EMPYREAN

Empyrean leaves the world of Arandor back, for a time, visiting other places and worlds in the Unfolding Dream. This is one of the stories we're working on, from one of those worlds, hope you enjoy. Children of Sky and Mountain Forever, since the Timeless days, there was Sky-king. Alone he reigned upon his vast realm since time immemorial. Forever, since the Timeless days, there was Mountain-queen. Alone she reigned upon the tall mountains from her mighty summit. Sky saw Mountain and desired her. He desired her so much that he could not stop looking at her. Because he did so, the sun would never set, and the night would never come. The snows of the tall peaks begun to melt. The trees were stunted – their leaves scorched. Rivers begun to dry, and the animals went hungry and thirsty. Mountain suffered under the all-consuming burning gaze of Sky. But Mountain was proud and strong. She would not surrender to Sky. She would never bow. She raised her coun...

In the eve of their pledge of Love, Aelon and Nuviel created Arralor together to be their home. A heavenly sanctuary of the things dearest to either of them. There, Light and Night mingled freely, creating the most beautiful realm in the entire dream. Because of its beauty, Arralor was also a favored place to visit for Ankael the Divine Musician, who was, in any case, a very close friend of the couple.  After the War of Light and Shadow, the Celestials closest to Aelon followed him into his realm, as well as some of the Celestials who were closest to Nuviel. Mountains of white and night Quartz float in the skies, whilst thin wispy clouds spread in the high winds. The land below is covered by a crystalline sea, as far as the eye can see. The sea is remarkably serene, despite the strong currents of wind that buffet the higher places, there is solace and calm down below. The angelic Alahar have resplendent cities built upon the islands of quartz and amethyst.

Like all the other legendary citadels, Anatheras was built on top of a vast older city that was abandoned during the great wars that led to the Age of the Fall. These cities were huge complexes, and often could be compared only with industrial hives with many layers containing a mix of habitats and industrial sites. A separate power grid was installed on the citadels, much more advanced and superior to the redundant old technologies that were swiftly abandoned. Only a few names remain of the old cities that now lie buried deep within the hollow bowels of Anatheras, and yet millions of souls have found home there, able to dwell beyond the immediate rule of Akronas and the Hexad. Anathon, Aedras, Aethra, and Adraca were only a few of those names - none of them verified. And yet, thousands of small settlements still persist, having developed their own laws and means of survival. Many survive due to part of the old power grid still functioning thanks to huge solar panels that are mi...

An ancient, thousand-year-old legend persists in the bowels of the citadel of Anatheras. A sect of ancient mystics once built a wondrous underground city. Some believe that the fabled White Citadel is one and the same with this city - the mystic city of Acheron. Built underground, Acheron was built in three levels: the first level was a cemetary, filled with tombs, graves and catacombs, but also a place of worship. Underneath it, was built the second level which was the living quarters of the mystics. In the final level, there was an underground lake with an island in the middle. Within the island was the fabled hidden chamber which was protected aggressively. Only the most enlightened members of the mystic society could enter this chamber, and what they did there, or what they had remains unknown. Some speculate that the chamber was a place of miracles - that since the mystics of Acheron apparently dealt with mysteries of death, spirituality and the afterlife, their artifacts ...

The Aethons are the burning spirits of Yrion, born in the dawn of the Age of Rebirth. They are embodiments of ideals, avatars of nobility, or simply wild and fiery spirits, driven by pure bright passion. Their exact origins are unknown. According to some celestial scholars, the Aethons are reborn celestials. Others say they are ascended souls of mortals that have come from one or more Prime Worlds. Some postulate they , like the Ashar, are direct emanations of Akaon, who simply chose them to come to existence during this age for reasons of his own. Since their birth, the Aethons have risen fast to eminence amongst other celestials, because they are an especially powerful and evolved species. Few of the Ashar and the Vaenu remain, and fewer yet choose to actively involve themselves in the exploits of Yrion, it is said many have departed into the beyond for reasons that simply remain unknown. On top of that, the Aldoren are no more. The last council were a shadow of their ...

A chronological summary of the major cosmic ages of the Universe of the Unfolding Dream and the most important events of each age. Click the Image above, or the following link to visit the post in the Unfolding Dream blog. Cosmic Ages of the Unfolding Dream .

