The Land of Eden is a pretty amazing place.

Not merely a �green and pleasant land�, but a lush countryside blanketed in exotic flora and magnificent features of natural beauty. In comparison, the most perfectly cultivated rose garden blooming in a rainbow of colour would seem like� Well, like black and white, really.

Perhaps because their world is an idyllic land of natural beauty and harmony, the inhabitants of Eden are a contented bunch. Villages dotted about the landscape are populated with tribes of people happily going about their daily chores. Curiously, many of these tribes actually parallel some we are already familiar with: Aztecs, Japanese, African, Tibetan, Egyptian, Greek, Zulu - these are just some of the civilisations to be found in Eden. And each inhabitant treats his fellow Edean with decency, honour and respect. Unlike the world we know, inter-tribal disputes are unknown.

In short, we�re not talking Nirvana - we�re talking double Nirvana. Seventh Heaven. Utopia to the nth. Pain, misery, poverty� these are unknown concepts in Eden. Everything is just perfect. Until a monumental event occurs which changes everything.

YOU arrive� Of course, the young sorcerers (of which you are one) couldn�t really be blamed for their attitude towards the innocent Edeans. Such behaviour is perhaps only to be expected. Just as a human child would look down on a bustling colony of ants with fascination, so the young sorcerers regarded the inhabitants of Eden with a kind of simple curiosity.

Say, for instance, our human child spies a group of ants struggling to carry a section of fruit back to their nest. He might pluck up the fruit and deliver it to their door, saving hours of toil for the ant workers. Shortly afterwards, and for no reason in particular, he brings his foot down squarely on a cluster of the same ants, deliberately causing dozens of deaths. To the child�s mind, the concepts of kindness and cruelty, good and evil do not even enter his reasoning. He has simply been playing with pets.

In a similar way, the magic-users arrived in Eden and were fascinated by its inhabitants. From grand citadels created in remote corners of the land, they used their powers to taunt, amuse and aid the Edeans. Some sorcerers were kindly towards the villagers, using their magic to protect children and sending rainclouds seeded with healing elixirs to maintain their health. Others amused themselves by wreaking havoc amongst the villagers, sending plagues and marauding creatures to decimate their numbers.

However, there was one thing the sorcerers needed from the Edeans themselves. Their individual powers were fuelled entirely by the lifeforce generated amongst the villagers. When villagers worshipped them, their powers grew strong. If ignored completely, they became powerless. Worship provided the lifeforce necessary for their spells.

They also discovered that amongst worshippers, not all men were equal. Worship from the citizens of Egyptian tribes gave them access to powerful building spells; Tibetan tribes offered them mental magic; Zulu tribes offered battle spells� And there was something else the magic-users discovered in their new homeland.

Each other.

At first, the sorcerers believed they were alone on Eden. They considered themselves masters of all they surveyed. The discovery that this was far from the truth came as something of a rude awakening.

Being a proud and arrogant elite, the resulting squabbles were inevitable. These soon escalated into heated conflicts. As a result, the hapless villagers who had once lived perfect lives in peace and harmony soon found they had become pawns in the epic magical battles raging between neighbouring sorcerers. Whenever trouble flared up, they were summoned by their overlords and required to perform their elaborate rituals of worship. These rituals provided the lifeforce needed to power the awesome spells which would boom and crackle across the dark skies of Eden.

If the young sorcerers regarded the human population as our earth-child regarded a colony of ants, the Titans they created were the equivalent of our human child�s faithful dog. Created originally from Edean animals, these awesome magical creatures towered over the landscape, instilling terror in the hearts of the mortal inhabitants. Under the influence of the sorcerer's magic, a cow, a sheep, a bird or even a tree would undergo awful changes as they transformed into grotesque beasts which could grow at an alarming rate. And they kept on growing. Until they were of a size which was truly gargantuan..

The sorcerers fed and trained their creatures with tender loving care and attention, teaching them how to behave according to their own inclinations. Some of these Titans would wreak almighty havoc as they stomped across the countryside, feasting on local populace as they went. Others would come to the aid of any Edeans loyal to their own masters, by helping with constructions, seeing off attacking creatures and generally guarding over them.

Inevitably these Titans were drawn into the struggle between sorcerers, as a loyal dog might protect its own master against an attacking enemy. When the Titans were first trained for battle a curious phenomena was noticed. These huge magical creatures did not rely on worship to provide lifeforce for their sorcery. The energy needed for spellcasting was produced internally.

The implications were at once realised by the sorcerers of Eden. These Titans would be the most powerful weapons they could muster in the personal conflicts. These creatures would hold the key to success.

All this was clear.

As clear as Black & White.