Welcome to the Lore of the Elders
The story of the Elders begins many eons ago, long before the ancients took their first steps across the Plains of Zagreus; before the first blood was spilt or the first spear cast, before Zagreus even had shape or name, for no names existed. When all that ever was, was the unfathomable chaos of the disordered cosmos. Before war, before race, before planets, before time, before space, there only existed Ki, in its most unrefined and rudimentary form.
According to the Elders, Ki is the lifeblood of the world; the force behind all natural phenomena. During this era before creatures, known as The Great Sleep, the universe was nothing but a tangle of raw Ki energy struggling to maintain balance. But, due to the volatile nature of its undeveloped state, the Ki could not self-regulate and slipped into ruin. Thus, it became the will of the Ki to take physical form, and from this will, the first consciousness was born. That consciousness was called Ezrus, the Creator.
It was in that moment of sudden awareness (which historians would later call The Awakening) that the universe started to take shape. Using the primordial matter as a medium, Ezrus began to mold reality to carry out the Ki’s will. To start, he divided the Ki into five basic elemental clan archetypes that together would comprise of the foundation of all life. First, from the intense passion that breathed Ezrus into existence, he created the Pyronic clan which ruled fire. Then from the profound emotional depths of loneliness and longing, he created the Erimos clan which thrived in the desert and was allied with death. From curiosity and the sense to explore, he created the Aquatic clan who ruled the depths of the seas. From the understanding of power and starting anew, he created the Voltaic clan to cleanse the earth of impurities. And finally, from the desire to experience sensation and wonder, he created Dasos clan to rule the land with peace and harmony.
With this blueprint, Ezrus was able to establish order out of the chaos, as each of the elemental clans acted in a convenient system of checks and balances within the hierarchy. Each force represented a physical manifestation of the Ki’s will: fire, ash, water, life, and death, and no domain could function without the others.
However, as Ezrus sought out to rule the Terrestrial plane, he was reminded of the unstable nature of the Ki. Unmonitored, it began to revert to its volatile tendencies through the clans, and thus they would leave Ezrus as nothing but a memory to never have a stronghold over the very creation he brought to life.
As time passed, the clans grew stronger and more advanced, each developing their own unique culture and way of life. With their newfound power, the clans began to compete with one another, each seeking to prove their dominance over the others. The Pyronic clan, with their mastery of fire, sought to conquer the other clans through sheer force and aggression. The Erimos clan, allied with death, became experts in the art of assassination and sabotage, using their dark powers to strike fear into their enemies. The Aquatic clan, rulers of the seas, used their vast resources to create a powerful navy, dominating trade and commerce. The Voltaic clan, with their control over magma and lava, became the ultimate weapon of destruction, laying waste to anything in their path. And the Dasos clan, rulers of the land, sought to maintain their peaceful way of life, but would fiercely defend themselves if threatened.
As the competition between the clans grew, tensions reached a boiling point. Skirmishes broke out, with each clan seeking to gain an advantage over the others. Some clans formed alliances, while others remained isolated, mistrustful of their neighbors. The once harmonious world that Ezrus had created was now torn apart by conflict and strife.
Despite the chaos, the Elders remained watchful, studying the actions of the clans from their hidden vantage point. They observed the clans’ strengths and weaknesses, and began to see a pattern emerging. The clans were each driven by their own desires and ambitions, but they were united in their thirst for power. And it was this lust for power that threatened to destroy everything that Ezrus had created.
The Elders knew that they could not intervene directly, but they understood that they had a role to play in restoring balance to the world. They began to influence events from behind the scenes, subtly guiding the clans towards a path of cooperation and mutual understanding. Slowly but surely, their efforts began to bear fruit. Members of Clans that were once enemies began to cooperate, working together to solve common problems. Trade and commerce started to flourish, and the world whispered hope of unity. .
However, there were still those who clung to the old ways, who saw cooperation as weakness and sought to maintain their power through force. These dissenters sparked new conflicts, pitting clan against clan once again. And so, the Elders continued to watch and wait, hoping that one day the clans would learn to live in peace and harmony, as Ezrus had intended.