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#### *In the Order of the Silver Shield, history is closely guarded. The creation of the Khymian people, the foundations of Khymian history, and the intrigue that surrounds their warlike past are all the subject of scholars throughout the Splinterlands. Still, the only story of pre-Splintering history officially sanctioned by the Order of the Silver Shield is the following **myth** (though it is taught as fact).*

<center>![Khymian Beginnings.png](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/carrieallen/lxfE59oP-Khymian20Beginnings.png)</center>

In the cradle of time, long before the Great Splintering, when the world was dull, grey and lifeless, the Goddess Khymia and the Ancient Ones descended from the sky. Led by Khymia and the Emblazoned White Light of Truth, these six companions traveled the whole world in a mere twelve days, spreading their Great Colors far and wide.

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The result was a world of life and light, of golden deserts and green forests, of blackest night and brightest day. It was a world of beautiful chaos, unbridled splendor, and enchanting mystery. Khymia watched with pride as various creatures started to appear, each type finding resonance with one of the Great Colors. Even more fascinating to Khymia was that these creatures seemed to draw their power and strength, their very life force, from the Color with which they resonated.

As the ages went by and the populations grew, the various creatures learned how to use their innate magical abilities, and Khymia watched in wonder as they created free energy, towering cities, and a prosperous, peaceful world.

As the ages continued to pass, the creatures had learned to take care of themselves, but Khymia and Her five companions eventually grew lax in their watchfulness over the world they had created. The Elemental creatures had formed into Color factions and were beginning to make war with one another.

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When the Angel of Light reported the tidings of war to the Goddess, Khymia became wild with grief. She and her companions had only come to this place to escape from war, and it now seemed inescapable. Khymia cried and cried. Her tears of light fell to the ground, some of them landing on monsters. Any creature struck by one of Kymia’s tears became instantly overwhelmed with light, magically transforming into a shining new creature. These new people were created by Khymia’s own hands and infused with the power of Truth and Light. They became known as Khymians and brought forth a new age of order and prosperity. Khymia was again pleased.

Over time, the forces of death grew in numbers, with their treacherous monsters and terrifying curses. The Khymian warriors began to fear for their very souls, and gradually retreated, allowing the world to fall to a grave darkness. Khymia descended into the mountain of fire, and emerged three days later with The Silver Shield. Forged from the purest silver in the blazing core of the planet by the hands of the Goddess herself, this Shield would be a great defense for her chosen ones. A defense against fear itself.

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Khymia gifted the Shield to her people, assuring them that any deeds carried out in the Shield’s name would be carried out fearlessly. The Khymians fought bravely with the Shield’s power, never revealing its secret name to anyone outside of their Order. After a hundred years of valiant battle, the powers of darkness had simply grown too strong, and could easily defeat the Silver Shield Warriors, no matter the bravery.

The Great Goddess, aware of the plight of her brave people, traveled a hundred thousand light years in twelve days to the heart of an exploding star, where she created The Divine Silver Sword of Alterius Luminos. She brought the Sword home, and gifting it to her people, assured them that as long as the Silver Sword was in their minds, they would always be stronger than their opponents. The Sword strengthened the Silver Shield Warriors, but the powers of darkness only sank to lower levels to achieve their goals. Their tricks could not be matched by the brave and truthful Khymians, so the powers of darkness threatened to take control once more.

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Only wanting her children to be safe, Khymia summoned all the creative energy she could muster to form The Great Helm of Azfaleia. With its incredible protective powers behind them, surely her chosen children would always be safe. She gifted the Helm to the Order of the Silver Shield, and waited.

Although the Khymian Warriors of the Silver Shield had fought bravely for generations, the Helm worked in mysterious ways, and they began cleverly avoiding the fights when it mattered most. The Helm had somehow taught Khymia’s people a new level of self-preservation, which could never be unlearned.

Would there be no end to war? Thrice Khymia had attempted to solve the problems of her children through divine wisdom, and thrice it had failed. Finally, The Goddess called an assembly of the Five Great Colors, and after twelve days of deliberation, together they reached a decision. The only way to end war for good was to divide the Colors. It would be called the Great Splintering, and nothing would be the same again.

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<center>![death border2 1.png](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/carrieallen/YQrx7WmI-death20border2201.png)</center>
***
*Images by @candycal & Serge!*
*Edited, formatted, and text dividers by @carrieallen.*

*Lore written by @chrisroberts.  He and his wife @carrieallen have finished up the backstories and lore for all the Splinterlands, and working with @zipporah to complete the book. He will be offering sneak peeks, accompanied by brand-new artwork created by the Splinterlands Team. Both Carrie and Chris prefer you refer to them as The Masters of Lore.*😎 

 *They are also releasing a website for all things lore-related. It's gonna be fun AND helpful. Bookmark it.*😎
#### <center>https://www.splinterlore.com/</center>

***
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