"It has been a long, arduous struggle.. many lives have been lost, and many more hang in the balance. We have traveled far, and fought hard for everything we have accomplished. We have given ourselves fully and wholly to this quest. This final quest.. knowing that we would never return. Knowing that there is no way out of the Darkness."

"I suppose it's only right to start at the beginning."

The world was once a peaceful place, as places go. There was war, and there was famine, but all these things passed, eventually. Things always got better, and each struggle made us stronger. The people of Alva were happy. Content. Food was abundant, for the most part, and our rulers were just, and fair. They fought for their people, and the people fought for them, in return. It was not, as some people might call it, the Dark Ages, but an age of simplicity. Magic was still prevalent, its many wonders and nuances filling our hearts with wonderment, and the many races of the world kept to themselves, content to find their own little niche in life.

To the humans, their castles, where walls of stone protected them from the elements and from any who would do them harm. To the elves, the forests, where they could remain secluded and secretive. To the dwarves, the mountains, where they were free to mine precious gems and ores until their long lives ended, and to the goblins, the valley, where their encampments went unnoticed; where they could hunt without encroaching upon the forests or the castles. An uneasy truce bound them together, by keeping them apart. Such had been the case for close to one hundred years.

Fate, however, would soon have them fighting for their very exsistance.

On a day much like any other, without any significance of any kind, and without warning, a strange disruption would occur high above one of Alva's many valleys. Lightning would split the sky, dark in hue, and malevolent, in nature. The goblins of the area came spilling out into the fields, shouting wildly to the humans, who quickly took heed to inform their king of what was happening. Immediately, several soldiers were sent, to ascertain what was going on. Within the valley, where the goblins' village had once stood, was a massive sphere of Darkness. It's surface was akin to glass, and it swirled beneath the surface, like water. The area had been wiped clean of life, even the grass beneath their feet turning to death and decay. Alarmed, the soldiers immediately returned to the king, who then dispatched the kingdom's most powerful mages. What transpired was nothing short of a massacre.

Strange beings began to pour from the sphere, attacking the magi and their guards. The battle, if one could deign to call it that, was short, and led to the deaths of many brave men and women. Beset by the creatures, the survivors returned to the castle to bring news to their king.

The invasion of Darkness had begun.

One after another, the kingdoms of men fell. Darkness swept over the land like a wind, killing all in its path without mercy. The goblins and elves were not spared. The valleys were razed, the forests burned, and death continued to warp the lands. Dwarven mines were flooded with the creatures, turning their coveted halls into tombs. Mages, soldiers, warriors, hunters and even farmhands resisted, and several small victories were won, but at heavy costs. Meanwhile, beings of Darkness continued to come forth from the portal, quickly replacing those lost, and then some. Just when all hope seemed lost, a reclusive order stepped forth, wielding the power of the holy Light, to stand against Darkness as arbiters of Righteousness. They called themselves the Lightwielders, and served to bolster the waning hopes of Alva. Quickly, battles began to turn more in favor of Alviens, as more and more Lightwielders took up the charge. With their combined might, bastions of civilization began to take, and Darkness was held at bay. Complete victory, however, would be nigh impossible, with the portal to the realm of Darkness intact.

And so it was decided that a small group of Lightwielders, headed by Galdring, one of the greatest of their order, made a break for the portal, in order to seal it, and prevent Darkness from enveloping the world. Theirs was a journey of hardship and strife. Through this quest, it was first discovered that the goblins were being captured and gathered together. There, their bodies were subjected to Darkness, and taken to create several, more powerful minions. This was the first documented instance of possession by Darkness. It was not to be the last.

