The Races of Avendar, Chapter I: The Alatharya

An excerpt from the Races of Avendar, an in-game text found in the school of heroes, this chapter covers the alatharya.

Alatharya: Section 1

 The alatharya are reputed to be the oldest of Avendar's sapient races, and
 their history stretches back to the dawn of mortal life.  According to
 legend, the alatharya were once the chosen people of the gods, gifted with
 both phenomenal strength and formidable intellect.  Using these gifts, the
 alatharya spread throughout the world, creating a civilization of mythic
 proportions.  

 How long the alatharya remained the masters of Avendar is unknown, but the
 magnificence of their creations has lingered into the present.  Ruins of
 their ancient empires are still found in remote regions of the world,
 monuments that have withstood the elements for millennia.  

 However, the alatharya were not destined to remain the lords of the Prime. 
 Using the magic that the gods had bestowed upon them, the alatharya grew
 mighty in both the knowledge of Avendar and the study of the planes. 
 Unsatisfied with the limits placed upon them, the alatharya dreamt of
 conquering all of the multiverse. 

Alatharya: Section 2

 Delving into the powers that upheld the Prime Material, the alatharya began
 to tap the quintessence, the source for both magic and the planes.  When the
 alatharya attempted to use their newfound powers against the gods, they
 discovered the true depths of their folly.  

 The mighty Dragon, Tzet-Askhari, warned Its fellow creators of the hubris of
 the First Race, and the gods turned the schemes of the alatharya against
 them.  Great was the vengeance of the gods, and greater still the punishment
 the alatharya bore.  Legends say that in less than a year, the vast
 civilization of the alatharya had fallen.  

 Yet, the wrath of the gods went further than simple destruction.  The power
 of magic was divided into elemental spheres, in an event now known as the
 Sundering.  Magic scoured the surface of Avendar in the form of torrential,
 earth-shattering storms.  Holy and unholy creatures were freed from bondage,
 destroying everything the alatharya had made.

alatharya: Section 3

 The hubris of the alatharya would be recalled for all eternity by their
 people, as their descendents suffered the cruelest punishment of all.  They
 were stripped of their vast intellect and grand wisdom, wandering the earth
 without the wit or ability to grasp the gift of magic that their
 predecessors had so abused.  

 The alatharya venerated a god they called Elarandan, an amalgam of the
 religions which had preceded the fall.  They carved a lonely existence on
 the fringes of civilization, and avoided the blossoming of younger races out
 of a lingering fear of the gods' wrath.  They often live as wild people or
 menial laborers, unable or unwilling to forge true civilizations of their
 own.  

 In the modern era, alatharya are often looked down upon, as it is known to
 all the great punishment they suffer for all time.  They possess superhuman
 strength and toughness, which only serves to highlight the great magic they
 once possessed.  What few alatharya strongholds exist lie within the far
 reaches of the Rirro Jagka, the Crimson Sands, and other particular desolate
 or wartorn regions.