The Immortal Kingdom

The world flourishes around the bodies of time-forgotten gods. Technologies and civilisations spring from the benefits afforded by the wonders these remnants provide. There is peace - for the most part. Local squabbles persist of course, and conflicts between tribes and dukes boil to surface. The world sits cradled by the Last God, however; the One God, the Sun - Telsaan. When tensions rise, Telsaan's grip becomes firm - his fingers are his worldly Devouts, the Victoriers.   The Victoriers act as lawkeeper, peacekeeper and overall reminder of the Last God's supremacy. The complexity of the official pantheon has diminished since the bygone era tail-ended by what became known as the Scattering; the death of the gods and the resulting wellsprings of fortune caused by their strewn corpses scattered across the world. Beings of intelligence, and their capacity for introspection that naturally follows, are bound to 'discover' new 'gods'; when the downtrodden can consult only their minds for answers, when otherworldly aids are the only remaining hope to a caged, starved people, sometimes one's cries for mercy, justice and reckoning are answered. In this, a 'god' is formed; an ideal given substance.   In more recent times, Telsaan's grip has been strained; tenuous relationships have been born between devouts of the new, ever-more popular religions to form and maintain independent status of their nations. The pressure from the Victoriers to maintain a monotheistic world, however, bore fledgling deities - their influence unquestionable and shining as a light in the dark corners of The Immortal Kingdom. For the Victoriers, gone are the days of pulling up saplings; the offending beings grow now in grand orchards, and razing them is the final recourse.   The day of Tel-Vic'saan, the biennial celebration held at Sant'utheer, peerless capital of the Kingdom, approaches. Victoriers are present in full force, Telsaan's arms pulling closer to his heart.