The World Myrddin Created

When the Great King Arthur fell at the Battle of Camlann, it signalled the end of Camelot and the dreams of a united Britain.

More, it heralded the end of an age. In time the name Arthur Pendragon and Camelot would become legend. Its truth would be lost as fact and fantasy became inextricably intertwined. Magic itself would wane and become little more than childish delusion as humankind abandoned wonder for reason. The beings of the world so reliant on magic would fade away, lost and for the most part seen as little more than folklore with but a few remembering the old ways.

The Wizard Myrddin (Mur-Thin) saw this. And he saw the inevitable. The terrible Doom that waited. A Doom he had sought to fight against. Without Camelot, this doom would could not be averted. Without magic, humanity could not weather its wrath. It was the end time, Ragnarök and Armageddon and many other names.

He knew not when it would come. Only that day it would.

Yet he was bound by ancient laws. His people were Watchers, the remnants of the world that was. His interference with Camelot and its formation was pushing the boundaries of his people to their limit. It was Fate that Camelot would fall. His experiment to avert the Doom had failed. Humanity would have centuries, maybe millennia. They must find their own to survive the Doom for the Watchers could not interfere. Or they would fail and perish. Thus was Fate.

Myrddin said no. He defied fate. He slew the leader of his Order and cast aside the veil of secrecy he had worn. He took the mortally wounded King Arthur and through arcane arts saved him and raised him to become the champion of Camelot, its undying protector. The Pendragon Bloodline would endure. Camelot would grow and prosper. It would bring unity to the British Isles and over many centuries the world. With him guiding it, Camelot would be mighty. Unstoppable. Under its dominion, humanity would be united and strong enough to challenge the Doom. To defy fate.

Many centuries later and the Empire of Avalon reigns over the world. From the great megacity of Camelot, House Pendragon rules over humanity and a world where magic and technology are indistinguishable and Imperial armies conquer new lands across the mysterious dimension of the Otherworld.

Myrddin's actions and meddling with the correct course of history spawned a divergent timeline, one in which events great and small wrought changes upon the destiny of nations and cultures in ways the Wizard could not have predicted.

Magic Remains

One of the great changes is that magic exists still, though those who can use it without suffering body and soul are rare. New surgical techniques allow the non-gifted to utilise magic, though the process is painful and physically and mentally scarring. Magic was never meant for widespread usage yet the Imperial Army demands more magic wielders.

The Fantastic Made Mundane

In this timeline, humans live alongside or are aware of normally fantastic beings and races such as Ogres, Dragons, Giants, Dwarves, Trolls and Orcs, though most do not take the form we normally assume. Orcs for example are a unified nation who control vast industrial interests and Elves a mysterious and alien menace engaged in a long and bitter conflict with the Empire.

The Invasion of Otherworld

For a century the Empire has sought expansion across the once mythical lands of Avalon and the other worlds linked to it. Imperial armies have conquered new lands and either exterminated or enslaved its inhabitants, Giants being an example of the latter. These new lands offer much for colonists who have flocked to them.

Technological Ascension

Myrddin saw that whilst a potent tool, magic would not be enough. So he used the knowledge of his people to gift a great many technological advances upon his chosen people to give them an edge against their enemies. In the present day this means that technologies such as cloning, technological augmentation, animal-human hybridisation, genetic engineering and Artificial Intelligence are commonplace and have brought great changes to society and the world.

Global Hegemony

After many centuries of war and politicking Avalon has brought the entire world under its control. It allows most nations to govern as they see fit so long as certain laws are followed and taxes paid. The Empire commands the most advanced army and wields the power to decimate any who challenge it. That has of course not stopped nations from rebelling or dissident groups working to oppose the regime.

Looming Doom

In spite of all his efforts, it would see the Doom Myrddin so feared is inevitable. The Empire is growing weaker, it has overextended itself and grown complacent. A plethora of disasters, including the eruption of the Yellowstone Super volcano on the American continent. has seen widespread loss of life and loss of infrastructure. Strange cults dedicated to mysterious entities are proliferating amongst the downtrodden and horrific entities are being spotted leading said cults or comitting unspeakable atrocities.

A World Both Familiar and Strange

Thus, the world that Myrddin created is one of full of wonders. And just as many horrors. For the most, people live as they always have. Society is on the whole settled into a neo-feudal structure with the overwhelming majority ruled by a smaller minority and the all powerful Royal House of Pendragon at the very top. The belief in the supernatural is common and technological innovations have eliminated some problems but created others. The major religions are mostly as they are in our world with some differences particularly in Christianity and Islam. Few nations escaped the new timeline unchanged and history unfolded differently due to Myrddin's meddling.