A Brief History of Infinite Sky

Age of Seeds

Trees related to the Ciela have been known since prehistory. Cavern paintings and monument illuminations depict its shimmering seeds' unique ability to float through the air and many a culture considered them the tree of the gods or worshipped them outright as things to be mentioned in the same breath as the sun, the land, fire and gold. The king of the mythical land of Orbs-Ciel, it was said, ignored the warnings of the Oracle and planted so many Jeweled Trees that his kingdom "fell upon the Void and was devoured." Many ancient cultures placed various species' of these trees at the centre of their sites and settlements, a tradition that endures to the present day in the form of the Mana Tree that stands atop Purity Peak, a powerful icon of the Oracle and one of the most recognizeable landmarks in the known world.

As cities and trade grew, the seeds of these trees gained economic and military importance. Over time, more and more plantations became established and the cultivars grafted to them bore seeds of increasing power.

When the First Emperor Cyaxares obtained the Oracle's blessing to bring order to the West, he commissioned a great army of chariots as well as the Pantheonic Orchard of eight hundred Windwillow that would produce the seeds to maintain it for all time. His daughter burned it all to the ground as rebels approached the capital and the dynasty crumbled around her.

During her rule, Ministrix Catalypsia planted Skyseeds when and wherever possible in her vast land holdings. In a well known incident while entertaining Prince Urtan and several of his friends, she remarked casually that she had more seeds at her disposal than the Emperor himself and that each was so powerful that slaves could be flung to their deaths by the dozen in harvesting accidents. It was said this was when he decided he would expel Catalypsia from Parliament when he ascended to the throne, resulting in the Great Rebellion. By then, many plantations on the continent were producing seeds powerful enough to lift small ships rather than simply float chariots and lighten wagons, allowing the first true shipborne traders, sky pirates and aerial navies.