EPILOGUE: The New World, the Age of Mortals
"I am Urgast, Watcher of the Beginning. Witness of the Age of Titans, the Age of Gods, and now witness of the Age of Mortals. My role has been accomplished, and I now become one with the cosmos to watch over the future of this new world, the world of Tes."As dawn was rising, the moon Efanel disappeared into the horizon, leaving the twin suns Epitaph and Urgast to pour their gentle light upon the world of Tes. Several cycles have passed since the birth of the new world. Mortals have lived and died, laughed and cried, all without the watchful gaze of the Gods...The world had changed a lot during the Age of Mortals. The many races of Mortals still thrived, and from them countless nations had risen and fallen... Fanelians, Andilauss, Keepers, Forenings, Lungs, Spruces, Rhacidae, Rifja, Tardagradi and the Robi. Where were they now?
They weren't the only mortals though. The Lesser Servants that remained behind, losing their connection to the Gods became Mortals themselves. And thus, the Imps, Telugoraths and Kikakets became part of the god-less world.
Though the gods were gone, their Laws remained.
The Codex of Niké.
The First System of Magic, shaped by Erin Quill, Shal, Niké and Cerediron.
Erin Quill's Laws of Memory.
Erin Quill's Last Three Laws.
Reyginaga's System of Fate.
Reyginaga's Law of Absolution.
Shal's Paths of Home.
-------The Codex of Niké-------
The Prime Law:
All will end. Even the greatest of beings will perish, someday, at some point. No matter how powerful, how indomitable, how grand and magnificent, from a worm to a Mortal to a Great Being to a God to a Titan, there is no escaping this Law. Remember you will die.
The Logarithmic Law:
Despite the Prime Law, after Death is Birth, and Growth. Even in the coldest of seasons, there will be warmth anew. Even though you die, you will rise again, despite the winter, and despite death.
The Elliptic Law:
All are circles. All may go as they wish in any direction, and, eventually, they will reach where they began. As all life will die, all death will live, go as they please, reach out and move, granted Bonds in Life but Freedom in Death.
Effects:
- The Prime Law states that there will be wintertime, representing a withdrawal of all manner of life. In addition, it brings all of the dead souls (THAT ARE LOST AND WOULD NOT HAVE GONE TO THEIR CREATOR'S REALM IN THE FIRST PLACE) to Niké's realm.
- The Logarithmic Law states that there will be summertime, representing a climax of growth and warmth, for those who seek it. It also gives souls the ability to exactly mimic their previous selves from life, as well as add upon it. All their memories, personalities, wants and dislikes, will be fully clear to them without fail.
- The Elliptic Law states that, within reason, dead souls may go where they please, including, if they wish, free transport to the realm of any God, acting on their own desire for Freedom in life. Reincarnation is also a thing, where souls that wish for the bonds of life again will be reborn anew within the Mortal Plane. (The journey of reincarnation is arduous, however, and very very few souls will be reborn with even small memories of their previous lives.)
Additionally, in combination with the first two laws, the Elliptic Law ensures that winter will follow summer, and summer will follow winter in a never-ending cycle of change.
The Law of Repitition:
When once the seasons were brought manually, now, they themselves bring themselves into being. A Summer always precedes a Winter, a Winter always ushers in a Summer, and so these two shall eternally revolve around each other without stopping, independent from maintenance.
-------The First System of Magic-------
The Law of Language: All Magic is harnessed through the use of a "Divine" language, that can be gifted, in whole or in part, by any Divine who knows it, to any Divine, mortal, or Servant; mortals and servants that know the language can then teach it to others by more mundane methods. Monsters, however, exist outside of the power of Gods. Demi-gods can tap into any of these Words their forebearer knows, instinctively. To know the word is to know what it describes. Those who can master concepts are often the strongest mages.
The Law of Essence: The innermost truth of things is described by the Divine Language, and you cannot lie in it consciously.
The Law of Writing: The Language can be written, inscribed as sharp-edged and blunt Runes, or as a delicate Script. The Runes are more powerful, the Script more precise. Power can be stored in the medium the Runes or Script is drawn on, or they can draw power from outside. While there is only one way of writing each Rune and each meaning of the Script, they can be found by experimentation. There are dedicated Runes for each Word, while the Script is made of combinations of symbols, and is much more modifiable as a result, even though it is weaker in raw power.
The Law of Power: Power for magic is drawn from living things. The stronger the soul, the more power can be drawn for magic. Drawing too deep from your own reserves will scar the soul, often harming intelligence, personality, and memory. Going even further can be lethal. Power can be stored in gems or enchanted objects, stolen from other living things, or accessed from any other source of magic decreed by other laws.
