The Returners
“Reclaim What Was Lost”
“Humanity once ruled a unified world. We can again. The Aether is obstacle, not destiny.”
Quick Reference
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Ideological movement, exploratory faction |
| Leadership | Scattered (no single leader, various figures) |
| Scope | Small (few hundred believers), growing interest |
| Goal | Reunify sky-islands into stable landmass |
| Philosophy | Shattering can be reversed through technology/magic |
| Status | Fringe group, dismissed by mainstream, possibly visionary |
The Returners -
Reclaim What Was Lost
Overview
The Returners believe the Shattering can be reversed—that humanity can reunify floating islands into stable landmass, recreating something like pre-Shattering world. They search for “Sky Anchors” (rumored pre-Shattering stabilization technology), study Aether physics, and dream of ending humanity’s precarious aerial existence.
Most people dismiss Returners as delusional dreamers chasing impossible fantasy. Islands float because that’s reality now; wishing otherwise won’t change physics. But Returners point to pre-Shattering evidence: world existed, therefore it’s possible. Technology that broke it might repair it. And desperate enough times demand impossible solutions.
The movement is tiny, underfunded, and mocked. But growing desperation (Rot spreading, resources dwindling, islands destabilizing) makes their dream increasingly appealing. What if they’re right? And even if wrong, isn’t hope worth pursuing?
Core Beliefs
The Shattering Was Technological
Argument: - Luminar Council experimented - Something broke reality - Therefore: Technology-caused (not divine punishment) - Implication: Technology can reverse
Evidence: - Pre-Shattering records (fragmentary) - Luminar Council’s hubris (documented) - Aether anomalies (suggest artificial origin)
Counter: Speculation (no proof)
Sky Anchors Existed
Claim: - Pre-Shattering islands were stabilized - Technology called “Sky Anchors” - Devices prevented float/drift - Still exist somewhere (dormant? Broken?)
Evidence: - Fragmentary texts (Archivist discoveries) - Brother Caelum’s research (incomplete) - Engineering principles (theoretically sound) - Pre-Shattering stability (required explanation)
Counter: Texts ambiguous, no physical evidence
Reversal Is Possible
Theory: - Find/repair Sky Anchors - Reactivate stabilization fields - Islands coalesce gradually - World remade (over generations)
Requirements: - Locate technology - Understand principles - Repair/recreate devices - Implementation (massive undertaking)
Probability: Unknown (untested)
Organization
Not Unified
Reality: - Multiple groups (independent) - Shared goal (different methods) - Occasional cooperation - No central authority
Factions Within: - Engineers (technology focus) - Scholars (historical research) - Mystics (believe magic/divine required) - Pragmatists (small-scale stabilization first)
Notable Figures
[DM Create]: - Returner engineer (developing prototype) - Archivist sympathizer (researching Sky Anchors) - Wealthy patron (funding expeditions) - Mystic leader (prays for reversal)
Brother Caelum (affiliated): - Not member but researching Sky Anchors - Provides information - Sympathetic to goal
Activities
Research
Historical: - Pre-Shattering texts - Luminar Council records - Engineering principles - Aether physics
Archaeological: - Explore ruins (seeking Sky Anchor sites) - Excavate pre-Shattering installations - Dangerous (Periphery, Deeps expeditions)
Scientific: - Study Aether behavior - Test stabilization theories - Small-scale experiments
Expeditions
Targets: - Rumored Sky Anchor locations - Pre-Shattering research facilities - Aether anomaly sites - Peripheral ruins
Challenges: - Expensive (limited funding) - Dangerous (high mortality) - Unsuccessful (mostly) - Occasionally promising (fuel continued hope)
Advocacy
Public: - Lectures (small audiences) - Publications (pamphlets) - Demonstrations (usually failures) - Recruitment (slow growth)
Reception: Mockery (mostly), curiosity (some), hope (desperate few)
Resources
Funding: - Wealthy eccentrics (small donations) - Member contributions (limited) - Occasionally Guild-Master Song (secretly, for different reasons)
