History of RLTW

[Captain Flighty]

Run Like The Wind
The general history
Here is where you will find a detailed accounting of the History of RLTW that was created by Characters, played by actual members, not random NPCs that no one ever knew.

It all started in the beginning with a self-proclaimed king. The original Dark King. Deadly Revenge. He was a true Dark, the first to take the throne, and lead the lives of equines in RLTW down the path of darkness, destruction, and ruin, with no one to stop him. The times were dark and grim, very much so, and no equine alive could tell you the complete history of what went down in that reign, only that he ruled with an iron hoof, and his name went down in history.

But that was before the mighty tempest, that took down the mighty Dark King himself, came and cleansed the lands, bringing them back into order.

Since the cleansing of the lands, order was maintained on the Light and Dark sides, a delicate balance to keep everything from falling into chaos and ruin. However, there was a new alliance growing, that of the Neutrals. Due to the growing number of equines, they finally decided to create a royal kingdom of their own. The balance was still kept, but now the sides were beginning to change.

The Darks were becoming beastly, violent blood-thirsty monsters. And deadlier forms were emerging. Cannibalism, brought in by Xeus, was a new terror, just as vampirism brought in by Angelus, was a terror. Both of these equines ensured a new reign of epic proportions, as each held the title of Dark King once in their life. As powerful and deadly as the Dark Kings were, there remained those darks just insane or arrogant or brave enough to defy them; ensuring the the Dark Kingdom knew power but not peace. One such dark was Demise, another was Pestilence; they were simply two of several stallion's who refused to cower in the face of the new breed of darks.

However, the lights held their own. Their mighty king, Rumor, shone with brilliant light, and with him, Leonidas, a mighty stallion in lead of his own herd. When Rumor stepped down, Leonidas took his place, and ensured nothing would happen to the lights. As his rule extended new leadership was needed and Polar, a brave knight and lover of Aqua's Pearl stepped forward to challenge Leonidas for his right to rule, his right to join the ranks of those in RLTW's history. Polar won, but the life of a King was not for him. He was far too focused upon his family. He began to look for a successor.

And he found one. Within the Light ranks, there was something different. Someone different. Relic. A brute that had gone from the Darks, to the Lights. He was a strong lead all his own, a pacifist who was turned to the Lights, because of a femme named Timeline who touched his heart. Polar named him Light King and the former Dark took hold of the Light Kingdom. Not only this, but Relic was the first light to form an alliance with a Dark, with Xeus of all creatures. Some frowned upon him, but the alliance lasted with no issues. Relic's name, along with Leonidas and Rumor and Polar, were carried down in Light history.

With the passing of the most recent kings however; Xeus, Raiga, and the wise Relic, came new Kings. Basilisk ruled for a time but the title did not suit him and he faded to allow others to take their place in history. Jaecar, the palomino Dark, took his father's kingdom. Requiem, the bay brute with hidden darkness, took the Neutral kingdom. And Chaste, born of a Dark femme, took the Light kingdom when Relic chose him.

But it seemed things were at an exploding point.

Jaecar stepped down, disgusted with his own kingdom, and handed it all over to Kurai. Kurai; the very descendant of Deadly Revenge himself, took the responsibility, and turned RLTW on it's head. In a fit to prove herself worthy, she killed Requiem and wounded Chaste, causing the Light King to die of infectious wounds. She imprisoned the Lights in the old lands of Oozora, where Relic used to rule. And the new Neutral King, Antebellum, brought his own 'justice' upon those of his own alliance.

With every leader, comes a great fall. Kurai was knocked from her throne by a new ruler, Overdose. An insane creature with an insatiable lust for blood, flesh, and sex, bringing his own age of macabre terror.

Archetype; a wise king of the light, thrown from his kingdom and imprisoned with the others, vowed not to stand for the crushing of his alliance; of his brethren. He went to face the Dark King Overdose; though the meeting was a farse and Overdose seemed naught to care what the light alliance did. Archetype reclaimed his Kingdom and he and Orion formed an army of Lights to retake the light lands by force.

Overdose and Antebellum faded as all kings eventually do; leaving their thrones to be taken by Zero and Collapse; respectively. Antebellum returned not long after; retaking his throne for only a short time and once again leaving it to Collapse who has since passed it on to his son; Collision. Zero; a cold and emotionless king was thrown from his kingdom and into death by Devil's Assassin; a strong and fiery king with a history nearly as long as RLTW itself.

