Before we get started, a modest thank you to those at Amazon for having me as a guest today
to share a few stories by the fire. Greetings. I'm glad to see you
in good health, Seeker. You've shown tremendous growth in the time
that you've been in this world. Take a seat by the hearth. It's been some time since we last spoke
of the history of Arkesia, so since we have
a moment to collect ourselves, why don't we stop to spin
the heroic tales of the past once more before the gates
to the Dreamless Paradise are opened? Before the time of man, the laws which governed all of existence
were born from order and chaos. Regulus, the God of Order, created Omnium, the cosmic universe
which housed his many creations. To breathe life into the stars,
Regulus forged the Ark, an almighty artifact
which governed the power of eternity, an ever-bright flame
which would never so much as flicker. In order to keep the Ark out of the vices
of those who would use it for evil, he would then split it
into seven fragments, each of which held
a portion of the Ark's power. Regulus then delegated the duty
of fostering life in Arkesia to seven gods of his creation, each of which possessed
a fragment of the Ark. Among the races that the gods created,
three stood out as the most powerful: the Sylvain,
supreme in the art of sorcery, the Lazenith,
the only race gifted with wings of flight, and the Haal, famously cunning warriors
and masters of dimensional travel. Things were peaceful for a spell, until the day
that the Haal tricked their god, Antares, and coveted the power of the Ark
for themselves. History says that their intent
was to use its unbelievable power to rule over the world. In an attempt to stop the Haal, the Lazenith
and the Sylvain joined forces, but even then they were no match. In a desperate, last-ditch effort,
the Lazenith infiltrated the Gods' Domain and took their god, Procyon's,
Ark fragment as well in order to tip the scales in their favor. Regulus, who had taken notice, furiously passed his judgment
on the guilty mortals and the gods
that allowed this transgression to occur. Antares, the God of the Haal,
was expelled from the Gods' Domain. Procyon, creator of the Lazenith, was stripped of his language
and forced into eternal silence. As for the Haal, Regulus showed no mercy and wiped out their race altogether. To the Lazenith,
whom he had always shown favor towards, he punished them for their sin
by crippling their wings so that they'd never take flight again. From that point onwards, the gods were forbidden
from ever interacting with mortal affairs ever again and the legend of the Ark began
to fade into obscurity. The Lazenith, filled with sorrow
for the deed that they had committed, would spend the next thousand years
praying to Regulus, begging for forgiveness. They hoped that
by earning Regulus' favor once more, they would also earn back
their blessing of flight. The Lazenith select oracles who spend their days
in the Temple of Truth, weaving the threads of fate together
to interpret messages from the gods above. They are able to read prophecies
of the past, present, and the future. These messages are then sent
to the Sword of the Lazeniths. The Sword is composed
of the race's strongest warriors. It is they who govern over the Lazenith, ensuring the peace
and safety of their people. But while they fought
to stop the Haal's plan of world invasion a millennia ago, nobody knows
why they didn't take up arms again during Kazeros' invasion 500 years later, despite their own safety
being threatened as well. Instead, the once-mighty Lazenith
have been isolated away in a Dreamless Paradise, the pathway to which had been sealed away and protected
by the Guardian of the Sea, Alaric. After the war against the Haal,
a crack formed between dimensions, bridging a link between Arkesia
and the dark star, Petrania. Petrania was created by Zosma, the God of Chaos
and counterpart to Regulus. Zosma sought to take the Ark for himself, as nothing he could create
was so everlasting as that which created all life in Omnium. However, as the demonic beings of Petrania
and mortal races clashed, more cracks formed,
which threatened the very universe itself. Regulus became aware of this and,
worried that Omnium itself would collapse, he briefly forged an alliance with Zosma to repair the damage
their conflict had brought. With the power of the Ark, Regulus and Zosma put aside
their embittered rivalry to create the Guardians, beings of light and darkness,
order and chaos. Their sole duty was to protect Arkesia
