Setting - Unity Horizon Realm

History

On July 15, 1999, following the "Week of Nightmares", the red star known as Telos or Mirzaba, appeared in the bowl of the Big Dipper. There were theories that this star had heralded the destruction of Pompeii in 79 CE. The appearance of this star, with the recently discovered avatar storm, convinced the masters that remained on Earth to call for a convocation to decide the fate of mage and those affliated with them. The word was sent out quickly far and wide. Lessons from the past were learned so messages were encrypted and hidden to keep the Technocratic snoops off the trail. It was scheduled for April 23,2000, Easter weekend.

Halloween Weekend 1999 the masters were finally able to meet, in secret, to discuss the sudden changes. It was decided that they would create a new horizon realm. Over the weekend they opened the anchorhead and secured a realm they called Unity.

Over the next three months they gave Unity the nine spheres. They gave it cycles of light, dark, and weather that matched Earth. They gave it space, directions, and boarders. They have it flora and fauna. They gave it weight, gravity, and a wellspring which they continued to feed. It was not a perfect earth replica, but close.

At the Grand Convocation in February 2000, they presented their case. That the appearance of the Avatar Storm and Telos were the heralds of the end of Earth. Unity was presented to the gathering. Some touted it as the Ascension they has always talked about. Some just claimed it was time they save themselves for a change. Others sold it as a new start.

The only problem, Unity was limited in the number of people it could support. The Wellspring could only support a limited number of mages, and thus, only a limited number of custodes. To be precise 100 mages, and 400 custodes.

Systems were set up to vet and authorize those mage and their custodes that wanted to leave. No mage could go alone, and no custos could either. At least in pairs, though usually in groups of five. Not only were the number of bodies limited, but so was the number of possession one could take with them. Entire lives were packed into one suitcase per person. Then on Easter weekend, at nine large nodes across the planet, each lead by one of the masters the rituals were done to take the each group into Unity.

What story was told to family and friends that were left behind on Earth, were as varied as the imagination.

A New Start

In the beginning, Unity was a small island that housed the five hundred that has made the trip. Some brought tents, some didn't. There were trying and testing times for residents of Unity. After time to rest from the journey, the magi wasted no time in providing more comforts. The first two comforts were Cafe Nowhere, and Hartstone Suits. Each magi was assigned a suite for their entourage. And so here everyone lived.

Other has brought seeds with them and set up gardens to provide food. While other simply magicked food into being, but this was also a drain on the Wellspring. Magick was easy, everything was coincidental. The shape, the laws, everything about Unity changed on a daily basis. Sometimes hourly. As was bound to happen, paradigms clashed, as every mage had their own ideals of what is ideal, and of what stability meant.

To quiet the growing fights, and complaints, the Nine masters gathered again. This time to create the portal stones. Each stone, carved with the glyph of a Sphere and Tradition, leading to another small island in the realm. One for each tradition. But this option to separate came with a price. The stones claim their payment when one steps through them, each way. Needing to find a way to keep the Wellspring with a reserve, the stones claim a mote of quintessence from each mage that passes through in each direction. For the custodes, they must have on them a ration of tass.

Thus, some of the Traditions spread out into the islands to settle. Their paradigms shaped their provinces. However, a good number also stayed in Unity where the Nine Masters set up the chantry and council table in the back of Cafe Nowhere.

Twenty-three years later

It is here that your intrepid character joins Unity. Were you one of the first ones born there? Are you one of the original 500? For whatever reason, the population never seems to rise much above this number. What is your contribution to the world?

Or, are you a rare outsider? Somehow, someway, you stumbled onto one of the original ritual sites on earth. So obviously Earth didn't get destroyed as they thought it would. What do you bring with you? How do you change this new world. Unfortunately, some don't survive the trauma of being lost into this world. On Earth, one might find a mage still living that is willing to talk about what happened, but they have worked hard to keep it secret and hushed to keep Unity safe.