For most of the students at the University of Washington in the year 2004, what happened ninety years ago is irrelevant. Damn near ancient history, but since it’s important for the story ahead, I’ll let you know.
Ninety years ago, the rift happened.
Something fractured, and the Earth was temporarily brushed against another world. From the fracture, came four new races: Elves, Fae, Orks, and the Aetherial. Mythical races, that most humans didn’t believe in were suddenly very, very real. Each race reacted to the new predicament differently.
Naturally, war happened. It’s unclear what race fired the first shot, but the battles were between an alliance of Elves and Fae, vs an alliance of the Humans and the Orks. The Orks were impressed that the Humans stood against the Elves and Fae, and stood alongside them here, and have stood beside them ever since. Due to the rift impacting their magical abilities, the Elves and Fae were quickly dispatched by the firepower the humans had, especially when it was paired with the natural combat abilities of Orks.
During this time, the Aetherial races kept to themselves. They had no interest in fighting either group’s war.
After the war, the races all signed a treaty. Under the rules of the treaty, the Elves, Fae, and Aetherial were to spend the next ninety years integrating into society as the Humans already were. This largely meant, that for 90 years, those three races weren’t allowed to participate in politics.
But that was ninety years ago, this is now.
Nowadays, the magic from the rift has settled, and all races are able to tap into it. Elves and Fae hold the most natural ability, with Orks being almost adverse to magic — regardless, all races have familiars that accompany them on their day-to-day life. Familiars come to their charge on the eve of their second birthday, and are emotionally and mentally linked to their partner. Familiars are unable to communicate with anyone other than other familiars, and their partners. Notably, Humans born after the war have familiars due to the magic influence on the planet. With practice, Humans are shown to be fairly adept magic users as well, though most don’t pursue that.
Orks and Humans are close, they have been since the war ninety years ago. They’ve fought alongside each other multiple times since then. Now, Orks find their way into sporting clubs, and some of them pursue careers in politics. Things are good for the Orks and the Humans.
The Elves hold a grudge. They swear it was the humans who attacked first, but who knows? Elves last a long time, and have shown they’re capable of hating that entire time. The Fae aren’t much different than the Elves. They’re still upset over the war, but are having an easier time of readjusting. The newest generation of both races are somewhat more open to interacting with the other races.
That leaves… the Aetherial. We left them for last for a reason. The half-demon and half-angel (tieflings, and aasimar respectively), have stayed secretive and kept to themselves mostly. They intermingle sometimes with the other races, but not often. Even Elves will admit that the Aetherial can sometimes be… unsettling. It isn’t their fault; they’re eerily beautiful, and have an air of mystery about them. Still, they too have recently begun trying to intermingle more effectively.
There are some cases of half-breeds, but they’re rare. For the most part, bloodlines are pure.
Our story focuses on the students of the University of Washington, in 2004. Why 2004? It was a good year.
Ninety years ago, the rift happened.
Something fractured, and the Earth was temporarily brushed against another world. From the fracture, came four new races: Elves, Fae, Orks, and the Aetherial. Mythical races, that most humans didn’t believe in were suddenly very, very real. Each race reacted to the new predicament differently.
Naturally, war happened. It’s unclear what race fired the first shot, but the battles were between an alliance of Elves and Fae, vs an alliance of the Humans and the Orks. The Orks were impressed that the Humans stood against the Elves and Fae, and stood alongside them here, and have stood beside them ever since. Due to the rift impacting their magical abilities, the Elves and Fae were quickly dispatched by the firepower the humans had, especially when it was paired with the natural combat abilities of Orks.
During this time, the Aetherial races kept to themselves. They had no interest in fighting either group’s war.
After the war, the races all signed a treaty. Under the rules of the treaty, the Elves, Fae, and Aetherial were to spend the next ninety years integrating into society as the Humans already were. This largely meant, that for 90 years, those three races weren’t allowed to participate in politics.
But that was ninety years ago, this is now.
Nowadays, the magic from the rift has settled, and all races are able to tap into it. Elves and Fae hold the most natural ability, with Orks being almost adverse to magic — regardless, all races have familiars that accompany them on their day-to-day life. Familiars come to their charge on the eve of their second birthday, and are emotionally and mentally linked to their partner. Familiars are unable to communicate with anyone other than other familiars, and their partners. Notably, Humans born after the war have familiars due to the magic influence on the planet. With practice, Humans are shown to be fairly adept magic users as well, though most don’t pursue that.
Orks and Humans are close, they have been since the war ninety years ago. They’ve fought alongside each other multiple times since then. Now, Orks find their way into sporting clubs, and some of them pursue careers in politics. Things are good for the Orks and the Humans.
The Elves hold a grudge. They swear it was the humans who attacked first, but who knows? Elves last a long time, and have shown they’re capable of hating that entire time. The Fae aren’t much different than the Elves. They’re still upset over the war, but are having an easier time of readjusting. The newest generation of both races are somewhat more open to interacting with the other races.
That leaves… the Aetherial. We left them for last for a reason. The half-demon and half-angel (tieflings, and aasimar respectively), have stayed secretive and kept to themselves mostly. They intermingle sometimes with the other races, but not often. Even Elves will admit that the Aetherial can sometimes be… unsettling. It isn’t their fault; they’re eerily beautiful, and have an air of mystery about them. Still, they too have recently begun trying to intermingle more effectively.
There are some cases of half-breeds, but they’re rare. For the most part, bloodlines are pure.
Our story focuses on the students of the University of Washington, in 2004. Why 2004? It was a good year.
