The Four Great Cities

As was Ia's command, the men and women maintained order upon the Earth. As the number of the humans grew, so, too, grew their faith in Ia and the good deeds of the 13 apostles, their fame and glory spreading throughout the lands.

However, this peace became fragile with the passage of time. The puny piece of land inhabited by the humans only allowed for a limited amount of food to be cultivated. The humans began to argue over how best to demonstrate their gratitude to Ia.

The 13 apostles had never known discord, for they had never experienced any similar sensations before, and it made them deeply worried. As the conflict was about to come to a head, the 13 apostles remembered their mission. They were to rule over the world and to populate it. They realized that Misilen had previously unexplored corners aplenty, which were home to many other beings, and that a larger piece of land must be found in order for humanity to thrive. Each of the 13 apostles gathered their followers around them and set forth on a journey.

THE ANCESTORS OF THE MAGES – DELPHI
Alet Aines and his followers Ian Strauss and Mamaseris were the first of the 13 apostles to set out. As they journeyed southwards, they came to a beautiful forest, filled with the feeling of tranquility. They dubbed it Delphi and commenced the construction of houses.

All sorts of creatures watched them from the thickets of the quiet forest. The creatures belonged to a Goblin tribe and saw the humans as their enemy, believing them to have invaded their forest. And thus did a lengthy struggle for control over Delphi begin between humans and Goblins.

As the war with the Goblins wore on, Alet Aines decided to ask Ia for help. As Alet Aines prayed to Ia to watch over them, he felt Ia's spirit flow through Delphi. They all followed the spirit and just as it had led them to the discovery of Delphi, now, too, it led them to the sacred tower and shrine of Ia.

Spurred on by this discovery, Alet Aines, Ian Strauss and Mamaseris began their studies of the good deeds of Ia. They were blessed with the art of magic and developed a powerful form of sorcery. Alet Aines and his two followers soon became known as the Three Mages of Delphi.

The efforts of the Three Mages of Delphi made a mighty city of magic arise, and the struggle with the Goblins for control over the war weary forest soon ended. The powerful sorcery had made the humans victorious. The Goblins were forced back down into their subterraneous sanctuary, waiting for their chance to reconquer their land ever since.

THE DESCENDANTS OF THE PRIEST – PAPYRUS
The two apostles named Manchourie and Nina Christian were known for both their deep faith in Ia and the loyalty of their followers. They all set out together, strong in their faith that wherever they went, they would always feel the spirit of Ia with them.

It was their conviction that location had no influence over their devotion to Ia that would lead them to a place in the center of Misilen, not far from the pillar of light which had been sent down to Earth by Ia during the creation. They named their new home Papyrus, and their faith in Ia grew stronger still.

Papyrus knew no craggy rocks or rough weather—it was a place whose natural beauty could easily compare to heaven. As there were no tribes of savages or dangerous wild animals there, Papyrus was one of the first great cities blessed with swift growth. Whoever took but a cursory glance at Papyrus' secure location couldn't help thinking that Manchourie’s faith in Ia was well-placed.

Only the 13 apostles, who met often and in secrecy for preparations, knew the truth about Papyrus. Misilen's inhabitants learned of these regular meetings and rumors and a general uneasiness began to spread. The 13 apostles needed a pretense for their meetings.

And so it came to pass that a Temple of Ia was erected in Papyrus, where the 13 apostles could continue their meetings disguised as pilgrims to the shrine. This also allowed them to make Papyrus an important center of their faith, and they hoped that the people would eventually start making regular pilgrimages to the shrine to pray to Ia.

The four great cities formed an alliance. The 13 apostles who had ruled the cities observed the situation with great unease—if the humans were to find out about the revelation given to Manchourie and Nina, strife was bound to plague the inhabitants of Misilen again one day.

Manchourie and Nina, the ones who were given the divine revelation, searched for new ways to use their spiritual powers for the benefit of their magic. Manchourie transformed his spiritual powers into supernatural attack powers, while Nina Christian's spiritual powers gave her great wisdom and second sight. They saw these powers as a manifestation of the power of their goddess that would strengthen the humans’ faith.

THE PROGENY OF THE RANGERS - YOTUNHEIM
One group was more rational and humanlike than the rest. They were led by Dyureg Fabias, and set great value upon the means that allowed them to develop a joint strategy and which gave them the power to forge the technology they needed, for above all were they known for their speed. The group set out in northerly direction and let their instincts guide them to a large lake in the middle of a rugged landscape, where they could settle down.

The rugged terrain provided a natural strategic advantage, offering an ideal place to build an unassailable stronghold. Dyureg named the land Yotunheim and laid down the foundations of a city, accompanied by his followers.

The apostles Caelin Freean and Nami Johanssen had also joined Dyureg. Each of them possessed great strategic and architectural skills, which proved to be of tremendous advantage in the construction of the city.

During the construction Dyureg focused on strengthening the defenses and building up the military power of the city. The astonishing speed and enormous military superiority of the city's army soon set an example for all the other cities to follow. Dyureg knew how important it was to put ones faith and trust in Ia. Yet he knew the endeavors of the humans to be equally important. Keledus was green with envy when he saw the bustling city and its army. For even though he had possessed the powers of darkness, he now longed to have the agility and mobility he had seen in Yotunheim.

Keledus realized that because he did not possess the power of life, his dark powers, and those of his army of the undead, were limited. Keledus believed that he would be invincible if he had a more organized and agile army at his disposal. He began to search for ways that he could take Yotunheim and make its power serve his own ends.

THE PROGENY OF THE WARRIOR – TAEHO
Lirenze, known as the eldest brother of the 13 apostles, received a revelation from Ia on the eve of his journey. It concerned the Ancient Forest of Rest, the protection of which was to become Lirenze's duty. Lirenze wished to learn more of the Ancient Forest, and Ia's spirit guided him over the Island of Heaven to the forest itself. Lirenze was named protector of its sanctity, and embarked on the journey to the thick forests in the northeast of Misilen with his followers Kaga Spirit, Jean Ivanovich, Lee Rayeon and Peo Lahisha.

Not one of the thousand that followed Lirenze ever raised a doubt or voiced a complaint. The reason for this lay in Lirenze's personality—he never refused a task, no matter how difficult or uninviting it might have seemed. All those who followed Lirenze were very fond of him and their faith in their leader was unswerving, no matter what obstacles lay in their path, for they were indeed all cut from the same cloth. When Lirenze finally came upon the Ancient Forest of Rest, he named it Taeho and started to build a city.

Although the settlement was not threatened by any monsters, the rugged mountains that surrounded the area slowed the construction works down considerably. Even the very term “city” was just a decoy for Lirenze's true intentions—namely, to keep the Ancient Forest of Rest a secret and to protect it.

His followers, the dwellers of Taeho, never revealed the truth, for they, too, were protectors of the forest. From the outside, Taeho looked like an ordinary mountain city, but in actuality it was a fortress whose natural surroundings imbued it with extra strength.