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Before the veil was ever known, the world of Eldoria was torn apart by war. The once-united elves fractured into warring kingdoms, their pride and ambition driving them into endless conflict. The dwarves, masters of stone and steel, waged brutal wars beneath the mountains, their clans divided over ancient grudges. The giants, lords of the skies and peaks, clashed in a battle for dominion, while the orcs and trolls fought for survival in the unforgiving swamps and wastelands.

For centuries, blood stained the lands as each race sought power, vengeance, and survival. But as the fires of war raged, something far more sinister stirred in the shadows.

In the depths of forgotten tombs and cursed lands, the dead began to rise. Their hollow eyes glowed with an eerie light, their voices whispered of a long-lost king—and soon, all of Eldoria would tremble before the return of an ancient darkness.

Chronicles of Eldoria: Age of War

The Fall and the Exodus

Once rulers of the skies, the Aetherians lived in Skyhold, their grand floating empire of towering spires, cloud-woven bridges, and cities suspended in the heavens. But with the devastating collapse of Skyhold during the War of the Giant Wards, the Aetherians lost not only their home but their status as divine overseers of Eldoria.

The war shattered their civilization, and the survivors plummeted from the heavens like fallen stars. Their once-mighty race was scattered across the world, but one group, led by High Lord Zephiron, gathered in the Endless Plains of Aradûn, a vast, untamed stretch of golden grasslands, rolling hills, and wandering rivers. Here, they abandoned their old ways, no longer rulers of the skies but nomads of the land.

The Birth of the Windward

Zephiron, once a scholar and warrior of the Aetherian High Council, rose as their leader. Recognizing that their age of dominion was over, he led his people into a new way of life—one that embraced the winds and the ever-moving plains. He became the Windward, the first of his kind, a title that signified both leadership and attunement to the spirits of the sky and land.

The Windward and his people adapted, mastering the shifting currents of the plains, reading the stars for guidance, and taming great Stormstriders, colossal wind-borne beasts that galloped across the open steppe with speed unmatched. They became travelers, warriors, and sages, moving as one with the breath of the world.

The Realm of the Windward

The Endless Plains of Aradûn, now known as the Windward Plains, stretch across the heart of Eldoria. Though seemingly open and vast, they remain nearly impossible for outsiders to cross. The Aetherians, once masters of the sky, have become masters of movement, their nomadic strongholds hidden in the windswept wilderness.

Key locations of the Windward Plains include:

Skyfall Basin – The sacred site where the largest remnants of Skyhold crashed into the earth, forming towering, hollowed-out ruins where the Aetherians perform ancient rites.The Whispering Expanse – A region where the winds howl with eerie voices, disorienting travelers and leading them astray. Only the Windward's people can navigate these currents.The Veil of Tempests – A natural storm barrier that encircles their lands at unpredictable intervals, summoned by ancient Aetherian magic to shroud their dominion from invaders.

Why the Windward Plains Remain Untouched

Few dare to venture into the Windward Plains, for it is a land that rejects the uninvited. Other races struggle to navigate its unpredictable storms, treacherous winds, and ever-changing terrain. Even the mightiest armies find themselves lost, their supplies dwindling, their warriors falling prey to the whispering winds that lead them in circles.

Moreover, the Aetherians have no desire for conquest or alliance. They remain distant, bound to the remnants of their fallen empire, protecting the sacred ruins of their past while forging a new path among the skies and plains. Though once rulers, they now exist as ghosts of a bygone age, ever-moving, ever-watching, yet forever untethered from the world they once ruled.

For the Aetherians, the winds of fate never stop moving, and neither do they.

Bonus Content: The Aetherian Nomads & the Windward Plains