History: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 07:47, 16 July 2024

Nodd has a long history, which seems to shift and waver the further back into the past one looks. Much like traveling into the Abyss, the further one goes the less certain things are - Even literature from times of yore is likely to hold paradoxical contradictions.

In the Beginning

Among the most consistent facts are that gloam was not as commonly manipulated in the past, and true understanding of magic was rare - most things were done the hard way. Mages were uncommon, often both famous and feared. Resurrection was reserved for the most important of individuals, possible only in the most ideal circumstances, and not guaranteed to work even then. Insiders were less varied. The various chaotic events that happened throughout the City were seen as either gifts or curses, depending.

Controlling Chaos

In Nodd's early history, the most popular theory for the strange chaotic events was a simple one - whenever there was an excess of order, it would invite chaos to counteract it. The pattern held true at many scales, from a single person to even the City as a whole. Magic of the time involved directing these swells of chaos to accomplish a desired effect.

The Council of the time began a myriad of experiments into the nature of chaos, seeking methods to understand and control it. The exact details of many of these experiments remain shrouded in mystery, as well as their outcomes. All that is known is that one fateful experiment changed everything - The Night of the Mothertoad.

The Night of the Mothertoad

The exact details of the experiment which preceded this event are not widely known, only that it involved subjecting a mere mephitoad to a concentrated amount of chaos. The mephitoad underwent acute corruption, becoming sentient and beginning to grow and assimilate anything it touched. It broke free of it's containment and began to take over the City - spawning corrupted mephitoads, absorbing citizens and changing the cityscape as it went.

The event led to widespread panic. Many citizens fought to defend themselves, though just as many were entranced by the sight of the recently assimilated, slack-jawed and blissful. Seeking to stop the rampage, the Council sought aid from the City's strongest mage, Illa Phasmere. In exchange, she was promised a position in the Council, to which she agreed.

Illa led her followers to battle, and ultimately proved victorious - albeit at the cost of a vast swathe of the City. Illa also underwent corruption due to the immense magical energies involved, changing her forever. Before the corrupt mephitoad was completely destroyed, however, the Council made it an offer to join their ranks - an offer it accepted, becoming one of the first citygods beside Illa and gaining the name of the Mothertoad. The two gained an innate understanding of the City's ways, becoming powerful cityspeakers.

The Council consulted with these two godly beings for guidance, seeking their understanding of the City to aid in controlling its chaos. Shortly after, they would found the first two of Nodd's houses. Illa founded the house of death, Umbrasia, while the Mothertoad founded the house of life, Vivira.

The formation of these houses led to an increase in the prevalence and skill of mages, as they could work and train alongside those of similar philosophies. Seeing the success of this system, the Council began to experiment on further theories, one of which led to the creation of the GodGrinder.

GodGrinder

The GodGrinder was a tournament of death matches hosted by the Council, with the ultimate prize of being made a citygod. Many mages entered, and hundreds of lives were lost during the tournament itself until there were only two contestants remaining - Filo Rooke and Mercian Vetch.

The two fought, but eventually Mercian stood, her face mutilated by one of Filo's attacks. As a lehlt such an injury was a severe one for her - cosmetic magics are famously resisted by lehlts, who require the envy of others to remain out of their wretched form. However, she was given the reward promised and became a citygod.

And yet to her horror the Council also resurrected and similarly empowered Filo, who had been left intact enough for the primitive resurrection magic of the time to function. With two more of Nodd's most powerful mages now in the Council's grasp, two more houses were founded - Mercian founding the house of flesh, Vorn, while Filo founded the house of mind, Psilysium. The City flourished yet further.

The Door of Knowledge

The next notable figure in Noddish history came from humble beginnings. The petrid named Quin Aven started life as a mere doorknocker, but never developed a proper body beyond his head. Most petrids are excised from their host building, but Quin refused as the process would likely kill him. Fortunately, despite being confined to life hanging off of a door, the mistress of the house was considerate enough to bring Quin texts to occupy his mind.

Over the years Quin's studies would rival those of preeminent scholars, particularly in the esoteric field of artifact creation - a field with very few practitioners at this point in history. As his prowess grew, he began to create wholly original tools and items, which he secretly shared with others. Eventually, Quin's work drew the attention of the Council, and the petrid - door included - was stolen away into the Spire.

The Conduit was built shortly afterwards, at the very top of the Spire. For his work, Quin was elevated to the role of citygod, founding the house of Control, Omnillian, constructing it's main citadel around his original building where he resides to this day.

With Quin's guidance, and the Spire's construction, Nodd entered a new era. With the Spire's aid in controlling Nodd's chaotic energy, resources became nearly endless. The City expanded in every way it could. Homes held the finest of furnishings, luxuries and excesses became commonplace. Technology and magic both flourished, and a myriad of methods were developed to control gloam. Citizens were encouraged to indulge to their heart's content.

