ANAHKÓLION

BEFORE THE FIRST ERA

INTRODUCTION

Before we delve into the content of the Eras and Times, it is essential to understand how they are arranged in the worlds. First and foremost, when we refer to worlds, we are actually talking about continents and not separate "other worlds" per se. However, there is one exception to this rule when we discuss the Laienürimim, the Dark Portals, or where they lead, then we are indeed referring to another world. Therefore, with the exception mentioned, we can say that there are six worlds – ANAHKÓLION, ANATHURILIS, ERNATHURILIS, ERNTHYS, DNATHIRIUM, and ERNT-NADOR – governed by the Eras and Times. Another important distinction to be made relates directly to the difference between what the Eras are and how they are composed, and how the Times are formed. It is important to explain that each Era is given a name relative to a continuous moment or event that endures throughout the Times with significant significance. Similarly, the same applies to the Times, as each one is named according to a predominant event.

COMPOSITION OF THE ERAS AND TIMES

One Time in Anahkólion, or even in Ernt-nador, is composed of several Cycles. The Cycles, in turn, are composed of winter and summer. However, compared to the Gregorian Calendar, the Cycles in Anahkólion have about 19 months and a few days, while the Cycles in Ernt-nador have 14 months and a few days. The Cycles already existed in the period called BEFORE THE FIRST ERA, but they were not counted. The counting of Cycles in Anahkólion began long after they were already living in the period of the First Era of Anahkólion. This was done and confirmed by the First Wizard, Yondar, after a long period of study. According to the understanding of Hísthalar Yondar, the need for time counting arose to establish the average lifespan of humans and to record the events that occurred throughout the Eras. The Eras, on the other hand, were composed of one or several Times. Thus, an Era could be shorter or longer than another, with no linearity or standard in its composition, only requiring the existence of a Time. The same occurred with Ernt-nador, but as there was already a prior study and understanding, after the recording by Cycles, counting was done through the Lunar Calendar and, much later, the Calendar of Ernt-nador, the Known World. It is important to highlight that the worlds of Anahkólion, Anathurilis, Ernathurilis, and Ernthys have always relied on the time counting by Cycles of Anahkólion, with nineteen months, while Ernt-nador had its own form of counting by smaller Cycles of fourteen months, not nineteen. And as mentioned before, the calendars were created later. Due to this mismatched time counting among these worlds, many events that occurred in a specific Era for Ernt-nador may not precisely fit into a determined Time of an Era in Anahkólion. Making these associations or comparisons runs the risk of lacking accuracy. It is important to emphasize that, even though the earliest records of Ernt-nador show some agreement of events from the Fifth Era of Anahkólion onwards, there is strong evidence that Ernt-nador received descendants of the Lineages of Anahkólion since the Second Era of Anahkólion. But since there was no time recording, only factual information, it is not possible to determine when these events occurred, only that they did happen. To keep the story interesting, we will not discuss all ten Eras of Anahkólion. If we were to talk about all ten Eras, we would reveal many details that would uncover plots and secrets dating back to the period called Before the First Era of Anahkólion. Therefore, we will initially speak broadly about the first three Eras, keeping the mysteries, plots, betrayals, and destinies of all the characters and kingdoms of Anahkólion, Anathurilis, Ernathurilis, and Ernthys. With the publication of The Wizards War series books, more content about the Eras and Times of Anahkólion will be revealed in its entirety. With this understanding, we can proceed and comprehend how everything unfolded from the beginning.

