Fantasy We're Still Here (Lore & known information)

[Vexumin]

"Your world is now turned cruel by the hands of these invaders. It is wise for you to be familiar with the new environments, creatures and threats you will face."
​

To begin this lore page, I shall put detail into well known factions. Those that are old and fallen or yet persist. I should make note of this as well before I begin, but orders that are listed as fallen may or may not be completely destroyed. There may yet be whispers from these peoples throughout the world. However, they are no longer operating at a strength that they once were at. Also, the primary forces of heaven and hell will not be listed here, but any groups that form that are bound to the earth will be mentioned.

Factions:

• Order of the New Age (Human)
  • Current status: Fallen
  • Also known as "The Order", they were once considered the greatest chance for human survival. Able to even create a bastion for mankind, they fought both demon and angel in an attempt to claim a section of land for the remaining human survivors to exist. This effort was ultimately met with siege for their lack of allies in the other realms. Their aggression towards those not human found themselves labelled as enemies by both of the other realms. However, it was by demonic hands that the order was torn asunder.
  
  
• Silver Wings Warfront (Human)
  • Current status: Fallen​
  • In the first years of the war, the Silver Wings were humans inspired by the aid that angels attempted to provide towards surviving humans affected by the war. These humans eventually dedicated themselves towards fighting the demons "alongside" the angels. In truth, the angels allowed them to fight the demons, but they did not fight together. Letting the humans fight against their own foe as they wish, but not favoring their survival over that of their own angelic kind. The Silver Wings eventually fell due to their own involvement in the hell that was the frontlines of the end war.​
  
  
• The Trade Cliffs (The Keld | Angels | Demons | Other beings)​
  • Current Status: Active | Thriving​
  • As the earth quaked from the effects of the war, the land would rise and fall from the changes it endured. Eventually, a shard of earth rose into the sky, taller than any skyscraper. A colony of beings called The Keld eventually laid claim to the shard, scaling its heights and building from it an entire city that runs throughout its length and all upon its exterior. The Keld were once humans, but they grew to tower over any normal human and their skin is callous and rough like armor, as if the very stone of the earth clings to their flesh. They have shown to be quite strong even compared to demons and angels. They eventually opened the gates of what they soon named "The Trade Cliffs" and welcomed both angels, demons, and other beings that originate from the two realms into their home. The Keld stand guard over their home, yet provide haven from the war towards all creatures. They even welcome open trade between all those that reside within The Trade Cliffs. It is a hub for those seeking to buy or sell demonic or angelic artifacts for anything that might be considered valuable, but what is considered valuable is not strictly bound to trinkets and weapons. Some may even find that souls have become things of value in this place. While those within the city are forbidden from extracting the souls from others that also call the place home, this has not stopped some from seeking their fortune in souls in the surrounding lands.​
  
  
• The Glorybound (Angels)​
  • Current status: Active​
  • When the sky was torn open to allow the angels access to earth, they at first simply flew across the world to slay the demons that they found. However, years later, they found this tactic to not be working as well as they had believed. Of course, wanton slaughter was pointless as the demons simply crawled in masses from their hole in the ground. In an effort to create a stronghold against demonic forces, they began to build their own home away from home, forming massive holy walls and constructing a grand city below the tear in the sky leading to the heavens. However, there were some angels that did not wish to grow complacent behind such walls. A faction of angels, hungry for the glory of battle, had formed. They are The Glorybound, tirelessly seeking to create a name for themselves in the world through combat. They target only the worthy, and have sometimes even challenged humans to duels to the death. It is easy to assume that these angels are simply on their own side and doing as they wish without any ties to their former people.​
  
  
• Blades of the Cragg (Demon)​
  • Current status: Active​
  • When the depths of hell opened upon the crust of the world, it was not with a shake of the earth, but an explosion of rock and slag. When the ash had settled after the opening of the tear into the depths of hell, it left the surrounding lands in tatters. Almost a mountain range of jagged and pointed stone, the land is near inhospitable to most beings. Though there are many species of insect that adapted to these lands and call the deepest parts of these blade-like mountains their home. There is, however, a sect of demons that work to traverse this land, slicing through rock and taming the largest and most ferocious of these now massive insects. These lands would eventually be named, by all, the Cragg. The demons that call this home, are appropriately named "The Blades of the Cragg".​
  
