of its energy stream, and that was the most crucial event in the history of Elnerth. What was known as the ancient Mystics civilization ceased to exist.

When the Mystics discovered that the Fulcrum had limits they could not overcome, it was already too late.

They exploited the energy for too long, and they were astonished to see that at some point, unexpectedly, the flux was changed in its very nature. It still was spreading energy, but it was also twisting and morphing the reality around it.

The surroundings of the Fulcrum started to be warped at more and more fast pace. The end was near and it was inevitable, the Mystics were impotent.

While the situation was getting worse, one day with the sound of a crack and an explosion the whole world was shaken. A disharmonic distortion spread all over Elnerth releasing a terrible cataclysm, changing the face of the planet permanently. That day the Era of Decay began.

The Disjunction

Earthquakes rumbled and storms fell down violently. The nature, the colors, the shapes of the planet were changed forever. The few Mystics left were powerless to constrain the Decay.

In those dark moments, the Mystics tried to survive but, at the same time, it was more important than ever to continue to draw the energy which could help them rebuild their cracked world. 

The survival of their race was at stake, their last glimpse of hope was to find a way to preserve what was left of the Fulcrum, so they tried to split it into parts. That process was called the Disjunction. It was a desperate try and the Mystics took their chance.

The Disjunction was a success: six shards of the Fulcrum were obtained and were called Essences. The Mystics were confident that, by dividing the Fulcrum into its Essences, they would be able to contain their powers and harvest their energy at the same time.

The rise of the Keepers

Safer, but not for this reckless, the Mystics started to take precautions right away, to avoid other possible disasters. The first decision made was to separate the Essences, bringing each of them apart from the others. The second step was to define their new social organization.

A group of them gathered with the only specific scope to safeguard and preserve the Essence. That was a milestone for the future existence of their people in the new harsh environment of Elnerth. Carrying such a burden, they became powerful and influential, and they were called the Keepers.

Even if less powerful, the Essences were still able to alter reality, yet in a new and intangible way.
With time, they could absorb and merge with the consciousness of beings around them. Their bond with the Keepers sadly gave them that time.

The inner nature of the Keepers was touched by the influence of the Essences, it brought to light the deepest fears, not just of the Keepers as individuals, but of the Mystics as people.

At the same time the Keepers stopped to age. The touch of the Essence, the ancestral memories of being an exiled race and the desperate desire to survive brought to them an overbearing instinct of protection and endure.

This is how the hostilities between the Keepers began, when their original purpose of protection was poisoned by such deep impetus they couldn’t control. Each Keeper wanted to ensure their survival by eradicating the threat represented by all the others. Meanwhile, in the newly formed lands of Elnerth, generations of survivors followed one another, while the Keepers were still living and preparing for an incumbent war.

Essences and Sanctuaries

The Keepers searched for safe places to preserve their Essences. That’s how they chose majestic places, buildings, monuments or even natural landscapes, to become their Sanctuaries.

Sanctuaries played a fundamental role in the reconstruction of Elnerth. People took them as a sign of hope and started to gather around them. They developed a true devotion to the Essences and armed themselves to follow the aims of the Keepers.

Factions

Inhabitants of Elnerth, favored by the isolation of their lands, had divided into six Factions, one for each Essence.

It took them centuries to build their new civilization around the Sanctuaries and during that time they evolved under the influence of those powerful energies, so much different from one another. Every Faction developed peculiar physical traits and extraordinary abilities, adapting to the environment of their homeland which was being shaped by the same forces.

For all Factions, their Essence is an object of veneration, a mirror in which they recognize their own kind and the source of all their unique talents.

The war of the Keepers has finally started. This is their Era and the battles they fight are going to leave a deep mark on the history of Elnerth.

Thanks to the Sanctuaries, the Keepers are able to channel the energy of their Essence and use that power to annihilate the enemy. To reach their goal, they lead armies of devotees from each Faction to destroy the opponent’s Sanctuaries and defend their own.

Channeled energy is consumed by the Keepers to enhance the extraordinary abilities of their Faction. As if they are living entities, even the Sanctuaries are influenced by the energies flowing through them and once the Decay is zero they emanate their Essence: this affects the whole army and helps them reach their goal.

More Threats to Come

While the lands of Elnerth are turned into a battlefield for the war of the Keepers, rumors are spreading about the appearance of hostile creatures called the Corruptors, whose origins are still undiscovered.

They seem to be able to channel the Essences with the same expertise of the Keepers and they are hunting greedily for that power. Crawling around in search for the Sanctuaries, the Corruptors are destroying anyone and anything that stands in between, leaving a trail of devastation behind.

The Essences are far from being safe. Who is going to shape the future of Elnerth?