There at the end of all things the last of the people of the old world gathered; hero with villain and God with mortal. Together they faced the void and watched the creation of the Trinity die. Yet even in that very moment of unmaking they found strength through unity and turned back the darkness and gave birth to a new world of light, though not without a price most terrible.
-Freya Ren, Chronicler of the End
====Creation Made Anew==== There in the last fragment of the last continent of the world that was the Gods of Power, Wisdom and Glory cast their might against the Disjunction. They risked all in doing so, even their own existence, but even as the final triumph of the darkness seemed to be assured the might of the Trinity reborn, once more forged creation. From the void they drew energy and wove it wisely, forging it into a glorious host of forms and functions. So was a new world born from the shattered remains of the old and the Disjunction undone. The new world seemed familiar to those who have travelled it. Rivers, mountains, lakes: they are where they always have been. But just as the travellers think they know what is round the next corner it is different. The path of the river is different. The river is forded where once there was a deep gorge. And further afield there are new lands, new wonders, new creatures... The sun above is crystal, the most obvious reminder that this is not the world before the disjunction. The influence of the new gods can be felt throughout the world, their own style shaping the world and its key features. Crystals with magical properties can be mined from the ground and sometimes found in places of great power, showing the god of wisdom’s influence. The perpetual storm and the maelstrom are the most obvious influences of the God of Power’s effects on the world. The god of glory’s most obvious influence is in the rainbow sanctuaries, places of refuge found by following a rainbow to its end. The greatest and most glorious of these is a garden sanctuary; a memorial to the beauty and glory of freedom and a testament to those who died in place called the Bondsman's Ward in a world that was. The world lies largely empty of people. The world’s population lies around a few clusters of civilisation where the old world’s survivors teach the people of the new world a little of the old world’s ways, carrying on their cultures into this new world. The survivors were all granted extended lifespans by the gods to allow them to ensure that the knowledge of the old world was spread and remembered. There was only one place that the god’s told people not to go. None were forbidden, the choice was theirs, but all were advised that one small continent was to be considered more unsafe than any other. This was the home of the last and first sorcerer, Sant, who wished to remain apart from the world. === Places of interest === == Crystal Caverns == The crystal caverns are a deep and complex maze of tunnels and chambers whose walls are all formed of crystal. The crystals create thousands of reflections making the maze of tunnels even harder to navigate. Some say that in the reflections they sometimes glimpse great treasures, reflected from some far off chamber. Some say that the crystal caverns are a trap and that you can see in the reflections those who were trapped within the crystals. Others believe that the labyrinth is a complex path to enlightenment. The wisest scholars suggest that the caves are nothing more than a novelty created by the god of Wisdom as he remembered Phael’s circus. == Hall of Creation == Not far from where creation sprung back into being lies a great structure remembering the recreation of the world. Murals on the wall depict the rise of the three gods: first the god of wisdom, then the god of glory and lastly the god of power. The next murals show the disjunction closing in as the last world was unmade. Lastly in a great round chamber under the rest of the temple building the recreation of the world is played out constantly. Dark blackness that will annihilate anything that touches it is consumed by lightning. The lightning solidifies into crystal and once it is done it explodes with rainbow light leaving behind trees, grass and stone. And then the blackness followed by the trinity of creation circles around the room, consuming what was created while constantly being pushed back by the trinity of creation. Guardians of the temple ensure that nobody injures themselves in the disjunction or the raw forces of creation. It is a hard job though as it is considered lucky to leave something personal in the path of the disjunction and then take a trinket or memento from what has been created. == Temple of the gods == Mons Aeternae was recreated as a home for the new gods and at its base lies a great temple. Initially it was visited only by those closest to the gods who they bought the great distant to visit. In time, as people spread across the world, it became the center of the religions of the new gods. Though the worship of the new gods was much less organised and rigid than the church of the old trinity many people still visited in the belief that their prayers were more likely to be heard. The vast structure had