God's Eye View of the Valley.
When the first dawn came in the new world on the Fifth Age, new horizons were expanded. The relic which everyone only knew as The Artifact had always been shrouded in mystery and furthermore, there was only one
However, it was upon the breaking of this new age did the people of Loka discover something they never would have fathomed before.
In The Valley[]
If the nature of the Artifact wasn't mysterious enough, its power was indeed more than anyone could have imagined, despite past events. The relic remained a centerpiece at the top of the heartwarming town that everyone returned to in the event of their untimely demise. This of course was a result of the ancients' protection through the Artifact itself. Now it seemed that there was more. Just as the device brought them all to each new plane as refugees from the past, it now acted as a conduit to the Valley of the Ancients.
It was a mind numbing revelation when everyone realized that there were not one, not two, or three...but FOUR Artifacts in existence. Those that utilized the new channel which led to the alternate plane found what could only be described as a battleground with three prominent positions. It was clear that the landscape had seen its fair share of torment and combat. After further inspection, a conclusion was drawn.
The Ancients' Agenda[]
An austere power always lingered around The Artifact, and the three newly discovered ones were no different...worse even. There was no argument that the most powerful function of the normal world's device was immunity to death. For whatever reason, these things kept its people alive no matter how brutal or bloody a demise they might encounter. This is especially true in the Valley battleground. Popular consensus is that three Artifacts have been used in this plane to sustain the high volume of deaths that are incurred during training. The Ancients must have had a near Spartan thirst for elevated combat to need this many devices in one place. The only thing more mysterious than the entirety of the Valley was the agenda behind its creation. Why did the Ancients need such a rigorous training ground?
The Power Within[]
It took very little time for those that began training in the Valley to discover that these new relics or devices provided much more than protection from death. Ethereal power became available for each and every combatant, none of which were even comprehensible in their native plane. The abilities discovered would range from invulnerability to all injury to the control of fissures in the ground itself. As more people came to master each of these talents, the more they evolved or changed. It was as though the Ancients found ways to harness the power of the Artifacts in order to hone skills never seen before.
Naturally, all participants were separated by the devices into opposing teams in order to vie for control of each point. This was the finishing touch for what the founders used to sharpen their skills. This was the whetstone which they used to keep their edge.