Were you always here? Has everything always been here?

"Once upon a time, the earth was green with grass and tree, and people lived happy and free. Twelve great sages, spread truth and thought, and over nothing no one fought. Miracles fixed every ailment, imperfection, until of it left, was but a fraction... "

Or so they say. The ballads concerning the ancient days, are at best dubious, and at worst entirely fictitious. However, the presence of twelve Thaumaturges... Or sometimes twenty four, thirty three, or in occasion even an entire city full of four thousand, ninety six of them commanded great power and respect. Everyone was happy...forever.

And then a storm came. It is always described as a massive fog, encroaching from the sea, and then drowning the lands, in hordes upon hordes of mighty, nigh invincible warriors, from another world. The Old Kin, they were called. The Thaumaturges fought the generals of the Old Kin with all they had, sword, fire, magic... They even brought the heavens to collapse, on top of their foes (according to said dubious ballads) but failed.

In the end, the peaceful, could not be used to resolve war. They died, perishing in a dark and grievous end, only stalling out the inevitable. At this time, a group of adventurers, out of many, went out of their way, to seek out some sort of solution. And these ones, succeeded. It is not known how these twelve adventurers vanquished the ancient and powerful Old Kin, just that they did...somehow, and were tasked, with rebuilding a ruined world.

Some'd say, they succeeded. The Twelve Kings, as they came to be known from that day on, established settlements, either on their own, or out of ancient ruins, found in the desolate world. And these settlements grew, the only safe places where one may stand and live peacefully...prospering towards the future.

However, the world lies in ruins: https://pastebin.com/1PwYvAXg

The inhabitants, suffering: https://pastebin.com/tH2uhR13

Divided into fragments: https://pastebin.com/qCey6C6N

Some, clinging to power: https://pastebin.com/xWY2CfDi

And some, to their faith: https://pastebin.com/NJ0ZQc8z

In the midst of this, something awakens: https://pastebin.com/LX7ccJTH

You, had arrived: https://pastebin.com/yxeNpgrE