Faith & Suspicion
The Meridian of Stars' Eternal: an immortal empire without parallel, founded 400 years ago by the indomitable goddess Astralshaper to combat the forces of the Evening Star and Old, standing as the premier sanctuary for the Old Races. For many, the Meridian is a shining beacon of hope sheltering Her people from the gaze of evening; more recently, for others, it's a shell of decay and dereliction festering the corruption of the elite. It has been over fifty rotations since Astralshaper was last seen in public, and Her people begin to foster thoughts of fear and doubt as their beloved empire crumbles day after day before their very eyes. The Regent Vicarvoyancy Assembly in Her place has proven to be unable to contend with the expansive, insubordinate Great Houses, both sides frequently clashing in debate and combat for control over the few remaining centers of civilization. The citizens in between have grown weary of ever-lasting conflict, and murmurs of the Apostasy spread like a plague, passing heretical ideas of usurping the powerhouse of the Vicars. Extremist movements however call out for total regicide, once an unthinkable idea, now gaining traction and popularity due west in the Abandoned Venerates with sympathizers across the Meridian Eternal Equatorial Rise. As it stands, the Meridian's days are numbered, and it too may be swept by the winds of evening like the innumerable civilizations before it.
************************************************************************************
You, Architect, during your short time with the Vicarvoyancy, had learned many of their customs, verbiages, and secretive symbols. They proved to be a very elusive society of elite priests, as was expected, but as such were prepared for nearly every cataclysm to befall the Meridian as a result from the lacking leadership of Astralshaper. From precautionary measures to emergency steps to take if the worst were to transpire, the Vicars are always ready at a moment's notice to squelch their squabbling and temporarily band together in the face of a looming shadow. Astralshaper has prevented such catastrophes for the entirety of the empire's existence, and so you dismissed their cautionary tales as mere paranoia. Until now.
Part of their emergency steps was the Moonstone Flares: brightly colored signals that illuminated the Meridian of Stars' Eternal in a deep hue, able to be seen from any point within the Equatorial Rise. Due to their visibility, they are reserved for only the most dire of emergencies that requires an immediate response, with each color representing a different category of cataclysm. White was one such color, and arguably the most alarming of all potential emergencies. White only means one simple thing, the same white you now see rise above the Imperial City, the same white that was launched from the Moonstone Anchor. It is unmistakable.
Astralshaper is gone.
************************************************************************************
You, Architect, during your short time with the Vicarvoyancy, had learned many of their customs, verbiages, and secretive symbols. They proved to be a very elusive society of elite priests, as was expected, but as such were prepared for nearly every cataclysm to befall the Meridian as a result from the lacking leadership of Astralshaper. From precautionary measures to emergency steps to take if the worst were to transpire, the Vicars are always ready at a moment's notice to squelch their squabbling and temporarily band together in the face of a looming shadow. Astralshaper has prevented such catastrophes for the entirety of the empire's existence, and so you dismissed their cautionary tales as mere paranoia. Until now.
Part of their emergency steps was the Moonstone Flares: brightly colored signals that illuminated the Meridian of Stars' Eternal in a deep hue, able to be seen from any point within the Equatorial Rise. Due to their visibility, they are reserved for only the most dire of emergencies that requires an immediate response, with each color representing a different category of cataclysm. White was one such color, and arguably the most alarming of all potential emergencies. White only means one simple thing, the same white you now see rise above the Imperial City, the same white that was launched from the Moonstone Anchor. It is unmistakable.
Astralshaper is gone.
Plot type
Forward Arc
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments