[About]
Long ago, on the war-torn world of Zeal, in the midst of all the greed, strife, violence, and anarchy, a seed of darkest evil embedded itself in the blood-soaked soil. It grew quickly and voraciously, choking out all other life in its path. Its sordid roots infiltrated and eroded the foundations of many a kingdom, and armies in the midst of goriest conflict were oft nastily surprised when their nations crumbled to dust from no force of their known enemies, but from this new, vicious evil. Its gnarled limbs and bethorned branches enveloped all others in its path, sucking from them the essence of life itself. It sowed many dark seeds such as that from which it originally emerged, and they grew to assist its cause as efficiently and gruesomely as itself. The sylvan terrors swiftly took control of the world of Zeal, and people learned to dread their name.
There were many who fled at the first rustling of leaves, and many others who tried to protect themselves under the banner of neutrality. Yet, out of all of those who inhabited Zeal, there were none who took a strong stance against those arborean soldiers. People lived in a reign of fear, and there were none who would, let alone could, do a thing about it.
But things would not go on like this forever.
The history of Zeal was destined to drip with blood from the moment the first settlers set foot in that world. The air was constantly ringing with the clash of blades, and the air was constatly electrified with bolts of magic. Many brave men fought in the countless battles of Zeal, and deep within these crimson fires of war were forged amazingly powerful heroes. These were people were fiercly independent, refusing to submit to anyone. They were scattered throughout many regions of the world, and, when the leafy darkness began to spread, they were not grouped in any union powerful enough to truly stand against the enemy. But, as conditions worsened, the need for change became more and more apparent. These demigods soon united to form a force that was more than a worthy opponent for the opressors.
A single spark landed in the forest of evil that had consumed Zeal. As suddenly as it had appeared, it exploded into a massive flame. Glowing and burning just like the martial fires in which they were created, the Fire Creepers had made their entrance.
The evil ents and Freepers battled viciously throughout the remainder of that world's lifespan, and in the end, the forest was burned back to its origin. There, weak and defeated, the final blow would be dealt to the trees not by their flaming rivals, but by the Zo themselves. They had broken the core laws of the Multiverse, and, already nearly dead, they were finally extirpated by the ethereal rulers of the cosmos.[
The world of Zeal soon fell apart, and, with their ribals gone, the Freepers went their separate ways. They had succeeded in their goals, and thus went to seek their individual fortunes elsewhere from one another.
However, mere days into the life of Dragongarde, everything went wrong. An ambitious upstart seized the name of the dark scourge of Zeal, and with some success, also seized its legacy. He gathered to himself a somewhat formidable force, and planted his own seed of evil.
It was, of course, a mere copy of that which came before, and it was a flawed facsimile at that, yet circumstances allowed this faint shadow of evil to grasp power and hold it with an iron grip. Too many on Dragongarde wished to be kings, and resources were spread so scarcely through this to prevent anyone from achieving it. There were large groups in the world, but they were disorganized and incapable of true power. It was a world of anarchy, poverty, and isolation. It seemed that every town was the enemy of its neighbor, and there were many towns in the world. No town could become rich enough to evolve into a true power. Walls were impenetrable, and conflict was feeble. The state of the land was such that the world itself seemed to be a fruit ripe for the picking, yet hanging just a few inches out of reach. Everyone jumped and swatted at that fruit, but nobody could reach it with their bodies alone. It was an unfortunate mishap that the damaged clone of Zeal's great evil was the only creature organized enough to find the metaphorical ladder.
Early on, the lasting power of this group was ensured in Dragongarde. Many groups rose and fell to stop the saplings' reign. Even a form of the Freepers arose, but it lacked many of the originals and was not strong enough to make a true stand. Those Freepers had more victories than other groups, but they couldn't complete the job.
However, plans were made for the world that was bound to follow Dragongarde, and when Bastion finally came, they were put into place. Many of the original Freepers returned and began frenzied construction of the fortress Mineris. They were determined to prevent the evil forest from forming again. Building was interrupted by many conflicts, but Mineris came out the winner in nearly all of them, and great alliances were forged in these battles. Despite the loss of some founding members, Mineris climbed to power. It has become one of the strongest bastions within Bastion, and there is not a single member of the facsimile who has not run from its members.
The sylvan shade still hovers over the world, though, and the risk of another domination must be avoided. Thus, the Fire Creepers have returned. Their power has been solidified through their already impressive resume of victories in the world of Bastion, and sparks are once again beginning to fly.
Everything burns, but nothing burns better than the dried limbs of a freshly-hewn tree.
- Written by Joka10 -[/QUOTE
