The Second Sundering [ A Death Gate Cycle Fanfic ]

Prologue: The Explanation of It All

Long, long ago there were five races that inhabited a world. Two of those five, the Sartan and the Patryns both strived for the top. Each believed they were the proper Gods of the world, due to their ability in magic and rune power. They fought over the mensch- the humans, dwarves, and elves- for a good many years... Untill finally, the Sartan managed to cling to the top for just long enough.

They banished the whole of the Patryns into the Laybringth, sealing them in the prison and posting guards all about. With the Patryns out of the way.. The Sartan sundered the world into four separate worlds- each dedicated to their own element- with the hopes of rallying them all and making peace before letting the Patryns back out. Their hopes, however, were stretched much too thin.

Each world had it's flaw that they had tried to make do with. But the deal was too great, and there- by this time- were far too many of their race. The Sartan vanished from knowledge. Any who knew about any of them, are long dead now. But.. Sartan do not die with age. What could have gotten to them?

Where were they all?

Many many years later, a single Patryn escapes the deadly Labringth and flees into the relm such a prison rests on. A realm between worlds- The Nexxuss. There, he becomes known as The Lord of The Nexxuss- and to his son, Xar. Xar helps some of his people also escape the Labyringth and inhabit the Nexxuss. Haplo is one of the first to join Xar's ranks.

Accompanied by a mysterious dog, Haplo does his Lord's bidding. He traveled to the four worlds, discovering what he could about them, creating chaos. He and his dog go through many hardships and many more near fatilities. It is only on Haplo's last mission, his journey to the fourth realm, that the Patryn did not return.

Many more years have passed.. Xar has searched and searched for a woman Haplo journied with in his time during the Laybringth. Until now, he has been unable to wrap his puppet strings around any man or woman. None of them properly balanced to continue Haplo's work.

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Sartan: The godly race that uses sound, hearing, and speech as a source of their magic. They dance gracefully as they sing the magic lyrics, and actually are quite good. Their hair is typically a white-silver color with dark brown- black tips.

Patryn: The second godly race. They use sight, touch, and mental strength as a source of their magic. Their bodies are covered in red and blue rune tattoos- except on the plam, foot pad, face, and head. There is much to their magical ways, details that cannot fit into this description. Their hair is a dark brown-black with white-silver tips.

The Laybringth: The deadly maze in which the Patryns found themselves trapped inside for centuries. This isn't just a maze... It holds creatures of death, Life-givers and Life-takers. The maze comes and goes, it seems, as it pleases.

The Nexxuss: The realm between realms. The home of the weakened race of Patryns. Xar rules here, keeping everyone in line properly, and helping others escape the maze.

Mensch: A lesser race. Humans, dwarves, or elves. Commonly used by Sartan and Patryns.

Arianus: The world of air. It consists of three levels and the lands are simple floating islands in the Deepsky. The Gegs- a race of dwarf- inhabit this world with a small colony of elves. Arianus' lowest level island is used to pump water up to the other two islands. The Gegs mostly live here, operating the mechanical pump they call the Kicksey-Windsey. In return for pumping water, the elves will occasionally fly down on Dragonships and dump their unwanted furniture, food, and other novelties for the Gegs to pilfer through and keep.

Pyran: The world of fire. It is a very Earthy realm. Consisting of trees and grass and the well being of animals. Mensch inhabit this world- or did. On Haplo's prophecised journey to the realm, he takes a family of elves and humans to a nearby star to flee the Tytans that crash through their world. Not much is left of Pyran now, most of it's people have died away, slaughtered by the magic- using ogers.

Abarrach: The world of stone- or death. There is much to tell about Haplo and Alfred's experiance in this world... Of which I am unable to fit here without making this a complete novel in and of itself. This world- however- is a dead world. ruled over now by the lazar of the people that used to inhabit this firey realm; the re-animated souls stuck into rotting flesh. This world seemed to have the most ruins from the Sartan's time. Much of this is important towards the original series, and will be explained, if needed, as I go.

Chelestra: The realm of water. The people that inhabit this realm, their lands are concealed in very large bubbles, giving them the air to breathe and live. Mensch inhabit this world, all living in peace and harmony. The world has suns that are concealed in bubbles of their own. Once a cycle the Great Sun moves to the next level of the world of water. The mensch having to follow it to avoid freezing to death- traveling from bubble to bubble in submarine-ships, much like underwater Dragonships.

A Cycle: The equivalent to a year's time. It is used to determine one's age and larger gaps of time.

Dragonship: A dragon-like boat that sails in the air. It has everything a boat at sea would consist of... Only dragonships have a set of wings that determine how the ship is moorred.

The Death Gate: A very deciving portal in the Nexxuss that leads to each of the four realms beyond. There is much to the Death Gate, which I cannot explain correctly. The passage through Death's Gate is a very painful, mind-twisting, and brutal experiance to have. One is nomally unconcious through the trip and so sleeps through such experiance.