Notes

I'm writing this down so I don't forget.

My name was Jason Duck before I got here. All my friends just called me Duck. I was 20 years old and a student at Middleburgh University. I'd love to say I was some kind of cool social butterfly type, but I was really more like the guy trying to study in the corner while his roommate smokes weed with cute girls. I've never even tried weed. Anyway, I was studying Political Science even though that's one of those degrees that your mom always tells you not to take because no one hires humanities majors. I guess I'll never know if she was right.

Overview

Empirica Sin is a single, massive pangaeaic landmass divided into three general realms and surrounded by a seemingly endless ocean. Each of the three realms is separated from the others by The Golden Cage. There is no record of where the Golden Cage came from nor, indeed, any recollection of where the land or the people within it originated, either. These are things that simply has been and will be. More details on the individual realms and their cultures and people are provided in their ownsections. For now, a simple overview.

A Note On Language

There are four major languages in Empirica Sin: Zozun (Incaendium), Diursparid (Astrum), Clearish (Gaean) and Common (universal). Common is a mishmash of some long dead Empirican language with various languages from the Otherworld, aka. Earth, brought in by Aedvectis. Many interrealm terms are in Common, and thus will appear to be similar to Earth languages, though often in a warped form.

It is common for a single concept (race, location, etc) to be called one thing by the native speakers of the language the concept emerges from, and something else entirely by some or all other groups. Some quick examples include the First Realm, which is referred to as Astrum in Diursparid, but more commonly called Paradisa elsewhere.

These conversions are covered in the Phrase Dictionary, and will often have easily accessible tooltips as well.

On The Record

A Brief History

Though the age of the land itself, let alone the world it sits on (if it sits on a world) is unknown, the oldest living beings can remember approximately 30,000 years back. This was the birth of the First Generation of Caelestise, or Celestials.

This was The Awakening.

Born into the First Realm, which they called Astrum, the First Generation began to build their Realm. In time, other Celestials began to appear - first the Aurali, and then the Fae.

Not long after this, the Second Realm, Gaean, made itself known. The Celestials are unaware of when it appeared or whom, if anyone, made it appear, but Gaean brought with it the first of the Mortals - then consisting exclusively of Humans. These relatively powerless beings came to revere the Dei, seeking their aid and favor, and so the Dei became deities, or gods.

Finally, into the Third Realm, Incaendium came the Kasura, who would come to be called Demons by those outside their ranks. Born from the passions, hopes and fears of Celestials and Mortals alike, the very existence of these powerful beings came to strike terror into the hearts of both the Celestials and Mortals.

The birth and evolution of their individual societies is detailed in the larger sections for the Celestials, Demons and Mortals.

Okay. So. Here's what happened:

I was walking back to my dorm after class. I wasn't paying attention, I know that was stupid but it is what it is. I was reading the latest chapter of my favorite webnovel, Crimson Court, and then... I'm not sure what happened to me. I just know that everything hurt, and then everything went black.

I don't know how long I was out, but when I woke up, I was here. Drowning in satin and pillows and stuff. For a second I thought I was just at home, but I'm not. I want to say I don't know where I am. That would make me sound less crazy. But the thing is, I do know.

I'm in the Crimson Palace in Amaya.

The setting of the novel I was reading when the lights went out.

The apprehension between the Celestials and Demons came to a head after The Death of Ralora and Execution of Ibrai. With this, the golden age of presumed friendship between Realms ended and the conflict between Astrum and Incaendium began, sparking the Caelestise-Sura War, a devastating battle between the two superpowers, with Gaean caught between the two more powerful combatant Realms. Suddenly in existential danger, Mortals began searching for ways to protect and defend themselves, which eventually gave rise to a Formalized Magic System, Methods of Accessing Psionics, as well as advances in technology. Morever, as the Celestials and Demons passing through Gaean en route to one another's lands sometimes beget children, soon Gaean began to see the rise of the Brightbloods and Cambions, giving the mortals their own brand of supernatural defender.

The war was brought to a sudden close with the appearance of the Golden Cage, which forced a peace of sorts on the land again. The emergence of the Cage remains a Great Mystery to the general population... but there are rumors and whispers, as there always are.

In time, due to a combination of the Golden Cage and Gaean's increased capacity to block intruders, the conflict settled into The Silent War.

However, the war had permanently changed all three Realms. Mortals had gained two additional branch races, the children of mortals and their powerful neighbors, and had unlocked their own latent magical and psionic abilities. Through the war, Celestials had become increasingly fixated on order, their society increasingly militarizing. The prolonged battle had also awakened the darkest and most violent impulses instead the Demons; without the Celestials to target, they began to turn to one another, resulting in various intra-demonic wars such as The Three Cycle War and Endless War.

Outworlders Arrive

Despite the restored interrealm "peace," the world would continue to experience change and upheaval. One of the greatest sources of this change would be the arrival of the Aedvectis.

It sounds nuts. I know. But it's still true. I recognize it from the drawings in the webnovel, and all the descriptions and... uh, boy oh boy... that's just the beginning.

They're here. They're all here.

