One year ago this very day, they came. Those fiends, those cursed Asmodians. They appeared from nowhere, leaping through one of our portals only a few moments after our legionnaires had left. The cowards. They butchered us where we stood, and though our bravest tried their hardest to resist their attacks, what real hope did they have against these immortals? I ran. I have no shame in saying it, I ran and hid while the Asmodian invaders slew my friends, neighbors, and entire family.
Someone needs to remember acts like these, for it is through these actions that a rational being can see which of our people are honorable, and which are wicked. I fled and hid, and when I returned to my settlement, I helped bury the dead. “Why?” I asked. “Why would someone do this?” It was then that I realized how little I knew of the history of our planet. I started to research what happened so many years ago that would result in the Elyos being at war with those we once considered brothers. Within these pages you will read all that I have come to learn about Atreia, those of us who once lived, and those of us who still live on these sacred lands.
Are we an arrogant people? Perhaps. I have seen arrogance amongst the Elyos just as I have seen warmth and generosity. The Asmodians though, I have seen them with my own eyes, and they have made me taste my own blood. Is it not obvious that those creatures, now twisted into such vile monsters, have been cursed by Aion? Isn’t it possible that we Elyos are blessed? Are we a reflection of the lands in which we have survived, and lived, or are they a reflection of us? For the life of me, I do not know.
My name is Rafaela, and I have detailed my research below. I can only hope that you find my notes useful and that they can somehow aid you in ridding this beautiful, broken world of the Asmodians that now infest it.
Aion: The Tower of Eternity The Book of the Elyos Chapter 1
Millennia ago, our god, Aion, created Atreia, and filled it with life and color. Aion also created the Tower of Eternity to span the inner core of our world and imbued it with Aether, his own life essence. Humans lived on Atreia as one people. We were not divided into Elyos and Asmodians. Our world was a bountiful home illuminated only by the soft, gentle glow of the Tower. The Tower nurtured us, gave us hope, and supported us in every way.
We, in turn, were fully subservient to our god. There is no shame in this. We know this through not only stories and tales passed down through generations, but also from various artifacts and inscriptions that our archaeologists have found at dig sites throughout Elysea.
The reason why Aion created this world remains a mystery. We do know that our god had a monumental challenge in store for us. He summoned us forth into existence in order to battle a terrible monstrosity that he had unleashed on the world.
Aion: The Tower of Eternity The Book of the Elyos Chapter 2
At the time when Aion created humans, the Drakan ruled the world. These beasts were appalling to behold. Our oldest folk tales concern them. At night, we still tell misbehaving children of their furious anger and thirst for blood. The ancient humans quickly learned that it was no use fighting them. Their only hope was to hide, something that they soon became quite good at. Still the Drakan killed thousands of our kind, and they obliterated entire races of creatures, wiping them out under their relentless onslaught. The Drakan enslaved the Mau and the Krall, keeping them alive only so that their brute strength could be used against other enemies of the Drakan.
These Drakan, originally sent by Aion to watch over Atreia, quickly become confident as their numbers swelled. As their greed for power grew, they forgot their mission--and their respect for their god. We are not sure how, but something changed in the Drakan. They became more organized, and a few of their number gained dominance over the others. Many scholars now suspect that the Drakan gained access to some source of power from beyond Aion, or even from beyond our world entirely. We later learned these Drakan called the event their "awakening." It was around this time that their new masters, the five Dragon Lords, renamed themselves and their kin with the term that we still use today: the Balaur.
The first time our ancestors saw the Balaur, they thought the Balaur were a new species, such was the difference in physical appearance and ability from the Drakan. It was only after the first Balaur assaults that our ancestors recognized the sheer brutality of the Balaur attacks and their unrelenting desire to extinguish life. Then the truth dawned on our ancestors. It seemed that such power could only have come with a blessing from Aion, but how could our beleaguered ancestors square that with the way in which the Balaur were ruthlessly wiping race after race from the face of Atreia?
Eventually, in a terrifying act of hubris, the Balaur turned on their god. They rallied their more warlike subjects and threatened the Tower of Eternity itself.
