Dark Lords

The Dark Lords are an unspeakably ancient evil force. There are believed to be four of them, to correspond to the four elements(earth, fire, wind, water) and in oposition to the four Monster Gods. However, just as the exact number of Monster Gods is not known with certainty, neither is the number of Dark Lords. They are, however, mortal, and can be killed(as happened at numerous points during Antiquity, the Mage Wars, and even very occasionally during the Ages of the Alliance. Because of their incredible power and great destructive capacity, most of the Dark Lords were merely imprisoned, sealed or bound in various ways.

Age

Many stories of the dark lords come from an era called the "mythical age" in which the Monster Gods were said to have fought along side the mortal races of the verse, helping to defeat or bind all of the Dark Lords. The Dark Lords, meanwhile, fought beside the daemons of the Underworld, the Armies of Darkness, and the fabled Darkest Tower. While it is widely acknowledged that tales of the Darkest Tower pre-date the Mage Wars, most historians place little substance in the stories.

However, those who have fought actual Dark Lords, disagree. Hunter Jusenkyou posits the the Mythical Age came very early in Antiquity, and constitutes the oldest known "Age" or era of history. He states that the era was around 1,500 to 2,000 years. Surprisingly, within the very small demographic of respected figures who support the legends of the age of Myth, there is room for dissension. Jason Bur'I posits that the Mythical Age came before Antiquity, and itself lasted for ten thousand years(when asked whether or not this era represented "the Missing Ten Thousand Years", Jason abruptly changed the subject).

Regardless, the Dark Lords are widely known to have existed during Antiquity and to have caused great devastation. Up until the Sixth Age, most historians placed the events of the Mythical Age during Antiquity, it was not until the late Sixth Age and the Age of the Dragon that archivists were able to properly separate the different accounts.

Origin

Throughout history, various cults have developed in worship of the Dark Lords. Informed by Daemons from the Underworlds, these cults hold that the Dark Lords have existed since the dawn of time. However, the Dark Lords being mortal, would require that their creation have taken place after the dawn of time.

It is generally agreed(by those not actively worshiping evil) that the Dark Lords were created at the beginning of the age of Myth, by the Inami.

Nature

The Dark Lords are described alternatively as either unintelligent beasts, or massively intelligent demigods. While the beings did not display much in the way of conventional reasoning, human interaction with them was, by and large, short.

Jason described the Dark Lords as being in possession of what he called 'the infinate nature'. He said "They are not 'evil' in the way a man who kicks a dog, or a person who takes another's life is; they are operating on a level outside human perception. Our minds cannot grasp the infinite nature of these... things. To us, we see only the death and destruction they bring, yet to the them, taking the time to kill a single one of us would show more care than they are even capable of."

Jason's opinions are informed by being among a precious few individuals who have ever faced a dark lord.

Iron Reaver