World of
"STRANGERS IN THE SKY"
Take a peek into the three domains of
STRANGERS IN THE SKY and the stories
that lie within.
- INVERTED WORLD
- SKYBINDER
- IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT
Check out each area for more stories.
From the Late Empire Era to the Inverted World Era
The tumultuous Starhavoc Age reached its conclusion, and the
foundations of imperial rule had further solidified.
Citizens of the empire contributed greatly, coalescing as one nation
while shedding their realm mentalities in the wake of that great crisis.
Three hundred prosperity-filled years followed, which brought
stability to the empire surpassing that of the Early Empire Era.
That peace would be shattered from the sky above.
The great earthquake struck without warning, its exceedingly violent
tremors spreading tremendous damage across the realms.
Yet it was merely a harbinger of the true disaster to follow.
The cause of the quake was a massive two-headed serpent that plummeted
straight down onto Heaven's Peak, one of the tallest pinnacles within the Realm of Flame.
While part of the serpent lay coiled tightly around that rocky mountain,
its body stretched high toward the heavens.
At the far end was an entire continent, floating upside down in the sky above.
Whereas the Starhavoc Age had seen the entire world embroiled in conflict from within,
this new threat came in the form of an intrusion from without.
Taking its name from their heavenly haunt, let us unravel the history of this
Inverted World Era, as well as the stories of those brave imperial heroes who faced our intruders.
Albert Lee Mukoko, associate professor of history at the Royal Institute
The Inverted World
Sovereignty: Unclear
A large landmass, equivalent in size to
any three of the realms combined
This floating continent was spotted in the sky at
the same time Skybinder came crashing down.
From our perspective the continent appears upside down,
and survey team members actually experienced
the sensation of abruptly falling up toward
its surface when crossing the midpoint between our land and it.
It is from that appearance that the name "inverted world" is derived.
As for Skybinder, the serpent was accompanied by Astrals,
which are rather unique spirits not found in our realms.
Did other powerful entities lie waiting on the inverted world?
What are living conditions like up there?
It is a land thoroughly wrapped in mystery.
All we can do now is wait for reports to come back from the survey team.
Skybinder
Sovereignty: Skybinder's Army
Heaven's Peak, one of the tallest pinnacles in
the Realm of Flame
With the help of an army led by the spirit Serpentarius,
the great two-headed serpent came to occupy this tall peak
after dropping onto it from the sky.
A vanguard was immediately dispatched by the empire to reconnoiter,
but only a handful of survivors returned from that initial attempt.
Individuals among the floating world intruders known as Astrals
contributed heavily to the vanguard's annihilation.
These Astrals possessed uniquely incorporeal bodies,
which defied all opposition.
Stretching high into the heavens above, the serpent's body appeared
to connect the inverted world to our own.
People began calling it "Stellar Snake" and "Skybinder" as a result,
with the latter name eventually being adopted to describe
the entire surrounding region.
The Imperial Government
Sovereignty: The Empire
The Floating City
The imperial government found itself facing several problems all at once.
First came rescue and recovery efforts for victims of the massive earthquake caused by Skybinder.
In addition, Skybinder's army demanded closer examination.
And finally, there came a survey of that inverted world floating in the sky.
Three hundred years of tranquility had done little to prepare government officials,
but they exhibited their talents by handling all three problems simultaneously.
Although disaster recovery efforts and the dispatch of a survey team went smoothly,
their investigation into Skybinder uncovered even more unforeseen difficulties.
After concluding they were in over their heads,
leaders drew up plans to assemble the Twelve Lightguider Zodiacs.
Once awoken from their near-eternal slumber,
they could confront the imminent threat.