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[11C[1m°±²ÛÛ [37mA Brief History of Exitilus [34mÛÛ²±°
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[8C[32mIn the beginning there was a programmer named Tao and a computer,
and Tao said, "Let there be bugs," and there were. Oh, wait, wrong story...=)

[8C[32mIn the beginning there were the Heavens and the Earth,
and between them there was [36mExitilus. [32mBoth Faerie and Mortal alike
shared in the domain of [36mExitilus, [32mtraversing between the planes
Physical and Ethereal, communing in the borderland of worlds. But
soon Mortals and Faerie began to settle [36mExitilus [32mas home, and
conflict arose between those Faerie of evil disposition and the
less powerful (but more numerous) Mortals. Battle lines were drawn
and the Mortals might have perished very quickly but for the power
and leadership of the [35mWhite Mage Amercredes[32m. Wielding power greater
than any Mortal before or since, Amercredes overcame the [35mDemon
Majick [32mand made it possible for the Mortals to kill the evil Faerie.
Their superior numbers now a huge advantage, the Mortals began to
steadily overwhelm the dark forces and the tides of battle turned
in their favor. But it was then that the Demons awoke [35mXenochia[32m, the
incarnation of evil itself.

[8CThe war had raged across the entire length and breadth of
[36mExitilus[32m, and settlements both Mortal and Faerie lay in ash and ruin
when the two forces met each other for the last time. Thousands upon
thousands of Demons and similarly twisted apparitions skittered across
the field, led by the towering form of [35mXenochia [32mupon a writhing,
midnight dragon. [35mAmercredes[32m, astride a powerful, white stallion,
advanced as well, trailed by rank upon rank of armored men, some
Human, some Dwarven, some Elven, some of half-breed, and an occasional
Good Faerie with glittering vengeance in his eyes.
[8CThe two mammoth armies paused then, and their respective leaders
rode forth, stopping mere yards from one another.
[8CIt is said that [35mXenochia [32mthen demanded the unconditional
surrender of the realm of [36mExitilus[32m. It is also said that [35mAmercredes
[32mrefused and ordered the Arch-Demon to withdraw or be destroyed.
Whatever the exchange that took place that day, it was to determine
the fate of the entire realm, and it is no surprise that [35mXenochia [32mwas
the first to strike.

[8CShe attacked the hardy mage with all the fury and power of
Hell, but the mage turned the blow aside with ease and countered with
a bolt of lightning that could have destroyed a kingdom. The
massive projectile deflected noiselessly off the Fiend's armor and
leveled some foothills twenty miles to the east. The two combatants
now realized that they would not overcome their opponent by
conventional means and they began to probe for each others weaknesses.
[8CNow came an attack by the Demon, raining fire down upon the
mage, now a counterstrike of ice encasing the Fiend for but a moment.
Neither succeeded in doing anything but demolishing their surroundings,
and many casualties were suffered on both sides due to stray [35mmajicks
[32mcareening into the ranks. The struggle continued well through the
night and into morning when [35mAmercredes [32mstumbled upon an idea and
directed a beam of coherent light at the Demon's eyes. For the first
time since the fight began, a combatant had suffered a blow, and
momentum swung wide into the Mortals' favor. A shout of triumph
arose from the Mortal ranks, accompanied by a shriek of dismay as
the Demons saw their Goliath roar in pain. The White Mage pressed
his advantage, bombarding the Fiend with Light, but [35mXenochia
[32mcounterattacked ferociously, frightened by her first taste of pain,
and the drain of the [35mLight majick [32mas it began to take its toll.

[35mAmercredes [32mknew, however, that if he kept up his current pace his
defenses would soon be exhausted, and it became apparent that Light
alone would not be enough to overcome his foe. But a plan had begun
to form in his wise, grey head and he gathered strength to implement
it.
[8CIt had occured to the wise mage that he and [35mXenochia [32mwere
the exact antithesis of each other, and just as light dispells the
darkness, his pure heart could overcome the other's core of evil. But
he knew that to expose the core of his being to such an evil could
very well be enough to destroy him as well.
[8CHe suddenly found himself willing to make the sacrifice to
save his fellow Mortals, and with a mighty yell he summoned a
whirlwind to convey his foe into the air where he met her in
midflight, clinging tightly to her massive, evil frame. He then tilted
back his head and screamed as shards of brilliant, pure light spread
from his heart into the Demon. She shrieked then as well, but could
not escape his incredible grip, and the goodness began to creep into
every particle of her abominous mass. Finally, the brilliance had
permeated her being and with a mighty clap of thunder and a blaze of
light that blinded all who looked upon it, she blew apart, and was
overcome. And in that moment the world of Exitilus was shaken to its
foundation as its moorings in Heaven and on Earth were broken and it
careened off into Limbo and away from reality.

[8C[35mAmercredes [32mfell then, his lifeless body breaking upon the
ground. The majority of both armies had been destroyed by the cataclysm,
but a few remaining Mortals rushed to the dead wizard's side, and bore
him away from the field to be given a proper burial. The remaining
evil Faerie, having lost their link to Ethereal power, slinked away
to hide in the wilderness, their [35mmajick [32mall but gone.
[8CThe realm of [36mExitilus [32mnow floated in Limbo, existing, but as
its own reality, with no bonds linking it to other realities. A gate
leading to Hell would later be found by ambitious Demons seeking to
regain the lost majicks, but the door was one-way and none who left
could come back.
[8CThe Mortals, having never relied solely on [35mmajick[32m, set about
rebuilding a civilization, and restoring lost knowledge. It has been
one-hundred years since they began and [36mExitilus [32mhas come a long way.
Kingdoms flourish, and many of the ancient arts have been rediscovered.
Majick has again become powerful, and those with ambition strive to
wield it better than anyone else. The realm of [36mExitilus [32mexists well
in its separation from reality, but remember one thing well for the
realm has not completely healed. Good and Evil may struggle for
supremacy, but in [36mExitilus[32m, [33mChaos reigns supreme.[0m[255D