  
• Dulled Edge (All beings welcome)​
  • Current Status: Active​
  • Years into the war, it only makes sense that some would grow weary of the fighting. The Dulled Edge was formed when a group of tired angels and demons encountered each other on the battlefield years after its start. Both of the groups had at first seemed ready to fight, but eventually one lowered their blade... then another and another, until they had all decided not to fight. It was after this encounter that a unity between angel, demon, and soon all that had grown tired of this conflict began to gather together. They established for themselves a home in the darkest corner of the world. A place where the fight would not reach them, even if they must fight once more to keep it from making its way to their new haven. Make no mistake, though they call themselves the Dulled Edge, their blades are most definitely sharp and ready to slay any being that schemes to enter their home and cause a ruckus.​

 

[Vexumin]

In the years following the beginning of the war, the world changed drastically. The population of humans shifted across the entire world, strongholds for various peoples began to come into existence. The concepts of countries would long since have been abandoned. The land would become misshapen and the seas would shift across the world. No map of the earth before is useful in the present day. News of the world and new maps would be made though, but not by human hands. Nevertheless, these maps would be copied and become known to all with time.

Regions | Environments | Cities

• Tear to Heaven
  • A portal opened in the skies over the European continent. Ultimately an unreachable anomaly for those without wings or the transportation to make their way to it. Though even if you did have transportation, any advances towards the heavens is usually met with an aggressive response from the angels.
• Tear to Hell
  • A section of land where the earth opened up to the lands of hell. The tear appeared with disastrous effect on the western coast of the United States. After the tears appearance, the landscape around it rose into the range of mountains now known as the Cragg. These mountains span for many miles, having decimated Nearly all of northern California as well as almost half of Oregon and parts of Washington. This event caused a bulk of deaths in North America.
• The Wilds
  • Where there were once forests, there would now be trees as grand as the tallest of buildings. A majority of the landmass would have transformed into what all creatures call "The Wilds". With no real prioritization of researching the extreme changes to earth various environments, they are ultimately given simple names. However, no matter how simple, these names give the best possible explanation for what to expect out there.
    
    The Wilds were quick to develop early in the war, but ultimately the mighty trees began to cease their growth after only a few years. Even so, they dominate these lands. Many people have made efforts to connect the trees together through different scaffolding around their midsections. It is clear, by many of the buildings found around the edges of The Wilds, that these environments grew even in the middle of various cities, so it is safe for some to assume that climbing to the top of a skyscraper on the outskirts of these zones shall help you find a means into these paths that people have developed through the trees.
    
    The reason that people seek to pass above the ground of The Wilds is because there are creatures, both mutated from species originating from earth as well as demonic that roam much like animals, that roam the floor of these lands. These are creatures ultimately not to be messed with, so folk have made efforts to allow safer travels.
    
    When one looks down towards the floor of the forest, they may just see remnants of old cities below.
• Cragg
  • The jagged stone mountains surrounding the tear in the earth leading to the fiery hells. The shockwave of the tear opening gave rise to many towering slopes and sharp rock that spans for miles past this tear. The closer one gets to the tear in the earth the more the stone of the Cragg becomes sturdier and blackened from the heat. Ultimately, unless someone enjoys gazing at dagger-like mountains, there is not much to look at. That is unless someone travels towards the base of the mountains, deep between these titanic masses.
    
    As one nears the base of the mountains, they will begin to see hollowed out sections of stone. There is almost a pattern to them, dotting across the land and between these mountains. Some of the holes are gargantuan compared to others. If an unfortunate fool were to follow these carved paths, they might find the creators. Insects, altered by the energy of the realms, have grown massive compared to their previous miniscule sizes. They are strong enough to burrow through the stone to create their hives and they are big enough to pose a threat to nearly any creature on the twisted earth.
    
