History of Orethil

The history of Orethil is a chronicle of stability, transformation, and adaptation, spanning from the dawn of existence to the modern age. As the first physical realm in Adaris, Orethil has played a foundational role in shaping the continent of Elemara and influencing the surrounding realms.

Primordial Beginnings (c. BME 95,000–∞)

Main article: Cosmology of Adaris

Orethil was the first tangible realm to emerge from the Primordial Void, formed by Oras, the Primordial Spirit of Earth, from the chaotic essence of Astram. In its original state, Orethil was an infinite expanse of solid stone—featureless, unmoving, and untouched by any opposing element. It embodied permanence, density, and memory.

The Era of Isolation (c. BME 80,000–95,000)

Main article: Era of Isolation

During this epoch, Orethil remained sealed from the influence of fire, air, and water. The realm’s landscapes were dominated by stone mesas, massive cliffs, and echoing hollows carved solely by seismic shifts and the play of light. The realm was devoid of weather, erosion, or renewal.

The Birth of the Orasians (c. BME 80,000)

Main article: Orasian

The Orasians emerged from the conscious strata of Orethil—fragments of Oras’s essence hardened into sentient form. Towering and slow-moving, these beings resonated with the earth itself, communicating through tremors and echo harmonics. They are considered the realm’s first inhabitants and remain its most enduring lineage.

The Great Awakening (c. BME 60,000)

As elemental forces encroached, the scale and presence of the Orasians diminished. Some of the ancients are said to slumber still within the Citadel Mountains, entombed in the last uncorrupted pillars of stone.

The Legacy of the Orasians

Stewards of resonance and stonecraft, the Orasians shaped the foundations of culture in Orethil—establishing traditions of carved memory, vibration-based speech, and silent ritual observation that persist in Orasian-descended communities.

The Great Erosion (c. BME 63,000–55,000)

Main article: Great Erosion

The Great Erosion began when Jala, the Primordial Spirit of Water, forced entry into Orethil. Lacking a realm of its own, Jala penetrated the domain of earth—fracturing the elemental boundaries that had previously held the primordial realms apart. This intrusion initiated the first elemental conflict in Adaris.

With the breach opened, Shasae (air) and Tejas (fire) followed, each invading Orethil. What was once still and eternal began to fracture. Water carved ravines and underground rivers; fire erupted through faults, forming volcanic fields; wind swept stone into dust, reshaping the terrain.

The Citadel Mountains emerged as the last bastion of unyielding earth—a spiritual and physical anchor preserving the heart of ancient Orethil.

The Rise of Elemental Integration (c. BME 55,000–50,000)

Though the elemental conflict initiated by Jala raged for centuries, its devastation was ultimately halted by the intervention of the Enarei—beings created by Daathir to mediate and stabilize the cosmic balance. The Enarei brought an end to the war not through force, but through harmonization—negotiating the coexistence of the primordial forces and compelling the elements to recognize and maintain boundaries.

Under their guidance, the chaos subsided. The elements, once locked in violent intrusion, began to move in cycles rather than opposition. This period marked the true integration of fire, water, and air into Orethil’s landscape.

The land transformed. With elemental rhythms stabilized, conditions allowed for the emergence of flora, fauna, and weather systems.

The Arrival of the Ascendant Spirits (c. BME 50,000–48,000)

As the world of Adaris matured, new spirits emerged—not from the void, but from the internal dynamics of the realms themselves. These were the Ascendant Spirits—conceptual beings born from evolving phenomena such as time, memory, sorrow, justice, and joy.

Some, like Kairos, remained cosmic in function. Others descended into Orethil, drawn by its spiritual density and elemental intersections. These spirits claimed domains, shaped subrealms within the earth, and embedded themselves into the metaphysical infrastructure of the land.

Unlike the primordial spirits, Ascendants were neither universal nor immutable. Their presence in Orethil marked the beginning of localized spiritual influence—realms where specific values, cycles, or emotions held dominion. These spirits did not replace the elemental foundation but layered meaning atop it, contributing to the diversity and complexity of the spiritual landscape.

The Great Migration (c. BME 50,000–20,000)

Main article: Great Migration

Trueborn humans, descending from the dream-realms of Awenelir, began to settle in Orethil. They adapted to the terrain and elements, building cultures that reflected both the endurance of stone and the dynamism of the invading elements.

Bibliography

• Stone Echoes: Early Orasian Rituals and Records. Compiled by the Archivists of Kar-Thal. Kar-Thal Stone Archives (Volume I).
• The Measured Earth: A Geomantic History of Orethil. Written by Auvren Tal-Oran, Circle of Stone Memory.
• Before Wind and Flame: A Chronology of Isolation. Recorded during the Third Orasian Assembly, inscribed within the Chamber of Stillness.
• Subterranean Networks and the Rise of the Deep Roads. Minthari Ledger Archive, translated by Yeda Rohl of Minthal.
• Spirits of Endurance: Mythic Figures of the Early Realm. Oral histories transcribed by the Keepers of Oras.
• The Great Erosion and the Shaping of Elemara. Authored anonymously, believed to originate from the Citadel Scriptorium.