"It has been so long since the old world breathed," he said.
Before the cities and the wars of Greenfall's time, before the first swords were forged and the first Dantians were imbued with energy, the ancient realm of Abyssinia existed: a huge and very antique nation whose domain now lies in slumber under the mosaic [1]of kingdoms Greenfall, Winterhelm, and Sunsphire.
In the first ages of darkness, there existed only one PATH[2]. Its real name transcends memory. It has been referred to as the Forgotten Path. Some refer to the silence that follows the Forgotten Path. Few have the temerity to inquire as to the source of the Forgotten Path. Behind closed texts and the wild speculations made possible through the use of magical engines, scholars have wondered whether its foundation lies deeper than memory. Rumors speak of a god or hand outside of time that gave the weak mortals power to compete in the game of survival with the terrifying monsters of the vast and harsh world.
The walkers[3]: Such were the ones whose mastery of the way shaped power in ways no mage or warrior could ever reach. They were not gods, although some among them were idolized. They could tap into the power that dripped straight from the world and weave it as they chose. Their magic capacity or physical forms did not bind them. Their influence broke the rules of the world just by simply breathing. Their goals stopped and sometimes triggered new wars. With time, the road they trod became too dark.
The upheaval drew little attention: silence and explosions. Mountains rupturing. Scars across the landscape. When the dust subsided, only one Walker was left. This final Walker would not remain a master for long. According to legend, the Walker survived out of compassion or the dictates of the walkers. For one year, this Walker carried the legends as a porter. His development: only partly actualized. The object of great reverence, the Warden refused to sponsor the Walker. Its intentions were sealed. Until a worthy champion for the true road could develop, the object was held back. For motives long forgotten, the object refused to decide. This Walker became a witness rather than a mentor.
Unable to transmit the truth itself, the last walker and his descendants resorted to hope and memory. They made do, creating something new from the broken patterns left when THE GREAT FALL happened. Thus, were born the three ways that exist today as the world acknowledges: the Path of the Body, born of power and control; the Path of the Soul, wielder of the elements and the long distances; and the Path of the Hybrid.
The world has been built upon these roads. Warriors and scholars have aspired to excellence in one, and the drive has ever been upward. Yet the true starting point, the original road, is the mythical road. Its story has been only partly remembered.
Now and again, when the nights become cool and the power simmers beneath the boughs of ancient trees, there might be a voice whispering. Not all paths lead where the pointing finger promises. Some paths only reflect what has been lost. The Forgotten Path has waited, as it has always waited.
These are the roads. This is the warning. Yet somewhere in the depths of Greenfall, a soul comes close to the silence whose power once made all the DEMON GODS tremble.
[1] the nation is now divided into 3 lesser nations
[2] way to attain strength
[3] those who walked the forgotten path