For your dose of fantasy today, I bring you a legend from the ancient world, Eldura.
Countless legends cross this land. They dwell beneath its stones, along its rivers, and in the very foundations of the earth.
One such tale recounts the division of the ancient kingdom of Neverune, the most illustrious city Eldura has ever known.
The Divided Kingdom
Legend tells that before Ruka’s betrayal sent the city of Orison into the depths of the sea, there was a great and ancient kingdom, Neverune, ruled through the ages by wisdom and might by a sacred line of kings. The kingdom withstood the insistent attacks of Alessandra—the dark goddess was envious of the kingdom’s prosperity and longed to overtake the throne for herself. But the line of kings persisted in protecting their city. And their rule lasted for one thousand years.
But like all such stories, such a faery tale could not continue forever.
What the line of kings did not know, in spite of their wisdom and the careful governance of their seers, was that calamity waited with carefully folded wings. And it chose the perfect moment to strike.
One thousand years after Alessandra’s betrayal of the elemental titans, they who carefully governed the workings of the prime plane of Eldura, another mortal rose to the power of godhood.
The champion of water, right-hand of Thalyssa, betrayed the city he had been appointed to protect. The earth around Orison splintered and burst, sending the city into the gaping maw of the sea. With the sacrifice of thousands of souls, the former champion, Ruka, rose to Alessandra’s side.
A god of trickery, lies, and deceit, Ruka twisted the minds of Neverune’s great kings and turned them against the people they had been appointed to serve. A new line of leaders rose up in their stead, determined to be protectors of the people and to rid the land of the kings’ corruption.
War and infighting tore apart the ancient kingdom. Thousands more lives were lost.
Distressed by what transpired in their realms, the titans intervened. Thalyssa sent the waters to divide the kingdom, to shrink the influence and power of any single king. Gaia called mountains to rise up from the earth and divide the kingdom still further.
It was not the first time the titans had resorted to separation and rising waters to quell rebellion and bloodshed upon the planes of life, nor would it be the last. From their workings, eventually, peace returned. The city of Respite grew up from the western mountains. To the north, the people created Vestige, a land ravaged by the fallen line of kings who left much of the city in ruins with their fall. The most powerful of the three arose in the east. There, the new line of kings continued in their rule. And at the heart of the throne of Sanctuary, the dream remains: that one day, the three cities might be united again. This is the true promise of the kings’ rule.
Neverune in the Timeline of Eldura
Of the stories included here at Tales of Eldura, the oldest is The Tree of Silver. But as you’ll see in the prologue, the story takes place after the fall of Orison and the division of Neverune.
That being said, the ancient kingdom and the cities of Respite, Sanctuary, and Orison play an important role in The Tree of Silver. I hope you enjoyed this story!
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“The Legend of Neverune, the Divided Kingdom,” copyright 2021 Beth Ball. All rights reserved.
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