Post by epic on Sept 19, 2007 13:31:20 GMT -5
Ruin Mist (from the original wiki entry on Ruin Mist)
Ruin Mist is the name used for the fictional world of Robert Stanek. The name "Ruin Mist" is the common language translation of an elvish word, which means (or is thought to mean) "the lost ages" or "the ruin of time". The stories are believed to be set in a fictional past of our world.
The history of Ruin Mist is divided into four ages:
The First Age: the Age of Titans
The Second Age: the Age of Men, Elves, and Dwarves
The Third Age: the Age of Men and Elves
The Fourth Age: the Age of Men, also referred to as the Last Age of Ruin Mist
The current Ruin Mist books deal exclusively with events at the end of the Fourth Age: the Age of Men. Much of what is known of Ruin Mist's history has been written as preludes to various of Stanek's Ruin Mist books, and provided in Encyclopedia of Ruin Mist and Ruin Mist: Heroes, Legends, and Beyond.
In the Ruin Mist books, Vilmos and Edward the troant play King's Mate. King's Mate, the Ancient Game of Kings, is chess-like strategy game.
Contents
1 The Realms
2 History of the Ages
3 Writings of the First Age
4 Writings of the Current Age
5 Inhabitants
6 Languages
7 Ruin Mist books
7.1 Adult Fiction Series
7.2 Young Adult Fiction Series
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
The Realms
Ruin Mist has three distinct realms of existence: Over-Earth, Under-Earth, and Middle-Earth.
Over-Earth is the home of dragons and titans. But don’t forget about the eagle lords. Those three are the great races of Ruin Mist’s past.
Under-Earth is an otherworldly realm that has blood-red skies, and no sun or moon.
Middle-Earth is the home of elves and men.
Much of the current stories take place in the kingdoms of men and in the reaches where the elves live. Parts of the stories take place in under-earth and over-earth as well.
History of the Ages
In an age long since lost to myth and memory, a race of supreme giants, known as titans, ruled over all the lands of Ruin Mist from their homes on Over-Earth. Without question, titans were the masters of the gates. They moved freely between realms and across lands.
Darkness came to mark the end of age of the titans as surely as there was ever light at the beginning. During this time of darkness, known as the Great Purge, it was the greatest of all titans, Ky'el, who gave men, elves and dwarves their freedom. By the end of the purge, the only known gate to Over-Earth was sealed for all time ushering in a new beginning. A new age. An age of men, elves, and dwarves.
After countless wars waged against themselves, each other, and the other races, men, elves, and dwarves settled in to an uneasy peace within their divided lands. In time, like titans before them, dwarves became folk of myth and legend, leaving only absence like a darkness where once there had been great presence and a light.
The age of men and elves had arrived, its arrival marked by the coming of the great war. Some would call this war: Dnyarr’s war after the elven king who started it. Others would call it the War of the Thousand Year Siege. Those that fought and died would call it the War of Ten Million Tears. Victory for men above all others brought little joy though it did usher in a new age. The age of men.
There are some who fear this age to be Ruin Mist’s last. For if men succumb to darkness there will be no beginning and darkness will surely rule forever. It is in this time at the twilight of the age of men that those long lost have returned to thwart the darkness. They are the fallen sons of ages past and present. They are the keepers, the watchers, and the guardians. They are those who hold the key to Ruin Mist’s future.
Writings of the First Age
At the dawn of the first age, it was the titan Ky’el who gave the lesser races (men, elves, and dwarves) their freedom—at a great cost to himself and his people. Before that, the lesser races were slaves to the greater races (dragons, titans and eagle lords).
Over the millennia, knowledge of Over-Earth’s existence faded from the memory of the living, even that of the long-lived elves and dwarves. Most believe it is a place of myth and legend, and that it never truly existed.
Writings of the Current Age
After the Great War that divided the peoples, the kingdoms of men plunged into a Dark Age that lasted 500 hundred years. To heal the lands and restore the light, the great kings decreed that magic and all that is magical, be it creature, man or device, shall be cleansed to dust. Creatures born of magic were hunted to extinction. The cleansing raged for so long that no human could recall a time without it and it is in this time that the Dark Lord Sathar returned from the dark beyond.
