As we have travelled a third of our journey, I’d like first congratulate you, who have made it this far. Word count-wise, this should be around the 90000 to 100000 mark (that’s a lot of words!)
To commemorate the occasion (and also to give myself more time to write), I have prepared a special chapter: THE WORLD OF 99 MOVES. (It was going to be THE WORLD OF THE GODDESS’S CHECKMATE IN 99 MOVES, but that was way too long). I’ll be doing similar chapters around the 66th Move (THE SOLDIERS OF 99 MOVES) and the 99th Move (THE TIMELINE OF 99 MOVES).
Now let’s dive right into the cosmology as well as the geography of the world!
IMAGINARY SPACE
To explain how everything in existence began, we first need to understand mana. To put it simply, mana is like a universe in itself, with infinite possibilities. A single molecule of mana can become an atom of gold, of diamond, become a black hole or even turn into energy.
The primordial universe is composed of an infinite amount of mana. As you can see, putting unstable particles of infinite possibilities together in infinite quantity is a recipe for disaster and so, we call this violent sea of possibilities the Imaginary Space. The spacetime in these areas is so messed up, nothing can survive here and that had been the case for an unknown amount of time.
That is until the atoms aligned perfectly into the form of a life-form which could survive the waves of the Imaginary Space. This creature would come to be known as the Heavenly Ruler by obscure ancient religions before the Goddess. The Heavenly Ruler spent trillions of years searching for its own kind with no success. It would come to learn the nature of mana and reality, learning that there was no order, no purpose, no meaning. Therefore, it created the Plane of Existence, an area quarantined within the imaginary space with true matter within. True matter would be things like wood and air, just everyday atoms with finite potential. The true matter helped stabilize the universe and the Heavenly Ruler tried its best to stop the mana from leaking inside this zone, to inconsistent success.
PLANE OF EXISTENCE AND SUBSPACES
Now that he had stable matter, the Plane of Existence became the Heavenly Ruler’s playground. He created the first stars and planets, galaxies and black holes. However, he still felt something was missing and created life on various planets, spreading the seed of life across the universe.
After billions of years of developing the universe, it was finally time to develop life itself. In the process, the Heavenly Ruler realized that life, in the end, was no different than a star or a comet, just living out its cycle in a monotonic fashion. To differentiate life from other types of existence, the Heavenly ruler created the first subspace, a space similar to the Plane of Existence, but existing as a space beneath the Plane of Existence, as its support.
The subspace was the Psyche, which kept track of the soul and mind of every creature in the universe, allowing life to become more unique with individual souls. The Heavenly Ruler began loving his creations. They were no long just a source of entertainment but like its children.
Therefore, the Heavenly Ruler created the Abstract, another subspace to record and keep track of all information in the universe so nothing would be lost. The Abstract helped create a system of order within the Plane of Existence, keeping track of the mana level, of different species and even the conditions of each member of said species. No memories would be lost.
Finally, the Heavenly ruler created the Narrative, the final subspace which steered all creatures and matter in a way that preserved the universe for the longest time. This was done due to the Heavenly Ruler’s realization that the Plane of Existence would not last forever, the seeping mana slowly introducing more and more energy and matter into the universe as mana until everything would end in the heat death of the universe. While it could always create new universes, the Heavenly Ruler wanted them to survive for as long as possible, with the Narrative influencing everything in order to achieve that goal according to its calculations.
ELYSIUM AND HADES
While the Heavenly Ruler was satisfied with his masterwork, he still did not fulfill his original goal of finding others like it. So far, even the most intelligent species understood his existence, preferring to live in their small little worlds instead. Therefore, he created Gods and Goddesses as well as other divine beings. They were the middle point between the Heavenly Ruler and the average mortal. The Heavenly Ruler hoped that they would be the key to bridging the mortals with the Heavenly Ruler. He put multiple divine creatures on all planets with life forms for them to compete and for the best god to emerge victorious with full control of the planet. The victor would then connect the planet to the Heavenly Ruler, essentially ascending the civilizations to a new level.
He created Elysium and Hades to store mana to supply the divine creatures such as angels and demons who supported the gods and goddesses as well as the gods and goddesses themselves. The two realms were diluted versions of the Imaginary Space, containing vast amounts of pure mana, though in much less density lest the full might of the Imaginary Space destroy the divine creatures.
The reason they were two separate realms was to see which method of governance was better. The Elysium contained angels, beings with practically no personality until you attached a mission to them, making them great servants. The Gods and Goddesses who aligned with Elysium often prioritized order and efficiency. The Hades on the other hand had demons, each of them having a unique personality and free will, doing as they pleased. The Hades were for Gods and Goddesses who wished to live with the people rather than to rule them, to hold freedom and the chaotic nature of life above all else. Gods of both alignments tended to be mixed bags, though the Heavenly Ruler believed its plan worked well, creating many civilizations that connected with him successfully.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
This is the period of time in which the planet with the heroes and the demon lords exists. It has yet to reach ascension as the God and the Goddess continue to battle for dominance in a universal game. Though perhaps they are not the only players on the planet…
[https://i.imgur.com/Ys5VftZ.jpg]
THE SOL-AEGIS
The planet is called Sol-Aegis by many, though some nations call it Terra or just Aegis. This beautiful planet is teeming with both carbon-based life as well as mana-based life. Only around a third of the world has been explored by intelligent creatures, the rest is a mystery to all. There are also many nations that have never been contacted by either Sonosis, Avangarden or Championnat. The geography of the planet is complex and diverse, but the nations and cultures are even more so.
