The Great Presence
Data node general file: The religious group called "The Nones" follow a pantheon called the Lords of Light. They appear to be a fringe organization, though charitable to travelers and will assist any human that is in dire need. They do not wish to share their location in fear of discovery by the Council of Wizards. However, if you gain the trust of a None, they will give you instruction on how to find their base. It is imperative for the cause of humanity that this group remain as a source of strength for us. They have access to considerable resources and intel
Structure
The Bishop is the de facto leader and is striving to make contact with any remaning outposts
Assets
What little they have, they often share with strangers.
History
The Last Nones claim they have connections to the Old World, but providing any historical evidence is another matter entirely.
Mythology & Lore
The Great Presence was and always will be.
Despite what others say or feel there was a beginning, and there was an entity that forged everything with Will and Love. The Presence thought of it all, and in a flash of limitless power, things like space, time and matter existed. It grew with purpose. It had meaning, and it had life.
The Presence was pleased with the Creation. Why was such work done in the first place? He will one day bring everything back to him. Such diversity and majestic creation of this material universe! Meanwhile, outside of this material plane, a storm of sorts was brewing. Among the first entities was a Star of glorious magnificence. It was given intelligence above all other things and assigned charge of the other celestials. The Star discovered that The Presence did not rest with the Work. The Presence created minor planets and placed mortal beings on them. The Star was angry about it all.
"Why are such things in your designs? Are we not glorifying you enough? I can ignite the galaxy and reach far into the next, yet you concern yourself of these? What can they do that I cannot?"
The Presence did not answer his elder children. They rumbled and clashed. Each Star thought they knew what The Presence was planning. Some raged war on each other, claiming the notion that the one who knows the answer will be provided to them by the Presence. Therefore be the favorite one of Creation.
The Star again learned and was given a revelation.
"Hear me, brothers and sisters of the sky!" the Star bellowed to the heavens. "The Presence can no longer hide his schemes from me. I know what He wants. These tiny creatures that crawl on the worlds they eat, sleep, run, and die. The Presence tends to them and fondles them more than us! He wants to be among them and test them. He cares more for them instead of us! He could dance among the cosmos with his first ones, but instead, he sheds tears for these lessers. Brothers of the universe, tell me why we glorify Him. Why sing praise to a deity that ignores us? We have all we need to make our path. We can grow things. We can shed our life energy to worlds. We can be given glory by those who rise from the mud of our worlds. What say you?"
The Stars words rang true to other primordial entities. The cosmos rumbled in defiance. Others implored their brethren not to betray The Presence, the Creator of all things.
Then the choice was made.
The Will of the Primordials moved. We will never honestly know how many rebelled, but numbers were vast. The Presence thundered in response and reality quaked everywhere.
"You ungrateful lot! I have given you everything, and you scorn my gifts? The might and power you wield were imbued to you by Me. Now you seek to be gods? Down from the Heavens, you will fall. You will meet a miserable end at the very hands of those you mock. Do you want to be gods? Go forth and see what your gods' existence will become. Do you want to be glorified? See what it is like to be hated instead. Do you wish to dance in the cosmos? Be forever bound to crawl on the clumps of rock that revolve around you. These mortals I love as much as I love you. They live and die so fast, yet they still learn to return my love. So henceforth these mortals will be your jailers. They will be your masters. I will show them the truth you have rejected. They will live forever while your fate will be burning inside my justice. My Will be Done!"
The Star and his followers transformed from the galactic into the spirit. They lost their cosmic authority and became subjugated to the material realm. Much like an avatar testing a video game, they had limited access to what they could do and not do. They wailed in despair from the loss of freedom and the incredible shackles attached to them. They spew forth hatred and abominable obscenities to The Presence. They knew their fate was permanent and eternal.
"One choice made and now we are undone!" the Star spirit bellowed.
Unseen by the little children, They witnessed the mortals and their ways. They studied them to figure out why The Presence would cater to them. These pathetic entities would conquer them? How?
They decided in their hatred and spite to thwart anyone who could be a threat to the spirit realm. They learned that the Presence was testing them all, and if they failed, they could fall under the control of the Star Spirits. They posed an opportunity that perhaps the Presence neglected to consider.
Over millennia, the Star spirits began to inhabit mortals. The easiest to control were ones that were cruel and cold-hearted. They possessed the mortals to gain more accessibility to interact with the material world. The first Wizards developed from these. These empowered Wizards with knowledge of the cosmos and abilities surpassing anyone they encountered, soon began corrupting the multitude of star systems. They were bent on mucking up the original order and sowing chaos, pain, and hell wherever they could.
The Stars loyal to the Presence cried out to Him. "Why do you let the rebels ruin your Creation? We know you wrought them low, yet they spill your children's blood, they feast on their fears, and they turn away their hearts from you." The Presence responded, "I will not abandon my children. The rebels will see that my glory will work through even the lowliest of my creations. Those faithful to Me will have the authority over them. I command you to guide those mortals that seek Me out. Protect those that desire Me. One faithful servant will have the strength to stave off the hordes of the treacherous. I command you to share your inspiration and truth to them. My Will be Done!"
From there the Lords of Light came to be. So Wizards were rebuked by those who called upon the Presence. They were banished or bound by the mere mystics channeling the Presence and his allied hosts. Inspired acts invoking the Presence would compel the spirits and scatter them to the ends of the universe.
So the war continues, the vast minions of the dark, rebellious Wizards and the champions that would rise against them — the Lords of Light. The war has come to Earth in the form of a fallen starship, and now we must find hope from the blood and wastes of our civilization.
Comments