Dawn of Man

With the land formed and filled with life of all kinds, Karakus and Zycandos turned their eyes to the creation of the Realms. These realms would grow to embody the essence and spirit of Akanbar. They would draw their powers from the arcane magics that had now been harnessed. However, the realms could not act in harmony, but must instead be opposites working to create a balance of the arcane forces. Only this could ensure the future of Akanbar.

Together they realised that there was only one solution. Three realms would require three great divinites. Each derived from their own realm, the realm gods came into being.

Aten, to take dominion over the Sun, Archion to preside over the Shadows and Bralnok, to rule over the Underworld, the Realm of Demons.

These three Gods were brought together for one task before being unleashed onto the world. They were instructed to create a race that would be known as man, created with essence of Sun, Shadow and Demon. These humans were then to be left to develop and mature freely on their own.

While the realm gods busied themselves on perfecting their image of man, Karakus continued to nurture his dragons. They surpassed all his expectations, increasing in both power and intelligence with each passing day. However, they were growing restless and longed to be released into the world. Karakus knew that he would soon have to unleash these creatures and that the realm gods would see that which he had kept hidden for so long.

The realm gods were now free to do as they desired.They each took different paths, guided by the essence within them. They created their own races such as dwarves, elves and ogres. They brought fantastical creatures such as basilisks and wyverns into being. For now, at least, there was little conflict between the three realms, but the Creators knew that soon things would change. Soon the Gods would notice the alluring effects of man. Their attentions would slowly turn, and conflict would come to reside over the land.

Bralnok was the first to approach mankind with the promise of power and wealth. His insatiable desire for power was soon passed on to his followers, who would stop at nothing to get what they desired. Their slaughter of the innocent proved highly successful and before long they had begun construction of a great city, Golganoth, in the south-eastern volcanic mountains.

Upon seeing this, Aten was outraged. He would not stand by and watch such evil spread. He acted swiftly and soon had a great following of like-minded individuals. Aten led them to an island far to the west which they called Elysium. Together they swore to fight the evil that emanated from the mountains, and to stand firm against the spread of darkness

Yet still there were those in mankind that did not believe in either of the ideals put forth by Bralnok or Aten. Some had formed small tribes, though many were lost when trapped between the warring factions of the Sun and Demonic realms. Archion took those of the tribes that would follow him and led them deep into the northern forests of Akanbar, away from the thoughts and minds of the rest of mankind. Here he formed a council of tribal leaders and moulded them into a force that could easily match those of Bralnok or Aten.

Those nomadic tribes that remained behind eventually found lands to settle in, forming small villages around the borders of the three Realms. However, they only survived by submitting to the power of the nearby realms. A few of these villages flourished, but only under the watchful eye of their realm, usually in exchange for gold or food.

Both the great cities and tribes of the Shadow realm began to build mighty guild houses to teach and instruct the young in the ways of the realm. They also undertook to construct the grand institutions of government, and thus they brought forth the true beginning of Akanbar…