Aion: The Tower of Eternity The Book of the Elyos Chapter 3
Our ancestors were brave and stood united in defense of the Tower and the god that they had come to love. However, the Balaur tore through our ancestors' ranks with brute force, slaughtering thousands where they stood. In a desperate move, Aion decided that the humans needed a powerful force to counter the Balaur, and imbued twelve of the most devoted humans with his own life force, Aether, creating the Empyrean Lords.
Aion tasked these powerful guardians with reining in the marauding Balaur and restoring order to Atreia. Because the Balaur drew their power from outside our world, Aion's Aetheric energy was anathema to them. Aion created a protective Aetheric Field around the Tower to shield it from the Balaur. It allowed the remaining humans slowly to slowly restore some semblance of civilization within its boundary.
Thus began the Millennium War, during which the lands and creatures outside the Aetheric Field burned as the Balaur took out their frustrations on anything that dared show even the slightest resistance. Our people prospered as the Empyrean Lords bravely fought the Balaur.
During this time, some humans became capable of using the Aether in similar ways to the Empyrean Lords. These individuals were known as Daevas. The Daevas' Aetheric abilities grew, and they unlocked great power within themselves. They became almost demigods and were instrumental in our fortunes as a race and in the war. Their ability to fly led many of us to believe they were angels sent by Aion to bring order and stability to our world. I, myself, am a Daeva who ascended right at the end of the Millennium War.
The war raged for years. While one side would occasionally gain the upper hand, the contest was finely balanced. If either side were to claim victory, the cost to its own people would be almost unbearable.
Afraid of continuing this crippling and demoralizing war, some of our Empyrean Lords started looking at other ways to end this struggle.
Aion: The Tower of Eternity The Book of the Elyos Chapter 4
Of all the Empyrean Lords, the one who communicated most frequently to us, the people, was a beautiful figure named Ariel. On one of her first evenings on Atreia, Ariel came down from the Tower of Eternity and spoke with us around a campfire. By all accounts, she was patient and caring, and she told us everything that we needed to hear. The Balaur, mighty and terrifying as they were, would not dare cross the boundaries of the Aetheric Field. For the first time in many, many years, we were safe. We still have the stone carving depicting that evening, showing this great female figure with open arms, watching us weep tears of joy and relief, as we celebrated for the first time in many, many years.
I tell you of Ariel now, because it was she who first recognized the wisdom in Lord Israphel's unexpected proposal that a negotiated peace was the only option to end the war. It was she who had the foresight to know that victory, if possible at all, would come at a price we would regret. It was she who was brave enough to confront her fellow Empyrean Lords and condemn their thirst for endless battle as the vainglorious, stubborn notion it truly was.
She echoed Israphel's view that, if we were still trapped in this same war after one thousand years, what guarantee would we have that this war wouldn't still be raging after two, three, or ten thousand years? Ariel saw, as Israphel had seen, that by continuing this exhausting war, we risked losing more than mere numbers. We would lose the one thing that elevated us above the Balaur and the other ferocious beasts within our world: our humanity. It was well known that Israphel detested the Balaur more than anything. If he could overcome his loathing in the name of peace, then everyone could--should--follow his example.
While we have no records of what exactly was said between the Empyrean Lords in the wake of Israphel's announcement, we know there was a dispute between Ariel and some of the more martial Empyrean Lords. The decision to seek peace was opposed, and for the first time, a rift appeared in the united front of humankind.
Even the warmongers and gloryhounds, rant and froth as they did, could not deny the authority of Israphel and Siel acting in concert as Guardians of the Tower. Lady Ariel and the four blessed Lords who took her side argued for many long hours, but it was Lady Siel's agreement that sealed the issue. The Guardians had spoken: There would be peace.
We rejoiced. How could we not? The bombastic wrath of Lord Azphel and his underlings in response to the decision for peace was just so much sound and fury, the petulance of children denied. As his followers broke off and winged their way into the cold night, no one doubted that they would be back eventually after their tempers had cooled. The path was clearly laid before us now, and none would dare to rebel.
Ariel led her faithful followers in a song of praise and thanks to Aion, and for the first time in many, many centuries, we dared to hope.
