Story of Duovia

Exposition of the Duovia Setting

Duovian Basics

For quick reference and understanding, Duovia uses a focus around pantheons and the evolution behind what they revolve around. In this setting, a pantheon is both a generational aspect and a domain theme. For example, the Prime Powers focus around the forces of creation and destruction, namely the constant fighting to get ahead of the other. Compared to the Ardors, they are a collection of deities that focus on the refinement of people through the core aspects of mind, body, and spirit.

It is also important to recall the positive-negative dichotomy within the setting. The best and quickest explanation is that the entire world within the setting is deeply touched by destructive powers from negative-aligned planes or positive-aligned planes. The key differences between these regions is bright and standard fantasy compared to dark and gothic fantasy at their core. In a positive area, you'll see lots of bright color and vibrant people. In a negative area, you'll see darker colors and macabre (yet mostly friendly) people.

Duovian Lore

Schism Era

Pantheon(s): Prime Powers

The first official records of Duovia documents a great cosmic conflict. The fighting between the entropic hunger of the Null, led by the Hungering Core, and the energetic power of Paradise, led by Vitation. For what duration, it will forever be uncertain and the great scars it has left shows which of the two factions favored the land or had a great deal of influence. All regions have become a noticeable dark and eerie land or a bright and vibrant area.

How it all came to an end were soldiers, underlings, and many lessers from both sides who questioned the purpose of this fighting. Kavurn led the entropic powers while Astasia led the Energetic powers. As a harmonic force, they defeated their old masters together. First came the Hungering Core, then Vitation. By the end, Kavurn and Astasia became icons among the mortals and grew a new pantheon to incorporate the natural aspects of the world.

Temporal Era

Pantheons: Prime Powers, Ethorans

With the Prime Powers gone, this allowed a new pantheon to arise. These new deities wanted to explore and embody the aspects in life that affect everyone, such as life, death, light, darkness, and similar domains. The Pantheon of the Ethos was made. They ruled as deities with minimal contest and life went on relatively smoothly as mortals developed.

As for the Aldotter Peninsula specifically, mortals developed feudal societies. Life was strange without war being a constant problem but survival became the focus instead. As people relaxed somewhat more, they questioned what purpose life had. Their new gods simply decreed to live and thrive for the cycle of life and death to continue. People wanted something deeper...

To the positive west, Remulan and his followers founded the Kingdom of Cartania, whilst to the east, the cruel Lord Ordred conquered the negative region to found his own Kingdom of Timor. Though both of these countries would be quite young by the time of their founding and don't really engage with much as they find their footing on the political stage.

Definement Era

Pantheons: Prime Powers, Ethorans, Jovians

As societies grew and shifted away from direct kings and rulers, mortals and the descendants of the Ethorans became keen to aspire to godhood. The problem is that many of the factors that govern life were already taken, such as life, death, the elements, and such. So these newcomers, deemed Jovials by outsiders, embodied even broader aspects such as happiness, pranks, and other niche facets of life. The problem with being niche with these things is that they didn't meet the needs for giving purpose or solace.

The Prime Powers were also never fully defeated. They saw what became of these mortals. They hatched a scheme to pit these new kingdoms to war with the other as proxies of their unending conflict of positive and negative powers. Like with the Schism Era, it took lesser deities and mortals to see through and expose the plot to bring both kingdoms to peace.

Wholeness Era

Pantheons: Prime Powers, Ethorans, Jovians, Ardors

Within the Aldotter Peninsula, the lone scholar Totur had begun writing essays and books about the failings of all these pantheons. What remained of the Prime Powers sought only conquest and dominion over the other, the Ethorans merely emulate their domain for better or worse of their followers, and the Jovians can't even support a society with how many there are of them and what little unifying power they had.

The seraph, Caldrien, one of the heroes who stopped the Prime Power plot, agreed with Tutor wholeheartedaly and decided to found a whole new pantheon. This one would focus on the betterment of mortals through mind, body, and spirit. So, through the Kingdom of Cartania this new religion began.

A similar thing happened in Timor. A priestess to the Overseer of Death, Albiran, beckoned to her apathetic deity about trying to help bring solace to their congregation when loss occurs. He simply gave no answer, as everyone's time comes eventually. So, she went on a pilgrimage to Cartania to find Astasia, the deity over life to discover its purpose. In a similar vain to Albiran, she was told to live and experience what life had to offer.

In a great deal of frustration, this priestess sought a role in comforting others. She would later become Misera, the Blind Bleeder. Like Caldrien, she instead sought negative-born deities to form her own mind, body, and spirit with a negative-aligned perspective. This would officiate the Ardor pantheon, deities that focus around the growth and wellbeing of their followers.

What Happens Now?

Prime Powers Return

The threat the Prime Powers pose is not to be taken lightly. If allowed, they would throw the entire world back into chaos to fight an endless war. They may have been defeated in prior times but they still lurk, itching to use these new kingdoms as proxies.

Ruinous Pact

The Ruinous Pact is made up of negative-born deities such as Valg, Ilkrichyurl, and Balgromok. These aspiring deities seek to mock the Ardor pantheon by being "detriments" such as madness, vices, and physical afflictions. Their goal is to simply destroy everything in the hopes of ruling over the area.

Veinrock

Between both negative and positive influenced regions sits the city of Veinrock. This place is built up of cultures from both vibrant and gloomy lands as an independent city. Of course, there are those that seek its downfall. The Ruinous Pact believe it to be an easy start to tear things down, Cartania and Timor may seek to annex the city, and just keeping the peace between mixed cultures are all surely tasks that stress those who govern the place.