In the Farlands, there was an ancient and powerful force. Its name today has been used so much that the true meaning has been obscured. The force was known as "magic." Magic could be tamed only by those known as Sorcerers. They had the powers from birth to tame it. Being a Sorcerer was not something that could be taught—it was in your blood. These powers were called "magical." Most Sorcerers used their powers for good, but some were drawn by its darkest possibilities. They wanted to use it for power and Chryseums, the currency mostly used. These Sorcerers were, individually, called wizards. What they represented as a whole, evil and cruelty at its most potent, was called The Dark Forces.

The Farlands was made up of three realms: The Realm Of True Reality, The Realm Of Sub-Reality, and The Realm Of Infinity. These three realms together represented a balance that was the foundation of the universe.

The Realm Of True Reality was the realm in which basic human civilization existed in the form of kingdoms. No one in The Realm Of True Reality could leave it except for Sorcerers. The Realm Of True Reality was the only realm that was not confined to the Farlands. It was where all physical manifestations existed. It had the same basic laws as we do today, which we call physics, though we do not exist in any of the three realms.

The Realm Of Sub-Reality, contrary to popular belief, did have laws just like The Realm Of True Reality. Sorcerers became stronger here and wizards became weaker. They were just based on imagination instead of physical manifestations. These laws were called dreamystics. They had four basic principles. Each one had a converse within it. The first one was that there was no reality outside of what was imagined, and that what was imagined forms reality. The second was that imagination was the only way to affect reality, and that reality could not have its own imagination. The third was that imagination could not produce itself, and it could not destroy itself either. The fourth was that imagination was not defined by what it contains, and the definition of what it contains was not imagination. These four principles together form the basis of The Realm Of Sub-Reality.

The Realm Of Infinity was more defined by what it wasn't than what it was: it was pure, undiluted nothingness. Not pure white or black, just emptiness. When a Sorcerer entered The Realm Of Infinity, they could not leave, live, or die. They became simply their consciousness. The Dark Forces resided here, as did the spirits of the dead. Wizards grew stronger in The Realm Of Infinity, and Sorcerers became very weak. Wizards could also manipulate The Realm Of Infinity, something no other living or dead creature could do. In The Realm Of Infinity, there is only two things, though they are beyond matter, space, light, and even time. The are what ties the three realms together: The Temple Of Existence and the Hero's Inn.

Only Sorcerers and wizards could enter The Temple Of Existence without being destroyed by the powerful magic around it. Within it was a vortex of pure darkness. None who entered had ever been seen or heard from again, even in The Realm Of Infinity, leading some to believe there was a fourth realm.

The Hero's Inn appeared to all heroes upon their noble quests. The entrance was more of a portal, leading to a space that occupied none of the three realms. Nothing that had traces of the Dark Forces could enter. Time in the Hero's Inn was warped: it changed according to your quest. Any two people who entered, no matter how far apart, would see one another. Once inside, you could have some dwarf-brewed mead, some beef stew, and even if necessary, book a room for one night. But heroes couldn't just hide out there. They had to leave after they were done, or it would disappear around them, leaving them where they'd entered.

In all, the Farlands was comprised of three realms, the Hero's Inn, and The Temple Of Existence. Within it, many people lived and worked without any magical abilities. But some, born with magic, where what kept the realms together.

END OF PROLOGUE PART ONE