History & Current Events

The below guide provides a brief overview of the history of Ognos. Please note that, in the event of any conflicts between Old Ognos and New Ognos, the lore below will take precedent and be considered canon; some minor changes were necessary to improve lore consistency and stability.

Ancient History

Kinship was created by the Primordial Gods ("The First Ones") as a barren, neutral ground for their divine children to settle disputes without harming populated worlds. Gods of all kinds, from millions of universes, came to Kinship to settle their disagreements.

Methods for settling disputes included one-on-one battles, casual games (hide and seek, card games, rock-paper-scissors, etc.), and even full on wars. Kinship was most commonly used to settle squabbles over who could take possession of a planet or universe's prayers, a common food/energy/power source for deities.

As Kinship was generally "off the beaten path" and less closely monitored by the Primordial Gods than other planets, some gods used the land as a testing ground for their various experiments. Others, who lacked the physical, mental, or divine strength to fight their opponents directly, or were perhaps just lazier than their brethren, began "borrowing" species from other universes to fight on their behalf. Some actually abducted populations, while others were created from borrowed "blueprints". All native life on Ognos can be traced back to these early populations. Some modern day characters and Astrofel may be transported to Kinship from other places or times after stumbling across ancient traps or tools.

After a particularly nasty war in which gods and mortals both suffered heavy losses, the Primordial Gods intervened. They issued a proclamation that several mortals would be granted divinity and tasked with defending and caring for the planet. These gods settled in various places throughout Kinship, but the conflict didn't end there.

Huxu, Aomete, and Dzoana, three women who received divinity, selected the island of Ognos and its Valka population as their own, but Hivhur and his wife, Ymius, who backed the humans, tried to intervene on their claim. Rather than put the world through another divine war, the five grudgingly agreed that whichever race had the highest population, most devout followers, and most social power would determine the hierarchy of the gods.

While the gods were prevented from directly influencing the mortals with their divinity, they were permitted to select Chosen and utilized other similar loopholes to their advantage. As a result, many deity-influenced wars were waged over the thousands of years since and the hierarchy of the gods changed many times depending on the outcome. Some scholars even believe meddling deities were responsible for the Silent War that kept Valka and humans at odds for over three hundred years.

At some point, Hivhur and Dzoana formed a secret alliance, working together with a cult of mortal followers to strip Hivhur's wife of her power and lock her away in a cage under the sea. Hivhur used a lesser goddess to maintain Ymius' public appearances while seizing complete control over the divine hierarchy and Ognos in general. Hivhur utilized Ymius' absence to force men into a dominant position in society, and is in fact the real reason that humans had a patriarchal society for so long. Dzoana's reasons for agreeing to help Hivhur, keeping Valka oppressed in the process, are largely unknown. It is believed that, as the goddess of the Future, she may have seen something coming that could only be prevented by allying with Hivhur... or perhaps she just had a grudge to settle with Ymius from the Ancient Wars.

Recent History

After an extended period of time (possibly thousands of years), Ymius began fighting back against her oppressors; breaking the first lock on her cage, she was able to hear the voices of mortals and begin receiving power from their prayers.

Ymius' rebellion caused various reactions, worsening as the locks were broken:

• The First Lock unleashed a titan:
  • The titan caused natural disasters - earthquakes, storms, wildfires - disrupting civilization.
  • It corrupted wildlife and landscapes as it passed, causing monsters to spawn.
  • Just before disappearing, the titan left an ominous warning about the future.
• The Second Lock brought darkness:
  • The sun's light was blocked, plunging the land into twilight.
  • Crops began to fail, with humans and Valka working together to find ways to prevent famine.
  • Nocturnal and subterranean creatures emerged openly. Raids and attacks increased.
  • The moon changed color, size, or phase erratically, impacting the tides and causing lunacy/sleep disturbances.
  • The stars in the night sky shifted to ominous new constellations.
• The Third Lock released leviathans:
  • Massive serpentine sea monsters attacked ships and coastal settlements.
  • They swarmed and overwhelmed fishing fleets, causing further food shortages.
  • Silver liquid oozed from the ground, covering the landscape in mercury-like pools that caused hallucinations and poisoning.
  • Water sources become tainted or dried up from the leviathans' presence.
• The Fourth Lock brought illness and disorder:
  • Healing magic became twisted - causing disease instead of curing it, or healing one thing while harming another.
  • Some children were struck with a sleeping sickness and could not be woken, trapping them in endless slumber.
  • Babies were born 'marked' in ominous ways, foretelling dark omens.
  • The dead rose from their graves to spread supernatural sicknesses.
• The Fifth Lock twisted the environment:
  • Caused crystal spires to erupt from the ground in random locations. The spires amplified psychic energy around them unpredictably.
  • Opened fissures in the earth that spewed ash clouds and allowed lava to flow forth. Entire regions become infertile and uninhabitable.
  • Allowed visions and prophecies to enter the minds of mortals, driving many mad with the overwhelming visions.
  • A wave of silence spreads, muting all sound and stopping all oral communication.
• The Sixth and final Lock unraveled reality: