Unfolding Dream

The Universe of the Unfolding Dream has traversed three major Ages, and is currently traversing a fourth one. These ages are significant because many things changed on a cosmic scale between each of these ages, so they are markers of major changes, or rather the timespans between those major changes. Age of Silence : This "Cosmic Age" precedes everything and is the equivalent to the number 0. Little is actually known of this age, except the alleged existence of the two proto-beings Akaon and Nyris. The Age of Silence begun somewhere in the infinite depth of the past with Akaon eternally sat in silent contemplation, while Nyris was merged to the nothingness that surrounded Akaon. It ended when Akaon and Nyris touched each other, and Akaon was consequently lost in a burst of Light and Flame. Age of Dreams : The first Cosmic Age begun at the Dawn of Time when the beings known as the Ancients (the Ashar and the Vaenu) were born. It ended with the end of the War of Light ...

The War of Light and Shadow heralded the end of the first cosmic era of the Unfolding Dream: The Age of Dreams, and ushered the Cosmos into the second age: The Age of Twilight. The Age of Twilight begun with the end of the War of Light and Shadow, the division of the Dream between these two forces, and the subsequent emergence of the Prime Worlds and the nascent Cosmos. During the Age of Twilight also many other denizens were born into the Unfolding Dream. In summary this is what became at the end of the war, and afterwards during the beginning of the Age of Twilight:  The Shadow God, his mightiest lieutenants and Khorugoth remained imprisoned inside a dimension that was thereafter called the Torment. Entangled in spiked chains, they were rendered unable to move without causing terrible anguish on each other. Nonetheless, the Shadow God as a cosmic entity continued to influence the beings of the Unfolding Dream with his whispers. In addition many Shadowsworn, Shadowspawn...

The Shadow God appeared at the head of the assault, flanked by his mightiest lieutenants among the Shadowsworn. Together, they approached Caldonnas as one, and engaged with the champion even as the rest of the forces of Shadow broke down upon the inner bastions with all their might. It was a truly fierce battle in all of its glory. The warriors of Light held back the assailants, but the battle was relentless. Already wounded from the previous confrontations, Caldonnas fought against Ulhaeron and his lieutenants. At first he was almost overwhelmed, but soon he raised his pace, scything the air with the sevenfold blade, while the others carefully evaded the blows that could mean their undoing. In turn, they tried to wound him with many ways, but his armor, a gift from Kaehir, that he had donned without a single word of thanks stopped most of these attacks, while Caldonnas evaded and parried the rest of them with ease, using his wings as weapons. Even so, the duel would end up in...

The armies of the Shadow broke upon the Bastions of Light like a tidal wave.  The heralds of the arrival of the shadow were the Colgatha. They came first, drowning the skies in total blackness. The Dragons rose in fury, along with other winged warriors, and all of them met the Colgatha in the skies. It was a storm of fire, and shadow. The ground shook with tremors, while burrowing horrors broke from underneath the earth. And then the main bulk of the armies; thousands of Fallen and Shadowsworn, led by a hundred generals assaulted Akuinor in tandem. The orbital defenses were overwhelmed. Some of the outer bastions fell instantly. Others lasted for a few instants. Very few managed to hold. Caldonnas stood alone before the main gates, tearing an army of Khorgons apart, after having casually destroyed their general. Anadun had fallen in a duel with Akhar, the Slayer. Kaldassos the Defiant, one of the first Ashar who had rebelled against Ulhaeron, to join the Cal'ashan, rose among ...

In the Darkest Hour of the forces of Light, three celestials met in secret, away from prying eyes, somewhere in Akuinor. The Forger had come up with a plan, a crazy hope, that showed potential. His crafty mind had come up with something none other could have devised. For the Forger was not the most cunning of the Ancients, nor was he the wisest among them, nor the most intelligent. But he loved creation above all else. Kaehir believed that for all its power the Shadow could be defeated without using implements of destruction. In fact, Kaehir believed that Ulhaeron, unable to create anymore, actually wanted his foes to use their maximum capacity for destruction. And he wasn't entirely wrong. The will of the Shadow God was served whether creation was corrupted and twisted in binding to his power, or if it was destroyed, in either case the Shadow God grew stronger, and the Aldoren and all they strove for were weakened. In the face of doom, the others had condoned to something w...

While the forces of Shadow converged upon Akuinor, Caldonnas lay in a deep, comatose slumber. His superficial scars had healed, but the wound that Ulhaeron had inflicted upon him went deeper than the body. The champion was wrestling with an impossible foe: the death of his spirit. This was how the touch of the Shadowsworn afflicted other beings. It was the entropic taint that ate away slowly any attempt to resist it. Now imagine the size of this affliction when inflicted by the sword of the Shadow God himself, especially against his most hated foe. In this dreamless slumber, Caldonnas fought with the power of the flame of a candle that struggled to remain alight against the might of a hurricane. The will to exist fought against the urge to surrender to the inevitable. But the experience was not that of death, which was the enabler of change, but the sensation of impending doom and growing misery. It was an altogether different kind of oblivion, one that was unwholesome and wicke...

