History!! So far...

At one time the world was innocent and practically perfect. All the species of the world, large and small, lived in peaceful harmony among rich forests, wide open plains, clear clean waters, and tall snow-capped mountains. Magic and machinery worked together, hand-in-hand, without a break between the two. In this ancient time machinery was made to enhance magic and magic made to enhance machinery. This time was abundant and lasted for nearly 10,000 years. Nearly.

In a smallish city a young man named Nikola created a science project for his advanced school graduation grade. This project was to send him into the university of his choice, the top school in the biggest city in all the world, Alys Metro Collegium. He had been working towards this moment since his primary science class exactly ten years previous. Nikola called his creation the Oscillating Atmospheric Conduit. Basically, a way to power even the most rural areas with a stream of energy from a central source without using wires. Citing many of his forebears in the field, Nikola demonstrated with calculations down to the last number that his creation would work without causing harm to anyone or anything. Gods forbid he manage to harm the paint job in the school's freshly built gymnasium. Surrounded by family, friends, and a cadre of beaming professors Nikola put on his reading glasses and reached casually to the side to flip the switch that would make his power system remotely power several small towns where his cohorts were waiting with their recieving equipment. Once they had sent messages through radio contact that the project was a success, Nikola would open a bottle of sparkling wine tucked in his knapsack for this occasion.

At first it seemed as if nothing had happened. Nikola had, of course, accounted for the seeming downtime in his calculations. The power had to have a moment to build before it went out over the conduits his machine was creating in front of everyone's eager eyes. For it was widely known that young Nikola could change everything they know about energy dispensation and generation with this one machine. Money men watched salivating, scholars watched with pencils poised over notepads, his peers watched with admiration tinged with a sneer of mocking humor (everyone both loved and hated the strange aloof geek). Nikola could almost taste his sparkling wine even as he skimmed the crowd with a smile of exuberance frozen on his face. The machine began to give off a soft whine that became louder as time progressed. After a few moments some had to put items down to place hands over their ears. Nikola plugged his with a pair of little foam stoppers he'd placed in his pocket for just this occasion. The young man chuckled without making a sound and lifted his finger to indicate when the humming would stop and the action would begin.

And then all hell broke loose. The machine, instead of powering up gradually, sent intense beams of pure energy along it's self made conduits, burning holes in the building and several of the people who were standing in the way. All around the oscillating machine the air began to waver and wobble, turning a shadowed color and then blinking into bright intensity. The crowd began to screech and scramble for the exits while young Nikola stared into his creation. Just as the sounds died down and the building was flickering into non-existence, came a sigh and a soft whisper from young Nikola,

"Balls."

The world was cut in half that day. Not in half physically, but dimensionally. The machine that Nikola had powered cut massive holes in the fabric of time itself. Almost every machine known to exist was blown to pieces and many millions of people lost their lives in the resulting backlash. Since nature abhors a vaccuum, many areas that simply ceased to exist filled in with crushing swiftness, killing everything in the way in the process. A great mountain range rose even while the energy ripped through the atmosphere and destroyed anything that wasn't somehow protected. On the other side of the planet entire cities were laid barren, wiped off the map in a fraction of a second. Nikola was from that day forward given the sad moniker: Nikola the Destroyer. Great and small rifts opened up in the fabric of reality, connecting the two seperated dimensions in places where the energy build up was the greatest.

In time the world repopulated and Nikola the Destroyer was forgotten by most all except the most dusty of ancient researchers. Eventually even the rifts themselves were, for the most part, forgotten by normal folk. So few people living there were to be interested in them. The Oscillating Atmospheric Conduit and it's creator were forgotten in the dark mists of time as the two worlds began to go their seperate ways. Only those who have gleaned the truth from ancient writings, dusty hints, and sparse clues have figured out the truth of Nikola the Destroyer. And their ideas were attributed to a variety of brain illnesses and demonic posessions. As the people of the world began to repopulate their planet on both sides of these rifts it became harder and harder to avoid them and what they could mean for the future.

In one world the original magic never wavered. It has become stronger over time with the addition of strange mixed species along with the hardy humans of the world. Ancient races preferred this side of the rifts and live here almost exclusively. Machines are few and far between. Beyond the basics of water pumps and indoor plumbing machines have taken a backseat to the workings of magic and medieval technology. The world is separated into feifdoms and kingdoms, forests stand tall between them and any cities are well walled to keep out warring neighbors. The creatures here freely use what magic they have and even some humans have learned the ancient arts to aid their liege lords and ladies.

On the other side of the rifts, the mechanical world became more advanced. Although the people hesitated to take their machines beyond a certain level. Petroleum products were eschewed as somehow dirty or profane, the world tended to a cleaner way of life. Powering their various machines with electricity from giant windmills, ocean wave generators, dams, steam engines and from machines themselves working perpetually. The style froze on a sort of Victorian mindset with all it's velvet and fine mahogany, but the science continued to grow to send men to the moon in shining rocket ships. Skyscrapers abound in the many large cities, surrounded by masses of urban sprawl and suburbs that stretch over hundreds of miles in some cases. There are few villages that are cut off from modern science.

Between these two worlds are the rifts created by Nikola the Destroyer so far in the past that most have been grown over, built over, or simply forgotten in the wilds. A couple are used for nefarious or religious purpose, of course, but these are very well guarded by those that tend them. Upon coming across a rift you must ask yourself if you are ready to launch yourself into a world that may hold your doppelganger. Or perhaps a person you knew who has gone on one side and still exists on another. The dimensional change can be fairly life altering. Especially if one steps through into the Etherial.

See 'news theme' to get a synopsis of each realm.

See 'news species' to find out what species are allowed in each realm.

See 'news request' to find out how to request a character of your own.