[h1]The World of Greedventory and Its inhabitants [/h1] The world of Greedventory has a long and tragic history, though most of it has been lost to the ages, forgotten by most. While there is not much known about the early centuries, there is one thing nobody dares to forget - the cataclysmic event that [i]almost[/i] ended the world - known to the inhabitants only as the Great Roll. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42512757/c1f82f43c84195aa5a8ca495de0699ef5f6473df.png[/img] The surviving records only state about a great celestial body of an unknown nature, colliding with great force into the world of Greedventory. Now, just like mountains, it’s been accepted by nature, and lures explorers, scholars and adventure seekers with the promise of riches, power, and knowledge. Now, no-one knows what the object may or may not contain, but people, being people, assume there’s untold riches to be discovered, and are willing to forego their own safety in pursuit of the unknown. Sages worked tirelessly trying to gather any knowledge about the object for ages now, but it seems that all of their efforts have been in vain, as basically nothing has been discovered. Along with its mysteries, It radiates magical and magnetic fields - proving fatal for those daring to approach it - so no mortal has ever been able to get inside. To put it into more modern terms, It's more of an exclusion zone now, dangerous, and mostly abandoned. Still the research goes on. It used to go a lot more effectively before the creation of the Igneous Sigil Brotherhood, a not-so-secret society hell-bent on acquiring all the magic in the world and keeping its power to themselves. To further their goals, they suppressed or exiled most of the magical institutes of the world. The Great Roll, in its wake, covered the world in foul and dangerous beasts, magical vessels of power called Artefacts, and, of course, villains, seduced by the promise of uncontrollable power. And, naturally, after a while these conditions produced an opposing force, an antithesis of the roaming evil: heroes and brave adventurers whose destiny was to free the lands, slay the monsters, and bring the power back to the people. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42512757/f359d50e9f5afcac1f5789cdffb981372267a5ba.png[/img] That marked a time of heroism and adventure. A lot of heroes were doing their heroic deeds defeating villains and evil creatures all over the realm while also ‘taking their cut’ of powerful artefacts, magic, and gold. True and successful heroes, however, were not travelling alone. They were accompanied by the Imps - creatures of unknown origin and age who somehow possessed heaps of knowledge about heroic quests and hideous villain lairs. Some say that they have an invisible connection to the celestial Object but they've never shared this knowledge to anyone - neither mages nor their fellow heroes. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42512757/7a15acf05b3dba1cc2d1b1498575b70d496f821f.png[/img] And there was one - the mightiest and most glorious of all heroes, whose legends about saved lands, slain villains and monsters were much greater and [b]MUCH[/b] more glorious than tales told about the lesser heroes. Legends called him the First Hero. He has spent decades among his brethren on a heroic path but after some time came to a realisation that common people, mages and even heroes themselves are stockpiling huge amounts of dangerous magical (and not-so-magical) items. And knowing people, they will use and abuse such items to inflict harm to themselves, as well as others. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42512757/df3a726535f7aaf808a5ff6da5766eab0bd6898e.png[/img] His new quest to protect the common folk not only from monsters, but dangerous monsters, [i]and most importantly, themselves.[/i]The Hero quickly found many like minded allies and followers on his travels. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42512757/c7d598073b54d03de15a02e0a6de0ea525f03815.png[/img] The Igneous Sigil Brotherhood was born - right upon the gaping throat of a monstrous volcano - where righteous flames were used to destroy magical sources of corruption. The Brotherhood's power grew swiftly and by now they have assumed control of almost every side of life in our unnamed kingdom - they control trade, their troops reside in every town, and their bureaucrats constantly decrease the 'allowed' level of power for magical items. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42512757/a92fec22c00eb32601973b67c7bc260dfa125a35.png[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42512757/ba4189803951af1febc04a94339e2d84911f7026.png[/img] The wizards as owners and researchers of magic were declared dangerous and were persecuted. Some mages bowed to the order - for example, Mandrik, being himself a skilled sorcerer - is a warden for the Uwor Prison, where less compliant were sent. The prison was designed by Mandrik in the bowels of an enormous sea creature Uwor which is eternally bound to the seabed and forever slumbers near the coastline as a lonely inaccessible island. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42512757/2c947f3b767ac3dd9b98a27eedc4b0cfd673483d.png[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42512757/cde5fc72c9527528de45702aeefa787713d97772.png[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42512757/ab9838bd03a70e62a1d91bc5531aee7fabe552f1.png[/img] Some, such as the ancient and mystic Old Mill university still exist but there are whispers around town that some deal was inked to ensure the university’s survival. The Mill is completely shut for supplicants or new apprentices, unlike the old times when the Master of the Mill and his students were providing aid with crops, herds and fisherman's catch. No more lucky charms or storm-binding incantations for Fishermen Village people. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42512757/a5a551dc8a9dd6addbc89a50a8ba6cad613c80a1.png[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42512757/4693d592b766354c35c11a703e80754c43eaf026.png[/img] Most heroes were declared redundant and have been exiled or chose to retire on their own volition, and in both cases, forgotten. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42512757/1c4434ccc2858dd6fbcfb863be453fbb908d29d1.png[/img] Also the halflings, who previously were countless and known for their indirect usage of the world's magic to create delicate and sophisticated mechanisms are being seen less and less. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42512757/6b17f0086c8fc89a9cf9ec69e859a4a3be2c8e82.png[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42512757/39f4557364ad7d0247173820718a4bdc43ea4fca.png[/img] And yet, the folk continue to survive, barely as it is, with the Brotherhoods’ taxes, certificates and the foul stench of bureaucracy, with no more wizards around to help them out. What can one do? [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42512757/d010b74fb4fc59790a52b2a6ea8c6b80d86350f0.png[/img] ____________________________________________________________________ Thank you for reading the newest installment of our devlog! We hope you had a blast reading through it and familiarising yourself with the cruel and unusual world of Greedventory. And if you want to see more of Greedventory, you can visit us here: [url=https://discord.gg/xaYnnv8GxD]Discord[/url] We hope to see you exploring the world of Greedventory and its many treasures very, very soon! :) -The Greedventory Team