Throughout it all the Light King Archetype had remained stoic and steady, making alliances where needed, even among the Dark kings. A long line of descendants stood ready to follow in his hoof-steps, while the Dark kingdom continues to find turmoil as Nightmare took the throne by force, a creature whose undeniable insanity leaves a path of destruction, death and torment in his wake.

Somewhere in the more recent history; with alliances forming between all the royal kingdoms, a new governing body was formed. The Outlands are ruled by The Punisher; Omen; the only equine who's impartiality is without question, for no alliance holds his heart. Beside Omen are many Guards of the Outlands, all of mixed hearts, but united as one beneath the Punisher. In this land are the prisoners of RLTW, banished by their Kings or the Judges of Crutracus, for their crimes.

Nightmare disappeared into the bowels of his insanity and the Unaligned Judge took charge, appointing his Daughter Medea as Queen of the Darks beside Nightmare's consort; Akasha. The pair of Queens ruled for a time, but leadership was not Medea's strong suit either. She left her kingdom to Lashiel; daughter of Basilisk and a good friend of hers.

Somewhere in the midst of the Dark Kingdom's changes Light King Archetype lost his faith, his very will to live; broken by the tragedy that touched all those around him. He could not lead his people anymore. He left his Kingdom to The Fallen; a blind but powerful stag, and Persephone. She did not hold the throne for long, but she was a pure and beautiful Queen.


...........


History was forgotten for a time however, as turmoil took root. True chaos settled upon RLTW; far greater than any one equine could hope to cause. The Great Disaster was a time of death; earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, tsunamis, weak long storms of acid rain. The land itself was rewritten more and more each day and ancient poisons were released from deep within the grounds.

The earth shook violently nearly every week, the air is still thick with ash and soot, the volcanoes spewing their anger out with relentless hatred for the land and its inhabitants. Most of the water supply lay fallow and tainted, poison seeping from the source. Very few places remained untouched by the Great Disaster, though are some out there. For years the lands were an ugly, dangerous place.

Equine stand frozen in place in some areas, forever to stand in agonized and fearful poses near many of the volcanoes where the ash and soot struck them so suddenly and cooled so quickly that they are naught but statues; coffins made to fit them perfectly. In other lands the dead fester and rot, adding to the stink and poison in the air; tainting the lives of those that remain even further.

The children of this era are perhaps the most telling of the Great Disaster, for some do not even appear the same species as their parents, so extensive are their deformities...

The Aftermath of the Ascension is forever written upon the children of RLTW.


...........


Lashiel and Akasha were not alone upon the Dark throne for long, after the Great Disaster. Thanatos, son of Xeus approached them; asking them to name him their King, though he offered no threats or challenges. It was simply a request; unheard of among their kind. The Queens accepted and the Dark Triad was born. A new-found era of strength touched the Dark Kingdom and the other kingdoms watched in fear. Sarwin later joined the Dark Triad when Akasha was killed and Lashiel was left to rule with her two Kings.

The other Kingdoms did not only watch, however. The Fallen appointed Evander as King of the Lights at his side; displacing Persephone upon the throne. The two stallions; with their families, created a sense of safety and stability among their people.

In the midst of the intrigue of the other two kingdoms Collapse's throne continued along his line of heirs and Paralyzer became Neutral Queen. She took Reaper; son of Antebellum as her King.


...........


Months became years and the lands quieted. The earth quakes weakened, until finally they had shaken themselves out, the lava cooled; the volcanoes slept. Rivers filtered themselves out; became crystal clear and fresh once more. The land healed from the Great Disaster...but not the creatures.

Predators. Stronger, smarter, deadlier than before, their numbers grew far more quickly than the equines of the valley could handle. They began to show strategy; tactics were engaged by the once mindless predators. Species lines began to weaken, territories were blurred as the puma hunted beside the bear, the eagle scouted for the jaguar, and the lion shared his kills with the tiger. As smaller, weaker prey became more and more scarce, more and more equines disappeared; their skeletons picked clean so that nothing could identify them.

But these early days of fear and uncertainty were nothing compared to the horror that met with the equines of the valley on that earth-shattering day; the Day of the Predators. They came like a wave; a great ocean tide carried swiftly and without mercy. Hundreds, thousands of these far more dangerous predators surged into the lands. They descended upon the valley, tearing apart everything and everyone they touched.

They fought for food, we fought for survival.

In a show of strength our valley refused to be wiped out. The equine leaders mounted their cavalries and met the destroyers without mercy. Many fell; never to rise again, both sides faltered and gained momentum in short bursts, the horde was turned back many times only to surge forward once more. In the end...much was devastated, many were dead. The equines were forced to find sanctity in places once considered separate from Run Like the Wind. New lands were found, others lost to the horde of predators. Nature had truly unleashed her fury this time.

