The Age of Rediscovery

"Citizens and Peoples of Asgartha! It has now been twenty-four years since I stood before you in this very place. I then asked for your trust in granting me an extended mandate, all in order to realize an ambitious project of unprecedented scale.

As I gaze upon your faces and the city behind you, I cannot help but be moved by the journey we have traveled, the evolutions we—as a people, as a society—have had to undergo to have the privilege of standing here, in this place, at this moment.

Our five centuries of history have always been synonymous with trials and challenges, obstacles to overcome, all in the pursuit of survival.

The Ancients tell the tale of the Confluence, rolling in suddenly and without warning. In the moment before, humanity lived in a golden age now almost forgotten: ships connected the east to the northern expanses, the west to the southern edges; incredible machines powered by steam and gears were on the verge of taming the land, sea, forests, and mountain ranges... It was an age of wonders and marvels, an era of expansion and hope. But that was without accounting for the Aether. That was without counting on the imperceptible.

In a fraction of a second, the very fabric of reality tore open like a gaping jaw, unleashing an invisible hurricane that swept over human civilizations like a wolf on a house of straw. Thus, in pain and astonishment, humanity learned of the existence of the Empyrean, the realm of everything imagined since time immemorial; a dimension adjacent to ours but hitherto completely isolated. Thus, humanity discovered, in the same breath, the extent of its own ignorance, of its blindness...

Like a leaking gourd, the substance of the Empyrean—the Aether, composed of immaterial ideas—began to spill into reality. In doing so, it altered everything in its path, transmuting ecosystems, transforming beings and things uncontrollably. The ideas and concepts carried by the Aether currents began to superimpose themselves on the world, turning it upside down completely. These repeated cycles of transformation and destruction caused a planetary devastation of inconceivable violence.

Thus was born the Tumult, these destructive currents that have relentlessly pulled at us and continue to alter everything in their path to this day. Thus began the Age of Tumult, in chaos and turmoil.

No one knows exactly how long this dark period truly lasted. What we believe is that several generations succeeded each other after the Confluence, trying to survive against all odds in a world deeply upheaved, scarred, and disfigured... You must understand that our ancestors knew nothing of Alteration. They saw currents and flows of ideas pierce reality, imprinting erratically all around them on matter, on beings... They saw their loved ones turn into salt statues or trees, transform into birds or mounds of mud, parasitized by volatile ideas. Imagine the horror and madness they must have felt.

But don't they say that life always finds a way? How long did it take them to somewhat tame their new environment? What we know is that our ancestors embraced a life of wandering. They learned to detect the arrival of the Tumult, to read the winds and currents of reality before it surged. They then set out for still stable territories, to pockets of existence where they could take shelter. Today, we call them the Tumult Nomads, and it is thanks to them that humanity survived.

These nomadic tribes limited their numbers to be able to easily break camp when the situation demanded it. But that did not prevent them from crossing paths, sharing their knowledge, and experiences. Thus spread the knowledge of the existence of Oases: places stable enough to withstand the passage of the Tumult without being completely altered. Unfortunately, it was not possible to establish a permanent settlement there because when Tumult surged, humanity was defenseless, unlike the place itself.

But the Aether had a few more surprises in store for us. Wherever these communities stayed, something came to find them. Beings, consciousnesses, creatures of ideas that contacted us from the other side of the Veil... Those we call the Oneiroi, immortal, eternal, filled with millennia of wisdom for some. They had come to assist us, to allow us to survive, and ultimately to bring us together.

The Oneiroi offered us the secrets of Alteration: the ability to slightly modify reality and, like demiurges, shape the environment through the prism of our minds. Through this, they presented us with an alternative to perpetual wandering. Thanks to Alteration, we finally had a weapon to combat the Tumult. The Oneiroi reached out to numerous human enclaves to convince them to unite. East, west, north, and south. Their goal was clear: gather survivors and establish a new civilization, where humans and Oneiroi could collaborate to stabilize the universe.

This set in motion the Great Migrations. Eight major human tribes converged on the place that would later be named Asgartha, an Oasis large enough to accommodate all the allied communities. If one tribe decided not to stay, and another was lost to the Tumult before reaching its destination, the remaining six settled within the peninsula that was supposed to become their home, a new common starting point for the reunited humanity. Thus, a small colony was born, a new cradle that would eventually evolve into the glorious nation of Asgartha.

But, as we assess, we must also question the path we now wish to tread. To continue moving forward, we must substitute a new dream for the previous one; a dream as compelling, as galvanizing. Now that the security of our home is assured, it is time for us to turn our eyes outward, to the Tumult that continues to blow beyond our borders. With the strength that has propelled us thus far, we have a chance to control the currents of the Tumult, to tame them once and for all.

Our roots are anchored in travel, for we are the heirs of the Tumult Nomads. From their wanderings, we know that other Oases exist in the world, waiting to be reinforced. Our allies from the Empyrean believe that other Oneiroi surely await within the Terra Incognita, waiting to be found. And who knows? Perhaps there are other pockets of human civilization? Survivors, brothers and sisters, waiting to join us? Beyond our borders, there is still a world waiting to be rediscovered, filled with wonders and dangers.

For all these reasons, we have formed the Expeditionary Corps and called on all those who wish to join this undertaking, certainly the most ambitious in all our history. For over twenty years, the Bravos and the Ordis have trained a new generation of heroes and explorers. For over twenty years, the engineers of the Axiom have worked on machines that will facilitate our expeditions. The Yzmir Mages are not left behind, ready to study the unknown phenomena we will encounter on our journey. And on their part, the Lyra and the Muna have done everything to ensure that this adventure can evolve in total autonomy, far from the safety of our home.

All Factions have been invited to participate in this odyssey, and all have responded. In the footsteps of our greatest Argonauts, these heroes will have the tough task of venturing outside the Known World, unraveling the unfathomable mysteries of the Terra Incognita, and facing its perils. To hope to continue moving forward, we must step out of our comfort zone, beyond the limits of our habitat, and they are the vanguard that will propel us toward a new stage in our journey. Because our future undoubtedly lies in the distant horizon. That's where we must go fetch it!

If luck is on our side, we will find the source of the Tumult, to put an end to it once and for all! It is for this purpose that I solemnly proclaim the launch of the Rediscovery Endeavor, a grand project that directly follows our history, and defines a new milestone for our society. It is the realization of a dream and a rebirth, the awakening of a new destination, and the advent of a new era for all humanity! So onward. Set yourselves in motion. Let the horns sound to announce the beginning of the Age of Rediscovery!"