The First Ones are the primordial beings born from the dreams of the Endless Night, the cosmic sleeper whose slumber birthed the world. Neither gods nor mortals, the First Ones were the earliest sentient entities to walk the world -- vast in power, elemental in nature, and instrumental in shaping the fate of all creation. They were not made in the world; they are of it -- echoes of the night’s joy, sorrow, fury, and fear.
Origin in Dream
Before the world had form, the Endless Night lay in a perfect, starless stillness. But when fire and thunder broke the void, the Night stirred. In her restless sleep came dreams -- some bright, some terrible. From these dreams, five great powers emerged, each embodying a different aspect of her dreaming mind. These were the First Ones.
They are:
The Necrist – nightmares of nothingness, horror, and unraveling.
The Leviathan – strange and silent, born from the world’s shuddering sigh.
The Arboriad – slow and enduring, the creeping calm of growth and time.
The Radiant – dreams of hope and protection, guardians of light and grace.
The Elder Twins – the Elder Giants and the Elder Dragons, born in the border between waking and sleep, the last and most sentient of her dreams.
Each of the First Ones is both a race and a symbol -- forces that shaped the world not only by action but by being. They did not merely inhabit the world; they defined it.
Natures and Philosophies
Each of the First Ones bore a distinct philosophy, often in opposition:
The Arboriad sought to grow, to expand across the lands in peaceful dominion.
The Elder Dragons demanded division, order, and sovereignty, desiring kingdoms and rule.
The Radiant longed to create, seeking to pass on their power through children.
The Elder Giants chose to learn, walking the world and gathering wisdom.
The Necrist yearned for annihilation, to return all to the quiet before creation.
The Leviathan, ancient and unknowable, watched in silence, their purpose unclear.
These philosophies seeded both wonder and distrust, and though the First Ones were not born with hatred, tension grew among them as they explored their place in the world.
The War of the First Ones
Inevitably, peace failed. Who struck first is a mystery lost to time, but all histories agree that it was the Elder Dragons who first spoke of war -- and perhaps desired it. Blame was passed between the races: the Dragons accused the Giants, the Radiant accused the Necrist, and the Arboriad accused the Dragons.
What followed was devastation.
The War of the First Ones reshaped the world. Mountains shattered, seas split, and the sky itself was broken by their wrath. The Radiant were the first to fall, their bodies transfigured into the sun, moon, and stars. The Necrist dissolved themselves, becoming shadows, rot, and ruin. The Leviathans descended into the depths of the oceans and sleep. The Arboriad buried themselves in the hearts of ancient forests. The Giants and Dragons retreated to remote strongholds in mountains and peaks.
The war’s end marked the Twilight of the First Ones, and with it began the age of their children -- the races of the world as known today.