The world has not always been as it is today. In ancient times, tens of thousands of thousands of years ago, powerful beings held sway over the land. No one knows where these beings came from or why they were here. What is known for certain is that they were here first and they almost destroyed the entire world in the Great War. It is said that the Great War was ended by the Mother who forbade them from ever waging war directly on each other again. To ensure this, she banished the conflicting groups from this plane of existence. The twin moons, Astell and Davia, are named after these two groups.

An unknown time after the Banishing, the Young Races crawled forth from the ashes of the Great War and began to shape their own destinies. The Elves went into seclusion in the great forests of the lands to begin restoring some of the greatest damage caused by the Great War. The Dwarves carved their homes out of the security of the mountain bastions and their cousins, the Gnomes, sought the protected foothills nestled within the arms of these mighty peaks. The Halflings wandered the realms for a time and eventually settled in the swamps abounding with life and death, suiting their darkly optimistic outlooks. The Reptilemen, longtime allies of the Halflings, took to the seas and found their home in the teeming jungles of a not so distant land. The Centaurs found isolation in the vast plains of the mid-continent among the extraordinary obelisks of the Ancients. The Humans spread to many different parts of the realms, some distant and exotic but most near their allies, and a few were changed during this time.

Many of the Ancient's secrets and knowledge survived the Banishing. Among the knowledge left behind were texts on the magics of the Ancients. While the Ancient's magic could not be learned by the Young Races they were able to adapt it to suit themselves, creating the Second Path of Magic. Studies of the Ancient's magic also revealed the astral plane and the entities that lived there. Partnerships formed with these entities created the new of magics of shamanism and divinity. Also left over were the greatest weapons of the Ancients, demons. These fearsome magical creations used powers of the mind in battle for their masters. When their masters were Banished the demons set themselves up as rulers of the world and remained in power for a thousand years. The demon reign of terror and tyranny lasted until the First Heroes of the Young Races were able to lead their people to freedom, banishing the demons to the Shadow Realm. This banishing was not as complete as the Banishing and demons still plague the Young Races. A side effect of the demon times is that their mind magic has made its way into the blood of the Young Races. Other artifacts and secrets remain hidden and are discovered by intrepid explorers from time to time.

Two thousand years ago an Ancient artifact was discovered and activated. The artifact's original purpose was unknown but it is doubtful that the result that occurred was intended by its creators. The artifact, which was later named Maelstrom, caused a great upheaval in the astral tides. The tides retreated from the world and then crashed back into it with great force. The astral collision did very little to the physical world and its effects went largely unnoticed, at first. Within a few months of Maelstrom's activation large portions of the Young Races began to undergo physical and mental changes. Once it was learned what was causing the changes, Maelstrom was deactivated and hidden. The Young Races tried to accept the differences in the Changed Ones but it soon became obvious that even the strongest ties of blood and friendship could not overcome the differences caused by Maelstrom. The Young Races set aside portions of their kingdoms for their unfortunate brethren in hopes that there would be peaceful coexistence, but this was not to be. The Changed Ones, not satisfied with the handouts of their former friends and families, became resentful and attempted to overthrow the Young Races. This rebellion, known as the Change War, lasted for five hundred years before the Changed Ones were driven across the Plains of Sorrow to the Far Lands. The Changed Ones have not given up their quest to overthrow the Young Races, either through might or subterfuge.

Today the Young Races have repaired most of the damage left over from the Great War and now have thriving societies. They must still be on their guard against incursions from the Changed Ones and demonic threats from the Shadow Realm. Recently strange events have befallen almost every nation of the Young Races. These events include Changed One war parties appearing unexplainably deep within the human lands, massive undead uprisings in the halfling and reptilemen territories, disappearances within the elven forest and dwarven mountains and other things that can only be attributed to demonic powers. These are uncertain times my friend. Walk your path with care and vigilance.