Prologue-Landing on Eforviah
Time is relative. This is especially true when testing faster than light technology. Though no ship that has yet been designed(let alone built) is able to travel to other systems. One reached it's destination over one thousand years ago.
When the colony ship Wanderlust arrived in a system with a planet in the 'goldilocks zone' the captain was raised from level 3 hibernation(complete unconsciousness) to level 1(Brain activiy normal, though body still frozen). The computer communed with the captain to start the terraforming process. The captain was never fully awoken, as she was needed to lead the colony after landing. The strain from cryosleep was exponentally greater with each use, and terraforming was not a speedy process.
The orders were handed down, raise the terraforming specialists to level 1 hibernation, and follow their orders during the process. While in level 1H it is possible to slow down and speed up the apparent flow of time. The first order of buisness was seeding the planet with very simple bacteria. Then Alge were disbursed.
For what seemed like a year, the terraformers regulated the flow of ever more complex life. Building first a biosphere, then an ecosystem they worked as their bodies slept in their frozen cocoons. As they worked the Terraformers noted that life seemed to thrive, spreading and multiplying much faster than expected. The DNA banks and incubators in the ship struggled to keep up, as failing to introduce an animal species at the proper time would slow things down at best, but more likely would cause the incomplete ecosystem to colapse.
After only two hundred years, the ecosystem was identical to earth, save for the absence of humanity. The terraformers were worried, though. The transformation from dead planet to a clone of home was too fast. They let time accelerate a bit more, and after fifty more years they were certain the changes were done, the planet could at this point only be classified as Gaian.
Bringing the Captain back to level 1H, they informed him of the situation. Captain Mason ordered the ship to descend, after picking a landing spot. The area was almost perfect, as the ship had over two hundred and fifty years to gether data. Except for a freak Snow, the worst weather was Rain, though it could be heavy. A Coastal Location, but on a geologically stable shelf high enough even a mile inland that a tsunami wouldn't reach the ship. A large river nearby lead to a mountain range further inland that scanned as being full of useful metals and minerals. The forests were huge, looking closer to 1000 years old, than to the 150 they really were.
Animals were hyper-abundant, present in numbers that didn't seem sustainable. With the climate even a small farming area would easily sustain the colonists, assuming the strange bounty didn't work for domesticated crops.
After landing the First Colonists were awakened. With an intact tech base, and a solid plan farmers were some of the first. Most weren't needed, as the 'Gaia effect' seemed to hold even for domestic crops. After the first crop was brought in, it was determined that a single farmer using medieval tools and modern methods could feed one hundred people. A single hunter could do half that, without running out of game. The decision was made to abandon several segments of technology, as the gain from farm equipment was too small for the resources it would take to sustain it. With the abundance of food, and the promise of other settlements becoming self-reliant easily. The decision was made to awaken the second wave, and send them off to pre-selected points to start cities with access to different resources.
Gultham was first. Cut almost into the metal-rich Rock of the Mountain, just far enough from the river of the same name that it was safe from the yearly flooding. Simple boats were soon in service. Bringing fresh seafood to Gultham from Landing, and carrying ores and tools back. With the basic material needs of the colony met the third wave of sleepers was awakened.
The third wave was intended to take the raw primal cities from the first two waves and bring them together into a civilization with a modern technological base, and expand out. Some areas were to be put aside as national parks. Other areas were to be left in a primal state for those who were unhappy in 'safe' areas.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Several Scientists started looking into the cause of the 'gaia effect.' Their discovery was given the label: Magic.
In the year 50 A.L.(After Landing) Magic had been studied for twenty years. Several of the children who were studying it started complaining about having to memorize engineering as well as magic. Their point of view was that magic was so much better then technology, so why use anything else. The complaints were ignored, espicially as not many were really gifted magically. Over time a rift fromed between the Magic useres
(Sorcerers) and the technology supporters. Things became worse as it became apperent that those who reached a certain level of magical ability and training stopped aging.
By 150 A.L.the rift between the two sides became impossible to reconcile, and war broke out. The war lasted two hundred years. By the end of it, technology was all but removed from Eforviah. The last Working piece of technology was the remains of Wanderlust. The sorcerers had decided to leave it intact as everyone was told that there was one more wave of colonists that were supposed to arrive. The Sorcerers didn't want to kill anyone. But they weren't able to even find this fourth wave, let alone wake them up.
350 A.L. The war is over, but several areas are devistated by the war. The discovery that Mana seems to have a minor ability to change animals is ten years old. A group of people decide to try to change themselves. They take over Gultham City and dig deeper into the mountain. Metal and Stone are their chosen trade, under the mountain their chosen home. Due to the difficulty of digging large homes Shorter people have an easier time.
They will themselves to fit their chosen place, and others start to call the stunted peoples the Dwarves.
The Sorcerers split, each developing their magical talents the way they prefer. Several Stay to seveal basic spells and abilities. only expanding them after careful consideration. These keep their titles of Sorcerers, though they rarely spend enough time practicing their elemental magics to reach true immortality.
The outcast Sorcerers revel in the elemental magics. The elements are easily linked with healing, and healing immortality. With their immortality comes vanity, so part of their energies are directed toward beatifying themselves and their children. A child born from the womb of a magic user is more likely to be magically gifted. At the heights in old forests, and near natural wonders elemental magics are easier to use. The Elves take advantage with Cities that never touch the ground, or leave the veiwer breathless from wonder.
The source of mana on Eforviah has yet to be discovered. It is now 750 A.L. a celebration marking two hundred years of peace is being held in landing. Part of the festivities includes a tour of Wanderlust for visiting dignitaries. The ship was still functional, though no one knew how. Ignored for 400 years, there were many active sections. During the tour People were discovered in growth tubes, the fourth wave of colonists.
You are one of those, though that privilege will be rescinded should you kill anyone. With samples of 'Elven' and 'Dwarven' DNA the fourth wave will contain both, as well as standard 'human's.
*end opening movie*
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Authors notes:
Okay, hope you're hyped, it'll only take me two years to put up the next chapter... probably... I do get inspired by the writing of others, so it might take me less. I will be allowing people to make characters and playing a game with them. I'll also have a thread for suggestions (especially names I'm terrible with names.)
Worldbuilding is what I really enjoy, and this is the game I'd like to play. My main char is kinda an upgraded me, though I'm keeping most of my faults. Next update is more background, then: Chapter 1 - character creation.
Which will include some wandering around landing...