VI. The Eclipse Arc
Two hundred years of war-the current age when mortals must become heroes.
"Welcome to the end of the world. It's been ending for two hundred years now. We're all still here, fighting, hoping, refusing to surrender. That's what mortals do. We endure."
Commander of the Steel Covenant
The Current Age
Two hundred years have passed since the war began. Anias is dead. Marael has become the enemy of all creation. Alassa commands armies of nightmare. And mortals must somehow survive in the wreckage of divine tragedy.
This is the Eclipse Arc-an era of war, darkness, and desperate hope.
Warning
The Eclipse Arc is not post-apocalyptic. The apocalypse is happening right now, slowly, as Marael's forces spread across the world. Players enter Arcania in the middle of an existential war-one that could end everything if the light fails.
The Four Races
From the crucible of war, four great peoples have emerged to defend Arcania:
| Attribute | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Humans | Meridia | Shield-bearers, bowmen, warriors-the Unbound Children |
| Lilins | Lythora | Small, graceful daughters of Anias's dreams-oldest mortal beings |
| Darkans | Redmire | Towering descendants of early corruption-forgemasters |
| Luminars | Lumeria | Touched by Anias's dying light-keepers of the flame |
The Five Homelands
Each race has established their stronghold, and at the center stands Erion's fortress:
Valoryn - The Last Light
Erion's stronghold at the center of Arcania. The seat of the resistance, where the Spark of Light burns brightest. All races send champions here to coordinate the war effort.
Meridia - Kingdom of Humanity
The human realm, built on adaptability and determination. The birthplace of the Steel Covenant and the heart of mortal resilience.
Lythora - The First Forest
The birthplace of the Lilin, grown from Anias's dreams before she awakened. The oldest place in existence, where nature magic and dream-walking are taught.
Redmire - The Mountain Forges
Darkan stronghold in the northern mountains. The greatest smiths in Arcania work here, forging weapons from volcanic steel and Titanbone alloy.
Lumeria - The Sanctuary of Light
Luminar homeland, built around the last great temple of Anias. Here the Eternal Light burns eternal, and Clerics learn to channel divine healing.
The Five Callings
Five orders have risen to fight the darkness, each with their own source of power:
| Attribute | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Paladins | Erion's Vanguard | Holy warriors carrying fragments of the Spark |
| Clerics | Keepers of the Light | Channeling Anias's distributed essence through the Eternal Light |
| Mages | Weavers of the Anguish | Daring to use the enemy's power against them |
| Warriors | The Steel Covenant | Mortal strength that needs no divine blessing |
| Rangers | Children of the First World | Drawing power from Anias's unconscious dreams |
The Five Dominions
Alassa has divided her conquered territory into five regions, each commanded by a general:
| Attribute | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dreadmar Frontier | Vharun the Fallen Warden | Once a Paladin, now corrupted beyond recognition |
| Mire of Whispers | Saelistra the First Cry | A being of pure psychic terror |
| Stonegrave Expanse | Kharagul the Bloodthirster | Endless hunger given form |
| Eclipse Barrens | Morgathis, Hand of the Titan | The Dark Titan's last loyal servant |
| Hall of Fallen | Cassian the Hollow | The cursed general, waiting for vengeance |
The Throne of Ruin
Beyond the five dominions lies the Throne of Ruin-the fallen Eterna Citadel where Alassa waits. No army has reached it. No champion has returned. It is the final destination of the war.
The State of the War
The war is not fought on a single battlefield. It's everywhere:
- Void Rifts open without warning, spewing nightmare creatures
- Corrupted zones spread like disease, killing everything they touch
- Titan Madness claims mages who draw too deeply from the Anguish
- Marael's whispers tempt mortals to despair and surrender
Yet hope persists.
Why the Light Has Not Failed
Two hundred years of war, and the light still burns. Why? Because mortals refuse to surrender. Every Paladin who carries the Spark. Every Cleric who channels the Flame. Every Warrior who stands without magic. Every Ranger who guards the wild. Every Mage who risks madness. Every day they hold the line is a victory against the void.
The Prophecies
Several prophecies speak of how the war might end:
The Restoration - Some believe Anias can be restored, not as a goddess, but as something new. If her scattered essence could be gathered, she might return.
The Redemption - Some believe Marael can be saved, that grief-not evil-drives him. If he could be made to feel love again, he might remember what he lost.
The Sacrifice - Some believe a mortal must do what gods cannot. That someone must wield the Anguish Stone against its masters-and pay the ultimate price.
The Unity - Some believe only cooperation can save the world. That all races, all classes, all factions must unite as never before.
Where Is Nimue?
The godslayer vanished after the Duskfall. Some say she wanders the void, cursed with immortality-forced to watch the consequences of her actions for eternity.
Nimue's Secret
Rumors persist that Nimue bore a child in her exile-half mortal, half divine, touched by the void between worlds. If this child exists, they may be the key to everything... or the instrument of final destruction.
Welcome to the End
This is the world players enter. A world of:
- Ancient tragedy driving current conflict
- Gods who are either enemies or limited allies
- Mortals who must become heroes because no one else can
- Hope that persists despite two hundred years of darkness
You are not entering a finished story. You are entering an ongoing one-where your choices matter, where the outcome is uncertain, and where the light needs every soul willing to carry it.
"They ask me why I fight. Why I carry the Spark into battles we might not win. Why I risk everything for a world that might be doomed.
I tell them: because my mother is dead, my father is the enemy, and my sister wants to consume everything. Because mortals murdered a goddess and now must prove they're worth saving. Because the only thing that stands between existence and oblivion is people willing to stand.
I fight because someone must. And because, despite everything, I believe mortals are worth fighting for. Anias believed that. I won't dishonor her memory by giving up now."
Erion, addressing the First Vanguard
Tip
Return to The Creation Myth Overview or explore the World, Classes, and Races of Arcania.