The Age of Mummujoxuru[]
Few in the Enclave of the Five Sacrifices are well educated about the events from the Age of Mummujoxuru. The humans living today are distant descendants of the Awakened (those who survived the destruction of Mummujoxuru and rose from a long sleep to find themselves in the Spellborn world), but even though recorded Enclave history begins then, very few remember the tales of their ancestors. Usually, people refer to Mummujoxuru as “the Ancestor World” or “the Empire of the Eight Demons.” It is unclear whether the name Mummujoxuru actually translates into the latter or if the name was invented by the scholars of the Enclave at a later date.
According to the Sekk-Sotyll scrolls, Mummujoxuru was an empire ruled over by gods and god-like beings. They created many races to serve them, and held sway over a massive world of temples, palaces and cities created by sorcery. The scrolls are vague when detailing the role humanity played in this empire. Though the scrolls repeatedly mention how the emperors of Mummujoxuru forged servitor races to tend to their every whim and desire, they do not mention whether humanity was brought into the universe by their magic, or was conquered and enslaved.
Most prominently portrayed in the Sekk-Sotyll scrolls are the Mumia and the Vhelgar. The name “Mumia” refers to the eight godlike masters of Mummujoxuru. They remain nameless and the scholars who study the Sekk-Sotyll writings refuse to search for accurate names or descriptions of the Eight, warning that such a study could endanger the unity of the Enclave. The Vhelgar were the draconic demigods who served the empire and the Eight. They created hundreds of races for the Mumia and were instrumental in the ultimate destruction of the Ancestor World.
The following is the summary of the Sekk-Sotyll scrolls, as presented to the High Houses by the scholar Ruat Sabium in year 632 after the Awakening.
The Uracopeia (Period: Unknown)[]
This is the earliest period of Mummujoxuru, referred to in the Sekk-Sotyll scrolls as “a time of conquest and sacrifice.” A few scholars believe that there was a time and a world that preceded this one, though apparently it had nothing to do with the Ancestor World. Only hints and rumours from this period have survived.
The Epoch of the Mumia (Period: Unknown)[]
After the Uracopeia period came the time of the Mumia: the Epoch that saw the rise of the Eight and their dominance over the Ancestor World. The Sekk-Sotyll overtly exaggerates the exploits of the Eight, and the descriptions of their creations, battles and quests must be discarded as divine propaganda. Yet it points to a fundamental kernel of knowledge: the Mumia did not found Mummujoxuru.
The Epoch of the Vhelgar (Period: Unknown)[]
The Epoch of the Vhelgar began with the Mumia creating the Vhelgar and ordering them to make the empire “rise beyond the moons and suns”. The stories in the Sekk-Sotyll scrolls detail at length many hundreds of Vhelgar prodigals setting about the creation of even bigger cities, palaces and temples for the Eight. This is also the very first time in the Sekk-Sotyll scrolls that the Mumia or the Eight are referred to as “the Eight Demons”. It is impossible to determine who the authors of the scrolls were, but their use of the term “demon” implies that either there was already an undercurrent of rebellion or that the term was used as a title of worship and/or deference.
The Time of Night’s Dawn (Period: Unknown)[]
During the Time of Night’s Dawn the first signs of chaos and instability were revealed. Though the Sekk-Sotyll is quite poetic in describing the god-like benevolence and power of the Eight, one can quite clearly discern that the Mumia had lost interest in the daily affairs of their accursed paradise and had left the Vhelgar and servitor races such as the Vhuul and the Urvhile to their own devices. This is also the first recorded mention of the Eight High Houses of Man.
The Era of Black Chaos (Period: Unknown to 0 AC)[]
The Sekk-Sotyll is fragmented at best when detailing this period. There are increased numbers of references to political struggles, rebellious battles and uprisings by the High Houses of Man. This is also the first time that the daevi, the offspring of the Eight and humans, are detailed. Described as creatures of power and inheritors of incredible mythical talent, the daevi are marked throughout the texts as fearful of their immortal parents and innocent of any crimes against the servitor races. These traits ultimately drove them to seek an alliance with the High Houses. This alliance led to a full uprising against Mummujoxuru, the Mumia and the Vhelgar, resulting in the shattering of the Altar of the Undying and the destruction of the Ancestor World. [Note from Ruat Sabium: This last part is taken from the Book of Awakening, a chronicle written by several powerful champions of the High Houses, as the writings of the Sekk-Sotyll stop long before this period.]
