The Time Before History

In the beginning, the world was a formless void, a blank template inherited by two brothers. Ragos was a soldier; Intala, a scientist. Stricken with grief at the near-extinction of their people, the two desired a world in which new life could flourish, free of the troubles that plagued their harsh existence.

The two set to work in earnest collaboration. Intala focused his superior mind on designing the land and its creatures while Ragos' considerable power was instrumental in giving form to these ideas. With their talents combined, a world was formed over a million years ago. This was a tremulous time, as their infant world proved unstable. It was then that they enlisted the aid of one called Karas, a being even they once called their king. Karas helped them to fix the mistakes they made and Comalan as we know it was complete at last. Karas told the brothers that they had incurred a debt that he would someday collect on before disappearing from this world, never to be seen again.

With their creation finally brought to reality, Ragos and Intala watched over this world with joy, enraptured by the developing lives of their mortal creations. But after a time, both brothers began to realize that their creation had only realized a fraction of its potential. By cultivating sentient life, they realized that they had a chance to revive their entire race. With this esciting prospect, however, came an unfortunate division.

Ragos wanted mortals to be strong, so that they could resist the hardships that had killed their people before while Intala wanted the mortals to be smart enough to recognize and overcome the trials they may someday face. Both brothers set about their goals in different ways. Ragos pitted humans against the other creatures of the world so that they may learn hardship and self-reliance, and Crane encouraged humans to study the world they lived in so that they may broaden their minds. Eventually, the brothers found these two goals to be at odds, one a distraction from the other. So, they commanded the humans to split up. Ragos' followers migrated to north and Intala's took up residence in the south. Thus, the earliest nations were formed, the lands of Pyris, the Land of Strength and Eris, the Land of Knowledge.

All of this was told to us retroactively by the only two who remain from that time, the two brothers who we now know as Chaos and Crane, by way of the priests who commune with them. This is the story of the Zero Age, otherwise known as the Time Before History.