Good vs. Evil World Building

This is where we'll keep a permanent list of all the things you guys come up with for the world, post at will.

When the World first began, many millenia ago, it was a barren place, desolate and devoid of life, the only notable feature at the time was the two moons, visible at night. A world of rock and stone, of dirt and magma, of nature and magic. Then came the First Planar Rupture, and with it, life. The life was simple at first, elemental in nature and born of the magical energy that infused the world. Innocent, childish and unaware, it reached out, it explored this new existence and grew and learned. And so, the first God of this World was born. The rapid absorption and release of energy in this event closed the Rupture.

Using the knowledge and experience it had, it hastened the birth of more Gods until eventually all the energy from the First Planar Rupture had been used. This Pantheon of new Gods brought more life into the World, starting simple for they were new to godhood and were still learning the extent of their power. They started with plants and water, then created creatures in the seas and in the skies. And finally they brought life to the lands with their most complex creations which were to be the ancestors of the races we know today. While the Pantheon walked the World, life flourished and times were peaceful. Common opinion was all was good, the people of the time were content and the races coexisted and helped each other. But, as is the nature of such things, the peace was not to last.

The peace enjoyed by many ended with the coming of the Second Planar Rupture. Many lives were lost with the sudden release of planar energy into the World, and many more would have been lost had it not been for the timely intervention of a small group of lesser Gods, sacrificing themselves to stem the opening of the Planar Rupture. The remaining members of the Pantheon tried to close the Rupture, but were unable to and so it was left for a while, bleeding Planar energy into the World. This energy is responsible for most of the known phenomena in the World today.

After a few centuries, it was discovered that the Rupture could be closed from the other side. The Pantheon held a council with the leaders of each race to plan a course of action, this council was later known as the Council of Fate and became a tradition that has been carried forward to this day. The Council of Fate decided that the only course of action was to send a group through the Rupture in an attempt to close it. Due to the nature of the Rupture only the Gods would be able to survive the trip, however they had the strength to extend their protection to a few chosen mortals and take them with them into the Rupture. Two Champions were chosen from each race, tasked with protecting the Gods until the Rupture was closed. These Champions became Saints in the eyes of their races, unfortunately they were never to return.

For a few centuries more, the peace continued but without the guidance that the Gods had given them, the races fell to bickering within the races, then to anger with each other until they were all at war. Nobody was on any one side, alliances were made and broken, battles won and lost, towns destroyed and lives ruined. It all came to a head one day, a millenia ago now. The armies of the mortal races had gathered on what was then known as the Obad Plain but we know today as the Desolate Fields, famous for being the flattest land in the entire World. It was there that they were set to fight a war to end all wars, to settle all the differences, to decide who would rule the World. But nobody could have predicted the outcome of that war, nor who was to fight it.

For that was the day of the Third Planar Rupture. The Third Rupture tore through into our reality at dawn of that fateful day, and it has stood there ever since. The Third Planar Rupture is not famous for bringing a halt to the fighting, it is famous for bringing armies from another plane through to this World. Armies of demons and aberrations, of monsters and nightmares, of terror and fear. And at the forefront of the armies were the Champions chosen by the Gods long ago, twisted and corrupted from faithful servants of the divine into mindless, hateful warriors filled with rage and bloodlust.

The fight lasted for nearly a month and is remembered as the Days of Blood. The fighting was long and bloody, forcing the mortal races together to work in unity against the otherworldly armies. Neither side could gain an upper hand over the course of the fighting until the strongest mages of the time discovered the planar energy leaking from the Rupture was increasing their power. Using this discovery, they exposed themselves directly to the rupture, gaining power that, together, could rival that of a God. Using this power they were able to seal the Rupture in a cage made of pure magical energy at the cost of their lives. Isolated from their home plane, the otherworldly armies weakened and were swiftly overrun by the remaining mortal forces.

The Council of Fate met again, having isolated themselves from each other and the World during the wars, to establish order in the wake of the Planar War and to decide the future of the World. Their first decision was to build a massive fortress, the Khe'Lion Garrison, around the sealed Rupture which was to be manned by only the most elite soldiers from each race, and to task these guards with protecting the World from the Rupture and the Rupture from the World.

And that is the World to date, of course the Planar War didn't end all the fighting between the races, that is still there. It was merely lessened to petty squabbles, although there has been the odd large scale conflict between races in the last millenia. There are also reports that one of the Corrupted Champions survived the Planar War and fled the battlefield to hide ever since.

