Of Machines and Magic - Part one

The war had ended years ago.

Since its end the Quorum ruled. They ruled the land, the air and sea,they ruled the people and they watched.

They watched still.

The population grey and as had always been their way people gathered together. Routes between settlements became established. Settlements became villages and grew to become towns. Three decades after the war, cities of stone and marble stood were once simple travelers set up tents to trade their wares. And as the population grew people became curious on the working of things. Blacksmiths began to refine their art, alchemists turned from charlatans to scientist, philosophers, teachers, doctors and artists examined their world in greater and greater wonder .

Inventions appeared not only to relieve the drudgery of every day tasks, but to display and examine the wonders of nature and the world around them.

What followed was the revolution of invention and technology. It gathered pace, grew stronger as each small step inspired another. Invention became revered, men of science created their own guilds and turned away from the beliefs of their forefathers, science was becoming the new religion.

It was then that the quorum acted. Prominent guild leaders, scientist, chemists, blacksmiths, doctors, all vanished overnight. Mage Lords and High priests of the quorum appeared in town after town. Magic’s were summoned and dark beasts ensnaredand despatched to destroy the places of invention and production. Within days most of what it had taken years to build had been destroyed.

And so the war between men of machines and invention and the servants of magic had began.

For years the men of metal threw their machines against the beasts and magic’s of their former masters. Still the beasts came, still the magic’s ripped the power from the earth itself and threw it against the metal lords and their machines.

Finally the metal Lords realized that to defeat their enemy they would need to harness the power of magic within their machines. Surely then they would be triumphant.

So it was that they turned eyes towards the lost tribes.

Legend held that savage tribes from the time before the first quorum wars still lived beyond the purple mountains. Domains ruled by the sword and some say by witchcraft, sorcery and magic. For these tribes held power over the land and the beasts. These secrets could be kept no longer. For the greater good they must be made to submit.

Units were dispatched to subdue and collect the best and the strongest of all the tribes. It was a year before the task was complete and they returned with their captives.

During this year the college was created to hold and study the tribesmen. Each group held their own strengths. Within the college the tribes would be forced to give up their secrets. To blend and mould this knowledge and power into the young and the yet unborn. These blended ones would be educated in ways of their new masters, the men of science and invention. Trained to combine their powers with the strength of technology and bring victory