Not much is known about the origins of the Ancestor World and the creatures living on it at the time. History is vague at best and although there is mention of certain names and places, it usually lacks the exact date to define when certain events took place. Ancestral scrolls that have been passed down from generation to generation, mention races and creatures that are supposedly extinct. The one thing known to historians is that the world that was once called The Empire of the Eight Demons is no more. If the eight 'demons' were in fact creatures of legend, is unknown. They might have been human or some long lost race, but seeing they wielded absolute power, they might in fact have actually been demons.
The last writings convey the story of a great battle that took place in the city of the Quartered Stone. A battle between an army of uprising humans and a powerful Vhelgar guardian called Satanamura. It was said she guarded a structure called the Altar of the Undying that supposedly held the power of the Eight Demons. What exactly transpired is not documented but the destruction of the Altar plunged the world into pure chaos, encasing it within a thick layer of ice, freezing every living being in place.
The Great Collapse (year 0 AC)[]
The eight High Houses of the humans and their daevi slavedrivers form a last alliance against their Vhelgar masters and destroy their source of power and magic: the Altar of the Undying. Yet, the cost of freedom is high: destroying the Altar also destroys the world itself and throws its various pieces into a swirling sea of untapped magic: the Deadspell Storm.
Death's Dream (0 to 500 AC)[]
To most scholars it is unknown what has happened in this period. Some of them are not even convinced it lasted a full 500 years. What is known is that the remnants of the world - the various Shards and Fragments - are covered in Undying Ice, magical ice that instantly encased all the created Shards and Fragments directly after the Great Collapse. It is believed to have formed after the magical energies of the Altar of the Undying were set free, thus it is assumed that the Ice is a direct consequence of destroying the Altar. During this period and that all survivors of the Great Collapse are frozen in time, trapped within a deep slumber.
The Awakening (501 to 524 AC)[]
501 AC: The Barbarian Seal crashes into Quarterstone and as a result, the Undying Ice melts and releases its prisoners. The Barbarian Seal is actually a piece of the Altar of the Undying. After the Altar exploded and the Great Collapse took place, fragments of the Altar remained in the Deadspell Storm. It was by mere chance that one of these fragments landed in Quarterstone and melted the Undying Ice. Its name stems from the fact that this piece was once part of a mural within the Altar, showing a barbarian human in combat.
Awakening from their magical slumber, the humans and daevi survivors discover the fate of the world. The world as they knew it is no more, the sky and the sun are gone. Instead they are covered by what seems to be a monstrous rock surface. It would take time before they would fully grasp the truth, but in the meantime the High Houses would be reinstalled in an attempt to pick up their lives again.
524 AC: Having used the Barbarian Seal to remove the Undying Ice on Quarterstone completely, the High Houses discovered a giant cache of eggs within its caverns. These turned out to be the eggs of the Vhelgar Queen Satanamura and from them lesser Vhelgar would hatch. It would be a matter of time before these flying creatures were tamed and these 'Vhelgar Steeds' would allow them to travel beyond the carapace of Quarterstone and discover the true extent of the Great Collapse.
The Age of Expansion (525 to 631 AC)[]
Venturing into the Deadspell Storm through the use of their newly raised Vhelgar steeds, the Houses discover the Shard Parliament.
527 AC: After discovering Parliament and exploring the Shard, a conflict arises among the High Houses concerning its ownership. The individual Houses claimed they were first to set foot or even discover Parliament, citing these reasons as why they should be leader of this new dominion. It seemed as though House Torque with its “innate” leadership skills might have played a role in resolving this conflict.
528 AC: Consequently to this turmoil, the Houses Pale, Onyx, Rune and Void decided there was nothing left for them to think about the cohabitation with the other Four. Eventually they deserted the other High Houses and ventured into the Deadspell Storm on their Vhelgar steeds. All except House Rune, who at the very last moment, changed their mind. So while House Pale, Onyx and Void left for the Deadspell Storm, the Houses Maul, Rune, Shroud, Silver and Torque stayed behind.
