Background Story

At the beginning of time, there were only gods and goddesses. The Goddess of Creation, and the Goddess of Ruin; the oldest gods, carefully crafted our world. From their gifts combined grew the Gods of Sol, Fluvia, and Pyre, the Goddesses of Lune, Terra, and Aer. Together, these eight gods and goddesses balance their powers to maintain the haven we call "Earth", governed by time eternal. 

The deities worked together to craft the planet, balancing each element carefully to maximize the survival of Earth. The Goddess of Terra created land and flora, the God of Fluvia covering it in water and ice, the God of Pyre burying heat deep within its core, The Goddess of Aer balanced the air and surrounded the planet in protective gas. Feeling left out, the lovers, the God of Sol and the Goddess of Lune, decided to honor the infinite cycle of time by sharing their reign over day and night, organizing their patterns to allow them to meet for brief periods of intimacy.

The Goddesses of Creation and Ruin gifted their lesser gods with a breath of life and decay; an ultimate display of the law that ruled them all. Feeling disappointed in their final product, the Goddesses of Creation and Ruin conspired in secret, finally gifting the Earth with all types of creatures to thrive on the planet. They allowed each lesser God or Goddess to select one species of creature to embody their power, carefully choosing their own. The Goddess of Creation selected the Naga, blessing them with silvery tongues of persuasion while the Goddess of Ruin chose Elves, gifting them with an aptitude for war. The Goddess of Terra picked Dryads, giving them the knowledge of the flora. The God of Fluvia chose Merfolk, gifting them with land legs so that they may live beyond the confined depths of the sea. The God of Pyre selected Djinn, giving them thick skin impervious to heat and flame. The Goddess of Aer chose Sylphs, letting them shape the clouds in the skies. The God of Sol carefully picked the Phoenix and laced their feathers with his light so they could always carry it with them. The Goddess of Lune went last, struggling in her decisions. After long hours of deliberation, she chose the Unicorn, granting them her ethereal light in the darkness. Content with their creations and confident in their work, the Gods and Goddesses receded into roles as deities, leaving the planet to run its course. Except for the Goddess of Creation. Desperate to show her love for her partner, the Goddess of Ruin, the Goddess of Creation delivered a final gift to Earth before she retreated join her in slumber. 

Magic. Her lifeblood. A gift meant to last an eternity.

But as time would tell, all good things come to an end in some way. The greatest of her power went first to the Gods and Goddess's choice races, giving them a full range of her gift. From there, she gifted the environment, ensuring it would last millennia. Each gift drained her, and when she finally made it to the lesser beings, she had little to give. Humans were last, plain and dull in their intelligence and her least favorite creation. They were already showing signs of being unpredictable and untrustworthy. The other Gods and Goddesses had specifically avoided them. With pity in her heart, she gifted them with more magic than her peers approved of, but locked it deep within them where only the chosen few could unlock on their own. With Earth set on a path of life, the Goddess of Creation settled into slumber in the arms of the Goddess of Ruin.

THE GREAT RIFT

With the imbalance of power after the Goddess's gift, the Goddess of Ruin's power ran rampant in her sleep. Wars, plagues, and extinction wreaked havoc on Earth, unchecked by the power of the Goddess of Creation. The greater magical creatures jockeyed for power amongst themselves, fussing and fighting over which creatures were more powerful, leaving the lesser creatures dead in their wake. The chaos woke the deities from their slumber, angry with the Goddess of Creation for her lack of foresight.

Desperate to remedy the situation, the Goddess of Creation approached the Goddess of Ruin, pleading with her to help resolve her mistake. The Goddess of Ruin lovingly comforted the Goddess of Creation and suggested segregating the creatures into two worlds. 

Thus, the Surface World and Inspera were born. The lesser gods and goddesses agreed to watch over the Surface world, as it was originally intended, with little to no magical creatures residing in it, similar to our real world today. To Inspera went all manner of magical creature, flora, and terrain, shielded from the Surface world with the deity’s power combined. The Goddesses of Creation and Ruin would rule Inspera, with little interference on the Surface World, allowing it to run a much more “natural” course, while the lesser Gods and Goddesses ruled the Surface World, managing the remains of the Goddesses of Creation and Ruin’s powers. To Inspera, they chose a single ethereal being of their chosen race to lead and guide their people, bringing balance to the chaotic magical world. Each champion king or queen was charged with the balance of their deity’s gift in Inspera, gifted immortality for as long as they ruled and managed their responsibilities. The Goddesses agreed to this treaty and chose their own champions, ensuring equality throughout Inspera between the greatest magical creatures, bringing peace to the lesser creatures as they settled into the King and Queendoms their magical gift was attributed to.

And thus, the Great Rift was settled and time continued on, faithfully.

