Ascerth

Ascerth is a planet located deep within the Spirituis Galaxy, known for being the planet where the game Champions of Ascerth takes place. It also plays host to a myriad of Ghostverse projects and species.
== History ==
===Birth of Ascerth===
Thousands of years ago, among the stars, two alien races fought for supremacy: the barbaric krexxon, and the cunning zalvosh. Their empires had claimed countless territories, and sought to conquer the other in their hunger for power. As their war consumed countless worlds, the zalvosh began development of a superweapon known as the Hungerer, designed to extract life energy from other planets. Development of the project took many years, but it was eventually completed. Yet, their empire fell without a chance to use it, with the krexxon scrambling to find the weapon as it slowly faded into mystery.
Or so they thought.
In reality, over the thousands of years that passed, the Hungerer was hit by debris from space. Over time, it would begin to form a planet around it, encasing the weapon in many, many layers of rock. The weapon's energies would accelerate the growth of life on the planet, to the point where millions of years of evolution were achieved in a few thousand years. Yet, an unforeseen side effect of this was the weapon's destructive energies making the planet's plant and animal life incredibly savage. It would take incredible feats of strength to survive on this world.
===The People of Ascerth===
Eventually, life on this meager planet would become more intelligent. Many different races would rise up and establish lives of their own in the different regions of the world.
In the fertile plains of Dralgoth, the humans rose up. Although their species lack hardiness and physicality, they make up for it with a keen sense of family. Human hunters prey on the various animals that roamed this world, which they dub Ascerth, a word that means "Home" in a primitive human language. Humans are also known for being traders and explorers, travelling across the world in search of goods.
Meanwhile, in the rocky foothills surrounding Frostscar Mountain, the fierce rul'kor thrive. These brown-skinned brutes are known for their strength and ferocity in battle, banding together in clans. Clans occasionally trade with one-another, and sometimes go to war with one-another, but for the most part, the clans remain solitary. The rul'kor have a proud sense of honor, believing that only through enduring hardships can they emerge stronger than before.
The Everbark Forest possess a cunning race known as the grovarn. These beings arere made almost entirely out of tree bark and plants, having been formed from the Everbark Forest itself. The grovarn are religiously devoted to defending and enhancing the Everbark Forest, rarely, if ever, leaving it. Ever weary of outsiders, they often use their hivemind-esque abilities to ensnare them in the deadly traps of the forest, before breaking their bones with thousands of roots.
The sulkrik, a race of reptiles, call the Drysun Desert home. Known for being cunning and deceptive, they live in a cave network underneath the desert due to the immense heat. The sulkrik consider the surface world to be dangerous, never leaving it. Those that do often find themselves working as bandits or mercenaries, relying on their mobility to traverse Ascerth.
The volcano known as Mt. Necrosis has its own residents: the avian race known as the volant. Their ability to fly has allowed them to secure the rugged cliffs around the mountain, giving them the unprecedented advantage of having the high ground over any foes they might face. The volant, however, are quite sociable, often travelling across the world as merchants and shrewd businessmen. To them, a good deal is what they seek in life, and profit comes first.
Other, lesser races also exist, but they are nowhere near as prevalent as the main five listed above. The gringar are short, barbaric creatures that travel in packs, relentlessly attacking caravans and travellers. The brutal dragons from the Isle of Dragons, although rare, exist only to burn anything in their path. Another race, known as the kronn, were known for their magical capabilities and hatred of non-kronn.
===Magic in Ascerth===
Magic has existed within the universe since the dawn of time. However, it only affects certain worlds, with magical spirits inhabiting those worlds and determining whether or not their denizens are worthy of possessing magic. On other worlds, magic has led to massive destruction, so the universe's magical spirits are weary of handing such power to mortals.
Ascerth, however, is blessed with magic, with its magical spirits discovering the existence of the Hungerer beneath the planet. If the krexxon were to discover the world, its denizens would stand no chance without magical capabilities. Therefore, the magical spirits travelled down to the world, granting the humans, rul'kor, grovarn, sulkrik, and volant magical powers, though the other races would also grasp magical knowledge later on.
Magic on Ascerth is divided into five elements: electricity, frost, nature, earth, and fire. The humans, rul'kor, grovarn, sulkrik, and volant use each of these elements respectively, though there are some from each race that use the other elements.
Yet, one additional element also exists: shadow. Born from a combination of all of the magical elements, shadow would persist in the world, with the lesser races learning of its existence. Shadow magic was addicting and destructive, capable of harming the environment and its users. The other races would forbid the study of shadow magic, on pain of death, and taught proper combination of the elements without having them combining erratically and forming shadow magic.