No one really knows what happened to the three renegade Houses after their departure. One thing, though, was for sure to everyone who stayed on Parliament: from then on Onyx, Void and Pale should be referred as “the Traitor Houses”.
530 AC: Venturing further into the lands of Parliament, the five remaining High Houses decided to settle down and start building their own High House Structures on Parliament’s pristine soil. Since then this Shard became the central political hub of the world of Spellborn.
532 AC: A fragment with a gigantic floating temple appears near Quarterstone, which comes to be called the Scoured Citade, an enormous temple on a floating fragment. It can navigate freely through the Deadspell Storm. From within, the Princess of Skulls and her undead army attack the five High Houses. They try to survive the onslaught as waves of enemies come their way. A bloody war erupts lasting for years.
534 AC: Graidlon Marrow, Champion of Torque, uncovers the Oracle down in the very heart of Quarterstone. In order to learn the teachings of the Oracle as much as possible, a new order is founded: the Veridan. Parallel to this event, Graidlon Marrow becomes the first human to be granted an Ancestral Dream by the Oracle and within the Dream’s displacement of time and space is told of the Princess of Skulls and the means to defeat her. From the few reports ever written about her, she’s an enormous demonic entity grafted from pale skin, wrapped around what seemed to be a horrid animated skeleton. Long black nails and long, sickeningly yellow hair complement the rags she wears. The only thing out of place is the brilliant crown on her head.
535 AC: Graidlon calls to him four Champions of the other Houses. Together they venture to the Scoured Citadel by Vhelgar steed. Once there, Graidlon and the Champions venture deep into the structure while it flies off into the Deadspell Storm. Neither Graidlon nor the Princess of Skulls and her Scoured Citadel have ever been seen again. Though it is unknown what has happened to them, it is still very possible that they roam the Deadspell Storm. Graidlon’s selfless act and that of his four companions made it possible for the High Houses to survive. In honour of those true Champions, the five High Houses forged a new alliance to guide their people and protect them from whatever would roam the Deadspell Storm. This was the birth of the Enclave of the Five Sacrifices.
The War of Shadow's Hammer (632 to 654 AC)[]
In the years following the war against the Princess of Skulls and the founding of the Enclave, the shard Parliament was discovered and claimed for the Five High Houses who each established a stronghold there. It quickly became the center of all House politics and the administrative hub of the Enclave.
The hollows of Quarterstone were excavated further and the Temple of the Oracle relocated to the center of the city. Great tunneling projects were initiated that allowed Vhelgar steeds access to the city through docking corridors, and when the Oracle ordered the High Houses to create a shaft through the vaulted roof of Quarterstone, so that it could project its awareness into the Deadspell Storm, the Five High Houses obeyed and undertook an excavation project that lasted for generations.
After many years, the expansion of the Enclave took flight as Ringfell was discovered. The Enclave experienced a time of peace and prosperity, which lasted for nearly a century before disaster swept through the Enclave once more.
Though it seemed that the Enclave’s peaceful age would last for ever, it was not meant to be. In time, the horrors of the war against the Princess of Skulls would be forgotten, but the search for new shard realms continued and exploration of the Deadspell Storm moved ahead without pause. There, in those dreadful veils of enraged mana, did explorers find a new realm, almost a century after the initial discovery of Mount of Heroes. Called Carnyx, it remained silently embraced by the Undying Ice, untouched since the destruction of the Ancestor World.
The Enclave would bring the Barbarian Seal to this new realm and claim it as their own – and in doing so – release the Vhuul, a race of servitor creatures created by the Vhelgar, from their prison. They would forfeit the Barbarian Seal and a great war would be waged, claiming the lives of many.
Before those dreadful days however, the Enclave of the Five Sacrifices had nothing to fear. New generations of heroes and champions were born, forgotten lore and science rediscovered, and more effective construction applied to the Enclave’s realms. The High Houses had grown powerful and confident and in no other was this more evident than in Aryones Ithkari, champion of the High House of Scales; Torque. Where Graidlon Marrow had been a brooding youth, traumatized by the horrific circumstances of his existence and forced to surrender himself to a dreadful fate, Aryones was his polar opposite. He was light-hearted, joyfully blessed with a striking physique and a formidable array of talents and skills.
