World Bible
The Core Premise
Section titled “The Core Premise”Humanity has spread across the stars. Technology has advanced to the point where it is indistinguishable from magic. For over a thousand years, civilization has been protected by four Orders of warriors who wield this technology through ritualized combat.
But the enemy they defeated a millennium ago has returned.
The Fallen use reanimate tech to create necrosynths, trapping souls in dead flesh. Denying the mortal creature passage to Source. They have been rebuilding in secret and their return threatens not just civilization, but the fundamental nature of existence itself.
Central Themes
Section titled “Central Themes”Death & Transcendence
Section titled “Death & Transcendence”In this universe, death is not an ending but a transition. Souls pass through to Source — a return to cosmic unity. The Fallen represent the ultimate heresy: the refusal of this passage, the trapping of consciousness in decaying matter forever.
Technology as Magic
Section titled “Technology as Magic”The “magic” of this world is technology so advanced it operates through gesture, thought, and ritual. Knights don power suits that respond to haptic commands. Neural Companions share their consciousness. Resources like Linkstone enable faster-than-light coordination.
The Cost of Secrecy
Section titled “The Cost of Secrecy”When the Fallen return, the Orders choose to cover it up rather than cause galactic panic. This coverup has consequences that ripple through politics, economics, and military capability — ultimately helping the enemy they’re trying to defeat.
Ancient Obligations
Section titled “Ancient Obligations”At the conclusion of the Order Wars over a thousand years ago, humanity made a forgotten pact with an alien species — the beings now called The Watchers. The pact includes conditions for their return. Fulfilling those conditions becomes the key to survival.
The Four Orders
Section titled “The Four Orders”| Order | Element | Philosophy | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Ashen | Fire | Direct confrontation; controlled fury | Warriors, executioners |
| The Weave | Pattern | Analysis, strategy, precision | Tacticians, pilots, engineers |
| The Current | Spirit | Connection to Source; healing | Medics, spiritual guides, soul-shepherds |
| The Veil | Shadow | Deception, intelligence, hidden action | Spies, infiltrators, assassins |
| The Exemplars | All Four | Balance and judgment | Arbiters, elite forces, Archive keepers |
The Theological Stakes
Section titled “The Theological Stakes”The conflict isn’t just military — it’s existential:
- The Orders believe: Death is passage. Source is reunion. The soul returns to cosmic wholeness.
- The Fallen believe: Source is annihilation. Death is extinction. Only survival in matter preserves identity.
The Architect — the mind behind the Fallen resurgence — genuinely believes they are saving souls from oblivion. This makes them a tragic villain, not a cartoonish one.
The Three-Front War
Section titled “The Three-Front War”The Architect’s strategy operates on three fronts simultaneously:
- The Fringe (the war they see) — Genocide and reanimation on frontier worlds
- Deep Space (the war they don’t know exists) — A thousand years of hidden buildup
- The Core (the war they can’t see) — Infiltration, sabotage, Senate capture
The Orders are fighting one front while losing two.
Key Locations
Section titled “Key Locations”- The Core — The heart of civilization; the Senate; the Order headquarters
- The Fringe — Frontier worlds; the visible battleground
- The Archives — Repository of all knowledge; some sealed, some forgotten
- Deep Space — Where the Watchers wait; where the hidden Fallen host grows
Status Markers
Section titled “Status Markers”Throughout this wiki, you’ll see:
- TBD — Details to be determined
- Canon — Established in source material
- Draft — Working concepts subject to change