These clans had immense power in their hands and more often then not abused it, tormenting lesser mortals at their leisure. However, the biggest mistake the clans made was idolizing their specific gems, and forming cults and rituals to worship their gems as deities. This caused a holy genocide of sorts between the twelve clans, causing a perpetual struggle of power for a hundred years, while the general population suffered extremely under deadly weather conditions, natural disasters, and extremely unlucky occurrences. During this period, almost all of the gem clansmen died out, and all of the original twelve gems of power were lost in a last epic battle in the Alps which raged on for weeks. The few survivors threw away their powers, disgusted and frightened, and the cults died off.
This was, however, until an Italian expedition to the Alps in the Eighteenth century uncovered the twelve sacred gems, and a tattered manuscript from some ancient hand, describing the last great battle of the Gemcrafters, and how such a catastrophe must never be repeated. However, greed compelled the explorers to give new life to the old cults. and 200 years later, the clan wars started anew.
It was at this time, a Russian merchant named Nikola Petrov travelled to Italy to sell his wares, with a story his father used to tell him before he went to bed fresh in his mind. Italy was a great place of magic and wonder, and that an average man could become skilled in the art of magic if he learned from the old tribes of lore. His ancestor, of course, was one of the surviving Gemcrafters from the first Great Clan Wars.
His wares forgotten, Nikola seeked out these cults, independently speaking to each of its leaders. He coerced them that the only way to gain powers over the other clans was to shatter their ancient gems, and their powers as well.
The battle to destroy the gems was one of the more destructive events ever to occur on Earth. During this epic midnight clash, all 12 gems were shattered, and Italy burned that night. The survivors once again dispersed, horrified at the bloodshed they had caused. This was not before, however, Nikola made off with a shard of each ancient gem and tried to educate himself in the art in Gemcraft. He had never reckoned, however, that the gems themselves were nearly alive, in great pain , and malevolent, seeking revenge. Eventually the gems consumed the twisted Nikola, making them a puppet to their will. It is even said the gems reside in his heart, firmly lodged in the black abyss that had ripped them from power and worship. Nikola is still said to live, maimed by his own greed, living but a cursed existence, trying to break free.
The surviving Gemcrafters still had control over their powers, and
many hunted for Nikola in the aftermath of the battle. When he couldn’t be found, they scattered across the globe, mating with either mortals or other Gemcrafters, their children gaining the inherited skills of their parents, sometimes without ever knowing it. None of these Gemspawn have been united after the second Great Clan War.
Until Now.
WeHaveAProblem