Before The Rend:
Year 1 of Stellis
Much like how our civilization began, humanity was humble before the discorvery of magic. Quick to harness magic and imbue technology with their magical prowess - they became able to make creations that exceeded their wildest imaginations. Airships that could carry thousands, buildings that soared high above the clouds, ringing with magical infrastructure buzzing through the beams - everything was fantastical, mystical, and alluring. Magic was inside the souls of humanity, everyone could harness it, and therefore, began the thought that they could harness it from each other.
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Greed overtook those in power, everything that was once whimsical had become dull, and they craved more constantly. Starving for something new, for a rush of power, humans began stealing magic from each other, effectively draining them of their life forces and rendering them ill with little time to live on. This stirred constant conflict, and soon families became regimes, fighting to protect their own and stay alive. The strain upon the Earth by the imbalance of magic within the souls of humanity caused its core to stir - natural disasters became normal, once beloved cities became ruins, and there was nothing more than chaos and pain.
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A young scholar noticed the contractions of the Earth’s core and the direct impact the abuse of magic was having on the realm, and spent many years studying how to restore the balance - at the cost of neglecting his own family. A man who would come to be known as Zenith, knew that in order to save everything dear to him, he had to destroy it. Driven by the greater good over the individual, Zenith took the lives of 13 people closest to him and harnessed their magical power to, in turn, remove magic from the realm. Such a feat had never been accomplished, but it was not without its toll.
As magic was ripped from the realm, it scattered into the sky, taking refuge within the stars and forming bridges that we know today as constellations. He died without knowing what he had done, the ever raging conflict that he had bore, and how he effectively gave birth to Constellangels.
The Beginning
Years 1 - 4839 of Stellis
Life could not continue as it once did after the Rend - many people died due to magic being removed from their bodies, but some lived, quietly rebuilding and erasing the horrors of history from their minds. Society learned how to exist without magic, and with much shorter lifespans, came to appreciate life - for a time. Eventually, human society progressed in a similar way that our own world has. The existence of Constellangels was not something that was known, nor was the travel to the Earthly realm from Zenith possible. On the other side, the newly awakened souls were just only sorting out their renewed existence as Constellangels.
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As humans died, the magical connection they once had was reforged by their will to continue living, thus the magic within the stars reached down and once again blessed those who had a strong enough connection with the constellation they resided in. But they were not born into the realm of humanity, rather, a consequence of Zenith’s rendering of magic, a completely new realm almost like the first, but humming with magic.
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Most of the first awoke confused, seeking purpose and meaning, and like they were tasked to do after the Rend in the human realm, they began building and forming communities to gain a better understanding of their existence. What they found is many of their human traits remained, but some had evolved, eyes glistened and glowed and beautiful wings had sprouted from their bodies. Soon they began to discern the differences between each other, noticing different types of halos and colors within the wings - some shimmering like the night sky and others calm and fleeting as a daytime cloud. They felt the stars call to them, thus naming themselves Constellangels. Though, a new type of Constellangel began to emerge as time went on, born from the sorrows of humanity - these would come to be known as the Fallen.
Rise of the Fallen
Year 4840 of Stellis
Before the unification of the voices of the Fallen, they were nothing more than tortured and broken souls neglected by the ‘Ascended’, which at the time, did not call themselves this. Their pitiful disdain for humanity was kicked aside by the majority of Constellangels, and they were left scattered among the realm of Zenith. Living mostly in the richer and denser southern hemisphere of the Zenith, many Fallen were nomadic and hostile towards each other. The feeling of hopelessness and shame for hating life and what it did not offer them isolated them to an endless void of emotions. It was unclear what made them different - what drove them to this abyss of sadness - until a young scarlet haired Constellangel, donned in wings of black, recognized the source of the sorrow that she and her fallen brethren had been cursed with. Slowly, Fallen began disappearing from the eyes of their Ascended counterparts, thought to have extinguished themselves from existence. In actuality, they became self realized, and began to form their own, orderly society with one shared vision - enslave the society that had taken so much from them, and ensure that it could not take from anyone else.
Day of Darkness- The Crystal Hearts
Year 5503 of Stellis
As the Eternal Conflict rages on, it felt like there was a stalemate between the two factions as the Zodiarch council had successfully routed the Fallen Regimes advances, but at the same time had made no progress of their own while losing Ascended soldiers on the frontlines. Eventually, a new group within the Ascended had mutated their magic to be able to thwart the corrupted minds of the Fallen and potentially turn them to the side of good - this group deemed themselves the Crystal Hearts. They were a rather small unit within the entire Ascended army, but their coordinated efforts were actually able to do what they intended and, surprisingly, change the hearts of the Fallen. Converted Fallen were taken to bases for examination, but for the most part, the change seemed successful. The ethics of this method were under fire by many pacifists, exclaiming that manipulation of the mind is just as violent as thrusting a sword into their hearts. However, it reduced the Fallen numbers while subsequently increasing Ascended numbers, so the Zodiarch Council was pleased.