Following the deadly trap that Caldonnas and the Cal'ashan had narrowly escaped, the champions of light retreated to the world of Akuinor, where the Aldoren had their seat at the time. Caldonnas was grievously wounded, and some feared he would perish, and thus the Cal'ashan voted for a new leader, whilst Caldonnas was taken in all urgency in the House of Restoration, his wounds catered by the aspect of life herself - Yriel. Alarmed, the Aldoren and their allies convened. They had built formidable defenses, but all else in the dream was falling apart, and they knew that if they could not rise victorious then there could not be enough safety anywhere in the Cosmos. They needed some form of counter to this all, even a desperate solution for these were the most desperate times. But they could not come up with something that was adequate, and with Caldonnas on death's door, they could not yet make any plans. Warriors and refugees arrived from all of the Unfolding Dream, an...

When the Shadow God rose from the abyss, he drew close to him, his most trusted and most powerful lieutenants. With them alone did he truly share the power of the Black Flame, giving them full authority to act as his agents and his harbingers. Even then, even the mightiest among them were mere specks of dust before the sheer magnitude of what he had become. There was no question to their commitment, however. The Shadowsworn had given up everything: their souls and individual destinies, just so they could serve the Shadow God, and help him exercise his endless power. They had turned into twisted shadows of their former selves, and at the same time, powerful aspects of the Shadow God. Ulhaeron chose six above all his other followers, and shared with each of them a powerful aspect of his own, creating his six vice-regents, equal in all things, and empowered in such a way that none could ever rise above any of the others. These six, god-like beings became known as the Tenebrous Lo...

The first of the Fallen came to be when Ulhaeron arose as the Shadow God, and begun to spread his dominion anew. In that moment, many were those who were lured by his promises of power and dominion. The Shadow God came bearing gifts, granting seemingly endless power to those who followed him. Only his might was above them, but in all other things he gave them so much more than what they already had, that the sudden rush of power drove them into madness. Of course he had merely given them ways to tap deeper into their own potential, but he delved even deeper than they did, robbing them of their gift of destiny, feeding their subservient spirits to the black flame in his command. Bonded to the Black Flame, the Fallen had already begun the process of their ultimate corruption at their very core, and most of them had not even realized it. Few had the wisdom and courage to resist, and those were either enslaved, destroyed, or fled to shelter together with the Aldoren, or their allies. ...

The Ashar and the Vaenu awoke first in the unfolding dream, in the echoes of the lament of Nyris. They are both legendary celestial races, that are older than time, even by the accounts of the Unfolding Dream. For this purpose they are also known as the Aeons and the Ancients, for they were the first. Thousands of Ashar and Vaenu awoke, but they were far apart, and knew little of each other at first. They were similar in appearance, winged and ethereal, resembling angelic beings, but the Ashar were fiery and bright, and of an extroverted disposition, and an elemental affinity for Fire, Air, and Light whilst the Vaenu were darker, calm and introspective with an elemental affinity for Earth, Water and Darkness. These beings were the first to awake in the Cosmos, but they were not the only ones. Ulhaeron was said to be of a distinct kind, for he bore mixed traits of both kinds, and there were none who could recognize him as one of their kind. Some move on to argue that Ulhaeron h...

As the power of Shadow spread across the cosmos, many fell before its power, in more than one way. But what exactly is the Shadow? Essentially the Shadow is an anti-Force. It eats away at existence in the most atrocious and parasitic way. This anti-Force, however, is controlled and channeled  through the will of Ulhaeron in his capacity as the cosmic entity that is the Shadow God. Ulhaeron's mind... or actually the shadow of his mental presence, spreads across all the universe, and no being can escape it, not even the mighty Aldoren or the stalwart Caldonnas. Everyone is subject to the oppressive presence of the Shadow God gnawing at the edges of their own mind with sibilant whispers that constantly attempt to subvert and corrupt them. The Shadow God uses the anti-Force of the Shadow, luring beings in denying their true calling for the promise of power and dominion over others, frequently disguised benevolently. Those who join its lure gradually become robbed of their...

