Neravayne was once a single, endless ocean, unbroken by land, reef, or trench. Currents flowed freely beneath twin suns, and storms churned without restraint. In this time, life was nascent: simple, fragile, and scattered. There were no rulers, no gods, only the harsh, indifferent ocean. Yet even in this emptiness, the seeds of intelligence and mutation stirred.
Amid the chaos, the first mutations began to manifest. Some creatures adapted to crushing depths, developing strength, speed, and reflexes far beyond their peers. Others learned to survive in storm-tossed waters, gliding on currents and hunting with uncanny coordination. These early adaptations were the first hints of what would become the Limitless potential in Neravayne’s races.
From the depths emerged the Leviathans, colossal sea creatures born from natural extremes. They ruled the deep waters, their size unmatched, their power absolute. Yet they were not alone. In midwaters, proto-Nerai and proto-Selachi struggled for survival. Predation, territory, and storms drove conflict.
The Leviathans should have dominated — their strength, size, and natural armor made them near invincible. But the ocean itself conspired against them: whirlpools, thermal vents, sudden trenches, and twin-sun storms forced constant adaptation. Many were killed by environmental collapse rather than combat. Those that survived became living myths, wandering the ocean as ancient predators.
Amid this crucible of survival, the first proto-races appeared:
Proto-Nerai: Agile, intelligent midwater dwellers, the ancestors of modern merfolk. They formed social groups, learned to hunt collectively, and adapted to rapidly shifting currents.
Proto-Selachi: Apex hunters of the midwaters, stocky and predatory, with keen vision and endurance. They excelled at hunting Nerai and smaller Leviathans alike.
Proto-Aurelians: Reef-dwelling symbiotes, fusing with coral to survive storms and predation. Their colonies became living fortresses, the precursors to Neravayne’s reef-temples.
Proto-Abyssals: Shadows of the deep, evolving to withstand crushing pressures and pitch-black darkness. Sensitive to vibrations, they became the first oracles of the deep.
Proto-Sirens: Social Nerai developing resonant voices, capable of coordination, influence, and manipulation. Their songs began to shape the behavior of predators and prey alike.
Proto-Crustar: Vent-dwelling scavengers, slow but heavily armored, surviving where others could not.
Proto-Drifters: Nomadic, jellyfish-like wanderers, drifting with the currents, avoiding predators with stings and bioluminescence.
From these beginnings, Neravayne’s legends took root:
That the oceans themselves are alive, a crucible that tests all who dwell within.
That Leviathans still roam the depths, undying and eternal.
That the Abyssals carry secrets of the deep, whispering truths that mortals and surface Nerai dare not seek.
That the Sirens’ song can bend life itself, a power inherited from survival in storm and predation.
Predation drove evolution. The Proto-Nerai hunted Leviathans, learning to coordinate and strike at weak points. Selachi perfected ambushes, chasing prey through turbulent midwaters. Aurelians defended their reefs from both predators and rivals, laying the foundations of Neravayne’s first settlements. Abyssals watched silently from the deep, intervening only to preserve balance.
This era cemented a natural hierarchy:
Nerai began to dominate socially and politically.
Selachi and Crustar became the muscle and defenders.
Aurelians became builders and healers.
Sirens emerged as diplomats, spies, and song-weavers.
Abyssals remained enigmatic oracles.
Drifters retained their wandering, independent existence.
Among the Nerai, extraordinary individuals began to appear — faster, stronger, capable of feats others could not perform. These were the first Limitless, their abilities born not from divine influence, but from survival in the ocean’s crucible.
In the final battle of the Primordial Age, proto-Nerai, Selachi, and Abyssals coordinated to bring down a clutch of elder Leviathans threatening midwater territories. The clash raged for months, shaking the ocean floor, collapsing trenches, and redirecting currents. Many were lost, but those who survived inherited not only dominance but knowledge: the strategies, coordination, and magic-like abilities that would define Neravayne’s civilizations.
When the Leviathans were reduced to wandering legends, Neravayne’s races began to consolidate: reefs became cities, currents became highways, and song became both weapon and diplomacy. The ocean was no longer a place of total chaos, but a realm of order forged by survival.
From these waters emerged the social, cultural, and military structures that persist today — Surgetide warriors, reef-priests, Abyssal oracles, and nomadic Drifters. And somewhere in the blood of the first Limitless Nerai, the ocean still remembers its crucible.