The History of Roil

The World of Roil  |  Continents | Oceans | Inhabitants | History of Roil | Maps of Roil

The Saga of Roil  |  History of Kaladia | History of Roil

The Eras of Roil's History:
The Time of Creation | The First Age | The War of the Winds | The Time of Rains | The New Age

The History of Roil begins, appropriately enough, with the creation of the Roil universe. To this end, there are many instances in which religious transcripts are relied upon in lieu of the writings of the legenders or other historians. It is important to note that the clergical authors to whom the story of Roil's creation is attributed may be approaching the subject from a viewpoint neither entirely objective, nor at all free of personal bias.

In the beginning, there was nothing save Olhantam, the All-Father. At least, this is written in the holy tablets of the Creator. There is mention in these writings that there came a time when Olhantam the Creator grew weary of his singular consciousness, and willed other beings into existence. These individuals became Vendaneran the Wise, Sethanit the Lord of Evil, Chaulatae the Binder, and Kaichea the Loner. Ultimately, they began to perceive the necessity for change, and to realize that their tremendous emotional capacities needed to be fulfilled. It was their needs which led to the creation of the universe.

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The Time of Creation

was an era of divine construction. Olhantam's name in the Roil pantheon is synonymous with creation. It was he who allowed the planets and stars to be conceived, and willed living things to exist. As the universe unfolded, Vendaneran became the greater essence of love in the universe, and Sethanit became the greater essence of hatred. Chaulatae was tasked to place all of the stars, and to set the planets in motion. Kaichea was charged with the planets themselves, specifically, their geographical features and weather schemes. As the lawful Chaulatae arranged all the astronomical bodies in rigid, orderly cycles, the chaotic Kaichea enveloped the worlds in swirling mists. Within the Mists, the surfaces of the worlds began to form. As the Mists thinned into clouds and the faces of the worlds emerged to see the sun, the Time of Creation was complete.

Eras of Roil's History

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The First Age

of Roil begins with the close of the Time of Creation. During this era, the gods created all of the races which populate the worlds and the dark voids of space which separate the planets. Upon Roil, the elves originated upon the continent of Tirringir, while the dwarves, gnomes and halflings made their homes in the Isles of Isvir. Humans evolved independently upon the continents of Belara, Kaladia and Tulmaria.

For most of the First Age, the races remained in their separate lands. It was not until late in the age that they began to set sail upon the oceans. The elves were the first in this regard. Elven ships sailing into the Olgarn Ocean were nearly overwhelmed by the World's Well, and their crews found themselves stranded on the northern shores of Kaladia. Surprisingly, next came the dwarves, gnomes and halflings of Isvir. They discovered the continents of Belara, Kaladia and Tulmaria. Though they had elected to avoid contact with the human inhabitants of Belara and Tulmaria, they eagerly expanded into southern Kaladia despite its human barbarian clans. At nearly the end of the First Age, human sailors from the continents of Tulmaria and Belara discovered and settled southern Kaladia.

Eras of Roil's History

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The War of the Winds

was the second coming of the Mists to the world of Roil. It was, in actuality, a battle between Kaichea, Goddess of Chaos, and her sister, Chaulatae, Goddess of Law. Chaulatae was dissatisfied that she was not allowed to effect any of the seasons, geography or weather of the planets. In retaliation, she forced the gravity of Roil's moons to affect Roil's oceans. What is remembered as the Coming of the Tides brought more than the rise and fall of the oceans, it nearly destroyed Roil.

During the Time of Creation, Kaichea encased all of the worlds in Mists. These Mists were both the tools and the substance from which all the features of the worlds were formed. When the clouds of the sky again thickened and descended in the second coming of the Mists, most of the face of Roil was shrouded. Wherever the Mists flowed, changes followed.

Belara was a land of lush rain forests. The Mists transformed the northern and southern portions of the continent into dry, barren plains, though the jungles in its equatorial region were left relatively intact.