He was know as “Aryones the Golden” or “The First Light of Heaven”, and he would bring a great doom to the Enclave, almost destroying what Graidlon Marrow had tried to preserve.
Initially, upon discovering Carnyx, the Enclave’s explorers thought it unlikely that one of the three Lost High Houses had made its home there. The realm was completely covered by the Undying Ice and had not been disturbed by outsiders. This lead to a decision from Parliament to bring the Barbarian Seal to Carnyx, freeing it from the ice and start settlement immediately. Logurhadin the Woestriker, Champion of the High House of Ropes; Maul, had been selected to bring the Barbarian Seal to Carnyx, together with Lady Cormuthesta of the High House of Shrines; Rune. The procession, accompanied by hundreds of soldiers and workers, set out for Carnyx after a festive celebration in Quarterstone.
They did not return.
Several weeks later, the first Vhuul attacks against the Enclave began. Strange flying craft, forged from rock, bore vulture like creatures to the realms of the High Houses. The attempted invasion of Quarterstone was defeated with ease, as were those of Parliament, Mount of Heroes and Ringfell. But the creatures kept coming, increasing in number as time passed by, and growing more powerful by the year.
It was then that Aryones Ithkari decided to take the other High House champions with him to destroy the Vhuul and claim Carnyx, much like Graidlon Marrow had done a century before in Mount of Heroes (but Aryones was intent on coming back). So they took their Vhelgar steeds with them and their armies, readying themselves with powerful artifacts, weapons and spells, and descended upon Carnyx like an ancestral host of divine spirits.
But what no one could have know was that among the Vhuul there was a priesthood using ancient magic the Enclave had never encountered before. Among these vulture priests there was one who was an elder: a creature knowledgeable of the magic of the Mumia, like the Princess of Skulls had been. It was the leader of all the Vhuul and their priest caste, and was known as the “Archfell”. As Aryones fought the Vhuul swarms and ships, the Archfell stole his soul, possessed his mind, and turned the “First Light of Heaven” against the other champions, slaying the entire retinue Ithkari had brought with him.
The High Houses waited in vain for Aryones to return with news of victory, but were instead treated to an even bigger horror. Ithkari, now a puppet of the Vhuul, attacked the Enclave as the general of their Swarm. After several battles against his former brethren, slaying the finest warriors the Enclave possessed, Aryones Ithkari became known as 'Shadow's Hammer', a tragic parody of what he once was. The doom that befell the peoples of the Enclave during his war against its shard realms made him much feared and hated.
A delegation of Torque warriors, sent by the Enclave to reason with Aryones, was completely corrupted and swayed to his side. He convinced them that he had been wronged by the Enclave and sent them back to wreak as much havoc as they could before they were found out. The slaughter perpetrated by the “Arionites” as they murdered nobles and commoners alike in Parliament and Quarterstone was something the Enclave had never experienced before. The shock was paralyzing.
Maul and Shroud came together and decided to act on their own volition - Torque had failed them and their trust in warrior-gods and paramount heroes had been violated. A staunch opponent of the patriarchical system of military rule, Muragh Kaizin of Maul gathered about herself the best assassins she could find, and aided by whatever secrets Shroud had manage to unearth from floating ruin in the Deadspell Storm, set out to find the Archfell and slay it.
So it came to pass that not a Torque champion, but Maulite and Shroud assassins were to deliver the Enclave from evil, infiltrating the Vhuul hive to its heart and slaying the vulture priest-king. None of them returned, overcome by the mindless Vhuul swarm bereft of its messiah, but the power of the vultures had been broken nonetheless. The attacks against the Enclave ceased.
Though Shadow’s Hammer was ultimately captured and executed, his followers remained hidden throughout the Enclave. Carnyx remained under control of the Vhuul swarm and both the vultures and the Arionites would haunt the Enclave for centuries to come.
The Era of Lessons (655 to 849 AC)[]
The harsh lessons learned by the attacks of the Vhuul were put to good use. The Enclave rebuild its strength and started repairing the damage to their defences. It was during this period that The Oracle requested the presence of the High Lords and Ladies of all of the High Houses. They gathered in the Temple of the Oracle in Quarterstone but after the Oracle had spoken they failed to see the truth in its words. This distrust caused The Oracle to remain silent for centuries to come, leaving the Enclave without its guidance.
