Pre-history

Over 10000 years ago

• The Celestials have been at war with a race they call the Daimons for millennia.

• To gain the upper hand the Celestials decide to explore advanced extra-dimensional technology.

• To this end, the Celestials create Holdara in orbit of a super-massive galactic black hole (the Darkstar).

• Holdara is a hollow artificial world - a "Lightstar reactor".

• Harnessing the enormous black hole energy, they open a Lightstar to another universe.

• The Lightstar is kept open by two tall towers that channel energy from the Darkstar black hole.

• "Exotic material" drawn from the parallel universe coats the inside of Holdara.

• Unexpectedly, this develops an alien biome that symbiotically reacts with the Celestial machinery.

• As a result, the Celestials cannot survive long in the Lightstar radiation even with heavy protective suits.

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First Era – The Age of Gods

Around a decade

• The Celestials create mechanoids designed to withstand the harsh Holdaran environment.

• The mechanoids can survive the Lightstar conditions and are used to gather materials for research.

• This includes Glowstones that form in the hard light radiation from the Lightstar.

• Symbiotic reaction with “exotic material” enhances these machines creating the first true Holdarans.

• The Celestials use the gathered materials to develop new types of weapon and armour.

• However, these Lightstar derived weapons are too dangerous for the Celestials to wield themselves.

• Instead they train the Holdarans to wield this Hard Light equipment ready to battle the Daimons.

The Forsaking

The first cataclysmic event

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Second Era – The Age of Civilization

10000 years of peace and enlightenment

• The Holdarans assume the Nanovoid is the coming of the Daimons that the Celestials foretold

• They continue to collect Glowstones and other materials as they were trained to do

• They use the Glowstones to keep the Spires fueled, which power their settlements

• The Holdarans revere the Celestials as gods and build temples over the abandoned facilities

• The Holdaran civilization is at its peak as the Holdarans continue to advance their abilities

Star Fall

The second cataclysmic event

• Untended over the millenia and corrupted by the Nanovoid, the Lightstar becomes unstable.

• Naturally forming Glowstones become rarer and the Spire power network also falters.

• Eventually the Lightstar explodes and then collapses - a mini-supernova.

• The two towers are shattered, and with the Lightstar gone, the Nanovoid floods across the surface.

• The cataclysm kills most of the Holdarans and leads to the collapse of their civilisation.

• The surviving Holdarans take refuge around the Spires and try to fight off the Nanovoid.

• In this war of attrition, the Nanovoid can reform, whilst fallen Holdarans cannot not be replaced.

• The Nanovoid inexorably spreads across Holdara, as the Spires are extinguished one by one!

Nightfall

The final battle

• Eventually the only Holdaran land left is clustered around the Celestial Tower.

• At the foot of the Tower is an ancient Celestial complex called Lighthaven.

• Lighthaven was part of ancient Holdara and related to keeping the Celestial Tower operational.

• For Holdarans it has long been a holy place of light and hidden wonders but is limited in size.

• The remaining Holdarans make the decision to evacuate to Lighthaven across the Light Bridge.

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• And so starts a long exile in the confines of Lighthaven.

• To replenish supplies, raiding parties sometimes venture out; some return, many do not.

• Of the materials recovered, one proves more valuable than all others – Holsh.

• Holsh forms on the surface of Spires from the interaction of light and dark particles.

• When mortal Holdarans die, they leave a Soul Stone as part of their remains.

• Holdarans discover that combining Soul Stones with Holsh at a location within Lighthaven regenerates the essence of the Holdaran – and so are created the first Immortals.

• When an Immortal dies, their Soul Stone brings them back again, ready to fight another day.

Landfall

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Liberation

The current era

• Effective immortality means the Holdarans can now compete with the Shadow Wraiths.

• Recovered Soul Stones can be returned to Lighthaven to create new waves of Reborn.

• With Holdaran numbers recovered, they can finally prepare to leave Lighthaven and start the fight back to liberate their world from the Nanovoid!

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