All of reality in the world of Manifest Tales is bound together by a Spirit Web; from the smallest particle to the largest constructs. The number of possible threads in the web is effectively infinite and a single person could be connected to millions at a time depending on their path in life, although the average person is completely oblivious to their existence.
Saturated in and around the Spirit Web is a mysterious energy called the Shine. This powerful energy illuminates the web, allowing certain people to see the threads connected to them. These manifest adepts, or just adepts, are able to tap into those threads, manipulate the Spirit Web, and manifest their own reality.
The Shine is not native to our world. Unbeknownst to most, our world is actually part of a Binary-Dimension; two parallel worlds interconnected. The Shine originates from our sister dimension, a world of wonder and power where people make their own destiny and create their own realities. All adepts are descendents of these once great people. Unfortunately, where light shines, the shadow of evil lurks just below.
As there is the Shine, so is there the Shade. Locked away and forgotten about for millions of years, the inhabitants of the other world knew next to nothing about it. When the Shade was released from its prison over 8000 years ago, it rained chaos upon both worlds. Seeking the power offered by the Shade, an adept named Vorlok, along with his vicious Vendot minions, waged war to seize control of the other world’s reality from the body of Thorns and the sovereign Rose. After a catastrophic war lasting thousands of years, the only way the Rose and his Thorns could devise to prevent his ascension and the destruction of both worlds was to seal the door between them, locking Vorlok and his Vendot away. Hundreds of thousands of refugees were forced to relocate to our world.
One of those, a man named Saige, realized right away that he and his people could have a dramatic and possibly dangerous effect on the inhabitants of our world. He, along with a small group, created the Order of the Saige as an informal police for adepts. They quickly grew in power and influence, not only among adepts, but also amongst the human population, as they easily infiltrated and pulled the strings of whatever ruling body was in power.
Over time, having been cut off from its source, the Shine dissipated until it was barely present in our world at all. With its influence drained, adepts where no longer able to see their threads, preventing them from manipulating the Spirit Web. The Order of the Saige all but disappeared leaving only scattered remnants behind and most of the other world’s history was lost. Though the most powerful may have survived, most of the original refugees died off, passing their lineage on, albeit unknown without the presence of the Shine.
Less than 100 years ago the Shine began flowing back into our world through a small crack in the seal. Slowly the crack grew bigger and more and more of the powerful energy seeped into the world. As it did, the long lost descendents of the other world began awakening to their power. A new age of adepts was being born.
The scattered Order of the Saige quickly reinserted itself as the adept law. Calling themselves simply Sage, they infused their organization with that of the infrastructure of our society, masking themselves almost a kind of secret government agency. Burdened with not only monitoring adept activity, Sage also tries to identify and contact new adepts. They estimate that around 10% of the world’s population has some adept lineage, though most have so little Sage ignores them. These low lineage adepts often have no idea they’re special, thinking themselves just lucky or of exceptional character. Others may believe they are psychic, practice witchcraft or even become spiritual leaders. Only about 1% of all adepts have a lineage high enough to fall under Sage’s jurisdiction.
The word ‘lineage’ may seem to point to family lines, but ancestry has little to do with it. Instead lineage is defined as an adept's closeness to the Shine and their individual ability to see and manipulate the threads connected to them. While it is true that some adepts manifest their power with a high lineage already and that it is often associated with a particular bloodline, even those that start as low lineage adepts can grow to be very powerful. When adepts manipulate the Spirit Web, even unconsciously, they grow closer to the Shine and their lineage grows, allowing them to see and manipulate the Spirit Web more easily. Over time and with enough practice, even the most pathetic of adepts can rise to heights unknown.
Unfortunately, with the return of the Shine, the Shade has emerged as well. Even with Vorlok trapped until the gateway is fully opened, his disease of destruction and despair continues to spread with the reemergence of the terrifying Vendot. Lacking any real knowledge of the world they descend from or the enemy they face, Sage is worn thin battling this threat and is desperately trying to recruit new members. While the level of chaos continues to rise, rumors of a new Rose are beginning to emerge as well. Will this mythical figure be our salvation or our destruction? The lines are being drawn; all reality is at stake. The time has come to manifest your reality…
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