In the beginning, there was only the void. Into the void fell a single drop of water. From that drop came forth five Ents, the gardeners of the world: Root, keeper of the deep; Bough, who longed for the sky; Bloom, giver of life; Thorn, teacher of struggle; and Seed, bearer of renewal. Together they shaped the barren land into a place fit for life.
Bough, desiring to reach the heavens, rooted himself and became the World Tree. His branches stretched upward, but his roots pierced too deep, breaking into the hidden darkness beneath the world. The drop had birthed life, but the darkness was hunger, and the World Tree became the bridge between them.
When the crown of the World Tree pierced the sky, it broke through the veil of creation. A storm was born, the First Storm, where light and thunder clashed. The brightest flash of light struck the crown, and the deepest thunder shook the roots. Both energies coursed through the Tree. From the light came Men, children of clarity and order. From the thunder came Orcs, children of strength and raw will, awakened by the darkness below.
The darkness gifted the orcs a core of power, a relic buried deep within the world. But men stole this source and hid it upon a mountain isle. Without it, the orcs grew divided, their unity broken, their strength diminished.
Men built kingdoms, and among them rose the bloodline of Merrin. Within their veins lingered a trace of thunder, a sliver of darkness from the First Storm. Over generations, this darkness grew, corrupting the line.
King Merrin found the World Tree, gnarled and massive, its roots still touching the darkness. A voice whispered from below:
And Merrin obeyed. He murdered the World Tree, hollowed its trunk, and opened the Hollow Gate, a wound into the abyss. His followers became The Hollow, a secret order sworn to end the age of light.
The Hollow found the buried orc power source. They offered it to the orcs in exchange for their allegiance: “Serve us. Destroy the children of light. And your birthright shall be restored.” Some orcs accepted, others resisted, and factions were born.
The Hollow believe the world was never meant to orbit the sun. It was destined to fall into the Black Hole, the womb of darkness. To fulfill this fate, they must destroy the light-born races, restore the orc power, widen the Hollow Gate, and alter the planet’s path. Thus shall the world be drawn into the void, and all children of thunder and shadow shall be united in the nether realm.