Crestseal - Verse 1 - Backtrack - Trial

Crestseal

Contest.

Before any realms, scapes, domains laws, reason, or all others existed, there existed two sisters. Nothing was nowhere. Everything was everywhere.

One answered to the name Enliver, while the other answered to the name Witherer. These sisters manifested prior to the formation of the definitive forms of any realm, their presence antecedent to all else. As the first realm, the Middlescape, that was now somewhere, came into being. The sisters observaved this realm's progression, they discerned particular recurring sequences, which they named Templates.

At the outset, the Middlescape was dominated by a Template of immutable demeanor – a domain of statis, uniformity, and equilibrium. Witherer discovered contentment within this straightforwardness, embracing and esteeming it as flawlessness. Such serene uniformity held immense allure for her. Conversely, Enliver discovered intrigue in the idea of change. She took pleasure in the unceasing oscillation of elements.

As eons passed by, a certain event occurred which altered the still nature of the Middlescape. This ignited enthusiasm within Enliver but unsettled the Witherer. However, the Middlescape later began to be dominated by another Template, one that took over the whole of Middlescape and became the only definitive thing within itself.

Billions of years later, the phenomenon referred to as life commenced its emergence, a development that once again ignited enthusiasm within Enliver, who had awaited change for many eons. She yearned for the Middlescape to epitomize the unending change she envisioned. Nevertheless, the advent of life, once again, unsettled Witherer, who favored steadiness.

Life itself would also find itself being dominated by the second Template, which either took it over or became the only 'living' thing. No matter how many times the sisters started over, Middlescape was dominated by this very Template each time. This pleased Witherer, who preferred stillness, certainty, statis, and order. Both templates ended the Middlescape's previous changing, altering, vibrant nature. This unsettled the Voyager, who preferred vibrancy, unpredictability, change, and variation.

The divergent preferences of Enliver and Witherer eventually incited them to partake in a contest. For the first time, they decided to affect the progression of Middlescape with their own influence. They decided to create two entities, one for each, who had their own intellect and their own interpretation of the ideals and preferences of their own respective creators.

Enliver created a large orbicular being that she named the Voyager, this sentient celestial structure undertook the role of the advocate for the preferences of Enliver. Her objective revolved around the perpetuation of the Middlescape's ever-changing status. To do this, the Voyager traveled around the Middlescape and terraformed planet after planet, helping new life to form and uplifting them with blessings of Enliver herself because she saw life as a great representation of Enliver's preferences in her own interpretation. The Voyager split itself into three parts to operate much better, on a much greater scale.

On the opposing side, Witherer created a being, which she named the Settler, that name would signify the meaning and reason of the Settler; the objective of the Settler was to settle this contest. To do this, she traveled around the Middlescape with the goal of undoing the blessings and upliftings done by the Voyagers, and, if able to, capture and destroy parts of the Voyager. Her interpretation of Witherer's ideals was to undo what the Settler was trying to do, eliminate it, and become the next Template.

Enliver and Witherer made sure that their creations would not be able to wield enough power to threaten the existence of Middlescape itself while within its territory, or targetting it. So they altered Middlescape to make sure it restricts the nature of other beings who are capable of harming themselves. This way, the ground for the contest will be unharmed from the actions of the Voyager and the Settler as a whole. They are, however, able to wield their true capabilities in other scapes as long as they don't target Middlescape.

To finish the preparing grounds for the contest, the two sisters decided to manifest an uncontrolled, unconquered, interpreted fractions of themselves to the Middlescape. Enliver manifested 'Spherical', while Witherer manifested 'Angular', to act as fuels for their two creations, the Voyager and the Settler, respectively, and additional influence to 'keep things interesting'. These two, Spherical and Angular, were defined as Nonlogical influences affecting the realmatics of all there is. Spherical and Angular are passive on their own, and could only be wielded as power sources not only by Enliver and Witherer but by any others as well if they are capable enough, though the Voyager and the Settler were visioned to be the first and most powerful wielders of Enliv and Wither respectively. Being made out of Enliver's and Witherer's Essences that predate not only the Middlescape but all Scapes as a whole, but even their nature was severely restricted while in Middlescape to prevent them from fueling a power that could harm it, so something like "winning the game by turning it off" is not possible.

For these sisters, their undertakings constituted a mere diversion, a game, the Middlescape was akin to a plaything for them, as they existed detached from its nature. They existed outside of the Middlescape, which was a much smaller object from their perspective. Nonetheless, the inhabitants within the Middlescape, mostly ignorant of the authentic identities or even the existence of Enliver and Witherer, would find themselves enmeshed in a constant struggle of unparalleled magnitude. The initiation of this contest would inaugurate eons marked by ceaseless conflict among the denizens of the Middlescape.