Perfect Chronicles/Origins

The origins of Perfect World as they were recorded in the Perfect Chronicles.

Pan Gu, the Creator

At the beginning of existence, the universe was chaos. A great being was born, who came to be known as Pan Gu. He swung his axe, and split yin and yang. The light parts of the universe became the sky, while the dense parts became the ground. The world was silent and lonely, so Pan Gu sacrificed himself for creation.

His breath became the wind and clouds, his voice the thunder and lightning, his eyes the sun and moon, his hair the stars and lights, his body the mountains and land, his blood the rivers and lakes, his bones the metals and minerals, and his sweat the rain and dew. Mortals worshipped him for his sacrifice, yet envied his power and immortality.

Birth of the Gods

As Pan Gu's body became the world, his spirit and essence were shattered into countless ethereal beings of great strength. The more powerful of these spirits created the Sacred World, and were worshipped by mortals as gods. These gods have no names but those given to them by their worshippers. For instance, in the Southern Reaches the god of destruction is called Shiva. On the Eastern Isles they speak the name of Susanoo, and the people of the Western Steppes know the destroyer as Baal.

The most powerful were the gods of yin and yang, who govern the great Chi of the universe, and the five elemental gods. Together, they balanced the universe and kept peace. These elemental gods were known as Nuwa the Earth Goddess, Grongon the Water God, Rushou the Metal God, Chujong the Fire Goddess, and Shenmong the Wood God.

The Origin of the Humans

While the strongest spirits of Pan Gu's essence went to the Sacred World to become gods, the weakest were left behind to suffer hunger and pain. Eventually, these weaker souls became powerful and resilient enough to obtain physical forms. Humans share the essence of Pan Gu with the gods, destiny having put them in a state of mutual dependence. With their skills in creative thinking and innovation, and their tendency towards unscrupulous behavior when necessary, Humans became the dominant race in Perfect World and erected five great capital cities. In the Midlands, though, they were strongly challenged by the Winged Elves. They ultimately fought a thousand-year war for control of the city of Heaven's Tear.

The Origin of the Untamed

Life evolved in the Primal World over the ages, bringing forth many new creatures. Among them was a proud and feral race known as the Untamed, born from wild animals like foxes and tigers. While the males retained their barbaric animal nature, the females evolved further into powerful magic users. Relations between Humans and the Untamed were delicate, and many female Untamed enjoyed seducing young and talented Human men. The males of the Untamed also developed a tendency to try to dominate the physically weaker Humans. This led to many killings and small battles between the Humans and the Untamed, as well as no small number of tragic romances.

The love and hate between the Humans and the Untamed was so fierce that it even affected politics; when the Winged Elves ambushed the Humans at the Battle of Life's Spring, the usually neutral Untamed suddenly attacked the Winged Elves' holy land, forcing them to retreat and turn the tide of war.

The Origin of the Winged Elves

The Winged Elves date back to the Golden Age, when gods and Humans lived together in harmony. When the gods first ascended to the Sacred World, the Humans looked upon them in awe and so they bestowed their favors upon mankind and feasted joyously together. After any years of kinship and prosperity, a new generation of half-god, half-Human offsprings were born. The gods gave these children wings so as to enjoy the gift of flight.

The children born to Human mothers were excellent Archers with black wings, while those born to godly mothers were masters of magic with white wings. As the Golden Age came to an end and the alliance between gods and Humans collapsed, these winged children began calling themselves Elves and took to living lives of seclusion and self-preservation. When the Sea of Blood Disaster struck, their wings allowed them to survive with minimal loss of life.

The Origin of the Tideborn

The Tideborn are descendants of an ancient tribe known as the Wavewalkers. After the Sea of Blood Disaster, the Water God Grongon, fearing his children would would be wiped out, endowed them with the ability to live on land or in the sea. This gift allowed them to make their way to Perfect World, but they were lost in the Sea of Reality. After years of wandering, they finally settled on the Barrier Islands and took the name of Tideborn. The vast ocean hides many monsters, though, and the Tideborn found themselves constantly fighting for survival. Their fiercest enemy was the Nightspike tribe. It became harder and harder for them to survive against such formidable foes.

In 1406, the Wraiths launched a massive attack against the Tideborn. Their elders used a forbidden ritual known as the Dimensional Cataclysm to destroy the Wraiths, but it also shifted their islands even further from the Midlands, separating them from the mainland by the Forbidden Sea.