Isvir saw the greatest metamorphosis. The Mists overwhelmed the land, and the oceans surrounding it. Its majestic mountain peaks were exaggerated into thin, elongated spires, and its canyons plunged into dark chasms. As the Tracene and Shidek Oceans flooded the deep valleys, they began to whirlpool, creating a slow but enduring erosion effect upon the continent.

Kaladia changed drastically. The vast grassy plains of southern Kaladia became dotted with forests and swamps. It was further torn by new mountain ranges and broken by new seas. Many civilized realms were destroyed, and new lands emerged. When the Mists cleared, the face of Kaladia had been completely transformed.

Lornkira was torn by the Mists. Portions of the northland were dragged from the heart of the arctic circle into the warmer latitudes. When the Mists cleared, the ice layer covering the southern realms of Lornkira had melted, and thick forests now flourished.

Tirringir was spared from the worst of the Winds. It is widely believed that of all of Roil's races, Kaichea favored the chaotic faerie creatures the most. The Mists all but surrounded the continent, but never once swept across its peaceful shores.

Tulmaria was saturated with pockets of descending Mists which radically altered its characteristically flat, green plains and rolling hills with low-lying, oily marshes and steep, rocky mountains. Most of the larger Tulmarian cities were spared, though much of the fertile farmland was transmuted into sterile, red clay.

Yindurin was thickly covered by the Mists. As the Mists flowed down the icy mountains into the deep valleys, changes were wrought upon the south arctic. Deep beneath the ice, volcanic activity surged. Within the valley basins in the heartland of Yindurin, hot springs erupted. When the Mists lifted from the south arctic, many of its most protected valleys had been transformed into lush, tropical paradises blanketed by dense rain forests and sheltered by heavy cloud cover.

Eras of Roil's History

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The Time of Rains

immediately followed the end of the War of the Winds. As the winds which had driven the Mists began to lessen, the Mists began to break apart. Though some of the Mists thinned, and ascended into the sky to become clouds, most took shape as tornadoes and hurricanes. Other parts of the Mists retained their dense consistency and remained on Roil's surface. As countless tornadoes ravaged the lands and hurricanes wreaked havoc upon the oceans, Roil became increasingly covered in a thick layer of storm clouds.

For an entire human generation, the torrential Rains inundated the world. Only the brave, the stubborn or the incredibly foolish willingly ventured out into this world of thunderstorms and sudden floods. Rivers and lakes increased to horrifying proportions. Valleys became lakes, and hills were reduced into plains. Even the underworld was not unaffected by the Rains, for intense earthquakes rocked and destroyed portions of the subterranean world. But the underworld's populace weathered the time better than most, and several of the more powerfully evil races actually prospered during this time of disaster.

The Rains were not the sole tragedy of the era. Illnesses accompanied the wind and rain, and it was the duration and magnitude of the storms which intensified illnesses into the dark plagues. Additionally, the Rains also brought the great famines. Kaichea's elves who had previously prospered upon Kaladia were nearly obliterated, though Chaulatae's dwarves continued their stalwart, dutiful existence virtually unaffected. But the dark plagues and the great famines ended as the Rains stopped as suddenly as they had begun. As the Rains finally ceased and the clouds parted, the races of Roil were eager to venture forth into their new world.

Eras of Roil's History

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The New Age

of Roil, as it is called, has introduced, in essence, a new world. Though most of Roil's races of people and animals managed to survive the Winds and the Rains, those creatures unfortunate enough to be unsheltered from the onslaught of the Mists were transformed into new, fantastical races both monstrous and magnificent.

Much of Roil has been irrevocably altered by the Winds and the Rains. Some regions have endured nearly intact, while others are unrecognizable to those who still remain from before the Winds. Where once nations had thrived, now there remained only swamps and jungle. Thick forests now grew where the Mists had flowed across grassy plains. Where once woodlands stood, rocky hills now dominated the terrain. It is altogether, a new world with little left of the old eras. It is a reborn world filled with new and exciting adventures.