The Morphoria Mystery

Nobody knows when or how the house of Change arose exactly. Pnura is the citygod of house Morphoria, but when, why, or how Pnura came to be is unknown. The exact date of when or the exact reason why Morphoria were founded differs depending on who you ask, with the only concrete agreement between historians being that Morphoria definitely did not exist in Nodd's beginning - it seemingly just happened to be there one day. Asking a Morphorian for the house's history is similarly unhelpful - they barely agree on what happened a few moments ago, let alone at the house's founding.

Present Day

Not long ago, the Council revealed there was a defect within the Conduit, leading to a gloam deficit. Citizens have had trouble with generating gloam, and chaotic acts are not giving the payout they once did. Fewer citizens are being resurrected, and a pervasive sense of unease lingers within the City.

Around this time, there were also the first signs of an unusual phenomenon - the appearance of unusual creatures unlike anything in Nodd appearing before the gates of the City, as if drawn from another world. The Council created the Court of Induction to examine and catalogue these creatures for their own ends, which soon became known as outsiders among Noddish citizenry.

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-The further back one delves, the less consistent the story - much like traveling away from the City. Even Noddish literature seems to contradict itself, painting a paradoxical picture of the past.
+Nodd has a long history, which seems to shift and waver the further back into the past one looks. Much like traveling into the [[The Abyss|Abyss]], the further one goes the less certain things are - Even literature from times of yore is likely to hold paradoxical contradictions.
-That being said, it seems consistent that gloam was not commonly manipulated in the beginning in the ways it is today. Most things were grown, bred, harvested, built, or brewed, and the anomalies that weren't easily accounted for were seen as gifts - or punishment - from the city. Mages were rare, and seen as very gifted if not otherworldly. Magic was much less nuanced, predictable, and powerful; in these times, a mage capable of summoning flames was something the entire city knew well - and feared. Only very important people were resurrected, and only if the corpse was relatively unscathed - and even then, this couldn’t be done reliably.
+====In the Beginning====
+Among the most consistent facts are that [[Gloam|gloam]] was not as commonly manipulated in the past, and true understanding of magic was rare - most things were done the hard way. Mages were uncommon, often both famous and feared. Resurrection was reserved for the most important of individuals, possible only in the most ideal circumstances, and not guaranteed to work even then. [[Insiders and Outsiders|Insiders]] were less varied. The various chaotic events that happened throughout the City were seen as either gifts or curses, depending.
-There were only insiders in the beginning, and they were less varied.
+====Controlling Chaos====
+In Nodd's early history, the most popular theory for the strange chaotic events was a simple one - whenever there was an excess of order, it would invite chaos to counteract it. The pattern held true at many scales, from a single person to even the City as a whole. Magic of the time involved directing these swells of chaos to accomplish a desired effect.
-Controlling Chaos
+[[The Council]] of the time began a myriad of experiments into the nature of chaos, seeking methods to understand and control it. The exact details of many of these experiments remain shrouded in mystery, as well as their outcomes. All that is known is that one fateful experiment changed everything - The Night of the Mothertoad.
-After countless bizarre events, it had long been suspected that excess order in Nodd leads to chaos to counteract it - any time things seemed to be operating as intended, something bizarre and horrific would take place. This pattern seemed to appear at any scale, from an individual’s life to the city as a whole. The rare, gifted mage was known for appearing able to avert these swells of chaos (or divert them onto others). The Council performed a series of experiments to try to determine the truth of these questionable legends, and if and how it can be controlled.
+====[[Night of the Mothertoad|The Night of the Mothertoad]]====
+The exact details of the experiment which preceded this event are not widely known, only that it involved subjecting a mere [[mephitoad]] to a concentrated amount of chaos. The mephitoad underwent [[Chaos and Corruption #Corruption|acute corruption]], becoming sentient and beginning to grow and assimilate anything it touched. It broke free of it's containment and began to take over the City - spawning corrupted mephitoads, absorbing citizens and changing the cityscape as it went.
-An unassuming mephitoad was the subject of these fateful experiments, the details of which remain a mystery to Nodd’s citizens to this day. All that is known is that the hypothesis was said to have been confirmed at this time, and the Night of the Mothertoad then ensued.
+The event led to widespread panic. Many citizens fought to defend themselves, though just as many were entranced by the sight of the recently assimilated, slack-jawed and blissful. Seeking to stop the rampage, the Council sought aid from the City's strongest mage, [[Illa Phasmere]]. In exchange, she was promised a position in the Council, to which she agreed.
-====[[The Night of the Mothertoad]]====