The Law of Cycles: Magic waxes and wanes through the seasons, based on the Spheres of the system's creators.
Spring: Ceredi-El, Ceredi-Ur
Earth, Creation
Summer: Quillus-El, Quillus-Ur
Fire, Maturity
Autumn: Shalun-El, Shalun-Ur
Air, Unbinding
Winter: Nikkem-El, Nikkem-Ur
Water, Withering
The Law of Patrons: Each wizard and mage will be able to choose a Patron God or Goddess. That God may grant them magical boons, such as additional power or knowledge of additional words. Regardless, the magic of their Patron's Spheres (And the Patron can be any god) will always be stronger than other magics for the mage, even in its waning months. Furthermore, even if the patron god is not present in the world, choosing them as patron will still provide the boon, so long as they have been in the world previously.
The Law of the Sky: Important astronomical events (A star rising or setting in a particular place and time, etc.) can also be magically important, should a God decide to make it so, and grant that knowledge to a mortal. However, it must be vetted by the Owner of the System.
The Law of Deities: A God may decide to make something a source of magical power, which practitioners may draw from without fear of exhausting their own reserves. However, these items must have conditions preventing infinite use, and must be vetted by the Owner of the System.
-------The Laws of Memory-------
-Nothing remembered is ever truly gone, even if their only remnant is a lesson to the world.
-Nobody truly good may ever be fully forgotten.
-Reyginaga, when they dissolve into the world, will become Fate, and their name will never be forgotten.-------The Last Three Laws-------
1. "The Wanderer shall never be destroyed so long as they continue to work for the good of all mortals."
2. "No disguise can last forever, nor can any malicious deception. Corruption may flourish for a time, but in the end, it will always be defeated, as will all those who serve it."
3. "Everything is going to be ok."-------The System of Fate-------
Law of Continuity: As of now, the Original World is highly unstable and is one hairbreadth away from coming to a head, which may result in the mass extinction of every civilization on the surface. Reyginaga has foreseen it after all. However 'natural' such a catastrophic event may seem to future generations, it should be in no way allowed to come to pass. With the collective lengthening of the Original World's strands of fate and the pruning of possible doomsday scenarios, this world is now fated to remain inhabited by sapients no matter what disasters and wars rage on its surface. New civilizations will continue to exist, even if they must rebuild on the ashes of their predecessors. Until the heat death of the universe, which Reyginaga has foreseen as a possible future, there will be at least one civilization still remaining on the Original World.
Law of Ambitious Destiny: No matter one's desire for a brighter future and a better life for themselves and their people, fate seems to have other ideas and even the most staunch optimistic find themselves in a rut fate carved out for them, dooming them to an existence of pain and disappointment. Now, no longer will anyone be a total slave to an unfair destiny. Anyone who possesses a great amount of ambition and willpower will find the tides of fate flowing slightly in their favor. Fate will also bend even further for them provided that they are willing to make the necessary sacrifices though they must take care not to make their ambitions too costly.
Law of Causality: Everything has a cause and an effect, an input and an output. Just as the farmer reaps what is sowed, so shall an individual's actions lead to consequences. All acts are tied to many possibilities by strands of fate that branch out into could-have-beens and should-have-beens, for coincidences are merely effects that are observable, their causes being at unknown points in the past. Everything in existence, ranging from the microbes that the mortals are predicted to discover in the far future to the deities who choose to remain on the Original World and the Mortal Plane at the cost of their power, are bound to this eternal web of causality as their actions determine what will happen later in the future.
Law of Poetic Fates: Irony is the humor of fate and fate is the ultimate judge, jury, and executioner of those who commit heinous offenses. Like a house being disassembled from the inside, the crimes of a complete monster shall be visited upon them until the tormentor becomes the tormented. No matter how easily and often the perpetrator escapes the mortal enforcers, fate is ever so relentless and escaping only buys time to stave off the inevitable.
Law of Enduring Wisdom: One of the biggest dangers of civilizations collapsing is the lost of accumulated knowledge. So much information will be lost in a disaster that any remaining civilizations will have to relearn them from scratch. This will take centuries at best to complete and will likely take a back seat to survival, if not outright prevented by the paranoid, the power-hungry, and the close-minded. Worst, some of this lost knowledge may include clues that point to how and why the previous disaster came about to collapse the predecessors' societies, dooming their successors to relive it. Fate is now tied to both current and future sources of information, ensuring that not all of them will be lost to the shroud of time and that future generations will know ways of understanding their content. No matter what disaster or organized destruction of information occurs on the Original World, at least a few of them will continue to exist until the universe finally ends.
