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Current Year: 500
Selena's Awakening: Year 528
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After Selena, the Eldritch Abomination, fell into her fifty-year slumber, the Dark Elves began their recovery.
The loss of their people had made them even more cautious.
The newborns, already with physical bodies of adults by Year 500, were still young and inexperienced. With fewer numbers, the Arachne infesting the tunnels were growing faster. And in the far distance, goblins with a programmed hatred for them continued to roam the western mountains.
Even after Selena's fall, every goblin and Brood Mother had become aware of the birthplace of their creator's nemesis. The resulting aftermath was a continued onslaught of goblins.
Thankfully, with Myra holding the Chaos Gene within her, the following hordes couldn't injure even one of them.
To ensure no casualties or injuries, knowing that their weapons could not harm her, she traveled out alone to annihilate the hordes until the Brood Mothers were forced to stop, requiring the remainder to recover and grow again.
After Selena, nine Brood Mothers were left. One was teleported to the western continent, and three were later found and destroyed by Myra.
To combat her and avoid extinction, the Brood Mothers created a communication network similar to what they had with Selena, except with no overarching mind. With this, the remaining five learned and have been managing to evade Myra's genocide, but their growth was stifled.
The Dark Elves, who learned of this lush and green land far to the west, became curious. Green, fertile lands versus the harsh, unforgiving wasteland and dangerous tunnels?
After twenty years of recovery, and with a few more Dark Elven children born- spurring their desire for a more hospitable land- expeditions began.
Acting as a midpoint, a strange cave they hadn't known about before became their outpost. And from here, sweet berries, delicious animals free of toxins, and clean water beyond the Oasis flowed into their encampment.
Yet some argued that they should remain in the desert. The mountains, teeming with life and abundance, would make them soft, and the desert acted as a perfect natural defense against future hordes of monsters.
Their counter-argument? Rituals could be held to send the young into the desert for trials and tribulations. Myra could protect them, and they could grow more easily.
But the pro-desert Dark Elves argued it would be suicide and even crueler if they were not brought up to understand the dangers from birth. The new lands would also harbor new poisons, unknowns, and dangers that could kill their people- though they had yet to find any toxins on par with the desert.
At least in the desert, they had five centuries of experience.
The debates and heated arguments have endured for two years and have yet to cease. Meanwhile, expeditions continued into the base of the lush western region, uncovering little to no dangers beyond the goblins.
The harpies were devastated after their battles with the Dragons, and most of their populace became concentrated around the coastal mountains after such an incursion.
Xanveris, Xelvanya, and Zark became the three who stood in Myra's place when she was away, taking charge of expeditions and protecting their people.
The newest of the Sahir Tenebris, only 22 years old, was not yet allowed to take part in any leadership due to her inexperience but was still highly respected.
Any who held the powers of the Red Mist were now revered, with anticipation that they could be blessed like Myra and become the honor of their family for millennia.
Meanwhile, on the Primordial landmass, Ignis Firebeard died of old age. His soul, like many others, was bereft in a void with no afterlife, doomed to disappear into nothingness as there was no default afterlife system in place.
His successor, Glacies Firebeard- named after a certain Primordial's cold flames that froze rather than burned- took up the mantle. Their history, their heritage, remained as tainted as the first generation.
Multiple dwarves, friends of Glacies, swooned around his love interests, and one by one, they each died, falling victim to unfortunate "accidents." It was so strange and obvious, yet with no proof, people could only suspect him, earning him the title of "the dwarf with the most dead friends."
Despite their chaotic rivalries behind the scenes, the dwarves remained the most advanced civilization on the planet. Iron forges became commonplace as they began experimenting with coal, copper, tin, and other materials to create stronger alloys.
They came close a few times but failed.
Another achievement was the mastery of the Dragon's Breath to create the first magically enchanted weapons.
Ingots created solely through Dragon's Breath were imbued with one specific element. They tried using multiple dragons and even multiple Primordials before they scattered, but only one element would ever stick.
For the Primordials, however, they were capable of visualizing specific runes to assist in their embodiment and creation of magic beyond their Dragon's Breath.
Unaware of the dwarves' internal politics, the Queen shared the four most basic runes with them for the simple four elements. While still unable to be used in combination, these runes allowed stronger connections to the imbued element and gave the wielder or wearer the ability to trigger it at will.
The first Rare equipment worthy of notification was created on Atlas's planet.
As for the Primordials and their dragons, per Atlas's request, they stopped procreating. This bothered some males initially, but to appease their Sky God, they complied.
When news of the massacre of several Primordials and dragons reached the Queen and other Primordial females from a fleeing dragon, their fury knew no bounds. The desire to leave and exterminate life on the western coast of the eastern continent grew year by year- to have revenge for their children against the Black Primordial and harpies.
They understood the Sky God's intent to save this landmass's wildlife population, but they could not abide others killing their children.
The only reason they refrained was due to the Queen's consistent prayer- a prayer that desired revenge, permission to scorch the land. And to this date, it remained unanswered, and the others' patience was wearing thin.
And on the Western continent, problems were beginning to arise. Corpses of beastkin and humans with their innards removed were found along the outskirts.
Neither side- North or South- claimed responsibility. Yet both distrusted each other, and tensions began to mount again as the source of these abominable acts remained unknown.
The elves, however, discovered the truth quickly. Their keen senses and magic clashed violently with the goblins that had now invaded the continent.
Much like on the eastern continent, the goblins harbored an instinctual hatred for elves. They did not explore much after encountering them, as their sole purpose was reignited.
Only out of the necessity to grow strong enough to exterminate the elves did they venture further- reaching humans and other parts of the continent. They also had little choice, as new arrivals along the mountainous regions made exploration dangerous.
Roasting to death was not an ideal outcome.
Nor did the dwarves appreciate their presence when they were discovered. The dwarves in the region, developing their first iron weaponry and crossbows, quickly turned them against the goblins.
Much to the Brood Mother's confusion, outside of finding her nemesis so quickly, some goblins began severing from her connection. Not many, but enough to make her more wary of the mountainous region surrounding her.
In response, she cautiously redirected goblins toward false caves to avoid detection.
It was the difference between a subtle ping of a goblin's death- the mind connection gently returning- or a jolt as the connection was forcibly ripped away.
Little did she know, she was already found. And the culprits?
The Green Primordial, disguised in elven form, and the beastkin vampire. But neither acted to exterminate the Brood Mother.