Volume 1: Genesis of Bastion
In the earliest records of the Archives, it is written thus: Reality began in darkness. The origins of this primordial entity remain lost to time, its creation shrouded in mystery.
After countless millennia of silence, the Chroniclers mark the appearance of a solitary speck of light. Like a raindrop upon a still and ancient river, this nascent light cast ripples—waves of luminance—across the boundless void of space.
For unnumbered years, this light stood as a beacon within the eternal darkness—a darkness believed by scholars to be the primordial state of all reality, long before the birth of worlds. Its ripples, subtle and persistent, spread to every hidden corner.
In those first days, only the ripples of light born from the dark energy persisted, yet even these reached the farthest edge of the unknowable realm of space, as recorded in the oldest tomes.
After eons in silent formation, some fragments of the darkness yielded and transformed into light. Chroniclers liken this to the sudden shattering of a watchtower, from which waves of thick, radiant light waves burst forth, surging to the farthest corners of space.
In time, all these mighty waves of light gathered and compressed into a single, small sphere of energy. Then at last, much of darkness, once stubborn in their resistance, yielded—replaced by a beauty of light that, though wondrous, was gentle to behold, not blinding.
So, it is chronicled in the scrolls: Ages passed, and the light began to swell—first to the size of a boulder, then a mountain, and onward still, ever growing until it rivaled the very size of a world itself.
It is recorded in the annals that the darkness, dwelling in the infinite space, at last grew weary. It evolved, awakened, forging a mind of its own, and grew wary of the burgeoning power of the light, which threatened to conquer its domain. Thus did the darkness strive to reclaim its realm, consuming the light piece by piece. Yet, its efforts came too late, for the light had grown mighty—equal in strength to the darkness. Their struggle endured until the light could claim no more than half the expanse of space, and darkness retained the other. In that, both light and darkness evolved into consciousness.
Thereafter, in the midst of the great expanse, the light wrought a radiant sphere—its own sacred dominion poised between the realms of light and darkness. The darkness, unwilling to concede, sought to breach this sanctuary, striving to prove its supremacy. Yet the light withstood every assault, defending its creation until the sphere itself was sundered: half claimed by light, half by darkness. Thus, was it chronicled that their powers stood in perfect balance, and with the forging of this divided world, both forces not only possessed will, but ego as well.
From this division arose the Sphere of Halves—one side cloaked in darkness, the other bathed in light. So began the great contest for dominion over this nascent world. The immeasurable reaches of space were now sundered: half illumined by light, half veiled in darkness, with the divided spherical world at their very center.
Thus did the struggle for dominion endure through countless ages, as light and darkness vied ceaselessly to claim the realms of one another. The Chroniclers record not the span of years, for such conflict transcended mortal reckoning. In time, both grew weary of the eternal contest, and it was then that a profound realization dawned—neither would ever prevail, and unending strife would only bring ruin and exhaustion to both.
Through the long years of rivalry, respect blossomed between the two great entities, each recognizing the unique strength of the other. It is written that, moved by necessity and a dawning wisdom, light and darkness assumed humanoid forms, that they might confer face to face. For they feared that their ceaseless warfare might give rise to a third being, born of their exhaustion—a force that could unmake all.
Fearing the exhaustion of their might through endless struggle, the two forged a pact—a treaty to divide the expanse of space in equal measure: one half to darkness, the other to light, and the sphere world between, henceforth they named Bastion. The domain of undying light they named Luminos; the domain of endless night, Unlighted. And so, should a third force ever arise to threaten the balance, light and darkness vowed to unite, defending their creation if the force they judge as a danger.
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In the days that followed the signing of the Treaty of Bastion, peace reigned, and both primordial entities found solace in the stillness. In this tranquility, they contemplated what might be forged anew. The Light decided to create beings in its own image; these were the Mortals. Likewise, the Darkness created the Shades. For the first time, the two agreed to unite their strength—not in opposition, but in creation—hoping that new and lesser powers might arise for the benefit of their progeny.
