(Exists in the same Universe as Khortos. Often referred to as the KHORTOS UNIVERSE for the sake of convenience.)
Whether having lived a previous life, or being born here, you are dropped in a mysterious world of dark winding caverns and linear ravines. Its confused inhabitants claim that their ancestors used to come from another world and that this is somewhere inbetween heaven and hell. Purgatory.
The rare bunch that experienced a 'previous life' called their world Khortos. Fewer are able to even recall what happened, with the clearest memory being that they were judged at some point by a group of unknown entities who placed them here. This realm may be the confirmation of beliefs. Maybe a higher power giving a second chance, punishment to re-experience worldly things, or perhaps a temporary stay before the arrival of ultimate judgement. It was even more miserable for the seculars, having failed Pascal's wager. Some outright committed suicide, believing their life to have already been over, while others yearned for concrete answers. And those that live, must keep themselves from being consumed by the darkness.
Those born here, were the lucky ones. Yet, they can feel their soul yearning for something. Something that's not there. Freedom, perhaps?
House Rules
Contractors from The Heavens Itself
Are portable, and may play in Contracts in other Playgroups.
Character Creation Rules
Assets forbidden: Assets that turn you into a furry.
Backstory Settings
Other than standard ContractRPG rules, there are some things you would want to consider when making a character:
- Background: most importantly whether they are formerly from a world, or are they already born here? (affects stuff like languages)
- Race: Refer to the worldbuilding channel to see races.
- Current status: Where do they live? Do they have a job? Do they have friends or relatives?
Full Setting Description
Creation
The origins of this world is a much debated topic. According to the two major religions of the surface world Khortos, known as Orthidism and Alfalyhism. Two celestial beings emerged from a sea of chaos in a dying world, and married in a covenant to restore the world as it once was. Orthi created Sabisia, the god of solidity and stability, whilst Alfalyah (Ortha) at the time tended to the gardens of the surface, creating other deities such as Immilem (goddess of compassion), Alnicti (god of temples and worship), Lantemot (goddess of fertility and healing), Evai (warrior goddess), and Kinolast (god of wisdom and faith). What happens afterwards differ greatly. Alfalyhist claims Orthi's methods of stabilization required great suffering from mortals, and that he was careless which forced Ortha to break the covenant and flee to the other side of a celestial river with the rest of the gods, forming the Divine Council. She would build her own realm of Khortos from the ground up, until Orthi chased after her and Sabisia betrayed her, starting a kind of Heavenly War which the Council won. Orthidists are more split on what happened. The mainstream Luurgist-Orthidian church of the west stated Alfalyah to have betrayed Orthi for her own selfish desires, and Sabisia, a once rightful guardian found a clever way to stop her. The war ended in a stalemate with Orthi agreeing to occupy the underground world and Alfalyah occupying the surface world. Another denomation known as Crusader Orthidism suggested Orthi lost with the Sabisian betrayal never happening, and that he is still fighting to this day. It's certainly strange to find myth so well-integrated to mainstream history. This is mainly due to the unknown and scientifically impossible nature of the Tree of Life and Khortos' existence. Nobody knows where it came from.
Furthermore, the mythology of every major ancient culture appears to always have two major forces clashing during the early period of the world, both Alfalyhism and Orthidism had grown to become the two major religions of Khortos, and reported accounts of encounters with Harbingers which records are still kept today by many civilizations appear to refer to these deities from both religions. Although, some very rare exceptions do occur which claim some other deity or even a one true God was mentioned, primarily in records from the far east which mention of a deity named Ameratesu as bearing some semblance to Alfalyah, depending on the local culture the accounts came from. Thus why, to this day the creation story or at least the 'two forces clashing' myth, despite many changes and integrations to other theories of creationism, evolution, etc, has been widely and begrudgingly accepted by scholars as an explanation of where the world came from.
Heavenly War
At some point, mentions arise of a 'heavenly' or 'celestial' war occurring in the surface world. To Alfalyhist and Orthidists, it is the clash between good and evil and the new world it creates. To Moriists, it's the divine realm splitting from the mortal, leaving only a few spirits to dwell in the earth. More rational accounts in the underground world only records this event in the form of mass earthquakes and the Golden Wall surrounding Paradise rusting and cracking. Most accounts, whatever was kept at the time, had been lost. And it was up to the people's interpretation to discern what happened. Alfalyhists claim the Council occupies Paradise after the war, Orthidists claim Orthi instead. Some assumed Paradise has been destroyed and the golden walls are a mere façade, others claim chaotic entities have taken over, and many more that end in mere assumptions.
Age of Mortals
The age of mortals lasted for around 5,370 years, which saw little to no supernatural or paranormal happenings aside from possibly mythical and fake encounters with Harbingers. In the underground world, the isolated nature of the caverns made growth much slower. By the early 200s, the underground paired to that of the medieval ages. A conquest by a power known as the Tergeshi Imperis occurred, consolidating power over the eastern lands, they would prove to be a pioneer of the things to come.
Technological Revolution
Due to a number of factors ranging from simply 'lucky' resurrection events and the unified nature of the Imperis at that time, a number of innovators rose up and in the span of about 170 years, revolutionized the lands from feudal city-states to a booming industry. Technology immediately leapt from swords all the way to rifles. The Tergeshi Imperis, previously benefitting from this innovation, were unable to adapt with the times and quickly fractured. One of the splinter states being that of the Empire of Moyoyari, the current setting of the campaign. Though, as fast as the world accelerated, it grinded to a halt.
Era of Darkness/Era of Miracles
Around 370 celestials, out of nowhere, resurrections from all over the caverns immediately stopped, causing a major religious crisis and mass chaos. Nations fell apart as soon as they rose, including the Empire which fell into anarchy, only to be restored by clans and warlords. Many blamed the technological revolution as a cause for this demise. The era which saw purgatory and the underworld explored and charted. Every stranger phenomenon discovered actually risked the populace returning back to their obsession of old superstition. And now they were starting to interpret this event as divine punishment for man’s transgressions for attempting to doubt the architects of their creation. Although many of the faith believes that this is in fact an age where miracles are realized and heroes born to save the downtrodden as an opportunity from the divine. Rationally speaking, the stagnancy experienced before the tech revolution was returning. And with it, humanity's systems returned to the old times.
Western Enlightenment
This period would not last in certain areas of the subterranean however. Modernization started in the western nation of Luydont and its neighbors, and Moyoyari was reunited under a new Shogunate that were remarkably quick to embrace these changes. A drop of oil to the rusted gears of innovation. The present remains uncertain, lawlessness still plague the lands and Moyoyari stands as one of the few major factions of the underground that somewhat is in the process of modernizaton.