Ascension Isle: Legacy

Overview

This is a character based RPG set in the fantasy world of Arth, as part of Ascension Isle (prime). This is a modified version of the AI world discussed for the proposed Nation Game, and differs in a several key ways. The most important is that in this world magical development fed technological development and vice versa, leading to a world with technology that in many ways exceeds our own - as WELL as being a world with magical creatures, non-human races, and supernatural powers.

History

Magic was discovered about a thousand years ago in roughly simultaneous events on the continents of Jibril, Rafaela and Heylel (called Zenith by the locals). Magic, called Prana by the Zenith, and Praxis by the Jibrilites, is driven by an energy called Ether pulled from another universe across from our own, and particularly attracted to the energy of life and thought. Initial magical spells were simple, limited as they were by the ability of the users to mentally conceive the uses of this energy and control their application. In those days magic mainly took the form of additional physical prowess or the basic induction of excess energy into other objects, usually with destructive effect.

Approximately 700 years ago Jibrilite thaumaturges discovered that certain materials could be used to contain and channel Praxis before its ultimate discharge. This allowed the thaumaturge to craft vastly more precise and complex spells (called Cyclos, or circuits) by first crafting into a physical item pathways the Ether would follow, before finally being given form. Magical ability exploded, and with it scientific and technological advancement. At the time, the technology level was about equivalent to Earth's 15th century, but it now aided by their Praxis it began to advance in leaps and bounds. At first the many kingdoms of Jibril warred upon themselves, but soon they began to look further afield, to continents they had only irregularly visited before (due to the electromagnetic effects of Ether, the compass does not work on Arth, limiting - although not preventing - long range navigation).

It was this expansion that brought the Jibrilites into conflict with the race known as the Xaro. Living on the continent of Mikaela, The Xaro had never developed any serious magical ability, although their technology was said to rival any in the world. Most of the history of the Xaro is now lost, however it seems they were an insular and secretive race. Jibrilite records describe them as a stunted and twisted race with dark skin and glowing eyes, although the veracity of these is questioned by Zenith scholars. In any event, the Xaro resisted the Jibrilite move into Mikaela, aided by their ability to control several of the less advanced non-human races, and a long and brutal series of wars followed, during which the Xaro were exterminated, and other non-human species including the goblins and ogres were reduced to slavery.

Seeing the advance of the Jibrilites across the continents of Mikaela and Rafaela, the nations of Zenith realized that they could soon be next. Although Zenith had a substantial human population, it also had several non human races to which the Jibrilites had already shown great hostility. The Jibrilite thaumaturges jealously guarded the secrets of the etheric circuit, but the sorcerers of the Zenith found another means to channel their power. The Zenith had for some time realized that the universe from which Ether came was not, in fact, as the Jibrilites assumed, a formless void. It was instead a shadow universe which they called the Locus, and populated by its own denizens. At the appropriate time when Arth was aligned with the hidden worlds of the Locus, the Zenith enticed several of these beings, alternately known as Demons, Deva or Dragons, across the Veil between worlds, and fixed the greatest of them to human souls. This gave the new Dragonsouled or Zohaka power over the Ether comparable to that of the Jibrilite Thuamaturges.

A series of wars followed between the Jibrilites and the Zenith, escalating in ferocity over a period of about a century, until both sides realized nothing further could be gained by conflict, and the Confederacy of Jibrilite kingdoms, and the Dragon Empire of Zenith declared a truce and entered a long cold war. By then technology had reached a level roughly comparable to that of the modern day. . . and then it stopped.

As the wars were winding down, the Zohaka, who had set themselves up as the hereditary god kings of the Zenith, unlocked the power of immortality. To gain peace they shared this with their most powerful Jibrilite opponents, who also used it to set themselves up as immortal rulers - the angelic "Chosen." The world's new ruling super-humans decided that it would be in everyone's best interest to limit the spread of this power, and for the next 500 years Arth entered a period of relative stasis, divided in two between two rival super powers. The Chosen decided to erase much of the historical knowledge of their citizens, instead indoctrinating them in the belief that their rulers were divine beings in fact, and creating an entire religion to worship them. The Zenith were not so extreme, but the Dragonsouled still set themselves up as a heavenly mandated Imperial family.

All that ended with the "Silent War." It had been known for some time that while Ether was drawn to living beings, in some areas of the world if was drawn more strongly. This effect had long been measurable, but otherwise of only modest significance. Then, on the island of Saranavo, almost equidistant between the two superpowers, a massive ether font of unprecedented scale was discovered. Where before nothing in the world had been worth conflict between its god kings, all of a sudden this was a prize worth fighting over. Mediation failed, and war broke out, first between the Zenith and the Jibrilites, and then within a month among the Chosen and the Zohak princes themselves. From that point the war rapidly escalated. . . and then abruptly ended.

By now most of the Chosen lived in vast orbital palaces accessible only to themselves called the Ascended Isles. The Zenith Zohaka had their own retreats hidden in bubble realms along the Veil. Who struck first is no known, but over the course of a few hours the god kings of Arth began to attack each other's previously inviolate centers of power. By the end of a day most of the world's former rulers were dead - the few survivors, fled.

Most citizens saw the war only as an endless shower of falling stars across the sky, as their ruler's vast orbital palaces exploded and burned up, leading to it's moniker, the "Silent War." The next day they found that much of their world had also fallen silent. Without the power of the Chosen vast magical factories ground to a stop, power plants shut down, and the nations of Jibril began to fall apart. In distant Zenith, although the social impact was less severe, the various provinces of the Empire now began to move toward civil war as disagreements long contained by the Imperial family began to erupt.

This is the world and the period in which this game is set.

Background Fluff

To give an idea of the style of the game:

Aldicore, island capital of the Divine Dominion of Coreven

Coreve Herald-class Aerodyne Gunship

Game Concept

The game will be a self contained adventure taking place in the south east of Jibril and north of Mikaela, in an area known as the Dominion of Coreven, and formerly ruled by the Chosen Pahaliah. This is the area where the story I am currently writing is set, and a game in this region will help flesh out some ideas.

The players can be one of three broad factions - Royals from the old elite of Coreven, Revolutionaries from the Proletarian underclass, or Zenith agents stranded in hostile lands due to the collapse of their own Empire. A mix of these is possible, though the structure of the party must make narrative sense. Once the players and the factions are determined, we'll sit down and decide on the adventure. After that I'll make up the actual character stats and powers using the RPG ruleset I'm developing (I'll need to custom build the characters, so total freeform creation isn't possible, although I'll make them in line with the player's ideas).

I'm looking at about 2-4 players, starting play in a week, and going maybe half-a-dozen sessions.

Interested Players

If you're interested put your name below, and your faction preferences.