The one hope of the peoples of Ruin Mist was Queen Mother, the elf queen of old. She saw a way out of everlasting darkness, a path that required the union of the divided peoples. Yet the Elves of the West did not share her vision. They thought her mad and answered her call for help with a call to arms. Now for the first time in recorded history the armies of the West are marching toward the sacred city of the East and an unholy war where elf must fight elf is inevitable.
Though despair abounds and evil seeks to reign, there is hope. Queen Mother sees hope through a union of the divided peoples: an alliance of men and elves to fight against the forces of darkness. But between men and elves there is no love and little trust. Only truth and faith can guide their destinies.
Inhabitants
For character information see: List of Ruin Mist characters
Ruin Mist has many inhabitants. The Beastmen of the Hunter Clan first appeared during the Great Wars. Little is known about them except that they are for-hire hunters and trackers. They are half human and half animal—the type of animal is unknown but suspected to be that of a black tiger or black wolf.
Saliva dripping from the upturned canine fangs of beastmen indicates they are on a hunt and may have sighted their prey. They frequently lick their hair-covered faces with their long, sticky tongues and ride magical horses that have the power to bend time and distance. No other race has been able to tame the Beast Horse, but many have tried.
Long ago extinct, or so it is thought, dragons are the stuff of myth and legend in Ruin Mist. Stories say dragons are a hundred times the size of man and that titans rode from the heavens upon their backs. The only true facts regarding dragons, recorded in an early text, is that there were once many races of dragons and each was as unique and distinct as men, elves and dwarves. Over-Earth is the ancestral home of the dragon races.
Dwarves dwell in many areas of Under-Earth. They are friends to the dark elves and loath the forest elves, which are aligned with the Gnomec Dwarves. They are highly regarded for their prowess in battle and their ability to mine ore from deep within the earth.
Gnomec Dwarves, sometimes referred to as gnomes, are an ancient line of dwarves whose ancestors once had great powers of divining and magic. Magic in dwarves is rare and was regarded suspiciously by other dwarves until the Rhylle/Armore wars, when the gnomes were driven out of the known lands.
The exile sowed the seeds of discontent and thus a cycle of hatred and revenge between Gnomec Dwarves and other dwarves was born. This led to the Gnomec Dwarves aligning with the kingdoms of men against Under-Earth.
Of the Eagle Lords, it is said that eagles once looked more like men than birds. Known for their great wisdom, able to speak, to fight and to fly, they were formidable allies and enemies. Many clans of the great eagles existed. One of the greatest clans was the Gray Clan, and their mightiest warrior, their liege lord, Ayrian, ruled the skies over the Rift Range for hundreds of years.
The dark elves of Under-Earth control Greye. Their gray skin, dark hair and pointed ears are unmistakable. Since the fall of the three kings, the dark elves lands are organized into fiefdoms, loosely allied to the old kingdoms.
The forest elves live in the Reaches. Although their skin is silvery or bronze, and they tend to have fair-colored hair and lavender eyes, forest elves can blend into their surroundings and change the color of their hair, skin and eyes at will.
Giants Six clans of giants are known to exist: hill, stone, mountain, ice, fire and storm. Giants are a secretive lot and do not often mix affairs with any other races. Giants are incredibly strong and untiring of will.
Men are the primary inhabitants of the kingdoms. Their peoples are organized primarily in kingdoms. They tend to keep to their own affairs and don’t like to get involved in the affairs of other races. During the Blood Wars, mankind drove all the other races out of the kingdoms and severed all ties.
Titans are a mysterious and secretive race of super giants that inhabit Over-Earth. Their time of power and rule came before the dawn of the First Age. During the Great Purge, the titans were overthrown and thus began the First Age. In many parts of the kingdoms, titans are remembered as wicked, foul and evil, but there are those who say this is a great misjudgment, for the greatest of all titans, Ky'el, is the one who gave men, elves and dwarves their freedom.
Swamp trolls live in swamps and unlike their cousins, they are quite civilized. While they prefer to live in mud-built homes on the edge of swamps, many have ventured into the lowland plain areas of Under-Earth.
Wood trolls are nasty creatures who hunt in packs and live primarily in trees. They are ugly, smelly creatures and the strike of their claws can be deadly.
Wolmerrelle are shape changers, the half animal and half human race that worship Arr. Wolmerrelle are known to have 2, 3 or even 4 heads. The strongest, those linked most directly to their human past, have a single head and they are the largest of the Wolmerrelle in body size.
Six clans of giants are known to exist: hill, stone, mountain, ice, fire and storm. Giants are a secretive lot and do not often mix affairs with any other races. Giants are incredibly strong and untiring of will.
