[Hider=Eyreseum Fun Fact - Eras]Time progresses in Eras, which are long expanses of time comprised of what are known as The Beginning, The Calm, and The Ending. To separate each era, the period between eras is named The Awakening. The Beginning is the first dawn after the end of the Awakening, when the skies will gleam and shine with radiant lights never seen before as the Divine Barrier is mended, and all becomes normal once more. This becomes a time of not only celebration, but also mourning and remembrance for those who have fallen. The Beginning is time dedicated to rebuilding and restoring what was lost, and is concluded with the Dawning Sun Festival that is held once all kingdoms are rebuilt. The Calm is the extent of time between the Beginning and Ending of an Era. All Calms have varying lengths of time, but all of them last for many centuries before a Blood Eclipse occurs. The Calm is meant to be the time for mortals to continue their lives and have respite, until the time comes when they are called to defend everything they love with their very lives when the Ending bears down upon Eyreseum. The Ending is the conclusion of an Era marked by the coming of the Blood Eclipse. Once the Eclipse occurs, the skies turn red, and demons walk the land, and thus the beginning of the end starts. Once the Ending begins, the dates are marked with a symbol that indicates the Ending, and all races hold together to make their stand. The Blood Eclipse will last a day, which is known as the day of the initial invasion where demons break free from Sheogh and unleash their fury upon the closest creations of Akatosh and the other gods. From there they become a scourge that ravages the land from the Northern Wastelands, lead by the Demon Sovereign, until their leader is defeated in single combat by a champion of the Dragon Blood, usually one of the mighty Dragon Knights. The Ending officially ends once the Demon Sovereign has been defeated, or, if ill-fortune comes, once all mortals either fall or kneel before demonkind. The Awakening is the aftermath of the Ending, and is the final apocalyptic test of mortals to determine whether they begin the next era or not. It is during this time that the barrier between Eyreseum and the Farplanes is broken, and Daemons, Blight Lords and Nightmares are unleashed upon the world. The Awakenings are not recorded as a part of one Era or the next, but rather their own periods of time in between Eras. The dates refer to them as 1st Awakening, 2nd Awakening, and so on. During this time, the world becomes fractured and foreign to even the inhabitants themselves, as the Farplanes and their rulers the Daevas attempt to merge Eyreseum into their domain. The Awakening can last a decade or two, and only ends when Akatosh's favour and intervention is incurred, where the Divine Barriers are mended and the menacing evils of the Farplanes are expelled once more from Eyreseum until the next time. Once the Awakening is concluded, the cycle repeats as the barrier is mended and the next Era begins, going once more into the Beginning and then the Calm before the next Ending when mortals will be called upon to be ready once again. [/HIDER] [Hider=Eyreseum Fun Fact - The Divines (Part I)] Once known as the Aevas, the Divines are gods created by Akatosh, only a little younger than the children of Akatosh, the Elder Dragon-Gods. They were first created to instill virtues into the Elder Races of the Old World, the Elves and Dwarves, and maintain the teachings of their gifts throughout time. They eventually became patron to Mankind after the Elves failed them and the Dwarves turned to believe in the Dragon-Gods. The Divines have only power in their virtues and spheres, and can not intervene within the world as much as the Dragon-Gods or the Demi-Gods can, with the exception of Talos. They can bestow blessings upon those faithful to their teachings, and may even apotheosize champions amongst mortals to fight in their name. Originally, they were only Eight in number, but when Talos in mortal form defeated the Dragon-God Ylath during the Great Ravaging, the Divines saw fit to enthrone him amongst their pantheon for fighting valiantly in mankind's name. Talos became the Ascended Divine of War, in honour of his great talent in waging battle. Julianos, Divine of Logic and of the Law Dibella, Divine of Beauty and Love. Mara, Divine of Compassion and Family Stendarr, Divine of Mercy and Redemption Arkay, Divine of Life and Death Kynareth, Divine of Nature and Guardian of its wonders Zenithar, Divine of Honesty and Hard Work Akatosh, the All-Father of Time. Talos, Ascended Divine of War [/HIDER] [Hider=Eyreseum Fun Fact - The Dragon-Gods (Part I)] The Dragon-Gods are thought to be pagan, but are actually descendants of the All-Father of Dragons, Akatosh, and the Mother of Order, Asha. All the Dragon-Gods apart from Asha and Urgash are descendants of Akatosh. Thus, the lifespans of their further descendants, the Dragons of Eyreseum, are endless. The Dragon-Gods and their children even have the power to see into the currents of time, seeing all that has, will and is going to happen. Each Dragon-God holds a dominion in one or few of the many primordial forces in which worlds are forged, with the Elder Dragon-Gods holding sway over the elements, whilst the Ancient Dragon-Gods hold dominion in the universal forces. As for the Younger Dragon-Gods, they hold the power of their forebears' on a smaller scale, and hold a sphere of their own preference. The Dragon-Gods are divided into 3 Categories: Ancient, Elder and Younger. Ancients: Akatosh, Dragon-God of Time Asha, Dragon-God of Order Urgash, Dragon-God of Chaos Elders: Iedonith, Dragon-God of Space Elrath, Dragon-God of Light, Malassa, Dragon-God of Darkness Arkath, Dragon-God of Fire and Earth Sylanna, Dragon-God of Nature Myranna, Dragon-God of Winter Xaltaria, Dragon-God of Water Ylath, Dragon-God of Winds and Storm Youngers: Ari, Dragon-God of Time and Dreams Tyras, Dragon-God of Mystirica Ethreas, Dragon-God of Magicka and Arcana Ryzras, Dragon-God of Nethirica Others, There are also other Younger or Infant Dragon-Gods that exist in Eyreseum, waiting to be revealed. [/HIDER]