The Compass

It is Year 38 in the Seventy-Fourth Ascension of the Sixth Epoch in a universe known as The Compass. The Compass, and every planet it entails, is currently ruled by Empress Sybill, who is aided in ruling by governments representing the separate planets and subject only to an aethereal power known as The Vision.   The Vision is the oldest, most ancient entity inhabiting The Compass. Some even go as far as to say The Compass was created by The Vision. The Vision sees everything, hears everything and is everywhere. It is the seam holding together the fragile fabric of space and time that comprises The Compass - however, The Vision is not celebrated as a deity. Regardless of whether a living being is or isn’t religious, it always believes in The Vision. The Vision is unquestionable and infalible. Simply put, The Vision is the needle of The Compass. Without it, The Compass cannot function. It is sometimes even colloquially refered to as ‘The Needle,’ however rarely discussed or mentioned, as The Compass unanimously feels that everything and nothing is known about The Vision and thus sees no point in discussing it.   The planets and races of the Compass have lived alongside eachother peacefully and symbiotically for millennia, but groups of people are beginning to think of the current political system as antiquated and corrupt. There have been rumors about corruption in the local governments representing the separate planets, with certain governments allegedly presenting matters to the Empress which only benefit them, rather than benefiting the Compass as a whole. Both the Glass Senate, as the local governments are jointly refered to, and Empress Sybill herself have been discrediting such accusations as hearsay and warmongering.   The inhabitants of the Compass have also begun questioning the social sytem they are living under, known as the Merit Scoring System. An individual's Merit is based on their achievements in life. Each individual is born with a Merit of zero and is responsible for it on their own. They can increase their Merit by contributing to the community through attaining an intellectual or spiritual education, doing good work and so forth. Those with low Merit are shunned and forced to live in dire conditions. A low Merit score equals a low quality of life, and different races award Merit differently; races who, for example, have a longer lifespan, will award less points to individuals who bear children (or even subtract them, should an individual have multiple offspring at once), while those with a shorter lifespan will award Merit to such individuals. Marrying, befriending or otherwise interacting with others has no influence on one's Merit, nor does being born to parents with high or low Merit.   Thus, the threat of conflict is becoming more and more real and prevalent in the Compass. The future is unclear and the Compass seems to be slowly slipping into a state of disarray and chaos.