and through their power, were they able to seal away
the cracks in the universe. Zosma withdrew his forces after the ordeal and the Guardians, with their goal
of maintaining balance realized, went into slumber
until they were needed again. Many centuries would pass
and in that time, the church state of Sacria would become
Arkesia's most influential region. Their leader, Archbishop Thermer II, would discover evidence
that the Ark existed and slowly became obsessed
with the idea of obtaining it. He would not succeed in his lifetime, but his legacy would be inherited
by his son Thermer III who would be overcome
with the same obsession. The mad search for the Ark would lead
to a new conflict between the mortal races that would awaken the Guardians
and prompt them into action once more. Even if it wasn't demons,
the Guardians would make an enemy of any that would threaten
Arkesia's existence, even if it was humanity. However, it was too late, and the bridge between Petrania
and Arkesia was formed once more. But it wasn't Zosma
that descended down to the world, but instead
a new Lord of the Abyss, Kazeros, as well as his six generals. Zosma had been defeated in his own realm and Kazeros became
the new ruler of Petrania during that time. The Guardians turned their attention
toward the demons, but even with the help of humanity, who were weakened
after the war they had just ended, they were losing ground moment by moment. In the final moment of peril, though,
seven heroic figures would emerge. Named after the stars themselves, the legendary party of warriors
that humanity would call the Sidereals would even the odds
against Kazeros and his generals. Vairgrys, who knew
that they wouldn't be able to win even with the help of the Sidereals, summoned the Ark Carrier Mystic
to retrieve fragments of the Ark. The Ark was given to Luterra, the king of knights
and leader of the Sidereals, who unlocked its infinite power
and used it to seal away Kazeros' corporeal form
within Mount Antares. Kazeros would detach
his soul from his body and escape
back through the bridge to Petrania, vowing that he would one day reunite
with his body and finish what he had started. This brought an end
to the historic Chain War, a name which represented
the terrible back-to-back wars that nearly brought an end to Arkesia. The Chain War, which only ever occurred because of human greed
and obsession over the Ark, became a concern for the Sidereals, who ultimately served
as humanity's saviors. In order to prevent
such a thing from happening again, Luterra took the divided Ark and ordered each of the Sidereals
to hide a fragment somewhere no one else would know. Should the world be jeopardized again,
a Seeker would be born who would bring together
the fragments of the Ark once again as they did. Five hundred years of prosperity
would then pass, the passage of time which mended
the damage from the Chain War and led to the growth
and development of humanity. During this time, civilizations would establish
such as Arthetine, Anikka, and Vern, as well as other notable events such as the emergence
of the vengeful Delain and the downfall
of the mighty kingdom of Luterra. No matter your origin, you found yourself summoned
at the place that observes all, Trixion. The winged Lazenith Beatrice,
who oversees everything in Omnium, tasked you with the heavy burden of locating and gathering
the seven fragments of the Ark, hidden by the Sidereals. Your role as the Seeker began here. Along the way, you met many allies
that proved invaluable in your journey, but for every ally you made you also came face-to-face
with a devilish adversary. Your adventure led you
to the Ark of Trust, Asta, hidden by the late king Luterra. His parting message to you reminded you that the fate of Arkesia
may very well depend on your success in this mission. Sailing east, you arrived
at the origin place of the Mokoko. Here, your courage
to stand up for the helpless earned you the trust
of the great giant, Tortoyk, who granted you
the Ark of Creation, Ortuus, hidden by the Lazenith Sidereal Nineveh. In Anikka, you met the martial artist Wei, the successor of the late Sidereal Sien. After losing his master Sai
to the great demon Dochul, Wei inherited the role
of keeping Dochul at bay sealed within his arm, and came to terms
with his destiny to fight for the light and aid you on your journey
to defeat the impending darkness. In Arthetine, you diffused
a difficult political situation between the leaders
of its dystopian capital. The remaining leaders,
