The history of the Continent is shaped by the interplay between myth, magic, and the rise and fall of its realms. Its earliest age lies beyond written record, preserved only in religious tradition and folklore. According to the old Niamedian faith, the oldest recorded religion on the Continent, the world was once touched directly by divine beings, among them the Sun and the Moon, whose union resulted in the creation of the very first humans with magical powers and abilities, who stood out among the rest of the Old Ancestors. From this primordial era stem the soul-bound and inherited powers that continue to define Continental societies.
In the earliest eras, the Old Ancestors spread across the Mainland and its surrounding waters, some carrying within them dormant magical potential. Over time, distinct manifestations of power emerged — elemental bending in the south, shapeshifting in the far north, and dendromancy and necromancy endemic within the Niamedian archipelago. These differences fostered both cultural mingling and conflict, as those gifted with magic often rose to positions of dominance over the unpowered.
The first true continental power was Niamedia, which in ancient times expanded from its archipelago onto the Mainland. Its dendromancers and necromancers, coupled with superior maritime trade and early technology, allowed it to dominate coastal regions and enslave large numbers of Mainland peoples — most notably early Vascavanians — in an attempt to strengthen Niamedia's noble bloodlines. This era ended in widespread revolt, driving Niamedia back to its islands and sowing the seeds of the religious movement that would later become the Niamedian Church.
Niamedia's retreat resulted with the slow rise of Vascavania, a land whose people made use of the knowledge inherited from their years under Niamedian yoke and set the foundations of a vast empire. Elemental bending, particularly pyromancy, accelerated Vascavanian military development and enabled the creation of firearms, granting the future Empire unprecedented dominance. Over centuries, Vascavania expanded across much of the Mainland, annexing Phisna and Phasna, conquering Chamore, and establishing itself as the Continent’s foremost political and military power. Its rivalry with Niamedia evolved into a prolonged cold war maintained by feeble treaties.
In the far north, beyond Vascavania’s effective reach, Iepla emerged as a kingdom shaped by isolation and survival. Cradled in ice and tundra, it became the homeland of shapeshifters and the subject of enduring myth surrounding the dragon Iliya the Hermit believed to sleep beneath its soil. Protected by geography and legend alike, Iepla avoided imperial conquest and developed a decentralized political system rooted in communal authority. Though rarely an aggressor, Iepla served as a stabilizing northern presence and a key trade partner to Grimma, particularly in furs and metals.
To the northeast, Grimma formed from exile and defiance. Populated largely by uncommon shapeshifting peoples cast out of southern societies due to their unusual appearance, Grimma evolved into a loose confederation of warrior tribes hardened by extreme terrain. Initially sustained by weak agriculture in its southern tundras, Grimma later turned seaward, becoming infamous as raiders of the Northern seas. While feared and often vilified, Grimma consistently resisted imperial domination, exploiting continental conflicts and maintaining its independence through strength and opportunism.
By the current era, the Continent had settled into an uneasy calm. Vascavania remains a sprawling empire strained by its borders; Niamedia retreated inward under a theocratic regime forged by its reformed religion and new priesthood; Iepla endured as a vast, sparsely populated kingdom guarded by myth and mountains; and Grimma remained a persistent northern threat, unconquered and unbowed. Trade, war, and mingled bloodlines ensured that magic continued to evolve, even as political structures attempted to control and restrict it.
Thus, the Continent’s history is not one of unity, but of tension: between land and sea, faith and pragmatism, freedom and empire. It is a history still unfolding, shaped by old grudges, ancient powers, and the fragile balance holding its nations apart.