Chapter 1.2: The Burning of Iltharis: The Fall of the High Elven Crown

Before the dawn of the First Age, when the world of Eldoria was still young and the divine influence of the gods lingered upon the land, the Elves were the firstborn of magic. Created by the Elder Gods, they were meant to be the keepers of balance, wisdom, and harmony, standing as guardians over nature and the forces that shaped the world.

For a time, they flourished in unity, their great kingdom of Iltharis stretching from the golden forests of Evervale to the silver peaks of the Celestine Mountains. They built cities of light, harnessing the power of the stars, and stood above all other races in knowledge and grace.

But power breeds ambition, and ambition breeds division.

And so, the elves sundered—a rift that would never heal, a war that would forever change their fate.

The Ascension of Iltharis – A Kingdom Above the World

Iltharis was more than a city—it was the heart of Elven civilization, the first and greatest kingdom of magic. But as the High Elves looked upon the growing conflicts of the mortal world, they feared corruption and war would one day reach their gates. Seeking to preserve their kingdom from the turmoil below, the Council of Elders undertook the greatest magical feat in history: the Ascension of Iltharis.

Harnessing the power of the Celestine Wells—the ancient ley lines of purest magic that pulsed beneath Eldoria—the archmages wove a grand spell. The mountains trembled, the heavens split with divine light, and Iltharis rose into the skies, its spires ascending above the clouds. No longer bound to the mortal lands, the city became a floating kingdom, untouched by war, a beacon of eternal wisdom and power.

For centuries, the High Elves of Iltharis lived in their skybound citadel, believing they had secured their place as the true stewards of Eldoria. But hubris is a dangerous thing, and even among their own kind, darkness festered.

The Birth of Darkness – The Forbidden Path

Among the elves, there were those who sought more than what was given.

Led by a brilliant yet arrogant mage, Kaelith Dravanor, these elves believed that the true potential of their kind had been restricted by the gods. The High Elves, bound by tradition, clung to their belief in balance and restraint, refusing to delve into the deeper mysteries of magic.

But Kaelith and his followers were not content with limits. They wished to master the forces of the world, to wield power that even the gods would fear. They turned to the Shadow Weave, an ancient form of magic said to be born from the remnants of the Titans of Darkness.

The High Elves declared such magic forbidden.

Kaelith refused to listen.

He and his followers began practicing dark sorcery, twisting the forces of life and death. They experimented on themselves, seeking immortality beyond even the natural longevity of elves. They made pacts with forgotten entities, beings older than the gods themselves.

Their transformation was gradual but undeniable. Their once-radiant eyes darkened, their skin turned pale as moonlight or deep as the abyss, and their very presence became something unnatural.

They were no longer High Elves.

They had become the Dark Elves—the Duskborn, the Forsaken, the Children of Shadow.

The War of Sundering – The Fall of Iltharis

When the Council of Elders discovered Kaelith's dark practices, they exiled him and his followers, casting them from the golden halls of the High Elves.

But exile was not enough.

The Dark Elves fled into the hidden places of the world, into the depths of Eldoria, where the sun's light never touched. There, in the shadowed ruins of an ancient civilization, they built their own kingdom—Vael'narith, the City of Eternal Night.

For years, they waited. They watched. They grew in number.

And then, they returned with fire and shadow.

The War of Sundering had begun.

The Burning of Iltharis – The Fall of the Skyborne ThroneThe Night of Ash and Blood

Under the cover of an eclipse, when the moon turned black and the stars seemed to weep, the Dark Elves struck.

Using forbidden shadow gates, they infiltrated Iltharis' defenses, opening the city to an onslaught of dark sorcery and summoned horrors.

The Imperial Guard of the Sun Elves, once believed invincible, were slain in the streets, their golden armor shattered like glass.

The Crystal Spire, the heart of Iltharis' magic, was corrupted, its ancient wards broken, allowing the Dark Elves' demon allies to spill into the city.

As the battle raged, Kaelith Dravanor himself ascended the throne, his voice echoing across the dying city.

"No longer shall the Sun burn alone. Now, the Night will reign eternal."

But it was not the Dark Elves alone who would seal Iltharis' fate.

The Rise of the Fireborn – Iltharis in Flames

Far from the skies of Iltharis, a greater terror had long been stirring.

The Fireborn, an ancient cult of dragon-worshipping zealots, had watched the High Elves grow complacent in their rule. They saw the floating city as an abomination—an insult to the primal power of flame and rebirth.

And so, when the Dark Elves struck, the Fireborn joined the slaughter, but for a different purpose.

They did not wish to rule Iltharis.

They wished to burn it to the ground.

The Inferno Begins

As the Dark Elves waged war within the city, the Fireborn called upon the ancient dragons, awakening Doomwing, an elder wyrm of molten fury, who had slumbered beneath the mountains for centuries.

With a single beat of its massive wings, Doomwing ascended into the skies of Iltharis, and with a mighty roar, it breathed hellfire upon the floating city.

The golden towers melted like candle wax.

Bridges of starlight shattered, casting thousands into the abyss.

The great libraries of elven knowledge, containing millennia of wisdom, were turned to ash in moments.

The Dark Elves realized too late—their allies had no interest in ruling, only destroying everything in their path.

As the city collapsed in flames, Kaelith Dravanor fled, cursing the Fireborn for their madness. The Dark Elves vanished into the void, their vengeance fulfilled, but at a terrible cost.

And the High Elves?

Those who survived scattered across Eldoria, their once-glorious empire reduced to exiles and wandering scholars.

The Age of Elven Supremacy was over.

The Legacy of the Burning

The ruins of Iltharis still hover in the skies—charred remnants of a once-great empire, shrouded in storms and whispers of sorrow.

The Sun Elves who survived became the Last Elders, sworn to never rebuild, for their hubris had brought their own doom.

The Dark Elves, though victorious, were forever cursed, for in their thirst for vengeance, they had doomed their own kind.

The Fireborn, having fulfilled their purpose, vanished into legend, leaving only embers in their wake.

The Burning of Iltharis was not just the fall of a city.

It was the end of an age.

And the world would never be the same again.