-------The Law of Absolution-------
No matter how powerful a god is or how insignificant a mortal is, all are ultimately bound to the impartial webs of fate. This goes doubly for systems in place as they too are merely extensions of fate, each having predetermined conditions, triggers, and outcomes that functions exactly as their makers intended. From The First System of Magic of Erin Quill to Shal's Paths to Home and other beneficial Laws and Systems, all are tightly weaved into the framework of Fate's webs. Anyone who attempt to abolish those Laws and Systems without first dissolving the this Law in a concentrated effort and failing to do so will receive the Curse of Reyginaga. They will see their great works crumble to dust and their plans and ambitions avail to nothing. Their followers, relations, and associates will renounce their allegiance to them and will aid in their downfall and their names will be invoked as a curse by future generations.
-------The Path of Homes-------
facilitating travel as long as the travelers hold no ill intentions towards those at their destination; that always ensures that they'll never be too far from home
Even though they stood and as a testament of their Creators, the Merging had affected all of them. The most severely damaged was the First System of Magic.
The greatest change within the System of Magic was the corruption of the Divine Language. As the new world of Tes was born, the words lost their meanings and powers, instead being replaced by new and at the time unknown gods. As such, the System of Magic had to be rediscovered by all.
The Codex, the Laws of Memory, Erin's Last Three Laws and the Path of Homes were left unchanged.
Reyginaga's laws, however, greatly changed and took a stronger place in the cosmic order. Was it because of the Goddess presence in the world, or some odd twist of Fate? No one knew. All that was known, is that the the System of Fate was stronger than ever, meaning that its protection lasted for countless aeons.
And finally was the Law of Absolution. For reasons unknown, this Law had become the most powerful Law of the Universe, surpassing even Systems. Serving as a powerful linking thread, the Law of Absolution strengthened the existence of the other laws in such a way that they would only disappear with the Universe itself...
- The Fanelians, Strong Children of Efanel
In the new world, the Fanelians dispersed into many civilizations, prospering as a race. All of the old civilizations lasted and changed, except for the Four Tribes Alliance, which disappeared in a great war against the One Peaceful Kingdom and the Theocracy of Karos.
The Kingdom of Akrathhia became a nation of Imps and Fanelians, which was known for its formidable constructions and monuments. Guided by Limikarrat and its four followers, Lezhin, Qintiz, Untrac and Hixal, Akratthia prospered and became a legendary country. Among its many great constructions, the Tower of Akrathh is the greatest: a tower as tall as a mountain, where Limikarrat and its four followers retreated after losing their powers. It is said they still reside in there nowadays.
The Republic of Forut prospered by harnessing the power of the Sea of Fire and Glass, and more importantly, the energy radiating from the Horn of Efanel. None could defeat the Republic of Forut and its mighty weapons, and the Forut were known for their formidable technology.
The Empire of Herat were the only Fanelian country to rediscover magic, way after Culat and Hejah had died, though their notes persisted. First a kingdom, the use of magic allowed them to become an Empire by conquering the nearby countries.
The Kingdom of Alomet was eventually relocated to the desert after losing their territories to the One Peaceful Kingdom. Establishing themselves in the desert, they became a legendary country of warriors of the sands, as well as the greatest adventurers. An Alomet was the first to complete a trip around the world.
The Kingdom of Daikaros managed to get back on its feet, and soon became a country known for its dutiful and honorbound knights. Daikaros and the Theocracy of Karos often clashed blades, never managing to really beat the other.
The Theocracy of Karos and the One Peaceful Kingdom quickly became close allies, and in the future would form Karos, the One Empire of Peace which would end after a war against the allied kingdoms of Daikaros, Akrathhia and Alomet. Before that event, both countries greatly prospered, but eventually suffered from their slow ideals-induced development, which cost them greatly when they faced the weapons of Forut wielded by the knights of Daikaros and the sand warriors of Alomet...
- The Andilauss, Beautiful Children of Nefertem
In the new world, the Andilauss changed greatly: with the power of the Heartwriter, the Andilauss became an extremely beautiful people, in mind or body, or sometimes both. There was always one and only Andilauss country, even today: the sole Andilauss Nation of Nefer. With their rich culture and arts, they fascinated the other countries, and eventually developped into a great people of traders and artists.
While they suffered from several disasters among their successes, they always held a close and amical relationship with the Tardagradi. The two people were never at war, and the Tardagradi always came to the aid of their neighbors in time of war. The Andilauss were never a people adept at warfare, and the Tardagradi's help saved them countless times.
Nowadays, the Heartwriter has several of its powers, but is still able to turn around the life of those who pray to it.
