In a time lost from human memory, a time unrecorded by books yet alive in hearts and minds, civilizations flourished of which only faint echoes remain. Civilizations that reached great heights in knowledge, only to vanish as if they had never existed.
Among these civilizations rose the Kingdom of Salimar.
Salimar was a land of science and knowledge. Its scholars excelled in physics, chemistry, and mathematics, reaching levels in certain fields that other nations have yet to attain even today. Yet their greatest secrets were not in numbers or matter… but in magic.
The scholars of Salimar discovered that the world was not ruled by chaos as was once believed. Behind every phenomenon stood a conscious force. The sun had a master, the seas had a ruler, the mountains a governor, and even small hills and tranquil lakes were subject to ancient entities that people came to call the Masters.
Over time, the scholars did not stop at merely studying these entities—they sought to tame them.
At first, their experiments were limited, small rituals confined to closed laboratories. But curiosity turned into greed, and greed into a fevered race for control. Some sorcerers attempted to summon greater Masters, breaking boundaries that should never have been crossed.
Wars erupted, offerings were made, and blood was spilled in the name of power.
It was not long before Salimar witnessed the first public trial against magic.
In the city square stood a sorcerer, hands bound, surrounded by a crowd shrouded in heavy silence. The sky above had an unusual reddish tint, as if night itself were trying to be born ahead of time.
A man wearing a black cloak stepped forward and calmly declared:
"In the name of the Court of Silence, magic is forbidden, and you are condemned to the flames."
The platform beneath the sorcerer ignited, yet he neither screamed nor begged for mercy. Instead, he looked up at the sky and whispered:
"You are late."
The ground trembled lightly, felt by all.
That night, people began to realize that the war on magic was not the end of something… but the beginning of something else.
Thus appeared a mysterious group calling themselves the Court of Silence.
No one knew their origins, nor how they acquired the wealth, power, and influence that enabled them to reach the pinnacle of the world in such a short time. They moved quietly, yet their decisions were decisive. They established a political entity known as the Union of Kingdoms, uniting eighteen kingdoms under a single banner.
Their first decree was clear and absolute: magic is forbidden without exception.
Books were burned, sorcerers executed, and possessing any magical artifact became a crime punishable without mercy.
In the Kingdom of Salimar, the balance of power shifted, but governance remained in the hands of the great noble families.
The Ruling Families of Salimar
The James Family
Ruled the south, where fertile lands and vast fields stretched. They derived their wealth from agriculture, and their lord was known for wisdom and foresight.
The Cars Family
The backbone of the kingdom's commerce. They controlled markets and trade routes, with caravans traveling across continents, carrying goods and news.
The Crewe Family
Masters of ports and seas. They owned a massive fleet and dominated maritime trade and fishing, granting them both economic and military influence.
The Novira Family
The most mysterious of all. Their name was historically associated with dark magic, and rumors said they secretly targeted corrupt wealthy individuals, stripping them of their fortunes in unknown ways. They commanded both awe and fear, and no one could easily trace their actions.
The Eternal Dawn Council
A branch of the Normadia Empire within Salimar. They managed official documents and records and oversaw state affairs and weapon production. Their power was not overt, yet their influence seeped into the finest details of governance.
The Veradis Family
Among the strongest and most unsettling families. Known for their destructive abilities, traps, and barriers, they also ran a secret network dealing in magical artifacts on the black market. Their influence was not always visible, but it lingered in the shadows.
Outwardly, it seemed that magic had vanished from the world.
But what is buried in darkness… does not die.