ShadowVafel
July 4th, 2014, 10:24 PM
[Author's note - I must admit the episode itself is quite boring in terms of storywise since its more of a historical piece than a story told. nontheless I believe its vital information for the story and needed to be known first in order to understand what it going on.]
Miles above the earth floated the High Temple, the remaining top floors of the legendary Tower of Babel, a colossal monument of ancient history forgotten by mere men. A city sized stone structure, floating in the air, surrounded by powerful magic making it invisible to the outside world in its own protective bubble. Even though on the outside it seemed like an ancient corpse made of stone and clay it was redecorated from the inside with marble, electricity, steel, wood and glass; giving it the appearance of modern day hotel, and a fancy one at that.
The mighty structure served as the Guardian Order main base of operations, the seat of the High Council and the training grounds for new recruits. Ethan spent the past four months there, learning about what he became a part of.
The question whether we were alone in the universe was answered long before it was even asked. Throughout the universe there are many planes of existence, many worlds with many different attributes. There is always a connection between them, a link of energy. Some are stronger, some are weaker – but all are there. The strongest one connected to our world is called A'llath by its inhabitants, and it was the first to break contact with the human world eons ago. The A'llathians had a better connection to the mystical energies which surrounded existence, and so they've evolved to it, molded by it, used it. It has long forgotten when or how the barrier between the worlds broke, but when it did the A'llathians found a new world ruled by primitive, weak and meager creatures – right for their taking. An era of pain befell upon the human race at his first steps as the monstrous and powerful beings of the world beyond swept in, claiming this world as their own plaything – a sandbox for their amusement. All the creatures that human consider as mere legend and myth these days roamed the world, claiming it with fist, iron and blood.
The human race, as a mean of survival, began worshiping these gods, hoping to please them – and it has. The invaders were amused by the human race's pitiful attempts to please them with offers of materiel and their own blood and flesh they've let them live in small societies, each worshipping a different leader of the invading factions. The human race survived, engulfed with fear and death as human life meant nothing.
Should any A'llathian take human lives for mere pleasure, despite all their offerings, he would meet no retribution.
Should any human society try to resist its deity it would be destroyed to the last child.
These dark times, known by the historians at the Grand Data Store as The Era of Dread, would end after a long time by the appearance of a man from the region known today as Romania. The records of his early life are now present at the GDS for all to view, as well as his first rise to power and the slaughtering of the first A'llathian by human hands.
Back then he was known as a mere rumor, today he is known as the founder of the guardian order; Daniel 'Talon' Talonious.
Talon was the first of humans to tap into the mystical energies and the first one to use them against his oppressors after his village was destroyed on a whim. After that he set out to the world for decades to learn about his powers and his enemy. During his travels, as his powers grew, he noticed others such as him – tapping into the mystical energies. Yet unlike him they knew not how to use them or that they've even tapped into them and so they've remained slaves to their masters. Talon acted, helping his brothers to control, to use and to understand the power they posses.
It was not long before he gathered the first of the guardians, the ones which were branded as The First Seventy-Two, or The Sons of Talon. Leading the human race into battle they've swept through the world like a great cleansing fire, reclaiming their world back after eons of oppression and driving the invaders back into their world.
Talon and his sons were viewed as angels, gods and saviors. Even though Talon knew the first two are false, the latter was true. Understanding their role as protectors of mankind he founded the order itself, vowing all of his sons to protect mankind, defend it from the horrors of the universe.
As time passed The Sons of Talon had children, and their children had children and the energy usage was passed along the lineage. Before long the small order became a legion, and so it has needed a base of operations like any military. The human race and the guardians worked one along the other to build it, the structure that will be known as the Tower of Babel.
At that time the link between our world and A'llath reopened by Talon, and a sort of peace was declared between the new world and the guardians, unknown to the rest of humanity.
For a time it was peaceful while the guardians ruled and protected the world as individual groups of A'llathians broke the peace and wondered into our world and more planes broke barrier. But as it known with humans – peace cannot last.
Human life is short, and so does his memory throughout generations. What was love and gratitude by the fathers became hate and contempt by the sons. They've view the guardians as oppressors instead of the saviors of says past. The numbers of the human race blustered in years and it became cocky. A conflict was inevitable.
