The Ancients

Overview

The Ancients are a civilization that existed before The First People, though almost nothing concrete is known about them. The only direct evidence of their existence comes from giant, magnificent sculptures scattered throughout the world. These structures stand as silent monuments to a culture that deliberately left no written records, no texts, no histories that modern civilizations can read.

Who they were, where they came from, and what ultimately became of them remain profound mysteries.

The are believed to have existed around 10,000,000 BR.

Origin and Nature

Scholars have spent centuries debating where the Ancients originated. The most common theory suggests they were not of this world at all. Some believe they came from beyond the boundaries of this universe, from somewhere so fundamentally different that their very existence challenges the understanding of reality itself.

There is a whispered suggestion among certain academic circles that The Supreme One itself was part of the Ancients, or perhaps that the Ancients served it. However, this theory holds little weight and remains largely speculation with no supporting evidence.

What is known is that the Ancients dwelled in the Crystal Caverns, massive underground networks that they may have even carved themselves. Within these caverns, they built magnificent structures and artifacts that would define the world for millennia to come. They were creators of impossible things.

Legacy

The Ancients left behind two artifacts so powerful that entire civilizations have been built around them. The Citadel, the floating fortress that serves as the home and seat of power for the Arvendor civilization, was constructed by the Ancients. It remains one of the greatest architectural achievements in recorded history.

More importantly, they created the Runemark of Eternity, a master rune that sustains The Citadel itself. This artifact is so fundamental to the world that without it, The Citadel would fall from the sky and countless lives would be lost. The Runemark feeds on human souls to maintain its power, a dark secret that the Arvendor elite have learned to accept as the price of their civilization.

It's possible that other artifacts created by the Ancients still exist, hidden away in forgotten places.

Mahol

In recent times, Mahol the Endless has made cryptic remarks about the Ancients. He speaks of them in riddles, in passing comments that suggest he knew them personally.

He mentions machines. Massive machines of impossible complexity, as if powered by lightning and thunder. He speaks of the Ancients having the ability to craft anything, at any time. To create structures and devices that defied the understanding of their era and continue to defy understanding today.

Among certain scholars, that concluded that these so-called machines were not mere myth. They speculate that what Mahol describes may have been tools capable of calculation and creation in equal measure, instruments that thought and built at once.

The implication, never spoken aloud in polite company, is that the Ancients may not have been mystical at all, but masters of a craft so precise, so seamless, that it appeared indistinguishable from magic.

Philosophy

The Ancients left no philosophy written down. No teachings. No wisdom passed on through texts or monuments with inscriptions. What remains of them is purely structural. Their buildings. Their machines. Their magic.

Perhaps that was intentional. Perhaps the Ancients understood that some mysteries should be preserved, that the act of searching and questioning is itself more valuable than any answer could be. Or perhaps they simply did not believe their knowledge would survive long enough to matter.

Either way, they are gone, and what they knew went with them.