## Age of [[Perserphina]] Era ### **The Ancient Binding **3,000 years ago (7,124 A.P.)**, during the established **Age of [[Perserphina]]**, Noctyss carved out a domain of shadow and terror across what is now the Deadwood Glade region. This was **7,124+ years AFTER** the Red King's defeat and the beginning of the Age of [[Perserphina]] (0 A.P.). By this time in Solare's history: - **The Dragon Wars had ended over 7,000 years earlier** - **Civilization had fully recovered and flourished** under [[Perserphina]]'s reign - **Magic and divine power were well-established** throughout the world - **Mortals had built great kingdoms and cities** across all continents - **The world was in a period of relative peace and prosperity** ### **Historical Context (7,124 A.P.)** At the time of Noctyss's rise, Solare was a **thriving, magical world**: **Political Landscape**: - **Established Kingdoms**: Human, elven, dwarven, and orcish nations had flourished for millennia - **Trade Networks**: Continental commerce and diplomatic relations - **Magical Academies**: Schools of wizardry and divine magic were common - **Peaceful Era**: No major world-threatening conflicts for generations **Why Noctyss Emerged**: - **Ancient Awakening**: A shadow dragon from the pre-Rebirth era who had slumbered through the Dragon Wars - **Opportunistic Strike**: Saw the peaceful world as ripe for conquest - **Unique Threat**: His shadow magic was unlike anything the current age had faced - **Regional Focus**: Targeted the southern regions away from major power centers ### **The Shadow Domain (7,124-7,121 A.P.)** For approximately **3 years**, Noctyss established his reign of terror: **Territory**: - **Core Domain**: The area that would become the Deadwood Glade - **Shadow Network**: Underground lairs connected by dark magic - **Terror Radius**: Extended influence across the southern grasslands - **Strategic Position**: Close enough to threaten major trade routes **Methods of Control**: - **Psychological Warfare**: Used fear and shadows to control populations - **Necromantic Corruption**: Twisted the local ley lines with death magic - **Shadow Servants**: Created undead and shadow-touched minions - **Environmental Manipulation**: Began the corruption of the local forests ### **The Coalition Response (7,121 A.P.)** The established powers of Solare quickly recognized the threat and formed an unprecedented alliance: **The Grand Alliance**: - **Kingdom of Polaria: Sent their greatest paladins and war-wizards - **Elven High Courts**: Contributed their most skilled battlemages and rangers - **Dwarven Mountain Holds**: Provided runic expertise and enchanted weapons - **Divine Churches**: Clerics of [[Perserphina]], Angoria, Elandra, and Lialandra - **Arcane Colleges**: Master wizards from across the continent - **The Watchers**: Ancient dragons and guardians still bound to protect Solare **Strategic Advantages**: - **7,000+ Years of Peace**: Had allowed magical knowledge and power to flourish - **Divine Support**: The gods actively supported the coalition - **Unified Response**: No petty kingdoms squabbles - everyone recognized the threat - **Advanced Magic**: Spellcasting had evolved far beyond what ancient dragons knew ### **The Shadow Wars (7,121 A.P.)** The campaign against Noctyss was swift but decisive: **Phase 1 - Intelligence Gathering**: - **Scrying Networks**: Magical surveillance of his domain - **Infiltration**: Rangers and rogues gathered tactical information - **Ley Line Mapping**: Discovered his power sources and weaknesses **Phase 2 - Containment**: - **Perimeter Sealing**: Prevented his influence from spreading further - **Evacuation**: Rescued surviving populations from his territory - **Supply Disruption**: Cut off his access to souls and fear to feed on **Phase 3 - The Great Binding**: - **Combined Ritual**: Hundreds of spellcasters working in unison - **Divine Intervention**: Direct blessings from multiple deities - **Ley Line Redirection**: Turned his own power sources against him - **Permanent Imprisonment**: Bound him beneath a specially constructed watchtower ### **The Binding Ritual (7,121 A.P.)