Property: - Small workshops (scattered) - Research sites (temporary) - No headquarters (too poor/distributed)
Personnel: Few hundred (part-time mostly)
Knowledge: Growing (limited but accumulating)
Challenges
Ridicule
Mainstream View: Delusional dreamers
Impact: - Recruitment difficult - Funding minimal - Dismissed by authorities - Socially isolating for members
Resources
Chronic Scarcity: - Can’t fund major expeditions - Limited equipment - Can’t attract top talent - Slow progress
Evidence Lack
Problem: No proof concept works
Impact: - Can’t convince skeptics - Internal doubt (some members) - Difficult to maintain motivation
Division
Internal: - Technology vs. mysticism (approach debate) - Practical vs. idealistic (goal scope) - Some want gradual (stabilize islands individually) - Others want complete (full reversal or nothing)
Relationships
Supportive
Some Archivists: - Share goal (knowledge preservation/application) - Provide research access - Brother Caelum collaborates
Desperate People: - See hope (alternative to decline) - Join movement (belief or desperation)
Skeptical
Most People: - Dismissive (impractical dreamers) - Sympathetic (nice idea, impossible) - Annoyed (stop bothering us)
Hostile
Traditionalists: - View as hubris (Luminar Council mistake repeated) - Warn against tampering - Condemn as dangerous
Constellation Clergy (some): - Theo logical objection (humans shouldn’t “undo” Shattering) - Might be divine will - Arrogance to reverse
Is It Possible?
Arguments For
Pre-Shattering Existed: World was unified (proven)
Technology Real: Luminar Council had advanced science
Sky Anchors Referenced: Texts mention stabilization
Desperation Motivates: Need drives innovation
Arguments Against
No Physical Evidence: Sky Anchors never found
Scale Impossible: Energy requirements astronomical
Hubris Repeat: Luminar Council caused Shattering (trying again dangerous)
Aether Permanent: Reality fundamentally changed
Truth
Unknown: Untested (can’t verify until attempted)
Possibility: Non-zero (not impossible, just unproven)
Risk: Experimentation might make things worse
Current Status
Growing Interest: - Rot spreading (desperation increasing) - Islands destabilizing (fear rising) - Resources dwindling (need solutions) - Returners’ dream more appealing
Still Fringe: But less fringe than 20 years ago
Potential: If major discovery made, movement could explode
Secrets
The Prototype
Rumor: Returner engineer built small-scale Sky Anchor
Claims: - Stabilizes single building - Prevents Aether-drift - Proof of concept
Verification: Unconfirmed (engineer secretive)
If Real: Revolutionary (changes everything)
Song’s Funding
Secret: Guild-Master Elara Song funds some expeditions
Her Goal: Pre-Shattering knowledge (not necessarily reversal)
Returners: Don’t know true motivation (think she’s believer)
Implication: Using them for her own purposes
The Warning
Discovery: Some texts suggest reversal dangerous
Details: Sky Anchors might require massive power source
Speculation: Original anchors powered by… what?
Fear: Reactivation could trigger second Shattering
Suppressed: By some Returners (inconvenient)
Joining the Returners
Membership Process
Requirements: - Belief (that reversal is possible) - Commitment (willing to sacrifice for goal) - Skills (useful to mission—research, exploration, engineering, etc.) - Recommendation (from existing member) - Oath (to goal, not to organization)
Recruitment: - Returners seek specific skills (not open membership) - Approach candidates privately (secrecy important) - Explain mission (reversal attempt) - Gauge reaction (belief, skepticism, horror?) - Invite if suitable
Initiation: - No formal ceremony (practical organization) - Oath taken privately (to leader or small group) - Given assignment (immediate—everyone works) - Integrated into cell structure (compartmentalized for security)
The Oath: > I swear to seek the reversal of the Shattering. > I swear to recover the knowledge that was lost. > I swear to attempt the impossible, even if it kills me. > I swear to sacrifice whatever necessary for humanity’s restoration. > I am Returner. The past is my future. The Shattering will be undone.
