Universe Proposal: Welcome to Armageddon

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Czernobog
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Universe Proposal: Welcome to Armageddon

Post by Czernobog »

Now presenting...

WELCOME TO ARMAGEDDON

The Players

Heaven, Humanity and Hell are, as you suspected, the big players here. But there's more than meets the eye to all three. God mysteriously vanished from Heaven just before the war broke out, and the Archangel Michael has taken over, his orders becoming increasingly deranged as humanity offers yet more resistance from his genocidal armies. The First Order of Archangels, the Seraphim, have been banished to Earth, and, it is rumoured, are covertly helping the humans. Perhaps this explains the increasing difficulty that Michael's legions are having on Earth?

The angels and demons wield magical powers, but the humans counteract this with guns and artillery, their favoured weapons.

The humans are stuck in the middle of it all. After New York fell to the Angelic hosts, they retreated to hastily-constructed fortress-arcologies called Sanctuaries, which are constantly under siege from both the angels and the demons. They are on constant guard against an unexpected intrusion, both by demonic infiltration or angelic invasion.

The demons are a mixed bag. There is constant infighting within their ranks, and Lucifer's position is that of little more than a figurehead, powerless and pathetic. Yet they are actually winning against the humans, particularly in Africa, which was badly devastated in the Catastrophe.

Even during this bloody war for Earth, there's trouble. The Archangel Azrael has vanished from Heaven, and set up his own little fiefdom in the Middle East. His motives are unknown as of yet, more and more Angels are betraying Michael and joining him, preferring Lord Azrael and his Tower of Angels to Michael and his Eternal Citadel. Azrael's attitude towards humans is ambivalent as of yet, but the war between humanity and Heaven might affect him, and he doesn't want to take any risks.

It is 2021, 9 years after the Catastrophe and the attack by Heaven and Hell. Humanity, represented by the New Terran Government, is on the edge of survival, fighting both the mad archangel Michael, who orders the extermination of the human race, and Lucifer, who plans to make humanity a servant race to his demons. The human race, trapped between these colossal powers, fights only for another day's survival. A thousand battles are fought every day, a hundred humans die every hour.

But they will not give up. They are fighting for their very survival, their very existence. And as usual, little things like morality are given up in war, and the New Terran Government is no exception. It's a police state, ruled by a military junta, but mankind has decided that it's better than existence or servitude. Better than death and slavery. There is no hope. There is no respite. There is only war.

Welcome to Armageddon, boys.
Last edited by Czernobog on Tue Jun 16, 2009 4:42 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Destructionator
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Re: Universe Proposal: Welcome to Armageddon

Post by Destructionator »

Kamin997 wrote: a hundred humans die every hour.
That's nothing!


But is this going to be a fantasy world with magic and such? Or a military-y world with guns and shit? Reading your description I see "battle royale" and little else in terms of what kind of setting it will actually be.
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Re: Universe Proposal: Welcome to Armageddon

Post by Czernobog »

Destructionator wrote:
Kamin997 wrote: a hundred humans die every hour.
That's nothing!


But is this going to be a fantasy world with magic and such? Or a military-y world with guns and shit? Reading your description I see "battle royale" and little else in terms of what kind of setting it will actually be.
The angels and demons will have magic, but the humans won't.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
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Re: Universe Proposal: Welcome to Armageddon

Post by Siege »

I gotta say, this very much reminds me of Mr. Slade's Armageddon universe, to which it bears an uncomfortably large resemblance. It's not quite the same, so I can't call it an outright rip-off, but before we proceed any further I would like to ask you to go into some more detail about the intricacies of this particular setting.
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Czernobog
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Re: Universe Proposal: Welcome to Armageddon

Post by Czernobog »

SiegeTank wrote:I gotta say, this very much reminds me of Mr. Slade's Armageddon universe, to which it bears an uncomfortably large resemblance. It's not quite the same, so I can't call it an outright rip-off, but before we proceed any further I would like to ask you to go into some more detail about the intricacies of this particular setting.
I'm not planning to rip off Armageddon, but I haven't fleshed out large parts of the setting, so I plan to go into the intricacies soon.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
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Re: Universe Proposal: Welcome to Armageddon

Post by Czernobog »

ANGELS
Dr. Daniel Smith


Angels are one of the primary species on Earth, Heaven and Hell, and by far the most arrogant. This article explores their biology, their history, their culture and notable members of their species.

Biology
Angels are a prime example of the strange process of convergent evolution: they have more (genetically) in common with us than chimps, and yet are astoundingly different. For one thing, they have white blood, clearly an effect of secondary pigments, and have feathered wings, allowing them to fly. An autopsy reveals more different and unknown features. For instance, angels have a binary vascular system, or in layman's terms, two hearts. Furthermore, there is also a respiratory bypass system in the body, enabling them to survive some chemical and biological agents. Also, there are symbiotic bacteria in the angelic bloodstream and a much stronger immune system, meaning that angels are practically immortal for all intents and purposes.

Angels also have an extra organ in the brain, not found in humans. This appears to be responsible for their reported psychic powers,for which there is a great amount of evidence, most often from reports of the higher ranked angels +++crossfile:Ophanim+++. Moreover, evidence from interrogations shows that the lower ranked angels either do not have these powers or are not trained in them, of which the latter is far more likely.

History

Much of angelic history is unknown, however my own research cross-referenced with data retrieved from interrogations displays a sketchy picture. Apparently, angelic society was divided along tribal lines, until the one they call 'the One above All', a mighty warrior-king, along with his lieutenant Michael, conquered Heaven.The One Above All then decreed that he be worshipped as a god by the angels, and they did so, spreading his word to all across their world. The angels then spread the One Above All's worship to humanity, performing seeming miracles with their psychic powers.