** **Primary Components**: - **The Beacon Crystal**: A divine focus created by combined clerical and arcane magic - **Ley Line Network**: Redirected to drain his power and maintain dormancy - **The Watchtower**: Built as both prison and monitoring station - **Living Anchors**: Garrison members whose life force reinforced the binding - **Divine Seals**: Blessed by [[Perserphina]] herself to ensure permanence **Why It Worked**: - **Advanced Magic**: 7,000+ years of magical development gave them tools ancient dragons lacked - **Divine Support**: The gods actively participated in the binding - **Unified Effort**: No internal conflicts weakened the coalition - **Perfect Timing**: Caught Noctyss before he could fully establish his power base --- ## **The Long Sleep (7,121-10,124 A.P.)** ### **3,000+ Years of Imprisonment** For over **three millennia**, Noctyss slumbered in magical stasis: **The World Changed Above**: - **Kingdoms Rose and Fell**: Political maps were redrawn dozens of times - **Magic Evolved**: New schools of spellcasting developed - **His Legend Faded**: The Shadow Wars became distant history, then myth - **The Binding Weakened**: Gradual decay over centuries of neglect **Generational Memory Loss**: - **1,000 A.P. Later**: Veterans' grandchildren knew the stories - **2,000 A.P. Later**: Became historical footnotes in libraries - **3,000 A.P. Later**: Most believed it was just another dragon legend - **Present Day**: Only the most obscure scholars remember the truth ### **Recent Awakening (10,120-10,124 A.P.)** The binding finally began to fail due to: **Structural Decay**: - **Ancient Magic Fading**: 3,000-year-old spells naturally deteriorating - **Garrison Complacency**: Defenders who didn't understand their true purpose - **Ley Line Shifts**: Natural magical currents changing over millennia - **Divine Attention Elsewhere**: Gods focused on other threats **Catalyst Events**: - **[[Anam]]'s Return (10,123 A.P.)**: Ancient evil awakening created sympathetic resonance - **Beacon Corruption**: His influence finally reached the crystal above - **Party Disruption**: The adventurers' magical interference provided the final push - **Tower Garrison Fall**: The human anchors were transformed, breaking the living component --- ## **What the Party Actually Awakened** ### **The Deeper Truth** When Noctyss said they "disturbed something beneath that tower," he wasn't being metaphorical. The party's disruption of the beacon awakened something that even predates his imprisonment - something connected to **Solare's original destruction**. **The Sealed Horror**: - **Pre-Rebirth Remnant**: A fragment of the original world's destruction - **[[Anam]]'s Legacy**: Connected to the lich's first devastation of Ancient Solare - **Secondary Prison**: Noctyss's binding was built on top of an even older seal - **Current Stirring**: The ancient evil is beginning to wake after eons of dormancy **Why This Matters**: - **Noctyss as Guardian**: Ironically, his presence helped keep the deeper evil contained - **Escalating Crisis**: With him partially free, the older seal is weakening - **Connected Threats**: [[Anam]]'s return, Noctyss's awakening, and the deep evil are all linked - **Ultimate Horror**: What lies beneath may be worse than both dragon and lich combined --- ## **Current Situation (10,124 A.P.)** ### **Noctyss's Perspective** - **Confused by Changes**: The world has evolved beyond his understanding - **Weakened State**: 3,000 years of imprisonment left him diminished - **New Priorities**: More concerned with the deeper evil than immediate conquest - **Potential Ally**: May need to work with mortals against the greater threat ### **Regional Impact** - **Deadwood Corruption**: His stirring has accelerated the forest's decay - **Ley Line Instability**: Magical disturbances spreading outward - **Political Tensions**: Modern kingdoms don't know how to respond - **Ancient Protocols**: Old emergency procedures long forgotten ### **The Party's Role** - **Unwitting Catalysts**: Their actions triggered a crisis beyond their understanding - **Key Players**: Now central to resolving multiple ancient threats - **Bridge Between Eras**: May be the only ones who can unite past and present knowledge - **Last Hope**: As the deeper evil stirs, they may be Solare's only chance