Written by Aelyzabeth von Thors.
In the uncounted aeons that followed the passing of the glorious age of Emperor Aerys von Thors, the world of Ertharan drifted once more toward a new dawn. In those distant ages rose Emperor Zyon von Thors II, hailed by all as "The Radiant Sovereign, Restorer of All Arts and Sciences." Verily, in his reign did the race of Man flourish, a people exalted in wisdom and craft, whose temples, carvings, and illuminated codices shone brighter than the stars upon the firmament.
Yet the wheel of history turns seldom in peace.Upon a storm-laden night of vernal gales, treacherous nobles, corrupted in spirit, struck down Zyon II in a deed most vile. The mighty empire, once seamless as a celestial mirror, was shattered into fragments as though dashed upon the stones by an unseen tempest. Though the bloodline of House Thors endured, none in the ages that followed possessed the strength to bind the sundered world as one again.
And lo—fifty million years did pass as but drifting sand.Then, amidst the twilight of a broken realm, a new star ascended heavenward:
Zyon von Thors IV, scion of the ancient line.
He took the throne at but three years of age, a tender sprout amidst the thorns of corruption. Yet when he reached his thirteenth year, he rose like lightning unbound. With fierce brilliance he cast down the regency that had twisted royal justice, reclaiming the full mantle of imperial authority for the House of Thors.
In that age the border kingdoms trembled, for Zyon's dominion began to spread like dawn's first fire along the horizon. Wars unfurled across the continents, staining the skies in hues of crimson. And whilst these battles raged, darker deeds stirred in shadowed courts—for wicked nobles, enslaved by ambition, forged unholy pacts with beings beyond the stars.
Through forbidden experiment they shaped a new race, akin to Man in form yet wrought with unnatural strength. These creatures, swift and fierce, dwelt chiefly within the deepened forests. Thus were born the Goblyn, a people sprung not from nature's wisdom but from hubris and the craft of forbidden lore.
Yet Emperor Zyon IV wavered not.He restored the ancient disciplines, retrieving forgotten knowledge from the ashes of ages. In his reign the Fire-Powder Weapon was forged for the first time in remembered history, a marvel that reshaped the theatre of war. Through wisdom and stratagem he reclaimed the Tri-Continent of Lorlesia—North, Middle, and South—uniting them beneath his imperial banner.
For his deeds unmatched, for his justice unfailing,for the reforms he bestowed upon all subjects of his realm—Zyon IV was hailed "The Great Unifier of the Three Realms."
In his reign the commonfolk were granted rights unheard of in any realm of men:the right to speak openly of the crown,the right to healing without tribute of coin,the right to keep lands and labor free from bondage,the abolishment of slavery,and the founding of equal courts wherein every soul might stand before the law unafraid.
And prosperity grew like golden wheat beneath the summer sun.
But alas…Those whose power was diminished by his reforms turned to darkness.Nobles who once gorged upon the misery of others conspired in bitter shadow, and through betrayal most foul, struck down Emperor Zyon von Thors IV.
Thus was the lamp of civilization extinguished,and chaos, like a roaring storm-beast, swept across the world.Henceforth Ertharan fell into the age of titanic beasts and endless strife, and never again did the race of Man ascend to a glory equal to that of the Great Emperor.
And I, Aelyzabeth von Thors,last chronicler of my house,bow my head in reverence to the forebear who surrendered his own solace that we, his distant heirs, might yet walk upon the path he forged.
May his name endure in the scrolls of eternity,and may his deeds echo across the agesuntil the final twilight of the world.
Thus ends Chapter B-X.