The Beginning
It is widely understood that a lecherous necromancer called Zen au Lycoris set off an apocalypse. Countless people of every conceivable ancestry and species died. A small island off a large continent sees a small group of people attempt to rebuild. Unfortunately, the world is shattered, and there will be much difficulty ahead.
Geography
In the north are the ruins of the city (Old Town). It is there that many important structures lie. The southwest houses the Swamp of Souls, known for its dark magics and unusually warm/tropical climate. To the southeast is the Veil Tear, a magical rip in the land from which arcane power flows. To the west are the Choldrith Mountains, with the Pearl Dunes beyond even those. Far to the east is the main continent (Eritessa), though much is no longer known about what happened there. It is believed, however, that if (perhaps when) Zen returns, it will be from that direction.
Spring
The people have little to start with. There is an abundance of ruined architecture, lost during the Great Desolation (The Forgotten Hour). Fortunately, there are also nearby minerals and ores, as well as timber within easy reach of the people. Living on the shoreline, there are many crabs and crustaceans available as well. For the most part, people have their most basic needs met; how long that will last is anyone’s guess.
Week 1
A boy named Terry Ringer explores the outskirts of the city. In his childish enthusiasm, he fails to heed the dangers and falls down to the bottom of a pit. There are three mysterious doors that lead deeper underground near where the boy dies. The community grieves at this senseless death.
Week 2
Lashara, an inventive and hardworking artificer, convinces everyone to build a workshop so that she can improve their technology. It should take about four weeks.
The community discusses whether or not to send men to mine for additional ores, which causes some contempt for its sexist attitudes. The earliest movements of a new religion begin The Church of ITYS, setting itself up as unwilling to explore things further.
Week 3
In the pit where young Terry Ringer died is an unexplored and Unknown Catacomb. Within is a Spirit Engine, ancient magical portals that no longer fully function. Many think that it is cursed and ought to be destroyed. Perhaps Lashara can explain what is going on?
The community discusses whether they ought to destroy the Spirit Engines, with some believing that it could be a weapon; others believe it might be a power source for Lashara’s workshop. Other possibilities include attempting to backwards engineer it, study it for academic purposes, or relocate it to the Pearl Dunes.
Week 4
The community’s strength and confidence grows in its gains, completed in large part due to craftsmen. Guilds begin to form, consolidating power and prestige in the artisan class.
A project begins to organize new groups into becoming guilds. It should only take a week.
Week 5
East of the city, in the middle of the channel that divides the island from the mainland, a tower has sprung up. It is enormous, with a massive bell from which sporadic knelling can be heard. No one knows where it came from nor why it’s here.
A project beings to build a pier with boats so that an exploratory group may investigate it in the future. It is anticipated to take three weeks.
Meanwhile, the guilds have become formalized with two guilds/companies established.
Week 6
Basic tools are becoming scarce as nearby resources are diminishing. Metal ores are considered of paramount importance.
A project begins to send out a mining expedition to the southwest. It is anticipated that it will take six weeks to complete.
Meanwhile, Lashara’s workshop is now complete.
Week 7
The earliest religious impulses are now becoming formalized into the Church of I Told You So, or The Church of ITYS. The primary doctrine is one of gallows humor over the fact that its founding prophet “accurately” foretold the impending doom.
A project begins to build a temple on top of the hole where Terry died. It should take six weeks.
Week 8
A disturbance transpires when a submersible washes ashore. There is one passenger, an aarakocra female. She’s injured and unconscious; despite the best efforts of the community, she is comatose.
Far to the south, an earthquake causes the Veil Tear to break free of the island. Magical energies released, the chunk of earth is now inexplicably floating hundreds of feet above where it used to be connected to the island itself.
Meanwhile, the shipyards in the northern part of the island are completed.
Week 9
The Swamp of Souls (The Swollen Waste) has gained some notoriety as people who go in only seem to come back changed, somehow. It’s likely that skinwalkers are in the swamp. Old Man Jenkins Malore, the only person of the community who remembers what should be on the continent, spreads a rumor about Terry’s older brother being a wendigo, an accusation that The Brother of Terry fiercely denies.
The community discusses the validity of Jenkins’ claims, though no decision is made regarding Mahonri Teri Ringer—least of all from the ITYS church, who feels that the brother of Terry should die.
