History of Lodoss
Note: This was mostly retyped from Mark Chase's Lodoss War RPG site for Fuzion, with some corrections. If you can't read the novels, to get the true story of Lodoss start with reading the Lady of Pharis manga, the Grey Witch manga, Demon of Flame, Deedlit's Tale, Chronicles of the Heroic Knight and finally Legend of Crystania (when and if it's released). From the anime, watch episodes 1-8 of the OAV (omitting the meeting of Shiris and Orson), Chronicles of the Heroic Knight, and then Legend of Crystania.
For a quick history lesson, visit the Timeline.
In the Beginning...
"In the beginning, the Giant Atsuki came. For Atsuki, the Giant of Forcelia, life came to an end. But from him, all life began. His body formed the land and his blood became the seas. His angry wail became the winds and storm. From his final breath came flame that brought the fires of life.
"When the world had thus formed, the gods were born of the remains of Atsuki's body. From his right foot came Myrii, the God of War. From his left foot came Cha Za, the God of Trade. From his head came Rada, the God of Wisdom. From his body came Marfa, Mother-Goddess of Creation. The wicked God of Darkness, Falaris came from his right hand, and and from his left came Falis, the Supreme God of Light."
- from Lady of Pharis manga.
Many thousands of years passed as the people and creatures of Forcelia prospered and worshiped their gods. Yet in time, the gods began to war amongst themselves. Gods of Light and Gods of Darkness fought to control the world of Forcelia. In the great war that spanned a thousand years the gods of Light and Dark were destroyed, and many hundred lesser deities perished in the furious battle.
"The Age of the Gods was Closing. Eternity had come to an end. The heavens shook as the armies of Falis, the supreme God of Light, clashed with those of Falaris, the supreme God of Darkness. In the seemingly endless battle, the earth wept and the oceans boiled.
The final battle between the survivors, Marfa, Mother-Goddess of Creation, and Kardis, the malevolent Goddess of Destruction, echoed to the ends of the earth.
At the climax of their fierce battle, a continent separated, creating a land on which both the goddesses of light and darkness perished like a flame and flickered away.
Several thousand years later, the land to the south of the continent of Alecrast has become known as Lodoss, the Accursed Island."
- Narrator, Record of Lodoss War.
In the final climatic battle, Kardis Goddess of Destruction, and Marfa, Goddess of Creation, destroyed each other with mutual annihilation. With her dying breath, Kardis cursed the land with her fury. Marfa, the last of her power burning away, separated the cursed land into the island of Lodoss, thus protecting the rest of Forcelia Marfa's spirit came to rest upon the island to protect it from the curse of the evil Goddess Kardis. The dark remnant soul of Kardis died upon the broken land of Marmo. Many thousand years later the spirits of the departed goddesses still watch over these lands which they once fought over in life. Even in death the two goddesses greatly influence the fate of both lands.
After the great battle between the gods of Light and Dark, the many neutral gods and goddesses, who held no loyalty to Light or Dark, escaped to the far away land where they discarded their bodies and reincarnated into numerous wild beasts—including the lion, snake, bear and fox. They isolated their land of Crystania from the rest of Forcelia by the creation of the Rampart of the Gods. None have entered Crystania. Those who try never return.
Age of Chaos
In the two thousand years after the climatic battle between the last great goddesses, the land Lodoss was disordered and chaotic. Kingdoms and empires would rise and fall. Sorcerers and monsters from the dark island of Marmo would invade the lands of Lodoss, destroying villages and pillaging cities.
Age of Magic
Eight hundred years before the Age of Enlightenment, there arose in Lodoss a greater kingdom the likes of which have never been seen again. Kastuul, the Kingdom of Sorcery, a might empire that united all of Lodoss but reigned with an iron fist. For hundreds of years, Kastuul dominated the lands. Great progress was made in magic and the kings and queens became unto gods in their power.
In the end, their powers of magic became even too much for them. In an attempt to unlock even greater power of magic, the greatest sorcerers of Kastuul invoke a grand spell of ultimate design. But it failed and destroyed much of their holy lands in a great cataclysm of fire. In the turmoil that followed, barbarian kingdoms rose up to destroy the nation that had oppressed them. In the wards that followed, the Kingdom of Sorcery collapsed.
But all was not lost, Governor Saluvan secured five great artifacts known as the Governor's Treasure to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. Each of the five surviving ancient dragons would guard one treasure, insuring it's absolute safety. To Bramd was given the Mirror of Truth. To Abram was given the Soul Crystal Ball. To Mycen was given the Staff of Life. To Narse was given the Ferroniere of Knowledge. Finally, it was the mighty Shooting Star who was charged with the most powerful of all magical item, the Scepter of Domination, the single relic which could control all the magic in Lodoss.
Only one great sorcerer survived the fall of Kastuul. The witch, Karla, was able to transfer her mind and soul into a magical circlet. Through her circlet she is able to control anyone who wears it. By this mechanism, Karla was able to transcend the physical limits of flesh and become immortal. She still lives on, half a millennium after the Fall, believing herself to be the singular guardian of Lodoss.
Age of Enlightenment
For five hundred years, a new Dark Age consumed the land. Five Ancient Dragons had survived the Fall of Kastuul—two dragons of Light and three of Darkness. The Dragons of Darkness (Shooting Star, Abram and Narse) took to hoarding away vast and powerful magic treasures. The Dragons of Light (Bramd and Mycen) helped to rebuild Lodoss and bring people out of darkness. Mycen, the Golden Dragon, helped build the kingdom of Moss. Bramd, the Ice Dragon, lives in the Ice Caves of the Northern Mountains near Tarba, and is frequently visited by the holy priests of Marfa.
Only in recent times have the greater kingdoms of Lodoss come to be. Valis, the Holy Kingdom of Light, was founded in 249 New Royal Calender after a rebellion against the short lived empire of Elvec. Alania, a kingdom where peace and learning is prized above all, is ruled by the Kadamos line of kings. Kanon, another peace loving nation, was founded in the south of Lodoss, dangerously close to Marmo. In the south-western region of Lodoss is the kingdom of Moss, which is more of a collection of duchies and partially ruled by the dragon Mycen. Finally, off the southeastern coast of Lodoss, rests the island of Marmo, tainted by Kardis' evil spirit only until recently.