in the aftermath of the turmoil, gave you the Ark of Prescience, Agaton, which had been hidden
by the Sidereal Galaturr within the Eye of Sceptrum. In the central continent of Vern, you fought
with the ancient necromancer Sigmund, during which you briefly encountered the leader
of the Solar Guardians, Vairgrys. Vairgrys, who recognized you
as the destined Seeker, imparted to you that the balance
between light and darkness was collapsing, and that it was the duty of the Guardians
to lead Arkesia into a state of rebirth to save it. He mentioned that should you,
the Seeker, wish to make a case for the continued existence of mankind, that you should travel
to the Dreamless Paradise and meet with him there
to state your case. Traveling north brought you
to the frigid tundra of Shushire, which was frozen over
by the God of Ice, Sirius, in an attempt to destroy
all of Zosma's invading demons 1,000 years prior. You navigated through the Maze of Mirrors, where you confronted the Legion General
and Lord of Plague, Akkan. Akkan, whose body is ever-rotting,
sought the power of the Ark in order to obtain a greater body
that would never decay. Repelling him earned you
the Ark of Hope, Elpon, which was hidden there
by the Sidereal Shandi. By instruction
of the Queen of Vern, Ealyn, you sailed west
to the Sylvain capital city, Rothun, to meet with the Queen of Rohendel
and Sylvain Sidereal, Azena, who shares a body with her sister Inanna after an event from centuries past
destroyed the latter's physical form. Unusual happenings led you to uncover the illusory manipulations
of the different masters of Rohendel by the Phantom Legion General, Brelshaza. After navigating through her palace and defeating her
with the aid of Azena and Inanna, the will of the world tree entrusted you
with the Ark of Wisdom, Ratik. Traveling south to Yorn, you met the mighty dwarven race
of the Umar and investigated
the strange disappearance of its citizens. This venture brought you together with the successor
to Sidereal Galaturr's legacy, his descendant Balthorr. Overcoming the hellish sword Velcruze, you earned a dependable ally
of the world's finest blacksmiths. Finally, as you traveled to Feiton, you met with the Avesta,
a syndicate organization of Delain. A product of humanity
being corrupted by demonic influence, the Delain are frequently oppressed
by the remnants of Sacria for being perceived the same as demons. After resolving the matters between them and a dispatch
of missionaries from Sacria, you hurried to the Dark Rain Plains,
where the red moon of Kazeros had risen. Demonic forces from Petrania poured out, headed by the most dangerous
of the Legion Generals, Thaemine. The combined forces of the Delain
and the now-allied Sacrian forces allowed you to repel the demons,
but not without casualties. The fallen leader of the Avesta, Zaika, left you a letter
to seek out the sixth Ark, the Ark of Devotion, Karta, which was hidden in Feiton
by the Sidereal Sien. What remained
was the final fragment of the Ark, which was hidden away
by the Sidereal Kadan. You managed to track his location down to Isteri Village,
a remote island village, which came under sudden ambush
by chaotic guardians. Together, you were able to defeat them and protect the local villagers
of the remote island, motivating Kadan to resume his plans. However, before he leaves
to continue his own mission, he whispers to you an ominous warning: do not trust the Lazenith. With the Legion Generals touching down
on Arkesia collectively once more after the Senate were tricked to lift the barrier
that had protected South Vern, Kazeros' impending return
to his physical body seems all but certain. Thus, the Sidereal allies
that you've gathered have put all their hope in you locating
the final fragment of the Ark in the Dreamless Paradise, Elgacia,
homeland of the Lazenith, as the combined power of the Ark
is the only weapon known to be able to defeat
the Lord of the Abyss. As you prepare for your journey
to seek out the final fragment of the Ark, many thoughts linger in your mind. What happened in Elgacia 500 years ago? Why didn't they help
the other mortal races during the Chain War? If the rest of the Lazenith
didn't help humanity, why did Nineveh? Why is the passage to their homeland
sealed away in the first place? Ah, look at the time. It's about time for you to depart. You have a meeting soon with Nineveh,
don't you? The story continues as soon as you open the gate
to the Dreamless Paradise. As for me? I think I'll just rest here by the fire. Hurry along now. The truth awaits you in the sky.
