Episode 0: How it all Began

Date: ???

Location: ???

Our story begins at the beginning (a shocker, I know. Not the very, very beginning, just the beginning of the tower itself. It all started on a planet called Tezubon. It wasn’t a peaceful place. It frequently teetered on the edge of oblivion as the dragons that called it home engaged in unending wars to prove the supremacy of their respective tribes. As the fields ran red with blood it became clear the fighting would never truly stop until only one tribe remained.

The great northern star, Seruverse, looked on in sorrow. Its blazing heart mourned the loss of the many lives cut short and the stories left untold. Alas there was nothing it could do. The One Beyond the Stars had forbidden all stars from intervening in the lives of other species. At least…He had until now.

An angel came to the star carrying a message. “This world and many others are coming to an end, but it is not yet time for their destined end. I shall give thee and the suns that provide the worlds with light and warmth the authority to build a new home for those that remain. Do not completely separate them from each other. Each world will need the knowledge the others possess to thrive and avoid their self-inflicted destruction”

With the assistance of Rastaban, the sun of Tezubon, Sylvanis, the sun of Feywildyr, and Solus, the sun of Azathoth, Seruverse did as The Lord, Our God willed. Space was warped to create a tower that was impossibly large in size. The apocalyptic worlds were split apart and reassembled to form the first 3 floors of the great tower, each bearing the same name as the planets they used to be. The floors were Tezubon, Feywildyr, and Azathoth. An additional floor, Psykastra, was created from the excess fragments and wandering asteroids to create a domain for Seruverse and the aeonborne (more on them later).

In order to prevent past mistakes from being repeated, Sylvanis and Solus dulled the memories of those that now dwelled within the tower. The panic caused from being in a new environment combined with everyone’s foggy memories sparked a new wave of comradery. There was no longer time for apathetic revelry, wars of supremacy, or delving into forbidden arts. The old ways had to be suspended for a time as all faced the threat of extinction as the increased density of magic caused nature to rage and cities to crumble.

Rastaban was unsatisfied by this, and remained unconvinced that this peace could last. It took the old memories and the echoes of shed blood that cried out for vengeance and weaved them together to form mindless beings known as remnants. Their sole purpose was to serve as a reminder that the old ways only brought death and ruin.

The stage, however, remained incomplete, and the playing field remained as uneven as a field of termite mounds. The worlds were all at different levels of development, and that would only get worse as more and more worlds were incorporated into the tower. Solus presented a solution to the problem. It proposed the creation of the Window of Unification. The window, more commonly known as the system or status screen, awakened the innate ability all creatures had to perform magic. It also allowed spells to be bound to it, cast through it, and empowered by it. The amount of time it took someone to be trained in their chosen magical art was reduced significantly, and the rebuilding worlds had a much needed new surge of casters to assist with construction and defense.

A limit was placed on how many spells and magic effects a creature could register to or empower through the system per level. Only one spell could be registered or empowered through the system per level, and only one of the 8 core empowerment sigils (more commonly known as stats) could be empowered per level. Levels were gained by challenging oneself, so the strong were disincentivized from picking on the weak to gain more levels. Spikes in power also came much slower. Sure anyone could become a walking war machine after learning a few attack spells, but min-maxing is a luxury most nobles can't even afford. The average creature has to diversify the spells they learn and register. Being able to shoot a boar with a 10th rank bolt of lightning might keep you safe and fed, but being able to cast a 4th rank lightning bolt, 1st rank purification, 2nd rank wall of stone, 1nd rank fire sigil, and 2st rank preservation would allow one to live a much more comfortable life. A jack of all trades might be a master of none, but they're often more useful than a master of one.

The stars conceded that the stage they’d been tasked to create was as good as they could make it before they resumed their role as spectators. A new age began for those that now dwelled within the tower. It was far from sunshine and rainbows, but people worked well enough together. Knowledge was pooled and magic items greatly increased in sophistication and usefulness. The fact preexisting countries started to collapse from fractured borders, and currencies started losing value since anyone could learn how to conjure gold and gems certainly assisted in the mass trauma bonding.

Around 226 years have passed since the tower was forged. Cities have burned, ideologies have clashed, there were the knights that hunted beasts that proclaimed themselves to be gods, a lord that staged heights to keep embarrassing secrets, a dragonlord that sought to control the entire tower, a library dedicated to holding the world’s knowledge, a man that devoured an invincible king, and A man named Dave who lost his arm. But all of those will be stories for other days. For now, our paths separate once more. Until they cross once more I suggest you avoid crazed old men wrapped in maple leaves. Their financial advice is horrible (and they smell).