Antediluvian World

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The Antediluvian World is a catch-all label used to refer to society and events prior to The Collapse. The term Mythic Age is also used to describe this period, although mostly only in combination with the term Dark Age, which refers to the period during and directly following the Collapse. The Antediluvian World was characterized by extensive use of powerful magic in all aspects of life and society, a direct connection to Halla, the presence of extremely powerful gods and mages, and large-scale exploration and colonization of the Vira Star System.


History[edit | edit source]

Discovery and colonization[edit | edit source]

It is believed that the inhabitants of Halla (Hallans) discovered the dimension of Viranos, through unknown means, in roughly 6000 BCE. Folk history and testimony from various stranded gods holds that this sort of inter-dimensional exploration was somewhat common for Hallans. Viranos's universe was among the more mundane discovered, and thus did not garner much interest from them. Nevertheless, the charting and colonization of the planet Viranos began, albeit slowly. It is known that Viranos was seen as a "backwater" to Hallans, hindering rapid exploration and exploitation, and often used as a "dumping grounds" for "undesirable" groups and individuals from Halla, such as criminals, rebels, and even political rivals. The fact that antediluvian Viranos, even at its peak, was seen as primitive to many Hallans suggests that the civilizations of pre-Collapse Halla were of a scale and sophistication largely incomprehensible to modern Virans. Despite this, colonization reached far from Viranos, with the farthest confirmed evidence of pre-Collapse civilization from the star Vira being found on the moon Carcosa orbiting Rhogaz.

During this colonization phase, gods from Halla were known to create new species of creatures, sometimes "uplifting" existing animals or plants or sometimes creating new beings from scratch. It is believed the all extant sapient races of Viranos were, at some point, either created or significantly influenced by pre-collapse Hallans.

The Collapse[edit | edit source]

See main article: The Collapse.



Magic and gods[edit | edit source]

Due to this open connection to Halla, magic was significantly more powerful than it is today, being used extensively to build cities, grow crops, wage war, and for innumerable other purposes. Using their sheer magical power, gods were able to terraform entire swaths of the planet and build immense projects which dwarf anything accomplished since. However, since the Collapse, evidence of most of these accomplishments has been buried or destroyed, and magic levels have plummeted to the point where most stranded gods simply resemble very powerful mages.


Ruins and artifacts[edit | edit source]

Antediluvian ruins found deep in the Ainxu Mountains in northern Shrivala.

See main article: Antediluvian ruins and artifacts.

Significant ruins from the antediluvian world remain throughout the Vira system, but few offer useful insight into pre-Collapse society, culture, technology, or magic. When they have not fallen into disrepair, they appear to abide by preternatural rules which defy modern science. When these ruins are deemed to be harmless and not contain anything of interest, they have often been rebuilt and inhabited by new Viran populations if they are in areas suitable to long-term settlement.

Artifacts with powerful magical properties are also known to surface occasionally, and are often requisitioned by state governments and other powerful actors. These artifacts usually create magical effects well beyond what most conventional mages or Viran-made enchantment could accomplish.