The hard-won truce between humans, Wickerbeasts, and Etekoi ushered in an era of uneasy cooperation, but as foretold, this peace was not destined to last forever. Over the centuries, the initial wounds of war began to heal, but new frictions emerged, shaping the Contemporary Era into a time of complex innovation, tradition, and power struggles.
In regions less reliant on Crystalithium and its advanced applications, life often mirrors a medieval existence. Here, Wickerbeast, Human, and Etekoi communities might live in stone, caves, hides, or treehouse villages. Their days are typically governed by ancient and traditional customs, and they reject modernity. Craftsmanship thrives, and communal bonds remain strong, with technology largely limited to basic tools or older, simpler Crystalithium-powered devices. These areas value ancestral wisdom and often view the relentless pursuit of technological advancement with caution.
Conversely, bustling metropolitan areas like Grandesburg stand as a representation to shared innovation and the relentless pursuit of progress. Towering structures of refined Crystalithium-infused alloys, glasswork, and steel pierce the sky, crisscrossed by intricate networks of aerial tramways and silent, levitating vehicles powered by the glowing crystals.
Automated systems or robotic creations manage everything from waste disposal to resource allocation, and advanced communication devices allow instant contact across continents. Medical science has advanced significantly, extending lifespans and curing ailments once thought to be fatal. In Grandesburg, the combined genius of the Etekoi's magical prowess and the Wickerbeasts' technological and intellectual curiosity has changed these cities into a true modern hub.
Peace began to fray as the demand for Crystalithium surged. Its applications expanded exponentially, from personal electronic devices to large-scale infrastructure. The increase in applications leading to increased mining in less developed regions and occasional territorial disputes. While direct, large-scale warfare was largely avoided due to the chilling memory of the great Crystalithium explosion, a new kind of conflict emerged: economic competition, industrial espionage, and skirmishes in resource-rich but undeveloped territories. Political tensions simmered, especially concerning the governance of the shared Crystalithium treaty, with human factions often pushing for greater control. The Etekoi, Wickerbeasts, and human officials are striving to maintain the balance between their species.
There is also a creeping environmental decay, a subtle consequence of unchecked Crystalithium extraction and industrialization, began to manifest in distant regions, threatening the very ecosystems vital for the crystals' existence. This new danger was unlike any prior conflict and required a deeper understanding of Osova's world.
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The Rise of the Hybrids
Amidst these evolving challenges, a rare and unforeseen phenomenon began to emerge: Etekoi/Wickerbeast hybrids. Over centuries of cohabitation, cultural integration, and deeply intertwined lives, genetic divergences began to bridge, leading to the birth of individuals possessing traits from both species. These hybrids are slightly rare, perhaps fifty in a thousand births among the two species, and their appearance is varied but still largely Wickerbeast.
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Wicker and Human relationships also became more common in population, but they were never able to conceive children.
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Kaelen & Power's Core
Kaelen, an Etekoi/Wickerbeast hybrid, was born and rose to prominence.
Kaelen originally became well-known in Grandesburg as a bright crystalithium engineer who came up with creative ideas for sustainable energy extraction and gadgets that could both capture crystalithium and help repair the harm it brought to the environment. But Kaelen's comprehension quickly veered from a need for equilibrium to an unquenchable craving for power. Kaelen started taking advantage of the very systems they had vowed to defend because they thought that only complete technological control could genuinely "save" Osova.
They developed advanced Crystalithium-powered devices capable of disrupting established communication networks, manipulating energy grids, and even accelerating the depletion of critical Crystalithium veins. Kaelen's proposals were no longer diplomatic; they were ultimatums, backed by a growing army of technologically enhanced enforcers. These enforcers were Advanced Droid Wickerbeasts, and Robotic Wickerbeasts.
The trust forged over centuries was shattered. The treaty collapsed into widespread industrial sabotage, resource wars, and civil unrest. Grandesburg, once a symbol of unity, became Kaelen's fortified bastion, its advanced technology turned inward to maintain control over a populace increasingly resentful and fearful. The balance of power was utterly destroyed, replaced by Kaelen's iron grip over the world's most vital resource.
The old Grandesburg court, a historical landmark, was seized and brutally repurposed, its old halls now existing only with the hum of advanced machinery. Kaelen renamed it: The Harmonizer.
This descent into techno-autocracy and environmental exploitation marked the definitive downfall of the Contemporary Era. Kaelen’s actions, driven by a warped vision of order through technological supremacy, inadvertently plunged Osova into a new, darker age.
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The Cartographer
Amidst the swirling chaos Kaelen brought to the world, there was Charter, a King Wickerbeast. He wasn't one for grand speeches or technological marvels. Instead, he was a quiet cartographer, historian, and a biological scientist. While others chased Kaelen's destructive progress, Charter quietly, meticulously, recorded everything.
Charter’s precise cartography became the only way to truly track the creeping environmental decay caused by unchecked Crystalithium extraction and the alarming speed at which resources were vanishing. His unbiased data cut through Kaelen’s propaganda, providing crucial, irrefutable information to anyone brave enough to resist.
He often ventured into the most perilous, remote regions, sometimes with a small, trusted group of traditionalists and scholars who shared his quiet resistance. These journeys were incredibly dangerous. Kaelen’s enforcers, terrifying Advanced Droid Wickerbeasts and Robotic Wickerbeasts, patrolled many mining sites, seeing any unauthorized presence as an enemy.
His paper maps evolved into holographic maps. They became more information heavy. The maps turned into guides that also incorported vital ecological data, marked with a complex language of symbols only a chosen few could decipher. These "living maps" didn’t just show where the Crystalithium was; they showed where it was being poisoned, where the land was dying, and even hinted at untouched pocket fissures of Crystalithium that might, just might, hold the key to Osova’s future.
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Alliances Rewoven
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Amidst the growing problems of Kaelen, the fragile bonds between humans, Etekoi, and Wickerbeasts began to re-form in small factions. Not through diplomatic treaties, but through the shared threat of tyranny. Each species, facing possible extinction, found common ground again.
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Authors Note:
Etekoi and Etekoi Hybrids are not open to create yet as their visual guides are still being created. More information might be added to this page.
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