Daily Life of a Returner
Varies by Role:
Researchers (Scholars, Archivists): - Study pre-Shattering texts (seeking clues) - Translate ancient languages (Old Luminar, Star-Script) - Theorize about reversal mechanics (how it could work) - Document findings (share with other Returners)
Explorers (Sky-Striders, Pilots): - Search for Nexus Spire (primary goal) - Explore Periphery, Deeps, dangerous regions - Map unknown territories (where could Spire be?) - Risk death regularly (exploration is dangerous)
Engineers (Craftsmen, Alchemists): - Attempt to replicate pre-Shattering technology - Build prototypes (Sky Anchors, stabilization devices) - Test theories (often fail, sometimes explode) - Incremental progress (slow but real)
Recruiters (Charismatic, Connected): - Find new members (specific skills needed) - Secure funding (wealthy patrons, embezzlement, theft) - Maintain secrecy (avoid persecution) - Political maneuvering (influence without exposure)
The Reality: Obsessive - Returners work constantly (mission is life) - Personal relationships suffer (everything secondary to goal) - Health declines (neglect self-care) - Sanity questioned (by others and sometimes themselves) - But: Purpose (meaningful work) - But: Hope (maybe they’ll succeed) - But: Community (fellow believers)
Returner Jargon and Slang
“The Working”: Apogee Working (the ritual that broke world)
“The Key”: Nexus Key or Sky Anchor (technology needed for reversal)
“The Spire”: Nexus Spire (lost location, primary search target)
“Pre-Fall”: Pre-Shattering era (the world they want to restore)
“Post-Fall”: Current era (temporary state to be undone)
“Void-Kin Problem”: Ethical dilemma (reversal erases post-Shattering generation)
“Sacrifice-Worthy”: Worth dying for (mission is everything)
“Anchor-Locked”: Stabilized island (proof concept works)
“Spire-Seeker”: Explorer searching for Nexus Spire (respected role)
“Song’s Fool”: Someone funded by Guild-Master (after her secret support)
“Council-Blessed”: Pre-Shattering knowledge (from Luminar Council)
“The Reversal”: Ultimate goal (undoing Shattering)
Internal Divisions
Philosophical Factions
Idealists (True Believers, ~50%): - Position: Reversal will restore golden age (everyone benefits) - Argument: Pre-Shattering life was better (objectively) - Method: Find Nexus Spire, complete Working properly, restore Terrum Solidus - Void-Kin Problem: Ignore it (or claim they’ll exist in restored world somehow) - Support: Older members, those who remember pre-Shattering accounts
Pragmatists (Selective Returners, ~30%): - Position: Recover technology, not necessarily reverse Shattering - Argument: Pre-Shattering knowledge is valuable (medicine, communication, etc.) - Method: Find archives, apply technology, improve current life - Void-Kin Problem: Avoid it (not attempting full reversal) - Support: Younger members, scientists, practical thinkers
Extremists (Sacrifice-Willing, ~20%): - Position: Reversal at any cost (including Void-Kin erasure) - Argument: Greater good (save billions by erasing millions) - Method: Find Spire, attempt Working, accept consequences - Void-Kin Problem: Acknowledge it, accept it (necessary sacrifice) - Support: Fanatics, desperate, those with nothing to lose
The Tension: Increasing - Idealists vs. Extremists (ethics of erasure) - Pragmatists vs. Idealists (full reversal vs. selective recovery) - All vs. Orthodox (who condemn entire mission) - Unity fragile (shared goal, conflicting methods)
The Void-Kin Ethical Crisis
The Problem: Reversal would erase post-Shattering generation
The Math: - Void-Kin: Everyone born after Year 0 S. - Current population: ~180,000 (almost all Void-Kin) - Pre-Shattering population: 2-3 million (if restored) - Trade: Erase 180,000 to resurrect 2-3 million
Arguments For Erasure: - Greater good (more lives saved than lost) - Void-Kin never “should have” existed (correcting mistake) - Pre-Shattering people deserve restoration (they were victims) - Utilitarian calculation (maximize lives)
Arguments Against Erasure: - Genocide (killing 180,000 people) - Void-Kin are innocent (not their fault they were born) - No consent (can’t ask them to sacrifice themselves) - Moral horror (ends don’t justify means)
Returner Positions: - Extremists: Accept it (necessary sacrifice) - Idealists: Deny it (claim Void-Kin will exist somehow) - Pragmatists: Avoid full reversal (just recover technology)
The Silence: Most Returners don’t discuss this - Too uncomfortable (ethical nightmare) - Too divisive (would split organization) - Too honest (would lose support) - Suppressed but everyone knows
Leadership Struggles
No Single Leader: Deliberate (prevents persecution)
Cell Structure: Independent groups (compartmentalized)
Coordination: Minimal (occasional meetings, shared information)
Competition: Between cells (who finds Spire first?)
