The Apogee Working

“The Ritual That Broke the World” / “The Ascension Attempt” / “The Fatal Experiment”

Date: Day 1-8, Year 0 S.
Location: Nexus Spire (now lost)
Purpose: Ascend humanity to constellation realm
Participants: Luminar Council + 300+ Star-Readers
Duration: Seven days and seven nights
Result: World shattered, millions died
Legacy: Greatest catastrophe in human history

“They tried to touch the stars. The stars screamed. The world broke. We’re still falling.”

Quick Reference

|| Attribute | Details | ||———–|———| || Date | Day 1-8, Year 0 S. | || Location | Nexus Spire (10km+ tower, now lost) | || Purpose | Physical ascension to constellation realm | || Method | Astral Geometry (ritual, mathematics, offerings) | || Participants | 12 Council members, 300+ Star-Readers, thousands support staff | || Duration | 7 days, 7 nights continuous | || Constellation Alignment | All major constellations visible (rare) | || Expected Outcome | Humanity transcends, becomes divine | || Actual Outcome | World shatters, millions die | || Survivors | 1-5% of population | || Cause | Unknown (ritual failed? Succeeded wrong? Other?) |

The Apogee Working Ritual

Overview

The Apogee Working was the Luminar Council’s ultimate experiment: a seven-day ritual intended to physically ascend humanity to the realm of the constellations, achieving immortality, transcendence, and divinity. It was the culmination of three centuries of Astral Geometry research, decades of planning, and the combined efforts of the greatest minds in human history.

On Day 8, at dawn, something went catastrophically wrong. The sun turned black. The stars screamed. The ground cracked like glass. Terrum Solidus shattered into thousands of fragments that were cast into a breathable void—the Aether. Millions died instantly. Civilization collapsed. The Apogee ended.

Was the ritual the cause? Did it fail, or succeed in ways the Council didn’t anticipate? Did it trigger something already waiting to happen? Did the constellations punish humanity’s hubris, or were they victims too? Three centuries later, no consensus exists.

What’s certain: The Apogee Working is the defining moment of human history. Everything before it was building toward it. Everything after it is living with its consequences. We exist in the aftermath of the greatest experiment ever attempted—and its catastrophic failure.

Planning and Preparation (-20 S. to -1 S.)

The Proposal (Year -20 S.)

Originator: Theron Starborn (Astral Geometry Master)

Concept: Physical ascension - Not spiritual (not metaphorical) - Actual physical transformation - Humanity would ascend to constellation realm - Become immortal, divine, transcendent - “The final step in human evolution”

Justification: - Constellations are conscious (proven) - Constellations are divine (believed) - Constellations communicate with humans (established) - Constellations might welcome humanity (assumed) - Astral Geometry can bridge gap (theorized)

Goal: Transcendence - Escape mortality (live forever) - Escape limitations (become powerful) - Escape uncertainty (achieve perfect knowledge) - Become like constellations (divine) - Ultimate achievement (or ultimate hubris)

The Debate (Year -20 S. to -15 S.)

Supporters (9 Council members): - Theron Starborn: “We’re ready. The math works. The constellations will welcome us.” - Elara Brightmind: “This is why we exist. To push boundaries. To transcend.” - Vask Ironwill: “Build it right, it’ll work. I’ve designed the structure. It’s perfect.” - Six others: Various arguments (records lost)

Objectors (3 Council members): - Kael Truthseer: “We’re pushing too hard. Reality is destabilizing. We’ll break something we can’t fix.” - Mara Windborn: “The risk is too high. We’re gambling billions of lives for potential transcendence.” - Salis Voidgazer: “There are boundaries we shouldn’t cross. This is one of them.”

Vote (Year -15 S.): 9 in favor, 3 opposed - Majority: Proceed with Apogee Working - Minority: Resign in protest (Kael, Salis) or stay reluctantly (Mara) - Decision: Final (no reconsideration)

The Construction (Year -20 S. to -5 S.)

Nexus Spire: Purpose-built ritual site

Location: Central Terrum Solidus (exact location now unknown) - Chosen for: Geometric significance, constellation visibility, Aether-current convergence (pre-Shattering equivalent) - City built around it: Nexus (population 3 million) - Now: Lost (destroyed? Hidden? Elsewhere?)