(Excerpt from 28th Move - Road to Championnat):
“Shiryu. It was a kingdom far east, with a long shore famous for its sea life. They were very different from what was known as the Western Sphere, encompassing Britomart, Championnat, Sonosis and of course Avangarden. On the other hand, the Eastern Sphere is composed of the Nomadic Giants, Zeross Theocracy - also known as the Dwarven Kingdom, the mysterious land of frost giants and finally, the Kingdom of Shiryu. Orchestra knew that the list was not complete, that there were more people and kingdoms out there yet unreached. The Eastern and Western Spheres are connected through the land, the Zeross Theocracy lying between the two continents. Sonosis was the entrance to another continent of its own, rumoured to contain hellish landscape including volcanoes, geysers and natural fire pits. Avangarden lay in the middle of the Western Sphere, Britomart to its north, Championnat to its west, Sonosis to its south, Zeross to its east, Nomadic giants further east and Shiryu being the furthest east recorded. It was easy to travel to the east but it was a different story to travel west. Beyond Championnat lay the turbulent sea, stretching for eternity, no sailor returning from its depths. Even the aircraft of the current era did not seem to be able to cross the ocean.”
(Author’s Note: The world is actually based on the world map in real life. Use this information however you’d like)
WESTERN CIRCLE
(This is an incomplete list, only covering nations revealed so far)
Avangarden: Of course, we have our nation of heroes, Avangarden. Avangarden is famous for its magecraft as well as its state religion of the Church. Their exports include agriculture as well as magecraft items such as charms and enchanted equipment. The nation is also famous for its great social systems as well as its adventurer’s guilds. It is one of the two nations chosen by Gods to herald their mission for planetary domination. Inspired by mainland Europe as well as modern Europe.
Sonosis: As the nation of the demon lords, the country mirrors Avangarden in many ways. Sonosis is known for its high-grade weapon smithing as well as its diversity. Their following of God is not as strong as Avangarden, even with a state religion. Their exports include mined materials as well as weaponry. The nation has been in a perpetual state of social instability, with social issues of overcrowding of orphanages as well as the concentration of population in the capital. The capital itself is located beneath a permanent cloud which shields it from the harsh sun, but most of the nation is inhabitable to most species as volcanic areas and deserts. The other nation heralding a God. Inspired by Northern Africa, the Mediterranean as well as medieval Europe.
Championnat: The nation of Elves, though many other forest species also call this nation home. The second most technologically advanced nation behind Zeross. They do not serve any gods, though their proximity to Sonosis and Avangarden usually leads them to align with one another. Main exports include technology and tourism. Usually having problems with corruption. Inspired by France, the United States of America, and modern North America.
Britomart: Not much is known about this nation other than the fact that it is ruled by dragons. However, the dragons of this nation tend to be highly intelligent, which is how they achieved their national status. Highly xenophobic, which is why no one had managed to enter the country for the last century. Inspired by the United Kingdom and European legends.
[https://i.imgur.com/KGj2eTm.jpg]
EASTERN CIRCLE
Zeross: The nation of technologically advanced dwarfs. Though they are not supported by any divine god, they still worship one, calling themself a theocracy. The nation actually lies between the Western and Eastern Circle, sometimes categorized as both. This makes them one of the only ways to cross over to the other circle. Rumours have it that the dwarves have advanced technology so much that they’ve abandoned their Dwarvity… Inspired by Scandinavian regions, Eastern Europe, and Norse Mythology.
Nomadic Giants: A simple nation of roaming giants. They usually live in families and tend to gigantic sheep and ride gigantic horses. Sometimes you will find a supergiant with their head poking over the clouds. Each family has their own problems, but they tend to keep to themselves and live peacefully. Though their past history tells another story… Inspired by Mongolia and nomadic tribes.
Land of Frost Giants: Similar to the Nomadic Giants, they have evolved and managed to fortify an actual nation within the cold northern regions above the Nomadic Giants. They prioritize their secrecy and no one knows what’s conspiring behind the closed gate doors… Inspired by Russia, USSR, and Norse mythology.
Shiryu: The land of the far east. They are almost on the opposite side of the globe from Avangarden, so not much is known about them. There exist many kingdoms around the area, with Shiryu being the most dominant. There are constant wars and civil wars, the casualty in the millions yearly. The royalties have declared themselves god, and the bloodiest war is boiling beneath the kingdom… Inspired by Korea, Japan, China, and their mythologies,
Farther Beyond: Beyond the turbulent sea along the coasts of Championnat, there is sure to be something out there…
Now, we could get to an even lower level and look at cities, but this should suffice for this issue of ‘ANALASYS BOARD’. The world will continue to develop as the heroes and the demon lords explore the planet and perhaps even beyond.
Again, thank you for making it this far and get excited about the next part: Part 6 - Divine Intervention!