The History of Urð - Summary

The 1st Era - The Age of Creation and Divine War

The world of Urð was created by the old Gods. They shaped the land and created its first inhabitants: Elves, Dwarves, Humans, and Orcs. As the Gods looked upon their creation, the one who called himself the Elder —the first who had emerged— became dissatisfied with the chaos of life. He created seven dragons to impose order on the world. 

In response, the younger Gods chose a human champion to overthrow the dragons. Through cleverness and exploitation of the dragons’ hunger for more power, the champion tricked the dragons and forged the Chalice of Mind and Blood, an artifact of such immense power that at the end of her life, she sealed it within her secret tomb so it could not be misused. 

With the dragons slain, the Gods went to war against the Elder, and in the end, not only the Elder but the rest of the Gods fell. The Golden Empire was born from the champions of the Gods, marking the beginning of an age of magical mastery and the creation of powerful tools.

The 2nd Era - The Age of Empire and Undeath

The second era saw the rise of a new generation of Gods born from the blood of the old pantheon. The Chalice of Mind and Blood was rediscovered, and while many within the Golden Empire desired to use it, none could figure out how. 

A once-virtuous paladin, denied divinity by the Gods and cursed for having touched the divine realm, became the first God of Undeath. In his bitterness, he unleashed the Undead Plague, leading to the War of Life and Death.

The Golden Empire, already in decline, fell to the plague, and the White Isles, once the very seat of the empire, were lost to the rising tide of undeath. As the empire crumbled, new kingdoms emerged: the Elven kingdom of Val’aria, the Thearos fiefdoms, the desert oases of Azcrets, and the militaristic Human empire of Acria. This was a time of great chaos and darkness, as the world entered a long dark age.

The 3rd Era - The Age of Resurrection and Ruin

Mortal people emerged on The White Isles and reclaimed them from the undead. A safe harbor was established and called Funjerai.

The Acrian Empire found a way to poison the divine realm and cast the Gods themselves out. Acria claimed their own God Emperor and waged war on both Val’aria and Thearos, bringing total destruction to the Elven Kingdom of Val’aria.

But the Acrian War soon turned into the Blood War. The Blood Queen—a sorceress who discovered the Chalice of Mind and Blood—sacrificed her own life force to unlock its power, unleashing a devastating Blood Storm and laying waste to the entirety of Acria and its inhabitants. The Blood Queen then used trickery to lure many warriors into the Blood Storm to be turned into her twisted Red Guard.

In response to these threats, the Council of Lords was formed in Thearos, uniting its fractured fiefdoms. The council called the greatest heroes of the time together and armed them with ancient tools and weaponry of magic and power to fight against the Blood Queen. The final assault took place in Acria, where the Blood Queen's Ritual of Ascendance was meant to be completed. Though the details of the final battle remain unknown, the Blood Queen was seemingly defeated, and her Red Guard was scattered to dust. However, Old Funjerai fell to her curse of desolation and New Funjerai was established near the border of the ruins of Acria.

The 4th Era - Era of Broken Gods and New Threats

In the current age, the Gods—or what remains of them—have been shattered. A new generation of Gods has emerged from the surviving remnants of the old pantheon.

At the same time, ancient enemies from the first era emerge from the Void—The Nightmares, dark forces that threaten all life on Urð. However, the Void also brings potential allies in the form of the mysterious Shades, whose intentions remain unclear.

The fall of the Blood Queen created a rift into the divine realm, and the world is being flooded with chaotic magic from even before the first era. This magic, emanating from deep within the ruins of Acria, warps reality itself and has brought forth terrible beastly amalgamations.

To combat these new threats, the Council of Lords called for an expedition into the perilous forests of Acria, seeking an ancient artifact that could protect against the rampant magic. The artifact was found, activated, and now offers the possibility of creating a safe settlement within Acria’s chaotic ruins.

Meanwhile, the undead continue to rise once more, threatening to engulf Urð in the darkness of undeath once again.