Vescrutia: Legacy

The Sun Eater Squall

-----In the depths of space, millions of light years from the universe's center, a great implosion of two massive stars created a powerful flux of hot and cold energy that began endlessly chasing each other. Through the ages, this cosmic storm became so powerful it began destroying other planets and stars, adding to its ferocity as it rampaged through the heavens. Eventually, the storm made its way to the center of all things, a place rich in naten, the cornerstone of all life. True to its nature, it began destroying many of the celestial bodies of the outer reaches of vescrutia's orbit. Mainly two stars with a heavy concentration of light and dark naten, forcing the storm to evolve. Those strong enough to resist it were beset with terrible days of scalding hot winds and sub-zero colds when it first did so but then would be saturated in vitality and life.

-----However, it was not greater than Vescrutia herself and made to heel. Vescrutia's peculiar gravity tamed the storm that had devoured entire nebulas. For a century, the planet's environment was sent array before the storm fully came to the mother's gravity. Its influence is reduced to a period when its effects impact certain parts of the planet instead of the whole. The impacted continent eventually became named Edo. While within her grip, the storm stretched as it was fed a steady supply of naten, reminiscent of a serpent, and it remained this way for untold ages until the first Astral Year, the birth of life on Vescrtuia, particularly Fae.

The Ouroboros Cluster

-----Through the eons, the sun-eater squall endlessly chased after itself, hot and cold, light and darkness. It eventually became a living entity, a serpent-like fae with two heads: Aphosis of Darkness and Zincara of Light. In this endless waltz, they studied Vescruti, this planet capable of holding them captive, each arriving at their conclusion for their existence. Aphosis witnessed a stone become a diamond under pressure and decided that all life was born from chaos and darkness and that difficulty would make the world strong, ensuring survival. The Light Serpent watched life return stronger after a fierce storm; Zincara concluded that life prospered by light and order. For ages, these celestial beings constantly struggled with each other, Aphosis and its desire to plunge the realms into darkness, and Zincara standing against it. However, these divine beings were born of the same source and thus held equal dominion and could not best the other. It seemed fated to be this way for all eternity, until the coming of the Second Astral year and the dawn of naten aware lifeforms like mankind and, with them, the power of Reverance.

The Pantheon Of Zen

-----Fae are aspects brought to life by esoteric means and do not possess atypical values. However, as mankind grew in number, so did the concept of morality; these created values revealed an innate trait of mortal kind, to draw on naten to manifest power fueled by their passions and ideals. They were also ignorant creatures new in their experience of the world, naming and creating deities of various natural phenomena. Waging war in the stars, the heavenly serpents' interference manifested in two cosmic events most visible to Vescrutian—named by the Edo natives. One is the "Unlit Dawn," for the light becomes faint and hollow, like a fading sunrise accompanied by blazing hot temperatures. Still, there is an unusual increase in naten potency; the other is the "Beryl Horizon," which becomes a dazzling array of blues. The light lowers the temperatures but invigorates the people and land, allowing for rejuvenated spirits and a bountiful harvest.

------As the Edo natives observed these occurrences, they began worshiping these phenomena, and through this ritualistic invoking, the twin snakes noticed they could be empowered; thus, the power of reverence was born. Aphosis was worshiped as a god of Chaos and its twin of Order. For many years since the discovery of this essence, both Aphosis and Zincara have had periods where they were the dominant force. Still, as mankind multiplied, their deals began to vary, and their understanding of Chaos and Order evolved. The heavenly serpents divided their influence to regulate the leverage of reverence, creating Djynn. From Chaos, Chikara; Djynn of Power, Nikushimi; Djynn of Hatred. Hakai, Djynn of Destruction, and finally, the youngest of them, Yashin: Djynn of Ambition. From Order, Kibo Djynn of Hope, Yuki; Djynn of Valor Masayoshi; Djynn of Justice; and Chie; Djynn of Wisdom.

And thus, the Patheon of Zen came to be.

The Clash Of Two Suns

-----Despite its initial growth, the many tales inspired by the pantheon still held Zincara and Aphosis at the root of all things, allowing them to monopolize the power of Reverence. However, through the ages, tales of the twin snakes faded as the triumphs and lore of the Djynn began to take present. Fearing its reign ending, Aphosis, in an attempt at a hostile takeover, devoured the other Djynn of Chaos, becoming a superior entity known as the "Black Sun."A giant four-headed serpent of immense power, which it used to seal Zincara and her Djynn away in an artifact it named the Godstone. Chaos reined on Edo for millennia as Aphosis's influence fanned the flames of war even hotter, ushering in an age known as the Sun Eater's Augury, a lawless time filled with darkness, bloodshed, and combat.