    Thankfully these creature tend to stay within the boundaries of the Cragg, not moving past them and sticking to home. Why they do not spread to other lands is unknown. Perhaps there is something that keeps them bound to the jagged rock.
• The Great Sea
  • When the lands began to shift after the war, it seemed to bring the different landmasses closer together. The Atlantic Ocean almost altogether vanished, causing it to really only be considered a series of lakes in present day. However, this also left all of the ocean as a singular body, not separated by any particular landmasses. This left the ocean to simply be called "The Great Sea". With the creatures of the ocean being left alone, as there was no real reason to cross such a massive body of water, they grew to titanic proportions. There are demons and other groups that travel the water with the desire to hunt these new and worthy prey and predators, but not all return from such ventures.
• Razor Sands
  • Once known as Australia, the smaller continent suffered greatly from the war. Though it was dragged closer to the rest of the gathered landmasses, it endured by far the most natural disaster than any other continent. Winds tore the continent to shreds as the sun beat down on its land. Eventually the continent was transformed into a massive desert filled with burrowing creatures evolved to survive its harsh environment. There are peoples that roam the deserts of the Razor Sands upon transportation crafted with angelic technologies that allow them to hover over the sands and evade its horrors.
    
    Wandering these lands on foot is out of the question. When the wind picks up and the sands begin to take to the air, they have the potential to slice through even metal. Walking during this time will see almost anyone cut to ribbons during their travels, and it is when blood is drawn that it attracts the swarm of beasts that linger beneath those very sands. Without the right transportation and protections, one has no chance of surviving here.
• Pools of Torment
  • Sections of land that must be avoided at all costs! These are areas that once saw extreme combat. The rot from corpses of both angel and demon have made these lands uninhabitable to all other than the most extremely mutated beings that are made to thrive in these areas. The Pools, as they are often called, are a swamp of decayed blood and gore. Plagues and sicknesses unthinkable are born from this land and fungus that grows to massive sizes are all one will find in these zones.
    
    It is a mercy to be able to live for even an hour in these lands without having contracted an illness that will likely end your life in a horrible manner in the next hour. These are ailments that humans are not meant to endure. That no creature is meant to endure. As such, wandering this zone is similar to suicide. There has not been a single means of traversing these lands safely.
• Avenforte
  • A marvel of angelic construction. A city of angels placed just below the tear leading to heaven. Avenforte is a massive city surrounded by almost mile high walls. A structure intending to prevent any intrusion into heaven. The angels allow almost none to pass through and into the city, not that it has any gates for anyone to pass through. It is a wall meant to be passed only by those with wings. Any with wings to pass it not of angelic origin will be slain on sight by one of the walls many mighty guards. The city is nearly as unbreachable as the grand lands of heaven itself. As such, not much is known of it.
• The Trade Cliffs
  • A beacon among the lands, The Trade Cliffs stand higher than any structure and can be seen for miles in any direction, especially at night. It is a shard of earth risen high into the skies and at its peak resides its rulers, The Kell. These altered humans lord over the spire of earth, preventing any misdeeds within its boundaries. The only way into The Trade Cliffs is to travel across a bridge raised towards the city itself. Should threats seek to march upon the Cliffs, they will be met with an unpassable chasm and with projectile strikes from weapons scattered all across the city.
    
    Aside from its fortified nature, it is also a place of trade, as the name suggests. The city welcomes all and allows the trade of just about any wares for any currency. Some will find rare old world items or even artifacts of the angels and demons sold here. It is said that The Trade Cliffs has anything you could possibly want and it could be yours if you have something of value to trade it for.
    
    In the past few years there has been a value increase for the souls of slain creatures. Most beings have the capabilities to obtain souls on their own, but humans do not have this capability. Thankfully there are trinkets that allow one to obtain the souls of the fallen, if they seek their fortune in the Trade Cliffs.
• The Baleful Carnival
  • A massive caravan of travelling demons. They are not particularly unwelcoming towards other beings, but they do tend to eye those that interest them perhaps a bit too much. The carnival is not a place for fun and games. It is a place where demons may trade in the blood spilt spoils they have earned either in combat or in unbridled slaughter. Among demons, the different parts and organs of once living creatures are very desired items. One can even find living goods offered at the carnival. Ultimately this is a place where morals fade away and one can enjoy "pleasures" that some might consider evil.
• (WIP)