BACKSTORY OF HARBINGER
Destruction had rained down from the sky as a massive shower of meteorites pelted the world of Aremexpi. The cities of the people known as sprites were laid to waste, the oceans turned to ash, and food went scarce seemingly overnight.
In a desperate attempt to save spritekind, a group of intrepid explorer sprites built a massive door of pure diamonds. They had figured that, if obsidian portals led to the underworld, then surely diamond gates would lead somewhere less shitty--or atleast, somewhere less ghast-infested!
It was a herculean effort to gather together so many diamonds--which is why it was such a massive bummer when lighting it on fire did absolutely nothing. The plan was shot.
Their underground settlement grew over time, and the diamond gate was left in the center, for all to gather around and ogle. As years passed, and people became more and more bored, fancy tall tales and whimsical stories cropped up about it. Eventually, people forgot who made it in the first place, and religions based on the myths and rumors started up.
One religion, the Order of the Flaxen Lupines, worshipped wolves. They claimed that each diamond block in the portal was actually the soul of one of the 12 magical god-wolves that created the world.
But then another religion, the Indigo Susapienites, claimed that the diamond arch had been erected by legendary pigman warriors, who escaped from the Nether, and built the diamond door to banish their piggish features to begin the race of spritekind.
The Flaxen Lupines and the Indigo Susapienites weren't terribly fond of one another. They bickered constantly over resources.
Outside of the fray, a group of Grey Dissenters formed, who basically figured that all of the fighting was very silly, and all they really cared about was rebuilding civilization.
One day, a Flaxen Lupine worshipper, an Indigo Susapienite, and a Grey Dissenter all gathered around the door. They had a good long argument about their beliefs, and, at some point, one of them slapped the mug of coffee out of another's hand, and it shattered at the base of the gate.
Just as the hot breakfasty beverage touched the gate's base, a glowing light burst forth like a fart lit on fire!
A portal! A portal to another world!
It made sense -- If diamond was the opposite of obsidian, then OF COURSE! Coffee was the opposite of fire! It was in front of them all along!
The three who had been bickering at the gate vanished instantly. The many onlookers who had seen them disappear became overcome with excitement and curiosity, and ran in after them, without even informing their loved ones. Seriously. None of them told anyone about their running off into another dimension. Not a single, "hey honey, going to another dimension for a bit, don't forget to feed the spider and pick up some cookies from the store." And there were like 50 people in there. How callous.
Anyway, the callous jerks all woke up in a strange, foreign world. They appeared to be in a pretty little oasis, surrounded by a large, sweeping desert, in the middle of a huge string of islands. There was a gate here, but the portal was not lit. People could enter this world, but not leave.
At first, they were overjoyed. It was a paradise--albeit, a somewhat dangerous one. After scouting around, they discovered that this world had nearly everything they needed.
Everything -- Except coffee beans.
Without the ability to tell the people back home that they needed coffee beans, their only hopes for ever returning to Aremexpi hinged on the incredibly rare chance that someone would just happen to walk through the portal with a cup of joe in their hand or some beans to brew. Oh, to be in the only world in the universe without a Starbucks every 100 feet!
And so the people on Aremexpi, who HADN'T seen the portal open, discovered the portal. They immediately feared it. As time passed, it became a means of sacrificing virgins and criminals to their silly gods. The Aremexpi sprite leaders figured that entering the portal led to death, as no one ever came out. So when people entered, they'd usually be pretty scared and upset on entering.
Generations passed, and the sprites built a citadel around the very oasis where they spawned. They maintained their old religions, but they became nastier, and more convoluted. People hated each other more and more--to the point where they would actually war against one another (and the Grey Dissenters would just go off on their own and avoid conflict)--but they maintained that the Citadel would always remain a neutral place of peace and communion.
At some point--no one is terribly certain when, or even HOW, but it was a long time ago, and it must've been a huge event--all people on this new world died off.
On Aremexpi, a new leadership took over, and for 500 years, no one was allowed to go anywhere near the diamond portal. It was considered an ancient practice to sacrifice virgins or kill convicts. They had entered a time of relative peace, where cellphones and computers commanded them around instead of witchdoctors or jerks with big sticks.
However, after a time, society did what all societies do when they reach a certain age: it collapsed.
Factions cropped up again, and people moved around. The sacrifices and murders with the portal began anew.
The newest additions to the new world (-- that's you!--) came into it, to find Sprocket Citadel, and the forts and miscellaneous structures of civilizations passed, totally abandoned, but in mostly decent shape.
They fell into their old niches as they trickled in through the gate -- with the Pharaohs handing down order to keep a balance among the people.
Would history repeat itself again?
Probably.