Conflict: Over methods (ethical vs. pragmatic vs. extremist)
The Problem: Lack of unity - Cells work independently (inefficient) - Sometimes work against each other (competition) - No shared strategy (everyone pursuing own approach) - Vulnerable (authorities can pick off cells individually)
The Benefit: Resilience - One cell discovered doesn’t expose others - Multiple approaches (increases success chance) - Adaptable (no rigid hierarchy)
Research and Expeditions
Nexus Spire Search
Primary Mission: Find lost ritual site
Search Areas: - The Periphery: Most likely (cast to edge during Shattering?) - The Deeps: Possible (fell downward?) - Hidden: Concealed by survivors (too dangerous to allow access?) - Destroyed: Vaporized (nothing remains?)
Expeditions Sent: 50+ over 287 years - Returned: 30 (60% survival rate) - Found: Nothing definitive (fragments, hints, false leads) - Cost: Thousands of Coins, dozens of lives - Status: Ongoing (never give up)
Guild-Master Song’s Involvement: - Funded 12 expeditions (secretly) - Best-equipped searches (Captain Jorah, specialists) - No success (Spire remains lost) - Motivation: Knowledge (not necessarily reversal)
Sky Anchor Research
Goal: Understand island stabilization technology
Theory: Pre-Shattering civilization had technology to anchor islands - Ironhold is anchored (how? Why?) - Other islands were anchored (Old Anchor, before it broke) - Technology might still exist (fragments, ruins, texts)
Progress: - Fragmentary texts found (incomplete) - Theories developed (untested) - Prototype attempted (rumored, unverified) - No working Sky Anchor replicated (yet)
If Successful: Revolutionary - Stabilize drifting islands (prevent collisions) - Protect from Rot-drift (control position) - Enable construction (permanent buildings) - Prove reversal possible (first step)
Astral Geometry Recovery
Goal: Recover constellation communication methods
Challenge: Texts are fragmentary, dangerous
Progress: Minimal - Basic principles understood (geometry + prayer = power) - Advanced techniques unknown (or suppressed) - Apogee Working ritual partially reconstructed (incomplete, dangerous)
The Fear: Attempting Astral Geometry might cause second Shattering - Luminar Council had complete knowledge (they failed) - Returners have fragments (more dangerous?) - Clergy condemns research (forbidden knowledge) - Some Returners proceed anyway (desperation, obsession)
Success Stories
The Ironwood Discovery (Year 273 S.)
Achievement: Found pre-Shattering agricultural text Returner Role: Expedition recovered it Application: Techniques improved crop yields (20%) Impact: Fewer starvation deaths Legacy: Returner research has practical value (not just theoretical)
The Metallurgy Recovery (Year 261 S.)
Achievement: Recovered smelting techniques Returner Role: Translated ancient texts Application: Ironhold smiths improved steel quality Impact: Better weapons, tools, construction Legacy: Pre-Shattering knowledge is recoverable
The Anchor Theory (Year 285 S.)