Design: Perfect geometry - Height: 10+ kilometers (pierced clouds) - Shape: Precise mathematical form (every angle calculated) - Materials: Advanced (stronger than current steel, infused with constellation-resonance) - Construction: 15 years (Year -20 to -5 S.) - Cost: Enormous (billions of coins equivalent) - Workers: Thousands (many died in construction accidents)

Features: - Ritual Chamber: Top floor (where Council performed) - Star-Reader Platforms: 300+ positions (surrounding chamber) - Geometric Amplifiers: Crystal arrays (channeling stellar energy) - Observation Decks: For witnesses (millions watched from below) - Support Infrastructure: Housing, supplies, communication

Vask Ironwill’s Pride: “I designed every angle. Every measurement is perfect. If the ritual fails, it won’t be because of the structure. It’ll be because the theory was wrong.”

[Note: Theory was wrong. Or structure was wrong. Or both. We’ll never know.]

The Star-Reader Training (Year -10 S. to -1 S.)

Recruitment: 300+ best Star-Readers - Volunteers (honor, duty, ambition) - Selected (demonstrated ability) - Trained (intensive, years-long) - Prepared (physically, mentally, spiritually)

Training: Rigorous - Astral Geometry mastery (advanced techniques) - Endurance (7-day continuous ritual) - Synchronization (300+ people acting as one) - Constellation attunement (deep connection) - Sacrifice (many would die, they knew)

The Volunteers: Varied motivations - Faith (serve the divine) - Ambition (be part of history) - Duty (Council commanded) - Curiosity (what happens?) - Desperation (terminal illness, seeking transcendence)

Fate: Almost all died - Day 8: Nexus Spire at epicenter - Star-Readers killed instantly (or transformed?) - Few survivors (traumatized, broken) - Legacy: Martyrs or fools? (debated)

The Constellation Alignment (Calculated Year -10 S.)

Requirement: All major constellations visible simultaneously

Rarity: Once per century (approximately)

Next Occurrence: Day 1, Year 0 S., dawn

Calculation: Precise - Astronomical observations (decades of data) - Mathematical models (predicting positions) - Margin of error: Minutes (had to begin exactly at dawn) - Confidence: 99.7% (they were right about timing)

Significance: Perfect conditions - Maximum stellar energy (all constellations) - Maximum divine attention (all watching) - Maximum ritual power (all aligned) - Perfect moment (or perfectly wrong)

The Public Reaction (Year -5 S. to -1 S.)

Anticipation: Mixed - Excitement (historic moment, humanity transcends) - Fear (something feels wrong, reality unstable) - Curiosity (what will happen?) - Doubt (will it work?)

Protests (Year -5 S.): 10,000+ people - Demanded: Halt experiments, independent investigation, Council accountability - Council response: Reassurance (everything is safe, trust us) - Result: Protests dispersed, experiments continued - Legacy: They were right to protest

Media Coverage (Year -1 S.): Global - Instant communication (everyone watching) - Interviews (Council members, Star-Readers, citizens) - Debates (supporters vs. objectors) - Countdown (days until ritual) - Excitement building (or dread)

Final Week: Preparation - Nexus Spire sealed (only participants allowed) - Council members entered (wouldn’t leave until complete) - Star-Readers positioned (300+ people) - Supplies delivered (7 days of food, water) - World watched (millions of eyes on Nexus)

The Ritual (Day 1-8, Year 0 S.)

Day 1, Dawn: The Beginning

Time: Precisely at dawn (constellation alignment perfect)

Participants Enter: - 12 Luminar Council members (minus Kael and Salis who resigned) - 300+ Star-Readers - Support staff (hundreds) - Witnesses (millions watching from afar)

The Opening: Theron Starborn’s invocation - Spoke in Old Luminar (sacred language) - Addressed all constellations (by name, by nature) - Requested permission (to ascend) - Offered humanity (as supplicants, as partners)

Response: Unclear - Some witnesses report constellation brightening (divine acknowledgment?) - Others report nothing (coincidence, wishful thinking) - Star-Readers reported “contact” (felt divine presence) - Skeptics reported “nothing” (psychological, not divine) - Ambiguous (as always with constellations)

The Ritual Begins: Continuous chanting - 300+ voices (synchronized) - Mathematical incantations (precise) - Geometric positioning (calculated) - Energy building (witnesses felt it) - Something happening (reality bending)

Days 2-6: The Intensification

Continuous Operation: No breaks - Chanting (day and night) - Offerings (constellation-specific) - Geometry (precise positioning) - Endurance (physical, mental, spiritual)

Physical Effects (reported by witnesses): - Nexus Spire glowing (faint at first, brighter daily) - Air shimmering (heat? Energy? Reality bending?) - Sound (humming, vibrating, felt in bones) - Pressure (atmospheric? Psychological? Both?) - Unease (something wrong, but what?)

