Schism
2009-09-20, 06:37 PM
The world of dreams, or as it is more commonly known by its inhabitants, simply 'here'. Its exact origins are unclear even to the most learned of scholars. By all accounts, it seems to have simply popped into being when the first of the eventual multitude touched the first of the artifacts.
As the histories of this place will attest, it was little more than a blank slate laid before the first of the arrivals. Whether the world itself existed at the time, or only the impression that one could make a world is never discussed in great detail, though many great minds of this new world have written books containing their theories on the subject. Regardless of the exact beginnings, one thing is made abundantly clear: the world was - and still is, to some degree - malleable, able to be shaped by the whims of its inhabitants. Some say that this is where the Taint came from; the corrupt imaginings of a depraved mind. Others believe it was the inevitable result of too many conflicting ideas, a confused mass of wishes and wants, perverted over time into the deadly form it now takes. Whatever the case, the Taint is as real as anything here, as are its twisted offspring, the Skarra. Woe betide any who venture unprotected into the Taint, lest their minds and souls become corrupted, and their bodies given a new, horrifying form.
Despite the conditions of the world, cities still pepper the landscapes, wished into being by those desperate to avoid the Taint. They are one and all surrounded by towering walls to keep at bay the hordes of Skarra that roam the landscape. Great crystalline monoliths reach toward the sky near the heart of each city, their very presence enough to keep the Taint at bay, if only in an area little larger than each city. The monoliths are very nearly alive, and some of those whose minds have been touched by them claim to feel a latent power within, an untapped resevoir of strength that can be drawn upon by those with the proper skills. Few posess both the strength of will and the necessary devotion to the monoliths, but those who do speak of extraordinary boons bestowed upon them, albeit temporarily.
One such city is Salira. Its white marble walls shelter a great many thousand people, most of whom live out lives similar to those they had before coming here. Others take up take up new mantles, joining the ranks of the guardsmen who watch vigilantly for wandering Skarra and repel any bold enough to approach, or else studying magic in the hopes that enough arcane power will allow them to succeed in escaping where so many others have failed. Still others devote themselves to maintaining the monoliths, a task requiring a great many participants. The constant effort of repeling the Taint clouds the crystals and drains their power, and the primary duty of their keepers is to refresh them with their own vitality.
This is the world in which you have found yourself living for the past year, and where you will continue living for the foreseeable future. Some succumb to hopeless despair; others rise up and champion causes they would never have dreamed of before. What will you do?
As the histories of this place will attest, it was little more than a blank slate laid before the first of the arrivals. Whether the world itself existed at the time, or only the impression that one could make a world is never discussed in great detail, though many great minds of this new world have written books containing their theories on the subject. Regardless of the exact beginnings, one thing is made abundantly clear: the world was - and still is, to some degree - malleable, able to be shaped by the whims of its inhabitants. Some say that this is where the Taint came from; the corrupt imaginings of a depraved mind. Others believe it was the inevitable result of too many conflicting ideas, a confused mass of wishes and wants, perverted over time into the deadly form it now takes. Whatever the case, the Taint is as real as anything here, as are its twisted offspring, the Skarra. Woe betide any who venture unprotected into the Taint, lest their minds and souls become corrupted, and their bodies given a new, horrifying form.
Despite the conditions of the world, cities still pepper the landscapes, wished into being by those desperate to avoid the Taint. They are one and all surrounded by towering walls to keep at bay the hordes of Skarra that roam the landscape. Great crystalline monoliths reach toward the sky near the heart of each city, their very presence enough to keep the Taint at bay, if only in an area little larger than each city. The monoliths are very nearly alive, and some of those whose minds have been touched by them claim to feel a latent power within, an untapped resevoir of strength that can be drawn upon by those with the proper skills. Few posess both the strength of will and the necessary devotion to the monoliths, but those who do speak of extraordinary boons bestowed upon them, albeit temporarily.
One such city is Salira. Its white marble walls shelter a great many thousand people, most of whom live out lives similar to those they had before coming here. Others take up take up new mantles, joining the ranks of the guardsmen who watch vigilantly for wandering Skarra and repel any bold enough to approach, or else studying magic in the hopes that enough arcane power will allow them to succeed in escaping where so many others have failed. Still others devote themselves to maintaining the monoliths, a task requiring a great many participants. The constant effort of repeling the Taint clouds the crystals and drains their power, and the primary duty of their keepers is to refresh them with their own vitality.
This is the world in which you have found yourself living for the past year, and where you will continue living for the foreseeable future. Some succumb to hopeless despair; others rise up and champion causes they would never have dreamed of before. What will you do?