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Romps and Reconstruction in Loka: Steam, Magic, and Mysteries in the Frozen Wasteland.

The Fall

Every child knows the stories. Before Loka, before the endless winter, there was Svarga, an unequalled paradise. It encompassed the entire world, and men made of steel worked and lived with men of flesh, and Svargan scholars made life better with inventions so incredible as to be godlike.

But as they say, every good thing must come to an end. Political war and religious strife eventually overwhelmed the people of Svarga, and their marvelous creations were turned from benevolence to bloodshed. The world quaked under the power of their weapons as they clashed, and their mutual hatred led to the birth of the demon god ‘Dozakh Zulm’, the name and face of the destruction of their cities and their people. Refugees quailed in fear as they hid themselves away in droves, deep underground to escape the fires of the end. Eventually, the flames died, but it was far too late; the skies were ash, and the world slumbered under a blanket of snow.

Fortunately, some Svargans were wise enough to leave deposits of helpful tools behind for the survivors, convinced that one day the errors of the empires of their world would in the future pave the way for a peaceful society.

The Rise of Loka

After centuries of midnight winter, the land of Loka has known hundreds of years of peace, growth, and strife ever since the defeat and imprisonment of the demon-god Dozakh Zulm. This feat was accomplished by the predecessors of the modern-day College, the Saoshyant, a gathering of deified holy warriors that spawned today’s religion of the ageless tree Gaokerena. It is the Gaokerena at the heart of the Grand Castrum which has overgrown the doorway through which Zulm was banished; it is said that if ever the life-force of the tree is sapped away, it will mean the end of days.

Miles of verdant wilderness separate Mt. Alburz and the glittering Grand Castrum atop it, a vast citadel and the political and geographical center of Lokan civilization, from the icy hinterland of the White March. It’s been so long since the cataclysm that no one knows anything about the world beyond the wastes; even the pirates of Advocatus Diaboli, the Advocates, haven’t been able to surpass it in their flying machines. The frontier has been expanding ever since then, allowing Loka to grow beyond its boundaries with each passing decade. Many climates make up the patchwork terrain of this world, from tropical deserts to lush forests, and dozens of bustling towns and villages populate these areas with a colorful cast of characters.

See also: Timeline

Categories: History