The Great Nether Trail

Transardacia was an ancient land, settled and cultivated by the Transardacians, to whom the god Voclari prophesied that they would eventually find and settle a bountiful new land. Eventually, Transardacia was ravished by other gods, spiteful and jealous of Voclari and his followers. With the land ravaged and the situation dire, Voclari was forced to usher his people through a portal into the Nether, his own domain, in hopes of guiding them to a new home.

About 10,000 Transardacians ventured into the Nether, guided by Voclari. He taught them how to go about surviving in the unforgiving inferno. Despite his guidance, and the safety offered by the temporary settlements that occasionally sprung up during the traversal, many perished. During this journey, the Transardacians began to understand the value and strength of the stone and metal that existed there.

Over the years their number continued to fall. Some perished, while others simply ceased thinking rationally; they had become content with living off the mushrooms they foraged and the flesh of beasts they had slain. Additionally, the ample gold present in the Nether appealed to them, and their greed likewise drove many to abandon all thought of lands they had previously known.

This greed and disregard for the health of his land, hostile as it was, angered Voclari greatly. He realized that the longer the Transardacians remained there the worse it would get - he sensed the growing feelings of hopelessness among them, and knew that as time went on more would begin violating his land, either giving in to the greed or simply losing their rationality in the face of the unending struggle of survival.

When Voclari made known his desire to bring them to a new realm, the Transardacians fractured into two groups. The first, made up of believers who still wished to follow Voclari, agreed and wished to be freed from the Nether. The other group, driven by a mix of madness and greed, refused such an idea, wishing to remain and continue plundering the resources of the Nether. Violence between the two differing groups ensued, as the faithful wished to force the greedy to follow them out of the Nether.

Lives were lost on both sides, but the group of faithful followers suffered more due to the opposing side being better armed because of their incessant exploitation of the land’s resources. With their defeat, the faithful were driven away from where the greedy had settled. Voclari, however, remained with them and guided them on, leaving the others behind to be lost to the fire and stone they were so confident they could master.

After more time of traveling and guidance from Voclari, the remaining faithful Transardacians arrived at another ancient portal. Emerging from the portal, they found themselves in the world of Eldham, and set themselves towards rebuilding their society and people.