THE CREATION

Creation is considered the beginning of everything. It is the moment when the worlds and the gods were created. The first god to be created was Thuror, and subsequently, the other nineteen gods were created all at once. Together, they composed the High Council of the Gods of Naumathar, located in the Castle of Light on Mount Naumathar. After a long time since the creation of the gods, Naumathar conferred power and assisted the gods in creating humans and their respective lineages. Three lineages were created, classified by importance and functionality in the world: the First, Second, and Third Lineages. Each lineage had one or more purposes in the world, although this has changed over time. Each god had the duty and obligation to take care of their lineage, assisting the First Man of the lineage and monitoring the progress and development of each one. However, much happened between the period of the Gods' Creation known as Before the First Era and the Creation of the First Men's Lineages, which marks the beginning of the First Era. It is important to note that, even though time was not counted throughout the period known as Before the First Era, such counting also did not occur at the beginning of the First Era. This fact occurred long after the emergence of Yondar. What matters to emphasize is that, even without the counting, time was recorded and classified in a line of events that marked the gods and Anahkólion. And, of course, later, the humans. Thus, the period called by many as "Before the First Era" has the occurrence of many events, such as the creation of the Koluns-kand, Thuoroms, Argonas, and Gontthers and their Arlierocs by the gods. It was the period when the gods fought against various creatures that roamed all the worlds. The Acrons were imprisoned in the Fortress of Thorcranom. On the other hand, it was also when Omnathar captured some Gontthers and their Arlierocs and, in secret, transformed them into creatures that came to be called Thorens and Ardolerocs. The Gontthers and their beasts were sought in every corner of the worlds and were never found. What Naumathar did not know or suspect was that Omnathar had future plans that completely went against what was planned for the worlds, gods, and subsequently, humans. And the plan was already being put into practice. Hidden from the world, and especially from Naumathar, Omnathar carried out all his "creations," which were actually transformations of existing creatures, in complete darkness. Shortly before, upon discovering that Naumathar could not see anything in the darkness, Omnathar found his advantage. Thus, he created the realm of Darkness in Anathurilis. It was during this period that disagreements arose between some gods, Thuror and Naumathar, regarding the Acrons. The disagreements were related to the release of the Acrons from the Fortress of Thorcranom, where they had been imprisoned in the period Before the First Era. What no one knew or suspected was that such "disagreements'' did not simply happen, but were created. Their creator: Omnathar. As complex as the situation was, the liberation of the Acrons eventually happened. The decision was made to prevent Mount Naumathar from collapsing and the alliance between the gods of Anahkólion from falling apart. And this resulted in the arrival of the Acrons to Ácrole, located within the domains of the region of Mount Naumathar but outside the vicinity of the Castle of Light, situated further to the East. Shortly thereafter, or perhaps not long after at all, the First War erupted, involving the Gods and the Acrons, along with their armies. What Naumathar and Thuror didn't know was that, silently and stealthily, Omnathar was behind it all. Without Naumathar being able to see through the darkness, Omnathar worked slowly and silently in the realm of Darkness. Frustrated with everything that was happening, Naumathar tried to find Omnathar to seek assistance, unaware that part of the blame for the problems he was facing lay with Omnathar, but he found nothing. Omnathar was hidden in the depths of the realm of Darkness, in the far North of the western tip of Anathurilis.

MOMENT OF CREATION OF NAUMATHAR AND OMNATHAR

THE CREATION OF THE GODS

One of the confusions that can occur is the delineation between the period known as the First Era and what comes before it, namely the period of Creation or Before the First Era, as it came to be called by the First Men. This confusion arises for a simple reason: time was not counted in the preceding period, nor was it in the early stages of the First Era. In this sense, many events that took place during these periods are only organized in sequence, based on what happened before and what happened afterwards. There is no precise timeframe between one event and another, or how much time elapsed between them, but rather a chronology of events. Thus, we know what happened first and what happened next, and so on. The pivotal event is the Creation of the First Man, Naöhrad, created by Thuror, the First God, also known as the god of gods. The gods dwelled in a realm located in Mount Naumathar, situated in Anahkólion, a divine place practically inaccessible to other creatures. With the power bestowed by Naumathar and at his request, with the assistance of Thuror, the gods created the First Men, who were named the First Lineages. In total, there are seven First Lineages created: Naöhrad and the Thayad's are considered Native or Pure Lineages, as they were created by only one god or goddess; whereas the lineages of Juhl, Pólorh, Urhul, Thovar, and Reimthor are considered Mixed First Lineages. In practice, there is not much difference between one lineage and another, except for Naöhrad's lineage, to which all others must pledge fealty. Thus, the dividing mark between the period called Before the First Era and the First Era is the creation of Naöhrad.