Upon their first attempt, earth was created—bestowing a foundation for their creations to stand, build, and dwell upon within Bastion. A second attempt gave rise to water, source of life, cleansing, and growth for all who would thrive upon the earth. A third attempt summoned forth wind, bringer of breath and movement, dispersing water and sustaining the world's cycle. Yet, to Light and Darkness, these seemed but imperfect trials. Cautious of what might come with further mingling of their powers, they resolved that a fourth attempt would be their last. So it was that fire was born—most volatile of all, ever seeking to rise toward the heavens, casting both illumination and shadow, and thus stirring unease that it might be the seed of a new and perilous entity. After much deliberation, the ancients deemed these qualities to be the result of their successful combination and concluded the others were but fortunate fruits of their failed attempts.
Yet, still wary, the two created a single race as a safeguard—beings of both light and shadow, half Mortal and half Shade, gifted with the mastery of both primordial essences, light and dark energy. These were to be the eternal guardians of Bastion, should fire prove a harbinger of peril. The primordial gods named them the Temple Guardians, or Templars. Their dwelling was set at the convergence rim—the vertical equator dividing dark from light—deep within Underhaven, the world's subterranean heart. Only in times of dire need, when the balance of the four powers (earth, water, wind, and fire) was threatened, would the Templars emerge. For the ancients decreed that not only the races, but the four powers themselves, bore spirit and life, ensuring an endless flow of energy throughout the world for all creation to share.
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As time passed, the Templars' purpose became clear: they were also to be the guardians of the four powers. They could use both light and dark energy, energies of the Makers themselves. Yet, the Makers made it impossible for them to join the two into one force or use the four powers directly, for the balance of Bastion would be disturbed. Instead, the Templars received major and minor gifts—variant forms of light and dark, sometimes blended, but never the full strength of either. Of all created beings, only the Templars could speak with the Makers, through the Temple deep in Underhaven.
The Makers, finding peace in their own halves, watched their creations grow and change. They saw Mortals and Shades learning new things: feelings, tools, and ways to govern. Wishing for a place to meet and settle troubles, the Makers shaped an area between their domains in space . They named this simple meeting ground The Shift.
With the passing of years, the Makers spoke often in The Shift. Their rivalry faded, and at last, they saw each other not as foes, but as eternal brothers.
Whenever the Makers met in The Shift, they sometimes tested their strength in playful contests, or argued over whose creations were greater. There were times, they each trained champions to compete in grand tournaments, hoping to prove which side was strongest. In time, they realized they too were learning new things—emotions, good, bad, evil, and other traits of Mortals and Shades. Unsure if these changes came from visiting the domains or from within, they grew wary. Fearing these emotions might bring harm, they made a pact: never again would they interact with Mortals or Shades, except through the Templars.
The Templars alone showed none of the evil emotions, the seven deadly emotions/sins, whether they lived in Underhaven or walked among other beings and the four powers. Instead, they displayed the seven heavenly virtues in all things. Still, they were not completely free from bad emotions.
The Makers felt relieved with their choice. They called the Templars their special creations, or pargons, and named Mortals and Shades the domain creations, or domcreans. The Templars were set as the true guardians of the four powers, the domains, Underhaven—indeed, of all Bastion.
To solve the problem of evil emotions, Light and Darkness chose to sleep, waking only once every thousand years. Each time they woke, they would see if the changes were due to their own evolution, and watch the progress of the creations that they had made.
They knew change would come, whether they slept or not, for it had come before, when they were but fragments of empty space. They chose slumber so that these changes would be gentler, for when awake, they were more easily influenced by stray thoughts and powers—both their own and those of others.
To mark the ages, they made the Millennium Clock. Its bells rang out across the domains, Underhaven, and up to the heavens—Lux, heaven of the Light God, and Murk, heaven of the Dark God. Each ringing meant a thousand years had passed, time for the Makers to wake and for the Templars to ready for their coming. For their own safety, the Makers also built the Mechanic, a guardian of metal and stone, shaped from rare materials found only on the subterranean area of the convergence rim in Underhaven's depths. The Mechanic was given thoughts, but no heart, so evil emotions could never sway it from its task: to watch over the sleeping Makers, to help the Templars in great times of need, to guard the Shift, and to create others like itself as protectors if danger arose.