Psychological Effects (reported by participants): - Euphoria (connection to divine) - Exhaustion (7 days without sleep) - Visions (constellations speaking? Hallucinations?) - Certainty (it’s working, we’re ascending) - Fear (occasional doubt, quickly suppressed)

External Observations (Year 0 S., Days 2-6): - Reality anomalies increasing (objects phasing, time distorting) - Public concern growing (something’s wrong) - Council reassurance (everything according to plan) - Protests resuming (stop the ritual) - Too late (couldn’t stop now)

Day 7: The Crescendo

Intensity: Maximum - Chanting loudest (voices hoarse, breaking) - Energy highest (Nexus Spire blazing) - Pressure unbearable (witnesses fleeing) - Reality visibly bending (undeniable) - Point of no return (committed)

Theron Starborn’s Report (transmitted Day 7, evening): > “We’re so close. I can feel the boundary. We’re about to cross. Tomorrow, at dawn, we ascend. Humanity will transcend. The future is bright. Trust us.”

Last Transmission: Day 7, midnight > “Something’s wrong. The constellations are… screaming? No. That’s impossible. We’re proceeding. We must. We’re too close to stop.”

Silence: After midnight, no more transmissions - Communication devices failed (or deliberately cut) - No contact with Nexus Spire - World waited (terrified, hopeful, uncertain) - Dawn approached

Day 8, Dawn: The Catastrophe

Time: Precisely at dawn (as planned)

The Event (witnessed by millions):

First: Sun turned black - Not eclipsed (wrong) - Not dimmed (extinguished) - Black (absolute, terrifying) - Lasted: Minutes? Hours? (time distorted)

Second: Stars screamed - Sound that shouldn’t exist - Audible (despite vacuum of space) - Painful (hurt to hear) - Came from everywhere (and nowhere) - Lasted: Unknown (felt eternal)

Third: Ground cracked - Like glass (spiderweb patterns) - Could see through cracks (void beneath) - Spreading (everywhere, simultaneously) - Unstoppable (no escape)

Fourth: Wrongness - Indescribable (witnesses struggle) - Seeping from below (or above? Or within?) - Reality breaking (fundamental level) - Terror (primal, absolute)

Fifth: Shattering - World broke (instantly) - Terrum Solidus fragmented (thousands of pieces) - Fragments cast into Aether (new medium) - Millions died (instantly or soon after) - Civilization ended

Nexus Spire: Vanished - Not destroyed (no wreckage) - Not fallen (no fragments found) - Gone (completely) - Location unknown (searched for 287 years) - Mystery (where did it go?)

Participants: Mostly dead - Council members: 9 dead (at Spire), 3 survived (resigned or fled) - Star-Readers: 300+ dead (almost all) - Support staff: Thousands dead - Witnesses: Millions dead (collateral)

What Went Wrong?

The Theories (No Consensus)

Theory 1: The Punishment (Clergy Position)

Claim: Constellations were angered - Humanity’s hubris was intolerable - Attempting to ascend was blasphemy - Constellations punished us (justly) - Shattering was divine judgment

Evidence: - Timing (ritual caused Shattering) - Stars screamed (divine anger) - Council members died (targeted) - Survivors traumatized (guilt)

Counter-Evidence: - Constellations previously encouraged humanity - Pre-Shattering miracles were common - Why punish everyone for Council’s sin? - Doesn’t explain Rot (ongoing punishment?)

Clergy Conclusion: “We angered the gods. We must atone. We must never repeat this hubris.”

Theory 2: The Accident (Scholar Position)

Claim: Ritual was flawed - Miscalculation (math was wrong) - Reality couldn’t handle stress (exceeded limits) - Unintended consequence (not malice) - Tragic mistake (not crime)

Evidence: - Reality anomalies before ritual (system was unstable) - Warnings ignored (Kael, Mara, Salis were right) - No divine anger (just physics) - Shattering was mechanical (not intentional)

Counter-Evidence: - Stars screamed (implies consciousness, anger) - Nexus Spire vanished (not destroyed—where is it?) - Rot emerged (suggests ongoing consequence) - Too catastrophic for simple mistake

Scholar Conclusion: “The Council miscalculated. Reality broke. We must understand what went wrong to avoid repeating it.”

