1 Prologue: The Age Of Man

Man was once the ruler of its world. Before the great floods, humanity had conquered nature, for fire had bent to humanity's will and the dark no longer terrified these primeval apes. Through fire and blood, humanity had forged its future. mankind progressed at an unprecedented rate, for they had conquered beasts and used them for food and sacrifice. The animals in their ignorance thought nothing of being captured, for their wool would get shaved in the summer, and they would be fed daily. No longer did these animals fear humans, they became apart of their herd, for they were its leader. As mankind's, understanding of the natural world grew, so too did their ignorance, for every question they answered, many more were asked. Time passed and something shook mankind's, somewhat peaceful regime, a flood. This flood was bigger than any before, and with it destruction and peril followed. The flood lasted for weeks on end, towering over the biggest human monuments to ever exist. Only a fraction of mankind's total population survived this catastrophe. Those who lived on the mountains and high lands were safe from the all consuming wave, however those on the plains, perished quickly. Word spread from village to village about the imminent great flood. Many moved to higher elevations, some moved to hotter more arid environments, and some built rafts hoping they would not be swallowed by the ocean.

The flood came and went, leaving a inconceivable amount of destruction, jungles and forests leveled, with only the strongest and tallest trees left standing. Even through this humanity still emerged. Those that lived in the mountains formed a massive complex society, with advanced technology, and military might, along with meandering philosophers and ingenious dreamers. The mountain men formed the republic of Artzo in the middle of the continent, also known as the Artzan Empire. Hills encompassed, the great city, and rivers of fresh water flowed throughout its streets. Stall's of food were on every corner, the scent of freshly baked bread and mouth watering spices filled the nose of all who would walk past . There were buildings in which baths could be taken, they were called tepidarium's. These buildings were split into 3 chambers, each served a different purpose. One of the chambers had scalding hot water, while the others had a more moderate and cooler temperature. In the center of this great city stood a great palace, ruled by the elected governing body. The palace was carved from huge marble, with rare gem stones engraved on every pillar. The roof of the main building was made of gold, with a skylight in the center, and the ground made of silver. It was built in such a way that when the new year began the entire area would be lit up in sunlight. The room was said to be so bright that everyone in the city could see it clearly. The area outside the city, was filled with small farms on whatever fertile could be found. Olive trees were used to produce oil for cooking and for lamps. The Empire did not earn its wealth through farming but through conquest and invention. They could conquer any village or city with their advanced weaponry and military tactics. The Artzan empire treated their people with justice but those not in their empire would be given no mercy. They were also master traders, and sailors although not as good as the people of the sea. For those in the empire it was a paradise amidst the chaos, the rest of the world was still in a state of disarray, and frenzy.

Generations passed and the world recovered, order was once again brought through the chaos, although humanity was changed forever. The influence of the Artzo empire, spread to the South, where the Lozark empire resided and to the middle east were the city state of Aššur-Nammu was. Together these three formed an allegiance of sorts, in order to preserve mankind in case, an act of God, or the gods was to ever occur again. These three empires were called the Coalition of ALAN. Humanity had continued, and they thrived, they told stories of Hero's, and legends and of the great flood. They spoke of animals that lived in antediluvian times, and creatures that had lived long ago but were now forgotten, hiding in the darkest and most secret places on the planet. Most of these stories were mere wives tales, or bedtimes stories to keep children from trouble, but with every lie there is always a little bit of truth. Some of these stories were not mere wives tales, but instead were indisputable facts. Giants, tall hairy beasts, giant lizards that took to the skies, giant serpents, and prodigious spiders. There were said to be giants cephalopod's from the oceans that were washed into salt lakes by the great flood, human-like creatures that thrive in the coldest of environments, and even Turtles as big as islands were said to inhabit the oceans, wading cautiously and slowly through the gargantuan body of water.

In the Northern part of Terra, creatures not of this world are said to reside, for that is were the edge of Terra was, those who dared crossed scarcely returned. If they returned it was as if their souls had been removed from their bodies, they neither spoke, nor thought, perhaps death was not as cruel as living.