The Beginning

Gaia was not always how it is now. In the beginning, there was nothing. Just a black void, starless, matter-less, and lifeless. No one knows how or when the first beings came to exist, but it is theorized that Titan gods, powerful, primal beings, spawned from the nothingness, and began to create. During this time, known as the Founding, the elements themselves were created, all of which would eventually combine to make life itself.

From these Titans too came the gods worshiped today. After an unknown length of time, they sprouted and grew from their more powerful creators. These new entities, known as the Eternal Entities of Chaos and Order, clashed in the cosmos, endlessly fighting for the favor of the Titans. The Titans, much more powerful, but much less in numbers, attempted to end this warfare, but in their attempts, united the once fractured entities and were eventually overthrown and destroyed by them. Once the Titan gods were vanquished, the entities decided to wage war on each other yet again, each fighting for control of the now divided domains the Titans once ruled. The debris of this great clash, known as the Creation, created the planes and gave rise to a new era in which these new gods, each with their own domain to rule over, became supreme. During this time, the raw power harnessed by these entities formed together to create all matter, including the stars in the sky, the planets that orbit them, and all of the planes and elements that comprise life today.

The Creation bore the Material Plane, which, while peaceful at first, eventually devolves into an eternal power struggle between these gods. After many millennia of fighting, the Deities of Order and Chaos decided to forge peace, and instead focus their efforts on expanding their power to create rather than destroy. After all, ruling over nothing was far too boring, and so soon after peace was struck, the Deities of Order began to create descendants of themselves to rule over, starting with the Material Plane.

The First Ones Are Born

Made in the image of the gods themselves, these first creatures on the Material Plane were gifted what is now known as the continent of Caldron to inhabit and thrive on. These wild and exotic creatures, known as the First Ones, were imbued with powerful magics that helped them expand into the unknown lands gifted to them by their creators. These magics were diluted extensions of their creators but still gave them fantastic abilities and inconceivably strong connections to the Material Plane's essence itself. The First Ones were very much connected to the Plane they lived on, and being the first derivatives of their creators, the magical essence they were made from was strong and untainted.

It is thought too, that the Material Plane itself contained enormous and powerful clusters of magical energy that crystalized and hardened over time. These crystals could be used to extract extremely pure magical energy, and in some cases, is thought to have been used as magical fuel for these creatures and their civilizations. A much less pure derivative of these crystalized magics can be found in the form of modern-day Whitestone, which can be further enhanced into Residuum.

Using these tools and powers, the First Ones quickly expanded to the far reaches of the continent, founding small societies and tribes. Peace, prosperity, and happiness encompassed all parts of Caldron as these tribes of creatures enjoyed the fruits of nature and magic, worshiping their gods and thanking them endlessly for these wonderful gifts.

A Growing Power

With the First Ones thriving in the wild lands of early Caldron and their numbers increasingly exponentially, the power of the Deities of Order grew similarly exponentially. Having these creatures worship them and make them offerings had quickly expanded the reach and power of these deities.

With their increase in power, the Deities of Order bestowed another gift upon the First Ones, as they wanted to increase their power even more. These gifts came in the form of three more continents to explore and expand into: Docros, Tal'Dorei, and Tammemar.

With no time at all, the First Ones crafted the first boats and sailed across the vast oceans to foreign lands. After some time, their numbers grew to fill these lands too, further increasing the powers of the Deities of Order and propelling them into godhood even further.

Unrest Sparks

The Deities of Chaos, having spent the last centuries ruling over nothing in their respective parts of the cosmos, began to notice that their brothers and sisters were more powerful than ever. Clearly, they had been duped and needed to correct this immediately.

Noticing eventually that the Material Plane was the answer, the Deities of Chaos began to create their own creatures that would expand and dominate the lands in the Material Plane. Most importantly, though, the expansion of these creatures wasn't enough... instead these creatures were to conquer the Material Plane and all the First Ones that called it home.

The First Men Are Born

When it came time to enact this plan, the Deities of Chaos finally let loose their dastardly creations: the First Men. These creatures, designed with malice and the unquenchable desire to conquer, spread like wildfire in the Material Plane, slaying, capturing, and enslaving the First Ones that lived there.

These creatures of Order were no match for the violent and unrepentant nature of the First Men. Without much time at all, the First Men found themselves dominating the continent of Caldron, and soon set their sights on the rest of the world.

Centuries of War

Once the chaos expanded to the other continents, the First Ones had become more equipped to handle the onslaught. With the help of their creators, each side attacked each other. Bloody battles ensued across all of the Material Plane, and many civilizations were created and destroyed during this time. The First Men fought to conquer and dominate the Material Plane, while the First Ones fought to remain a part of it.

Unlike before, the Deities of Order and Chaos fought each other through these proxy wars, with each side refusing, at least for the moment, to break directly the peaceful pact they made so long ago. These wars are known as the Holy Wars.

Things carried on like this for centuries, until finally, the First Men conquered the remaining lands of Gaia, forcing many of the First Ones into extinction. Ruins and scars of these horrific wars can be seen throughout all lands of Gaia, and the untold death and sorrow of those slain immortalized in the geography of the continents.

A Great Gift

Happy with their creations and their shared victory, the Deities of Chaos gifted the First Men a continent of their own, one filled to the brim with all the dastardly pleasures and delights these First Men were designed to value. This gift, called the Green Isles, was created on the Material Plane and made available to the First Men only.

At the time, these islands were a single landmass, with lush forests filled with fruits, spices, and all sorts of game to hunt. Many of the First Men moved here, setting up civilizations and conquering the thrills that the Green Isles and their creators offered.

With the First Ones barely holding on, the Deities of Order decided that instead of beating them, it was time to join them. They began to convert some of these chaos touched creatures into beings of order and followers of the doctrine of order. This decision resulted in a large number of First Men converting over to Order, thereby decreasing the power enjoyed by the Deities of Chaos.

The resulting tension builds for many centuries until the Reckonings take place whereby the Gods of the Cosmos directly walk the Material Plane and, for the first time, directly wreak havoc on its inhabitants.

The Reckonings

Two Reckonings would take place across the many centuries following the conquering of the First Ones. These great wars were known as the Great Reckonings, and resulted in the death of millions of creatures, the destruction of thousands of miles of earth, and the altering of the future of Gaia forever.

These wars, too, marked the first times the great Gods of the Cosmos directly influenced and attacked the Material Plane, and the aftermath of these wars was catastrophic. It also set a precedent that no more are the Gods above willing to let their creatures attack each other without their aid. Instead, should times be truly dire, the power of the Gods would directly influence the outcome of events, and the fate of the world would be determined by this influence.

As a result, the Material Plane and all its inhabitants have seen cataclysmic events similar to that of the Great Reckonings many times, and the gods have intervened to ensure balance and order is restored. Thus, the Material Plane has scars throughout it that serve as reminders of the days of old, of past battles and revolts.

In modern times, the Material Plane seems to be entering into an era of long-awaited peace, as no major wars have been fought between its inhabitants in hundreds of years. However, descendants of the Deities of Chaos vow to end this peace, and have tried and failed many times before to do so. Having been beaten down so many times, these descendants of Chaos lack in numbers and are cast about all over Gaia. But some say their forces are growing stronger with each passing day, and so too does their desire to see the scales tipped in their favor...