I. The Coming of Shadows

As the Venthari set out to warn the rest of the mortal races about the impending danger posed by the forces of the Far Realm, they soon found themselves facing a dire and harrowing reality—the beginning of The Incursion. The sky darkened with ominous clouds, as strange and eldritch shapes began to materialize on the horizon, signaling the arrival of a nightmarish invasion from the deepest recesses of the cosmos.

Illithid nautiloids descended from the skies, while a host of creatures that defied the laws of physics and sanity slithered and writhed their way into the mortal realm. These were the vanguard of The Incursion, heralding the arrival of an even greater threat—the Great Old Ones, ancient beings of unfathomable power who sought to consume all that lay before them, and their incomprehensible legions of abominations.

Drawn by the cataclysmic energy released during The Upheaval and the faltering of the Archway, the denizens of the Far Realm surged forth, unleashing unspeakable horrors upon Eldareth's inhabitants, their arrival marking the beginning of a dark and brutal chapter in Eldareth's history.

As the forces of the Far Realm descended upon the mortal realms, the Venthari raced against time to warn the unsuspecting inhabitants of the impending danger. With each passing moment, The forces of The Incursion grew stronger, seeking to subjugate and devour all that stood in its path.

Illithids, creatures of insidious intellect and mastery of psionic abilities, swept through the land like a plague, ensnaring countless victims in their psychic thrall and bending their wills to their dark bidding. Entire cities and towns fell beneath the shadow of the mind flayers' dominion, with their inhabitants reduced to mere puppets in the hands of their eldritch masters.

Amidst the chaos, Beholders—twisted aberrations with eyes that could unleash devastating magical energies—descended upon the land, their baleful gaze laying waste to all that stood before them. Cities crumbled beneath the force of their onslaught, their towering spires and grand monuments reduced to rubble in a matter of moments.

But the devastation did not end there Neogi, spider-like beings with a penchant for slavery and domination, skittered through the ruins of once-great cities, capturing unsuspecting victims to serve as fodder for their dark rituals. Horrified screams echoed through the streets, the Tsochars stalked the shadows, their grotesque forms twisting and contorting as they hunted for prey, unleashing their parasitic spawn upon the unsuspecting populace. Corrupting their bodies and minds with maddening whispers from the Far Realm, innocent villagers were seized by convulsions as the wriggling larvae burrowed into their flesh.

Above, the skies writhed with the presence of Grells, airborne predators with tentacled mouths and razor-sharp beaks, descending upon their prey with deadly precision. With each passing moment, the forces of the Far Realm tightened their grip upon Eldareth, their influence spreading like a cancerous blight across the land.

As the mortal races recoiled in horror at the sight of the encroaching darkness, the Venthari fought valiantly to stem the tide of The Incursion, rallying their allies and marshaling their newfound psionic powers against the eldritch forces that threatened to engulf them all. But with each passing moment, the Great Old Ones drew closer, their insatiable hunger for chaos and destruction driving them ever onward toward their ultimate goal—the total annihilation of Eldareth and its inhabitants.

In the face of such overwhelming odds, the five Dragon Ascendants, guardians of Eldareth's ancient secrets and protectors of its people, realized that they had to take action to bolster the defenses of the mortal races against the encroaching darkness. Turning to the ancient powers of creation, they sought out the Soul Forge, a relic of a bygone era crafted by the giants in ages past, seeking to harness its mystical energies and breathe life into a new race: the Dragonborn.

Forged in the crucible of divine power and imbued with the essence of the dragons, the Dragonborn emerged as a formidable force. With scales of hardened steel and endowed with strength, courage, and an unyielding spirit, the Dragonborn stood ready to defend their world from annihilation, their ranks swelling to form a army that would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the mortal races in their darkest hour.

In the tumultuous months that followed the initial onslaught of the Far Realm, the world of Eldareth was plunged into a grim and unrelenting struggle for survival. Though The Incursion had not spread to every corner of the world, the primary hubs of civilization bore the brunt of The Incursion, their once-proud cities and towns reduced to battlegrounds claiming the lives of countless souls.

As the mortal races banded together in a desperate struggle for survival, they faced unimaginable horrors on the battlefield, confronting twisted abominations and eldritch monstrosities. Yet, for every victory won, many lives were lost, and the toll of the conflict grew ever heavier with each passing day.

Amidst the chaos and devastation, the population of Eldareth declined rapidly, with over half of the planet's inhabitants falling victim to the ravages of war and the advance of the forces of the Far Realm. Cities lay in ruins, once-thriving communities reduced to little more than ash and rubble as the battle for survival raged on.