-----These times gave rise to the shinobi clans, sects of warriors trained in stealth and assassination, ruthless killers able to wield naten to serve these ends, who thrived in chaos. Just when it seemed that Edo would forever be clad in eternal strife, an unforeseen development occurred. The Djynn of ambition, the only way to escape its creators' grasp is by doing something none of them had thought of before. It hid in the mortal body of one of the shinobi who, though he was born to a meager clan, held a soul so ambitious that Yashin was drawn to him like a beacon.

-----The name of this Shinobi, Tero Denkou-Shi. With the influence of the djynn and its guidance, his mystic abilities became so significant, eventually leading to the creation of Ephermal Arts, powerful arbiters capable of shifting the tide of battle in one's favor. His legend began to rise, and many ninjas came to follow him as he shared the knowledge of the Ephermal Arts, with many referring to him as the "Mystic One." Eventually, his prowess made an impression on Aphosis, inviting him to become the first of a new Patheon—the Sun Eaters.

------Tero served the Black Sun's aims, disguising himself as a loyal member, claiming many victories in its name. Still, his true ambition was to find the Godstones spoken to him by Yashin and take its power for his own, bringing Order itself under his control and Edo under his dogma. He nearly succeeded, eventually getting his hands on the stone. Nevertheless, this was all according to Aphosis's plans. The Nether Serpent knew its spawn, greedy as can be, would come for its power eventually. It was an incarnation of Edo's ambition, after all. For Aphosis, its power was still incomplete, and Yashin was the final piece of the puzzle. Absorbing it would possess a power equal to sufficient enough to digest the Godstone, becoming an Embodiment Of Order and Chaos.

----- A perfect being, a god. As Tero tried to absorb the Godstone, he found himself unable to do so; before he and the stone could be devoured, he managed to crack the stone using the last of his strength, freeing Zincara and the rest of the Zen Patheon. Zincara and her brood waged a fierce battle against Aphosis, but as it was, they could do nothing to stand against the Nether Serpent; the power of the demon had grown far beyond them, having had 1,000 years of singular access to reverence. Yet, all was not lost as Zincara took a page from Aphosis's book and sought to merge its form with its other spawn. Zincara, with her dominion over Order, compelled the other djynn to join her, enthralling them against their wills to combine. Like its counterpart, Zincara was not adherent to the notion of mortality such as "Good" or "Evil," nor was it always seen as a benevolent deity; light could scath, and darkness could soothe; its objective and central purpose was its eternal cause to quell the flames of chaos created by Aphosis, and it would do whatever was needed to achieve this aim.

-----Each Djynn gave itself to Zincara, including the Djynn of ambition within Tero, merged with the serpent of Light and Order, becoming the first Beryl Sun. However, all did not go precisely as Zincara had hoped, as Yashin's will had grown much more when the order serpent had been sealed. Yashin's will override that of the others, becoming the ruling personality, robbing it of sentience, treating it more as the glue that held the Beryl Sun together. The fierce titans waged a war that nearly brought Edo to total ruin. With the combined might of the others, Yashin managed to tear each of the heads from Aphosis and seal them in what he dubbed Djynn stones before sealing Aphosis itself in a Godstone. But not before Aphosis cursed Tero and his bloodline; his laborious ambition played a part in the rise of the shinobi, and its demise would be born from his lineage. A curse known as Danketsu, eyes that steal the soul of those they gaze upon, and an insatiable thirst for more power.

-----Just when Yashin attempted to swallow the stones once more, the Beryl Sun's energy, too great to be held together, began to falter. Though it was born of the source, it was of chaos and could not claim total dominion over a being as ancient as Zincara, who had been single-handled holding back Aphosis since far beyond Yashin's creation. A being that before life was a cosmic force ages older than the notion of ambition itself. Even without its sentience, its purpose and intent are too strong to be erased. Before the djynn of ambition lost all it had worked for, it transformed the mass of the soul stones into rings. Vowing to one day return for them. Tero was given the ring of Power, Yashin's final gift, to the man who helped its aims. The other rings Tero was instructed to give to two others he knew would safeguard them. He would give the other two rings to the two other strongest Shinobi at the time. Yashamaru Owaki led the Owaki clan, the first of the Shinobi names. And his lover, Lioma of the Yomi clan.

-----With that, the fall of both the beryl and black suns came, and with it, the divergence of the Order Djynn, and through time, they were renamed and reborn through the elements. However, the light of Zincara, though its mind faded, the ageless purpose of its essence, the Sun Eater's squall still thrived, and it had always chased Aphosis, merging itself with Tero as well, keeping the serpent of chaos presence at bay. Though it could not purify the curse from him, it regulated its influence, blocking the cursed eyes from manifesting and preventing Aphosis from reborn through Tero's bloodline. So long as the light remained, they had nothing to fear. But could do nothing about the vehement craving for power within Tero. Its fleeting moment of consciousness allowed it to bestow a final boon to Edo, a prophecy that should the rings be reunited, the Black sun would come again, and the Unlit Dawn would bring the world ever closer to chaos once more.