Other inhabitants include many other creatures from ancient Greek, Norse, and Roman mythology. There are several cross breeds of races as well, including half trolls and half giants known as troants.
Languages
Stanek created multiple languages for the inhabitants of Ruin Mist. The language of the reach elves has origins in the romance languages (primarily Slavic languages). The language of the eagle lords has or origins in Native American Indian languages. The language of the dark elves has origins in far eastern languages (primarily Korean and Japanese). There is a common ancient language used, postulated to be that from when the titans rules over all of Ruin Mist.
Other languages spoken include the language of the Ice, spoken by the peoples of North, and the kingdom tongue or common speech, the language of the kingdoms.
Ruin Mist books
Adult Fiction Series
Ruin Mist Chronicles
Keeper Martin's Tale (2002)
Kingdom Alliance (2003)
Fields of Honor (2004)
Mark of the Dragon (2005)
Ruin Mist Chronicles: Dark Path
Elf Queen's Quest (2002)
Young Adult Fiction Series
Keeper Martin's Tales
The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches #1 (2002)
The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches #2 (2002)
The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches #3 (2002)
The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches #4 (2003)
In the Service of Dragons #1 (2004)
In the Service of Dragons #2 (2005)
In the Service of Dragons #3 (2005)
In the Service of Dragons #4 (2005)
Ruin Mist Tales
The Elf Queen & The King (2002)
The Elf Queen & The King #2 (2002)
The Elf Queen & The King #3 (2006)
The Elf Queen & The King #4 (2007)
See also
The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches books
In the Service of Dragons
Ruin Mist Chronicles
King's Mate
References
2003, Magic of Ruin Mist
2003, Robert Stanek: Candid Conversations
2003, Teacher's Classroom Guide to Ruin Mist
2004, Student's Classroom Guide to The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches
2005, Teacher's Classroom Guide to Magic Lands
2005, Student's Classroom Guide to Magic Lands
2005, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Elves and Fairies
External links
The Official Robert Stanek web site
The Official Ruin Mist web site
Reagent Press Robert Stanek's publisher
Robert Stanek fan directory
Categories: Fictional universes | Fictional planets | Ruin Mist
Ruin Mist is the name used for the fictional world of Robert Stanek. The name "Ruin Mist" is the common language translation of an elvish word, which means (or is thought to mean) "the lost ages" or "the ruin of time". The stories are believed to be set in a fictional past of our world.
The history of Ruin Mist is divided into four ages:
The First Age: the Age of Titans
The Second Age: the Age of Men, Elves, and Dwarves
The Third Age: the Age of Men and Elves
The Fourth Age: the Age of Men, also referred to as the Last Age of Ruin Mist
The current Ruin Mist books deal exclusively with events at the end of the Fourth Age: the Age of Men. Much of what is known of Ruin Mist's history has been written as preludes to various of Stanek's Ruin Mist books, and provided in Encyclopedia of Ruin Mist and Ruin Mist: Heroes, Legends, and Beyond.
In the Ruin Mist books, Vilmos and Edward the troant play King's Mate. King's Mate, the Ancient Game of Kings, is chess-like strategy game.
Contents
1 The Realms
2 History of the Ages
3 Writings of the First Age
4 Writings of the Current Age
5 Inhabitants
6 Languages
7 Ruin Mist books
7.1 Adult Fiction Series
7.2 Young Adult Fiction Series
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
The Realms
Ruin Mist has three distinct realms of existence: Over-Earth, Under-Earth, and Middle-Earth.
Over-Earth is the home of dragons and titans. But don’t forget about the eagle lords. Those three are the great races of Ruin Mist’s past.
Under-Earth is an otherworldly realm that has blood-red skies, and no sun or moon.
Middle-Earth is the home of elves and men.
Much of the current stories take place in the kingdoms of men and in the reaches where the elves live. Parts of the stories take place in under-earth and over-earth as well.
History of the Ages
In an age long since lost to myth and memory, a race of supreme giants, known as titans, ruled over all the lands of Ruin Mist from their homes on Over-Earth. Without question, titans were the masters of the gates. They moved freely between realms and across lands.
