Apotheosis

Apotheosis is the name of the first one shot played by the group, set in a different universe than Ten Strings.

The story is set in a post apocalyptic steampunk world known as Requiem. It takes place in a city called Unity, one of the last standing major settlements left. Named after the woman who founded it, Unity was built by a worshiper of Primus, god of Order and Technology, nearly hundreds of years before present time. Its namesake initially constructed the city as a haven for others of her faith, and as it grew she founded the Chrono Church. It was Unity’s earnest intention to create a prosperous home for her people, but unbeknownst to her, the location on which they had built it was positioned directly above a rift in the barrier between the Mortal Plane and the Feywilds.

The cacophony created by the Church’s machines stirred the Old Fey and their children, whose hearts were filled with rage and the desire to destroy the things which had awoken them. Through the rift, all manner of Eladrin and Unseelie poured, and two sides were naturally formed: Chaos, made up of the Fey and their power hungry mortal allies, and Order, made up of the Church and its most devout followers. Years of a bizarre war followed, escalating to such a point that eventually, Unity, who had watched this all unfold with a deep disappointment, positioned herself at the centre of the city and triggered an event simply called Metamorphosis. During which, the entire city experienced a massive earthquake, violent enough that the ground split the settlement into two halves, a grand ravine now resting in the middle. Additionally, every being in the city was now marked-- in the palm of everyone's right hand now rested a symbol imprinted into the skin-- a depiction of a cog, paired either with the word “Aer”(Order) or “Syol” (Chaos). These sigils prevented those marked by Chaos from entering the North side of the city, where the majority of the Chrono Church was, and vice versa.

It was quickly apparent that the only way to cross the magic barriers was to either scratch off the mark from your skin, or to amputate the entire hand altogether, and many cared not to attempt it. While this didn’t completely cease the destruction, it severely lessened it, and while the Church rejoiced, there was one notable sacrifice- their leader had seemingly lost her life in the process of casting such a powerful spell. With Unity’s death, she was considered a martyr by the Church, and canonized as a patron saint of the city.

Many years passed, with society shifting to adapt to the changes left by Saint Unity. The settlement expanded, both in population and in size, becoming a vast metropolis, and while all native to the north or south of the city were born with Unity’s Mark on their hand, outlanders could traverse freely. Additionally, entering the ravine which Saint Unity had created to separate the two halves did not activate the Mark, and the canyon was soon filled with its own neutral land, coated with houses and swarming streets. Now, three hundred years after Unity’s death, the descendants of those alive at the time have moved on with their lives-- while all still bear the Marks, very few still remember or care about the conflict, with only the Old Fae and their servants, and the high ranking members of the Chrono Church still actively antagonizing one another. Many now just view the Church as a bunch of old fools obsessed with the will of an absent god, although this has just begun to change, as a new leader has risen, and with the rising cruelty, it seems as if they are returning to the old ways.

Notably, while the city is still referred to as its official name by those of the Church, nearly all civilians (both those marked by Order and Chaos) now simply call it Divide.