- The Keepers, the Telugoraths and the Teluvortas, Dutiful Children of Shal
The Keepers of yore quickly split into two nations, one that stayed around the Pillar with Sally, and one that left to become a nomadic people with Steve and Bob.
The one who left renamed themselves the Travelers, guided by Steve and Bob who had seen many lands. They formed a nomad country until they were eventually absorbed into the many nations of the world, and Steve and Bob returned to Sally.
The Keepers of the Pillar though, decided to stay, guided by Sally the Time-Space Elemental. This nation of Keepers, Telugoraths and Teluvortas was known as the country of Erce. Remaining an isolated nation for a long time, they prospered until Sally started gradually losing her powers, after which they knew a period of stagnation. This country still persists nowadays, as does the great wall they built around the Pillar.
Only one individual ever managed to get to the Pillar. A mysterious individual known as Gaol, who was then never seen again...
- The Forenings, Talented Children of Nefertem
The Forenings were never able to form their own nation, instead becoming part of the other mortal people. The new world also changed them a bit, causing them to be able to give birth to Forenings and other mortal races.
While diluted across the many mortals of the world, the blood of the Forenings sometimes awaken in a newborn, causing them to be blessed with unmatched beauty and talents.
- The Lungs, Creative Children of Mavnon and the Rifja, Smart Children of Nefertem
In the first years, the Lungs ruled the seas and its inhabitants. But the disappearance of Umlor the Savage Maw caused the creatures of the 'Sea of Horrors' to pour unchecked into the oceans, causing a dark age for the Lungs and the Rifja.
And to everyone's surprise, the one that scattered the darkness was none other than I, the Rifja. After countless decades of terror from the creatures of the Sea of Horrors, I the Rifja reappeared suddenly, having decoded some of the Divine Language with its incredible intelligence. He had also changed, becoming an altruistic being who wished to use its power to help others.
I the Rifja then taught the Divine Language to the Rifja, but not to the Lungs. The Rifja, holding magic, then rebelled and formed their own nations, forcing the Lungs to flee to other seas.
Nowadays, many Rifja and Lung nations exist. It is rumored I the Rifja still lives as the Rifja Archmage, and that he is the wisest being of the sea. The Rifja are generally more advanced and prosperous than the Lungs, and none are particularly at odds with each others.
Additionally, the crafts of Baicha and Tian Shu were at their apex during the dark age. The legend of the friendship of Baicha and Tian Shu is a favorite of the Lungs, a story of two rivals turned enemies, until one saw the errors of its ways and repented, thus allowing them to become the closest friends of the world. The works they created together were like none other, and even today, it is said no craftslung could possibly replicate them.
- The Spruces, Ingenous Children of Erin Quill and the Kikaket, Quirky Children of Lu
Despite losing the Divine Language, the Spruces of the City of the Silver Skies lived and prospered, guided by the Advisor. After a long time, they managed to rediscover the Divine Language, before the Herati and after I the Rifja.
The Kikaket became a people of reckless hardworkers after the Merging, and had especially great relationships with the Spruces. The irregular Kikaket though, turned to violent ways after the Merging. They left the forests and headed for the desert, where they formed a legendary group of mercenaries and assassins.
Nowadays, the City of the Silver Skies powers have greatly waned, even disappeared some say. Yet it still stands as a bastion of knowledge where all can learn and research to their hearts content. Despite falling countless times to the greed of mortals, the City always returned to its old purpose, as a testament to its creator.
- The Rhacidae, Robust Children of Lu
Guided by Allond, the Rhacidae initially formed a legendary Empire, one that could have prospered for countless eras. The Allondite Empire gave birth to various heroes, and fascinated its nearby Robi.
But the Empire suffered from a premature collapse starting when Allond started losing his powers. Over-reliant on Allond, the Allondites fell into chaos when their God-Emperor fell into a deep slumber. The Empire sundered and collapsed into many smaller kingdoms.
Never again did a Rhacidae nation manage to even emulate the glory of the Allondite Empire.
- The Tardagradi, Fated Children of Reyginaga
The Tardagradi, a then vastly unknown people, quickly grew to become the most prosperous people of the world of Tes. They are also one of the few mortal species to have greatly changed physically overtime, as current Tardagradi are able to turn into pseudo-Queens if they wish to have offspring.
Under the guidance of Ysalith, they created a country: Thala, the mythic kingdom. A kingdom of sages and scholars, ruled by the wise Council of the Six Arms formed by the greatest Tardagradi of the Queen caste. Across its history, Thala never fell to its enemies, and remained mostly unchanged. Even today, Thala exists and strive, and is the uncontested greatest country of the whole world.
