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Primordials

The Primordials

The four Primordials are the greatest elementals, each embodying their respective element. They are as old as the world itself. For most of history, the Primordials kept the spread of civilization in check by amplifying natural disasters to apocalyptic proportions. Recently, three of four of the Primordials were bound, and no longer impede progress or expansion.
Both technological and arcane progress were hampered by the severity and frequency of natural disasters. Libraries, academies, and monasteries were built only to be leveled in an earthquake, razed by fire, swallowed in a flood, or blown apart by storms. For this reason, much of human and halfling history is lost.

Binding of the Primordials

The idea of imprisoning the Primordials was not taken seriously for millenia, until the Dwarf wizard Þórhildr Ragnfríðr invented binding in the year -409 SK (earning her the epithet "Jarðefni" / "Earthbinder," as she was a Granite Dwarf and practiced on earth elementals). This new technique enabled a spellcaster to capture an elemental and harness its energy. It is difficult to bind powerful elementals; greater elementals can only be bound by multiple spellcasters working together. It takes a monumental effort to bind a Primordial.

Binding of Shaitan

Soon after binding was first invented, the Adamant Dwarves secretly began researching how to bind Shaitan, which they believed could power an immense forge and help them defend against invasion by the Iron Dwarves. When the Iron Dwarves attacked before the forge was completed, the Adamant mages lured Shaitan prematurely out of desparation. The binding failed and Shaitan destroyed the city, including most of its residents and much of the invading army, before returning to dormancy. The fall of the Adamant Dwarves became known as the Demantafatl ("Fall of Adamant").
In the battle, the Steel Dwarves captured some of the Adamant wizards behind the attempted binding. The wizards were interrogated for their knowledge of both the binding ritual and adamant processing. The latter was unknown to the wizards, but the Steel Dwarves did learn enough about the binding process to jumpstart their own investigation.
Armed with more time and knowledge of what can go wrong, the Steel Dwarves began preparing a binding receptacle in the volcano Helvete. The volcano was close enough to the Iron Kingdom that it could be supplied and defended, but far enough that a failure would not result in a repeat of the Demantafatl. The Steel Dwarves successfully bound Shaitan in -247 SK.
Helvete was safe from Typhon and Leviathan, but Behemoth tried to free Shaitan several times. The Iron Dwarves had to enter the Æði Pact with the Granite Dwarves, securing arcane and structural assistance in exchange for iron and steel, to keep Shaitan's bindings intact.

Binding of Leviathan

News of Shaitan's first binding rapidly spread to Ata—followed shortly after by news of Behemoth's attacks on Helvete. Most humans thought that the risks associated with binding a primordial outweighed the benefits. For 250 more years, humans chose to endure Leviathan, Typhon, and Behemoth.
Around the time of the Sonnern Conquest, when Sonnern general lords were getting rich off of wartime pillaging, Lord Anselm Voss realized that the recently-invented submersible ships could escape Typhon's storms and open up transcontinental trade. In 1 SK, Voss founded a group of human wizards to discover how Shaitan was bound, and formulate a ritual that could in turn bind Leviathan. As the project grew, it drew top mages from across the continent. Even some orcs, gnomes, and dwarves (silver and granite) participated. With near-limitless funding, the mages developed a suitable spell in just 30 years.

Arkanloft

To keep the discoveries he funded secret, Voss established an isolated laboratory in a valley. The entire valley, dubbed Arkanvale, was (and remains) warded against conjuration and divination magic, plus spells like sending.
With so many wizards and artificers working together, progress was quick and touched upon many areas of magic. Other wizards were drawn to the project out of curiosity or academic necessity. Before long, a permanent settlement of wizards, artificers, and their families appeared around the project site. The town is now known as Arkanloft and its Voss Industrial and Arcane Laboratories (VIAL) is the leading magical institute in Ata.
Leviathan's place of binding was chosen to be the Ice Plains, since it is politically neutral, far from civilization, and safe from Behemoth, who was not bound at the time. It was also believed that the colder climate would help keep Leviathan bound. In order to bring Leviathan to the site, Fune sailors were employed to lure the primordial on specially-made super-fast ships. (The ships, and the sailors thereof, are now regarded as the Stormrunners.) The plan was successfully executed in 36 SK, kicking off the beginning of the Age of Trade.
A multicultural colony of mages' and sailors' descendants began at the site of Leviathan's binding. The colony, called Ocean's End, is one of the only places on the planet with four different races living together: Humans, Orcs, (Silver) Dwarves, and Gnomes. Leviathan is kept frozen at the bottom of a massive iceberg and is constantly under watch.

Binding of Behemoth