+Illa led her followers to battle, and ultimately proved victorious - albeit at the cost of a vast swathe of the City. Illa also underwent corruption due to the immense magical energies involved, changing her forever. Before the corrupt mephitoad was completely destroyed, however, the Council made it an offer to join their ranks - an offer it accepted, becoming one of the first [[Citygod|citygods]] beside Illa and gaining the name of [[The Mothertoad|the Mothertoad]]. The two gained an innate understanding of the City's ways, becoming powerful [[Cityspeaking|cityspeakers]].
-The concentrated chaos resulted in a corrupted [[mephitoad]] - something far more than what the Council could contain. The creature was now not only sapient, but a godlike, rapidly-spreading organism. It began to take over the city, its growing mass assimilating terrified citizens and spawning hundreds of partially-corrupted mephitoads. As it did, the city itself seemed to grow, new architecture erupting from the chaos-dense soil.
-The Council sought out the City’s most powerful mage, [[Illa Phasmere]], offering her a position in the council if she subdued the rampaging, rapidly-multiplying mephitoad.
+The Council consulted with these two godly beings for guidance, seeking their understanding of the City to aid in controlling its chaos. Shortly after, they would found the first two of Nodd's [[Factions|houses]]. Illa founded the house of [[Death Aspect|death]], [[House Umbrasia|Umbrasia]], while the Mothertoad founded the house of [[Life Aspect|life]], [[House Viviria|Vivira]].
-On this night, the citizens, too, were embroiled in a civil war - some were entranced by the prospect of being a part of something far greater, the promise of unending bliss groaning from the slack jaws of the freshly-assimilated. Others, less enchanted by the idea of being part of an ever-swelling sentient ooze, sought to fight for their individuality and freedom.
+The formation of these houses led to an increase in the prevalence and skill of mages, as they could work and train alongside those of similar philosophies. Seeing the success of this system, the Council began to experiment on further theories, one of which led to the creation of the [[GodGrinder]].
-Phasmere and her followers were able to destroy most of The Mothertoad - and much of the city, in the process. Before the mephitoad was entirely eradicated, it was offered power by the Council, which it accepted.
+====GodGrinder====
+The GodGrinder was a tournament of death matches hosted by the Council, with the ultimate prize of being made a citygod. Many mages entered, and hundreds of lives were lost during the tournament itself until there were only two contestants remaining - [[Filo Rooke]] and [[Mercian Vetch]].
-Illa Phasmere and The Mothertoad were now the Council’s two official [[cityspeakers]] - called the [[citygods]] - founding The [[House of Umbrasia]] and the [[House of Viviria]], respectively. The house of Viviria would represent life and corruption, whereas Umbrasia was to represent death and destruction.
+The two fought, but eventually Mercian stood, her face mutilated by one of Filo's attacks. As a [[lehlt]] such an injury was a severe one for her - cosmetic magics are famously resisted by lehlts, who require the envy of others to remain out of their wretched form. However, she was given the reward promised and became a citygod.
-Consulting the two godlike entities for guidance, the Council formulated new laws in an attempt to orchestrate a controlled chaos.
+And yet to her horror the Council also resurrected and similarly empowered Filo, who had been left intact enough for the primitive resurrection magic of the time to function. With two more of Nodd's most powerful mages now in the Council's grasp, two more houses were founded - Mercian founding the house of [[Flesh Aspect|flesh]], [[House Vorn|Vorn]], while Filo founded the house of [[Mind Aspect|mind]], [[House Psilysium|Psilysium]]. The City flourished yet further.
-The forming of the two houses seemed to yield a sudden increase in magic usage and prowess, as they brought together those of similar goals and views to further develop their skill.  This trend led to the theory that more belief would garner more energy, and GodGrinder was established as a sort of experiment.
-====[[GodGrinder]]====
-The Council announced a trial they called GodGrinder. This would be a death match tournament, and the victor would be made a Citygod, alongside Illa Phasmere and The Mothertoad.
-Mages trained and scrambled to empower themselves in various ways before the event.
-The trial lasted many sleeps, and hundreds of lives were lost. Finally, only two remained.
-[[Filo Rook]]e and [[Mercian Vetch]] fought, and Mercian won - at the cost of her face, mutilated in an arcane explosion. Such injuries are unusually crippling for Lehlts, who rely on the envy of others to remain beautiful - and are resistant to cosmetic magics as a result.
-The Council then made Mercian a Citygod. To her horror, they then resurrected Filo - whose body was mostly in tact and thus feasible to revive in this era - and made him a Citygod as well.
-With two more of Nodd's most powerful mages in the Council's grasp, the city grew.
 ====The Door of Knowledge====
+The next notable figure in Noddish history came from humble beginnings. The [[Petrid|petrid]] named [[Quin Aven]] started life as a mere doorknocker, but never developed a proper body beyond his head. Most petrids are excised from their host building, but Quin refused as the process would likely kill him. Fortunately, despite being confined to life hanging off of a door, the mistress of the house was considerate enough to bring Quin texts to occupy his mind.
