Post by SotU on Aug 29, 2010 23:59:51 GMT -5
Outlook
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Approaching 1,000 years of age, Terral is a flat world about 10,000 km in diameter, complete with a sun, moon, and mountains and seas. It has a single, super-continent and oceans with an infinite reserve of water that pour straight off the edge, World's End, into nothingness.
Four main cultures dominate the world: The Empire, the Auduilah, the Techung Hoi, and the Skaldic tribes. There are also numerous small states, but altogether, still leaves the vast majority of the continent unclaimed. See Cultures
Below the surface is a layer known as the Underworld. It is the place where dead spirits pass into to be judged and is the single passage into the 7 layers of hell, each one representing a deadly sin, that lie even further down. These lower layers shape downwards like a great mountain turned upside down.
As a large plane in itself, it completely envelops multiple smaller planes such as Witherend. It also overlaps (but does not totally envelope) many other planes such as the Nameless Land, and the Abyss. See Void & Interplanar Mechanics
The Story
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Beginnings
Imagine the universe is nothing but void: empty, endless, and yet, energetic. It possessed some kind of power, an energy some would call source magic, or simply "magic". No one truly knows when this void came to think, but it did, and thus imagined and acknowledged it's own existence. "I think, therefore I am". The Nameless One was born. Not aware of his power, he slept between many planes of existence, dreaming.
His dream manifested and shaped into a basic principle: light. And of course, to every dream there is a nightmare, and there was a second: darkness. These two came to be called Erodemius and Azrael respectively. It's sometimes easier to think of light and darkness as an extension of the Nameless One, or more precisely, hands. From these hands flowed source magic, and together, they crafted a colossal, flat disk, our world known as Terral.
The next --and final-- action performed together by these two would be to let out a torrent of continuous source magic to fill Terral with life. The first to come forth from the source was Aker, and he would serve to ensure the natural order of death on Terral; to separate the living and dead from each other. Next would be Faust, responsible for creating emotions in the living, and at last, there came the living; a slow trickle that would continue to flow through the coming pandemonium.
New Shapes
Much like the void, these hands also began to think. But the left thought differently from the right, very differently. To allow for life to grow, Erodemius shaped together a giant ball of divine light, the sun. At much disagreement, Azrael shaped the moon in response, infuriating Erodemius. From that point on, either side fought as they continued on with their artwork.
When there are hands, there are fingers, and from each of these fingers came a new artificer to further shape Terral, some of them as new entities on their own. From Azrael's side, came Seraine, who formed the seas and the weather. From Erodemius, came Florawyn, who shaped the forests, the animals, and all things natural on land.
Lashing Out
Azrael was enraged by his brother's methods and disagreed with his vision. It was time to put an end to things, or so he thought. Demons, vassals of death and destruction came forth by Azrael's will to assault what Erodemius held dear to him. In hasty response, Erodemius summoned forth angels to fight them off. A bloody feud would ensue for centuries, twisting and tearing into Terral. It continued to dig deeper and deeper, creating numerous layers of war-torn earth.
The onslaught was unrelenting. It swung in both directions and at many times, it appeared as though either side could win. However, soon after the arrival of dragons, a “taint” rapidly spread through the ranks. This was the result of a direct touch from the source that gave a glimpse of infinite knowledge and power. It killed most outright, effecting demons and angels indiscriminately. Those who were touched and managed to survive the taint twisted mentally and physically; they became known as devils, free of their divine masters.
Stabilization
With the taint ending the vassals of war, the fighting waned, and Terral had begun to settle down and finally let to take shape. Fey and humanoids came into the world, each entering group outnumbering all others before them. Fortunately, Azrael and Erodemius were too weakened to continue on as they were. In a last, final blow, Azrael unleashed a vile darkness directed upon everything. The results were so devastating that half of all those living corrupted and a piece of Terral itself was blown off, barely still hanging from falling back into the Void. The angel, Lux was also torn asunder, splitting up into two: himself and Atra.
Azrael was weak and as such, his brother promptly imprisoned him, to be forever trapped. In his wake, Terral flourished and all remaining pieces fit into place. Erodemius became the mainstay of all worship, the living built upon what was given to them, and the surviving devils, freed them from their former shackles, made their kingdoms in the lower levels of Terral, now known as the hells.
