Yes, I’m actually doing this. I apologize.
This is just the first part, a little bit of pre-history. The upcoming sections will detail more relevant nuggets of information.
A Traveler’s Guide to the RPGC Universe
Chapter One: Formation and Early History
The RPGCVerse, as I have come to call it, is a…rather eclectic place, filled with contradictory accounts of its creation, formation, and general place in the greater multiverse. Everyone, from the most brilliant scientist to wisest holy man, has a different view on what exactly makes this place different from other places in the greater cosmos. Still, to the outside observer, our humble home is vastly separate from the infinite universes surrounding it, to the point that it almost qualifies as its own organism.
The following is gathered from various artifacts, records, and journals, as well as my own conversations with such beings as Philemon. It is thanks to their knowledge that I have even an inkling of the knowledge I do now.
THE CREATION:
The exact mechanics behind the multiverse’s creation are lost to history. Philemon admits to being far too young to remember the early days of existence; however, he has informed me of an ancient legend amongst the Gods. It seems that there was once a single living being, a massive figure known as the Aldetum. He was infinity itself, so much so that he eventually created the first gods out of nothing. Unfortunately, this was a fatal mistake; the gods rebelled against his tyrannical rule and literally tore the Aldetum apart. The first multiverse was then created from his spilled blood mixing with the vast void of space.
Of course, this is completely retarded, to say the least. I’d much rather believe in the Big Bang, thank you very much.
The first universe eventually grew too large to sustain itself, causing a cataclysmic split. Thus came two universes, then four, then sixteen, and so on down the line until infinity. I am unsure of all the details, but it appears that a universe can take trillions upon zillions of years to fully split from another, and that each such event is marked with the near-destruction of much of the former space. Hence, the gods were forced to create a system of checks-and-balances on the expansion of the multiverse, through the use of the mysterious beings called “Gatekeepers.”
However, there was another problem. When the Aldetum was killed, the first universe was infused with an ungodly amount of pure energy. Naturally, this power should have been divided equally during the split…only it didn’t. In fact, the amount of energy continued to INCREASE as the multiverse grew larger, bringing the totality of existence into near ruin. In order to ease up pressure, the gods were forced to create a “release valve.” The Gatekeepers were instructed to dump excess energies into a vast, empty pocket of space, where it was believed no mortal life could be sustained. Due to its distance from the rest of existence, this landfill of the universe came to be ignored.
Unfortunately, the gods did not plan on how each universe’s various differences were reflecting on the power released. In fact, the same “energy of creation” that had brought life to so many other places had been mutated in so many different ways that when they slammed into each other, <i>another</i> Big Bang occurred. The universe that was created was a bizarre algamation of a billion different worlds.
When the Gods finally noticed this, they also realized they had forgotten something important. In order to prevent infighting as much as possible, they had agreed to split up the multiverse, dividing it evenly amongst all the members of the celestial pantheon. Unfortunately, they had not done so with this universe; it was a big, ugly neutral zone. To make it worse, the energy that kept piling up inside the universe would soon have to be released into yet another cosmic garbage heap. If someone could take control, they could possibly influence the destiny of all reality.
And so, the little piece of garbage that we reside in has become the most coveted piece of real estate in the Multiverse.
EARLY HISTORY:
The first sentient species to inhabit our universe was the Seroli. They dwelled at the furthest edge of the universe, so close to the actual barrier between dimensions that they were well-known to a single Gatekeeper. However, this figure soon became corrupted, and in a sudden wave of expansion, swallowed the Seroli homeworld INTO the barrier. The Seroli themselves lost their physical forms, but their spirits were forever chained to the ether of the universe.
From this point on, evolution began on numerous worlds; in the end, if a planet could possibly sustain life, something sprung up. Eventually, this wave of life reached this version of Earth. Initial life was the same as countless others: aquatic life gave way to small land creatures, which then evolved over time into the Dinosaurs, which were then destroyed in a meteor strike. The warm-blooded creatures managed to adapt and survive, and over time evolved into prehistoric humanity.
There were, however, three important events of note in this pre-history. The first was the coming of the Elves. Unlike those Tolkein fabrications, these ancient elves were a warlike species that traveled across dimensions, capturing worlds, stripping them of any useable resources, and then moving on. These elves set up shop in what is now the Canadian-US border, near where RPGCity now stands, and began to abduct early humans to use as slave labor. However, the very nature of the universe, combined with the pollutants utilized in Elven technology, caused two humans, Grok and Mok, to gain unnatural abilities. Using their new powers, they lead a rebellion against the Elves, eventually destroying their main portal at the cost of their lives. Now trapped, the vengeful humans ruthlessly slaughtered many of the Elves; those that survived were forced to hide within the wooded areas of the world.
The second was the introduction of magic. The ability to use so-called “spells” is genetic in nature, and was in fact introduced through the original Mages. In particular, the Black and White Mages were quite successful; they often seduced or raped women in numerous tribes, while also masking any possibility of their being there. If the woman was not stoned to death, the child was often able to exhibit the same powers as his or her magic parent. In such early tribal societies, such powers would often be respected, allowing magic genes to slowly spread across the human race. There were also the Blue Mages and Red Mages, but many of their offspring failed to reproduce successfully, and their numbers are far fewer.
Finally, there was the introduction of numerous non-human or semi-human species. A handful of dinosaurs managed to survive the meteor’s impact, primarily due to dumb luck. They gradually evolved into the dragons of today. Even stranger was the sudden appearance of the catbeings, humanoid creatures with several feline characteristics, most notably ears and a tail. They also unconsciously exert pheromones upon reaching puberty, causing uncontrollable feelings of sexual attraction. In other words, they smell sexy. Unfortunately, this would eventually lead to the Catgirl Wars, but that is a story for another time.
As time went on, humanity obviously began to exert itself as a dominant force upon the planet. For good or ill (or possibly both), they were able to utilize intelligence and ingenuity to take control over much of their environment. And thus, do we bring ourselves into the modern age.
Next time: A more detailed timeline of important events.
You know, I still feel bad over not having been able to finish my last one; but seriously, I went trough such turmoil in my life at the time, I literally lost the ability to write. I seem to have recovered by now… perhaps I should give it a try again.