Week 10
A hideous thing happens to Old Man Jenkins Malore, but the records are corrupted here and no additional details remain.
A nightly aurora in the south of the Swamp of Souls (The Swollen Waste) is seen, but its unclear what they are.
Week 11
An unexpectedly good omen arrives in the form of the mining expedition coming across an oasis in the Pearl Dunest. The miners believe that it came from the earthquake from a few weeks before.
On the now-floating chunk of the southern tip of the island Levitorum, an almost Edenic area seems to be forming.
Week 12
The growth of the guilds has led to children being accepted as apprentices.
The community decides to develop a school in which to provide education, train tradesmen, indoctrinate with church legends, and more. It should take one month to complete.
Meanwhile, the expedition of miners has returned, giving the information about the Veil-Tear, the earthquake, and the oasis.
Week 13
Choldrith, the natural predators of the Choldrith Mountains, have been seen in the foothills. Darkmantle from the sea, Kobold on the plains, and Bullywog in the Swamp of Souls gives the community pause. Danger feels too near for comfort.
One positive development: The community learns how to utilize the hides of Kobolds as a type of leather or cloth, allowing them to tan and preserve the creatures’ skin.
Meanwhile, The Temple of ITYS is completed, a golden statue of Terry Ringer on top of its spire.
The Middle
The community’s growth has been relatively unimpeded as spring melts into summer. Projects from prior weeks continue apace, and some of the changes to the world have become larger and more noticeable.
Summer
The good weather and sundry success have given the people some hope for the future, despite so many mysteries arising all around them.
Week 1
Old Man Jenkins Malore attempts a coup of the central organization in the city. Lashara steps in, preventing the coup from being accomplished. Some people of the community speculate that his proximity to the Swamp of Souls corrupted his mind.
There is a discussion as to what to do with Old Man Jenkins, with possibilities of exile, exoneration, or execution all put forward.
Week 2
A schism between The Brother of Terry and the The Church of ITYS. The Brother of Terry has in some way been affected by the Swamp of Souls (The Swollen Waste), putting greater validity on Old Man Jenkins Malore claims.
A project begins wherein a group is tasked with doing an in-depth exploration of the Swamp of Souls (The Swollen Waste), with the hope of finding a cure or the cause of the changes in people. There are given six weeks for their expedition. As they leave, Old Man Jenkins Malore says, “Hold tight to each other.”
Week 3
A new kind of technology is discovered in the submersible that originally brought the aarakocra woman to the shores. It appears that a personal transportation device (it hovers over the ground and can be moved by shifting weight on it) is possible with the technology.Lashara believes that there are other modifications that could be implemented.
A project begins wherein a group is sent out to study the medicinal herbs that supposedly grow in the mountains. They should be gone for four weeks.
Week 4
A man in town, Jock Bjørn, gathers 10 other community members and sets sail to the continent. This is not a project, but a group of people who have split apart for an indeterminate amount of time.
A project is started with a military training program to provide protection for the community.
Week 5
Project Failure (Week 4): A robber band (called the The Radianton Robbers) arrives and kills the would-be soldiers, implementing new requirements for joining the armed forces, including pre-enlistment circumcision. Those they killed are put on display in the gruesome Pike Garden. No one seems interested in putting together armed resistance.
The community discusses the future of their military, with the The Church of ITYS claiming that it’s an action of judgment from the gods. There are other concerns as well, including what to do about the robber band, finding where The Brother of Terry went, or to find a way to resist the The Radiantons.
Week 6
The community is rather quiet, no doubt in response to the horrible deaths they’ve recently witnessed.
In the mountains, caves are discovered in the mountains that seem to be leading ever deeper.
A project starts, as the Aarakocra has awakened (when is unclear) and begun to repair her submersible. Some of the townspeople agree to help her, giving them an estimated two weeks of work.
Week 7
The head of The Church of ITYS, Father ITYS, has gone missing. The circumstances are ominous and suspicious. All of his belongings, save his journal, are likewise gone.
Lashara finds the journal and chooses to share one page of it: “I will now reveal the most important piece of doctrine: The name of the church. And that name? I Told You So.”
Meanwhile, the group sent to find medicinal herbs in the mountains should be back by now; however, the records are silent on whether they returned at this point or not.
