Prosperity... Peace... A droplet of water falls into a calm pond, and the ripples of time shake the foundations of a realm... of truth. The ages have come and gone, leaving all that once was, to be forgotten. In their hearts... it waits.
Sparks and lights flew high over the Vieth Plains on the Eastern shores of the Easulan. All the inhabitants of Hypeltheon came together for a massive celebration. Mages were shooting rockets and bursts of light high into the sky, while Elves shared their wines and Rangers prepared fine meals, all were merry, and the times were good. This was the 1,000th anniversary of the Battle For The Rift, the end of the Demon War. All the world gathered together to celebrate this momentous occasion, and to morn their losses generations ago. The party went on for several days. It was to span the time from the passing of the White Army into Unluthio, to the fall of the Rift - just over a week. The world was forever changed, all for the better.
Fornilingoth, in the North, had more-or-less remained the same. It's Ranger Armies were numerous, spread wide, and very powerful. But they were more friendly than they had been before. Derhlith, leader of the Rangers of the Shadow, was at the celebration, too. Unforunately, many of the other leaders were dead, or dying. Gil-Galad, leader of the Elvish Armies was there, but long-since retired. Mithen and his other mortal companion, leader of the White Cloud Army, were both dead. Ithilin had taken the title of Grand Archmage of Cethindol now, and would probably hold it for the next two or three hundred years. In the East, along the Outer Rim - Clerics were becoming a normal sight. With all the peace in the realms, there was little call for healers - and they were seen as witches. Cast out from their own towns and families, sent to a far-off island in the Outer Rim. The Clerist Tower was their home.
The Dwarves had finally shown themselves, and made friends with many of the other races of the world. Gallioth, their stone city, is in the far northern regions of the Outer Rim. It turns out their armies are large in scale, and sturdy as a Knight's armor. In the southern islands of the Outer Rim are the Elves. Still as majestic and wise as ever. Their armies had quickly recouperated from their battles in the Last War. Now they were a surging power that was not one to meddle with, though they were incredibly passive in a militaristic sense. Far to the South, the land of Rionolianthu was an explosion of trade and prosperity. Many goods of the world come from, or through, their trade port-cities. All is well with the realms. The Dragons are still sleeping in the East, and prosperity reins.
Even in Avalon, the once war-torn land where Man and Monster fought endless battles for control of the continent, things are wonderous. Tharkas had quickly become a military superpower. With the population boom of the last three centuries, the White Cloud Army has experienced incredible growth. Their ranks now swell in the hundreds of thousands - somewhere around 200,000 Knights in tow, with over 30,000 horses and 500 artillery. Unluthio, as well, had gotten back onto its feet. With an army of 50,000 spearmen and 5,000 horses (traded for with Tharkas), and with a modest trade economy, they were bustling once again.
All was perfect in the realm of Hypeltheon, and growth was immense. The realms were closer together than ever before. New ship designs had been made for quicker trade, and the whole world had been mapped, except for one region of the ocean called the Uncharted Sea, for obvious reasons. None who left for that area seemed to return, and none know why.
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'Round about 180 years later, two important men enter the scene. A pair of young cadets in the White Cloud Army - one of thousands of pairs of soliders who would vie for ranking positions in the army. One of the two was named Wren - because of his swift reflexes and speed. The other Asura, after Ashura - for his inhuman strength. Those two would quickly rise among the ranks of the White Cloud Army for a new conflict to surpass all others.
Wren's first step to greatness came in the Bandit Campaign of 1638. With the growing prosperity of Tharkas, underlings from Unluthio - odd crosses between Orc and Man would come in raiding parties to smaller cities on the outskirts of the Kingdom and pillage the towns of all their goods - sometimes of their ladies, too. A band of White Cloud were sent out to the North, and another to the South, to watch for these craven beasts. Asura was sent South, Wren went North. It was pretty quiet, very little ever happened out on the plains in the North. They'd see a wandering half-breed, and slay them without question, the biggest fight they had all month came at Bylet, several leagues NorthEast of Tharkas Castle, when a small raiding party of 20 half-breeds swept through the town to steal some goods, and were met by the Knights.
It wasn't until Fall, near the end of the campaigns in the North, that the group of 100 Knights ran into trouble. On their way East, towards the Iron Crag, they were met by a large raiding party of 115 Half-Breeds. On the fields of Tharkas they fought. Wren, still a low-ranking Knight, shined through in this battle more than the others. He never did fight as a Knight would fight. He moved around a lot more, and half the time he was off his horse. Several Knights were slain in this battle, but Wren fought with immense ferocity. Many of the half-breed deaths in that battle came from his blade. This gained him the respect of all those who survived the battle. Upon returning to Tharkas Castle, the battle was reported by the ranking Knight, and Wren was pushed up into a protogé's position under Fanthas, Leader of the 1st Knighthood of Tharkas. They were the elites, and the Vanguard of the White Cloud Army. After several small missions and training months back in Tharkas, Wren became a well-respected Knight. Then, the unthinkable happened. Fanthas died. At the age of 47 he passed on in the night. From then on, Wren was Leader of the 1st Knighthood. He quickly became the posterboy for the White Cloud Army, through several small campaigns that would occur over the next 20 years.
While Wren was in the North fighting off the half-breeds, Asura was in the south on a defense watch. In the nights, when there was nothing to do, the Knights would fight against noe another for entertainment and practice. Though none of them there could beat Asura. He gained their respect as a warrior, and a friend, over the several months they spent in the southern region of Tharkas. He also quickly gained the ear of his ranking officer by setting up a marvelous defensive position against a small band of half-breeds that came over the river to loot a small Southern town. Like with Wren, he was put into a leadership position, under the 3rd Knighthood of Tharkas. Though he wasn't publicly known very well, among the Knights he was a revered warrior, and would remain so until his dying day. In the next 20 years he and Wren would have several run-ins, a few skirmishes with one another always ending in a draw, and eventually form a bond with one another.
