Library:Prologue

Ancient legends tell of a long, forgotten age of peace and prosperity, of the perfection of art and science, of a joyful life in a paradise on earth.

Even the old and wise know not whether any truth lies within those tales, or if they simply arose out of the people’s desire for a better life in this dark period. It is not known, either, which event has caused the decay of this marvellous state.

Some scholars claim that these stories depict the age before the human race took possession of the world. A gradual process that was unstoppable by the time, when the true human nature was uncovered.

Nowadays, the surviving Dwarves dwell in the most remote corners of the world, far away from most humans. On the contrary, elven territory is more and more colonized by humans, causing the slow decay of the ancient and noble folk.

So far, peace remains. But only a few generations have passed since the last great war, and the situation becomes more critical every year. The island of Adonthell, far of all mainland shores, had made a sizeable contribution to the balance between humans and elves for many years. It was the place unto that the scholar Vertas once brought books otherwise destroyed during the past war. In the years following, many travelled there to study the wisdom accumulated by Vertas, leaving their own findings behind. Soon after the war came to an end, the Guild of Arts was founded on Adonthell to shelter this wisdom as well as the ones seeking it. Even at this time of great enmity between the races, everyone was allowed to visit Adonthell and study at the Guild. But, as the isle itself belonged to the Elves for almost a thousand years now, the knowledge collected on its very soil remained in their hands as well. Never was the unspoken armistice broken, and peace remained on Adonthell, whereas elsewhere neither Elf nor Dwarf was completely safe from human brigands and other unkind folk. The human race, plenty in numbers, was clearly dominant, but with their knowledge of the arcane arts and their unsurpassed craftsmanship, the Elves were able to resist all forms of assault so far.

But then the inconceivable happened: heavy storms began to strike the sea around Adonthell. Clearly, they were not natural, as they appeared all of a sudden and caused the sinking of many a ship. Soon the island was cut off the mainland. No seaman would dare to sail the surrounding waters, and those who did never returned.

Four decades have passed since then, and all attempts to bring an end to the storms were fruitless. Now the days of the remaining Elves are not far from being over. Their might has dwindled with each scholar dying before passing on his wisdom, and soon, nothing will be left to hold back the ever pushing Men. Only the lore to be found within the Guild of Arts might still turn their doom away. At this dark hour, someone is needed to reveal the secret of the storms, and to decide the fate of Elves.

And although much is uncertain, one thing is standing firm: the solution to this problem can only be found on the island of Adonthell itself ...