Theory 3: The Success (Returner Position)

Claim: Ritual worked (partially) - World was transformed (not destroyed) - Aetherium is higher dimension (ascension achieved) - Humanity did transcend (but differently than planned) - Council succeeded (but not as expected)

Evidence: - Aether is breathable (shouldn’t be) - Islands float (physics changed) - Constellations still visible (still connected) - Humanity survived (in new form) - Ritual achieved something (just not what was intended)

Counter-Evidence: - Millions died (not transcendence) - Survivors traumatized (not enlightened) - Constellations silent (not welcoming) - Rot exists (corruption, not evolution)

Returner Conclusion: “The Working partially succeeded. We need to complete it properly. Undo the Shattering. Achieve true ascension.”

Theory 4: The Sabotage (Conspiracy Position)

Claim: Someone sabotaged ritual - Deliberate interference (who?) - Caused Shattering (intentionally) - Council were victims (not perpetrators) - Truth hidden (by saboteur)

Evidence: - Ritual was perfect (Vask’s design, Theron’s calculations) - Should have worked (or failed safely) - Catastrophic failure suggests interference - Nexus Spire vanished (stolen? Hidden?)

Counter-Evidence: - No suspects (who would? Why?) - No motive (destroy world? Insane) - No evidence (pure speculation) - Occam’s Razor (simpler explanation: ritual failed)

Conspiracy Conclusion: “Someone sabotaged the Working. Find them. Discover why. Prevent it happening again.”

Theory 5: The Horror (Whispered Position)

Claim: Ritual opened door - To what? (unknown, terrifying) - Something came through (entity, force, horror) - Voice Beneath (that thing) - Rot (its presence) - We’re living in invasion (not aftermath)

Evidence: - Voice Beneath (intelligence in Rot) - Rot spreads (deliberately?) - Wrongness (reality feels wrong) - Constellations silent (dead? Fled? Hiding?)

Counter-Evidence: - No entity visible (where is it?) - No invasion (just corruption) - Could be natural (Rot might not be intelligent) - Sounds insane (cosmic horror)

Horror Conclusion: “The Working didn’t break the world. It let something in. And it’s still here. Consuming us slowly.”

Truth: Unknown (probably unknowable) - Evidence supports multiple theories - No definitive proof for any - Ambiguity is feature (or curse) - We’ll never know for certain

The Ritual Components

Astral Geometry

Foundation: Mathematical precision - Angles (calculated to 0.001 degrees) - Distances (measured to millimeters) - Timing (synchronized to seconds) - Positioning (300+ people, perfectly placed) - Geometry (sacred forms, constellation-resonant)

The Incantations: Mathematical prayers - Not words (numbers, equations, ratios) - Spoken in Old Luminar (sacred language) - Rhythmic (synchronized chanting) - Continuous (7 days, no breaks) - Exhausting (voices breaking, participants collapsing)

The Offerings: Constellation-specific - Light: Candles (thousands, burning continuously) - Forge: Metal (iron, steel, gold, melted and offered) - Veil: Secrets (confessions, revelations, truths spoken) - Voyager: Maps (burned, symbolizing journey’s end) - Memory: Books (ancient texts, offered to preserve) - Liberator: Chains (broken, symbolizing freedom) - Plus: Blood, tears, hope, fear, everything

The Positioning: Sacred geometry - Council members: Inner circle (12 positions) - Star-Readers: Outer circles (300+ positions) - Geometric forms: Constellation patterns (recreated on ground) - Alignment: Perfect (every person precisely placed) - Movement: Choreographed (ritual dance, 7 days)

The Participants

Luminar Council (10 members present): - Theron Starborn (Primary Ritualist) - Elara Brightmind (Theoretical Framework) - Vask Ironwill (Structural Architect) - Mara Windborn (Reluctant Participant) - Six others (names lost) - Absent: Kael Truthseer (resigned), Salis Voidgazer (fled)

Star-Readers (300+ participants): - Best in world (selected from thousands) - Trained for years (prepared specifically) - Faithful (believed in ritual) - Sacrificial (knew risks) - Mostly died (few survived)

