Cathedris

Cathedris has seen countless civilizations rise and fall; from time before, during, and after the reign of the gods. The world is steeped in rich, seemingly limitless history, and many examples of it can still be seen to this day.   However, our truly ancient history is almost entirely lost to us. Few records exist to this day -- limited to a few such as strange artifacts floating up from the deepest part of River Artazia, or the mysterious ruins under hundreds of meters of sand found in central Kazcallen.   What has stayed constant throughout it all, however, is that it's always been us -- humans. We've not yet lost who we are.

— Ash Barklow, Procurement Officer of Barklow's Books  

The time during the gods reign, and the time after during the subsequent era of the God-husks has been when human culture and growth has exploded the most. Much of what came before remains as ruins across the globe, but every one of the three-thousand years with the God-husks has had cultural growth occur.   Progress was slow for many years, due to fall out from The Seven Day War and attacks from Rendlings, but humans are resilient -- we'll never go down without a fight. And even then, our deaths are never without meaning or purpose.   All of this culminates in an incredibly vibrant tale of humanity throughout the ages, on display throughout the world. Perhaps no better example exists than The Coastal City-state of Russin, Russin -- a metropolis built upon the ruins, as well as the merger, of 3 distinct settlments from thousands of years ago.

— Togae, He Who Sings Death

With the rapid advancement of technology and communication, the world has become more globally connected than ever before -- and it's both exciting and terrifying. Some countries are adapting to this new era of information and industry better than others; it's a coin-flip if that means the country in question will help, or attack, their neighbours.   In some places, history is being abandoned in the pursuit of greater and greater progress -- while in others, like Hansun, culture and tradition are baked into every aspect of modern life, shaping the way the country adopts new technology.     Global trade and communication is generally based around these few facets of modern life -- which country is quickest to adapt, and which happens to be sitting on a bed of the most valuable resources. With Catalurgy entering the mix, the arms race for Ichor is in full swing, and any country with a God-husk within its borders that it's able to exploit for Ichor has a significant advantage over the others. This can mean monetary, military, or scientific gain -- as well as a stronger bargaining position within the global political theater.

— An A'Victadi storyteller

Of course, there are those who have begun to question our very existance... with the Ichor being pumped into our bodies, and more and more reliance on world changing machinery, how long until we become something different -- something more than human?

— unknown author