NAUMATHAR

After the Creation of the Gods, Naumathar needed to carry on with his masterpiece and try to resolve the situation that gave rise to the lives of nineteen other creatures. In order to have constant contact with the gods, Naumathar needed a physical form that resembled theirs. Thus, Naumathar manifested in a body and began visiting the gods at Mount Naumathar. The meetings took place specifically in the Castle of Light, in the Hall of the High Council of the Gods, where the Tree of Light was located, the source of the gods' power. However, his visits to the world of Anahkólion could not be prolonged. Regrettably, Naumathar discovered practically that the body he was in could not withstand the immense source of his power for long. Therefore, the audiences with Thuror, his main contact, had to be brief. Unfortunately, the inadvertent creation of the Acrons ended up causing discord and problems among the gods. And this was a fact that ended up complicating things a bit. Not everything went as desired by Naumathar. But little did he know, everything would get much worse.

MOUNT NAUMATHAR

After the creation, the gods began to live in the far East of Anahkólion. The place, although on land, was impenetrable to ordinary humans. In the vast region of mountains and forests, there was a place called Mount Naumathar, where the Castle of Light was located. Surrounded by mountains full of traps and guarded by creatures imprisoned in the period Before the First Era, the "Path of the Gods," as the entrance to Mount Naumathar was called, was almost impassable. Only once until the Third Era did a man cross the gate and enter the Path of the Gods to meet Thuror, the God of Gods. This occurred during the transition between the Second and Third Eras. In the domain of the Castle of Light, some of the gods and goddesses lived, always guarded and protected by their demigods: the Thuoroms, the Argonas, and the Gontthers with their Arlierocs. Each group performing a specific function. A few gods preferred to live in their own domains, away from Mount Naumathar, attending only when summoned to the Councils of the Gods. An example of this is Olthom, who at the beginning of the period Before the First Era, or post-Creation, lived in the seas; or even Unöuthareb, who preferred the depths of his Black Abyss to the brightness of the Castle of Light. Some goddesses also preferred to live in the Temple of the Goddesses, where they had more freedom. Still in the region of Mount Naumathar, more precisely to the East of the Castle of Light, a Citadel called Ácrole was built. There, the Acrons lived for a while. Until a great war was unleashed.

ENTRANCE TO MOUNT NAUMATHAR, KINGDOM OF THE GODS OF ANAHKÓLION

THE POWER OF DARKNESS

In the beginning, when there were only Naumathar and Omnathar, there was complicity and brotherly love. But then came the creation of worlds, gods, and humans. Naumathar left Omnathar behind, as there were other matters to attend to, and time passed. Contrary to what Naumathar thought during an immeasurable time in which he lived with the energy of his lesser reflection, Omnathar began to envy and hate everything created by Naumathar. After all, Naumathar's creation was to blame for the rift between them. Ultimately, Omnathar nurtured an endless destructive feeling towards Naumathar and all his ideas of creating something that would endure through time. Omnathar detested the idea that both his and Naumathar's power would eventually fade away. The notion of something undefined yet akin to death disturbed Omnathar in an intangible manner. His purpose was to perpetuate himself and be the most powerful Entity to exist. Thus, all of Omnathar's feelings were carefully concealed, away from any suspicion from Naumathar. Omnathar was the opposite, albeit in a lesser degree of power, of Naumathar. Omnathar did not possess Naumathar's Original Power, as he lacked the strength to create a world or a god like Naumathar did, but he had the power to create and modify creatures and beasts of all kinds. Another power Omnathar possessed was the ability to alter the essence of existing creatures in every aspect, such as their behavior, size, and nature. From one perspective, when compared coldly to Naumathar's Original Power of creation, Omnathar's power was not grandiose at all. However, the concept of grandeur crumbled when Omnathar created the Kathand-Thândnath (the Great Black Dragons) and Silus Renst. If we were to make a comparison, we could say that while Naumathar walked in the light, the other, Omnathar, crawled in darkness. However, Omnathar had a significant advantage over Naumathar. In the worlds created by Naumathar, his brother or reflection could transform and modify many things. In fact, he could transform everything, even Naumathar's masterpieces: the Gods of Anahkólion. However, his creations were not endowed with perfection or benevolence but with villainy. Yet, as Omnathar was cunning and wicked, and his intention was not to draw Naumathar's attention, the gods would have to wait. The idea was to make transformations in which he did not appear directly. And that's exactly what Omnathar did. His target: the Acrons. Much later, it was the humans.