This is the world your characters find themselves in. Welcome to your story.

The Council of Fate was founded in the closing days of the Second Planar Rifts duration. Its' sole purpose at the time was to decide the best course of action in the closing of the Rupture. At the time it had no name and was simply referred to as 'The Council', over time the name evolved to where it is now. Originally supposed to be a one time, emergency, meeting the Council of Fate became a tradition in the World and has been present in one form or another ever since. Comprised of the wisest sages and most venerable leaders of the Worlds' races, the Council of Fate has stood the test of time through peace time and through war.

The Council of Fate is housed in a stronghold built into a mountain that stands alone in the center of the Worlds' Mouth, a gaping chasm to the far North of the World. As such it is highly defensible and one of the most secure locations in the World. The stronghold itself does not stand particularly high, due to the treacherous terrain of the mountain side, and the majority of it extends downwards into the mountain itself. The stronghold is only reachable via air, or by the single bridge formed from concentrated magical energy which can be dispersed at a moments notice to create yet another defense.

The stronghold keeps a standing garrison of soldiers drawn from each race, the soldiers all swear oaths of loyalty, bound by magic, to the Council of Fate. The soldiers would die before they could betray the Council and take orders only from them, or those the Council have given command to so long as the orders do not endanger the council in any way. Each Council member is allowed to choose a personal squad of five bodyguards from the strongholds' forces.

The Council of Fates' purpose is to establish and keep order and peace in the world. Despite this, the Council mainly take only a minor role in the running of the world, leaving the the races to govern themselves and intervening only when necessary. The word of the Council is final in all matters, and it may nt be changed by any but the Council.

The Khe'Lion Garrison is widely regarded as the strongest, most heavily defended structure in the World. Comprised of two bastions, each with its' own series of concentric walls, the Khe'Lion Garrison stands as a monument to the strength of the mortal races' will to carry on, and to those who fell in the Planar War. The Khe'Lion Garrison was built around the Rupture that formed at that time, an imposing fortress built to withstand any attack, either from the World or from the Rupture it contained.

The Garrison itself was constructed primarily using magic due to the complexity of the designs. First the greatest sages grew walls of trees and vines, to form the walls around each bastion. Then the greatest metal workers from the across the lands forged great sheets of steel, several inches thick, around the plants. Finally, stone masons from across the World built up walls of stone around the metal covered plants. The last step in the Garrisons' construction was to lace the structures with traps and enchantments.

Like the stronghold housing the Council of Fate, the Garrison keeps its' own standing army of soldiers, known simply as the Guardians, drawn from all the races of the World. The soldiers themselves are selected during trials held once every five years, these trials are observed by members of the Council of Fate and only the very best are selected. Those who are chosen are giving the option of turning down the honour of becoming a Guardian, but only a few have over the millenia since the Garrison was established. Those chosen to be a Guardian and who accept the honour do so for life, they give up everything they once had and spend the rest of their days in the Garrison. When they become unable to fight, they take up other duties within the Garrison. For a Guardian, the only release from service is death.

Many have sought entry into the Garrison over the years, some to try and close the Rupture, some to try and gain power from it. Only a few have ever entered, permission to enter must be granted by the Council of Fate. Those without permission are turned away immediately and warned that if they try and enter again without permission, it will be their last action in this life.

In the days before the Planar War, the Obad Plains, as they were known at the time, were considered to be a natural wonder. The largest, flattest area of land, it used to be quite the sight. It was home to numerous plants and animals, many of which are now extinct, and was the place you went if you wanted to talk to the God of nature.

Since the Planar War though, it has never been the same. Where there once was verdant life, there now lies what is essentially a marsh. A desolate land filled with death. Nothing grows there and animals of all kinds avoid it. The only things of note there now are the rows and rows of graves housing the bodies of those who fell during the Planar War, and the imposing Khe'Lion Garrison.

By day, the Desolate Fields are clouded in mist, the only clear path through the sullied ground is that which leads to the Garrison. At night, the Desolate Fields are unnaturally dark and the mists that cover the land seem to draw closer. They say the ghosts of the fallen, those of the mortal races and the armies from beyond the Rupture, can be seen on occasion in the mist, cursed to fight an eternal war. Those who venture into the mists seldom return and those few who do are never the same as they once were.

-Retconned until further notice-

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