Background

The Great Prophecy is that which many of the cults and factions of the world of War Torn revolve. Additionally here is a more comprehensive story of the world.

The Great Prophecy
In darkened days the storm shall come, born of blood and wreathed in flame, united, man must strike as one, bloody vengeance his to claim.

''Have not the gods their power too, born of avarice, lust and sin? Though man is many and they are few, tis through their unity man shall win.''

''Gaze upon our barren lands, stripped of life, both plant and beast. Know fault lies in gods' hands, their endless gluttony man must cease.''

Now look upon the ranks of man, famished few whom yet survive, they struggle, fighting clan to clan,foolishly, they waste their lives.

''Is this a host to fight the gods? Who shall quell this inner strife? Shall man's great storm destroy the gods, or shall the gods consume all life?''

-"The Great Prophecy", as spoken by Torian Voros, Sage of the Outlands

Background
The life blood of our world is mana. It is because of mana that the winds blow, the seas turn and the plants grow. Birds can fly because the air is thick with mana. Trees grow by drinking and returning mana to and from the earth. All life is an eternal cycle of mana, flowing like water from the earth to the plants to the creatures and back again to earth. Because of mana, the cycle of life our world is eternal.

Or so it used to be, until mankind discovered how to drawn mana, to steal it from the earth, to shape it and convert it to his own ends. He called this process "magic." Once drawn from the earth, mana properly formed can create nearly any effect imaginable. However, the mana is shattered by this conversion and what is not completely destroyed is rendered useless, unable to return to the earth.

For the first centuries, the discovery of magic seemed to be a boon. Great cities rose across the face of the world. There was more then enough food and luxury for all. Because of the seemingly endless resources, there was no need for war or conflict and the worlds weapons were put to rest. For the first time in their history, man was truly at peace.

Nothing good lasts forever, though, and within two centuries of mana's discovery, the flow began to weaken. No longer could the world's mana provide for the lives of avarice man had grown accustomed to. Many resented their loss, and strove to reclaim the good lives their fathers and grandfathers had. For the first time magic was turned into a weapon and used not to create, but to destroy.

Over time the magical wars escalated. The mana consumed by fighting increased mankind's squalor, and thus more men were made discontent and more mana was used for combat. Although much of the technology for war had been lost, non-magical soldiers began to fight again. It was also here, in this time of chaos and death that the first human ascended to godhood. Once ascended, each god consumed vast amounts of mana and could wield incredible power. Magical creatures later appeared, creatures formed of the broken shards of useless mana that had been shattered by magic but not destroyed. They, like the gods, drank mana from the earth without returning it, however both their consumption and their power were vastly less.

As the endless battles raged, the magic of the world grew weaker and weaker, until the land could no longer produce the food to feed mankind. The Forests withered and died. Grasslands turned to desert. Great rivers dried up. The wind stopped blowing. The sea stopped turning. The days grew hotter and the nights colder. Cities crumbled. Nations fell.

It is here that our story begins, in a dying world in which the last humans struggle for survival. Most of the world has become a waste, known as the Outlands. Only those areas which were most fertile can still sustain human life. But even in these places resources are limited. People are desperate and conflicts, both new and old, threaten to consume the remains of this dying world.