Take an impossible stroll : Walk the streets of Myrelid
Crein ran and tumbled in the twists and turns of Adran's maze. He knew the place lack the back of his hands, he dashed through the urban meanders as soon as he learnt to walk. Kids like him were a valuable resource for all the gangs and smugglers of the area. Nimble, inconspicuous and expendable, they had also lower wages. He ended up working for the Long Sharks, a ragtag bunch of thugs and thieves who sent him on the most dangerous errands. This time might be it, though. They sent him on a job, to burglarize a rich mansion whose owner was never to be seen. Surely, heaps of riches awaited them here, by the silver cutlery alone! Alas, it was a bust. The place was far from abandoned, and the mysterious owner a mage. All the children scampered away, but Crein had the bright idea of stealing a single candlestick before fleeing, and the blazing fireball chased him in particular. There was no one behind him, he probably outpaced the fiery seekers or their range was limited. The street urchin slowed down a little, catching his breath but kept running. A golden rule when dealing with the militia and its devious tactics would certainly be helpful against a mage. He took a look behind just to be sure, and bumped against what felt like a steel wall. He fell backwards and his haul escaped his hand, falling into the void. The young boy lifted his head to see what the obstacle was. A tall figure, draped in a dark cape that gave it a certain majesty. The top of his face was hidden in the shadow of his hood, leaving only a dark Van Dyke beard to be visible. the body strapped in dark leather and green fabric forming a light armor and the simple but dreadful scepter in one hand left no room to doubt: the mage had caught up to him.
How all came to be
Hundreds of years ago, the Blessed Tide rampaged through the world, wiping out civilisations and shattering mountains. In the wake of its destruction, it left a gift: the boon of magic. One in a million individual was born with the possibility of bending reality to their will and began to reshape the world born anew.
For a time, magic was seen as a boon. Practitioners were councilors of kings and emperors, headmasters of prestigious universities and bricklayers of wonders. They were also wielders of catastrophes, unstoppable warmasters and scourge of their foes. Both revered and feared, mages had an undeniably special place in society.
Eventually, fear took over admiration. Relentlessly, the Inquisition built distrust toward mages, whispering of their ill intent in the ears of monarchs and powerful merchants. Where they showed reluctant to sever ties with the mightiest beings in existence, the people listened with rapt attention to the rumours. Inquisitors fanned the sparks of a conflict that soon ignited as multiple revolution erupted throughout the lands.
Life was a tough one, and the almighty mages were seemingly unable to improve the existence of the common folks, keeping their magic for the wealthy and highborns. After the downfall of the kingdoms of Revyon and Talie, the other rulers finally turned their back on mages and joined their voices to the accusations.
Dismal and betrayed, all of the world's mages except for 47 gathered at the peak of Mount Sullyman to decide of their course of action. By then, the entire world was against them and the inquisitorial witch hunters were set on erasing all traces of magic. For 54 days and nights, 2486 demigods debated.
If a significant number of them advocated for peace, the majority viewed humanity as it always had been: afraid of what it cannot understand, unreasonably envious and prone to destroy what it cannot control. They convinced the pacifists that this race was doomed if it didn't receive guidance from more advanced entities.
All thousands of them took flight, and for a year, death and calamity rained from the sky. Armies were swept by a sudden tornado while a poisonous fog extinguished fortresses in silence. One by one, the former rulers of the lands were deposed, their name thrown into the oubliette of history. The Inquisition itself was crushed, down to the last member, and the word branded with shame.
When there was no one to dare oppose their rule, a third of the population has been eradicated. The triumphant mages established themselves as the new leaders, giving pormises of peace, harmony and progress leading to a life devoid of hunger and poverty.
Alas, the almighty mages themselves were not free from disagreement and power struggle. Now that they were all bloodthirsty warmongers, consensus was a word that hurt their ears. As none agreed on the direction the world should take, it was collectively decided to split the world into 3025 fiefdoms of equal size, over which each of them would rule as they please as long as they don't trespass on another's territory. The unoccupied parcels were initially reserved for the next generation of mages, so that they would not have to fight to get a territory of their own, for a time.
As above...
The world is divided in thousands of territories, each built from the ground up by their initial master and expanded by their successors. As magic is limitless and pay no heeds to the constraints of physical laws, these territories are like minuscule worlds of their own, each vastly different from the others. As such, crossing the boundary between two fiefdoms is a hazardous process outside of the magecrafted portals.