Achievement: Developed working theory of island stabilization Returner Role: Engineer synthesized fragmentary texts Status: Untested (but mathematically sound) Impact: If correct, Sky Anchors are possible Legacy: Hope (reversal might be achievable)
Failures and Costs
The Lost Expeditions
Reality: 40% of expeditions never return Casualties: 100+ Returners over 287 years Causes: Falls, Rot, Rot-Beasts, storms, starvation Impact: High cost in lives Question: Is it worth it?
Returner Answer: Yes (every life sacrificed serves mission)
Critic Answer: No (chasing impossible dream, wasting lives)
The Spire Obsession
Problem: Some Returners become obsessed (lose perspective) Symptoms: Neglect health, relationships, safety Example: Returner who died searching (starvation, refused to turn back) Impact: Families destroyed, lives wasted Question: When does dedication become madness?
The Void-Kin Backlash
Problem: Void-Kin oppose Returners (reversal erases them) Impact: Political opposition, social stigma, violence (rare but happened) Example: Returner beaten by Void-Kin mob (Year 281 S.) Reality: Returners are advocating for Void-Kin erasure (intentionally or not) Ethical Crisis: Can’t ignore this
In-World Documents
The Returner Manifesto
WE CAN FIX THIS
The Shattering broke the world. But it can be un-broken.
Pre-Shattering technology exists. Nexus Spire exists. The knowledge exists. We just have to find it.
The Luminar Council attempted ascension. They failed. But failure doesn’t mean impossible—it means they did it wrong.
We can do it right. We can complete the ritual properly. We can restore Terrum Solidus. We can return to the golden age.
Yes, it’s dangerous. Yes, it might fail. Yes, we might cause second Shattering.
But what’s the alternative? Slow extinction? Watching islands fall one by one? Accepting that humanity’s best days are behind us?
No. We refuse. We will find the Nexus Spire. We will recover the knowledge. We will attempt the Working again.
And this time, we’ll succeed.
Or die trying. Either way, better than slow surrender.
Join us. Help us. Believe with us.
The past is our future. The Shattering will be undone.
—The Returners, Year 285 S.
Clergy Condemnation
OFFICIAL STATEMENT: THE RETURNER HERESY
The Returners claim they can undo the Shattering. They lie.
The Apogee Working destroyed the world. Attempting it again would destroy what remains.
The Luminar Council had everything—knowledge, resources, divine favor. They failed catastrophically. We have nothing. We would fail worse.
But more importantly: Even if it could work, should it?
Restoring Terrum Solidus would erase everyone born post-Shattering. The Void-Kin generation—150 years of people—would never have existed. Our children, our grandchildren, erased.
The Returners would sacrifice the living to resurrect the dead.
This is not salvation. This is genocide.
We condemn the Returners. We condemn their goal. We condemn their methods.
The past is dead. Let it stay dead. Build future, don’t resurrect past.
—High Constellation Council, Year 285 S.
Returner Engineer’s Notes
SKY ANCHOR PROTOTYPE - DESIGN LOG
Goal: Stabilize single building (proof of concept)
Theory: Pre-Shattering anchors used geometric resonance (Astral Geometry principles)
Design: - Geometric foundation (precise angles, calculated) - Constellation-aligned (specific orientation) - Power source: Unknown (trying various methods)
Attempts: 1. Prayer-powered (failed—constellations don’t respond) 2. Aether-crystal (failed—insufficient power) 3. Rot-shard (failed—corrupted structure) 4. [Classified] (partial success—building stabilized for 3 hours)
Current Status: Refining attempt #4 (promising but dangerous)
If Successful: Proof Sky Anchors are possible (changes everything)
If Failed: Back to theory (but won’t give up)
Personal Note: I’ve dedicated 15 years to this. My family left me. My health is failing. My sanity is questioned.
But if I succeed, I’ll have stabilized an island. First time in 287 years.
That’s worth everything.
Void-Kin Response to Returners
OPEN LETTER TO THE RETURNERS
You want to erase us.
You call it “restoration.” We call it genocide.
You say: “Restore pre-Shattering world.” We hear: “Kill everyone born after.”
