Main Plot

> *"We are living in historical times. This is a period that history shall never forget."* - Unknown scholar, *YR 1362*
>
>

To ensure that you are up to date with our current events, and know what is going on with our plot, please visit our *timeline* page.

There has been an uncomfortable itch brewing within our society for some time. The politicians, and elite class have felt it for far longer than the lower classes have, but that doesn't mean that the common people are ignorant to change. Apros is gaining a large name for itself, both as military power with the recent annex of *Northern Town Spaceholder,* and for trade. We are reaching the height of its glory: the golden age.

Consistent, booming trade has brought unimaginable wealth into the pockets of the merchant middle class that aids to welcome immigrants, and students from abroad at a rate that surpasses any other time in their history, and a sizable, idle military that lays in wait, rather impatiently might I add, for use. With these circumstances comes a plethora of opportunity that hasn’t been available in previous time periods, including new ideas brought in by a migration of cultures, and the increasing availability of literacy. The baseline requirement to become a soldier has always been to be able to read, and write. Without warfare to keep the literate soldiers at bay, their minds are no longer able to be shielded from philosophy, as they’d previously been limited to knowledge that was only useful in the battlefield. The world opens up as their oyster in the lack of a fight, now free to roam and do as they please within the inner-most portions of the city. What was once warfare has been replaced by routine patrols, and the duty work of keeping the peace between citizens. All has become far too calm.

The only source of conflict to be found now lays to the north, brewing in the newest, and largest village besides Apros itself. *Northern Town Spaceholder* has created a vacuum for any militaristic attention with minor push backs from dedicated locals, resistant to their occupation. Patrols have heavily increased there, but with the soldiers growing restless, it is difficult to hold their minds to their duties when they're far from the watching eyes in the inner city.

For those who’ve had the pleasantry of living within the city, there has been a sharp rise in creature comforts. The ever-expanding port brings forth new ideas, new languages, new foods, new faces, and whatever else that can be stowed away within the cargo bay of a ship. Merchant vaults quickly fill with riches, competing for presence in the exclusive society of the Apros elite. It should come with little surprise that a new law comes to grace us at this time: money talks, and above all others. For those who wish to see themselves at the top, against the odds, there are no bounds.

Syma flourishes as accounts are now able to support the costs of artistic patronage. Long having been a refuge for those who preferred to be out of sight from the scrutiny of inner city life, the locals are finding that there is a demand from uniquely-minded individuals to have a place here. New ideas, once silenced in Apros, find a place to grow inside of the twisting halls.

Not all outcomes to this expansion are positive, though. Apros has long been a place of secrecy; before having opened themselves freely to allow more trade possibilities within the last two lifetimes, entering could only be gained by family relation to those who lived within, or by gaining citizenship through studying at any of the schools of magic there. Hesitant to change old methods, especially those surrounding religious practices, and opinions about magic, newcomers find themselves in a strange place that expects nothing short of complete integration upon arrival. If you aren’t prepared for what greets you when you arrive, change can be difficult. Natives can be set in their ways, more likely to choose to be cold than to accept differences, and following a slow, steady decline in the reverence of their religion, are now facing any opposition with mixed responses. Older natives find themselves clinging to what they’ve known their whole lives, while the younger generation finds that the world is as malleable as you can force it to be, and there is a surplus of new tools to manipulate it with.

Given the situation, it should be no surprise to find that a rift is growing between the people. Tensions have been on the rise for some time, whether it’s obvious, or not. Elites find themselves encroached upon by a strengthening merchant class, accelerated by the availability of hired power as discarded soldiers search for work in mercenary work. Advances in magic bring changes in what is, and isn’t taboo. Those who could’ve never imagined touching wealth find their pockets filled beyond belief. It’s time for the rules to be rewritten in such a crucial time in society.

## Locality Plots

For each village inside of Apros, there are different social, political, and cultural atmospheres, varying by the length of time that they've been occupied by Apros. Having almost always been an aggressive neighbor that finds growth through annexation, far, we have **two** confirmed annexed villages, and sub-regions: Syma, and *Northern Town Placeholder.* Each have handled their new governance with vastly different responses.

## Sect and Cult Plots

Sects, and cults make up the religious outliers in Aprosian society as they branch away from the traditional religion. Typically practiced by necromancers, dedicated mages, and *Ferals*, any of these are commonly viewed with harsh judgement, and involvement can come with severe punishment if you're not careful.