After defeating the Orc Kingdom alongside the elves, humanity entered a new era of peace. The orcs retreated to the Plateau of Immortality after signing a peace treaty, leaving the continent under the control of the human-elven alliance. While the war had ended, the balance of power was only beginning to shift.
The Orcs After Defeat
Following the treaty, the greatest threat to the remaining noble orc tribes came from the Ragna clan. According to Lineage 2M, many believed that the Ragna leader could reunite the scattered tribes and restore the Orc Kingdom. Together with his heir, Lizin, he dreamed of creating a nation of pure-blooded orcs that would reject compromise with other races and revive the strength and wisdom of the ancient orcs.
However, internal divisions and constant goblin raids prevented the orcs from rebuilding their former glory.
The Alliance of Humans and Elves
Around 547 years before the Imperial Era, the alliance between humans and elves officially began ruling the continent. Several decades later, the Obelisk of Victory was erected to commemorate their triumph over the orcs, celebrating the friendship between the two races.
To mark one hundred years since humans first came to Talking Island to study elven magic, they commissioned dwarven craftsmen to forge a magnificent blade as a gift to their teachers. The elves named this weapon the Sword of Unity, making it a symbol of cooperation between the two races.
Humanity's Betrayal
Despite the appearance of peace, humans secretly prepared to seize control of the continent. While continuing to study elven magic and strengthening their armies with dwarven-made weapons and armor, they patiently waited for the right opportunity.
After years of warfare had weakened the elves, humanity finally rebelled.
The School of Magic became one of the first casualties of the conflict. Most of the white elves who had taught humans were killed, while the few survivors fled north. Before abandoning Talking Island, the remaining elves shattered the Sword of Unity, renaming it the Sword of Betrayal.
In modern Lineage 2, players help restore this legendary weapon during the quest Sword of Unity, where the blacksmith Altran—descended from the dwarves who originally forged the blade—reconstructs it from its scattered fragments.
The Forgotten Temple
Another consequence of the elves' retreat involved the Elemental Stones of Fire and Ice hidden beneath the School of Magic. According to the quest Fire and Ice Crystals, the elves destroyed these sacred stones before leaving, releasing powerful elemental spirits that still haunt the ruins today.
Although the developers eventually removed the underground temple from the area, traces of the original storyline remain in quest dialogue. The Forgotten Temple was later relocated to the Gludio region, while references connecting it to the elven ruins were preserved within the game's lore.
The War That Changed the World
The conflict between humans and elves escalated into one of the most destructive wars in Lineage 2 history.
Humans possessed elven magic, superior dwarven equipment, and overwhelming numbers. The elves, exhausted by previous conflicts, struggled to defend themselves.
Many legendary figures emerged during the war.
The spirit Renoa mourned the destruction of nature before dying and becoming a ghost. Pride Orc tribes joined humanity in revenge for the losses they had suffered during earlier wars. Even the goddess Biore became enraged after the other races failed to aid the elves, reclaiming the divine gifts she had once bestowed upon them.
As both sides increasingly relied on forbidden magic, the land itself began to suffer.
The Summoning of Selihaden
Facing inevitable defeat, Queen Biore made a desperate decision by summoning the fire demon Selihaden.
The ritual backfired.
Unable to control the demon, the elves watched as their own city was consumed by flames. Although Biore eventually sealed Selihaden away, the surrounding lands became permanently trapped between space and time.
Biore herself would later fall in battle against humanity. According to Lineage 2M, the goddess Shilen resurrected her, but at the cost of her mind and identity. Reborn as Marilion, she would eventually become the ruler of the Catacombs.
The Birth of the Sea of Spores
Under King Valderan, the remaining elven armies retreated toward the great forests of central Aden, hoping the natural magic of the woods would give them an advantage.
Among their final allies stood the last giant turtle, Cruma.
Despite fierce resistance, humanity overwhelmed the elves through sheer numbers.
As the battle reached its climax, the wounded spider Orfen escaped into the forest to recover, while Cruma sacrificed herself protecting the retreating elves. In a final act of desperation, the elves unleashed devastating magic across the battlefield.
The consequences were catastrophic.
The sacred World Tree was destroyed. The once-living forest became a barren wasteland. Fungi spread uncontrollably, insects mutated, corpses rose as undead, and poisonous spores filled the air.
This ruined landscape would forever become known as the Sea of Spores.
Although early game concepts mentioned Cruma's shell remaining in the region, only the roots of the destroyed World Tree can still be seen in the final version of the game.
The Last Stand of the Elves
Thanks to Cruma's sacrifice, the surviving elves escaped into an underground fortress, where they made their final stand against the advancing human armies.
After a brutal three-month siege, humanity claimed victory.
Forced into full retreat, the elves fled deeper into their forests while humans continued their relentless pursuit. The forests themselves were scarred by forbidden magic, and many once-friendly spirits turned against their former allies.
With nowhere left to run, the Twelve Elven Elders created an enormous magical barrier around their homeland, sealing themselves away from the outside world forever.
King Valderan disappeared, and the fate of his bloodline remains largely unknown.
A Divided World
The elves who once ruled the continent withdrew into isolation, devoting themselves to restoring their forests and worshipping Eva. Yet many forest spirits never forgave them. Others, like the elven alchemist Airina, abandoned their homeland altogether after witnessing the horrors of war.
Separated from the rest of the world by the magical barrier, the elves slowly rebuilt their civilization in solitude.
Meanwhile, humanity emerged as the undisputed ruler of the continent, forever changing the history of Aden and setting the stage for the events that unfold throughout Lineage 2.
