Two ancient tomes, locked away in the last corner of a hidden vault, tell a tale long forgotten to modern mankind. A tale of war, a tale of betrayal, a tale of sacrifice. The tale of The Great Conflict.
The tomes tell of angels and demons, of humans siding with either and fighting in the Sin War on Earth in secret.
This war is so old and arcane that no living human on earth has any knowledge of it. Even among the immortal factions the existance of Earth as a battlefield has slipped from memory. Other theaters of war have become much more important and therefore neither angels nor demons waste any time with this world anymore. And so humanity was completely unaware of the events transpiring on other planes of existance.
Axandar didn't know anything about this "Earth" either - yet. He just wanted to get away. He had enough. With powerful thrusts his wings propelled him through the darkened sky. Beneath him a blasted landscape passed by, devoid of all life after the eternal armies of angels and demons confronted each other. The sky was blackened by foul magic and the ground was soaked with blood and covered with corpses. Frustrated and agitated he tore his armor off and let the plates made from some dull grey metal fall to the ground. Piece by piece he removed his shell until he was flying naked through the warm air.
"Too long. It has been too long. For millenia I have seen nothing but war and slaughter. Curses, I am a demon of lust, not a demon of war! This is not what I am supposed to do."
The incubus kept flying for hours. The endless field of war stretching out far below, he was travelling far away from the frontlines visiting regions abandoned and left behind thousands of years ago. Slowly he descended, moving closer to the ground, his wings gradually growing weaker and weaker. All the fighting has exhausted him. As an incubus Axandar drew his strength and power from passion and lust, not from war and death. And the last opportunity for him to regain his strength has been many many years ago.
Finally his wings just quit. They refused even a single further flap and completely exhaused the incubus tumbled through the air and crashed to the ground. He rolled over onto his back and let out a groan. He was about to just stay down and drift off into unconsciousness when he suddenly felt something. The familiar tingling of old and powerful magic nearby. Axandar forced himself to his feet and let his instincts guide him closer to the source of the magic he had felt. He stumbled over the ground and as he just wondered what he had felt the earth beneath his feet broke open and he fell into a large hall accompanied by the sound of stone falling on stone. Crashing to the ground again the incubus let out a tortured groan. He coughed and forced himself onto his knees. What he then saw left him almost breathless.
The ground, floor and ceiling were covered with heavy obsidian plates into which demonic glyphs were engraved, and in the center of the hall stood an empty gateway made from purest silver. Axandar had heard of these items - ancient portals that were used when worlds with mortal inhabitants were important in the Sin War but soon after abandoned. He had not thought that one of these would still exist. He stepped closer to the silver portal and carefully - almost gently - touched its cool surface. The moment his finger made contact with the metal he instinctively knew what he needed to do to activate it. The magic of the portal implanted all useful information directly into his mind. He also knew that the portal would transport him to a world inhabited by humans.
What the archway then shared with the incubus worried him. The magic of the portal was close to unravelling itself. Only one last transport could be made before the gateway was forever destroyed. And he was shown that the portal's counterpart on Earth - the human's world - was destroyed. It would be a one-way trip, a journey without return. Axandar frowned for a second but then it dawned to him. This was his chance to escape from all this. Once he had stepped through this portal he would never again have to fight in the Sin War. Millenia of slaughter would finally find an end. He knew that humans were a violent species - after all the demons had many human colonies - but even the most cruel and brutal human didn't even come close to a demon of war.
"No more. Finally this madness ends. I will be free!"
The demon gathered all his courage and activated the portal for the last time. He poured all his remaining power into the gate. Blood ran from his nose as the portal's arch turned from the bright silver into a dark, almost black, purple and a vortex of darkness formed inside the gate. Completely spent and desperately holding on to consciousness Axandar stumbled forward, falling through the vortex. A sensation of weightlessness surrounded him and then he fell. Axandar's mind was hazy and fogged from the passage and he fell like a stone. His exhausted and bruised body refused to follow any commands and only moments later he hit the surface of the water. The water was warm and calm and he soon surfaced again, adrift on his back. One of his wings was draped across his naked body covering him up while the other simply floated on the water.
Before he could form any coherent thought about his situation the battered incubus fell unconscious.
Take heed and bear witness to the truths that lie herein, for they are the last legacy of the Horadrim.
There is a war that rages on even now, beyond the fields that we know - between the utopian kingdoms of the High Heavens and the chaotic pits of the Burning Hells.
This war is known as the Great Conflict, and it has raged and burned longer than any of the stars in the sky.
Neither side ever gains sway for long as the forces of light and darkness constantly vie for control over all creation.
There is a war that rages on even now, beyond the fields that we know - between the utopian kingdoms of the High Heavens and the chaotic pits of the Burning Hells.