Aion: The Tower of Eternity The Book of the Elyos Chapter 5
The morning of the peace conference dawned. We awoke to find the five Dragon Lords, leaders of the Balaur, standing alone outside the Aetheric Field. The drawings we have of the day show them to be huge creatures, much larger than the other Balaur.
Siel and Israphel, the two Empyrean Lords charged with protecting the Tower itself, lowered the Aetheric Field and invited the Dragon Lords inside the Tower for negotiations. The Dragon Lords could have destroyed us, and yet they chose not to, instead walking peacefully through their settlements and into the Tower. Perhaps my people had gained the respect of the Balaur through our resilience and determination, and perhaps the trust that Ariel and we had placed in the Balaur was justified. Azphel and his cronies we present, and their faces showed their anger and displeasure. The peace conference began, and for a short time, negotiations progressed well.
In a moment's breath, that changed.
We still speak of the events that followed that day, of the sudden shouts of panic. A sickening certainty gripped us that the warmongers had decided that they would have their way even if they had to sacrifice all of Atreia to achieve it. Azphel moved swiftly and suddenly, and one of the Dragon Lords collapsed. The Balaur did not waste time with words. In an instant, carnage and chaos reigned.
The Balaur's hatred toward our people and the Tower of Eternity redoubled, and they hacked their way past us to where they could do the most damage to the Tower. The walls of the Tower shivered and cracked, falling away in titanic shards.
Ariel wept as she strove to hold the Tower of Eternity intact. Aion sent her to its southern base, along with all of her attendant Lords, to lend her energy to the Tower, to try to hold it fast. She was now all that stood between Atreia and destruction. Azphel and his group, sent northward with the same purpose, were no doubt too incited with bloodthirst at the sudden resumption of hostilities to do their duty and hold the Tower intact.
Despite Ariel's efforts, the Lords failed. The Tower gave a mighty groan, buckled, and shattered into many pieces.
An unspeakable fear gripped us when the great Tower that spanned the interior of Atreia suddenly shifted and cracked. Thousands ran for their lives, chaos in their wake.
Realizing that Atreia itself was dying, Siel and Israphel came up with a desperate plan. They would drain their bodies of Aether, and use it to shore up the Aetheric Field long enough for our people to get to safety.
Millions died in this event that we now call the Cataclysm. As the debris settled, we could see what had happened to our beautiful world: The Tower of Eternity was shattered, and our world was torn in two.
Aion: The Tower of Eternity The Book of the Elyos Chapter 6
I am one of the Elyos, the people who found themselves on the lower half of Atreia. We named our land Elysea. At first, our eyes burned under the light of our nearby star, so fierce compared to the cool, calm glow that had once emanated from the Tower. We soon adapted, though, and found ourselves celebrating the newfound world on which we lived. Our people could look skyward and see the darkened remains of upper Atreia, spinning slowly as it grasped desperately toward our glorious sanctuary.
The light from our new star was magnificent. As it turned our once meager fields into bountiful pastures, it also transformed us into beautiful beings. Elyos' skin glowed with vigor, and Elyos' hearts beat strong and sure. Soon we had found our feet. Some folk quickly resolved that Aion had meant for this to happen. We were the Elyos, Aion's chosen few, and our god had delivered us to paradise! Not even the Balaur could reach this new blessed land. We learned from Ariel that the Balaur had been banished by Siel and Israphel to an unknown void just before those noble Daevas sacrificed themselves during the Cataclysm.
The five Empyrean Lords who were sent to us by Siel and Israphel took us under their wing, renaming themselves the Seraphim Lords. Our Seraphim Lords told us of their struggle, and how the other five Empyrean Lords had provoked and insulted the Balaur, goading them into further conflict. Our world, once so stable and harmonious, was rent in two because of the actions of the other four Empyrean lords and their cursed leader, Azphel.
We began rebuilding our lives. We erect a wondrous new city, a glorious creation fitting for our world and our Lords, and named it Sanctum. We swore to protect our new home, and our Seraphim Lords appointed the strongest Daevas as guardians over it.
Many hundreds of years passed in this manner. We were at peace, and we prospered as best we could.