THE ETERNAL SUMMER OF INSPERA

It was rare for a Congregation of Champions to be called, drawing the Champions to a High Table meeting. It was this fateful meeting nearly one thousand years ago that the Oak King, the Goddess of Creation’s champion of Naga, convinced the High Table to cast out the Holly King, the Goddess of Ruin’s champion of Elves, to cease the coming of winter to Inspera. The vote was nearly unanimous, with the sole vote against the rejection being the Holly King himself. He pleaded with his fellow Champions, desperate to make them see their folly in casting him out. The seasons would cease. Eternal summer would cross the land. The flora would cease to grow, the animals confused as to when to mate, the weather remaining only sunny, drying out the land. The Kingdom of Ruin would cease to be and its inhabitants spread throughout Inspera. He was met with rebuttal with every point he raised until finally, he demanded a duel between himself and the Oak King. A dangerous move. No creature dared to best the bellicose Elves of Ruin. The Goddesses would decide their fate. 

And so their fate was decided.

The Oak King called upon the forbidden magics, a gift only a Champion could summon, and brought the Holly King to his knees. Crippled and traumatized, the Holly King accepted his fate. Exile to an island high above the Surface World, where neither World would fear his power.

The Goddess of Ruin was furious. No amount of consolation from the Goddess of Creation would fix the traitorous act as she watched the Kingdom of Ruin fall and its subjects distributed as servants of the other seven realms. Those who resisted in all realms were killed or sent to the floating island to spend the rest of their natural lives in exile. 

The King wept for the loss of his kingdom and the injustices forced upon his people, welcoming those that were spared by exile. He found solace in the Queen of Decay (one of two special creatures attributed to both the Goddess of Creation and Goddess of Ruin to attest the flow of time) joining him, reinforcing the belief that the flow of time was absolute, regardless of their deities best efforts. Winter would come to Inspera again.

DAGDA COLLEGE OF MAGIC

As the Goddess’s Earthly vessel, the Holly King’s rage was hers. For six hundred years the Isle of Lore felt the wrath of the Goddess of Ruin through the Holly King, destroying the island time and time again, leaving death in his wake. Without fail or complaint, the Queen of Decay and the exiled subjects of the Kingdom of Creation put it back together again, doing their best to live amongst the rubble. The Kingdom of Ruin's subjects on the Isle did their best to quell their King’s rage, only succeeding when the Goddess of Ruin finally released her chosen Champion. While her rage subsided, something far more sinister brewed in her chaotic mind, loosening her grip on the Holly King’s consciousness. 

With the help of the misfit creatures of the island and newfound clarity of mind, the Holly King set about creating a safe haven on the Isle of Lore. Though confined to itself, the magic of the island was endless and surprisingly helpful, despite the foul treatment it had endured for centuries. It assisted the creatures in creating a stable environment, offering magical gifts from the land as rewards for their successes. However, it wasn’t forgetful, and while the island was vast, its magic made it seem very small. A curse to protect its inhabitants should the Goddess arise in the King once again. A cruel curse that forced an aimless creature to wander forever in its wilderness, but blessed one with a worthy purpose and goal in mind to walk mere hours to find what they sought after. The Holly King was both appreciative and humored by its attempts to sustain life. Most of the creatures sought refuge in the island’s curse, while the few remaining stayed with the King to take care of the sprawling castle and precious tree planted in its heart.

It wasn’t long after that mysterious new visitors began to appear on the Isle of Lore. Humans. The very creatures the Goddess of Creation liked the very least. Humans who'd somehow unlocked the magic in their blood. The Goddess of Ruin's sinister plan. She was sending him Inspera's most hated creatures. They came with the aid of magical artefacts, enchanted items from an era when all creatures lived together on Earth. How these artefacts came to be is unknown to any living creature, mysteriously activated by the will of the Goddess.

HUMANS/APPRENTICES

Something around you is tugging at your soul. Unbeknownst to you, the Goddess of Ruin has destined you to find one of her Magical Artefacts. It calls to you exclusively, to the powerful magic buried in your blood. For some, their Artefact is an unassuming item, found in the most unexpected places. For others, it is a family heirloom. But for all, it draws you to its magical power. Should you choose to give in to the Goddess’s call and reach for it, it reveals its true nature. Magic.

Some cast it back to where it came, fearful of the power it holds, and dismiss it as a weird phenomenon or miracle. But for you, an innocent human believing in fairy tales and the myths of the past, you cling to it, and it clings to you. To those who wish to understand its secrets, the Artefact reacts.

It presents to you an opportunity.

An opportunity to unlock its secrets. To leave your world behind. An adventure into an unknown realm, where wonders await. It knows the truth in your heart and to those it deems worthy, reveals the magic it holds deep inside.

Magic that will take you away from your world forever.

All you have to do is close your eyes and wish for it. The magic inside knows the way to Dagda.