The Origin of the Earthguard

After the gods created Perfect world, they departed to the Sacred World to rest. In the years following the first conflict between the Winged Elves and the Untamed, chaos and death reigned across Perfect World. The spirits of those who died did not pass on, but lingered, creating an imbalance of yin and yang that threatened the whole world. To avert disaster, the gods created a realm for the spirits to dwell in. They sent their servant, Radiance, to guide the spirits to this realm.

The good souls were allowed to sleep peacefully, while the evil souls were sealed away with the Wraiths. In 889, a dark meteor flashed across the sky. Its energy warped Radiance, creating a twisted, evil personality called Dark Radiance who began turning the wicked souls into Wraiths and sending them back into Perfect World. To combat his other self, Radiance trained the virtuous souls to battle the Wraiths and granted them a third eye to focus their powers. These spirits were the first Earthguard, and it was their solemn duty to defend Perfect World against the Wraiths whenever they might appear.

The Origin of the Nightshade

A race called the Reapers lived in the Realm of Garrow, home of their creator, the Divine Child Cangyan. After many centuries, an invasion by the Twilight Empire caused the Realm of Garrow to fall in chaos. Cangyan transformed into a golden dragon, sacrificing his life to destroy the invaders. With the last bit of his power he gave his children the ability to survive without him. Renaming themselves to Nightshade, they constructed a fleet of flying ships and traveled to Perfect World. The fleet was soon built into a floating city, which they named Dawnglory. As descendants of a Divine Child, they have a much longer lifespan than other races.

Sages and Demons

Even from the Sacred World, the gods found that they had an inherent connection to their mortal children in the Primal World. The mortals' faith empowered the gods, and those with more worshippers became even stronger. The gods began encouraging mortals' faith, and also selected powerful and wise individuals to enlighten with the secrets of the universe. These mortals were known as the Chosen. The Chosen were the most dedicated followers of the gods, and led others into their worship. A few were even capable of entering a realm called Lothranis, which existed near the Sacred World. To distinguish themselves from the gods, they called themselves Sages.

As time went on, though, some gods disagreed with their fellows. They fought and were cast down into the abyssal void, abandoned by mortals and gods alike. This void was an unruly space that even Pan Gu had not touched. Powerful and twisted aberrations lurked in its eternal darkness. Nevertheless, the gods there were still able to find worshippers, and granted their followers the dark power of the void. These mortal wielders of such chaotic power were called Demons. Throughout history, Sages and Demons would find themselves intertwined as eternally opposing forces.

The Sea of Blood Disaster

In their scramble for the worship of the mortals, the gods opposed each other. By the time the five elemental gods ended their partnership, all were engulfed in a chaotic war. The Water God Grongon led his followers against the Fire Goddess Chujong in a devastating battle. With the aid of the Earth Goddess Nuwa, Grongon was defeated. The chaotic forces of the battle devastated all of creation, though, resulting in a cataclysmic flood across the entire world known as the Sea of Blood Disaster.

A New Paradise

The gods were shocked at the devastation caused by their conflict, and knew they would need to find a new home for their surviving followers. They decided to abandon the world completely, and used their divine power to create a new world of perfection. They decreed that there would be no oppression or predation, no violence or crime, no greed or feud. All would share in the endless resources and live in harmony. The gods chose a number of gifted creatures and moved them to the new world, which they named Perfect World. These people carried all the hopes and promises of their creators into a new paradise. Though all problems were seemingly solved with Perfect World, those left behind behind were still vulnerable and forced to face the aftermath of the apocalypse on their own. The original, forsaken world eventually came to be known as the Primal World.

The Astral Fissures

After their long and devastating war, the gods were no longer able to coexist peacefully. As Perfect World was completed, a few powerful gods chose to depart and travel to the far corners of the universe, creating their own worlds in the fissures of reality. No one truly knows how many strange and wonderful worlds exist in these fissures, or how many stories are told there. But rumors still persist of a way to travel to these other worlds...

The Origin of the Wraiths

The Sea of Blood Disaster had laid waste to the Primal World, spreading destruction even to the doorsteps of the gods. In its wake, the gods decided to depart the Primal World and create a new, Perfect World. They paid no more attention to the fate of Primal World, and ignored the plight of those left behind. The Sea of Blood Disaster had killed thousands of mortals, and without the gods' presence their cursed souls were unable to find their way to the afterlife. These souls became twisted with hatred, not only for the gods but for all life. These evil beings became known as Wraiths.

The Wraiths established their own vile laws and order, preying upon the people of the Primal World until they found a way to cross over into Perfect World. By the time the gods realized what was happening, it was too late to stop the Wraiths entirely. Instead, they sealed them away in the Underworld where they believed they would remain trapped forever.