Backstory

## The Age of Angels

In the beginning, there was only one nation - springing up from the heart of what is now the Dominion of Keter. Aided by natural barriers, immense mineral wealth, and incredibly fertile soil, they rapidly developed advanced magic and technology far in excess of any rivals. These men were scholars, not conquerors - studying the inner workings of existence, only defending themselves if necessary.

Through a hybrid of now-primitive technologies and sorcery, they unlocked something incredible - the very first fragment of soul-born knowledge. A ritual was devised to awaken a Spark within the soul of an individual, allowing them to channel what they called the Infinite Light of Creation - a seemingly-divine power that supposedly created the world. This power - the Light of the Soul - was first used to understand and aid the self, enhancing the body and sharpening the mind. Eventually, however, a group within the Ancient World succeeded in developing Soul Projection - the ability to project the Light of the Soul outward.

This group was not peaceful - having developed Projection as a means to weaponize the Light of the Soul - and it was a complete success. Channeling the Light of Creation through their own bodies, they rapidly overthrew the ruling powers and claimed divine right to rule - naming themselves, and other empowered individuals Angels.

Time passed. With the combined might of technology, sorcery, and the Light of their Souls, the Ancient World fell under the sway of these Angels. Seemingly immortal, sustained by their own power, they ruled the world with an iron fist for centuries, any opposition immediately crushed under their sheer power. As they grew older, so did their power - until they reached their limits.

The Light of the Soul could only shine so brightly within an individual, shaped by the Spark within them - and so the Angels sought to break this limit. Drawing upon all their power and knowledge, they attempted to widen their connection to the Infinite Light, and found no success, even after centuries of searching. Their efforts led to the development of soul manipulation and construction, allowing them to create "custom" Sparks for specific tasks - shaping the Light cast by their creations to their whim.

Eventually, however, there was a breakthrough - the Angels feared experimentation on strengthening others, for it may result in them being overthrown. Instead they attempted to create a soul that could naturally draw upon the Infinite Light to a greater extent over time - a soul with limitless potential, to be harnessed. This project was a complete success - creating ten individuals, one for each of the Sephirot - the 'elements' of the Soul.

A pity that they had to *take* these elements from their subjects.

## The Rise of the Archangels

As these individuals were raised, they rapidly found their powers growing exponentially. Gifted with near-perfect bodies and superhuman intelligence, these ten hid their growing power from their creators. One among them - Sandalphon - had inherited the memories of those broken down to create them - and eventually, they struck.

The Ten placed the Angels beneath them - titling themselves 'Archangels' - and lashed out against their creators. With unexpected, overwhelming power they annihilated any opposition, surgically removing the old regime and instating themselves as rulers of Eden. Ten nations, each ruled by one Archangel and named after their dominions.

The new nations prospered under the rule of the Archangels - the ten never striking out against one another, the people never lashing out for fear of seemingly-divine retribution. Technology flourished, with new sorceries appearing at an equally-rapid pace. The stagnant techbase of the Ancient World vanished, the power of the Archangels drawing up useful ore and metal from deep beneath Eden's crust - metals that were utterly inaccessible otherwise, preventing more advanced technologies from developing.

The Archangels themselves were surprisingly silent, only intervening when necessary, largely attending to their own devices. They developed advanced dimensional techniques, hiding their work in 'pocket universes' where they could not be disturbed, only emerging when absolutely necessary. The world was peaceful, and all was good.

Sandalphon, the Archangel of Malkuth, had other plans.

## The War in Heaven

It is not known what caused the Archangels to go to war - one would have to ask one directly, and they are rarely seen in the modern world - however, it is believed that the memories Sandalphon possessed either caused him to hate mankind or simply drove him mad. For the mortal realm, the war came without warning - each nation seemingly spontaneously going to war with one another as the Archangels themselves warred. Now free from their rule, mankind waged war in the way only man can - the Archangels no longer intervening as they were occupied with each other.

All manner of cruel beasts, monsters, and supposed-demons appeared throughout the lands, believed to be released by the Archangels - failed experiments, or perhaps successful ones. The world rapidly became harsh and cruel, and the war ended as quickly as it began - it is fortunate that no weapons or spells of mass destruction struck a major city.

The chaotic energies of the devastating sorceries cast, coupled with fallout from nuclear weapons caused changes in the population - the two effects mixing to cause mutation rather than death. This primarily manifested in the form of simple mutants, though a number of arcane maladies such as vampirism and lycanthropy emerged. The world was changed after a single year, the Archangels seemingly vanishing entirely from the world.

## The Modern World

As the world recovered, mankind discovered strange structures throughout the landscape - and in some cases, their own cities. These structures seemed to act as power generators, outputting seemingly-limitless amounts of free energy for the population, in an attempt to encourage peace. It is believed that they draw upon a power source in the Archangel's home of Guf.

Tensions between nations have always been high since the War in Heaven, but no major wars have broken out - weapons of mass destruction are forbidden, equally-powerful spells being forgotten for fear of the Archangel's wrath. However, many more individuals were empowered - nearly half the population of the world possessing Sparks, the number rising every day due to newly-developed rituals of awakening.

Only one nation - Malkuth, once ruled by Sandalphon - was outright destroyed. Rendered uninhabitable by a clash between Sandalphon and Metatron, Archangel of Keter, the majority of the once-beautiful nation is now a dead wasteland, with only twisted plants and cruel wildlife stalking the wastes. These creatures, seemingly endless in number and variation, periodically move throughout the world, sewing chaos and isolating the nations once more.

The Archangels seem to still be around, though it is not known if all of them are still alive - or if they can be killed in the first place. The world is cruel, though the people are powerful, and their former protectors missing.

This is where you come in.

Additional information regarding the Archangels can be found here.