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Test Alpha: A broken world

We Just Write

We Just Write

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So, let's say that in a multiverse where constant divine interference is the norm, a creator-level entity wants to see how a universe (and later a mortal civilization) develops without any gods at all. Thus, they create a world which divine beings cannot reach, and where no magic is possible. Things go great... at first. The rest is detailed in the experiment logs below.

Log 1
Date 0: I've finally managed to get this new Material Plane stable. I could have just thrown up a standard version, but I wanted to incorporate some additional features. For instance, I can control how fast time passes relative to existence as a whole. I've got an alarm set up to inform me if life develops anywhere (not likely without active interference). Most important are a series of wards to keep interlopers out. I'm currently speeding up time by several trillion times, and waiting for something interesting to show up.
Log 2
Date 11,342,051,099: Surprisingly, the experiment is forming into orderly structures even without my assistance. Not only on the large scale of galaxies and stars, but on the small scale of chemicals. I've noted some really quite complex collections of chemicals that are capable of self-replication and chemical synthesis. This experiment looks to be getting really interesting.
Log 3
Date 13,541,555,892: It's amazing how far life has developed from those first basic packages of proteins and genetic material. There are practically uncountable varieties of lifeforms now, and I didn't do a single thing to stimulate this! They adapted and diverged entirely on their own, completely shattering the old dogma that true life must be created by a god. Even if they can't get any use out of them due to magic not being active in this test world, these lifeforms are indeed developing basic rudimentary souls. I wonder if I may soon see a civilization arise?
Log 4
Date 13,698,901,234: There was another mass-extinction event a few dozen million years ago, but I'm not too upset given the most recent developments. Several intelligent species have sprung up, including Pattern 1 (Elves), Pattern 4 (Dwarves), Pattern 5 (Humans), and Pattern 7 (Orcs). They've already begun the process of creating civilizations, though Pattern 1 isn't doing as well as they normally would without magic. I will admit to being somewhat surprised at how well these races match up with those outside, but it could just be an anomaly.
Log 5
Date 13,698,908,990: NO NO NO! I should have known something was up when those 'standard' lifeforms began appearing, but I was too absorbed in the experiment to check for outside interference. Those blasted greedy pantheons just HAD to seize the opportunity to get a new worshiper base, and their actions have contaminated the experiment beyond all hope of salvage! It wasn't their own faiths that were the problem, no it was that they helped draw the attention of something else entirely.

A particularly ambitious demon lord took notice of all the unprocessed souls I foolishly left floating around in the ether of this Plane, and decided to aggressively acquire them. They formed a coalition and managed to punch several portals through to this world, introducing magic in the process. I've decided to start over, but I can't bring myself to simply abandon these beings to the nonexistent mercies of the Abyss. Therefore I have flooded the public integrated information network constructed by Patterns 4, 5, and 7 with information on how to produce magical weapons that can actually slay demons permanently. I have also sent a message explaining the experimental nature of their universe and the fact that its intended purpose has been almost completely destroyed. I hope they can forgive me.


So, with that out of the way, anyone want to help develop the setting?
 
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It seems to me that antitheism and misotheism would be pretty powerful movements in the setting given that the gods both exist and are at fault for causing a demonic invasion. There'd probably be at least some factions dedicated to destroying as many people possible who follow a god under the (probably mistaken) theory that killing enough worshipers would close off the portals that lead to the demons. If the demons are inclined towards corrupting mortals and are enemies of the gods as demons are in many settings, they are likely to encourage and take advantage of that.
 
Implied Spaces by Walter Jon Williams seems kind of like this, but scifi rather than fantasy and the closest thing to demons is an extremist with technology which would give the Culture pause.

Humanity figured out how to build new universes with customized laws of physics.

A 'dyson sphere' which is actually the boundary of a pocket dimension, the inner surface covered in class-M terrain and with a 'sun' consisting of something impossible by our universe's laws of physics, a massive sphere of conservation-of-energy-violating heat and light which flickers on and off in a twelve-hour cycle, in which matter does not undergo quantum decay, meaning the universe should still be hospitable indefinitely for an example of the low end. Stuff like respawn and morality enforcement being hardwired into physical laws on the high end.
Then someone figures out our universe has signs of the creation process. Someone build us, and they did so knowing full well about all the flaws in their construction, and the capabilities to have built us could also have let them make us perfect.
 
Bassoe said:
Then someone figures out our universe has signs of the creation process. Someone build us, and they did so knowing full well about all the flaws in their construction, and the capabilities to have built us could also have let them make us perfect.
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That reminds me of the Lords of Creation series.

Earth's solar system in that setting is a pocket universe, created as a copy of the Lord's own system as an early experiment. What looks like stars and galaxies and so on are fake, an illusion built into a boundary zone of distorted spacetime; there's not anything real out there past Pluto.

The protagonist asks why the Lords would go to so much trouble to create anything that pointlessly deceptive, and the Lord he's talking to responds with "Like I said; it was a copy of our home system. A perfect copy."
 
While interesting, that's rather off-topic. Those are their own settings, this is its own setting. Here the major conceit is that the universe was an experiment to see how things develop without constant divine interference. Said experiment was then rendered invalid by outside interference, before being completely knocked off the rails by DEMONS, DEMONS EVERYWHERE!
 
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Avernus said:
That reminds me of the Lords of Creation series.

Earth's solar system in that setting is a pocket universe, created as a copy of the Lord's own system as an early experiment. What looks like stars and galaxies and so on are fake, an illusion built into a boundary zone of distorted spacetime; there's not anything real out there past Pluto.

The protagonist asks why the Lords would go to so much trouble to create anything that pointlessly deceptive, and the Lord he's talking to responds with "Like I said; it was a copy of our home system. A perfect copy."
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These Lords of Creation? When did that happen?
I just write said:
Here the major conceit is that the univeese was an experiment to see how things develop without constant divine interference. Said experiment was then rendered invalid by outside interference, before being completely knocked off the rails by DEMONS, DEMONS EVERYWHERE!
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Which is exactly the problem. Philosophical musings as to the nature of the universe and our place in it take a backseat to ensuring that we don't all get killed by the legions of hell. It really depends on how effective the anti-demon weapons our creator told us how to make are. Can we exterminate the demons or just manage perpetual stalemate?
 
Bassoe said:
These Lords of Creation? When did that happen?

Which is exactly the problem. Philosophical musings as to the nature of the universe and our place in it take a backseat to ensuring that we don't all get killed by the legions of hell. It really depends on how effective the anti-demon weapons our creator told us how to make are. Can we exterminate the demons or just manage perpetual stalemate?
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In gameplay terms, they ignore all DR/resistances/immunities for evil Outsiders. While the process is cheap and easily automated, it's mutually exclusive with other weapon enchantments. Assume that access to the magic in D20 modern will come within 6 years, with the notable addition of plane shift.
 
I just write said:
So, with that out of the way, how do you think this world will develop, knowing that their entire reason for existence was as an experiment that got contaminated? Any ideas to further flesh out the setting? Maybe something from the demon's perspective?
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I think it depends way too much on the actual cultures involved to say, honestly.

We need more detail.
 
notthepenguins said:
I think it depends way too much on the actual cultures involved to say, honestly.

We need more detail.
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Hmmm... Good point. I've edited the OP slightly. Anyway, I'll get a blank world map up to start filling in.

Hmm... There isn't really a good place to put in a Panama Canal type thing. In fact, it's probably easier to just sail across that big ocean than it is to go around the bottom of the continent.
 
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