The world of Poxanthura was a very different place before the Separation. Much of what we know about this time comes from a book called Tome of the Ancients: The Prophecies of Dalnis. It appears that Dalnis had departed the mortal world at the time immediately preceding the Separation, but in the distant past he sat on his throne and watched the world progress. His two daughters Al'Mara and Il’Tara would eventually send their children to the world, in the form of Angels. Whilst the majority of people in Valdac still worshipped the old dragon gods Valdac and Vindrax, the religion born around Dalnis and his daughters was becoming ever more popular. This religious divide would cause many problems for the people of Valdac in the years to come.
At this time the Cyclops enjoyed great prosperity. The great Emperor Kalmyrid ruled from the grand city of Myridin, the centre of the Cyclops empire. They ruled as masters over their many slaves, exploiting the ingenuity of the Salaman and the strength of the G'hern. It is not difficult to imagine that the Moga received only the most menial of tasks. Their relationship with the Voil is less clear. It seems that the Voil once ruled the area we now call Shattered Peaks, when the Eternal Spire Mountains still stood in all their glory and before the rise of the Cyclops empire. During Kalmyrid's rule, the Voil had become more reclusive and simply watched the world change from the shadows.
Despite their prosperity, it was not a time of peace within the empire. The Cyclops, always a tribal race, had split into factions. Many felt that the future of the empire depended upon expansion, that the other races of Poxanthuru had to be brought under the control of the Cyclops. Others felt that the empire would thrive under a time of consolidation, developing cyclopean culture for future generations. These factions brought the empire to the brink of civil war, with only a rudimentary peace maintained by the royal court.
Zeventrech, trusted advisor to Kalmyrid, was to play a central role in keeping peace within the empire. Later, at the time of the Minotaur Wars, Kalmyrid would entrust him with the knowledge of the location of the throne room of Dalnis. This knowledge would later shape the future of the loyal wizard.
The Elven people lived in the Great Forest and the kingdom of J'thir. At this time J'thir was an Elven kingdom, rather than the cold high peaks of the Savage Tundra. The elves clearly enjoyed the nora from their kingdom, but their frivolous misuse of this resource was not to continue.
The humans living in the kingdoms of Valdac and Elsarin shared a fruitful alliance, in stark contrast to the wars which would follow. The Valdaci race were a devout people who worked hard on their inventions and mechanical objects. The people of the Elsarin kingdom were more spiritually inclined, focused on the ethereal and the magic in the world. Rather than crafting intricate machines, they focused on the creation of spells and artifacts.
Set apart from these powerful kingdoms was the Ironfist Stronghold, the homeland of the Dwarven people. Many dwarves lived out their lives in the kingdom of Valdac, where their inventiveness was greatly admired. In later days, Rugloth himself would be a general in the Valdaci army.
Whilst the kingdoms of Poxanthuru lived in a time of relative peace, a great war was raging in the hells which are the Underdepths. Lord Randgal, head of the Minotaur royal family, was locked in a bitter power struggle with the great demon Maxxerek. The Minotaurs would strike hard and fast from their stronghold of Cretios, using the portal doors to strike at the Bok before they could respond. Despite the effectiveness of these tactics, Maxxerek has great power and soon Lord Randgal's Minotaur army were fighting a losing battle. In desperation, Lord Randgal commanded that tunnels should be opened on the surface, to harness the power of the sun in a final attempt to destroy Maxxerek.
The Elves must surely have known of the Minotaur incursion into the Great Forest. Maybe they were too distracted by their use of nora or maybe they lacked the leadership to take action. Whatever the reason, it fell to the Cyclops to take action. Kalmyrid united the tribes behind him and fought a long and painful war with the Minotaur invaders. Despite fighting bravely, the Cyclops were losing and eventually had to make a most difficult decision to save Poxanthuru from destruction.
It was at this time that Kalmyrid and Zeventrech made their journey to the throne room of Dalnis. The throne would grant the desires of those with pure intentions and Kalmyrid had nothing but self-sacrifice in mind. Sitting on the throne, he brought about the end of the Minotaur incursion and an end to Lord Randgal's attempts to harness the sun. The price he and his people paid was to be immeasurable.
Poxanthura cracked and the time of the Separation was upon the people of the world. The deep springs of the Eternal Spire Mountains lifted to the surface and a torrent of water washed over the surface of the land, crashing the once majestic spires into the newly formed Sea of Separation. The plains south of the empire were flooded, destroying much of the cyclopean wealth and forming what is now known as Forglar Swamp.
With the empire in turmoil, the Salaman made good their escape into this new swampland. The G'hern, copying their once masters, used their greater strength to enslave the Moga and retreated into the mountains. The Cyclops race, once masters of the proud city of Myridin, fell. A few escaped into the mountains, but only Zeventrech remained of the once powerful royal council. The Minotaurs were driven back to the Underdepths, only to find their labyrinths flooded with lava. It was only with a desperate use of portal magic could Lord Randgal hide Cretios in a place of safety and retreat from the vengeance of Maxxerek.
The Elven kingdoms also suffered greatly during the Separation. The kingdom of J'thir was thrust upwards into the clouds, thought to be lost forever. As we now know, this was not the case. Although many Elves died, the strongest amongst them survived and over time, became the Jakei.
With the Great Forest split apart, K'thir became the central kingdom of the Elves. Politics replaced the Elven lust for nora and the Eternal Circle was formed to ensure the mistakes of the past were not repeated. Thus, the foundations of greater troubles were laid by the Elves.
Some say that the Garu appeared at this time, as the forest was in need of true defenders. With the Elves distracted by their political games, the proud Garu race became the true defenders of the forest.
This is how the Separation came to pass and how many of the familiar kingdoms were formed. There are many stories left untold, but they are for another time. Next, we will explore the destruction of the kingdoms of men during the time simply known as the Catastrophe.
