Once, long ago, a paradise existed. A paradise of magic and technology perfectly intertwined shone bright across the world it was within. The people there had their every need attended to - no sickness, no hunger, no sorrow to be found. Paradise was not the only place in its world - but it is the only place with records. Perhaps on the lost world of Noquana information on those other places still exists, but that has been lost to the river of time. Those who lived in Paradise grew restless in time. They had all their needs catered to, and yet desired more. Not more luxury - more stimulation, more knowledge. And so they began picking at the tiniest crack in reality.
And, eventually, the crack became a fissure in the sea itself. A gouge opened in the ocean, swirling-black ink and starlight that whirled infinitely downwards tugging at the very fabric of reality. It was studied, examined, kept wide - every facet of this fracture in space would come to be understood. The Whorl, as it would come to be known, represented the pinnacle of Paradise’s magitech. And the reason it was kept open was simple. It was a gateway to other worlds unlike anything those in Paradise had ever seen. The first Whorlgate, the primeval Whorl from which all others sprung from, was formed.
The Whorlgate did not connect directly to other worlds. Instead, each Whorlgate connects to somewhere between places. This non-place place has been called many names across many worlds, from the now-lost world of Akamia knowing it as the Voidsea, to the Meuthochans calling it Blackwaters. Most, however, call it the same name that Paradise called it: The Betweensea. Traversing the Betweensea is a dangerous act, as thought dictates where one moves along its impossibly calm waters. There are no points of navigation, save for the Whorls that spiral in impossible directions. Any attempt to set up a waypoint within the Betweensea simply results in it being washed to unknown places. This level of danger kept even those of Paradise from sailing the Betweensea…for a time.
The first to travel the Betweensea was not a ship, but rather a single being - a Dragon. Clad in scales and drenched in magic, dragons were uniquely suited to traveling across the Betweensea. Their inherent magical abilities granted them a unique sense of direction in the Betweensea, allowing them to easily reach their destination with very little hassle. In time, the dragons of Paradise would teach how to replicate this magic with magitech so that others may join them across the worlds. And so, Paradise began to leave their garden after two seasons of effort.
As Paradise spread, they encountered untold wonders. Worlds of glimmering snow, of scorched dry deserts, worlds of metal and worlds of sinew. Few had sapient life on them - though some did. The people of Paradise met with those other worlds and offered their magitech. Domination was never the goal of Paradise - after all, they already had every need met. Scholarship and documentation was their goal, to record and understand the wonders of all the worlds connected by the Betweensea. They provided technology, understanding, magic, and resources to many worlds, and worked with many of the cultures of the Betweenseas to explore and perhaps thrive on worlds once thought barren.
This age of peace and prosperity would last a mere ten seasons.
A cataclysm swept through Paradise, annihilating the first Whorlgate and severing Paradise from the other worlds on the Betweensea. Few records of the devastation exist, and it is unclear if Paradise survived in any way. The few survivors who escaped intact spoke of a plague of water that washed away all other things. The half-liquified bodies that accompanied them only lent credence to those claims.
The loss of Paradise sent ripples throughout the Whorls. Few Whorlships were properly set up in time, and as such many of these newly-connected worlds found themselves isolated once again. The Whorls still persisted though, as they had become a fundamental part of each of these worlds. The only beings who could travel again were, still, the dragons.
As time passes, the dragons manage to teach a new method of passing through the Betweensea, one no longer reliant on Paradise’s unreplicable technology. The worlds grow connected once more, with dragons serving as diplomats and traders across the Whorls. Travel continues to be treacherous for nondragons even as technology progresses from ancient sailing vessels to the more modern Betweenships. A non-dragon transport takes days to ford the Betweensea - a dragon takes mere hours.
Difficulty traveling between worlds for large groups of non-dragons makes military invasions untenable, leading to the modern era’s seemingly peaceful appearance. Boiling under that surface though is anything but. Izalia contests with rising inequality among the populace’s poorest and richest members, the need for raw materials propelling some nations there to seek out the stars. Brelakia’s winters grow worse and worse each year, threatening to freeze the entire world in an unsurvivable snowstorm. Grolsha’s armies march and prepare for a holy war against all who dare defile Paradise’s lost technologies. Hilato’s continents rip apart further and further each year, with only the Betweensea capable of filling the gaps. The royal lineage of Dro forces the increasingly desperate citizens of Meuthocha to bow and beg for the barest scraps of anything. And across the Whorls, a question rises: Was Paradise truly as perfect as many assumed it to be? None hold an answer to that question, save for those who lived there.
suddenly had the need to do something to connect my other non-Infinite Cosmos settings together so as to not lose my mind making fifteen billion separate fantasy settings. the pieces were there, i just had to put 'em together really.