Thaeron the Brave was, without a doubt, the strongest of the Ancients. His giant physique easily surpassed that of Caldonnas, while his strength was peerless. He was a dauntless warrior, and first in all physical competitions and tests of prowess. Nonetheless, Thaeron was a kind, hearty and mostly merry giant. His uncomplicated mind was incapable of harboring true evil or hatred. His presence lent strength and courage to others, while his sheer might was simply inspiring. Yriel had mastery over the currents of Life. With her secret knowledge were the Prime Worlds crafted, and they became vessels of Life much like Life became a vessel of Destiny. She worked together with Kaehir, in the formation of the countless places that later became known as the Prime worlds. She was also the keeper of the secret of immortality which she gave to the progeny that she and Kaehir had crafted in secret. A new race whom they had shaped in Akuinor, predestined to inherit the Ancients themselves. But ...

Admon was wise, and for one of the Ashar, of a very temperate character. He was of benevolent humor, and noble minded. Intelligent but not cunning. He was rather, more of a philosopher. Always curious as to the machinations of the universe, he was also a surprisingly untroubled mind. He loved to study, because he loved the very idea of learning, and he was enthusiastic with any and all forms of knowledge. Above all, however, Admon was a magician. He developed arcane secrets, puzzles of the mind, and mysteries and runes of all kinds were his true craft, for to him, all magic arts, except for the darkest were a natural extension of his mental process. In this way Admon had tamed the currents of energy, but more importantly had mastered the notions of dimension, time and thought. Selassea had a presence of true enchantment. Where Admon was a master of magic, Selassea was the embodiment of magic. Charming, sensuous, and without a doubt emotional, she was an adept in the art of transfo...

Near-invincible in combat, Elora is the guardian of the Flame of Akuinor. Nothing eludes Elora's vigilant gaze, nor can any illusion deceive her senses. Warriors take oaths in her name, knowing the terrible vindication that will befall them if they break such a sacred vow. Her affinity towards the Flame Eternal, gives Elora the power of purification. Her mere presence brims with sanctity. Only Caldonnas is more feared by the servants of the Shadow. In Akuinor she stands guard over the throne of Akaon, studying the pillar of flame with  eternal patience, and vigilance. But her powers are not limited there, for Elora is also artful and capable in many crafts, but most importantly she has the power to inspire others, instilling hope, vigor and courage to the hearts of those who've known fear and despair. Yet, so devoted is she to her noble cause, that she has little times for the amorous advances of her counterpart Aspect Lord. For as Elora stands before the throne of Akaon a...

Nuviel held the Chalice of Fate, from which flowed the waters of Destiny, and the Atropic Edge, a blade that was the bane of whomever it touched. Of all the Aldoren, she was both the mightiest, and the most beloved. Even her wise and powerful consort, Aellon the Lord of Light was second to Nuviel in power. Nuviel was a mighty oracle. She could gaze into the chalice of Fate and read the thousand futures, but also evaluate their likelihoods, to an extent she could even control the flow of Fate, such that she decided which was the better course of events. Luckily, she was the most merciful being in the Cosmos, because she could instantly read the heart of whomever she gazed at, and understand them as if she were in their stead. Thus she used her awesome powers sparingly and with exceeding wisdom, like an infinitely loving mother. In the rare event that her fury was tested beyond her near-infinite mercy, the touch of her blade would annihilate the hapless creature that would tempt her ...

Upon the blackened throne of Astanor sat Ulhaeron, his throne adorned with trophies of misery, wickedness, corruption and enslavement. His court was surrounded with his mightiest lieutenants, devils that were once of the Ashar or the Vaenu, before the Shadow God robbed them of their soul, and turned them into hollowed avatars of vanity. The courtyard swarmed with mighty Khorgons, armed with implements of annihilation, and following them, countless other servants of the Shadow. It was a dismal sight, that robbed any who gazed upon them of their very will to exist. But where Caldonas stepped, hope still stirred in the hearts of the brave, and the Cal'ashan were dauntless. Even in the heart of the enemy's territory, terribly outnumbered, and most likely stepping into a terrible trap, none of them could ignore the unique opportunity to destroy this evil before it spread further, and end the corruption that would plague countless of innocent souls. And thus, consoled by the tho...

Caldonas led the Cal'ashan boldly through the shadow infested areas. Together they restored what they could, and purged what could not be saved. The deeper they advanced into the domain of the Shadow, the more brutal the fighting became. And while it may be only a small part of the chronicles of the Unfolding Dream, the matter of fact is that the battles during the advance of the Cal'ashan were all very long, and drawn out, until all of a sudden the front of the forces of Shadow begun to collapse rapidly, leading the Cal'ashan into a progressively bolder advance towards the rotting heart of the Shadow Realms. The stalwart warriors were wary of the cunning of their foes, and approached with great caution. But still there was no sign of deliberation. It was evident that whatever momentum the forces of Ulhaeron had gained, had come to a halt, and there were no new reinforcements. And so the Cal'ashan advanced, and the news of the attacks upon the bastions at the edge...