Once there was a archimage or demiurge, and one day under the influence of potent, mind-altering substances from higher planes of reality, he made a world. Pleased with his work (and himself in general), he named his creation for himself: Zyrd (not to be confused with this one or this one. Maybe). Soon, he got distracted by the music of distant spheres and forget about his world for a long time.
When he discovered it again, completely by accident, he found it had become infested with mortals. For the hell of it, he started teaching the mortals (they were called "humans") magic. His greatest pupils used their power to rule the land, becoming Wizard-Kings. Zyrd, a being of elevated consciousness, hadn't taken into account the power trip these humans might go on. It was a complete surprise when the Wizard-Kings stormed his own private realm in an attempt to wrest the ultimate secrets of the cosmos from him.
Zyrd was pretty angry about all that, but the Wizard-Kings, being humans, were really good at waging war. The magical conflict blew up part the world, and warped more of it--and seemed to destroy Zyrd and kill a number of the Wizard-Kings.
Humans mostly fled the damaged parts of the world--the weirderlands, they called them--and went to safer, saner places. They started shunning magic, and built factories, machines, and the like. In the Weirderlands, though, other mortals moved in, ones that couldn't give up magic as easily, because it was a part of them: dwarfs and elves.
 |
| by John Buscema |
The dwarfs set about rebuilding civilization while trying to hold the goblins, monsters, and lunatic wizards from the worst parts of the Weirderlands at bay. The elves have little use for the dwarfish establishment. They drift around, taking what nature provides, and throwing parties whenever they can. Somehow, they tend to elude the most horrific monsters, and yet all manage to find the best sources of weird mushrooms.
There are those of both kins that, through fate or inclination, become adventures. Outcasts that purposely face the dangers of the Weirderlands for great cause or great reward.
 |
| by Wally Wood |
Gneeds some gnomes if you ask me, maybe acting as go-betweens keeping both the Dwarves and Elves from feuding. Just enough respectable lawn gnome to keep the uptight Dwarves trusting them, just enough fey hippy to be cool with teh Elves. :)
ReplyDeleteI wonder, does the world have a Weird Pole and a Mundane Pole since the blowup?