The Jeffinator
Captain Manbeard
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2005
- Posts
- 8,365
For countless centuries, the Dawnguard stood as a beacon of hope and protection for Earth against the terrors of Outer Realms, such as the Vale of Shadows or the Pit of Undying Flames. Both the heroes of the Dawnguard and the monsters of the Outer Realms fueled early legends of gods and angels, until one day they all mysteriously vanished from the world.
In reality, the Council of Elders in charge of the Dawnguard were desperately trying to thwart the resurrection of the Dark Phoenix, an ancient god-like being that could live for thousands of years through self-regeneration. Long ago it had burnt out it's cycle and the ashes were kept in a sealed urn locked away in a temple to prevent them from being returned to the Pit of Undying Flames, where the cycle could be renewed.
Right around the end of the Dark Ages in Europe, an organization known as the Shadowfall clashed with the Dawnguard, ultimately unveiling a scheme to steal the Urn of the Dark Phoenix. They were successful, but before they could open a rift back to the Pit with the Urn, the Elders called upon the forbidden art of Necromancy to suck out the life forces of the Shadowfall and trap them within a Soul Gem. However, what they did not count on was the Gem also grabbing hold of the residual essence of the Dark Phoenix from it's ashes.
This caused the Gem to surge with more power than it could hold, and it collapsed in on itself, creating a singularity -- similar to what would later be known as a black hole -- that only drew in magical souls and energy. This grew out of control until almost all magic in the world was consumed. Whatever was left was used to transmutate magical beings into human form to prevent them from being pulled in as well.
Once all vestiges of mystical power had been drawn into the singularity, it suddenly dropped to the ground as a normal gem again, albeit with a light glow inside. The Elders who managed to survive by turning themselves into full humans decided Earth was better off without magic, as that meant no rifts from the Outer Planes could be opened. They placed the Gem and the Urn inside separate chests and buried them deep underground on opposite sides of Europe. From then on the stories of the Dawnguard and the Shadowfall became fairy tales and childrens' stories.
Fast forward several centuries to modern day, and a massive earthquake strikes Italy, where the Gem was buried. This causes the chest to drop into an underground river and then wash out into the Mediterranean Sea. It is eventually recovered by a fishing boat and opened. The crew examines the Gem until one of the deck hands accidentally drops it, shattered into dozens of smaller crystals.
Suddenly, the crystals begin glowing and vibrating, then float up into the sky above the ship. They fly off like bullets in different directions, seeking out the descendants of the magical bloodlines that were turned to human centuries prior. Your character can be anyone from anywhere, from any background. Regardless, you receive one of these shards and begin to access the potential of whatever fantasy being you descended from.
Ultimately, some of us reform the Dawnguard, while others lean towards the Shadowfall. Remnants of the souls inside the shards still hold fractured thoughts and memories of the victims, which we use to piece together the history of what happened.
In reality, the Council of Elders in charge of the Dawnguard were desperately trying to thwart the resurrection of the Dark Phoenix, an ancient god-like being that could live for thousands of years through self-regeneration. Long ago it had burnt out it's cycle and the ashes were kept in a sealed urn locked away in a temple to prevent them from being returned to the Pit of Undying Flames, where the cycle could be renewed.
Right around the end of the Dark Ages in Europe, an organization known as the Shadowfall clashed with the Dawnguard, ultimately unveiling a scheme to steal the Urn of the Dark Phoenix. They were successful, but before they could open a rift back to the Pit with the Urn, the Elders called upon the forbidden art of Necromancy to suck out the life forces of the Shadowfall and trap them within a Soul Gem. However, what they did not count on was the Gem also grabbing hold of the residual essence of the Dark Phoenix from it's ashes.
This caused the Gem to surge with more power than it could hold, and it collapsed in on itself, creating a singularity -- similar to what would later be known as a black hole -- that only drew in magical souls and energy. This grew out of control until almost all magic in the world was consumed. Whatever was left was used to transmutate magical beings into human form to prevent them from being pulled in as well.
Once all vestiges of mystical power had been drawn into the singularity, it suddenly dropped to the ground as a normal gem again, albeit with a light glow inside. The Elders who managed to survive by turning themselves into full humans decided Earth was better off without magic, as that meant no rifts from the Outer Planes could be opened. They placed the Gem and the Urn inside separate chests and buried them deep underground on opposite sides of Europe. From then on the stories of the Dawnguard and the Shadowfall became fairy tales and childrens' stories.
Fast forward several centuries to modern day, and a massive earthquake strikes Italy, where the Gem was buried. This causes the chest to drop into an underground river and then wash out into the Mediterranean Sea. It is eventually recovered by a fishing boat and opened. The crew examines the Gem until one of the deck hands accidentally drops it, shattered into dozens of smaller crystals.
Suddenly, the crystals begin glowing and vibrating, then float up into the sky above the ship. They fly off like bullets in different directions, seeking out the descendants of the magical bloodlines that were turned to human centuries prior. Your character can be anyone from anywhere, from any background. Regardless, you receive one of these shards and begin to access the potential of whatever fantasy being you descended from.
Ultimately, some of us reform the Dawnguard, while others lean towards the Shadowfall. Remnants of the souls inside the shards still hold fractured thoughts and memories of the victims, which we use to piece together the history of what happened.
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