Letter from the Author
Dear Reader,
In this article you will find an overview of the world in which I have set my story dating back all the way to its creation. It is my goal with this overview that you will gain a base insight into the setting of ArcaneSteam.
Full steam ahead,
Cain.
ArcaneSteam: Gaia-An Historical Overview
One of seven worlds shaped from the void by the Creator during the age of nothing. The seven worlds existed independent of one another and on separate plans of existence. Neither was aware of the others existence. Having given from to the worlds and placing upon them landmasses, bodies of water, and vegetation the Creator formed seven beings with the power to create as He did, albeit to a much lesser extent, and the power to traverse the seven worlds at will. He charged them with dominion over all but the seventh world instructing to shape them and fill them how they saw fit. Exercising their rights the First, as they would come to be called, created the living creatures and intelligent races that inhabited the six worlds. Unbeknownst to the Seven the Creator was filling the seventh world with the perfect forms of their creations.
The Seven shaped the world in similar methods but different at the same time. Upon some of the worlds they granted the races the ability to manipulate mater, a power that they would come to call magic. On others no such power was granted. One world was different from all the rest in that humans were the only race to occupy it for a very long time—that world was Gaia.
During the early ages of Gaia mankind believed in the supernatural some choosing to worship the First as gods, while others chose to place their worship in the Creator, and other still chose themselves and their own power to adore. They forged mighty civilizations and created grand cultures that thrived for generations, but eventually they fell. With the fall the world was set into a dark age in which both science and magic were feared and brutality and might of strength reigned across the globe. For several hundred years this was the reality for Gaia until a reformation came in the way of thinking and people returned to their worship and their studies—during this period of reawakening the Collapse began.
Unfelt by Gaia until this point a war has broken out amongst the First. One of the seven, Zeir, had grown dissatisfied with the methods his brothers and sisters had been employing for thousands of years. He brought forth a recommendation to change their ways but was rejected due to the new methods being domineering and tyrannical. Zeir believed in the reign of the superior creatures and that they should directly govern the six worlds upon which their creations dwelt. The others did not agree having chosen from the beginning to only do so upon the first world, their home, and allow the other five to progress without their government.
Already having a large influence on the sixth world Zeir defied the ruling of his brethren and conquered the world building it up as his fortress. From there he forged his army tearing rifts between the worlds for them to travel through. The war waged between the forces of Zeir and the mortals of five worlds with the First aiding them where they saw no alternative for a century before the First brought their full strength to bear against their fallen brother. His defeat inevitable Zeir decided that if they would not rule the worlds than the worlds should no longer exist. Extending his power through the rifts, and forming new ones, Zeir began a campaign that would collapse the worlds upon one another with Gaia at its epicenter. It was the efforts of a couple of courageous humans from the second world which saved third world. The first world was guarded by the might of the First while the seven remained sealed from all save the Creator Himself.
The Collapse brought about catastrophic changes to the world of man. Beings and power only thought of as myth and legend poured forth from their home worlds filling Gaia with strange new things. A group of humanity with the for sight to know that they must rebuild their own civilizations before being capable of dealing with the new changes banded together on the western coast of Europe. Through the use of the new found power the humans erected a magical barrier that sealed them off from the turmoil that was engulfing the world. For two hundred years the built a nation beneath the arcane dome, naming it after the mage who cast the spell, Albion, embracing both the science their ancestors had began to study, and the power of magic that had come to save them. However the magic guarding their society would not hold forever. When the dome finally collapsed Albion found themselves in the midst of a war that was waging around the globe.
Two sides were fighting for dominance both claiming that their path was the path to the future for all who now dwelt on Gaia. On one side was the Society of Science, a group of nations driven by the power of steam and the mind of industry, while on the other was the Arcane Allegiance, those nations who were sought an understanding of the natural world by the manipulation of the arcane flux believe that it was through that truth was discovered. Albion was a nation that had embraced both the understanding of science and the power of magic using one to fuel their understanding and advancements in the other. Being a small nation, only encompassing the British Isles, their voice of reason went unheard. Within both factions and the few neutral nations Albion found allies whom agreed with their view on the two disciplines. They formed the Collation and began to speak out for the unification of the two sides. Eventually they were drawn into military conflict. They entered the war with the full force of science and magic at their disposal. It was not more than a half a decade before the two sides that had started the war realized that the Collation, though smaller, was a great deal stronger than their forces could handle and so the leaders of the three factions came to the peace table.
The resulting treaty produced several affects that are hoped to keep the peace for ages to come. The first was that Albion annexed several of the smaller nations that had agreed with their cause forming a very large nation that was restructured as an Empire—the ruler the only living descendent of Albion himself. The second was an agreement that while each individual country would be allowed to emphasize one or the other none were allowed to outlaw either magic or science. From this agreement arose the third affect—an international organization for the purpose of instruction and research in both magic and science. The final result came in the form of a set of international laws governing the two fields and their applicable applications.
So it was that the end of the war ushered in an age of industry powered by the steam engine and arcane flux. The old conflicts still exist, but all fear the consequences of escalation. The older generation is attempting to come to terms with these changes while the younger generation is eagerly looking forward to what this marriage of ideas will produce. The new world is one for the inquisitive mind.
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