The year 4572 of the Age of Dragons was the year everything changed.
The arrival of the Serathi—the Gods from the Sky as the folks of Ferosia would know them—and the actions they would take, irrevocably altered the entire planet.
For the Serathi, Ferosia was merely a simple logistics station. They first observed the planet and formulated their plans for it. The House tasked with this universe was but a minor one. They could not solve their tasks with brute force, as the Major Houses did, so they had to be meticulous in every move they made.
Only a single scout vessel arrived at Ferosia and superficially surveyed the planet for a few years. In the year 4572, the Serathi reconnaissance unit decided to make its move.
Their plan was to establish communication with the human cities on the continent of Cualareth, using them to clear the necessary space for the structures they intended to build across the rest of the planet. The human cities on Cualareth had appeared to them as the most fruitful and abundant settlements on the planet; yet, they had not investigated the true source of this plenty.
The reconnaissance unit dispatched an envoy team of five to Tlacoyan, the largest of the cities. This team consisted of two pilots and three envoys, dressed in elaborate attire. Their intent was to establish dominance over the primitive folks living there through the shock of their vessel slowly descending from the heavens, and to effectively turn them into their puppets.
However, things did not unfold as planned.
The flying device carrying the envoys landed atop the city's temple, which they had mistaken for a palace. The humans had just finished their sacrifice rituals, and the corpses had been gathered. This strange device, arriving from the sky, settled calmly amongst them. The envoys stepped out, composed and self-assured. Just as they were about to offer a greeting, someone from the crowd of humans shouted. The speaker was the High Priest of the temple.
"The Gods have sent us these beings as sacrifices for them!" he proclaimed.
Hearing this, the other humans in the temple instantly fell upon the Serathi, who were caught completely unaware. Only two pilots escaped the area; one was wounded.
The pilots returned to the scout vessel and reported the situation. Perhaps it was not the first time they had encountered creatures that attacked out of fear of the unknown. Yet, it was the first time they had encountered creatures that attacked the unknown in such a manner.
The Captain of the scout vessel reviewed the situation and decided to strike fear into these creatures to compel them into dialogue. The scout vessel may not have possessed heavy weaponry, but it was capable of launching an aerial assault on this primitive settlement.
The scout vessel arrived above the city of Tlacoyan and began to bombard it. Following this, they attempted to send another envoy team into the city. However, the folks in the city were hurling objects at the device carrying the envoy team before it could even land.
The Captain of the scout vessel surmised that the city dwellers would be angered by this event. He decided to wait for news of the incident to spread to the other cities.
"Perhaps the tidings they hear will persuade them to speak with us," he thought.
But what he did not know was that the events did not only reach the ears of the humans.
The Elves and the lizard-folk also heard what happened.
"The Gods have come to punish the humans," they declared.
"The time for the War of Divine Punishment is upon us," they proclaimed.
From the North and the South, the Elves and the lizard-folk mustered all their strength to make the humans pay for the deeds of centuries, seeking vengeance.
The Serathi, meanwhile, could only watch in astonishment; the situation was too chaotic, and they lacked the strength to intervene.
The Elves and the lizard-folk had virtually begun a genocide. They attacked the humans wherever they were seen, sparing neither man, woman, young, nor old. They were now inflicting upon the humans what the humans had done to them for centuries.
The humans were in shock that those who had not dared to even contemplate attacking their cities for centuries were now assaulting them.
The "War of Divine Punishment" lasted for five years, until the last human perished on the continent of Cualareth.
Then the Serathi returned to the ruins of the city of Tlacoyan to meet with the Elves and the lizard-folk. These two folks called the Serathi "Gods." The Serathi were confused at first. But they gave nothing away. "We can use this," they thought. The leader of the envoys had to choose his words carefully. The envoy leader looked towards the crowd, but met no one's eye. He stood like a statue, a majestic idol. And he began to speak in a voice that was deep and resonant, slow and methodical, and utterly devoid of emotion.
"The Divine Punishment has found its mark," he said, pausing briefly to gauge the crowd's reaction. When he saw the glimmer of hope and joy in their eyes and understood that his words were being universally absorbed, he continued to speak.
"Now, a new age commences. An age to be built in Our name," he stated, placing one hand over his chest to clarify the authority. And he continued to deliver the final touch.
"And you shall be the first architects of this age," he concluded, extending his other hand toward the crowd, palm up and open.
The crowd knelt at these words, as if accepting their charge. Some were even weeping silently with joy.
"While it didn't go exactly according to plan, I suppose we can still accomplish our goals this way," said the Captain of the scout vessel, watching the crowd from his ship in the sky, and continued.
"The Envoy is quite the actor," he noted with a small smile.
"So, are we gods now, Sir?" a crew member asked, chuckling.
"I suppose so," the Captain replied and went on.
"I had better write a crucial note regarding this incident in the observation report. We can't allow some random fool to botch everything. Tell the personnel on the ship that no communication is to be established with anyone on the planet without my explicit permission."