Activities of the Immortals

For better or worse, the Immortals are a part of the world, and each has their own agenda and interests to pursue. Some hide away in secret observation, others rule from behind a curtain, and some wrestle the world each day. Below is a summary of the known activities of Immortals.

## The Stargazer

### Year 0-300

*“Sure, it’s just a worse mammoth, but look at that face!  How could you not love a face like that?”* -The Stargazer

The being currently known as the Stargazer was anonymous at the time. Wandering alone through the icy wasteland of the antarctic plateau, she made a friendly connection with a Platybelodon, a rare cousin of the more-common mammoth. She tamed the beast and rode on. Eventually, she was attacked by a tribe of the nomadic Mamutok people. She threw herself in front of her mount in order to protect it. When the spears glanced off of her, the people bowed down and worshiped her as a goddess. It was at this time she earned the moniker "the Eternal Rider".

She was brought forth to a grand feast, where the tribe's chief presented her with his problem. The Mamutok people had survived the winters for centuries by hunting the great mammoths of the plains, but now they are being hunted to extinction and he felt his people would not survive. After discussing the issue with the chief and taking things into consideration, she asked him for his tribe's assistance, and together they built what is now known as the Shovel-Mammoth Temple, a bio temple where they gathered several specimens of mammoth and Platybelodon, known as "shovel-mammoths" and bred them from the wild beasts they once were into the gentle giants they are today. At the same time, she introduced a new food source for the tribal people, the mammoth-climber plants, several forms of fruit-bearing vines which could grow on the wool of a mammoth and feed off of dead skin and fur. She called in several chiefs and apprentices from the many tribes and taught them how to breed and ride the mammoths, as well as how to maintain a sustainable population. They took this knowledge to their tribes and incorporated it into the culture.

The shovel-mammoth was even more endangered than its woolly counterpart. The Rider was afraid it would be rejected because of its lack of fur and non-prehensile trunk. However, because she herself rode one, it became a status symbol among the wealthy. It was a statement that the owner did not have to grow their own food or make their own clothes.

### 300-500

*“They just keep bugging me with things like, ‘I don’t care about math,’ and, ‘It’s cold,’ and, ‘When do we get to eat?’  The food is not happening; the study is happening.”* -The Stargazer

The Eternal Rider began to journey south.  She told the Mamutok that with their mammoths and portable farms, they too can begin to travel farther and survive harsher climates.  This will protect them from expansionist empires which were just now in their infancy.  The long winters brought a clear view of the stars, which fascinated the Rider.  She began to study their movements for navigation and recreation, and taught her findings to the tribes, earning herself the Stargazer moniker.  Eventually, her interest extended to the realm of theoretical mathematics, as she found comfort in the objective.  The Mamutok followed her lead and thus the Stargazer religion was formed.  They continued to study the sky and develop a new culture.  When civilization reached the south pole, the Mamutok found it to be of utmost importance geographically and founded a permanent research settlement called Axis.

### 500-800

*"Other Immortals declare themselves gods at the expense of the truth, creating a bunch of religious zealots. Meanwhile, I try to make a society based on logic and reason, and they make up whatever they want anyway.  I'd rather have them just listen to me.  It's a shame something always must be compromised. If they want me to be their goddess, I will allow it."*  -The Stargazer

As time went on, the original meaning of the Stargazer religion was lost on some people. While most Mamutok still studied mathematics and astronomy, several sects of the religion began to degenerate into mysticism. They believed the stars could tell the future and worshiped the Stargazer as a goddess. On top of that, many aspects of the religion became commercialized and cheap, and Axis became a tourist trap. The Stargazer eventually accepted her goddess status, to keep hope and faith alive and to get her people's beliefs back on track. She published the Mamutok holy books, textbooks covering all aspects of theoretical mathematics, which are still followed in the modern era.

A number of Mamutok believed that if the future lied in the stars, then the past lied in the ground, and they found it. This was the start of the Soil Dwellers, a large group of archaeologists and geologists who catalogue the empirical history of the Plateau. They were more concerned with tangible evidence of their findings than the abstract, deductive reasoning of the mathematicians. They formed their own, separate research base at the geographic south pole known as Polaris. The people who followed the original form of the religion became known as the Sky Searchers.

The Stargazer took her place as the figurehead of the two denominations of the religion, guiding their beliefs and preventing an animosity between them. She traveled the Plateau with her tribe, giving sermons and seminars wherever she went, attempting to turn the wheels of progress.

### 600-1800

*“Oh, you’re conquering?  Have fun with that.  Let me know if you need juice pouches.”* -The Stargazer

At this point, other civilizations had developed sufficient technology to safely travel southward into deep Plateau territory. Some of these civilizations, such as the Tallet and the Goran, made attempts to conquer the area. The tribal chiefs began to prepare for war, but the Stargazer advised them to continue their lives as they always had, and that the foreign threat would subside soon. Sure enough, the migratory patterns of the Mamutok made them a difficult people to rule over, and the stone bases of the invaders were devastated by the natural environment. The invaders were unable to feed themselves in the harsh conditions and eventually retreated without much fight. Since then, the Stargazer Plateau has been deemed not worth the effort, as it holds no desired resources or geographical advantages. Some consider this entire area to be owned by the Goran, as nobody has officially contested the Goran claim on it. It is colored red on some maps.