Aion: The Tower of Eternity The Book of the Elyos Chapter 7
All that remained of our great Tower of Eternity following the Cataclysm were the two stumps, one on our world, and the other still visible on Atreia's upper half. The majority of the Tower had been destroyed. Its remains were scattered over the two halves of our world.
One day, however, the earth around these shattered remains began to shift, and slowly the fragments levitated themselves into the air. We sent our bravest Guardians to investigate the phenomenon, and they discovered portals near the remains leading to a bizarre realm where Aether flowed like water and huge chunks of the Tower floated like islands in an Aetheric ocean.
We called this world the Abyss, and slowly our Daevas ventured forth, exploring this new and volatile environment. They found a world rich in Aether and full of ruins from ancient Atreia that had been considered long lost. Many Daevas disappeared while exploring, though. These portals were unstable, and once they closed, they remained shut, stranding anyone who had gone through.
One day, a portal larger and more stable than the others seen before opened. A Guardian by the name of Deltras and his Legion entered it. On the other side of the portal, he found something astounding. His Legion found itself in the upper half of Atreia! When he and his Legion looked up at the sky, they saw not the shaded stump of the Tower and the gloomy upper half of Atreia, but instead their own world of Elysea bathed in warm sunlight.
They moved on slowly and nervously, carefully exploring the strange land that once was part of their home. It was now a dark and foreboding place, full of whispers and fleeting shadows. They discovered the Asmodians, men and women who were once our kin, but who had been twisted into bestial creatures. Even worse, the region Elras's Legion had stumbled into was ruled by one of the murderous Shedim Lords, a cruel being named Zikel.
As Elyos Daevas, Elras and his Legion could not see well in this newfound depth of darkness. Zikel and his clawed followers soon captured the curious Elyos Daevas. Zikel, whom we had once revered alongside the mighty Ariel, threw Deltras to the ground, demanding he curse the Seraphim Lords for their weakness. Deltras, brave, true, and noble as he always was, upheld the pride of the Lords of the Elyos. He refused to curse the Seraphim Lords, and instead cursed haughty Zikel to his face.
The Asmodians attacked. Those of us who were waiting on the other side of the portal tell us that only two of our Daevas returned, bloodied and injured.
Aion: The Tower of Eternity The Book of the Elyos Chapter 8
We were stunned. Stunned that anyone had managed to survive on that desolate, frozen wasteland above us, and stunned at what these Asmodians had become. We mobilized our Legions quickly and prepared for war.
Aion had a further test for our resolve, though. Another stable portal opened, and from it spewed a horror we hoped to never see again: the Balaur. The Balaur regrouped their forces quickly, summoning the Krall and Mau back to their side and forcing other weaker races into submission. Their fury was greater than ever before, and it was us who now bore the brunt of their anger.
Our world, this land in which we live, was given the slightest and most fragile of lifelines by the sacrifice of Siel and Israphel. We believed that this lifeline would sustain us, and would eventually allow us the opportunity to savor our victory over the Asmodian fiends that once dared to call us kin. This naïve hope, though, evaporated like a wisp of steam when we learned, completely by accident, something terrifying.
Atreia is dying. Our world bleeds Aether continually through the Abyss. Unless this bleeding is stemmed, then Atreia's Aetheric life source will be exhausted. Our world, held together by Siel and Israphel's final sacrificial act, will fall apart. The empty halves that once made this great planet will drift through space--cold and empty forever. All that lives here will be extinguished in the blink of an eye, and all that we have achieved, all that we have worked for, will be lost.
Panicked, our priests and our theorists began researching possible solutions--and we found one.
The Abyss is an echo of the great Tower of Eternity that once stood in the midst of our world. It exists only because of the immense arcane forces that still resonate between the two Tower stumps. It is a field of unnatural energy like that which would arise between the poles of a titanic magnet. Were we to destroy the Asmodian Tower of Darkness, that field would collapse, closing the Abyss forever.
When we destroy the Tower of Darknesss, not only would we finally rid this world of the existance of the dark and ugly Asmodian taint, we save our world from destruction, and deliver our people to the eternal paradise granted to us by Aion!
This quest is our final test, our final hurdle before we are able to reap our reward. We must destroy the Asmodians and their pathetic land. We must save Atreia.
—Rafaela Semperti