Rise of the Great Shinobi Families

-----Thousands of years have passed since the battle, and with it, neither knows the Ouroboros Cluster nor the Patheon of Zen. Both have become cautionary tales and stories of legends. However, the Chaos Rings still exist, now dubbed the Stones of Kaosu, and have become the foundation of the Shinobi's rise to power from scattered mercenaries' initiatives to a prominent collective force. With the otherworldly powers of these stones, ninjas became highly respected and sought after as a means to tip pitch power in favor of their Edo's police forces. The heads of the clans both wield and safeguard the rings themselves and can bless their clan members with varying levels of the ring's power, with the most useful and loyal clan members being granted phenomenal strength. This advance in power allowed their families to amass authority and influence so much that they pulled the lesser-known clans under their command, each overseeing a region of Edo concerning shinobi presence.

Disdain; Ring of Hatred: Given to the Yaaru clan, seated in Kodomo to the east. The power to use Hexes, dark Ephemeral Arts, a terrible power that allows them to place curses. The stronger their emotions are towards their target, the more complex and powerful the curse. It is said it's best to stay on the good side of a Yaaru ninja, for their hexes are so potent they can last well beyond death.

Subjugation; Ring of Power: The Ring of Power, given to the Denkou-Shi, seated in Mek, allows them to manipulate and even dominate the minds of other living creatures. The range and power are relative to the willpower and naten of the ring bearer. In the hand of the Shi, who possessed mystic eyes, Ain once used this power to bring nearly the entire shinobi nation under his reign.

Ruin; Ring of Destruction: With it, the Owaki, seated to the north in Y'Shkai, can generate a special naten capable of destroying anything it touches, whether physical or metaphysical. It is a powerful ability that can scale from something as base as destroying stone with but a touch to severing atoms, creating nuclear explosions. They only need to understand its composition to obliterate it. Despite this remarkable ability, they are more political and actively practice pacifist ways of dealing with conflict. However, it is wise not to poke a sleeping bear.

------The ring of destruction was given to Yashamaru not only because his clan was the eldest but also because of their desire to create peace in Edo. Though he and Tero were constantly at odds, He knew Owaki would keep it safe. Tero gifted the ring of hatred to Kaedae as a symbol of trust in their bond, and the love he promised would burn eternal. But as the years went on and the power of the houses grew, Tero stopped all contact with her; the influence of his curse slowly changed him, and his craving for power became a mania. The love turned into festering hate towards him and the Denkoushi altogether. He never shared the ring's origins or true purpose; madness and obsession overtook him. Houses are now protecting the rings from the one who entrusted them.

---With the Patheon of Zen being a distant dream, so too was the prophecy of the Second Black Sun and, with it, the warning of trying to monopolize the power of the rings. In their early days, many civil wars, assassination attempts, and brawls between the three families occurred. These battles became so fierce and grand in scale they threatened to bring Edo to absolute ruin. So, the Owaki proposed a tournament should be held with the rings as prizes. The Crucible had long been the cornerstone of Edo, and the Colosseum would prove the best way to settle this dispute. Each Shinobi family, whether part of the great houses of a lesser family under them, may send forth 1-5 representatives from their respective homes. The winner would earn the rings and the right to decide the fate of the shinobi world. The Crucible was where this tournament of skill would occur and would happen as often as every 50 years to allow the land time to heal and recover, as these battles were usually catastrophic.

30 Days Of Night

-----Hundreds of years passed, and the gridlock remained, with no one able to achieve total victory. Not until the birth of one Shinobi, in particular, did the course of Edo change, but that of the world itself. A direct descendant of Tero, first of the Shi clan. Born during the twilight hours of an eclipse, Ain's Riore was considered a miraculous child. Even as an infant, his naten reserves were astronomical compared to other humans. His IQ was off the charts, and he could grasp Ephemeral Arts basics by five and outclass most ninjas by the time he was 10. He showed incredulous promise and could wield multiple naten natures with equal prowess.

-----Raised within the Denkoushi family, he was trained to be cold, calculating, and fierce, achieving victory no matter the mean. His only directive, his only goal, was to be of absolute use to his clan and, by extension, his father, the only person's approval he sought. During Ain's tenure as a shinobi, the popularity of Denkoushi began to rise, with their names on the tongues of every lord and commoner in the land. Unsurprisingly, Ains was chosen as Denkou-Shi's lone Inhieritor when the Tournament of Blood came. Confident, he would prove enough to take the completion by storm.