Understanding this Talon decided it was time for them to disappear into the shadows and act as the guardian angel to mankind – protect it without him knowing it. Talon himself destroyed the bottom of the colossal structure in a final demonstration of power unseen before, leaving the upper floors high above far from human eyes, and as generations passed the guardians were forgotten.
Ages continue to flow as it's their right, and the toll of leadership was taken from talon. With all his power and millennia of experience – he was still just a man. The mighty leader of the guardian order befell slowly into madness; sending warriors on operations with shady motives and reasons and horrible outcomes to both our world and A'llath. The first guardians refused to believe that their father and savior would succumb to such madness, but eventually it was no denying it – Talon had to be stopped.
The final battle took place on A'llath as Talon was summoned there by his sons – he was too wise to fool and his sons respected him enough to not try to fool him. It was clear to all that a physical conflict was inevitable and so without a word, and with much sorrow they've fought.
It is said the battle lasted for days; the oceans evaporated, the skies shattered like glass and the earth bled. Many believe it's just an exaggeration, but wiser say it an underestimate. A'llath still carries scars from the colossal battle which took place there thousands of years ago.
Out of the seventy two who fought only thirteen remained and Talon was no more.
The crisis was over, and the order endured; keeping his oath still generation after to this very day.
The bloodline of the seventy two sons of Talon spread throughout the human race as it expended, and the gene carrying the ability to wield energy became scarcer and harder to find. It is known to skip a generation, but not members of a generation it picks to show himself. Should a person show the ability to use energy his sibling will also have the ability eventually – so was Ethan's case. His sister was a member of the order for ten years before he joined, and so it was known it was a matter of time before Ethan will join as well. The problem to his sister seemed that it takes too long, and that the gene should receive some 'motivation' to show himself. After some persuasion she managed to get the person who recruited her, the very stranger who kidnapped Ethan, to put him through the grueling process he went.
Ethan passed, survived and endured; tapping into his pool of mystical energies and becoming a guardian.
Four months he spent at the High Temple; training and learning about his powers and new abilities. Though, as all new thing, he found a new life of devotion and danger are hard, especially the ones he did not choose but was chosen for. None the less he rose of to the challenge, raising many questions from superiors as he went on – mostly about his competence.
Miles above the earth floated the High Temple, the remaining top floors of the legendary Tower of Babel, a colossal monument of ancient history forgotten by mere men. A city sized stone structure, floating in the air, surrounded by powerful magic making it invisible to the outside world in its own protective bubble. Even though on the outside it seemed like an ancient corpse made of stone and clay it was redecorated from the inside with marble, electricity, steel, wood and glass; giving it the appearance of modern day hotel, and a fancy one at that.
The mighty structure served as the Guardian Order main base of operations, the seat of the High Council and the training grounds for new recruits. Ethan spent the past four months there, learning about what he became a part of.
The question whether we were alone in the universe was answered long before it was even asked. Throughout the universe there are many planes of existence, many worlds with many different attributes. There is always a connection between them, a link of energy. Some are stronger, some are weaker – but all are there. The strongest one connected to our world is called A'llath by its inhabitants, and it was the first to break contact with the human world eons ago. The A'llathians had a better connection to the mystical energies which surrounded existence, and so they've evolved to it, molded by it, used it. It has long forgotten when or how the barrier between the worlds broke, but when it did the A'llathians found a new world ruled by primitive, weak and meager creatures – right for their taking. An era of pain befell upon the human race at his first steps as the monstrous and powerful beings of the world beyond swept in, claiming this world as their own plaything – a sandbox for their amusement. All the creatures that human consider as mere legend and myth these days roamed the world, claiming it with fist, iron and blood.
The human race, as a mean of survival, began worshiping these gods, hoping to please them – and it has. The invaders were amused by the human race's pitiful attempts to please them with offers of materiel and their own blood and flesh they've let them live in small societies, each worshipping a different leader of the invading factions. The human race survived, engulfed with fear and death as human life meant nothing.
Should any A'llathian take human lives for mere pleasure, despite all their offerings, he would meet no retribution.
Should any human society try to resist its deity it would be destroyed to the last child.