The Lightwielders carried on purposefully, and finally encroached upon the Dark portal, which was now massive, in size. To this day, none can be certain what transpired in these last hours, for the script, who had been one of the Lightwielders, was never able to tell their tale.. from what can be pieced together, it is believed that the group fought viciously at the Dark Portal, beating back Darkness as it came forth from all directions, in order to get to the portal. In the end, it would have been only Galdring left to finish what had been started. The portal had grown too massive, and too powerful to stop. So, using the last of his strength, Galdring shattered his own soul, as he had been depicted as saying, in the scriptures, and, using the fragments, placed a seal around the Dark Portal, so that Darkness could not completely consume all of Alva. Making the ultimate sacrifice, Galdring purchased for the world another dawn.. with his life.

Galdring’s body, now a broken shell of his former self, was quickly beset by Darkness. Unable to muster the strength to break free from its grasp, Galdring succumbed to the shadow, his remaining soul suppressed and extinguished, allowing Darkness a vessel with which to seal Alva’s fate.

A month had passed since Galdring had departed from Redwall, one of the last remaining human kingdoms. Now, as Darkness approached whilst cloaked in Galdring’s body, the people readily allowed it passage, singing Galdring’s praises for sealing the Dark Portal, all the while. However, no sooner did he cross the threshold did the Lightwielders realize their mistake. Using the Lightwielder’s body, Darkness then spoke to the people of Alva, for the first time. Naming itself Gansend, Darkness claimed lordship over all of Alva. It beckoned to the people to surrender themselves to Darkness’s rule, lest they be consumed. Almost immediately, the Lightwielders threw themselves at Gansend, hoping to smite the Darkness while it possessed this mortal form, in an attempt to end Darkness’s presence, here. With Galdring’s might, coupled with the power of Darkness, Gansend cast them down, one after another, until none could stand against him. Realizing the futility in resisting, the remaining Lightwielders turned to the peoples of Alva and ordered the surrender to Gansend. They begged the people to heed Gansend’s orders, so that they could live.. Live, to fight another day. As a collective, the Lightwielders split apart and scattered to the corners of the world, hiding their secrets and their powers, in hopes to, one day, return to free the people of Alva from Darkness’s clutches.

Gansend wasted no time in gathering up the people of Alva. As promised, they were spared from the fiends’ wrath, if only for the time being. Life would go on, albeit a shadow of their lives, before. Small pockets of rebellion would form, though none would ever dare to oppose Gansend, openly. Levies were high, and Gansend sent the people to work in the fields, and in the forests, gathering resources for an unknown purpose. No race would be spared. The elves would be forced to cut down their forests. The dwarves would toil away in their mines, only to surrender all riches they uncovered. The goblins would work with the humans in the fields, growing only enough crops to keep the people of Alva alive. This would continue for forty years. Entire generations would be born and raised under Gansend’s rule, and despair would fill the land as it became more and more unlikely that the Lightwielders would ever return..

Present day..

Gansend’s rule has persisted for close to forty years. The people of Alva have all but given up hope on ever being free from his tyranny. For the past few years, people have begun disappearing from their homes, and new horrors were beginning to take to the streets; guards and fiends with incredible power, including five creatures that have been named Gansend’s five Lords of Darkness. They each preside over an individual nation, each with their own regulations.
Lord Hagadra, of Tirisfeld
Lady Gynesa, of Jerok
Lord Demensiel, of Efenul
Lord Zuul, of Baraq
Lord Fodrn, of Syneslet
With Gansend, in Redway, the six Lords of Darkness keep the people of Alva in check, and in fear. Few know what their plans are, and none who do are ever able to speak of them, but it could be assumed that said plans are close to coming to fruition, hence the five’s hasty actions. Unknown to Gansend, however, is that there is a growing presence of rebellion. A younger generation has taken up the mantle of those who came before, organizing and plotting to overthrow Gansend. Without aid.. this generation, too, is doomed to failure. The world needs a new band of heroes, to replace the Lightwielders as Alva’s best hope for salvation. The time for waiting is over, and the time to act is now.

"I knew it well. I had always known that I would have to stand alongside the next generation to take on the Darkness. But, if you had told me that those six men and women to come into my Blacksmith would be the ones to do it.. I would have told you that you were mad. In fact, I do believe those were my exact words.. Anyway, I still remember it like it was yesterday.."