View source for The Narrative

The Narrative is the mystical contract through which the planes, and the beings bound to them like the fey and other non-mortals, are woven together. When the First Death occurred during the [[First War]], and [[Virvius]] fell to [[Altma|Altma's]] blade, he tumbled through the planes and, in doing so, birthed the concept of beginnings, the journey, and endings. Thus, The Narrative began.

This moment irrevocably changed the [[Faeries|faerie]], the ancient tenders of the [[Leylines]]. No longer did they simply safeguard magic—they began to safeguard story. And The Narrative only continued to grow.

When [[Draco]], the first [[The Mortal Races|mortal]], soared the skies of the primordial [[The Material Plane|Material Plane]], he encountered great beasts, demi-gods, and forces older than time. He introduced the idea of mortal choice, of a mortal's story. This became the envy of all, for mortals were not bound. They could change. They could grow. Even the [[gods]] envied such power. Draco’s own ascension introduced the concept of existence after death, a true gift.

Then came the [[Ithians]], led by [[Ratamos]]. They gifted magic to the world, an act of great ambition and greater failure, for they tampered with forces beyond their comprehension, beyond even the gods. Their hubris led to [[the Cataclysm]], and from it, calamity. Yet The Narrative held strong.

When the gods reshaped the Material and created the mortal races, they did so—perhaps unknowingly—inspired by the stories of the Ithians. Those who dwelt by stone became the hardy, stout folk who would become the dwarves. The elegant, agile beings of the trees became the elves. Even if the gods were unaware, The Narrative helped guide their hands.

As the mortal races grew, becoming more intricate and nuanced, so too did The Narrative. Faeries began to take on Mantles, roles shaped by myths and legends. Seasons became tied to the elemental planes: [[The Summer Court|Summer]] to [[Pulse]] and [[Evalius (The Plane)|Light]], [[The Winter Court|Winter]] to [[Atrophy]] and [[Everdark|Dark]], [[The Autumnal Courts|Autumn]] and [[The Spring Court|Spring]] to the continuous [[Impetus]] of change, the [[Eda|Grey]] between. [[Verda]], the faerie realm, was reshaped by these tales, feeding into and drawing power from the Material. It grew stronger.

The faerie, in turn, became ambitious. They began to collect stories, to hoard them, to make them stronger. They embedded these tales into the Leylines, transforming story into literal magic. Even primal forces and formless spirits began to shift, gaining name and identity as The Narrative enveloped them.

Over millennia, The Narrative not only chronicled the mortal races, it shaped them. Great tales of heroism, villainy, mastery, loss, and triumph were told and retold until they became [[Aspects]]—mythic motes of power that could be bestowed, earned, or awakened within a mortal soul. These Aspects elevate individuals, allowing them to rise above, to change the world or themselves in small or extraordinary ways.