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The Crystal Hearts became a well known and feared asset to the Ascended, and with their overconfidence they pursued a plan to advance onto Fallen territory, creeping ever so closely to their capitol city, Bastion. They spent time and resources training the converted Fallen to accompany them on the mission, who were feeling resentment towards themselves for the lives they had taken, and wished to make amends. Because of the physical differences between Fallen and Ascended, they did not fear a scheme of a traitorous plot, but they also did not consider the Fallen Regimes ace - The Shadow King himself.
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Many rumors had spread about who was actually the head of the Fallen, many Ascended joking that he must be a shadowy figure at least 8 feet tall, clad in abyssal armor that only the dead can see. The Red Queen, a secret to the Ascended, became amused with this idea and brought it to life, a nightmarish warrior of her very own that she could control. For the first time, the Ascended would meet the “leader” of the Fallen - something they would never anticipate.
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As the Crystal Hearts advanced, seemingly successful, their hopes were ripped from them as a shockwave erupted before them, a myth among them, “The Shadow King”. Be that as it may, the bold leader of the Crystal Hearts knew retreat wasn’t an option, and with the aid of her team, was able to land a definitive blow on The Shadow King - one that would normally work on any other Fallen, but there was something deeper within him, a darkness they couldn’t touch. And in an instant, where their leader once stood, there was nothing but stardust.
A Rebellion Begins
Year 5515 of Stellis
For centuries the injustices within the Ascended faction were widely known and critiqued by their opposing faction, the Fallen — however — such things were typically swept under the rug with the notion of, "there's more good than harm with the way things are."
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Still, many classism issues fell hard on the common Ascended, from being denied proper housing and food to being under-prioritized in the healthcare system. Higher rarities were treated like royalty and offered so many more opportunities to expand and thrive, and finally, two Ascended had enough.
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Marked as "KIA" in a surprise Fallen raid, it was perfect for two former foot-soldiers of the Sentinels, Volta and B-3AR, to become the very face of the rebellion against the hierarchy — the Zodiarchs themselves. Forming a small group of like-minded individuals, they began their work.
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The anniversary of the Rend was approaching. While the Ball of the Falling Stars was hosted in Easthaven, many other festivities took place in other major cities for those that cannot travel — in New Zenith, this took form with a parade. Lavish lights, entrancing dancers, stalls set up along the tight city streets, all eyes were captivated in the celebration. All the small group of rebels had to do was steal that attention away to their cause.
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New Zenith, an already technologically advanced city, was the perfect spot to get a message out quick. Cyber augmented Constellangels were still prompted to hide away and feel ashamed, but that was about to change. As the parade tumbled forward underneath the neon city lights, suddenly a thundering bang erupted through the street, and it all went black. For just a moment, silence. When the lights were permitted to come back on, every screen billboard and television in the city was taken over. Quickly a bold text flashed across the screens:
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....OUR TIME IS NOW.
WE WILL NOT BE MADE SILENT.
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Panic quickly followed as citizens worried they were under attack from the Fallen, but then it became clear as all eyes met with Volta as he stood atop the head of the parade floats. His voice resonated from every direction as he said:
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"For too long have we been shamed! Mutilated without remorse or care. We have been suffering at the hands of the Zodiarchs and for what! So they can sit atop their floating city surrounded by riches and fame? Why were we made to suffer!"
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Low mumbling came from the crowd, as Sentinels assigned to guard the parade scrambled to get to the float, Volta smirked and held one hand in the air.
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*snap*
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As the Sentinels rushed forward, suddenly they were met with a jolt from the sky above familiar thunder, crackling right in front of them making them unable to proceed. As the lightning subsided, B-3AR emerged. Gasps erupted from the crowd, she was unlike anything anyone had seen before. Her eyes were pure electric, her body had become a machine itself. Big, mechanical bear claws fell to each of her sides, it was clear she was powerful beyond imagination.
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Volta begins again:
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"This is what they fear! Power! They want us to stay weak and silent. They call it "balance", we call it bullshit!"
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B-3AR looks over her shoulder at him, he had promised earlier to be somewhat professional.
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Volta clears his throat...
"The Zodiarchs want you to think power is blessed upon the lucky, that you are chosen for greatness. We are here to tell you power is at your fingertips, if you are willing to take it for yourself."
"Join us, confide in us, let us end this suffering. If you need to find the Augmented, you need only ask."
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Just as the Sentinels regroup to pounce forward, the lights abandon them once more, leaving the city in brief silence and darkness, before flickering about as if nothing had happened. And for a time, that is what the people believed — that it was nothing. Even the Zodiarch Council felt unimpressed with their initial callout. Slowly, however, desperate hearts began to trickle out of society, some deemed missing or dead — but it was clear a rebellion was beginning.
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WILL YOU JOIN THE CAUSE?
Present Day
Year 5520 of Stellis
Several hundred years went by, both the Ascended and Fallen made many technological advances, both reliant on magic and not. Small conflicts began between the two groups, until the conflicts became larger, then into raging battles, until they both found themselves tangled in a war that would come to be known as The Eternal Conflict. The struggle over the fate of humanity, whether it was worth saving or not, would become the pillar of the two groups.
This war is not exclusive to the realm of the Zenith — many conflicts, especially larger ones, that take place in the human's earthly realm are greatly influenced by both Ascended and Fallen alike.
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Where does your story begin?
When will it end?
