Spirit of Adventure

The world of Lamarge, which spanned a vast continent, was once blessed by the gods. The people of Lamarge knew no evil. They possessed magical powers and all their prayers were heard. Yet, thousands of years ago, the creatures on lamarge began to turn away from the gods. As often happens when things are too well, heresy cropped up. The inhabitants began to beleive that the magical powers they were vested with had sprung from their own minds, not from the gods. Finally, faith dwindled until no more sacrifices were made to the gods and their very existence was denied. The greatest sanctuary on the continent, Mount Melfur, was desecrated in the course of events. Some apostates even abused Melfur as a sacrificial place for demons and dark powers. The gods were quick to reply. They withdrew their benvolence from Lamarge and its inhabitants. Soon Lamargians' spells began to fail, storms and catastrophes struck and the land mass was torn apart. A host of islands, each of a different size, was boen. Mount Melfur itself was destroyed. The former sanctuary burst to pieces in a fierce explosion, forming a huge cloud of dust above Lamarge. Those who survived the disaster passed their memory of the awful sight on through the generations to come. Eventually, the cloud dissipated, spewing rocks and debris over the islands. The stone rain wreaked havoc, tearing dust from the earth's surface, which in places would settle back later in sediment. Other areas saw the sand being washed out by heavy rain. The face of the earth was resculpted. In a distant future, the rocks fallen from the sky would be found at excavation sites above and below the earth's surface and called rune stones. First, however, they were buried by earthquakes, disappeared down crevices, or washed into the sea. The surviving population of Lamarge slowly recovered in the course of centuries. People strove to regain a settled life on the riven continent. Science, culture, and religion once again became important as cicilisation was built anew. Scholars and scientists began to research the history of their country. Their attention soon focussed on the rune stones and on several, apparently inaccessible, temples that had been discovered throughout Lamarge. Time and time again, their endeavors were crowned by success. Eventually, the rune stones were classified in 18 groups.
Another interesting quality was found in the rune stones. The first adventurer to enter an ancient temple owned three such stones. He obviously broke the charm laid upon the sanctuaries, for henceforth no creature was denied access to these abodes. On the strength of this observation, scholars began to experiment with rune stones. They created numerous spells in the temples and were soon copied by others who used the powers of the stones to their own ends. Thanks to the power of the runes owners of rune stones quickly became respected and well-reputed. Their recognition was not dimished by the fact that in the meantime evil and cunning creatures had secured runes for themselves and were already able to use rune spells. The dust that had settled on the ground was examined, too. Scientists observed that it seemed to bestow magical powers upon those who walked over its soft surface. Many inhabitants of Lamarge were born with inherent skills that grew during their life. This gift was attributed to the dust. The type of skill, their intensity and effects varied by region and ancestry of the Lamargians. In a few places the concentration of the dust was so high that the beings of these regions developed but one single skill in their life. The abilities proved invaluable in the struggle for survival, even though their power was lesser than that of the rune spells. Despite the effort of all ther studies Melfur itself, the source of the magic dust, of the rune stones,and the temples, was lost lost from peoples minds. Runes and the power they granted to their owners became the focus of a new religion instead of venerable Mount Melfur. The Cult of the Knowing came into existence - a union of people who knew about the rune powers and the temples and who endeavored to use them to the benefit of mankind. Melfur and the ancient religion sank into oblivion or, worse yet, were increasingly regarded as useless "dead weight of the gods." The rune temples, considered as artefacts of a religion long wasted away, were only revered because rune spells could be woven there. As the Cult of the Knowing uses its might mainly to the benefit of the population, it is spreading as a surrogate religion throughout Lamarge. The might of the runes is worshipped. Monasteries have been built for rune adoration, for stengthening the minds of believers and for furthering the purposes of the Knowing. There is a monastery in every larger settlement on Lamarge. Its father or mother superior usually is the politically most important person of the community.

What is abandonware ?