Week 8
The records are incomplete and no information exists about this week.
Week 9
A group of 100 or so people arrive at the outskirts of the city proper. They are not hostile upon arrival, nor are they friendly. They wish to trade for additional supplies.
The medicine found in the mountains works to counteract the Choldrith spiders’ venom. This discovery has also led to an overall better understanding of the local fauna.
Meanwhile, many projects have reached completion: The aarakocra has completed her sub, the medicinal herb group has returned (with their abovementioned discovery), and the lengthy investigation into the swamp has also returned…in a manner of speaking. The Brother of Terry is the only one to come back from the Swamp of Souls (The Swollen Waste), and whatever was different about him before, the change now is immense. As is he—the man’s physique has grown and he’s clearly much stronger physically than he was before. However, it comes at a cost, as he is also sick. Despite all of this, The Brother of Terry insists that nothing is wrong with him and nothing happened during his time away. When asked where the others are, he whispers, “They’re here,” before dying.
Week 10
The Darkmantle leviathans are eating up the crabs on which the community relies, making the food source begin to dwindle.
The community discusses the problems of defense. The suggestion of a 1,000-kid strong Children’s Crusade acting as guards of the southern border is floated. The understanding is, if they die, their deaths act as an alarm. Others wish to parlay with the 100 new people (the The Radiantons have left at some indeterminate time in the past).
Week 11
Lashara’s Lab has, unbeknownst to her, been infiltrated by spies (possibly from The Church of ITYS, though the records are unclear). During their ransacking of the lab, they discover the missing belongings of their leader. The spies set the lab on fire. Before too much damage could be done, a wave of crabs and water wash through the lab, dousing the flames. (There is no record of any localized flood in any other extant sources, and Lashara’s Lab was far from the coast. Scholars theorize that this may be a mythologizing of the events. Graffiti remains on the walls.
A project is started by The Church of ITYS, which chooses to fortify its The Temple of ITYS area in anticipation of some future violence. It is led by a man named Captain Romoni. It should only take one week.
Week 12
A project begins: In an attempt to make more food, the community seeks to build a greenhouse.
A new Veil Tear is discovered on the main continent by Jock Bjørn and his colleagues.
Meanwhile, The Church of ITYS completes its hasty fortifications.
Fall
With tensions mounting throughout the community, particularly between The Church of ITYS and Lashara, the weather begins to cool. Winter will arrive soon…
Week 1
The leader of The Church of ITYS - I Told You So (Father ITYS) is found, naked and murdered. A single note on his corpse reads, “Captain Romoni did it.”
A project begins by the community to investigate what is happening with The Church of ITYS. They task Joe Sef with infiltrating the The Church of ITYS as a new convert. This move is met with approval from most of the community, as well as Lashara. It should take four weeks to complete.
Week 2
The still-unnamed town rejoices when Jock Bjørn returns from the continent. They have various plants and minerals that differ from what’s available on the island.
While there, they discovered the new Veil Tear, as well as—much to their surprise—the men that The Brother of Terry led into the Swamp of Souls. Somehow, they had arrived on the continent, utterly entranced and essentially comatose…but alive.
Week 3
The people’s concern over the church fades as they become more focused on the pressing needs of food.
The discoveries of Jock Bjørn continue to surprise everyone as he reports a forest of massive trees called The Orchard on the continent. They’re clearly magical, but what they have to offer can only be speculated at. (Forbidden Fruits Orchard and Distillery)
Meanwhile, the greenhouse is completed.
Week 4
It comes to light that The Church of ITYS has taken its leader’s, Father ITYS, body and placed it in a sarcophagus. However, a few days later, the lid is off and the body is missing. Believers claim to have seen their leader, even going so far as to say that he is walking around, using a sandwich board to advertise, “He is risen”. The leader is also physically enhanced. Old Man Jenkins proselytizes about what has happened.
A project is started by The Church of ITYS to further—and more completely—fortify The Temple of ITYS. This time, they anticipate six weeks of work.
Week 5
The group of 100 new people have settled in a sort of tent city outside of the city proper. One of these outsiders approaches the community. “Beware of those who come from above!” she cries before sprinting into the ocean. A darkmantle promptly devours her.
