Syrunn: A History

[»Kamui Syvil VII]

Umbra, the Harbinger of Chaos and Destruction, the self-proclaimed God-King of Demons. As old existence itself, a most profane and malevolent entity, he is the immortal manifestation of the infinite darkness and chaos of the cosmos and of rage and malice. He would not, nor could not, stop destroying. Traveling the cosmos, he annihilated world after world, stamping out countless lives and civilizations one by one.
Eons upon eons ago, he directed his wrath towards Syrunn, but was repelled by The Six before he could even step foot on Syrunn.

The Six

[/u]; their names and faces are lost to time, but they were ancient and powerful Magi, masters of both arcane and divine magic, who knew no rivals in their time. The Six, though they could not kill Umbra, combined their magic and imprisoned him in the depths of Oblivion. But they knew that Umbra would not be held till the end of time. They also knew that, powerful as they were, they were still bound by time and would not live to see Umbra escape his prison. So they came together once more to summon the Celestial Dragon Rythos, brother of Bahamut and Tiamat, to guard Syrunn.

He was a sight to behold; over a hundred feet in length from the base of his tail to his nose, and weighing several hundred tons, his wingspan stretched over two-hundred feet. In full daylight his scales were like polished platinum and shone almost blindingly bright. His eyes had no pupil and gleamed like swirling pools of molten silver and gold. Two magnificent horns that shone like silver extended back over his neck, with smaller rows of hornlets along his brows. Around his mouth and chin were catfish-like barbells.

So Rythos laid dormant in an enormous cavern deep below the surface of Syrunn, awaiting the day when Umbra might return.


First Coming of Umbra

Return he did...

As the countless eons passed, Umbra’s rage grew, multiplying his power tenfold, until his prison could not hold him any longer. From this rage the nine Arch Demons were born; Ryu-kii, Zaika, Xins, Shohi, Ji-Biv, Riasho, Krows, Yenboken, and Naxis. Not underestimating the inhabitants of Syrunn again, he drew to him legions of foul, demonic creatures.

Rythos awakened, emerging from his cavern, to fulfil the reason for which he was summoned. However, he found that his scales no longer shone like they used to, that his power had diminished. Being so bound to the mortal realm, he had aged over the eons he had slumbered. Knowing he could no longer face the ageless Umbra alone, he took flight, scouring the world for the most powerful warriors and magi that this new age had to offer. He gathered an enormous army, including Ahm, descendant of a member of The Six, and the greatest mage Syrunn had yet seen.

Lead by both Rythos and Ahm, this army fought; fighting to save not just their own lives, but the existence of their very world. The largest battle the world had ever seen, the fighting raged on and on for what seemed like an eternity.

In the end, the army of Rythos and Ahm won. Most of Umbra's demonic hordes had been slaughtered, the rest scattered to the winds. The weakest of the Arch Demons, Naxis, was also slain. However, Umbra and the other Arch Demons proved to be too powerful to be permanently killed. Rhythos and Ahm were only able to combine their magic to restore the ancient seal of The Six and cast Umbra and his Arch Demons back into Oblivion.

Though only a temporary solution, for it was inevitable that Umbra would once again escape his prison, for the time being the world of mortals was free of Umbra's wrath... but a horrible cost. The death-toll was unimaginable, for the lives of millions of innocent men, woman, and children had been lost to Umbra and his armies, and many hundreds of thousands more were lost in the battle; the world had lost almost all of its greatest warriors and magi in a single battle. Entire races and civilizations were wiped from existence. Numerous kingdoms were laid to waste, one even becoming permanently blighted.

The world itself seemed to be broken...

This worldwide tragedy came to be known as Umbra's First Coming and took place 8,900 years ago.


Second Coming of Umbra

Life went on, as it always does. Slowly the survivors began to rebuild, piecing back together their fragmented world. Rythos had gone back to his isle, slumbering once more till the day Umbra returned. It has been said Ahm died of wounds incurred during the battle, but it is not truly known what actually became of him. In any case, they both faded from the world's memory and into the realms of myth and legend.

Years later, Syrunn was in the height of its Golden Age, an age of wonders, as such it was also known as the Age of Learning. Alchemists, engineers, and scholars had made many scientific and technological advances. Peace reigned and there was no war, only prosperity. People knew more, lived longer, and were happier than ever before, but all was not well.

Like all good things, Syrunn’s Golden Age had to come to an end.

Umbra’s rage had once more grown and with it his power, so much so that the seal holding him and the Arch Demons in Oblivion was weakened enough for him to slip through. However, when his demons came to pass through only Yenboken was able to make it before the seal regained its strength. Umbra had to devote a small part of his energy to avoid being pulled back into Oblivion, thus slightly weakening him. He was not very concerned, though, since it was such a small amount of his strength.

Once again Umbra began to ravage the world. Rythos, old and withered, came forward to challenge the God-King of Demons. However, the world’s population had known almost nothing but peace for the past ten centuries. Powerful warriors and magi were the stuff of bedtime stories and Ahm was nowhere to be seen, thought to be long dead.

Rythos stood alone.

Umbra turned his back on the withered dragon and instead Yenboken faced him. Rythos fought valiantly and fiercely, but he had aged too much. Rythos had no chance. The wicked demon Yenboken brought the once mighty dragon down; throwing him prone, crushing Rythos' own wings beneath him.

Once lying broken and helpless, Yenboken tore off one of Rythos' own horns, and with it, pierced the old dragon through the heart. As the life drained from the dragon it began to rain across the world, even in the most parched desert; but the water was bitter and salty. It has been said this rain was tears shed by Bahamut and Tiamat for their fallen brother.

There seemed to be no more hope for the mortal realm. No one left who could challenge Umbra. It was then, when all hope seemed to be lost, that one stepped forward...

This one was a warrior the likes of which had never been seen on Syrunn, or any other of the countless worlds that Umbra had destroyed for that matter.

This one had been appointed by Fate itself.

The one’s name was a plane-touched human named Vahn Draven, though his name has too disappeared into the sands of time. For better or worse, Draven heralded the return of warriors and mages, both good and evil, to Syrunn...

After a cataclysmic battle that shook all of Syrunn, forever shattering the already blighted ancient kingdom, this one killed Yenboken, but even he couldn’t kill Umbra. He did, however, severely weaken Umbra, who was no longer able to hold back the seal and once again Syrunn was free from him.

This event was Umbra's Second Coming and was nearly 2,000 years ago, so long ago that it has since faded from memory. Very few people now know Syrunn's true history. [/size][/font]
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