Turning the powers of Healing to destructive ends, Chiannala engineered a plague—a deadly illness that swept through the Wizards like a scythe, killing many and throwing their society into turmoil while they desperately sought a cure. In the confusion, the Staff of Earth was discovered to be missing, and none knew where it had been bestowed. Incondor, meanwhile, unleashed Wild Magic upon the mountain aeries of the Winged Folk, battering them with hurricanes and blizzards that left them besieged and helpless, unable to free themselves from his spells.
While the Mages of the two races were occupied in dealing with these menaces, the evil pair smote the Dragonfolk with the Cold Magic, almost annihilating their race, for they needed the sun’s energy to survive. At last, the few survivors, worn beyond endurance by weakness, grief, and suffering, gave up the deadly secrets of the Fire-magic, including the making of explosive weapons and the knowledge of storing power in crystals.
The world was in turmoil, all Balance irrevocably upset. In the oceans, the gentle Leviathans turned, too late, from their meditations to find themselves beset by Fire-magic. Explosions ripped through the depths, slaying without mercy. The survivors were beset by as«ies of Mer-folk, called up with the Old Magic by Chiannala. Peaceful to the core of their beings, the Race of Leviathan could not retaliate. Instead they retreated, dwindling in number all the time. And somehow, during the retreat, the Caldron of Life, which had been their creation and chiefest charge, was stolen by the Mer-folk, and found its way into the hands of Incondor and Chiannala.
Turning the Caldron to Negative ends, they summoned the Death Wraiths—spirit-vampires that sucked the very life-force from living souls. This power of Necromancy they turned upon the besieged Winged Folk. The desperate Skyfolk gathered all their remaining numbers down to the smallest child and joined minds in one last, desperate throw—a single, coordinated blast of power aimed at the evil pair. But Incondor and Chiannala had prepared for this. Using the Dragonfolk’s Fire-magic, they had constructed a great crystal to absorb the magic of the Winged Folk and trap it, rendering their race mortal and powerless forever.
The Magefolk were in desperate straits; their numbers had diminished to a handful, there were Weapons lost, or powerless, or in the hands of the enemy. But the last hope of the Universe-is that Evil will always turn upon itself. With their goal in reach, inevitably Incondor and Chiannala came to vie between themselves for leadership. Using the Caldron, Chiannala sapped the life-energy of vast armies of Mortal slaves to fuel her power. Using the great crystal that stored the stolen magic of the Winged Folk, Incondor increased his own power—and by now all the powers were their province. The world was blasted with fire and ice, flood and tempest, earthquake and lightning, as the two strove. Mighty armies of Elementals were unleashed to turn upon each other to their mutual destruction—and that of any living thing that chanced to be near. And finally, inevitably, Chiannala and Incondor destroyed one another, and the Universe breathed once more. The few survivors crept out into the ruins of a changed and blasted world.
The Leviathans, in desperation, had saved themselves ’ breeding a small, fierce race of warriors—the Orca—to end t threat of the Mer-folk and restore peace to the seas. But fV some though they were, the gentle Leviathan hearts of the O; abhorred the killing, and the blood upon their consciences v an intolerable burden. So, when their task was complete, their race was granted the mercy of eternal sleep and hidden away in a deep undersea cavern, ready to be called to life again should the need ever arise. This accomplished, the Race of Leviathan resolved never again to have dealings with the aggressive, destructive Land Peoples. They shut themselves away from all contact with the outside world and returned to their meditations and play. And the peoples of the ruined world soon came to forget that they were anything other than simple beasts.
In atonement for giving away the secrets of the Fire-magic that had wrought such havoc, the few remaining Dragonfolk retreated to the deserts and also cut themselves off, vowing to abandon magic forever. They wished to avoid contact with other peoples, but were frequently disturbed by warriors with more courage than sense. At this time, many of the Dragons broke their vows and used the power of the Fire-magic to take themselves to other worlds. Sometimes a curious Dragon, hungry for outside contact, would kidnap a Mortal pure in spirit and gentle in nature for a companion. Thus the legend grew that Dragons stole maidens, since the suitable candidates were almost always young girls.
The remaining Winged Folk, mortal now and bereft of their powers, turned the Harp of Winds over to a Guardian who dwelt beyond the world—the Cailleach, or Lady of the Mists, who lived outside of time on the shores of the Timeless Lake. Diminished and without their magic, their martial skills grew perforce. They kept to their own territory but defended it ceaselessly and ferociously against outsiders, for they were shamed by their fall. The world soon learned to leave them well alone.
And the Wizards? Well, theirs was a different story. When the plague struck, the Chief Wizard prepared for the worst. He called upon his son, Avithan, who was renowned for his wisdom, to choose six of his folk with special skills—three men and three women, to carry on the race if all should be lost. Avithan chose Iriana, whose specialty was the beasts of the earth; Thara, who cared for growing things; and Melisanda, whose Healing skills made her so reluctant to leave her people in this time of crisis. With them went three men—Chathak, who loved the Dragons and had knowledge of their magic; Yinze, a friend to the Skyfolk; and lonor the Wise, ambassador to the Leviathan race^i^vithan went to the Cailleach and beseeched her to take the Six out of time for a hundred years, and she agreed—on condition that he himself would leave time forever to be her soul mate, for the Timeless Lake was a lonely place, and Avithan was fair to look upon, and a good and wise soul besides. He agreed, and passed out of the world for all time, to reemerge in legend as Avithan, Father of the Gods.
For, when a century had passed and the Six returned, they found that the world had changed beyond recognition. The other races of Magefolk had gone into their self-imposed exiles, and the race of Wizards had been wiped out by the plague and the Cataclysm that followed it. The lesser race of Mortals, breeding like rats in the ruins of the scarred planet, were kings of the world—such as it was.
The Six put aside their horror and grief, and bravely set about their task of healing. Iriana and Thara worked to reston the beasts, and make the world green and fertile once mon Melisanda Healed the disease-ridden Mortals and animals. Tb men traveled widely, garnering the surviving knowledge of the disciplines of Fire, Air, and Water, for all powers must now rest in the hands of the Wizards, who took the sole title ot Magefolk. Between them, the Six set about restoring their race —a pleasant task, but one to be undertaken with care and planning. As a ward against future misuse of their powers, thev made the Mages’ Code, and passed it on to their descendants ,> an incontrovertible law that each of the Magefolk must swta~ on their very souls, to uphold. And, accepting the inevitable that the Age of Free3om had finally arrived for the despisi Mortals—they set about teaching them all they could, tl their race might grow in wisdom and responsibility.
For a thousand years they labored; then, too weary to
more, they chose to pass from their lives together, and fell n
legend as Gods and Goddesses—Iriana of the Beasts, Thara of the Fields, and Melisanda of the Healing Hands; Chathak, God of Fire, Yinze of the Sky, and lonor the Wise, who became to
the Southern races the Reaper of Souls, because he possessed a part of the Leviathans’ lore, and they had created the Caldron, which was said to control the rebirth of souls. Avithan became known as the Father of the Gods, and the Cailleach as the Mother.