Lost & Found Studios, LLC

Part 1:  The Past

 

The Age of Creation (Before 10,000 B.D.)

 

The great and mysterious Elder Beings created the universe and the great forces that act both upon and within it. Our world was born from the vastness of this created universe and sets the stage for the Known World. The offspring of the Elder Beings are known as the Primal Beings.

 

As life developed on some of the planets within the universe, including our own, these Primal Beings  took notice of how they could use their power to affect the mortals. They became the first gods and began to feed off of the power of the mortals’ worship. However, not every mortal was so quick to bow to these Primal Beings. Through the power of worship and faith, some mortals  created their own gods - beings made and sustained by the belief of their followers.

 

The Age of Legends (~10,000 B.D. thru 1292 B.D.)

 

For a long time, civilizations rose and fell. This time period is the source of many great myths that are still prevalent today. Stories tell of great magical advancements, acts of hubris that condemned many to destruction, and feats of heroism against great beasts or in the service of long lost gods. Most of the knowledge from this time period was lost in the Great War of the Gods, but the origins of many common tales which still circulate around the globe can be traced back to the Age of Legend.

 

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The Great War of the Gods (1492 B.D. thru 1444 B.D.)

 

As time passed, the existing gods grew exponentially in number. Eventually, there was not enough worship to go around. Disastrous conflicts began as some gods used their followers to wage war. The battles between gods were extremely costly for the mortal creatures of the world. Not only did devout soldiers die in massive numbers, but whenever a god fell, the death site could significantly disrupt the natural state of the world. Over time, these Ruptures connected to the leylines of the world, divine magic and Aspect intermingling to send magical ripples throughout the world, allowing magic to become more prevalent in both the land and the people who lived nearby. Some gods and their worshippers went into hiding and attempted to avoid conflict, but many chose to fight for their gods and belief systems.

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The Imperial Age (1195 B.D. thru 0 A.D.)

 

The Zanshian Empire began as an insular elven island nation called Zanthia. The people here rejected deity worship in favor of Aspectism: a philosophy that was based on callings and core traits that impacted each individual in a magically discerning way. 

This ancient empire made great magical technological advancements far beyond any other civilization and managed to stay out of the worst of the Great War. Using their technology, they began raising their cities into the sky, pushing back against the Great War from above and creating Citadels from which they could rule the lands below. Many mortals grew tired of fighting on the gods’ behalf and quickly submitted to the Empire in exchange for their protection. The Empire became a global power and Aspectism widely popular. As deities perished and followers abandoned their warmongering gods, the Great War drew to an inconclusive end. Eventually, the heavens went quiet and the Zanshian Empire ruled over much of the Known World. During their rule, Imperial Common became the language of the land and most countries switched to a common currency. However, the people of the world were not interested in submitting to one global power forever. With the threat of the gods defeated, people were far more interested in self-determination.

 

 

Part 2: The Present
 

The Descent (0 A.D.)

 

Over a thousand years passed, and a rebellion formed against the Zanshian Empire. Representatives of rebels met with twelve deities atop a great mountain, having heard whispers of godly powers that could end the tyranny of the Empire. 

The deities understood that trust in them would not be immediate, but that if they were ever to rise again, they would need to work with the mortals. First, they taught the mortal races unweaving spells which could nullify the magical fields the Empire used to keep their Citadels skybound. Then, they swore to abide by a Heavenly Covenant: in exchange for mortal acknowledgement as the true pantheon of the world, the Twelve Gods would never again manifest on the face of the world to exert their power. They could either work through servants (angels/devils/demons) or through mortal priesthoods. With hope for the future blossoming, the mortal representatives accepted the deal. The Heavenly Covenant has been upheld to this day, assured by the involvement of the Prime deity Thonisa, the author of the Covenant, who holds power over sworn oaths.

The spells which the Twelve had taught the mortals worked as promised. Everywhere, rebels tore the Empire out of their skies, destroying the Zanshians' hold on the world. Most Citadels plummeted to the ground; sometimes destroyed, sometimes partly intact, but always compromised, and easily overtaken by the awaiting mobs. Rumors say that the ruins of at least one Citadel remain lost in orbit.

The remnants of the imperial high elves’ society isolated themselves on the renamed Island of New Zanshia, which had been the origin of all Citadels. The creation and the descent of the great Citadels left parts of the island barren and treacherous. The victorious rebels were uninterested in searching for what was left of the high elves.

After the Descent, for the first time in history, the people of the world were able to live as they saw fit, finally free of outside influence.

 

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The Age of Freedom (0 A.D. thru Present)

 

The empty Citadels, little more than enchanted stone and metal after the Descent, became sources of great wild magic. When the Citadels fell, many shattered into pieces, flinging their pieces across miles and miles of land to be found by scavengers. Others fell like meteors, plunging deep into the world and devastating the regions around them. Not all of the Citadels were completely destroyed, and their active magical cores began to pour energy out into the surrounding lands. This magical radiation from large pieces of Zanshian tech attracted monsters and other magical creatures, and permeated local flora and fauna, changing them and the surrounding landscape. Mortals soon learned that priceless pieces of imperial technology and enchantments were sometimes salvageable from these buried segments of Citadels, if they were strong enough to brave the beasts drawn to the sites. These craters-turned-caverns became known as Great Dungeons. The successful traversal of one of these sites, and the recovery of usable artifacts, became the ambition of adventurers seeking to make their mark on the world. Many independent sellers and collectors, as well as local kingdoms affected by the influx of monsters, would often pay steep prices for either the recovery or removal of Zanshian technology.

Even the passing of a millennium has failed to erase the influences of Zanshian rule, especially among the long-lived races. High elves still encounter a stigma as oppressors in some places, while elsewhere, lingering pro-imperial nostalgia elevates their status.