"In pale frost, the land entire lay covered in the days of old. The Elder Race built their Empire, all across the ancient world. Their cities ruined, the frost was gone, melted before mankind ascendant, The Ancients hid, became forlorn, sleeping the dreamless sleep eternal. But mankind fell, from lofty peak, for all their dreams of glory, and in their sundered world they hid, paying the price of folly. Weary, the sun, in fury cast, his last dying breaths of flame, and thus the Elders, did at last, return their world to claim. Covered in frost, the mountain peaks emerge among the ruins of old. Then he'll return - their ancient King, to lead the conquest of this world." - Legacy of a Dying Sun Forlorn Prophecies

Lore is another fundamental extension to EMCore. With Lore it becomes possible to detail and highlight the knowledge of each character. This immediately increases the game value of Insight, because Lore doesn't limit itself to stories the character knows, but practical knowledge, like the ability to treat wounds, the ability to operate specialist equipment or technological devices, etc. All players begin with a number of Lore known equal to their Insight Aspect Level. Players with Insight Level 5 gain 2 additional types of Lore. Players with Insight Level 4 gain 1 bonus type of Lore. Among a host of others, the following types of Lore are available: Academia: You have had the luxury of studying some mode of education which makes you familiar with erudite texts, capable of reading and writing with ease, knowing the proper use of grammar and syntax. You are also familiar with fundamental teaching and learning concepts, so that you can use your skills to facilitate teaching or...

The greatest champion in all the legends of the Unfolding Dream was Caldonnas - the champion of dreams. He was the first of the Elu to stand steadfast against the horrors of the abyss, and against the depravity of Ulaheron, the Shadow God. Every demon, every devil, every creature of darkness and shadow trembles at the approach of Caldonnas, for his was the Ire of Akaon, the great maker - and unmaker - of dreams. Such was the power and valor of Caldonnas when he led the shining host of the Shanacan, that all darkness hid from the face of the dream, for they dreaded the fire of their unmaking that burned in the hearts of these stalwart warriors. But for all his power and glory, greater still was Caldonnas' punishment. The Vaenu, the deities of Fate feared the rise of Caldonnas and the Shanacan. They had become an unstoppable force, and wherever they went all horror and darkness was undone, scorched in their all-purging fire. The cosmic balance was disturbed. The Vaenu, alw...

Anatheras is one of the oldest known names, its origin lost in time. Its meaning remains obscure. Some sources claim it means "Summer Palace", due to the alleged archaeological site of the old Arkenassian palace, buried somewhere deep in the bowels of the citadel. Others suggest the world relates to "Bane" or "Monster" due to the alleged presence of a slumbering ancient horror, sleeping in the depths of the sea near the citadel. What remains certain is that Anatheras is a place with a rich history and a lot of development. Sadly, most of the old sites are sealed under the citadel proper. But to understand Anatheras in its current state, one must comprehend the notion of the Arandorean Citadel. The Citadels were first built at least a thousand years ago, before the rise of the gods of the Hexad, with technology that is probably now lost forever. They are colossal behemoths, remnants of an era that is now long gone. They were built to secure million...

Mankind fell. It toppled from its high-perched seat, where it once gazed upon the universe with boundless ambition. Now tyrant-gods reign in gigantic citadels, whilst free men and women have turned into subjugated worshipers, or survive as marauding mutants, daring the new perils of the warped wilderness and the red desolation. This is the Age of the Fall. Six Tyrants now rule over thousands of Chosen, and millions of human slaves, worshipers and sacrificial victims. Together they are known as the Hexad, and are agreed upon as the official and only religion of Arandor. The Hexad have designated themselves as gods, bestowing gifts upon their chosen, rescuing their faithful from their tremendous ire, and punishing all other gods, seen as false. For a thousand years they’ve reigned, destroying all knowledge of the past, and completely rewriting the world’s history to suit them. They are fickle, whimsical gods. They are cruel, sadistic beings. But who can d...

So what is "Empyrean"? Empyrean derives from the Medieval Latin empyreus, an adaptation of the Ancient Greek ἔμπυρος empyrus "in or on the fire", which when ascribed to a person describes someone who is "of fire" or "contains fire". Empyrean has been used in ancient and medieval times to describe the higher realms of heaven where everything is divine fire. In our context, an Empyrean (sometimes also referred to as an "Incarnate") is an Aethon who has incarnated as a human. Therefore in that context we are actually talking about empyrean humans, but that is needless semantics. So what is an Aethon, then? The word Aethon is also ancient greek in origin. It translates as "fiery" or "burning" and has the same root as Aether which is, in other words, the quintessence of heaven. An Aethon could be a being of the flame of heaven, or someone who burns with that flame. In our context, an Aethon is very...