-[[Quin Aven]] was a petrid - a gargoyle-like creature - whose entire consciousness was confined to the shape of a doorknocker.
+Over the years Quin's studies would rival those of preeminent scholars, particularly in the esoteric field of artifact creation - a field with very few practitioners at this point in history. As his prowess grew, he began to create wholly original tools and items, which he secretly shared with others. Eventually, Quin's work drew the attention of the Council, and the petrid - door included - was stolen away into the [[The Council Spire|Spire]].
-While most petrids are excised from their host building upon spawning, Quin refused this, as he had no viable body as most petrids do - excision would essentially mean decapitation. While decapitation seemed as though it could be no worse than his current circumstances, it certainly did not seem any better.
-Most doorknockers lack meaningful awareness, but Quin was not only aware, but an intellectual. His mistress - the house owner - would bring him books and scrolls to enrich and occupy his restless mind. Over years of poring over these arcane texts, he learned elaborate methods by which he was able create his own artifacts. He began relying less and less on the City's gifts - harvested and resold by the Council - and began making his own tools to use and share with others. While Quin wasn't the only one capable of doing this, it was a strange and complex art reserved for only the greatest minds in Nodd - and one that was generally kept secret, lest one's hobbies invoke the Council's wrath.
-Regardless of his secrecy, this very thing befell the poor petrid. Without warning or explanation, Quin was abducted for a mysterious new creation - now thought by many to be the Conduit itself.
-The Omnillian citadel was constructed around Quin's original building, which now only makes up the central chamber where Quin resides. The Conduit was installed at the top of the Council Spire shortly thereafter, and the City's resources became nearly endless. Nodd grew in size in every dimension. Homes became richly furnished, and poverty became nearly irrelevant.
+The [[Conduit]] was built shortly afterwards, at the very top of the Spire. For his work, Quin was elevated to the role of citygod, founding the house of [[Control Aspect|Control]], [[House Omnillian|Omnillian]], constructing it's main citadel around his original building where he resides to this day.
-Technology flourished, and formulae known as spells were developed in order to further control gloam.
+With Quin's guidance, and the Spire's construction, Nodd entered a new era. With the Spire's aid in controlling Nodd's chaotic energy, resources became nearly endless. The City expanded in every way it could. Homes held the finest of furnishings, luxuries and excesses became commonplace. Technology and magic both flourished, and a myriad of methods were developed to control gloam. Citizens were encouraged to indulge to their heart's content.
-Citizens were now increasingly encouraged to indulge, as they still are today.
 ====The [[Morphoria]] Mystery====
+Nobody knows when or how the house of [[Change Aspect|Change]] arose exactly. [[Pnura]] is the citygod of house [[Morphoria]], but when, why, or how Pnura came to be is unknown. The exact date of when or the exact reason why Morphoria were founded differs depending on who you ask, with the only concrete agreement between historians being that Morphoria definitely did not exist in Nodd's beginning - it seemingly just happened to be there one day. Asking a Morphorian for the house's history is similarly unhelpful - they barely agree on what happened a few moments ago, let alone at the house's founding.
-The last house, Morphoria, is perhaps one of Nodd's greatest mysteries.
-Nobody really seems to recall when or even why it was founded, and stories are only consistent in that they vary. One would assume this means the house is older than the others, but the stories surrounding Morphoria actually become less varied the further back you go - all anyone seems to agree on is that it definitely wasn't there in the beginning, while nobody in the house can quite fully agree on what happened a few moments ago.
 ====Present Day====
-The Council has recently announced a defect in the Conduit, resulting in a sudden deficit in gloam.
+Not long ago, the Council revealed there was a defect within the Conduit, leading to a gloam deficit. Citizens have had trouble with generating gloam, and chaotic acts are not giving the payout they once did. Fewer citizens are being resurrected, and a pervasive sense of unease lingers within the City.
-Citizens have begun to panic, increasingly unable to generate income through various acts of chaos. Fewer citizens are being resurrected. A state of unease grips the city.
-In addition, there has been talk of strange, otherworldly creatures known as outsiders appearing before the gates of the city. These beautiful creatures have attracted the interest of the Council, who has taken to calling them the Chosen Ones.
+Around this time, there were also the first signs of an unusual phenomenon - the appearance of unusual creatures unlike anything in Nodd appearing before the gates of the City, as if drawn from another world. The Council created the [[Minor Council#Court of Induction|Court of Induction]] to examine and catalogue these creatures for their own ends, which soon became known as [[Insiders and Outsiders|outsiders]] among Noddish citizenry.
 [[Category:Major Concept]]