Session 0
Intro
"This planet is encompassed by a treacherous ocean with waves to tumultuous for any man to sail, and storm clouds too violent for any winged beast to fly. Even the arcane has been unable to find anything beyond its endless fog and indescribable, soul-piercing dread.
Within this terrible sea sits a great landmass merciful enough to harbor civilization. Mortals built empires, fought, and fell, for many millennia; each cycle their efforts culminating to nothingness. Despite their warlike tendencies, a great tire for this cycle grew and grew with each succession. A unanimous agreement was made, the Era of Disorder had come to a close, and the first year had begun.
War continued—but less. Total annihilation became rarer and rarer. Society made strives that endured into future civilizations—even if they were primarily concerning domination. Greater weapons were sought and people benefitted in the process.
In the year 1216, the strongest weapon in all the Primeval Plane would be revealed. A follower of the god Savras—lord of Divination and Fate—possessed a zealousness beyond all others. For the follower's devotion, Savras blessed him with holy powers befitting his faith that too exceeded that of all before him. In demonstrating his incredible intuition for fate, he gained more disciples for his lord Savras, as well as a political following that saw him better fit to lead than their current king. The king sought to extinguish this threat to his power, but only accelerated his own deposition. It was then that the first God-King was anointed and the Era of Struggles transitioned into the Era of Divination.
Quickly the God-King proved his worth, bringing about a flourishing period to the kingdom. A theocracy was established, and the kingdom's power continued to grow exponentially. This greatly troubled neighboring kingdoms; wise monarchs replaced themselves with devout worshippers, while the foolish ones attempted to keep hold of their power against the new age. Within a generation's time, all heretic kingdoms had been eradicated and replaced by theocracies of all kinds.
In time, the major nations had cemented themselves on the continent and a period of isolationism began. In fear of their neighbors' power, or what the possibility of war could bring, nations closed their borders, vitriol towards other worshippers abounded, and paranoia dissolved all remaining alliances. In the year 1296, followers of Eldath proposed a treaty before the Pantheon; a promise to ensure security for citizens traveling between nations, as well as assurance that trade could be done freely without the fear of repercussions. After months of deliberation, the Pantheonic Peace Deal was signed and etched into the stars so that a true age of peace could begin.
The current year is now 450 SD—that is, 450 years since the Divination era began in 1216. A great festival is being held in Theos (the nation subservient to Savras) for the New Year as well as anniversary of the Divination Era. Theos seeks hired hands from all across the continent to assist with the many needs in hosting the festival. For whatever reason, you all find yourselves within this nation, waiting for the next morning when you will enter the capitol's gates to be assigned your duties.
But....there's one more thing. Rumors are going around that if you prove an exceptional job, you'll not only be handsomely compensated—but also have your fates read by a high ranking official. It's said that the advice that follows the reading leads many hearers to great riches and fulfilling lives. Perhaps even you could be one of these people..."
Informal Notes