Most places are designed to suit the tastes of the ruler, and many of them have the most lavish and splendid residence. Fostering technological development, a large number of these small countries collaborate on the scientific side and enjoy the benefits of modern technology like the internet, smart skyscrapers and flying half-tech-half-magic cars.
...So below
Some regions of the world don't benefit from the protection of a powerful mage. These areas, called Mageless, are left on their own with little outside help. Backwater villages stuck in the dark age with no better technology than swords and plowshares, most inhabitants don't even know that there exists a whole world of wonders beyond the walls of haze that surrounds them.
If leaving these zones is near impossible for native, entering them is easy for the technologically advanced societies. As such, they are often ground for magical and scientific experimentation without a care for living beings or the environment, their habitat scarred by wastes of all sorts.
The world is a forest whose buildings are trees
Throughout the years, mages took over and abandoned all parcels of land, building a sprawling megalopolis that never ends. Even spots of wilderness that seem untouched are carefully crafted, just like the fauna itself. No matter where one looks, there is always a megastructure hanging, sometimes destroyed or left to rot.
Main Concepts
Surrealism
Realism is a mere suggestion in Myrelid. From the visuals to the depictions of the environment, there will be little to bind to your comprehension of things. Gravity, flow of currents and concepts of top and bottom bend to the will of the nearest mage. In short, if something is not possible, it just means that nobody has thought of it. Yet.
Divine Oppression
Mages, despite being born humans, are godlike beings. Their word is golden, and they suffer no disobedience. While they erected amazing buildings and developed technologies unachievable by humanity in such a short time, their absolute rule is viewed by many as no different than tyranny, and a resistance movement arose from the embers of the Inquisition. They keep to the shadows, perfectly aware that their existence is bound to the ignorance of their omnipotent masters.
Anachronism
Many different eras coexist, even in a single area. Sometimes, mages only take care of a portion of their territory and intentionnally keep the rest in the dark. At other times, they simply prefer a rustic lifestyle and prevents their flock from improving their technology. This leads to situations where a horseback rider carries a message through the streets of a highly technological city, dodging hovercars and police drones, in order to get to a place where they have to swim in a breathable liquid to deliver their word.
Magical Dissensions
Mages, though often referred to as a collective, are very individualistic. Most of them chose to live alone or with a selected few humans, some going as far as to bar access to their home to other mages. There are a few, however, who accept to share their plot and form a congregation. Often lead by a single or a couple of mages, a congregation is a group of mages possessing one or more unified territories, sharing a common view. Such groups are a fertile ground for conflicts, and war between rival congregation is not uncommon, though always cataclysmic.
Story threads
Severed Stars
One night, Styleri Noze's stargazing session was cut short when no star showed up at all. The sky remained pitch black, though nothing was obfuscating his gaze. The young mage instinctively knew someone has messed with the night sky. He will find who that is and force them to turn back their mischief, even if it means leaving his newly aquired territory for several years.
Higher Ambitions
Jezebel Oryn swore it was no dream. She was, through the phantasmatic boundary of the world, a city so high in the sky it reached the clouds. In the ruins of the capital city Sebeka, most people live by the day, hoping to see the new dawn when they fall asleep. Jezebel yearns for more, for a life in which she doesn't have to work each day for her survival. Unlike those who called her a fool, she is determined to escape her condition.
Mortal Delusions
When Crein was caught red-handed by a mage, he thought that was the end of his short life. To his surprise, he was simply imprisoned instead of being executed on the spot. Even more unexpected, he was rescued in an impromptu prison break the same night. Instead of running away, the young thief turned back into the mage's mansion, resuming his heist. The truth he will uncover is likely to change his life forever.
Wow... It's empty
While I have no plan filling this world anytime soon, some articles may drop here and there. Stay tuned!
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This concept looks amazing, and the way you have crafted a legitimate lore as to how advanced and primitive technologies can coexist is wonderful! My only issue was that I found the first section a little difficult to read... I wasn't sure of the structure of your layout at first. However, once I figured it out, I was utterly enthralled! It's a shame that you have no plans for filling the world any time soon, but I very much hope to see more in it very soon.
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed the introduction that much! Honestly I... have no idea what I was going for with the layout here. Looking back, even I have no idea what the reading order is xD Thank you for pointing that out, I'll do some change to make it more readable.