During the Era of Lessons many scholars and artisans were born that created and designed new structures around Quarterstone. Palaces, theatres and arenas were built and it did not take long before the new architecture reached other Shards as well. This era of prosperity was unlike anything the Enclave had seen.
It is during this time of great discoveries that the Enclave finds the means to forge raw materials from the Deadspell Storm into useful objects. Purifying and shaping Vitridur, Levium and Ankhstone is one of the most noticeable changes for the Enclave as it allowed them to create Sharships and various other items to venture deeper into the Deadspell Storm.
The mining of valuable ore did have its drawbacks as the mines on Mount of Heroes were the home of a vicious race of evil creatures known as the Howlers. The Howlers drove the settlers and miners from the Vitridur mines and their settlement. A war erupted and raged on for years to come.
The Epoch of Evhiel Muaun and the Tyranny of Tykaru (850 to 997)[]
As old heroes fade into the past, new ones are born. Two of these heroes changed the fate of the Enclave and its citizens. Evhiel Muaun is the first of these heroes. Born on Mount of Heroes, Evhiel grew up knowing the full impact of the war with the Howlers. On her 18th birthday she was sent to Quarterstone and while there visited the temple of The Oracle. She was barred from entering the temple as it had been off limits to the public since The Oracle's refusal to talk to the High Houses of the Enclave. Seeing the corruption of the Enclave and witnessing first hand the idolatry of its citizens, Evhiel tried to get the Enclave to listen to reason, but failed.
Tykaru is the other hero of old, born and raised in the back-alleys of Quarterstone. After years of being a common thug and mercenary he enlisted into the Quarterstone Guard. Because of his determination and great skill he was eventually raised to the honourable position of Champion Master and was favoured by all.
As the years pass, Evhiel gained more followers that obstinate the idolatry of ancestral idols and started to embrace the true teachings of the Oracle. Being a thorn in the side of the High Houses, the Enclave decided to arrest her and put her in front of a tribunal. The person sent out to seek and arrest her was none other than Tykaru. After he completed his task, Evhiel was interrogated by the elders of the High Houses. During this interrogation she points the High Houses to their corrupt way of thinking and by doing so offended them to their very core. For her insolence, Evhiel Muaun would be exiled from the Enclave to spend her remaining days in the confinements of Hood’s Belfry.
Escorting Evhiel to her prison was the proud Tykaru and during their long voyage there, the two of them fell in love. So much so, that Tykaru ultimately betrayed the Enclave and fled with Evhiel into the deeper reaches of the Deadspell Storm.
Years passed and times changed, until the day Evhiel returned to the Enclave to warn them of a new threat; her former lover Tykaru. He spent his time gathering an army and gaining strength and by doing so distanced himself from Evhiel and her ideals of The Oracle’s teachings. She has fled from his side to warn the Enclave of the coming threat, but came too late. The struggling cities on Ringfell and Mount of Heroes were pillaged and razed by Tykaru and his army at the same time Evhiel tried to convince the Enclave of the imminent threat.
Evhiel then persuaded the Enclave to grant her access to the Oracle’s temple, knowing full well that the Oracle was her only solution. The Oracle spoke to Evhiel and told her what needed to be done in order to save the Enclave from its impending doom. This was the first time in two hundred years that The Oracle had spoken.
As Tykaru and his army descended upon Quarterstone, Evhiel and her Enclave army met them head on. The battle that ensued was long and bloody, but Evhiel managed to draw Tykaru away from the Enclave Shards and lure him far into the recesses of the Deadspell Storm.
During the years that follow, the Enclave started to rebuild the ruins that were left in the aftermath of the battle. Once again they had stood on the brink of annihilation and yet were victorious once again. Whatever fate had in store for both Evhiel and Tykaru is lost to all, perhaps in time the Oracle will shed some light as to whatever came to be of the former lovers.
The Time of the Enclave (998 to present AC)[]
It took the Enclave over 500 years to see that the Oracle’s teachings held more power then they first imagined. The heroes of old are heralded in the historic records and ranks of the Enclave High Houses and the abject worship of ancestral idols outside the teachings of the Oracle is now frowned upon. The annals of the past come to a close, as the world embraces new heroes that venture forth into the Deadspell Storm and write their own future within The Chronicles of Spellborn.
