The Rift

The sky over Aarde was always always called beautiful, but it reaches its most stunning at night, when the planet turns and the twinkling stars peek up over the darkening horizon. There were many names for the things people saw up there: The Jewels of Sakat, The Glittering Many; as many names as legends. The technicolor swirl of light had fascinated since the earliest days, spawning stories of lovers meeting across bridges made of dancing light, rumors that the sky gems were sneezed into existence by the creator of the Aarde. But, to some they were just stars; omnipresent, their presence taken for granted. That is, until The Summoning began.

At first, only the astrologers, their vigilant telescopes tuned to the heavens, noticed the change. Tipo the Rat, Skathari the Beetle, the smaller constellations - the minor guardians - were the first to disappear. Then Osa the Bear, and Tagak the Crane... one by one, the constellations of the Old Heroes fled from the sky. There was chaos in the streets. Some people panicked, locked children indoors at night and burned candle after candle to stave off the encroaching darkness. "They've been called to a higher purpose," others claimed, as they bided their time worshipping statuary and fondling strings of precious beads.

Naasha, the dragon, was the last to go. With its exit, the heavens above erupted in a gale of sound and light. The sky cleaved in two, a shattering heard to the farthest reaches, a shaking felt in every bone. Demons poured through the rift, consuming, destroying. Entire cities were laid to waste under the onslaught, and it has showed no signs of slowing since. The wilds are once again fraught with danger, and communication and travel between most major cities has become scant and precious. Settlements are wary of outsiders and poverty reigns supreme in an era of mistrust and despair.

Across the seas, the garrison at Xi Fang has been distributing a call to arms from Sir Li Shun. The missive is short, direct - Defend us. Eat well, Sleep safe, and be Paid. It's in the midst of this chaos that you heed the call - chartering a ship to take you to find whatever awaits you on the other side...