-----One by one, he laid waste to the other combatants. His victory was assured until he faced the Inheritor of the Yomi clan, Ember, a direct descendant of Lioma. It was as if fated, the descendants of warriors who shared a love as deep as the ocean, corrupted by power and an eternal flame of malice in its place. Ain' felt a deep connection to Ember, one that was more kindred, but here, locked in war, he never got the chance to unravel the mystery behind this feeling. Their battles lasted three days, with the odds leaning towards Ember. Though Ain was powerful, his natural talent could not compete with the eons of finely tuned curses powered by the Yomi Disdain despite his innate resistance because of the light of Zincara within him.

-----This energy accumulation fed the latent curse inside Ains as Tero's inheritor while weakening Zincara's chains, allowing the Aphosis curse to manifest for the first time in earnest, awakening Ain's mystic eyes: The Dankestu alongside the ability to manipulate darkness. The power of the gaze, coupled with her weakened state, Ember could not stand against him and lost her soul to Ain's hunger. Her intensity, the inherited hatred, and betrayal of her clan not only awakened Aphosis, but her hex made it so Ain's could never shut its power off. This created the first "Eternal Art," which took the ninja world and Edo by storm; for the first time since their creation, a single household now controlled the rings.

-----With Aphosis's mind restored, it began to corrupt and poison Ain's. Impressin' its dogma of chaos into him, It was not long till, like his ancestor, he became a mad and tyrannical being. He devoured anyone who stood against him, including others of his clan, even his father, who he loved so dearly, taking his place as head of the family. He amassed a following of the shinobi clans, most notably three minor clans, Urso, Gama, and Flonne, feeding their thirst for power, promising them eternal glory, and raising the banner of the great war on Edo. Ain immediately threatened the entire continent and, if left unchecked, threatened the world.

-----The Owaki clan created an alliance between the ninjas who did not support Ain's mad ambitions and the other natives of Edo. Ain's plunged the continent into chaos and darkness in a war that roared for 30 days. And though thousands were slain, they managed to sever his hands, disabling the ring power and allowing him to be defeated. However, just before he was killed, a tremendous bolt of lightning spilled the dark clouds in twain. Revealing the Djynn of ambition, formerly known as Yashin, reborn Fulgora, the Djynn of Lightning. Zincara's divine ordinance reincarnated it as an elemental fae. Its power is far beyond what it once was. Just as quickly as the illuminance came, it faded, and those loyal to him, the heads of the minor families that followed, were gone, the rings abandoned by their owner under the protection of the Shinobi once more. Save for the ring of power, which has vanished to this day.

-----What then of Aphosis? It is rumored that after being bested a second time, the great serpent fled the body of its mortal vessel and returned to the stars from whence it was born. However, the scares left on Edo from its fangs have yet to heal fully.

Fall Of the Denkoushi

After the failed coup of Edo, the Denkoushi were merely scorned, becoming the most hated name on the continent. Once a proud and broadly influential presence on Edo's land, it has become a hollow shell of its former glory. Their family heirloom, Subjudcation, was lost; more than two-thirds of their numbers were culled, and their standing as one of the great shinobi families crumbled. However, since Ain's, the Danketsu has been manifested in other Shi; having witnessed the consequences of such a power, the Yomi and Owaki joined forces in wiping the Shi from Edo forever. The Shi had to abandon their homeland, Zaria, deep within the Carnage jungle, and their castle, Dominance, to avoid complete eradication.

-----However, some sought to use the Denkou-shi to their advantage. Those who were not slain were offered "Penance," indentured servitude. But what price could be paid to cover the sins of their forefathers? None, but at least they kept their lives; after the fall of their house, most of the remaining shi had lost their pride as ninjas. Now treated as lesser citizens, hated and mistreated wherever they go. The once noble shinobi house of legend is now reduced to mere lap dogs of the land. The other two great Shinobi clans were furious and felt it was reckless to let even one of them live.

-----There was no way to predict when a Shi's eyes could awaken; the risk was too significant. And so the Yomi proposed a cruel prerequisite for "Penance." That their eyes be plucked from them, either this or death, though reluctant, the Owaki agreed. This was the creation of the Dark ritual known as the Sun Eater, named after the gods of chaos and order they once revered. This dark magic allowed them to live without their eyes, operating similarly to phylacteries. The bearers of this curse, the Sunless, were robbed of their light and fated to die in the darkness that created them. The Owaki developed a unique mask to avoid seeing the deformed faces. Shi are forbidden to remove them; doing so is considered a form of Seppeku, as death will soon follow.

And so it became and remained for the next several millennia—until the fall of Arcturus, an event that shook the entire world and has now shifted the tides of destiny once more.