These dark times, known by the historians at the Grand Data Store as The Era of Dread, would end after a long time by the appearance of a man from the region known today as Romania. The records of his early life are now present at the GDS for all to view, as well as his first rise to power and the slaughtering of the first A'llathian by human hands.
Back then he was known as a mere rumor, today he is known as the founder of the guardian order; Daniel 'Talon' Talonious.
Talon was the first of humans to tap into the mystical energies and the first one to use them against his oppressors after his village was destroyed on a whim. After that he set out to the world for decades to learn about his powers and his enemy. During his travels, as his powers grew, he noticed others such as him – tapping into the mystical energies. Yet unlike him they knew not how to use them or that they've even tapped into them and so they've remained slaves to their masters. Talon acted, helping his brothers to control, to use and to understand the power they posses.
It was not long before he gathered the first of the guardians, the ones which were branded as The First Seventy-Two, or The Sons of Talon. Leading the human race into battle they've swept through the world like a great cleansing fire, reclaiming their world back after eons of oppression and driving the invaders back into their world.
Talon and his sons were viewed as angels, gods and saviors. Even though Talon knew the first two are false, the latter was true. Understanding their role as protectors of mankind he founded the order itself, vowing all of his sons to protect mankind, defend it from the horrors of the universe.
As time passed The Sons of Talon had children, and their children had children and the energy usage was passed along the lineage. Before long the small order became a legion, and so it has needed a base of operations like any military. The human race and the guardians worked one along the other to build it, the structure that will be known as the Tower of Babel.
At that time the link between our world and A'llath reopened by Talon, and a sort of peace was declared between the new world and the guardians, unknown to the rest of humanity.
For a time it was peaceful while the guardians ruled and protected the world as individual groups of A'llathians broke the peace and wondered into our world and more planes broke barrier. But as it known with humans – peace cannot last.
Human life is short, and so does his memory throughout generations. What was love and gratitude by the fathers became hate and contempt by the sons. They've view the guardians as oppressors instead of the saviors of says past. The numbers of the human race blustered in years and it became cocky. A conflict was inevitable.
Understanding this Talon decided it was time for them to disappear into the shadows and act as the guardian angel to mankind – protect it without him knowing it. Talon himself destroyed the bottom of the colossal structure in a final demonstration of power unseen before, leaving the upper floors high above far from human eyes, and as generations passed the guardians were forgotten.
Ages continue to flow as it's their right, and the toll of leadership was taken from talon. With all his power and millennia of experience – he was still just a man. The mighty leader of the guardian order befell slowly into madness; sending warriors on operations with shady motives and reasons and horrible outcomes to both our world and A'llath. The first guardians refused to believe that their father and savior would succumb to such madness, but eventually it was no denying it – Talon had to be stopped.
The final battle took place on A'llath as Talon was summoned there by his sons – he was too wise to fool and his sons respected him enough to not try to fool him. It was clear to all that a physical conflict was inevitable and so without a word, and with much sorrow they've fought.
It is said the battle lasted for days; the oceans evaporated, the skies shattered like glass and the earth bled. Many believe it's just an exaggeration, but wiser say it an underestimate. A'llath still carries scars from the colossal battle which took place there thousands of years ago.
Out of the seventy two who fought only thirteen remained and Talon was no more.
The crisis was over, and the order endured; keeping his oath still generation after to this very day.
The bloodline of the seventy two sons of Talon spread throughout the human race as it expended, and the gene carrying the ability to wield energy became scarcer and harder to find. It is known to skip a generation, but not members of a generation it picks to show himself. Should a person show the ability to use energy his sibling will also have the ability eventually – so was Ethan's case. His sister was a member of the order for ten years before he joined, and so it was known it was a matter of time before Ethan will join as well. The problem to his sister seemed that it takes too long, and that the gene should receive some 'motivation' to show himself. After some persuasion she managed to get the person who recruited her, the very stranger who kidnapped Ethan, to put him through the grueling process he went.
Ethan passed, survived and endured; tapping into his pool of mystical energies and becoming a guardian.
Four months he spent at the High Temple; training and learning about his powers and new abilities. Though, as all new thing, he found a new life of devotion and danger are hard, especially the ones he did not choose but was chosen for. None the less he rose of to the challenge, raising many questions from superiors as he went on – mostly about his competence.