Dante? Cool like the book cover! Grigorius? Downing beers and shining like he should. Asmodeus?? Just as pretty as the book said he was! Fucking Samael Asther?!

ALSO HERE.

(Dagon's weirder than I expected.)

As for me, it looks like I'm one of Samael's harem guys. It's freaky, but not surprising, considering what I've read about him.

Somehow pulled from the Otherworld into Empirica Sin, Aedvectis would come to be powerful forces in shaping the culture and technological advances of all three Realms. These outworlder beings arrived with mysterious new skills, ideas, and abilities, and Empirica Sin's people would prove receptive to both the and the wonder of it all.

It is unknown how many Aedvectis have come to Empirica Sin, as not all are forthcoming with their origins. This is particularly true of the more controversial Anima Emuct Aedvectis, outworlders who take possession of someone's body rather than arriving whole, with their own.

The very existence of Anima Emuct would become a nightmareish fairy tale told to the young. It would sow paranoia in the native population, with any strange behavior or changes in personality becoming immediately suspect. The outcome of these fears has often been tragic.

For obvious reasons, Anima Emuct will often try to pretend to be the original person.

For equally obvious reasons, it is unknown how often these attempts are successful.

Current Status Quo

In recent millennia, several shakeups have occurred within Icaendium, as Samael Asther, Dominus of the House of Asther led his powerful friends, The Wisemen, and his army the Crimson Legion, on a seemingly endless war of conquest known, appropriately, as the Endless War. During the conflict, serveral archdemonic houses were exterminated and subjected to Exedis, creating some of the most powerful demons in history, with Samael emerging as the strongest of all.

This has caused a resurgence in interest/concern from Astrum, who has therefore become more active in their Silent War again, sending agents into Amaya to gather information. These attempts have been unsuccessful, with their first agent disappearing without contact and their second being imprisoned. Astrum has also lost their strongest warriorand an elite soldier/assassin to the charms (or something) of Amaya's Lord Asther... much to the chagrin of the Seven.

Meanwhile, Gaean has produced a handful of sorcerers and psionics capable of holding their own against many of the Celestials and Demons, most famously Oriana Tansea, archmage of Shadow Tree.

As for Incaendium as a whole, well, it has been relatively quiet for some time... which can only bode ill for the near future. As they say, Demons never rest for long.

I'm going to keep this journal updated (thanks for the book, Cain!). It'll help me keep track of all the weird stuff going on, and maybe it'll even help me navigate this crazy place. So. Here we go.

Empirica Sin and Its People

Topography

The world consists primarily of water along with a single massive landmass - the megacontinent Empirica Sin (also the name given to the world as a whole), which runs North to South and encompasses every possible climate from arctic to tropical, with the equator running approximately through the center of the continent. A number of smaller landmasses dot the coast from the North-westernmost corner of the continent toward the east, moving south along the easternmost shore, and continuing to the west for about half the width of Empirica Sin's southern shore.

Mountain ranges pepper all three Realms. Floating Islands hover over all of the continent, though the vast majority can be found in Astrum's airspace. Golden walls separate each of the three Realms.

A quick overview of each Realm's topographical features can be found in the sidebar. For more information: Astrum: The First Realm, Gaean: The Second Realm, Incaendium: The Third Realm.

The Golden Cage

Each of the Three Realms is separated from the others by seemingly impenetrable walls known as the Golden Cage. Erected during the Caelestise-Sura War, these walls help to maintain relative peace by restricting movement between Realms. While it appears to be limited to the mainland, attempts to get around it and visit other Realms by sea have invariably resulted in sections of wall rising from the ocean and blocking the way... seemingly sensing the intentions of the travellers.

For more on this imposed border, see The Golden Cage.

The Golden Cage is honestly pretty shocking. You can see it from anywhere you are, just stretching up into the sky and disappearing into the clouds. I remember being told somewhere that a space elevator was theoretically possible, but I feel like a space wall would just collapse the ground in a lot of places... at least on Earth.
I've also been reading about the Boundless Sea. I can't exactly ask questions, it would just make it obvious that I have no idea what I'm talking about. Anyway, the idea of a sea that goes on and on and on isn't that strange to me: if you think about it, Earth's oceans are all just one big ocean, if you pull back far enough. So I'm really more worried about the sea monsters???

The Boundless Sea

Surrounding Empirica Sin is a seemingly endless ocean appropriately called the Boundless Sea. While it is unknown whether the ocean is literally endless, no one who has sailed out far enough to test those limits has ever returned. Travel through the Boundless is appropriately limitless, with the minor exception of the Golden Cage cutting off attempts to approach a Realm other than the one a person departed from. Rumor has it, the Sea is inhabited by monsters and hostile ships, both living and dead. Perhaps this is the cause of all the disappearances of thos who wander far.

For more information, see The Boundless Sea.

The Lonely Sea

Empirica Sin's large inland sea is bordered by Incaendium (specifically Amaya) on most sides, with the westernmost edge resting against Gaean. A primary site for fishing, the Lonley Sea also contains one of two major colonies of Maero. What else lurks in its murky depths is somewhat mysterious, though there have been tentacles spotted, on many occasions, uncurling from the gloom.