We had only just begun to settle into our new sanctuary, our numbers increasing once more, as the predators began to starve; their numbers thinning. A balance now exists between the hungry and hunted, but the danger remains.


...........


And then the Dark Kingdom took the Princess of Light; Ariella, Daughter of Evander and refused to return her; destroying the alliances that had formed between the Kingdoms.

War threatened at every corner. Alliances were torn and new ones forged. The Light and Neutral Kingdoms allied in hopes of freeing Ariella from the Darks. The Neutral King disappeared at this time, but Paralyzer did not falter.

This was a time of change and Omen saw fit to step aside from his role as Punisher. He left the Outlands to the Harbingers; Conquest, War, Famine and Death. Their time in the Outlands was strong, and steady, but it was not long. Upon their departure into lands unknown they named Novelty the new Punisher. She'd held the title of Unaligned Judge since the moment the Outlands were forged. With her new title she quickly became known and respected. As the threat of war hung over the valley Novelty stepped in and offered Sanctuary to any and all who wished to steer clear of the battle.

The Dark Triad was poised for destruction; hungry for the death of the other kingdoms. Ariella was held by Kalix, in the bowels of Serpent's Sanctuary with seemingly no hope for freedom. Tensions grew, skirmishes breaking out here and there, theft tolls rising, lands rising and falling quickly in the struggles for power. Somehow, turmoil and shifting of the lines of power left an opening and Ariella was freed.

Without such a pivotal piece on their side of the board it was difficult for the Darks to stir the war any further. Lashiel and the Triad settled for maintaining their power; planning war for later. The Light and Neutral Kingdoms returned to peace.


..........


As the power of the Dark Kingdom solidified, Lashiel knew her time was done. She had never wanted the throne, and in fact had taken it out of honor and nothing more. Seeing that duty fulfilled she wished to rescind her power, but she refused to leave her Kings. She respected Sarwin and loved him as friend and brother, but she had lost her heart to Thanatos, though he did not even know. She asked that they both leave the Dark Kingdom to Ranjit and Adviendha; that they stay together and rule the Sanctuary. They agreed. And for the first time in the history of RLTW the Dark Kingdom was handed to a successor outside of the current Royal line. No blood was spilled in the change of rulers.

Ranjit's first order of business was ending the tyranny of the Rejects. He did so swiftly, using Abigor; one of the original and founding members of the Rejects, to force the Family back into his own kingdom--by promising their destruction if they did not--where they belonged and thus strengthening the bloodlines of his kingdom.

Not long after, Arion, Son of Evander, saw his kingdom waning and refused to simply watch. He challenged his father and The Fallen for the Light throne, pulling Oceanus into fight at his side. The fighters met; their kingdom's fate hanging on the outcome. Evander's attention slipped and for the first time in the history of RLTW the Light Kingdom was taken by force and Arion became Light King.

Seeing the other Kingdoms grow in strength as they made these changes; Paralyzer knew that she had to do something about her Kingdom. War was in the back of everyone's mind. Paralyzer met Vita Cinis; an Unaligned mare born from the Rejects. Vita Cinis and Paralyzer developed a powerful friendship and Vita Cinis saw what Paralyzer needed. Together the two became the new Queens of the Unaligned Kingdom and the Neutral Kingdom became nothing more than an ancient name. They watch their people closely, refusing to allow those not truly Unaligned to join them. They fight now for the purity of their kingdom, all the while bringing it strength and once more making it a power to be reckoned.


..........


Ranjit and Adviendha kept the thoughts of war alive in the minds of every equine in the valley. They stirred their people to unite and show a solidified kingdom to the Lights and Unaligneds. Continuing with Lashiel's thoughts they refused to allow Darks to steal from Darks, they did not stand for Darks usurping and killing each other without cause. If prey was to be had, the Lights and Unaligned were fair game. Punishment for those who brought dissidence was swift and unyielding.

The Unaligned kingdom continued to grow and strengthen and the the Light King Arion named Bella Muerte, Light Queen at his side. She was a strange looking creature and far from what the Light Queens of the past had been. She was beautiful, but dangerous looking as well and she was strangely macabre.

Ranjit and Adviendha left their throne suddenly, however, with no warning. Perhaps it was because they found the Light Kingdom to be an unworthy opponent, perhaps their own people were a disappointment. Truly no one knew the reason, not even Litala; whom Ranjit left to dispense his kingdom however she saw fit.

