Eskar was once a world where magic was abundant and miracles were commonplace. Life was diverse and thrived in almost every corner of every continent. This led to many territory wars and skirmishes, and over time, evolved into crusades of destruction. Empires rose and fell. Wonders were burned to the ground, forever lost. Cultures were decimated, some utterly obliterated. After centuries of countless battles, and innumerable losses on all sides, the races of Mer were united, each as their own Legion, brothers in blood to all other Legions. This pact of eternal cooperation was known as the Blood Pact. The Pact also established what would be known as the Elder Council, comprised of all the greatest heroes, seers and sages from each Legion of the Pact. The Council would serve as guardians of all Mer, divining and predicting future struggles that would face their people in an effort to thwart catastrophes and maintain order throughout all lands. For a time, there was peace. However, almost two millennia ago, 300 years after the Pact was formed, a prophecy was foretold by the Elder Council: the world would be threatened by a great star falling from the sky and that it had the power to destroy the entire planet. Survival would be dependent on the greatest heroes uniting to prevent the devastation. This prophecy, in time, served to be nearly as terrible as the terror it foretold.
The Legion of Men took the first action, calling for a Great Tournament to find the greatest heroes among them, to defend against the imminent threat. The Elven Legion, along with many of the Minor Legions, took a position of patience, waiting for more time and information to be gathered before taking rash action. However, the Dwarven Legion took a position that no one else expected. They began working on plans for methods to defend against such an event as described in the Prophecy. After many years, they created plans for a magical metal shield that would float above the planet and repel any large objects that would potentially fall near their planet, being attracted by magical forces to the object.
As time went on, countless warriors from every Legion were slaughtered in the Great Tournament, each vying to be the next great hero of their time; each dying a pointless death amongst a crowd of cheering fans. The Elven Legion had developed the idea that a suitable world might be found elsewhere among the planes, and that there may be a way to establish portals that would lead between worlds with which to evacuate the planet. They built countless Doors to the Planes in secret areas across the planet so as not to have their experimental portals sabotaged by malicious forces. All the while, with the assistance of a group of powerful casters from the other Legions, the dwarves had continued construction on the Worldshield. It was ready to be deployed. Having tested their concept on smaller scales numerous times, the Dwarven Legion was confident that they would surely be the planet’s saviors. The Worldshield was launched with a tremendously difficult ritual. It was surely the greatest magical construct in the history of the world.
And then it came; exactly 1,000 years after the Prophecy was made. It started as an invisible dot, and grew into a terrible sphere of fury and doom. The Legions each gathered their mightiest warriors along with all the Elder Council to face the threat head-on if the missile pierced the shield. The Elven Legion had failed in its search for a suitable alternative planet. Many had died in their exploration, and much was learned, but they simply ran out of time. The Dwarves dug deep into the mountains, hoping that the stone itself would protect them. As the object struck the Worldshield, the planet shuddered. The Worldshield disintegrated, along with much of the exterior mass of the Great Star. However, part of the Star was still hurtling toward the planet’s surface. Fire rained across all of Eskar. Finally, the Great Star’s remaining bulk broke through the atmosphere, heading directly toward the Elder Council. Everything the group had was hurled at the Great Star: magic, projectiles, chunks of dirt and stone, but nothing would stop it. The Star struck and all heroes were lost.
The aftermath was incredible. Oceans were vaporized. Approximately one-third of the planet had been turned into a crater, causing tsunamis to wipe over much of the world. Very few remained, but more importantly, the planet was not destroyed. The world had been covered in a layer of salt. It seemed that nothing remained. People were convinced that the gods had been destroyed. The world wept. Over time, things settled down, and the bravest souls began to explore their new world.