This war is known as the Great Conflict, and it has raged and burned longer than any of the stars in the sky.
Neither side ever gains sway for long as the forces of light and darkness constantly vie for control over all creation.
The tomes tell of angels and demons, of humans siding with either and fighting in the Sin War on Earth in secret.
Take heed and bear witness to the truths that lie herein, for they are the last legacy of the Horadrim.
When the eternal conflict between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells falls upon mortal soil, it is called the Sin War.
Angels and Demons walk amongst humanity in disguise, fighting in secret, away from the prying eyes of mortals.
Some daring, powerful mortals have even allied themselves with either side, and helped to dictate the course of the Sin War.
When the eternal conflict between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells falls upon mortal soil, it is called the Sin War.
Angels and Demons walk amongst humanity in disguise, fighting in secret, away from the prying eyes of mortals.
Some daring, powerful mortals have even allied themselves with either side, and helped to dictate the course of the Sin War.
This war is so old and arcane that no living human on earth has any knowledge of it. Even among the immortal factions the existance of Earth as a battlefield has slipped from memory. Other theaters of war have become much more important and therefore neither angels nor demons waste any time with this world anymore. And so humanity was completely unaware of the events transpiring on other planes of existance.
Axandar didn't know anything about this "Earth" either - yet. He just wanted to get away. He had enough. With powerful thrusts his wings propelled him through the darkened sky. Beneath him a blasted landscape passed by, devoid of all life after the eternal armies of angels and demons confronted each other. The sky was blackened by foul magic and the ground was soaked with blood and covered with corpses. Frustrated and agitated he tore his armor off and let the plates made from some dull grey metal fall to the ground. Piece by piece he removed his shell until he was flying naked through the warm air.
"Too long. It has been too long. For millenia I have seen nothing but war and slaughter. Curses, I am a demon of lust, not a demon of war! This is not what I am supposed to do."
The incubus kept flying for hours. The endless field of war stretching out far below, he was travelling far away from the frontlines visiting regions abandoned and left behind thousands of years ago. Slowly he descended, moving closer to the ground, his wings gradually growing weaker and weaker. All the fighting has exhausted him. As an incubus Axandar drew his strength and power from passion and lust, not from war and death. And the last opportunity for him to regain his strength has been many many years ago.
Finally his wings just quit. They refused even a single further flap and completely exhaused the incubus tumbled through the air and crashed to the ground. He rolled over onto his back and let out a groan. He was about to just stay down and drift off into unconsciousness when he suddenly felt something. The familiar tingling of old and powerful magic nearby. Axandar forced himself to his feet and let his instincts guide him closer to the source of the magic he had felt. He stumbled over the ground and as he just wondered what he had felt the earth beneath his feet broke open and he fell into a large hall accompanied by the sound of stone falling on stone. Crashing to the ground again the incubus let out a tortured groan. He coughed and forced himself onto his knees. What he then saw left him almost breathless.
The ground, floor and ceiling were covered with heavy obsidian plates into which demonic glyphs were engraved, and in the center of the hall stood an empty gateway made from purest silver. Axandar had heard of these items - ancient portals that were used when worlds with mortal inhabitants were important in the Sin War but soon after abandoned. He had not thought that one of these would still exist. He stepped closer to the silver portal and carefully - almost gently - touched its cool surface. The moment his finger made contact with the metal he instinctively knew what he needed to do to activate it. The magic of the portal implanted all useful information directly into his mind. He also knew that the portal would transport him to a world inhabited by humans.
What the archway then shared with the incubus worried him. The magic of the portal was close to unravelling itself. Only one last transport could be made before the gateway was forever destroyed. And he was shown that the portal's counterpart on Earth - the human's world - was destroyed. It would be a one-way trip, a journey without return. Axandar frowned for a second but then it dawned to him. This was his chance to escape from all this. Once he had stepped through this portal he would never again have to fight in the Sin War. Millenia of slaughter would finally find an end. He knew that humans were a violent species - after all the demons had many human colonies - but even the most cruel and brutal human didn't even come close to a demon of war.
"No more. Finally this madness ends. I will be free!"
The demon gathered all his courage and activated the portal for the last time. He poured all his remaining power into the gate. Blood ran from his nose as the portal's arch turned from the bright silver into a dark, almost black, purple and a vortex of darkness formed inside the gate. Completely spent and desperately holding on to consciousness Axandar stumbled forward, falling through the vortex. A sensation of weightlessness surrounded him and then he fell. Axandar's mind was hazy and fogged from the passage and he fell like a stone. His exhausted and bruised body refused to follow any commands and only moments later he hit the surface of the water. The water was warm and calm and he soon surfaced again, adrift on his back. One of his wings was draped across his naked body covering him up while the other simply floated on the water.
Before he could form any coherent thought about his situation the battered incubus fell unconscious.