three wings, one dedicated to each of the three gods. The cathedral of wisdom was formed of pure crystal, great arches towering into the sky with a hundred yard tall statue of Rayne at one end. Its halls were always quiet as a library, talking only occurring in hushed whispers between scholars sharing their wisdom with one another. The cathedral of glory was one of the many Rainbow sanctuaries in the world. Anybody could come and claim protection in its vast halls. A great status of the god of glory smiled down on all who entered her cathedral. The Cathedral of power was the last of the three. Overlooked by its patron god its halls were usually the most filled with noise. Demonstrations of power, usually in the form of combat, were common and drink flowed freely. == The library of the non existant == The largest library in the world houses thousand upon thousands upon thousands of books. The library contains books recreated from the old world and the libraries name comes from the fact that many of the places referred to either no longer exist or exist slightly differently than they do today. Despite coming from a world that no longer exists many of the works in the library are still important. Though some books have moved from fact to fiction there are still many of great scholarly value and great works of fiction that make the library an invaluable resource. == The Perpetual Storm == The dark clouds of the Perpetual Storm traverse the skies, never staying in one place for any length of time. From a distance, it almost looks like a single entity - a beast-shaped blot on the horizon, punctured by frequent lightning flashes. The storm, whilst not entirely predictable, moves slowly enough that preparations can be made before it travels over populated or cultivated lands. It is rumoured that should anyone travel to the very eye of the storm, Rebecca herself will listen to their prayers for vengeance and retribution. However, there are fewer stories of anyone returning... ==== A Brave New World ==== After the banishing of the Disjunction and the birth of the new world creation was full of much wonder, but few people to bear witness to it. The survivors of the Old World spread out into the new creation; to the great cities the Gods had created for them and into the lands never before walked by a human.\\ In time they were joined by new people; Wills called forth the void by the Trinity reborn to populate the new world. Lady Greta cemented her control over the seven great cities of the first continent. To the north arose a mighty city-state, ruled by the Tyrant Theophania; to the south a kingdom of wisdom and learning, justly governed by Her Highness Queen Kassandra; and to the east a country known only as Circustopia, a place of music and mechanical marvels. On the far side of the world was a continent that was closed to the people of the world. Those who dared venture there claimed to see a land of iron and brass, writhing with a hundred million metallic spiders.\\ The chains of destiny held no sway over this new world and people worshipped as they saw fit. The Gods watching over them and aiding those in need if such was their desire. New religions arose; some in worship of the almighty Trinity, such as the Cult of the Goddess of Glory lead by her herald Richard Kallisto or the The Supreme Order of the Lord of Power. Others paid homage to marvels such as the great oak that towers over the very spot from whence the new world was born.\\ The Heroes of the world of old were blessed with youth and vigour by the new Gods and for a century they guided and taught the people of the new world. The man Flavius Itsaso instructed the people of the new world in the ways of tending the fields and providing for the generations of people that were to come. The Arch-Scholar Kalanthos advised them of the mistakes of the past and the endless possibilities of the future. Gideon Rask watched over them and kept them safe, ever vigilant, ever attentive and the seven cities forever hailed his family’s name. Theodore Hightower found much of value in the new world and united the new cities and towns first with trade and then with roads and treaties.\\ Some heroes fell out of memory, such as Tycho Flyteworthy, but they were not forgotten and in a thousand legends their names endured. Other names were remembered with less fondness and often fear; Ingvar Tallahasse, The Speaker of the Void, Mordaeon the Dread and the mysterious servant of the void known as Simeon.\\ As the decades passed new Sorcerers were born for the Gods could not seal their world against those few Wills who could bend reality to their designs. These Sorcerers built their own fiefdoms or aided others as they saw fit as they began to pass the veils of power. They and the Gods kept their distance, an unspoken pact being forged between the Gods and the workers of Will.\\ For a century the peoples and places of the new world expanded and grew. As the heroes and teachers of the old world aged and died new ones came to replace them, and they were needed; for from the far side of the world, from the continent of iron, came whispers of the last great Sorcerer and those he had gathered to him. Whispers of a Will War...