You say: “Greater good.” We say: “We’re not numbers in your calculation.”
You say: “They deserve to live.” We say: “So do we.”
We didn’t ask to be born in shattered world. We didn’t cause Shattering. We’re not responsible for ancestors’ hubris.
But you want us to pay for it. With our lives. With our existence.
No.
We have right to exist. We have right to future. We have right to NOT be erased for your nostalgia.
Stop. Give up. Accept that past is dead.
Or we’ll stop you. However necessary.
We are Void-Kin. We are here. We are real.
You will not erase us.
—Void-Kin Coalition, Year 286 S.
Returner’s Doubt (Private Journal)
Entry 89, Year 287 S.
I’ve been Returner for 10 years. Dedicated my life to mission. Sacrificed everything.
But today, I met a child. Five years old. Void-Kin. Born in Aetherium. Knows no other world.
She smiled at me. Innocent. Happy. Alive.
If we succeed, she’ll never have existed. Erased. Gone. As if she never was.
Is that right? Is that acceptable? Is that the price of restoration?
I don’t know anymore.
I believe reversal is possible. I believe pre-Shattering world was better. I believe we should try.
But I also believe that child deserves to exist.
How do I reconcile these beliefs?
I don’t know. I don’t think I can.
Maybe I’m not Returner anymore. Maybe I never really was.
Or maybe I’m just finally understanding the cost.
Expedition Report (Failed Search)
EXPEDITION #47: PERIPHERY SEARCH
Objective: Locate Nexus Spire Duration: 4 months Crew: 5 Returners (2 researchers, 2 explorers, 1 pilot) Funding: 3,000 Coins (donated by sympathetic patron)
Results: - Spire not found (again) - Discovered 2 new islands (minor, uninhabited) - Found pre-Shattering ruins (looted, nothing significant) - Casualties: 1 (Researcher Mara fell during exploration)
Conclusion: Spire not in searched region (or doesn’t exist)
Recommendation: Continue searching (different area)
Personal Note: Mara died believing. She fell into Aether, still clutching her research notes. We recovered them. They contain nothing new.
She died for nothing. Or for everything. Depending on whether we eventually succeed.
I hope we do. For her sake. For all our sakes.
But I’m starting to doubt.
—Expedition Leader Theron, Year 287 S.
Quest Hooks
The Expedition: Join Returner quest for Sky Anchor site (dangerous exploration, possible discovery, high stakes)
The Prototype: Investigate engineer’s device (real or fraud? If real, revolutionary)
The Funding: Help secure resources for research (wealthy patrons, embezzlement, moral compromises)
The Discovery: Find Sky Anchor or related technology (changes everything, everyone wants it)
The Debate: Mediate internal Returner divisions (idealists vs. pragmatists vs. extremists)
The Warning: Discover dangers of reversal attempt (texts suggest catastrophic risk)
The Demonstration: Public test of theory (success validates Returners, failure discredits them)
The Conversion: Returner tries recruiting party (compelling arguments, dangerous mission)
The Breakthrough: Major discovery changes possibilities (Spire found? Anchor works? Knowledge recovered?)
The Choice: If reversal possible, should it be attempted? (Void-Kin erasure vs. world restoration)
The Void-Kin Conflict: Mediate between Returners and Void-Kin (both have valid points, no easy answer)
The Obsession: Help Returner who’s losing themselves to mission (intervention or enable?)
The Betrayal: Returner cell infiltrated (by Guild, Clergy, or Void-Kin—expose or protect?)
The Sacrifice: Returner willing to die for mission (stop them, help them, or witness their choice?)
The Truth: Discover reversal is impossible (or possible but shouldn’t be attempted—what do you do with that knowledge?)
Related Topics
“They call us dreamers. But someone has to dream of better world. Otherwise, we accept decline as destiny.”
“The Shattering happened. Therefore, it can un-happen. Physics that broke can repair. We just need to find how.”
“Every great achievement was impossible until someone made it possible. The sky-islands floating seemed impossible before Shattering. Reversing it seems impossible now. Give us time.”