Support Staff (thousands): - Maintained supplies (food, water, materials) - Operated communication (transmitted updates) - Monitored instruments (measured energy, effects) - Documented ritual (recorded everything) - Mostly died (Nexus Spire was epicenter)

Witnesses (millions): - Watched from Nexus city (closest) - Watched from distant cities (transmitted images) - Watched from around world (communication devices) - Saw everything (sun blackening, stars screaming, world shattering) - Traumatized (those who survived)

The Expected Outcome

Council’s Prediction: Successful ascension - Humanity would transcend (physically) - Bodies would transform (become divine) - Consciousness would expand (perfect knowledge) - Mortality would end (immortality achieved) - Reality would be understood (completely)

Timeline: Immediate - Day 8, dawn: Ritual completes - Transformation begins (instant or gradual?) - Humanity ascends (to constellation realm) - New era begins (post-human) - Celebration (greatest achievement ever)

Alternative Outcomes (considered): - Ritual fails safely (nothing happens, try again) - Partial success (some ascend, others don’t) - Delayed success (transformation takes time) - Unexpected success (different than planned)

Not Considered: Catastrophic failure - World shattering (impossible, they thought) - Millions dying (unthinkable) - Civilization collapsing (inconceivable) - They were wrong (about everything)

The Aftermath

Immediate (Day 8-30, Year 0 S.)

Chaos: Total - World shattered (geography destroyed) - Millions dead (instantly) - Survivors isolated (on fragments) - No communication (systems destroyed) - No understanding (what happened?)

Nexus Spire: Gone - Not destroyed (no wreckage) - Not fallen (no fragments) - Vanished (completely) - Search began immediately (continues 287 years later) - Never found (where is it?)

Council: Destroyed - 9 members dead (at Spire) - 3 members survived (Kael, Mara, Salis) - Authority collapsed (no government) - Legacy: Blamed (rightly)

Star-Readers: Almost all dead - 300+ at Spire (killed) - Few elsewhere survived (traumatized) - Knowledge lost (most died) - Tradition broken (barely recovered)

Long-Term (Year 0-287 S.)

The Search: Ongoing - Nexus Spire location unknown - Searched for 287 years (no success) - Theories: Destroyed, hidden, elsewhere, in Periphery, in Deeps - Returners obsessed (finding it is their mission) - Song’s expeditions (seeking it desperately)

The Blame: Universal - Council caused Shattering (consensus) - Hubris destroyed world (agreed) - Never repeat (warning) - But: How to avoid repeating? (unclear)

The Knowledge: Fragmentary - Most ritual details lost (participants died) - Some texts survived (Archivists preserve) - Enough to understand what (but not why) - Enough to attempt again (terrifying) - Should we? (debated)

The Legacy: Complicated - Greatest experiment (achievement) - Greatest catastrophe (failure) - Both true (history is complex) - Learn from it (but what lesson?)

The Ritual Details (Reconstructed)

The Seven Days (Detailed Timeline)

Day 1: Invocation and Opening - Dawn: Ritual begins (constellation alignment perfect) - Morning: Opening prayers (addressing constellations) - Afternoon: First offerings (Light, Forge, others) - Evening: Geometric positioning (participants placed) - Night: Continuous chanting begins

Day 2: Attunement - Building connection (to constellations) - Energy increasing (witnesses feel it) - Participants exhausted (but continuing) - Reality bending (subtle, barely noticeable)

Day 3: Intensification - Connection strengthening (Star-Readers report contact) - Energy building (Nexus Spire glowing) - Participants strained (physical toll) - Reality anomalies (objects phasing nearby)

Day 4: The Threshold - Approaching boundary (physical → divine) - Energy peak (Spire blazing) - Participants collapsing (some, replaced by reserves) - Reality unstable (time distorting, gravity fluctuating)

Day 5: The Crossing Attempt - Attempting to cross (boundary between realms) - Energy maximum (unbearable) - Participants suffering (many collapsing) - Reality breaking (visible to all) - Public panic (protests, riots, evacuations)

Day 6: The Commitment - No turning back (too far in) - Energy sustained (despite cost) - Participants dying (some, but ritual continues) - Reality fracturing (undeniable) - Council’s last transmission: “We’re committed. Tomorrow, we ascend or we fail. Either way, we’ll know.”