Darkness came to mark the end of age of the titans as surely as there was ever light at the beginning. During this time of darkness, known as the Great Purge, it was the greatest of all titans, Ky'el, who gave men, elves and dwarves their freedom. By the end of the purge, the only known gate to Over-Earth was sealed for all time ushering in a new beginning. A new age. An age of men, elves, and dwarves.
After countless wars waged against themselves, each other, and the other races, men, elves, and dwarves settled in to an uneasy peace within their divided lands. In time, like titans before them, dwarves became folk of myth and legend, leaving only absence like a darkness where once there had been great presence and a light.
The age of men and elves had arrived, its arrival marked by the coming of the great war. Some would call this war: Dnyarr’s war after the elven king who started it. Others would call it the War of the Thousand Year Siege. Those that fought and died would call it the War of Ten Million Tears. Victory for men above all others brought little joy though it did usher in a new age. The age of men.
There are some who fear this age to be Ruin Mist’s last. For if men succumb to darkness there will be no beginning and darkness will surely rule forever. It is in this time at the twilight of the age of men that those long lost have returned to thwart the darkness. They are the fallen sons of ages past and present. They are the keepers, the watchers, and the guardians. They are those who hold the key to Ruin Mist’s future.
Writings of the First Age
At the dawn of the first age, it was the titan Ky’el who gave the lesser races (men, elves, and dwarves) their freedom—at a great cost to himself and his people. Before that, the lesser races were slaves to the greater races (dragons, titans and eagle lords).
Over the millennia, knowledge of Over-Earth’s existence faded from the memory of the living, even that of the long-lived elves and dwarves. Most believe it is a place of myth and legend, and that it never truly existed.
Writings of the Current Age
After the Great War that divided the peoples, the kingdoms of men plunged into a Dark Age that lasted 500 hundred years. To heal the lands and restore the light, the great kings decreed that magic and all that is magical, be it creature, man or device, shall be cleansed to dust. Creatures born of magic were hunted to extinction. The cleansing raged for so long that no human could recall a time without it and it is in this time that the Dark Lord Sathar returned from the dark beyond.
The one hope of the peoples of Ruin Mist was Queen Mother, the elf queen of old. She saw a way out of everlasting darkness, a path that required the union of the divided peoples. Yet the Elves of the West did not share her vision. They thought her mad and answered her call for help with a call to arms. Now for the first time in recorded history the armies of the West are marching toward the sacred city of the East and an unholy war where elf must fight elf is inevitable.
Though despair abounds and evil seeks to reign, there is hope. Queen Mother sees hope through a union of the divided peoples: an alliance of men and elves to fight against the forces of darkness. But between men and elves there is no love and little trust. Only truth and faith can guide their destinies.
Inhabitants
For character information see: List of Ruin Mist characters
Ruin Mist has many inhabitants. The Beastmen of the Hunter Clan first appeared during the Great Wars. Little is known about them except that they are for-hire hunters and trackers. They are half human and half animal—the type of animal is unknown but suspected to be that of a black tiger or black wolf.
Saliva dripping from the upturned canine fangs of beastmen indicates they are on a hunt and may have sighted their prey. They frequently lick their hair-covered faces with their long, sticky tongues and ride magical horses that have the power to bend time and distance. No other race has been able to tame the Beast Horse, but many have tried.
Long ago extinct, or so it is thought, dragons are the stuff of myth and legend in Ruin Mist. Stories say dragons are a hundred times the size of man and that titans rode from the heavens upon their backs. The only true facts regarding dragons, recorded in an early text, is that there were once many races of dragons and each was as unique and distinct as men, elves and dwarves. Over-Earth is the ancestral home of the dragon races.
Dwarves dwell in many areas of Under-Earth. They are friends to the dark elves and loath the forest elves, which are aligned with the Gnomec Dwarves. They are highly regarded for their prowess in battle and their ability to mine ore from deep within the earth.
Gnomec Dwarves, sometimes referred to as gnomes, are an ancient line of dwarves whose ancestors once had great powers of divining and magic. Magic in dwarves is rare and was regarded suspiciously by other dwarves until the Rhylle/Armore wars, when the gnomes were driven out of the known lands.
The exile sowed the seeds of discontent and thus a cycle of hatred and revenge between Gnomec Dwarves and other dwarves was born. This led to the Gnomec Dwarves aligning with the kingdoms of men against Under-Earth.