Litala pondered the Dark Throne for herself, but in the end she left word with a young stallion as to whom she wished to see vie for the throne, and then she too left the lands. Her messenger was Pompeii, uncle of Ranjit and descendant of the Original Ranjit who ruled Mason Belle; a land far from RLTW but whose people became tied to this valley throughout the years. Litala offered the Dark Kingdom to Pompeii, Nirvana or Mordecai; Ranjit's personal advisor. Pompeii immediately declined, and did not even mention his nomination to a single soul. Instead he sought the current Dark Leads and found Lucifer and Nirvana. He gave Litala's message to them, but Lucifer too had his eye upon the throne.

With Mordecai vanished; Nirvana and Lucifer met upon the Tiff Cliff to fight for the Dark Throne. The two were allies, and together they agreed that the loser would lead the Dark Army. Pompeii was there to witness this fight and once ended bring the news of the outcome to the Darks. The battle was close, Lucifer had brute strength on his side, while Nirvana had agility and speed. Blood was shed, but their alliance remained intact, perhaps strengthened by the battle. Nirvana rose as the new Dark Queen and Lucifer became her General.

The Light Kingdom lost one of its number sometime during that battle; King Arion was driven away, to lands unknown, by descendants of Evander who sought revenge for Arion's usurping of the light kingdom. Bella Muerte was left to rule the Kingdom alone.

And so, for the first time in the long and tumultuous history of the valley of Run Like The Wind; five Queens ruled the kingdoms with no kings in sight.

A new era began.

..........

In the months that followed, the Kingdoms all grew in strength save for one, but neither the threat of the predators, nor nature's fury had been expunged. They continued to evolve. Storms sometimes lasted for days, weeks and months and earthquakes still tore at the land every now and then, volcanoes were resting but not dormant, all over the realms. Somewhere in the midst of the uneasy natural world around them, a plague began. It became known as The Bleeding as it caused a number of symptoms, but in all of the effected it caused constant bleeding from the eyes, nose, ears and mouth. The symptoms left some after they found a magical seeming place that seemed to disappear after accidentally being discovered, but in some the symptoms lasted for months that stretched into years. Some died, but most only suffered on.

Then, massive hurricanes pummeled the coastal regions relentlessly; so powerful were these storms that even the inland regions were affected.

It was not long after the hurricanes that the volcanoes began to awaken. Ash was spewed into the sky from the mountain ranges all around the lands and the skies were almost constantly dark for months and months. The true fury of the volcanoes was not released however, and things seemed to quiet after a time.

Yet one thing seemed to strike after another and all throughout these strange happenings the predators continued to grow more dangerous and more numerous.

………

Nirvana kept the war alive in the minds of the Darks and banded together a Dark Militia, led by Lucifer and the newly returned Ranjit. The Light Kingdom stagnated and dwindled. The Darks saw them as a diseased limb and meant to cut them off.

In this time Paralyzer named her son Aves Unaligned King and faded form the lands. Vita Cinis, frustrated by the loss of her friend ventured out to satisfy her darker tendencies. She was discovered that night by Pestilence, who had only just returned to RLTW and did not like any of what it had become; especially the deformities of the newest generations. When he saw Vita Cinis partaking of flesh in all her deformed glory he confronted her. She recognized his ancient accent and instantly the two disliked each other. Their verbal conflict soon became physical.

Vita Cinis managed to make it back to her kingdom; dragging her wounded body as far as she could, and just in time to find the Harbingers, come to visit her. With her dying breath she named them her heirs and made them vow to take on her debt as they took on her throne. She made them vow to destroy Pestilence for what he had done.

Belle Muerte stepped aside from her kingdom before the depth of the rumors of the coming war were in the light and Paranoia; a unique light mare, was named Light Queen.

Preperations for the war continued. The Harbingers went to Nirvana as news of the coming conflict spread and sought a treaty from the Dark Queen, and asked for rights to hunt down Pestilence. The deal was made.

And then the Nirvana lead her Militia upon the last two remaining Light Lands; Penance led by Queen Paranoia and Terra Sancta lead by Blythe Amaya, daughter of a former Light King. The Lights refused to surrender peacefully and so the long awaited war came. Nirvana defeated Paranoia in an epic battle and her Militia defeated the other Lights. Blythe Amaya won her battle against Lucifer, but the war was won by the Dark Kingdom.

