The Numen people, who worshipped the stars, considered finding their way home the most important thing. Among the Numen people, the path of the first astrologers emerged. They frequently peered into the cosmos hoping to find their way home, and they learned the first magic from the crystal people on Giant Mountain.
The Numen people, who also loved research, developed many original magics. In the course of this research, many Numen mages glimpsed deities from the depths of the universe.
They were ancient and powerful beings from the cosmos, great entities beyond the imagination of mortals, transcending the laws of the universe.
As a result, the Numen astrologers who glimpsed these unnamable true forms immediately died on the spot.
Yet, even so, it did not dampen the Numen people's curiosity, displaying a spirit of "If I could hear the Way in the morning, I would be content to die in the evening."
More and more types of magic were developed by the Numen people. Whether it was due to frequently peering at this mysterious and great entity, or because they triggered some taboo, a giant meteor crashed towards the Lands Between. Among the star beasts on this meteor were the Dark Stars in the Mountaintops of the Giants, and the Lord of Blood, who caused the destruction of the Eternal City.
Compared to the previous meteorite of the Golden Tree and the Elden Beast, this meteor triggered by the Numen people was a disaster.
Because the consequence was that half of the Lands Between sunk.
The world-destroying power directly stole the Numen people's night sky, smashing them from the ground into the underground. The Siofra River and the Ainsel River directly became underground rivers during this catastrophe.
At the same time, the Golden Tree, which was continuing to grow in power and preparing to fight the God of Death, was also stunned. Not only did its position shift, but it was also severely damaged. Its broken branches fell near Leyndell, Royal Capital, to regrow.
The Numen people, who had narrowly escaped extinction, began to multiply again underground and became reluctant brothers with neighboring races like the Bull-Goats, helping them establish the Urumi Dynasty.
However, even after this meteor catastrophe, the Numen people remained self-absorbed. Even when they helped other races, they largely did so indifferently, never inquiring about beliefs or rights, and continued to research their own magic.
In fact, because of the Astel meteorite, the Numen people developed a new idea, as if making a joke.
Why have they never been able to find their homeland, nor the starry sky?
Since there were no navigation markers, why not build one themselves?
So, the Numen researchers gathered and decided, "Let's stop worshipping the unseen stars for now. Let's create a new landmark. When we eventually find the stars, we can go back to worshipping them."
Thus, the Numen people developed new magic and a new direction: the full moon.
This is also why the Tarnished, in later games, could find relevant full moon lore through Nokstella's Moon.
The Numen people are still striving to find their way back home. If nothing unexpected happens, they will continue to do so.
But clearly, something unexpected happened. Astel was not a single organism, but a species parasitic on meteorites.
When the meteor fell to the earth, they scattered in various directions in the Lands Between, which is why the Tarnished in the game can see the Dark Stars in the Mountaintops of the Giants and then encounter the Lord of Blood underground.
These exogenous species were called the White and Black Kings by the creatures of the Lands Between. To fight against the White and Black Kings, the Numen people, Bull-Goats, Giants, and Dragons of the Lands Between all united. This battle should have decided a winner.
But new uninvited guests arrived: the god of rot, the Scarlet God. Much like the plague in medieval Europe, neither the slowly developing Golden Tree nor the White King and other races had any intention of destroying the world. The Astel species simply appeared to destroy the Eternal City by the Greater Will.
However, the Scarlet Rot and myriad insect swarms wanted to completely devour the entire world, with the Crayfish being one of the strongest.
The Lake of Rot in the game was the center of the most intense battlefield at the time. The corrupted Dragon Knight soldiers in the center, the remains of humans and Bull-Goats in the piles of bones, the dead Astel White King on the high platform in the lake, the Lord of Blood downstream, and the corrupted Tree Spirits. From these remaining traces, one can still feel how fierce the war was.
It was also because of this war that the relationship between the White King and the creatures of the Lands Between softened slightly. Some White Kings even became double agents, not associating with their own kind, but following the richer and more powerful older brothers.
For example, the Gravity Magic of Selia, Town of Sorcery, and the Starscourage Radahn in Caelid were learned from the meteor star beasts and the White Kings.
