Post by Ozzatron on May 3, 2011 22:48:59 GMT -5
EDIT: changed title and a few minor things about the story.
Don't TL;DR. Please. You'll be entertained, trust me.
Also, don't read the part that says "ONLY READ THIS WHEN YOU'RE DONE" because it will wreck everything for you.
DON'T EXPECT THIS TO BE PERFECT. I TYPE NEAR-PERFECTLY, BUT SOME MISTAKES MAY HAVE SLIPPED THROUGH. Just point 'em out and I'll remedy it.
THE BELIEF
Ages ago, in a place far to the southwest, humans settled for one of the first times in a grand valley. Over the generations their settlement expanded, blossomed, and split until it was a large country. These humans practiced a long-gone religion that eventually became their most dangerous, but silent, antagonist.
Originally, when this religion was created, it was simply a way to explain. There were the "Primal Blocks", which resembled those in the regular plane of existence.
Two enormous Primal Blocks exist in the heavens; one radiantly bright ("Trydin") and the other a bringer of darkness ("Lunak"). Out of these two came the smaller celestial blocks which dot the sky and, although they can only be seen at night, they are still luminescent. These Primal Blocks imbued their essences into the world in opposing locations.
A third Primal Block, possibly even larger, exists below. It expands under all land and water and supports the entire world with its mass. Unlike the other two, which are smooth, this Primal Block has a very uneven surface due to its own vibrations.
The world grew out of this third Primal Block towards the other two; at first made of a non-solid "ether" material. This material hardened into various forms over time, and how strong, powerful, or energetic the material was depended on how much energy the third Primal Block was exerting on it. Thus, because tougher materials are found deeper in the ground, it is believed that the third Primal Block, called "Bedallia", must be utterly invincible.
The world is inconstant and strange, and Bedallia's unevenness is the root cause of all the variation, resulting in towering mountains, gentle valleys and hills, and flat plains.
CORRUPTION
Eventually, some sturdy humans went on a venture to see if they could find Bedallia itself. Although they didn't find it, they did discover a sparkling blue material which was immensely strong, far stronger than any other known material at the time. They brought back this so-called "Essence of Bedallia" to the surface to show it to all. People worshiped them as heroes.
After sending explorers into the depths of the world, they found Bedallia's surface. Cold, rough, and stone-like, not even the Essence of Bedallia could scratch it, much to their dismay. They also found the "Essence of Trydin", an extremely hot liquid that incinerates anything that touches it. Taking that Trydin and Lunak coexist in the heavens, they brought Lunak's essence, a cold blue liquid, to Trydin's essence. The result was astounding.
When the two liquids met, they produced an incredibly durable solid material. This material was pitch-black, like Bedallia's surface. But, unlike Bedallia's surface, it was not invincible; the Essence of Bedallia was capable of breaking it with great difficulty. This discovery was celebrated, as much as for the union of the three gods as for the following realization: Bedallia must be the supreme Primal Block if its creations can overpower even the other two Primal Blocks combined.
Although it was also noted that a strange, purple energy emanated from this new material, it was tossed aside, being a production of the two "inferior" Primal Blocks. The few who experimented with it produced ghastly results. Much to their surprise, the purple energy coalesced and formed a mysterious gateway when exposed to fire. Those who ventured into it came back with tales of a twisted land, containing Trydin's essence and none of Lunak's.
The original explorers thought this over and succumbed to their greed; using Bedallia's "supremacy" to control their population. The sacred Essence of Bedallia was demanded and brought in never-satisfying quantities (archaeologists have uncovered a large wall built out of this material, as well as tools) and religion became synonymous with government. For everyone, all appeared fine, as the populace's worship of Bedallia kept them blind to Trydin and Lunak's anger...
CATACLYSM
Eventually, Trydin and Lunak discovered the insolence of this bustling group of humans and decided to set them straight. They unleashed the most horrifying cataclysm imaginable. Entire plains and forests were set alight by Trydin; entire others were frozen solid by Lunak. Giant balls of fire and ice fell from the sky and impacted, leaving their corresponding Primal Blocks' essence. Some of these actually went through the land as if it were nothing, but still caused tremors. Still others bored twisting holes in the ground before depositing a small amount of essence. When the madness subsided, the survivors, now in their permanently altered world, vowed to never again imbalance their belief in the Primal Blocks.
Some say that this cataclysm was so powerful that it damaged Bedallia itself. But, if any have ever witnessed this damage, none have survived to report it...
