ERA 1
Valthanars Dominion
The Beginning
The beginning of Nirya reaches back beyond recorded history, into an age where the foundations of the world were first shaped. It is an era of ancient powers, forgotten civilizations, sacred places, and events whose echoes would endure for thousands of years. What began here would shape everything that followed.
The Valthanars
The Valthanars were the first beings of existence, eleven gods born from creation’s primordial essence. Together, they shaped Nirya: its lands, its seas, its skies, and every living soul. This harmony ended when Velkenor betrayed the pantheon. His fall shattered their unity, leaving the Valthanars forever changed, from eleven to ten. Their sacred gathering place, Elma Riemu, served as the seat of their councils, where fate, law, and creation itself were shaped. The Valthanars remain the origin of all things in Nirya, the foundation of every realm, every race, and every story that followed.
ELMA RIEMU
Elma Riemu is the timeless sanctuary where the gods gather, an eternal council hall carved at the very heart of Val Aerah. Bathed in radiant, living light, its towering arches are inscribed with the first runes of creation, and every stone carries echoes of the divine. Here, the Valthanars convene to shape destinies, judge the balance of existence, and determine the course of Nirya and its realms. Within this sacred chamber, the past, present, and future seem to converge. Decisions made beneath its luminous pillars ripple across the ages, altering histories, giving rise to new eras, or bringing others to an end. Even the smallest divine decree spoken within Elma Riemu may resonate for millennia, reaching mortals who will never know its origin. More than a hall of judgment, Elma Riemu stands as a symbol of unity, wisdom, and divine authority, a place where the will of the Valthanars becomes the law that governs creation. It remains one of the oldest foundations of Nirya, a sacred point where the gods gather and the fate of worlds is decided.
Ithaerans
After Velkenor’s betrayal shattered the unity of the gods, the Valthanars created the Ithaerans, ten divine apprentices chosen to uphold balance where the pantheon could no longer intervene directly. Each Ithaeran was entrusted with a fragment of their mentor’s divine essence, becoming a guardian, messenger, and enforcer of the Valthanars’ will across Nirya. Though not gods themselves, their power surpassed that of mortals, and their presence would shape the fate of kingdoms and races alike. The Ithaerans became living extensions of the Valthanars’ authority, created out of necessity during an age when darkness had begun to rise.
Velkenor
Velkenor was one of the Valthanars, among the first beings of Nirya and entrusted with the shaping of creation. Yet his path would ultimately lead him away from the others, as ambition and darkness began to consume what had once been divine. His betrayal shattered the unity of the Valthanars and changed the course of Nirya forever. From that fall, Velkenor ceased to be what he once was and became the God of Darkness, the source of a darkness that would echo across the ages. His name would become inseparable from the darkest chapter of Nirya’s first age.
Melzathyrs
The Melzathyrs were ancient primordial beings who emerged during the earliest age of Nirya. Neither gods nor mortals, they belonged to an older and darker order of existence, possessing powers and knowledge far beyond the understanding of later civilizations. They became the primordial followers of Velkenor, drawn to his rising darkness and serving as instruments of his will. Ancient, enigmatic, and deeply connected to the forces that shaped the First Era, the Melzathyrs would leave a lasting mark upon the history of Nirya. Their origins and true nature remain among the oldest mysteries of the First Era.
Duthrags
The Duthrags were created by Velkenor as towering giants of fire, forged from the darkness that began to spread across Nirya. They became powerful servants of his will, bringing destruction wherever they were unleashed. Their immense forms burned with unnatural flames, making them among the most terrifying beings to emerge during the First Era. The Duthrags stood as living weapons of Velkenor, feared by those who witnessed their arrival.
The Divine War
The betrayal of Velkenor plunged Nirya into a conflict unlike anything that had come before. What had once been a world shaped by the harmony of the Valthanars was now divided by a growing darkness, as Velkenor turned against the very powers with whom he had once shared the creation of the world. The Valthanars were forced to confront the darkness that had risen from within their own divine order. Alongside their servants and ancient forces, they entered a war that would spread across Nirya, bringing destruction to lands that had stood untouched since the beginning of creation. The Melzathyrs, the oldest beings of Darkness, followed Velkenor into the conflict, while the Duthrags were unleashed as instruments of his destructive power. The Ithaerans stood among the forces that remained loyal to the Valthanars, carrying their divine will into a war whose consequences would reach far beyond their own time. The Divine War was more than a battle for power. It became a struggle over the very balance of Nirya. Ancient places were lost, civilizations were broken, and the foundations of the world were forever altered by the conflict. When the war finally reached its conclusion, Nirya was no longer the world it had been at the beginning. The age of the Valthanars had been permanently changed, and the events that followed would shape the thousands of years still to come.The Divine War became the defining conflict of the First Era, the moment when the darkness born within creation changed the course of Nirya forever.
The Era of Valthanars’ Dominion
The First Era, known as Valthanars’ Dominion (VD), was the longest and most radiant age in the history of Nirya, stretching across 8,530 years. It was a time when the gods themselves walked among creation, shaping mountains with their hands, breathing life into oceans, and guiding the destinies of all living beings. Harmony reigned as each Valthanar governed their domain with divine precision, and the balance of the world was maintained through their united will. But beneath the brilliance of this golden age, a shadow slowly gathered strength. Velkenor, once the esteemed God of Shadow and Insight, allowed ambition to poison his heart. His thirst for forbidden power fractured the unity of the pantheon and set in motion the first cracks in creation’s foundation. The era came to a catastrophic end with The Fall of Velkenor, the moment when his betrayal erupted into open defiance. His descent shattered the divine order, ignited the earliest embers of darkness, and marked the beginning of an age where the gods would no longer stand together as one.