However, they eventually met their match - the demons. The demons had their own god-king - Lucifer, and the two powers naturally clashed. The angels had psychic powers, but the demons had their magic, and the two powers simply could not defeat each other without wiping each other out. This caused the feud to only intensify, until the One Above All disappeared and Michael took over. Then, he ordered the invasion of Earth and the War began.

Culture

Angelic society is divided into seven castes, or Orders:

Erelim are the Seventh Order of Angels - they are the serfs, the builders, the workers and labourers, as well as fighters in times of need.

Malachim are the Sixth Order of Angels - they are a warrior caste, and fight to protect Heaven from invaders as well as spearheading Heaven's attacks.

Cherubim are the Fifth Order - they are priests, worshipping the One Above All's glory.

Ophanim are the Fourth Order - they serve as battlefield commanders, while the Malachim and Erelim fight on the ground, Ophanim are tactical and strategic masters.

Elohim are the Third Order - they serve as high priests and preachers, living ascetic lives.

Ishim are the Second Order - they serve as generals, strategists and high commanders.

Seraphim or Archangels are the First Order - they used to serve as direct advisors to the One Above All, until the Archangel Michael had them banished to Earth. They are the most powerful and terrible of the angels, and many have carved out their own fiefdoms on Earth.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
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Re: Universe Proposal: Welcome to Armageddon

Post by Czernobog »

WORLD GEOGRAPHY

Africa was invaded by both the demons and the Seelie Court of Fae. The two massive armies are currently fighting each other, the war taking a heavy toll on humanity. Whoever wins, they lose.

The Middle East is a nuked-out wasteland, forming the south-western end of the Radiation Wastes, apart from Fortress Israel, which remains isolationist and unwilling to treat with the New Terran Government, at least for now. Turkey is also a bastion of humanity, relatively untouched by both the fallout clouds and the armies of the enemy.

Central Asia was the staging ground for Michael's armies in the early stages of the war. Now it's a radioactive wasteland reaching as far as China.

China is devastated. The land, once fertile, is now a desert fading into the Radiation Wastes. The forests of south China have been cut down to serve as farmland, but even that is rapidly dwindling. The rivers of China are now radioactive sludge. Frankly, it's doomed.

Japan is surviving and even prospering. Having annexed Korea after the main Angelic attack almost depopulated it, and being one of the first nations to sign the World Government Treaty, things are looking up somewhat.

India and the surrounding area has fallen to the Seelie. It has been devastated by years of war as soldiers of the New Terran Government have bravely tried to reclaim it, but to no avail.

North America is under a 'nuclear autumn' caused by the nuclear weapons used in the war, and also the iron fist of General Slade, American Marshall-General. A pragmatic man, General Slade has forced the people into Sanctuaries built under the ruins of the old cities, and is a keen proponent of the use of nuclear weapons, despite the damage they have already caused.

Britain has followed America's lead and retreated into Sanctuaries, along with the rest of Western Europe. A system of defences is also being built up, which will make 'Fortress Britain' truly impregnable.

Russia fell to the Unseelie Court five years into the war, although the Moscow Sanctuary was never discovered by them, as well as a multitude of nuclear silos and bunker systems. It's now more of a remnant than a nation however, and its population is rapidly dwindling.

Western Europe fled into the Sanctuaries along with Britain and America, and is one of the world's main producers of food.

Australia has survived the war so far, and is one of the few regions with a population that lives under the sky. It has suffered little angelic or demonic attack, and is a utopia compared with the rest of the world.

South America has been devastated by the Seelie, and the fighting in Africa has spread over there, resulting in the burning of the Amazon rainforest. It's almost totally depopulated of humans.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
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And we shall do so again.
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Re: Universe Proposal: Welcome to Armageddon

Post by Czernobog »

THE FAE
Dr. Daniel Smith

BIOLOGY

Biologically, the Fae are quite different from humans - for one thing, the presence of ferromagnetic materials damages their senses, as they have a sixth sense - an electromagnetic one.The few dissections performed on them revealed three striking differences - first, the node for the electromagnetic sense in the brain, second, vestigial wings, which indicate that they could once fly, and third, bio-electric generators in the body, which allows them to discharge lightning or shock with a touch. It is their psychology where their most obvious differences are. The Fae see themselves as perfect - a thing which also occurs to the Angels, although the latter case is probably cultural instead of biological. Furthermore, they have a deep instinctual impulse called 'the bloodlust' - a need to prove themselves superior, to dominate lesser beings. Unfortunately for us, they see all other beings as those lesser beings.

They also have the capability to work 'glamour', a way of, say, hypnotising the universe, allowing them to perform seemingly magical effects. Essentially, the Fae can change reality around themselves, warping it to perform various effects.

History

The Fae are thought to have originated on our world as a separate subspecies of humans, and then been driven into a parallel reality, known only as Gramarye. This parallel reality evolved in a completely different way from our world, and has a different geometry and laws of physics, making it seem alien and dreamlike to our eyes. That the Fae adapted to that world is obvious - the way they seem to move in slow motion for instance, and their strange, alien psyche.

CULTURE

The Fae are divided into two main ethnic groups and Courts - Seelie and Unseelie. The Unseelie prefer cold climates and have silver hair, and the Seelie prefer the heat and have golden hair. This is essentially the only difference between the two kinds of Fae.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
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