===Age of Slavery===
Eventually, the kronn would rise up due to their affinity for magic, forming a vast empire that covered most of the main continent of Ascerth about five thousand years prior to the krexxon invasion. Believing that only they were destined to wield magic, they would enslave the so-called "lesser races", forcing them to act as slave labor in their empire. The kronn wielded immense magical power, using it to create golems and servants of war that they would use to defend their holdings. The use of magic by non-kronn was forbidden, despite the other races being the original races to have been gifted magic. Yet, the kronn also continued to oppose shadow magic, on pain of death.
The kronn, despite having immense strength and the power to keep their holdings, had one fatal weakness: a hunger for power. The magical spirits, knowing this, spoke to several of the slaves in private, telling them that one of the kronn warlords was willing to lead a revolution with the slaves at his side. This warlord was named Var'zok, and sought to overthrow the emperor and take the kronn empire for himself. The slaves fought for him, and with no slaves, the kronn empire fell. Yet, in the end, the slaves betrayed Var'zok using their newfound magical capabilities, and dismantled the empire three thousand years prior to the krexxon invasion.
From this point on, the five main races would return to their ancestral territories, rediscovering their roots prior to the rise of the kronn. The kronn race itself would later go extinct, though the remnants of their empire would be of interest to archaeologists in the future.
===The Shadow War===
About two thousand years prior to the krexxon invasion, a conclave of exiled mages began to form together. Banished for utilizing shadow magic, they decided to join together so that they could conquer the other races and take control of their world. They dubbed themselves the Zar'kesh, and began mustering an army.
The other races wouldn't take notice until the Zar'kesh began enslaving magical spirits, forcing them into servitude. At that point, they joined forces, fighting against the Zar'kesh. The war lasted for five years, and culminated in the defiling of Shek'zakir, which translated to "mountain of spirits" in the volant language. This mountain was once the meeting grounds for the magical spirits, but with it corrupted by shadow energies, they sought to find another spot.
While the war ended in victory for the main five races, shadow magic would persist throughout the universe, with the Zar'kesh studying it further and further.
===Champions of Ascerth===
Eventually, the krexxon would finally discover Ascerth's existence. Upon analyzing the planet and discovering it to be a zalvosh superweapon, they mustered their forces in preparation for an attack on the world. Using their advanced technology, the krexxon sent down squads of soldiers to ransack small villages. One village was destroyed, with one lone survivor, a young human male by the name of Kaiden, barely surviving. Hoping to reach Xastil City, humanity's capital, he began a journey to stop the invasion, rallied a party of like-minded allies. and saved his world from falling into the hands of the krexxon.
===Ascerth: One Year Later===
By the events of Ascerth: One Year Later, a small krexxon population has formed, free from their empire. Despite this, occasional krexxon warbands attack settlements, primarily made up of stragglers left over from the prior war.
===Hour of Reckoning===
Eventually, the Circle of Shadows came for Ascerth, seeking the weapon within. However, they were defeated and pushed back to Jalgor, where the weapon was, in fact, used to destroy the planet.
===Ghostverse Stories===
Ghostverse Stories doesn't tell much about Ascerth's history, besides the recovery from the war.
===Champions of Ascerth 2===
Champions of Ascerth 2 doesn't take place on the mainland. Rather, it takes place on the continent of Buzokai. When magical spirits first inhabited Ascerth, some found Buzokai, and made it their "testing grounds", so to speak, as they used their magical abilities to experiment with the continent, shaping landscapes and in some cases influencing the evolution of some species. Unlike the rest of the planet's magical spirits, these ones were more active and even took on physical forms reminiscent of some animals.
Over time, the locals of the continent began to worship these magical spirits, calling them Kamaki. The Kamaki took up residence within the different provinces of Buzokai, often sticking to themselves. They were venerated as gods by the residents of Buzokai, and many paid tribute to them.
== Geography ==
Ascerth is a world with various climates. Mountains dominate the northern regions, with snow falling almost every day. In the west, plains and forests reign supreme. The east is known for its volcanic landscape, which surrounds Mt. Necrosis. And in the south, the Drysun Desert stretches out for countless kilometers.
However, on places like the Isle of Dragons, temperatures are much more humid, with jungles dominating most islands on the planet, within its various oceans. Yet, there could be other continents on the planet.
Ascerth has one moon, which has gone unnamed for years.
== Trivia ==
* Since the planet was formed around a superweapon, access points to the inner workings of the weapon exist, though they have been undiscovered for thousands of years.