I remember when I was taking geography we talked about the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea and why one is a lake and the other one isn't. I'm pretty sure The Lonely Sea is actually a lake. If I remember from... the map on the website...
I can't even remember if the Unknown Islands were on the map, that's how unknown they are. I'm not sure how I feel about it being full of beasts. I should probably figure out what a beast is?

Unknown Islands

A series of Islands that dot Empirica Sin's easternmost edge, almost forming a bridge between Astrum and Incaendium. Most of these Islands have either never been visited due to the interference of the Golden Cage. The ones that have been openly accessed appear to be largely devoid of sentient life, but abundent with both animals and beasts.

The Population

There is no inherent good or evil present in any of the races despite the baggage of terminology, much of which originated as Aedvecti slang inspired by superficial (or not-so-superficial) similarities to concepts from the Otherworld. That said, the discipline necessary to utilize Od and the destabilizing effects of Void do tend to create a leaning toward order and discipline within the Celestials, and a love of chaos and conflict within Demons. This is part of what inspired those terms to begin with.

All races within Empirica Sin produce and have access to various energies. These energies can also be turned outward - manipulated to create various effects - though not all people are equal in this area, nor are all races similarly aligned. More details on these energies can be found below.

A quick overview of the general population of Empirica Sin follows. For more information see articles on Celestials, Demons, Mortals, and Aedvectis as well as The Bestiary.

The more I write in this journal... more I try to keep track the things I've learned lately, the more exhausted I get.

It's not hard to see why other... "aedvectis" (what's with the random pluralization here anyway?) would have decided to call Celestials, uh, Celestials, or Angels, or Gods, and such. It's a little harder to brain calling the people around here Demons, although I guess it gets less confusing when you see Samael or Astaroth and their horns. But it still feels, I don't know, reductive.

They were here before Earth-types were, so why are we naming them?

It's hard to ask this kind of thing since no one knows I am one. They still think I'm... the person this body belongs to. Good thing they didn't know him very well.

Celestials

Celestials (or Caelestise in the Diursparid language) are the native race of Astrum, and primarily aligned with Od. That being the case, they favor psionic abilities. Known subraces include the Fae, Aurali and Dei. The latter two are further divided into standard Aurali/Aurali Serata and Deivas/Deities. Celestials are are immune to aging and, for the strongest of them, essentially immortal.

Mortals

Mortals are the native race of Gaean. They are relatively balanced in alignment between Od and Void, leaving them with no particular leaning and somewhat weak in both, but also somewhat capable in both. Humans are the most balanced, with Brightbloods, Cambions and Sisthenos somewhat favoring their ancestral races.

Demons

Demons (or Sura/the Kasura in the Zozun language) are the native race of Incaendium. They are primarily aligned with Void, and so are highly magical. They are also by far the msot varied of the Metaraces. Known subraces include Debil, Gargoyle, Maero, Djinn, Cubae (Succubae and Incubi), Baetolori, Carnifex, , Nephilus, Drereccas and Archdemons.Much like Celestials, Demons are unaging and at times nigh immortal.

I found this blurb about Denatured in the back of a book Cain had. It made me think about what it must be like to be a mortal in this place. It's relevant since I'm one too, just like him.

I guess I haven't been here long enough to be bothered about it.

The Denatured

From time to time, mortals have been known to alter their own nature, either through the use of their own magic or, most commonly, through bargains struck with the most powerful Celestials or Demons. This will grant them greater power at the cost of their humanity... among other things, though what must be sacrificed varies depending on the spells, or the patron. The result is a Denatured -- an elevated human that has lost their mortality and had their nature aligned with something else. This substantially changes their bodies as well, as their physical appearance will alter to reflect their state of being.

The Aedvectis

The least common and most mysterious residents of Empirica Sin are the outworlders called Aedvectis. They appear infrequently but seemingly at random, pulled from the Otherworld (or Otherworlds, it is unclear) and brought into Empirica Sin through unknown means.

And yeah, speaking of that...

As outworlders, Aedvectis can be inherently controversial, but the most controversial by far are the Anima Emuncts, or "soul extinguishers," whose souls commandeer the body of an already existing person.

Many Aedvectis are unremarkable and live unremarkable lives. That said, many do not, as Aedvectis come with a number of wildcard abilities, knowledge and skills which can sometimes ripple out into massive changes in the cultural and political landscape of Empirica Sin.

Aedvectis are, therefore, chaotic factors within Empirica Sin's history, as entire technological revolutions, cultural shifts, or Nonstandard abilities can appear when an Aedvect makes themselves known.

It's hard to read about the Aedvectis. The kind I am -- the ones no one likes so they're always hiding, just like I'm going be hiding. I don't know what happens if someone finds out I'm not Gabriel. And that name, man. Soul Extinguisher?! It's a lot to think about.

It reminds me some things, though - like the old stories in Europe about changelings and stuff. Wouldn't it be funny if Earth had a bunch of isekai types, too, and never even knew it?