THE FOURTH PRIMAL BLOCK
After the cataclysm, the survivors found strange deformations in their world. Unlike the damage from the cataclysm, this didn't resemble the work of any of the three known Primal Blocks. They attributed this to a fourth Primal Block, "Kezenu", or "The Block of Chaos/Madness", because of the chaotic nature of these disturbances. Legends tell that, alongside the other three Primal Blocks, Kezenu has its own realm in which its element reigns supreme. (Trydin rules the day, Lunak rules the night, Bedallia the earth... and Kezenu?) Kezenu doesn't have any known physical manifestation of any kind, other than the chaotic effects it generates.
As the events in the world often follow a chaotic pattern and are unpredictable, Kezenu is also said to govern the flow of time. Its realm would likely have incredibly strange, or even fluctuating, time flow, in addition to its other chaos. All the more reason to find it...
Teams of brave adventurers have set out far and wide to find Kezenu's realm or its essence, and the few that have returned do so without any success. The people have settled upon time itself, as physical and real as anything else, being Kezenu's essence.
ONLY READ THIS WHEN YOU'RE DONE
Now, if you're really good, you'll notice that this myth set describes all known aspects of any Minecraft map's regular world.
See if you can find:
I also didn't bother with animals or plants, because why would Primal Blocks create life?
Finally, I was debating on whether or not anyone would know of the Far Lands. I decided not, because if they did, they would be frozen in time for all eternity (you know, Minecraft freezes when you go to the Far Lands!) From this death lag, I decided that Kezenu would also be the block of time (with the reason being that the future is unpredictable). Ersake said that lag is a disease, but these people probably experienced it too, and would say it's Kezenu's wrath, as he's warping the flow of time for people individually, making it difficult to cooperate and coordinate.
My character, Serinas, knows all about this system of belief and is one of the last people who does, so if you want to know in character, feel free to ask him. He doesn't practice it, though; he prefers seed theory and pixel theory (he invented that) to Primal Blocks. Once he gets to settle down, will begin the completion of the Grand Equation (heh heh, you'll figure out what that is later). Still, in his own words, "it's actually a captivating legend, and makes an excellent story to tell others. Too bad none of them know it's an ancient religion. Or maybe it's for the better, who knows? I don't..."
TL;DR
You can't even read about 10 words? Come on! That's ridiculous! Go back up to the top, and read the story proper.
Don't TL;DR. Please. You'll be entertained, trust me.
Also, don't read the part that says "ONLY READ THIS WHEN YOU'RE DONE" because it will wreck everything for you.
DON'T EXPECT THIS TO BE PERFECT. I TYPE NEAR-PERFECTLY, BUT SOME MISTAKES MAY HAVE SLIPPED THROUGH. Just point 'em out and I'll remedy it.
THE BELIEF
Ages ago, in a place far to the southwest, humans settled for one of the first times in a grand valley. Over the generations their settlement expanded, blossomed, and split until it was a large country. These humans practiced a long-gone religion that eventually became their most dangerous, but silent, antagonist.
Originally, when this religion was created, it was simply a way to explain. There were the "Primal Blocks", which resembled those in the regular plane of existence.
Two enormous Primal Blocks exist in the heavens; one radiantly bright ("Trydin") and the other a bringer of darkness ("Lunak"). Out of these two came the smaller celestial blocks which dot the sky and, although they can only be seen at night, they are still luminescent. These Primal Blocks imbued their essences into the world in opposing locations.
A third Primal Block, possibly even larger, exists below. It expands under all land and water and supports the entire world with its mass. Unlike the other two, which are smooth, this Primal Block has a very uneven surface due to its own vibrations.
The world grew out of this third Primal Block towards the other two; at first made of a non-solid "ether" material. This material hardened into various forms over time, and how strong, powerful, or energetic the material was depended on how much energy the third Primal Block was exerting on it. Thus, because tougher materials are found deeper in the ground, it is believed that the third Primal Block, called "Bedallia", must be utterly invincible.
The world is inconstant and strange, and Bedallia's unevenness is the root cause of all the variation, resulting in towering mountains, gentle valleys and hills, and flat plains.
CORRUPTION
Eventually, some sturdy humans went on a venture to see if they could find Bedallia itself. Although they didn't find it, they did discover a sparkling blue material which was immensely strong, far stronger than any other known material at the time. They brought back this so-called "Essence of Bedallia" to the surface to show it to all. People worshiped them as heroes.
After sending explorers into the depths of the world, they found Bedallia's surface. Cold, rough, and stone-like, not even the Essence of Bedallia could scratch it, much to their dismay. They also found the "Essence of Trydin", an extremely hot liquid that incinerates anything that touches it. Taking that Trydin and Lunak coexist in the heavens, they brought Lunak's essence, a cold blue liquid, to Trydin's essence. The result was astounding.