The tattered remains of the Lights were led into The Pitt; a Dark Prison Land ruled by Litala whom had returned just in time to participate in the war.

………

In the aftermath of the war the remaining two kingdoms knew that changes had to be made to prevent the stagnation of the previous generations. Empress Nirvana renamed her massive empire Imperium and opened her reign to far greater numbers; even accepting the former Lights into her ranks if they swore loyalty. The new kingdom was built on loyalty and a shared desire for power, though darkness remained in the hearts of many. The former Neutral and currently Unaligned Kingdom became Altus under the rule of the Harbingers. They remained a kingdom of grey hearts; good and evil, vicious and kind were all welcomed. The Pitt released all former Lights to join with the other two kingdoms and the Lights were officially no more.

It wasn't long before some equine realized that there was no place for them in either kingdom. Small bands began to form and claim land, keeping with a set of values and laws that marked them as distinct from Altus and Imperium. The first band to form was Atrox a predatory, though not evil or truly cannibalistic, pack lead by Bunyip. They claimed Atrocitas; a region of swamps, bogs and fog. Then rose The Syndicate a legion of assassins, guards and mercenaries, neutral to all, and willing to kill, maim or protect anyone for a price. Lead by The Meta, The Syndicate claimed a land of desert and danger and named it Reach. A stallion named Red Crow; formerly a Light, refused to rescind his values and formed Qaleteqa. They were a band of protectors who opened their hearts to anyone in need.

As the lands continued to change and evolve unrest remained in the hearts of some former Lights. Paranoia, the former Light Queen; defeated by Empress Nirvana laid a challenge against Famine of the Harbingers. The two fought, a bloody battle in which no one truly left a winner. Paranoia was killed and with her death the last of the hope for any who clung to the Light Kingdom. Famine was nearly killed, her injuries so severe that her brothers left their Kingdom to Cadomir and took Famine away to let her heal; leaving the valley of Eleutheria once more.

For a time the lands were fillled with small bands like in the days of old, but as before they were not meant to survive. The Atrox went back into the wilds and became nomads as before, some of them joining with other kingdoms as the pack dispersed. Qaletaqa too, disbanded, unable to maintain their purity in the shadow of the other kingdoms. The Syndicate remained, however and grew in strength. Soon they became a Faction unto themselves, not just a band. They were strong in number and remained untied to both Kingdoms.

King Cadomir kept Altus alive and strong, but it remained clear that the Empire of Imperium was superior in strength and numbers. Peace was maintained between the two. Perhaps because Altus knew they could never fight Imperium and could be just as easily decimated as the Lights, or perhaps because Cadomir respected the fiery, wise Nirvana.

………

In the days that followed the war a new entity emerged among all the other changes. Her appearance was quiet, distant and went unnoticed by many. She was a creature of magic and myth and beyond all; mystery. Her name was Circe, an immortal of sorts and she had stood silent watch over the land of Eleutheria and all its inhabitants for generations. Circe thought it was time for the mortal's to know her name yet again. An ancient stallion called Devil's Assassin found his way to her home in Rindell Caverns; the first mortal to lay eyes on her for decades. The ancient Assassin was broken; a mere shadow of what he'd been and Circe had waited many years for him and the request he laid at her hooves. She remade Devil's Assassin; reworked his weakened body and broken soul and set him upon a new path; gave him a new fate and left only her name in his memories. And once more the immortal guardian, and ancient watcher disappeared into the heart of Eleutheria, shrouding her cavern home once more from the eyes of mortals.

With Circe's emergence into the mortal world came a land called Lostmoor. In Lostmoor the world of the Dead touched that of the Living; souls crossed freely from one realm to the other; fog and spirits swirled through the region as one. King's of yore spoke to princes of the new generation; their wisdom once more entering the world. This land still remains, though Circe has gone.

………

In time it became clear why The Syndicate remained strong and steady while the other bands faded. Yet another entity emerged into the mortal world. It seemed that with Circe's passage into the mortal world a doorway was created from whatever realm the immortals and gods called home. This latest entity was called Lyric; a beautifully strange looking mare who embodied Order and favored The Syndicate as her chosen people. Her name was Lyric.

Lyric was not the only immortal to emerge into Eleutheria though. There was another by the name of Vlapalo. A being of Chaos and unrest. His favored people became known as The Aether a group of mares led by three council members; Mare one, Mare Two, Mare Three (Auditions for these positions are occurring now).

Eleutheria had become a place of more magic and mystery than the Kings of old could have ever imagined.

ooc; THIS IS ALWAYS IN THE WORKS.

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