Legend: Worldbuilding (Blue), Character Depth (Green), Player Agency/Storytelling (Yellow)
Seeds of Conflict is set in the Uni-Verse, a vast connected expanse made up of numerous Sub-Verses. Each Sub-Verse is a self-contained realm, complete with its own environment, history, and inhabitants. Despite their differences, all Sub-Verses share a crucial similarity… all of these inhabitants are unaware of the existence of other Sub-Verses.
The balance between the Sub-Verses is precarious, and for the good of the Uni-Verse, it must be treated as such. To those that are aware of the existence of multiple Sub-Verses, maintaining this equilibrium is of the utmost importance…
The Zothari are an ancient and noble civilization, once known as the protectors of peace in the Uni-Verse. They are an enlightened, immortal people who have lived for eons, dedicated to bringing peace and stability to all Sub-Verses. After a dark era of constant wars and chaos across the Uni-Verse, the Zothari rose as a beacon of hope and managed to end conflicts, unite warring factions, and bring about an undisturbed era of peace.
Guided by their philosophy, that peace must be maintained at all costs, the Zothari dedicated themselves to eliminating any potential threat to this hard-earned peace. Their belief was simple: Conflict is the source of all that is evil and wrong, and if true peace is to exist, it must be pure, untainted by Conflict. And so, Conflict must be destroyed.
However, an ominous new threat emerged… The Conflict Entity. Born out of the very fabric of the Uni-Verse, this destructive force sought to undo all that the Zothari had worked for. Its goal? Induce conflict across the Uni-Verse, which the Zothari saw as a means to plunge it back into the dark times they once saved it from.
The Conflict Entity rose up as a response to the peace that the Zothari had worked tirelessly to establish across the Uni-Verse, embodying everything the Zothari sought to eliminate: Chaos, Strife, and Disorder. It was driven by a singular goal… to spread conflict and unrest, undoing all that the Zothari had maintained for so long.
Despite their strength and wisdom, The Zothari were no match. Great Bleed would follow, claiming the lives of many Zothari. Only a fraction of Zothari, led by their king Vogg, survive the devastation.
A Zothari with immense skill in the arts of the Sword and the appearance of a young man despite being over 1,800 years old. Often called ‘Kas’ by those close to him, he is the unconventional hero of Seeds of Cnflict. However, unlike traditional heroes driven by noble causes or personal tragedy, Ka'Seff's journey began out of a deep, pervasive boredom.
Despite his age, Ka’Sipho holds the title of the youngest ZARIMAR in the history of the Zothari people. While most Zothari are driven by their desire to maintain peace or defend their people, Ka'Sipho's motivation is unique… a deep, pervasive boredom. This ambition would push him to surpass his peers and quickly rise to the ranks of the ZARIMAR, all the way to 3rd Class despite his ‘youth’.
Despite his potential to rise through the ranks, Ka'Sipho purposefully limits himself to this lower rank. He does this to keep his boredom at bay, giving himself something to aim for as the years stretch on. He craves challenges and excitement, and the self-imposed limitation is one of the few ways he finds motivation.
Zephyrax, or ‘Rax’, is a brash and overconfident character, with a larger-than-life personality. He’s fiercely competitive, especially toward Ka'Sipho, often finding himself wanting the missions and glory that Ka'Sipho earns on the missions that he’s assigned. This rivalry drives Zephyrax to constantly push himself, eager to prove that he’s the best among the Sub-Versionists. However, Zephyrax's roughness is a product of the struggles he’s faced…
Drakes, including Zephyrax and his family, lived in Drakes Keep, a secluded part of his Sub-Verse where they lived peacefully, largely keeping to themselves. Zephyrax had a wife, a daughter, and a brother named Xerxes, all of whom formed a tight-knit family unit.
His life took a tragic turn when the King of the largest kingdom in the Sub-Verse, ordered a pre-emptive strike on Drakes Keep. The king, fearing that the kingdom they had tensions with, would rally the powerful drakes to his side in the future, chose to destroy this potential threat. In this brutal assault, Zephyrax lost his entire family. The loss of his wife and daughter devastated him, leaving him consumed by rage and grief.
In the aftermath of this destruction, Zephyrax was approached by the Zothari, offering him a chance to avenge his family by joining their cause, giving him the opportunity to fight for a new world where such senseless destruction would no longer be a way of life. For Zephyrax, the driving force behind his decision was the desire to make his daughter proud in some way, even after her death.