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Approaching 1,000 years of age, Terral is a flat world about 10,000 km in diameter, complete with a sun, moon, and mountains and seas. It has a single, super-continent and oceans with an infinite reserve of water that pour straight off the edge, World's End, into nothingness.
Four main cultures dominate the world: The Empire, the Auduilah, the Techung Hoi, and the Skaldic tribes. There are also numerous small states, but altogether, still leaves the vast majority of the continent unclaimed. See Cultures
Below the surface is a layer known as the Underworld. It is the place where dead spirits pass into to be judged and is the single passage into the 7 layers of hell, each one representing a deadly sin, that lie even further down. These lower layers shape downwards like a great mountain turned upside down.
As a large plane in itself, it completely envelops multiple smaller planes such as Witherend. It also overlaps (but does not totally envelope) many other planes such as the Nameless Land, and the Abyss. See Void & Interplanar Mechanics
The Story
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Beginnings
Imagine the universe is nothing but void: empty, endless, and yet, energetic. It possessed some kind of power, an energy some would call source magic, or simply "magic". No one truly knows when this void came to think, but it did, and thus imagined and acknowledged it's own existence. "I think, therefore I am". The Nameless One was born. Not aware of his power, he slept between many planes of existence, dreaming.
His dream manifested and shaped into a basic principle: light. And of course, to every dream there is a nightmare, and there was a second: darkness. These two came to be called Erodemius and Azrael respectively. It's sometimes easier to think of light and darkness as an extension of the Nameless One, or more precisely, hands. From these hands flowed source magic, and together, they crafted a colossal, flat disk, our world known as Terral.
The next --and final-- action performed together by these two would be to let out a torrent of continuous source magic to fill Terral with life. The first to come forth from the source was Aker, and he would serve to ensure the natural order of death on Terral; to separate the living and dead from each other. Next would be Faust, responsible for creating emotions in the living, and at last, there came the living; a slow trickle that would continue to flow through the coming pandemonium.
New Shapes
Much like the void, these hands also began to think. But the left thought differently from the right, very differently. To allow for life to grow, Erodemius shaped together a giant ball of divine light, the sun. At much disagreement, Azrael shaped the moon in response, infuriating Erodemius. From that point on, either side fought as they continued on with their artwork.
When there are hands, there are fingers, and from each of these fingers came a new artificer to further shape Terral, some of them as new entities on their own. From Azrael's side, came Seraine, who formed the seas and the weather. From Erodemius, came Florawyn, who shaped the forests, the animals, and all things natural on land.
Lashing Out
Azrael was enraged by his brother's methods and disagreed with his vision. It was time to put an end to things, or so he thought. Demons, vassals of death and destruction came forth by Azrael's will to assault what Erodemius held dear to him. In hasty response, Erodemius summoned forth angels to fight them off. A bloody feud would ensue for centuries, twisting and tearing into Terral. It continued to dig deeper and deeper, creating numerous layers of war-torn earth.
The onslaught was unrelenting. It swung in both directions and at many times, it appeared as though either side could win. However, soon after the arrival of dragons, a “taint” rapidly spread through the ranks. This was the result of a direct touch from the source that gave a glimpse of infinite knowledge and power. It killed most outright, effecting demons and angels indiscriminately. Those who were touched and managed to survive the taint twisted mentally and physically; they became known as devils, free of their divine masters.
Stabilization
With the taint ending the vassals of war, the fighting waned, and Terral had begun to settle down and finally let to take shape. Fey and humanoids came into the world, each entering group outnumbering all others before them. Fortunately, Azrael and Erodemius were too weakened to continue on as they were. In a last, final blow, Azrael unleashed a vile darkness directed upon everything. The results were so devastating that half of all those living corrupted and a piece of Terral itself was blown off, barely still hanging from falling back into the Void. The angel, Lux was also torn asunder, splitting up into two: himself and Atra.
Azrael was weak and as such, his brother promptly imprisoned him, to be forever trapped. In his wake, Terral flourished and all remaining pieces fit into place. Erodemius became the mainstay of all worship, the living built upon what was given to them, and the surviving devils, freed them from their former shackles, made their kingdoms in the lower levels of Terral, now known as the hells.