In Darkness Born

In setting explanation:

The history of the Gateworlds is lost in myth and legend. It is believed by many mortal scholars that some enclaves of the Elder Peoples have archival records, which are not shared with the rest of the Gateworlds.

What is generally known is that all known life and civilizations had their origin on the ancient world of Tellus. Records kept by the Anku Republic’s Grand Library claim to be copies of accurate records going back to the golden age of Tellus. These records mention how Tellus developed a world wide culture, filled with wonders of art and technology. Then either discovered or created the gates. What followed was thousands of years of migration by Telusian peoples through the gates.

These ancient Tellusians found that Tellusian life and ecologies already existed upon the worlds beyond the Gates. Ankun scholars theorize that the Gates likely existed before civilization developed on Tellus. The Gates might have become activated by some enigmatic natural event, allowing wildlife to migrate through an open gate to a new world.

Another theory for the origin of the Gates, presented by Ellyllon scholars is that the Gates were created by one of the more obscure Elder People’s, such as the Vanifar or Crinoids. The Anku disagree with this theory, arguing that civilizations powerful enough to create the Gates would not have left it for the Tellusian humans to settle the other worlds. Such a powerful species would have used the new worlds for their own expansion.

The Ellyllon counter such debates with Ankun scholars by pointing out that civilization do fade and change their characteristics over time. Queries to the Vanifar produce silence, while the Crinoids’ answers produce only enigmatic fluted responses.

So the origins of the Gates are still unknown by modern scholars, but there is slightly more certainty on the nature of the golden age of Tellus Ancient Tellus was inhabited by the Ur-human species with the company of smaller populations of other sapients. Golden ages though, are often romanticized by later descendants. Modern scholars have great difficulty sorting through legends and authentic facts from ancient Tellus. Legends speak of cities with building reaching into the clouds, and vessels that travel the skies and undersea. Celestial vessels that journeyed through the heavens are mentioned in some Tellusian legends. Journeys in the legends mention some of these celestial voyages trading between the Gate Worlds through the void. If these legends were true, the Gateworlds are separated by great distance across the Void, orbiting different stars. Some scholars point to the extradimensionals, such as the Fae, Immortals, and Ayres demons, who testify to a very different view of the Gateworlds; where the worlds are different dimension from each other. Both theories have their scholarly proponents but neither has been proven decisively.

Creator’s explanation:

The Gateworlds is a setting of 14 high fantasy worlds as part of a shared universe. The design team of artist and writers has numerous stories under development within the setting, but the cores of the stories relate to two series: In Darkness Born and the Padrechian Saga. In Darkness Born, often abbreviated IDB, deals with several groups of heroes attempting to survive and thrive in the face of several multiworld threats over centuries. The Padrechian Saga is dealing with the story of the main antagonist, Padrech de Shekineser, and how his actions create many of the dire events faced by the Gateworlds over a 2500 year period.