### 1800-1990

*"When I am reborn from the ground, the world will be new and I will be new, but right now the existence of Immortals is tearing the world at its seams, and there is no place for me here."*-The Stargazer

The Big Sleep

### 1990-2000

*“The fuck did you do to cuisine?  Salad is not meant to be spicy.  I’m not surprised so many people died when I left, but I don’t understand how you’ve managed to fuck up a salad.”* -The Stargazer

Mental and physical rehabilitation.

## Vahr Reitter, The Truest King - The Black Knight

### Year 0 - 100

The Truest King was at the time known only as the Black Knight, a wandering warrior who was mastering the art of war and personal combat. He began to build his kingdom in the year 50 after slaying a number of chieftains in personal combat to unify the core of the People of Stone. It is thought that the remaining tribes migrated south to become the people known today as Sumerans.

### Year 101 - 350

The Truest King in his guise as the Black Knight forged his tribes people into the first semblance of the modern Broken Kingdom, forging the Stone Kingdom and beginning to expand its territories as the first towns and roads were built. Much of the culture began to form during this time, including the emphasis on personal honor.

### Year 351 - 500

The Truest King, at this time is formally known in the world as the Stone King and rules the twelve-town Stone Kingdom from the Black Keep, built upon a rise just south of the Sacred Caves of the People of Stone. During this era the Stone Kingdom develops a reputation for the strength and size of their horses, as well as the use of the mounted and armored horsemen in battle. The first Grand Parades begin to be launched to neighboring areas.

### Year 501-750

The Truest King's guidance finds the Stone Kingdom's population booming quickly with the culture as it seen today almost fully realized already at this time. The twelve towns have grown to sufficient size that they require their own fortifications and each have acquired subordinate villages. Managing this growth takes a toll on the Truest King and arrangements for his withdraw from direct rule begin to be made. Construction of the Cathedral begins on the grounds where the Black Keep once stood.

### Year 751-875

The Truest King anoints the initial twelve Royals and lays the groundwork for succession. The daily rule and governance gradually falls more and more into mortal hands as the Truest King oversees the construction of his Cathedral. The Stone Kingdom begins to be known as the Broken Kingdom as foreigners visiting find themselves having to negotiate agreements with twelve kings instead of one. The Kingdom itself begins to blossom outward and expand while structures are generally torn down and rebuilt grander than before. The first true castles of the Broken Kingdom begin to appear and the unique livestock lines appear in their final/modern forms.

### Year 876 - 1800

The Truest King rules from the Cathedral as a guiding force for the Royals. The set borders of the Kingdom are marked and Border Keeps are constructed. Stratification of nobility into Knighted Riders, Low Knights, and High Knights is formalized. The Truest King is generally withdrawn from public life as the Kingdom slowly grows and flourishes. The standing international policy of official neutrality and unofficial foreign involvement via Crusades becomes the norm. Nearly all functions of government occur via the mortal rulers with the Truest King's involvement being limited almost entirely to the High Council of Royals and ceremonial duties.

### Year 1801 - 1900

The Truest King emerges from the Cathedral to take full command of the Kingdom's armies as they fully enter the Great War. The Royals are kept to defensive duties and maintain the Kingdom's internal needs while the Truest King acts as the foreign arm of the government.

### Year 1901 - 2000

The Truest King spends the century helping oversee the rebuilding of the Broken Kingdom. While he still performs ceremonial duties and attends High Councils, he is far more actively engaged in the every day life of his people. The worship of him as a god is reinvigorated as he fights a number of small crusades and helps purge the few incursions of Corpsebloom. Active policies such as rewarding mothers on their twelfth birth helps incite further popularity along side public displays of strength and constitution as he performs physical labors to help rebuild the Kingdom and feasts with the peasantry. A number of overly complacence Royals find themselves executed for neglect of their duties, the renewed vigor of the Truest reigniting and elevating the standards for nobility and noble behavior.

### Year 2001 - Present

The Truest King sheds his mask, now only wearing it for ceremonial duties in the Cathedral. The Trinity Order absorbs and replaces the Order of Truth. The Broken Kingdom is fully rebuilt, generally repopulated, and nominally recovered from the Great War. The Truest King assumes once more the position of the leader of the armies on foreign soil and becomes the primary point of engagement between the Broken Kingdom and the outside world. The Truest King maintains a high level of activity both inside the Broken Kingdom and outside of it, fighting battles, visiting allies, and pushing the Broken Kingdom's agenda in the region. This culminates in the Truest King financing the construction of personal projects such as the Exildun Roadhouse and the Dwaran Northforge. During this time the Truest King begins to go by the name Vahr Reitter and treats the Truest King as his formal title. Many documents become signed, *"Vahr Reitter, Truest King of the Stone Kingdom".*