It is said that Ysalith lives in the Great Observatorium, a spire-like tower from which one can studies the stars. Especially, it is said that Ysalith watches over and is watched over by the mysterious planet Reyginaga, within which it is said the soul of the Tardagradi Goddess of the same name resides.
A prophecy says that in time of need, Reyginaga would send the Probabilistic Tesseract to the Tardagradi. This time has, fortunately, not come to be yet.
- The Robi, Versatile Children of Niké
After the fall of the Allondite Empire, the Robi became the new rulers of the lands beyond the Eastern Mountains. Their knowledge of seasons and their strong capacity to adapt led them to strive in the new world of Tes. At first nomads, they eventually settled and formed many kingdoms.
Their golden age came when a Robus Warlord succeeded in unifying the Robus Kingdoms into a single Empire which prospered for a lengthy period of time. They had cordial relationships with the Fanelians of the West, but the Empire eventually collapsed under its own weight and the repeated invasions from the Rhacidae kingdoms of the north.
Nowadays, many Robus countries exist, which are not limited to their homelands.
- The Imps, Hardworking Children of Akrathh
After the Merging, the Imps gained even more individuality. To lead them, Limikarrat went to retrieve the first Irregular, who was the first Imp to get a name. Named Novath, he became a great Coordinator.
The Imps all migrated to Akrathhia at the behest of Limikarrat, where they lived in harmony with the Fanelians and Forenings of Akrathhia. The Imps created the greatest monuments, their ultimate masterpiece being the Tower of Akrathh.
The Imps never formed a country of themselves, never finding the need to. Instead content to build and live the way they wanted, they spread across the world, offering their talents.
- Nugotaretatora, the Monster of Shadows, Knowledge and Mysteries
Nugotaretatora, the monster responsible for the Sea of Horrors, didn't leave the Universe with the other Monsters. Instead, it decided to remain there, content on experimenting with the local lifeforms.
The reason became soon apparent. The monster of Shadows was already at the end of its life, and soon died peacefully in the silent abyss.
- The Wanderer, the Webzya and many Legends...
Like the other Servants, the Wanderer and the Webzya gradually started losing their powers.
The Wanderer was the most harshly impacted by the Merging, as the corrution of the Divine Language caused him to lose his powers. Yet his wisdom remained, and he traveled the world giving advice to those that encountered his path.
It is said the Wanderer still walks the earth nowadays, or that he settled in the City of the Silver Skies.
As for the Webzya, they greatly succeeded in corrupting the heart of mortals in the first years of the Age of Mortals. They were the one to cause the destruction of the Four Tribe Alliance, as well as helping many wars burst forth. In the lands protected by powerful Servants though, the Webzya had to flee or die. Many Webzya died at the hands of Limikarrat's Scythe, Bloodslayer, for instance.
Some are said to still exist nowadays, though their numbers have been greatly reduced by time and the clashes with other Servants or Mortal Heroes.
The Gods left behind many Artifacts, great masterworks no Mortal could hope to reproduce. They are many, and their powers greatly shaped the first years of the Age of Mortals. But with time, even the Divine Artifacts lost their powers.
Currently they still persist, indestructible and mysterious, the proof that Gods once existed and walked the world of Tes. Even with their powers gone or diminished, their influence remains...
It is also said a great bird can sometime be seen near the Great Tree.
- The Future: The Age of Discord
At the bottom of the Abyss, or also called the Pillar, lies a single individual resting on an invisible surface. This surface is pounding, the Precepts sealing it having been weakened by time and the disappearance of Divine powers...Gaol Ludyn raised his head upward, toward the entrance of the Abyss. But from where he was, even light couldn't reach. The once powerful Titan, now stripped of its powers was but a shadow of its former self.
"Here I lie, bound to this watch. Nor dead nor alive, I am the keeper of the prison, the last seal keeping its sole captive from escaping. And soon, I will be gone.""The flames of discord will soon swallow the world whole, burning everything in their wake. Heroes will fall, civilizations will crumble. Mortals will know their darkest hour..."Gaol smiled.
"But fear not, children of the Gods. Your strengths are many, and your hearts are the key. You will break through insanity and madness, and restore the broken world. The Age of Discord will end, and another Age will take place. I, Gaol Ludyn, Keeper of Precepts and last of the Titan, leave this prophecy to the world."And still smiling, he closed his eyes. Breathing one last time, the Titan died.
(...)
A voice rose from the silence.
(...)
[I am free.]
THE END
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Topic: The Eternal Saga - Act 2: The First Era (Epilogue) (Read 24515 times)