The Shattered Reach

17th of Theria 500 AC

The Shattered Reach is a large archipelago of islands, made up of a number of island regions and empires. Once, the Reach was a single, immense land mass, but it was struck by a meteor, a blazing bullet of arcane force drawn from the outer astral sea. This meteor fractured the continent into hundreds, if not thousands, of islands, some large, some small. The meteor still exists, and is revered and worshipped like a God in some regions. It is known as the Fate Star, and some even believe it to be the root of all arcane magic, having brought it in from the astral sea that the universe is suspended in.   The island regions of The Shattered Reach are surrounded, unbeknownst to their inhabitants, by a magical containment field. Arcane or divine, it is effective in keeping the horrors form the lands to the East of The Shattered Reach at bay, and preventing Dicennion, the vile sibling of The Saviour, escaping the Reach. If Dicennion was to escape, his sibling would be unable to control him. The entity's power would multiply exponentially outside of the containment field, and the entire of Omniasis, then the Strativerse itself, would be subject to his wrath. The field was set up by The Saviour, a being of incorruptible good and kindness, who also supposedly rules the Fate Empire, the largest island region in The Shattered Reach. It is also the most powerful, and as such takes responsibility for the preservation of life in the Reach. Its tendrils, though often unseen, stretch throughout every island region, the Vigils of the Fate Empire watching silently, invisibly, as history unfolds before them all around the Reach. Always, they report back to the Empire, always awaiting their next command. Relatively speaking, The Fate Empire prospers. Few of its citizens starve, and hardship is accompanied by support and strength from those better off and in higher station. The troubles arise from those who would oppose the Empire. Magic abounds in the Empire, being so close to the Fate Star itself, and there are plenty who would use its gifts to put the world in chains. Though the Fate Empire is a compassionate place, it has stringent laws in place to maintain order. The IFTO, a brutal enforcer of trade throughout the Reach, was in fact originally a construct of the Fate Empire, before it went rogue. Though the Fate Empire is a compassionate place, its laws are stringent, and many resent what they feel is a lack of freedom. More than enough people would overthrow the Fate Empire to pursue pure freedom, to be a danger to the Empire. The story of the other island regions is not so sweet. Many are riddled with poverty and evil, or just plain chaos. The lack of communication between islands leads to disorganisation and an inability to progress as civilisations. The only significant power to exist entirely outside the Fate Empire is Kalisan, the rival of the Empire. It is infested with cruelty, and its very citizens yearn to consume all the goodness in the world.