OMNATHAR

Omnathar knew that Naumathar could become suspicious of him when the problems with the gods and Acrons erupted, but before that could happen, he took his precautions. As he didn't want to be found and didn't want his plans to be interrupted, long before orchestrating his plan, Omnathar created a peculiar place in the world of Anathurilis. In the far northwest of Anathurilis, Omnathar created a fortress in the shape of an immense castle, which he named the Realm of Darkness. Knowing that Naumathar's strength and power came from the light, he covered the entire expanse of land in his realm with darkness. It was a place where daylight was blocked by dark clouds, and brightness could hardly penetrate. At night, the darkness was so profound that stars were rarely seen in the sky. Not only could Naumathar not see anything from his abode above, but when he was on the ground, he would also have no way of finding Omnathar due to the significant decrease in his powers. However, this decrease in powers did not affect Omnathar in the Realm of Darkness. And deep within, Omnathar transformed a divine being created by the Original Power of Light into the most powerful creature in existence across the worlds. This creature was named Nomenadhúrth and resonated with the Original Power of Evil. Over time, this creature came to be known as the Lord of Darkness. From that moment on, the entire story changed.

The Acrons, as they came to be called, were led by the one who accumulated the greatest power of all in creation. Ôctrus was the greatest and most powerful among the other eighteen Acrons, and Ôctrus was the first one who Omnathar enticed. Without appearing to his victim, Omnathar began to undermine Ôctrus' mind against the gods. There was no need to use his power to transform the nature of the Acros, as the villainy and malice were already present within them, precisely because they were reflections of the gods, just as Omnathar was a reflection of Naumathar. It was merely a matter of awakening such "qualities'' for everything to unfold naturally. Without anyone suspecting, Omnathar set his plan in motion. First, Omnathar planted the idea that the Acrons were living in great misery. It was a simple comparison between the place they lived and the Castle of Light, where the gods had everything that was denied to the Acrons. Then, in a cunning and villainous manner, he used the example of Naumathar's present preference over them, even though in reality there was no factual difference, considering that they all originated from the Original Power. They were all divinities. All Acrons were gods and as such should receive the same treatment. Omnathar poisoned Ôctrus' mind to the point where he displayed the exact same behavior towards the other Acrons, initiating an internal revolt within each of them. This revolt took a long time to unfold, but gradually, it became undeniable. Then, the verbal attacks of the Acrons against the gods began, and an existing rivalry escalated into something greater. In those days, the Acrons understood exactly what had happened and why they had been "imprisoned" in the Fortress of Thorcranom. In a short time, the Acrons began to carry out various actions that spread discord, fury, and calamity among the gods. A rebellion erupted within the Council of the Gods, causing discord among the vast majority who refused to coexist with those imperfect creatures. The problems caused by the Acrons, even though the culprits were later discovered, inflicted irreparable damage upon the gods. However, not all the problems and undesirable situations caused by the Acros had their culprits identified. Some of the issues remained unknown for a while until their authors were revealed. And when that happened, it became clear that everything they had been experiencing for some time had been caused by certain specific Acrons, with Ôctrus, the Lord of the Acrons, as their mentor. Thuror and many other affected gods were visibly distraught, and drastic measures needed to be taken. Displeased with several facts, Thuror, the God of Gods, summoned the mighty Naumathar and informed him of everything that had transpired, and that he had decided to banish all the Acrons. Naumathar attempted to provide context to the situation, stating that it was merely an evolution of the Acrons and should be embraced. However, Thuror disagreed and questioned whether Naumathar wanted that world to be ruled by the gods. Naumathar had no choice but to agree with his purpose. Thus, it was decided that the Acrons should be captured and imprisoned once again in the fortress of Thorcranom. But the Acrons were also powerful, and the gods alone might not be able to accomplish that task. It was decided that, before the confrontation, the next step would be to create forces that could fight alongside the gods against the Acros. In one of the Councils of the Gods, three ideas were approved by Naumathar. In secret, the Thuoroms, the Argonas, and the Gontthers were created. However, in the meantime, Omnathar had already secured more secret allies among the gods. And then, in secrecy and together with the power of the Acrons, in the depths of Anathurilis, he created various malevolent beings who would be known on the battlefield when the great and mighty war between the Gods and Acros erupted. And that's what happened: first in Ácrole and then in the Castle of Light, on Mount Naumathar, shattering the world created by Naumathar.