But time would tell!
Destruction had rained down from the sky as a massive shower of meteorites pelted the world of Aremexpi. The cities of the people known as sprites were laid to waste, the oceans turned to ash, and food went scarce seemingly overnight.
In a desperate attempt to save spritekind, a group of intrepid explorer sprites built a massive door of pure diamonds. They had figured that, if obsidian portals led to the underworld, then surely diamond gates would lead somewhere less shitty--or atleast, somewhere less ghast-infested!
It was a herculean effort to gather together so many diamonds--which is why it was such a massive bummer when lighting it on fire did absolutely nothing. The plan was shot.
Their underground settlement grew over time, and the diamond gate was left in the center, for all to gather around and ogle. As years passed, and people became more and more bored, fancy tall tales and whimsical stories cropped up about it. Eventually, people forgot who made it in the first place, and religions based on the myths and rumors started up.
One religion, the Order of the Flaxen Lupines, worshipped wolves. They claimed that each diamond block in the portal was actually the soul of one of the 12 magical god-wolves that created the world.
But then another religion, the Indigo Susapienites, claimed that the diamond arch had been erected by legendary pigman warriors, who escaped from the Nether, and built the diamond door to banish their piggish features to begin the race of spritekind.
The Flaxen Lupines and the Indigo Susapienites weren't terribly fond of one another. They bickered constantly over resources.
Outside of the fray, a group of Grey Dissenters formed, who basically figured that all of the fighting was very silly, and all they really cared about was rebuilding civilization.
One day, a Flaxen Lupine worshipper, an Indigo Susapienite, and a Grey Dissenter all gathered around the door. They had a good long argument about their beliefs, and, at some point, one of them slapped the mug of coffee out of another's hand, and it shattered at the base of the gate.
Just as the hot breakfasty beverage touched the gate's base, a glowing light burst forth like a fart lit on fire!
A portal! A portal to another world!
It made sense -- If diamond was the opposite of obsidian, then OF COURSE! Coffee was the opposite of fire! It was in front of them all along!
The three who had been bickering at the gate vanished instantly. The many onlookers who had seen them disappear became overcome with excitement and curiosity, and ran in after them, without even informing their loved ones. Seriously. None of them told anyone about their running off into another dimension. Not a single, "hey honey, going to another dimension for a bit, don't forget to feed the spider and pick up some cookies from the store." And there were like 50 people in there. How callous.
Anyway, the callous jerks all woke up in a strange, foreign world. They appeared to be in a pretty little oasis, surrounded by a large, sweeping desert, in the middle of a huge string of islands. There was a gate here, but the portal was not lit. People could enter this world, but not leave.
At first, they were overjoyed. It was a paradise--albeit, a somewhat dangerous one. After scouting around, they discovered that this world had nearly everything they needed.
Everything -- Except coffee beans.
Without the ability to tell the people back home that they needed coffee beans, their only hopes for ever returning to Aremexpi hinged on the incredibly rare chance that someone would just happen to walk through the portal with a cup of joe in their hand or some beans to brew. Oh, to be in the only world in the universe without a Starbucks every 100 feet!
And so the people on Aremexpi, who HADN'T seen the portal open, discovered the portal. They immediately feared it. As time passed, it became a means of sacrificing virgins and criminals to their silly gods. The Aremexpi sprite leaders figured that entering the portal led to death, as no one ever came out. So when people entered, they'd usually be pretty scared and upset on entering.
Generations passed, and the sprites built a citadel around the very oasis where they spawned. They maintained their old religions, but they became nastier, and more convoluted. People hated each other more and more--to the point where they would actually war against one another (and the Grey Dissenters would just go off on their own and avoid conflict)--but they maintained that the Citadel would always remain a neutral place of peace and communion.
At some point--no one is terribly certain when, or even HOW, but it was a long time ago, and it must've been a huge event--all people on this new world died off.
On Aremexpi, a new leadership took over, and for 500 years, no one was allowed to go anywhere near the diamond portal. It was considered an ancient practice to sacrifice virgins or kill convicts. They had entered a time of relative peace, where cellphones and computers commanded them around instead of witchdoctors or jerks with big sticks.
However, after a time, society did what all societies do when they reach a certain age: it collapsed.
Factions cropped up again, and people moved around. The sacrifices and murders with the portal began anew.
The newest additions to the new world (-- that's you!--) came into it, to find Sprocket Citadel, and the forts and miscellaneous structures of civilizations passed, totally abandoned, but in mostly decent shape.
They fell into their old niches as they trickled in through the gate -- with the Pharaohs handing down order to keep a balance among the people.
Would history repeat itself again?
Probably.
But time would tell!