Paradigm of Empyrean

STORY

✧ STORY ✧

Preview

How did this story came to be? (aka introductory author's notes before the real meat of the bun) skip to the current story if you only wanna know about what goes on in the real deal, tho having this extra background knowledge is probably helpful to knowing bonus meta development concepts leading up to this point if that sounds tasty to you:

Funnily enough POE unlike the rest of my stories isn't even initially owned by me but rather by a friend. Earliest rendition of it probably has its roots back in 2018, even when I wasn't the owner yet I was equally as invested in the story that I was practically appointed co-owner in a rather joking manner. The original version of the story was instead named as Mysteries of Naru (aka where Naru as the mortal realm even came from) which was intended as a three part series detailing the lives of these chars but was quickly scrapped around 2020 or so I remember anyway. And like the unhinged bastard that I am I've decided to breathe new life for these chars knowing their "wasted potential" and thus I have since adopted the entire cast (with full permission ofc do not accuse me of kidnapping I have simply won the custody war)

That said even if these chars are now in my hands there were several renditions of it throughout 2020 - 2022, and unlike TEF with no set protagonist until much later Cinnamon has always been the OG protagonist since the very beginning, the stories would pretty much center around her and her best friend Bramble as they become explorers of the academy to find their friend Whisper who was lost to a tragedy, which, pretty much kinda got recycled into current TEF as we speak, as POE eventually gets a separately developed plotline on its own. Though for a long time it took place in a mostly academy esque setting and was more character than lore focused

I think it was only until 2023 or so that the story got its full deserved revamp that still hinged upon loss, grief and the pursuit of dreams as its main theme, I always viewed it as a partner story to TEF since a lot of the narrative is written in parallel to it hence the similar vibes though these days POE does have more of its own identity now which I'm digging, but ironically enough it has proven to be slightly more complex as I've taken all the lore of immortality and fate in previous renditions to be stuffed into the current mess that it is

Like the rest of my stories, POE is meant to be a multimedia storytelling project where I dump all the lore shenanigans via artwork + written snippets + playlists + moodboards + edits + animatics + the occasional memes as a peek into these characters' lives, though in my head I watch it as a show spanning five seasons (or more realistically, an illustrated novel, though that will take forever now huh) so for now enjoy the fun scraps

So What is the Current Story About Anyway?

Paradigm of Empyrean is a story that explores mortality and immortality through the concept of constellations, magical manifestations of souls that are connected to stars that made them. Only few are aware of stardust as a fragment of creation, notably rulers of the realms and the guardians of the Empyrean, a realm that resides between the mortal realm of Naru and the immortal realm of Cloud Cliffs, as a means to be the plane of existence only accessible by souls of the deceased to receive guidance and make peace with their death before they move on to reside within the afterlife. Unbeknownst to them, a mortal vessel does not need to have gone through death for the soul to be detached from it, as any vessel that has fallen unconscious for a prolonged time may be temporarily blur the lines between mortality and the life after.

Centuries prior to the events of the main story, the Guardian Guild was disassembled after the infamous sacrifice of two guardians involving the artifact of immortality due to magic overdose, said artifact remains hidden from the citizens of Naru in the Empyrean. At some point in history, the artifact has been seeked out for by the the ancient kingdom of Selenburgh that is known to alter their mortal vessels through self induced magic curses in pursuit of immortality. However, the plan to seek for the artifact ended before it could begin, followed by the death of Selenburgh's empress, allegedly due to sabotaging by the Kingdom of Alpenglow crowned monarch, who is eventually murdered by the brother of the empress in the name of vengeance.

The newly crowned emperor seeks for the artifact, in pursuit for immortality and justice for his late sister, targeting the young princess of Alpenglow centuries down the line, with the belief that she is the reincarnation of the monarch who murdered the empress. Following the young princess' disappearance, the bitter ties between Alpenglow and Selenburgh comes to light as a team of explorers — Team Valor, attempts to seek for the truth. Selenburgh, now renamed Gandoline Skies in memory of the late empress, deems the "accusations" against the disappearance a threat before killing Team Valor's valued leader, resulting in its disbandment. This becomes one of the core conflicts within the main plot, as our protagonist seeks to clear the name of her best friend, who was wrongly accused for causing the disappearance of the young princess due to a mysterious curse he endured in the face of the incident itself.

The main story follows Cinnamon, an enthusiastic, ambitious inventor and her hopes to clear the name of her best friend, Bramble who was wrongly accused to have caused the disappearance of Alpenglow's young princess, Whisper. Following the incident, Bramble was mysteriously cursed with Dravianisis, an ancient curse associated with the Lunaris bloodline's attempt in pursuit of altering their vessels repeatedly for the sake of immortality. The curse led Alpenglow to believe he was a planted spy from Gandoline Skies, posing a threat to the safety of the beloved princess. In truth, the ancient emperor of the Lunaris bloodline, Ashling, now known as Hawthorn, was the true culprit and Bramble merely did a selfless act to save Whisper from being taken away leaving behind no trace aside from the pendant she wore — a heirloom of the Solstice bloodline that is suspected to have magical properties.

Being framed for the murder of the princess, Bramble was locked up for the following years yet it didn't stop Cinnamon for reaching out to him through letters. She vows to find the truth of the tragedy, in hopes to bring justice to Bramble and finding Whisper again, even if most warned her against such a grand pursuit. WIP

Where the Story Begins

The prologue starts off with an exchange of letters between Cinnamon and Bramble as they write to each other about the search for Whisper, having been separated for years since the incident, with Bramble being locked up to keep his curse under control, being deemed a danger by the rest of the region. Unbeknownst to him, Cinnamon intends to break him out as a surprise with her trusty airship... WIP

TIMELINE

✧ TIMELINE ✧

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