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THE LEASH OF CHAOS
"The First Light was but a flash within a void which held no aspect
formless, vacant
but beholden to the chaos perceived it again
for the flashes were duly unceasing and the void came in two;
formed a gap from which the Light was freed
and one of the fragments stole away with the other,
swelled in the wake and became darkness,
Radiance was born of the circumstance,
that the void unformed and divided would stretch into the endlessness that became the universe
So too disparity emerged to speak her name,
produced a flame,
The genesis of aspect whereby all things thus were born
But there was also death and time:
Kala, the Calamity."
An excerpt from "The Leash of Chaos"
In this, the eighth iteration of Kala’s universe, the Farers roamed across realms once so numerous they could scarcely be counted. They were fewer now, even the Farers themselves fewer, but those that remained discerned one within the multitude: Caelum.
The First Light refers to the Archangel of Radiance, who rules over this ancient city (called the Last Light) far adrift in the reaches of the cosmos above. He is the sovereign of the last of his kin. Ever he watches over their last refuge.
Earth, the beloved home planet of humankind, spins below much as it always has, host to strange and fascinating lifeforms beyond count; Some born there, many that were not. Creatures called demons—perhaps an unfair designation, at least by human err, since they are not descended from Earthbound beings at all—have long since emerged under the watch of their own immortal power— Antistrophe, the Darkness Unending. There is much more to the world in its present age than one might expect as the great wills of the Farers clash and compound through history.
A most perplexing dilemma lies in knowing where to begin in describing how and where this story truly begins…
DEMONS ARRIVE
The first demons on Earth, Mythindra (see FARERS) and her children, arrived many of thousands of years ago and faced numerous conflicts not only in adjusting to a brand new habitat but also in interacting with humans. Antistrophe was not long after but feared for the survival of demonkind and so beseeched Radiance, who had long kept watch over Earth, to oblige him in ensuring a sanctuary for his kin. Together they crafted a tremendous invisible membrane wherein demonkind would hidden from sight and harm. The sanctuary over time became known as the Overneath. Radiance had his own conditions in this agreement. The most notable, in fact, decreed that demons be restricted to the Overneath unless they were explicitly invited to cross over by a human. To enforce this, Radiance chose certain humans as demigods and bestowed upon them immortality and other special abilities. Demons perceived on Earth without human permission were to be eradicated by the demigods (note that demons born outside of Overneath are an exception).
Over many years, the Overneath developed into its own distinct biome due dramatic fluctuations in its exposure to sunlight. This caused a great deal of Earth's natural life therein to change and mutate. Many of the demons of the current age are a direct result of this these mutations, thus so many of them flourish or weaken based on the intensity of solar radiation or the movement of certain celestial bodies.
The Order of Radiance
Eight other Archangels belonged to the long-standing Order devoted to maintaining the protection and secrecy of Caelum, the Judiciar among angels: Temperance, Faith, Justice, Love, Truth, Valor, Hope, and Honor (they bore other names prior to their ascensions, but they've not been heard in ages). Though these Archangels were named for the virtues which they so adamantly upheld, and by which they were gifted certain powers, it was not often that they found harmony. Perhaps this was by design. After all, an angel almost never defied its true nature, least of all in the sight of Radiance. There were some angels about Caelum, however, that openly dissented to Radiance's rule all together and left the city. Some took a unique interest in Kala’s Earth and in humankind while others happily tended to their lives in Caelum across the ages then and hence without a single thought to them.
There were two angels, Sartre and Antal, that dissented to rule of Radiance and the Order were executed in Caelum and their bodies disposed of on Earth as a warning to other potential insurgents. The Order, however, had not anticipated that Hume, by foul ritual, would obtain their corpses and reanimate them. This was naturally seen as an act of mockery toward angelkind and Radiance in particular, who vowed that he would not risk this again with Honor missing (see DEMONS for more information about Sartre and Antal).
Honor Descends
The Archangel of Honor embarked upon a pilgrimage to Earth some centuries preceding present day with intent to learn more about the planet and the being inhabiting it. On this journey he perceived the Overnearth. This was a realm within realms, and so the home of demonkind was confirmed.
Established in secret by the Archdemon Antistrophe and the Archangel Radiance, the Overnearth was first meant as a haven for demonkind. The two sovereigns forged an agreement that sought to end warring between angel and demonkind that began long, long ago.
In most ways the Overneath mirrored the land structure and diversity of species on Earth. Over time, however, it began to deviate in these respects for the veil crafted around it caused fluctuations in its exposure to sunlight. It now exists as a strange and dark place, yet undeniably beautiful.
Though Honor may have questioned the existence of such a place or Radiance's purpose in keeping such a secret, he told no one but those within the Order for fear of the consequences that might befall the inhabitants of the world at large should he expose it. Still, he recorded an immense amount of knowledge in his diligent attentions.
Many, many years following Honor’s discoveries he disappeared from the sight of the other Archangels, for his brethren were not always so vigilant. The Order eventually convened as a lesser angel living on Earth had spotted the halo that had belonged to Honor in the possession of a demon with sun-golden skin. The Order was also told of spreading rumors that a reliquary may have been built by Honor to house his findings. If it existed, it undoubtedly contained artifacts and information of immeasurable value. As more and more time passed, the Order grew suspicious that Honor had been taken captive by the golden demon and arranged for an envoy to journey to Earth and retrieve the halo and their lost kin, even if it meant he was dead.
And so Hope embarked... (see I: SONG OF HOPE).
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