The community discusses why the outsiders are here and what they can do with them. Some propose creating trade with them, while others wonder if they can be impressed into military service. Still others think that improving relations with them—albeit at arm’s length—is the best move. Some who are most closely associated with The Church of ITYS want to enslave them to build gallows for the city.
Meanwhile, the attempt to infiltrate the Church seems to have met with failure. There are no good records on this event, but it is widely believed that Joe Sef was either caught or converted to the Church’s cause, as he has not returned to report his discoveries.
Week 6
Disease strikes the city. No advancement on any projects occurs as the people go into quarantine.
A clandestine project begins wherein those who follow Lashara’s leadership create a female-only clan of assassins, all with designs to upsetting and overthrowing the Church. It should take five weeks to fully train these Lashïngs
Week 7
A project begins when the community decides to invest in some simple housing for the 99 outsiders. They’re not particularly well-crafted, but they’ll help a little with the coming cold.
Meanwhile, the enthusiasm of the Lashïngs proves so powerful that they complete their training in five days instead of five weeks.
Week 8
A natural disaster strikes, knocking down what was supposed to be the slums for the visitors. This loss is amplified by the ruined resources that had been spent in the project.
A project by the The Church of ITYS begins. Rumors of the Lashïngs have reached their ears, and the members of the Church decide to create an inquisition to prosecute and persecute “evil”, including (and especially) any would-be assassins. It is a five week course to create this entity.
Week 9
An Aasimar flies above the island, garnering attention by the people as it heads southwards. It is speculated that it is heading toward the floating rock by the Veil-Tear.
Meanwhile, the The Church of ITYS attempt at an Inquisition are thwarted by a strike from Lashara’s Lashïngs, permanently ending their attempts to enforce their beliefs by the sword.
Week 10
The recent violence between the The Church of ITYS and Lasharaa quell; instead, there are some uprisings and disturbances generated by the 99 slummers.
This leads to a community discussion about what to do with the slummers. Some felt that the community should mind its own business and not worry about them. The Church of ITYSwanted to banish them. Some wished to let them in; others warned of potential war.
Meanwhile, it is believed that the The Church of ITYS completed its fortifications of The Temple of ITYS, though the records are not clear if that truly transpired.
Week 11
Many of the supplies that have been stored for the winter are ruined, leading to desperation. The 99 slummers begin to steal from the greenhouse, and a black market starts to boom.
A project is started by the guilds: Jock Bjørn will return to the continent and do a quick study of the Veil Tear. They anticipate it taking only two weeks.
Week 12
When Jock Bjørn arrives at the Veil Tear, a gang of marauders come out. They’re the polar opposite of the Aasimar, looking more like demons than anything else. They do not attack the group, but they are armed with vicious weapons.
Closer to home, the The Swollen Waste roils as a fiendish city begins to grow out of the muck. The Bullywog that live in the Swamp flock to the new city, which is called Oovuan.
Week 13
Autumnal winds force the demons away from the Veil Tear, allowing Jock Bjørn and his company to return.
When his information is more clearly analyzed, it seems as though the magical aura emanating from the Veil Tear is a leaking form of teleportation magic. It is likely connected to the bell tower and the oasis, too.
The End
The final days of the quiet year commence as winter begins.
Winter
Despite internal conflict and unexpected arrivals, the community has thrived this past year. However, the great evil that caused the destruction of their world is by no means done with his apocalypse…
Week 1
Old Man Jenkins Malore, having died while in the stocks, is relocated from the area of punishment to the front of the The Temple of ITYS doors. His body is discovered by Joe Sef, who has (apparently) remained committed to his espionage. Odd Purple Runes are drawn all over the body of Old Man Jenkins Malore.
A project commences in which the Newold Guilds and Lasharaa take Old Man Jenkins Malore remains (at the insistence of Joe Seff) in order to better study it. It is expected to take one week.
Week 2
The weather worsens and memories of a year prior begin to haunt the people. None wishes for those dark days to return. They hold a memorial for “The Forgotten Hour”, a commemoration of the worst day, when the apocalypse was at its darkest moment.
Further abroad and on the continent, some of the people left behind by Jock Bjørnn move past the giant forest and discover a new civilization that they had not known about before.
Meanwhile, the records are incomplete; no information about the success of the investigation into Old Man Jenkins Malore body exists.
Week 3
The end arrives.