In “The Spilling of Blood,” we delve into the history of the Great War, a cataclysmic conflict that united humanity against the Venern people. According to ancient texts hidden deep in the Venern libraries, the rebellion ignited when humans grew weary of the Venerns’ totalitarian overreach into their affairs. The Venerns, unique in their ability to harness the natural magic of the world—a gift no human possessed—had easily quelled any discontent.
That all changed when the mysterious outworlders known as the Keepers began flooding the human world with their magic through the temples that allowed travel between their homeworld and ours. Magic, once exclusive to the Venerns, began to shift the balance of power. Not only was this foreign magic more powerful, but it also appeared to be inaccessible to the Venerns, who were already bonded to the world’s natural forces.
This turn of events eventually led to the uprising known in history as the Great War, marked by endless bloodshed on both sides. The war was so brutal that the Venerns could only escape by creating impenetrable magical barriers that physically cut off the territories of men from the Venern lands.
In the aftermath, the four most formidable generals divided the lands into four distinct kingdoms: Ferwersrun, Elisium, Sanami, and Jasilim. However, discontent brewed in Sanami, where the populace, confident in their mastery of necromancy and superior knowledge, eventually turned against the other kingdoms. The first to fall was Jasilim, succumbing to Sanami’s might. In response, Ferwersrun and Elisium forged an alliance and, with the aid of defectors from Sanami, managed to overthrow the necromancers, restoring a fragile peace among the three remaining kingdoms.
This tranquility endured until the Keepers, who had always remained in the shadows, decided to make contact, heralding a new era of uncertainty and potential conflict.