Of the Eagle Lords, it is said that eagles once looked more like men than birds. Known for their great wisdom, able to speak, to fight and to fly, they were formidable allies and enemies. Many clans of the great eagles existed. One of the greatest clans was the Gray Clan, and their mightiest warrior, their liege lord, Ayrian, ruled the skies over the Rift Range for hundreds of years.
The dark elves of Under-Earth control Greye. Their gray skin, dark hair and pointed ears are unmistakable. Since the fall of the three kings, the dark elves lands are organized into fiefdoms, loosely allied to the old kingdoms.
The forest elves live in the Reaches. Although their skin is silvery or bronze, and they tend to have fair-colored hair and lavender eyes, forest elves can blend into their surroundings and change the color of their hair, skin and eyes at will.
Giants Six clans of giants are known to exist: hill, stone, mountain, ice, fire and storm. Giants are a secretive lot and do not often mix affairs with any other races. Giants are incredibly strong and untiring of will.
Men are the primary inhabitants of the kingdoms. Their peoples are organized primarily in kingdoms. They tend to keep to their own affairs and don’t like to get involved in the affairs of other races. During the Blood Wars, mankind drove all the other races out of the kingdoms and severed all ties.
Titans are a mysterious and secretive race of super giants that inhabit Over-Earth. Their time of power and rule came before the dawn of the First Age. During the Great Purge, the titans were overthrown and thus began the First Age. In many parts of the kingdoms, titans are remembered as wicked, foul and evil, but there are those who say this is a great misjudgment, for the greatest of all titans, Ky'el, is the one who gave men, elves and dwarves their freedom.
Swamp trolls live in swamps and unlike their cousins, they are quite civilized. While they prefer to live in mud-built homes on the edge of swamps, many have ventured into the lowland plain areas of Under-Earth.
Wood trolls are nasty creatures who hunt in packs and live primarily in trees. They are ugly, smelly creatures and the strike of their claws can be deadly.
Wolmerrelle are shape changers, the half animal and half human race that worship Arr. Wolmerrelle are known to have 2, 3 or even 4 heads. The strongest, those linked most directly to their human past, have a single head and they are the largest of the Wolmerrelle in body size.
Six clans of giants are known to exist: hill, stone, mountain, ice, fire and storm. Giants are a secretive lot and do not often mix affairs with any other races. Giants are incredibly strong and untiring of will.
Other inhabitants include many other creatures from ancient Greek, Norse, and Roman mythology. There are several cross breeds of races as well, including half trolls and half giants known as troants.
Languages
Stanek created multiple languages for the inhabitants of Ruin Mist. The language of the reach elves has origins in the romance languages (primarily Slavic languages). The language of the eagle lords has or origins in Native American Indian languages. The language of the dark elves has origins in far eastern languages (primarily Korean and Japanese). There is a common ancient language used, postulated to be that from when the titans rules over all of Ruin Mist.
Other languages spoken include the language of the Ice, spoken by the peoples of North, and the kingdom tongue or common speech, the language of the kingdoms.
Ruin Mist books
Adult Fiction Series
Ruin Mist Chronicles
Keeper Martin's Tale (2002)
Kingdom Alliance (2003)
Fields of Honor (2004)
Mark of the Dragon (2005)
Ruin Mist Chronicles: Dark Path
Elf Queen's Quest (2002)
Young Adult Fiction Series
Keeper Martin's Tales
The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches #1 (2002)
The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches #2 (2002)
The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches #3 (2002)
The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches #4 (2003)
In the Service of Dragons #1 (2004)
In the Service of Dragons #2 (2005)
In the Service of Dragons #3 (2005)
In the Service of Dragons #4 (2005)
Ruin Mist Tales
The Elf Queen & The King (2002)
The Elf Queen & The King #2 (2002)
The Elf Queen & The King #3 (2006)
The Elf Queen & The King #4 (2007)
See also
The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches books
In the Service of Dragons
Ruin Mist Chronicles
King's Mate
References
2003, Magic of Ruin Mist
2003, Robert Stanek: Candid Conversations
2003, Teacher's Classroom Guide to Ruin Mist
2004, Student's Classroom Guide to The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches
2005, Teacher's Classroom Guide to Magic Lands
2005, Student's Classroom Guide to Magic Lands
2005, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Elves and Fairies
External links
The Official Robert Stanek web site
The Official Ruin Mist web site
Reagent Press Robert Stanek's publisher
Robert Stanek fan directory
Categories: Fictional universes | Fictional planets | Ruin Mist