The History of the Shattered Realm

 At the dawn of time, magic raged raw and unbridled across the world, and where its power raged, nothing could exist. Roaring waves of unleashed energy tore any budding life to pieces, leaving the world barren and empty. The gods saw the chaos and destructive power of magic, and so they summoned all their strength to bundle the swirling energies and banish them into a single, powerful vessel. Thus, the great crystal was created, and around it they created the world of Kalundra.

 Countless lands soon spread out around the Herzberge, from the snow-covered tundra of Tungolheim in the far north to the fire-scarred plains of Shael-ra in the south, from the windswept desert realm of Elendis in the east to the fertile jungles of the Earthlands of Yolcathan in the west. Life flourished, and no one suspected what was hidden in the awakening shadows of the Heart Mountains.

 The crystal remained undiscovered for many generations, but gradually the realms of mortals advanced further and further into the mountains, driven by greed for power and mineral resources. One day, unsuspecting human miners deep inside the mountains opened the hidden chamber of the crystal. A magical surge of unprecedented magnitude broke forth, and all life in its path crumbled to dust in an instant. Only after several days did the flood subside, and from then on, magic flowed once more into the world like a calm river. Thus, the age of wizards dawned.

 For many centuries, the broken crystal cave remained hidden behind an impenetrable veil of mist. But gradually, more and more expeditions made their way to the Heart Mountains, and with the help of enormous magical powers, an archmage whose name has been forgotten finally managed to penetrate the mist. The cave of the great crystal was once again revealed, and mages from all over the world began to explore its powers.

 The power of the crystal awakened greed in the hearts of many beings, and time and again, wizards, kings, and warlords attempted to subjugate its power. Armies were dispatched and clashed in the valleys of the Heart Mountains. Battle followed battle, and no empire was ever able to claim control of the crystal cave for more than a few months. Deep within the mountains, the remains of countless fallen soldiers still bear witness to this era.

 After years of war, the wizards of Kalundra first noticed a change inside the crystal. Where bright, glowing colors had illuminated the chamber in the heart of the mountains in the years following its discovery, shadows and gloom increasingly took hold of the crystal. During their investigations, they also discovered thousands of fine cracks on the formerly mirror-smooth surface—the crystal was beginning to shatter from within.

 To protect the crystal and restore balance to the world, the rulers of Kalundra founded the Brotherhood of Guardians and built a mighty monastic fortress above the entrance to the crystal chamber. For generations, the Brotherhood protected the crystal from those hungry for power and calmed the magic within it through meditation. And yet, the hidden seeds of betrayal were already lurking within the ranks of the Brotherhood...

 The darkness in the hearts of the Crystal Keepers revealed itself after generations of peace and took the brotherhood by surprise in the dead of night. How many brothers had secretly planned the downfall of their order has been lost in the mists of time, but the carnage was terrible, and after bitter fighting, the last defenders were forced to retreat to the chamber of the great crystal. They immediately noticed the ominous change that had taken hold of the mighty stone. Black veils swirled within it, countless cracks covered its surface, and an ominous hum filled the chamber. Desperately, they tried to seal the chamber and calm the crystal with ritual chants, but it was too late. As the attackers broke into the chamber and the last defender gave his life, time seemed to stand still for an agonizingly long moment. And then the crystal shattered...

 The shockwave from the explosion tore through the Heart Mountains like a hungry beast, leaving a trail of uncontrolled bursts of pure magic in its wake. Peaks burst apart and kilometer-deep chasms opened up on the plains. The wave of destruction raged on and on until it finally reached even the outermost regions of Kalundra. Mages of all nations offered their skills to control the unbridled magical forces, but even the best among them were unable to stop the storm. Thousands upon thousands fell victim to the inferno, and finally, the world itself broke apart. Kalundra was torn into countless fragments that drifted aimlessly among the stars. One world had become thousands.

 The fragments of the great crystal fell like a magical rain onto the shards of Kalundra, and the elders believe that it was their magic that prevented our world from being reduced to nothing but barren rocks. Even on the smallest fragments, there was still day and night, air to breathe, and the same climate as before the collapse. When the chaos finally subsided, life returned to many of the small shards. But not all the fragments of the old world were small. Where the mages of the great nations had thrown themselves into the storm, the fragments were larger, and so entire empires drifted through the void like mighty islands. And although many wizards had paid for the fight against the magical maelstrom with their lives, there were still enough left to rebuild the old academies...

 Driven by the energy of the crystal fragments, magic has survived on the shards to this day, and powerful schools of magic have sprung up in all realms. It is not known which of them ultimately opened the first portal to another world, but now envoys from all the great nations travel from shard to shard to explore new lands and find hidden fragments of the great crystal. The journeys are dangerous, and a mage can only ever travel through a portal alone, but in times of danger they can still hope for help from home. Through magical gates, they can summon wild creatures from their own world to protect them, and even though each of these summons requires precious magic, these unwilling helpers often form the last line of defense for threatened mages. This is the age of summoners, and as long as each of the Shattered Realms hungers for more and more magic, the hunt for crystal fragments will never end.