CASTLE OF DARKNESS

The Castle of Darkness, or Castle of Shadows as it came to be called by the realms founded to the east of Anathurilis, was the largest structure compared to all the existing kingdoms up to Anahkólion. It was in the depths of the Castle of Darkness that Omnathar transformed creatures of all types and forms. It was in that nefarious place that he altered the size of what would later be called "the Great Black Dragons," among other creatures such as Rodars, Thorens, Ardolerocs, and the Army of Darkness. In those depths, he turned purity into villainy. And it was in the Castle of Darkness that the world built by Naumathar began to crumble. Unbeknownst to anyone, Omnathar set his plan in motion. First, Omnathar planted the idea that the Acrons lived in great misery. It was merely a simple comparison between where they lived and the Castle of Light, where the gods had everything that was denied to the Acrons. Then, in a cunning and vile manner, he used the example of Naumathar's present preference for them and the difference, which in reality, did not exist when considering that they all originated from an Originating Power. They were all divinities. All Acrons were gods and as such should receive the same treatment. Omnathar poisoned Ôctrus' mind so much that he began to exhibit the same behavior towards the other Acrons, sparking an internal revolt within each one. This revolt took a long time to happen but slowly became inevitable. Then, the verbal attacks by the Acrons against the gods began, and an existing rivalry grew into something greater. In those days, the Acrons understood exactly what had happened and the reason why they had been "guarded" in the Fortress of Thorcranom. In a short time, the Acrons began to carry out various actions that spread discord, fury, and misery among the gods. A rebellion started within the Council of the Gods, causing discord among the majority who refused to coexist with those imperfect creatures. The problems caused by the Acrons, even though their authorship was later discovered, inflicted irreparable damage upon the gods. Unfortunately, not all the problems and unwanted situations caused by the Acros had their authors identified. Some of the problems remained unknown for a while until their authors were uncovered. And when that happened, it became clear that everything they had been going through for a while had been caused by certain specific Acros, and their mentor was Ôctrus, the Lord of the Acrons. Thuror and many other affected gods were visibly disturbed, and an extreme measure needed to be taken. Displeased with several facts, Thuror, the God of Gods, summoned the mighty Naumathar and informed him of everything that had happened, deciding to banish all the Acrons. Naumathar tried to contextualize the situation, stating that it was merely an evolution of the Acrons and should be welcomed. Thuror disagreed and questioned Naumathar if he wanted that world to be ruled by the gods. Naumathar had no choice but to agree with his purpose. Thus, it was decided that the Acrons should be captured and imprisoned once again in the Thorcranom prison. But the Acrons were also powerful, and perhaps the gods alone would not be able to accomplish that task. It was decided that, before the confrontation, the next step would be to create forces that could fight against the Acros alongside the gods. So, in one of the Councils of the Gods, three had their ideas approved by Naumathar. In secret, the Thuoroms, the Argonas, and the Gontthers were created. However, in the meantime, Omnathar had already gained more secret allies among the gods. And then, in secrecy, together with the power of the Acrons, in the depths of Anathurilis, he created various malignant beings who would be known on the battlefield when the great and powerful war between the Gods and Acros erupted. And that's what happened: first in Ácrole and then in the Castle of Light, on Mount Naumathar, the world created by Naumathar crumbled.

START OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF OMNATHAR'S CASTLE OF DARKNESS