However, the most noteworthy in this Scarlet Rot War were the Goddess of Rot and the blind swordswoman. The latter became the teacher of the Valkyrie, passing down the Flowing Sword Style, while the Goddess of Rot simply hunted demigods of the Scarlet Rot faction as the first god of destined death.
But after the war, her powerful strength attracted the Numen people of the Eternal City. Thus, the Numen people abandoned the full moon and instead worshipped the God of Death, revering her as the Nighttime Goddess. This is also the meaning contained in the later saying "Nokstella lost its moon," including the fact that players can find the ashes of a summoned Nighttime Knight in the Eternal City.
However, because the Nighttime Goddess gained the faith of the Numen people, she, as the representative of the God of Death, now had a god and just needed a king. The struggle for the ruler of the Lands Between was still undecided.
The impostors and great iron balls of the Eternal City were products left by the ruler.
At the same time, the Fingers of Civilization were not unified, but engaged in infighting, like great noble families of ancient times placing bets on various sides.
The most powerful among them was the Golden Tree Dynasty. And it was during this period that a true powerhouse emerged in the Golden Tree Dynasty: Queen Marika.
With the Shadow Beast, Malekith, as the main force, she defeated the Goddess of Rot and sealed the God of Death.
She forged the Golden Order, created the Elden Ring, and recruited Godfrey, the strongest of the Dragon Civilization era, to marry into the Golden family and become the first king of the Golden Dynasty. Their union gave birth to the Kingly Talent, the Golden Prince Godwyn. His talent, wisdom, and charm were incredibly powerful. He led his army on an expedition to Sky City and returned victorious. Not only was he victorious, but his charismatic personality conquered the Ancient Dragon Fortissax. Even after the prince's death, when the Ancient Dragon was consumed by death and lost his sanity, he still remembered wanting to revive the prince.
For a time, the Golden Dynasty seemed poised to sweep across the Lands Between and forge an eternal dynasty.
But despite the seemingly complete unification, the Golden Dynasty had significant hidden dangers. By sealing the God of Death to forge the Elden Ring, without the God of Death to hunt down demigods, the Outer Gods attracted to the Lands Between, such as the stars from beyond and the recently suppressed Scarlet Rot, began to stir up trouble again.
The high-ranking officials of the Golden Dynasty pondered, "This won't do."
After finally establishing their dynasty, how could they endure constant harassment?
Just like building the Great Wall, the Golden high command decided to find high-end combat power to suppress the Scarlet Rot and the Outer Gods of the stars.
How to find high-end combat power?
By having children.
Since the Golden Prince was so powerful before, why not have Queen Marika create two more?
Thus, for the future of the Golden Dynasty, Queen Marika became pregnant with her second child.
But she never expected a hidden danger to emerge at this time. Perhaps giving birth to Godwyn had exhausted all her potential; this second child actually gave birth to two Omen, the subsequent Morgott, the Omen King, and Mohg, Lord of Blood.
Internally, the Golden Order Elden Ring was unstable. Externally, the gods were in disarray. And her second child was useless. What could be done?
Thus, Queen Marika made an incredible decision: to refine the Golden Order from the Elden Ring and create a clone!
If she couldn't give birth to a powerful son, she would create another god to give birth, and as the incarnation of the Golden Order, this clone could also suppress the instability of the Elden Ring.
Thus, Radagon, the other side of Queen Marika, appeared. And Radagon's method was similar to before. If the maternal body couldn't produce a new god, why not find someone else to take its place? So, Radagon found Queen Rennala of the Full Moon.
Were they once enemies? Different beliefs?
It didn't matter. A honey trap, understood? Thus, Rennala was quickly captured by Radagon. And just as Queen Marika had hoped, Radagon and Rennala gave birth to three demigods.
Princess Ranni the Moon, Starscourage Radahn, and the Great Judge Rykard.
Among them, Starscourage Radahn was an explosive combatant, capable of suppressing all the stars with his own power.
For a time, the Golden Dynasty seemed prosperous, with the Golden Order ruling the masses internally and Starscourage Radahn suppressing the Outer Gods externally, embodying both civil and military achievements.
But no one knew that Marika, the greatest contributor to the forging of the Golden Dynasty, would personally destroy the golden age she had created.
(End of Chapter)