THE ARK SERIES: PREMISE//
A millennium ago, an unforeseen geological catastrophe called the Tumult destroyed the World's civilizations, decimating life on the planet and driving humanity to the brink of extinction. A remnant of survivors rocketed into space and boarded the Arks - orbital terraforming platforms. Though originally built to terraform new planets, the survivors instead chose to terraform their own planet.
When the Tumult occurred, .001% of the population was mysteriously imbued with superhuman powers. These people were called Gifted. The Kinetics were Gifted superhuman strength, speed, and dexterity. The Elementalists were Gifted the manipulation of energy, channeling and conjuring fire, electricity, and ice. The Iskuoids were Gifted increased endurance, resistance to disease and injury, and unnaturally long life. The Telekinetics were Gifted the manipulation of their surroundings through force of will. The Therapaths were Gifted the curing of diseases and the healing of injuries of themselves and others. The Telepaths were Gifted the intuition of the thoughts and feelings of others apart from sensory perception. Some could even catch glimpses of the near future.
Of the .001% Gifted, another .001% were Gifted with two Gifts rather than one. These rarest individuals were called Second-Blessed.
Recognizing the need to bond together for mutual benefit, the eight separate Arks - built and inhabited by the peoples of individual nations - were conjoined to form the World Ark, which housed all the World's surviving peoples and cultures. The Magisterial Authority, a governing authority into which all Gifted were drafted, was formed to promote security and harmony among the peoples, and they cast the New Humanity Covenant, vowing to always function as protectors and guardians of this unified "New Humanity."
After eight centuries of terraforming the World, it was habitable once more. But the planet had changed. Old lands had been washed beneath the ceaseless tides. New lands rose from ocean volcanoes. The largest continents -Anudol in the east and Nakhtalkone in the west - were scarred and torn by the Tumult's fury. Ancient cities were buried beneath mountains of volcanic ash. Others still stood, crumbling and rusted and dilapidated, inhabited only by the ghosts of the old World and the reintroduced vegetation.
The Covenant peoples settled in Anudol and renamed it New Earth. Restrictions on family size were removed, and for two centuries, a golden age of peace and prosperity blanketed New Earth. Some chose to leave the enlightenment of the Covenant and resettled Nakhtalkone, calling it the Antipodes. The Covenant abandoned these detractors to their ignorance and folly on the western frontier.
The Covenant's golden age stretched on. Until the population rocketed to the tens of millions. Until change was demanded, and the Magisterial Authority's old ways questioned. Independence groups cropped up in the Covenant provinces. More and more the Magisters were seen as antiquated, abusing their Gifts to oppress the non-Gifted populace. Tension was rising. The political superstructure of the Covenant was beginning to buckle at its seams.
And then came a passenger train carrying innocents. Then came a man dressed in black and red. Then came fire. Then came blood.
When the Tumult occurred, .001% of the population was mysteriously imbued with superhuman powers. These people were called Gifted. The Kinetics were Gifted superhuman strength, speed, and dexterity. The Elementalists were Gifted the manipulation of energy, channeling and conjuring fire, electricity, and ice. The Iskuoids were Gifted increased endurance, resistance to disease and injury, and unnaturally long life. The Telekinetics were Gifted the manipulation of their surroundings through force of will. The Therapaths were Gifted the curing of diseases and the healing of injuries of themselves and others. The Telepaths were Gifted the intuition of the thoughts and feelings of others apart from sensory perception. Some could even catch glimpses of the near future.
Of the .001% Gifted, another .001% were Gifted with two Gifts rather than one. These rarest individuals were called Second-Blessed.
Recognizing the need to bond together for mutual benefit, the eight separate Arks - built and inhabited by the peoples of individual nations - were conjoined to form the World Ark, which housed all the World's surviving peoples and cultures. The Magisterial Authority, a governing authority into which all Gifted were drafted, was formed to promote security and harmony among the peoples, and they cast the New Humanity Covenant, vowing to always function as protectors and guardians of this unified "New Humanity."
After eight centuries of terraforming the World, it was habitable once more. But the planet had changed. Old lands had been washed beneath the ceaseless tides. New lands rose from ocean volcanoes. The largest continents -Anudol in the east and Nakhtalkone in the west - were scarred and torn by the Tumult's fury. Ancient cities were buried beneath mountains of volcanic ash. Others still stood, crumbling and rusted and dilapidated, inhabited only by the ghosts of the old World and the reintroduced vegetation.
The Covenant peoples settled in Anudol and renamed it New Earth. Restrictions on family size were removed, and for two centuries, a golden age of peace and prosperity blanketed New Earth. Some chose to leave the enlightenment of the Covenant and resettled Nakhtalkone, calling it the Antipodes. The Covenant abandoned these detractors to their ignorance and folly on the western frontier.
The Covenant's golden age stretched on. Until the population rocketed to the tens of millions. Until change was demanded, and the Magisterial Authority's old ways questioned. Independence groups cropped up in the Covenant provinces. More and more the Magisters were seen as antiquated, abusing their Gifts to oppress the non-Gifted populace. Tension was rising. The political superstructure of the Covenant was beginning to buckle at its seams.
And then came a passenger train carrying innocents. Then came a man dressed in black and red. Then came fire. Then came blood.