When the two liquids met, they produced an incredibly durable solid material. This material was pitch-black, like Bedallia's surface. But, unlike Bedallia's surface, it was not invincible; the Essence of Bedallia was capable of breaking it with great difficulty. This discovery was celebrated, as much as for the union of the three gods as for the following realization: Bedallia must be the supreme Primal Block if its creations can overpower even the other two Primal Blocks combined.
Although it was also noted that a strange, purple energy emanated from this new material, it was tossed aside, being a production of the two "inferior" Primal Blocks. The few who experimented with it produced ghastly results. Much to their surprise, the purple energy coalesced and formed a mysterious gateway when exposed to fire. Those who ventured into it came back with tales of a twisted land, containing Trydin's essence and none of Lunak's.
The original explorers thought this over and succumbed to their greed; using Bedallia's "supremacy" to control their population. The sacred Essence of Bedallia was demanded and brought in never-satisfying quantities (archaeologists have uncovered a large wall built out of this material, as well as tools) and religion became synonymous with government. For everyone, all appeared fine, as the populace's worship of Bedallia kept them blind to Trydin and Lunak's anger...
CATACLYSM
Eventually, Trydin and Lunak discovered the insolence of this bustling group of humans and decided to set them straight. They unleashed the most horrifying cataclysm imaginable. Entire plains and forests were set alight by Trydin; entire others were frozen solid by Lunak. Giant balls of fire and ice fell from the sky and impacted, leaving their corresponding Primal Blocks' essence. Some of these actually went through the land as if it were nothing, but still caused tremors. Still others bored twisting holes in the ground before depositing a small amount of essence. When the madness subsided, the survivors, now in their permanently altered world, vowed to never again imbalance their belief in the Primal Blocks.
Some say that this cataclysm was so powerful that it damaged Bedallia itself. But, if any have ever witnessed this damage, none have survived to report it...
THE FOURTH PRIMAL BLOCK
After the cataclysm, the survivors found strange deformations in their world. Unlike the damage from the cataclysm, this didn't resemble the work of any of the three known Primal Blocks. They attributed this to a fourth Primal Block, "Kezenu", or "The Block of Chaos/Madness", because of the chaotic nature of these disturbances. Legends tell that, alongside the other three Primal Blocks, Kezenu has its own realm in which its element reigns supreme. (Trydin rules the day, Lunak rules the night, Bedallia the earth... and Kezenu?) Kezenu doesn't have any known physical manifestation of any kind, other than the chaotic effects it generates.
As the events in the world often follow a chaotic pattern and are unpredictable, Kezenu is also said to govern the flow of time. Its realm would likely have incredibly strange, or even fluctuating, time flow, in addition to its other chaos. All the more reason to find it...
Teams of brave adventurers have set out far and wide to find Kezenu's realm or its essence, and the few that have returned do so without any success. The people have settled upon time itself, as physical and real as anything else, being Kezenu's essence.
ONLY READ THIS WHEN YOU'RE DONE
Now, if you're really good, you'll notice that this myth set describes all known aspects of any Minecraft map's regular world.
See if you can find:
- Land
- Water
- Lava
- Caves
- Ores
- Diamonds (kinda major here)
- Lakes
- Underground water/lava springs
- Biomes
- Bedrock
- Bedrock's rough surface
- Obsidian
- Nether
- Time (easy)
- The Void (really!)
- Chunk errors (really!)
- The Far Lands (again... really!)
I also didn't bother with animals or plants, because why would Primal Blocks create life?
Finally, I was debating on whether or not anyone would know of the Far Lands. I decided not, because if they did, they would be frozen in time for all eternity (you know, Minecraft freezes when you go to the Far Lands!) From this death lag, I decided that Kezenu would also be the block of time (with the reason being that the future is unpredictable). Ersake said that lag is a disease, but these people probably experienced it too, and would say it's Kezenu's wrath, as he's warping the flow of time for people individually, making it difficult to cooperate and coordinate.
My character, Serinas, knows all about this system of belief and is one of the last people who does, so if you want to know in character, feel free to ask him. He doesn't practice it, though; he prefers seed theory and pixel theory (he invented that) to Primal Blocks. Once he gets to settle down, will begin the completion of the Grand Equation (heh heh, you'll figure out what that is later). Still, in his own words, "it's actually a captivating legend, and makes an excellent story to tell others. Too bad none of them know it's an ancient religion. Or maybe it's for the better, who knows? I don't..."
TL;DR
You can't even read about 10 words? Come on! That's ridiculous! Go back up to the top, and read the story proper.