Day 7: The Crescendo - Final day (tomorrow is transcendence) - Energy maximum (Spire visible from hundreds of kilometers) - Participants barely alive (but chanting) - Reality visibly breaking (cracks appearing) - World holding breath (waiting for dawn)

Day 8, Dawn: Catastrophe - Ritual completes (or fails) - Sun turns black - Stars scream - Ground shatters - World ends

The Ritual Formula (Partial Reconstruction)

Opening Invocation (Old Luminar, translated):

“Constellations of the Eternal Sky, We, humanity, your children, call to you. For three centuries we have learned your language. For three centuries we have proven our worth. Now we ask: May we join you? May we ascend to your realm? May we become what you are? We offer ourselves. We offer our world. We offer everything. Accept us. Transform us. Transcend us. We are ready.”

The Mathematical Core (fragmentary): - Equations (complex, multi-dimensional) - Ratios (golden ratio, pi, constellation-specific constants) - Sequences (Fibonacci, prime numbers, sacred series) - Geometry (angles, distances, forms) - Too complex to fully reconstruct (most knowledge lost)

The Closing (never reached): - Day 8 was supposed to be completion - Final invocation (never spoken) - Transformation (never happened) - Ascension (never achieved) - Instead: Catastrophe

In-World Documents

Theron Starborn’s Final Transmission (Day 7, Evening, Year 0 S.)

To the World:

We’re so close. I can feel the boundary between physical and divine. It’s thin. So thin. Tomorrow, at dawn, we cross it.

I know you’re afraid. I understand. This is unprecedented. We’re attempting what no one has ever attempted.

But trust us. We are the Luminar Council. We have guided humanity to heights never before imagined. We have eliminated disease, ended war, created abundance. We have never failed you.

Tomorrow, we transcend. Tomorrow, humanity becomes divine. Tomorrow, everything changes.

The future is bright. Have faith. Have hope. Have courage.

We will not fail you.

—Theron Starborn, Luminar Council, Day 7, Year 0 S.

[Note: He failed. Catastrophically. This transmission is studied as example of hubris.]

Witness Account (Day 8, Year 0 S., Recorded Year 1 S.)

Interviewer: Tell me what you saw.

Witness (Name: Kael Stonefinder, Age: 28): I was in Nexus city. Watching from observation deck. Maybe 2 kilometers from the Spire.

Dawn came. The ritual was completing. We were excited. Terrified. Hopeful.

Then the sun went black. Not gradually. Instantly. Like someone snuffed it out.

Then the stars screamed. I don’t know how else to describe it. Sound that hurt. Sound that came from everywhere. Sound that shouldn’t exist.

Then the ground cracked. I saw it. Spiderweb patterns spreading. Could see through cracks. Nothing beneath. Void.

Then I was falling. Everyone was falling. The world was breaking apart. Pieces floating. People screaming. Chaos.

I thought I’d die. I wanted to die. But I didn’t. I landed on a fragment. Piece of observation deck. Floating in void.

I looked for the Spire. It was gone. Not destroyed. Gone. Like it never existed.

That was 287 years ago. I’m still looking for it. I’ll die looking for it.

Because if we find it, maybe we can understand what went wrong. Maybe we can fix it. Maybe we can undo this.

Or maybe we’ll just repeat their mistake. I don’t know anymore.

Kael Truthseer’s Journal (Year 1 S.)

One year since I resigned. One year since the world broke.

I was right. I warned them. I presented evidence. I begged them to stop.

They didn’t listen. They called me coward. They called me pessimist. They called me fool.

And then the world shattered. Millions died. Everything ended.

I was right. And I hate that I was right.

Because being right means I knew. I knew and I couldn’t stop them. I resigned. I fled. I saved myself.

But I didn’t save anyone else. I didn’t stop the ritual. I didn’t prevent the Shattering.

I was right. And it doesn’t matter. Because everyone’s still dead.

That’s my legacy. I was right. And it wasn’t enough.

Should I have done more? Sabotaged the ritual? Killed the Council? Destroyed the Spire?

Would that have worked? Or would it have just made me murderer instead of coward?

I don’t know. I’ll never know.

I was right. And everyone’s still dead. And I’m still alive. And I don’t know which is worse.

Mara Windborn’s Confession (Year 28 S.)

I participated in the Apogee Working. I voted against it. But I participated.

I thought I could prevent disaster from inside. I thought my presence would moderate them. I thought I could stop it if it went wrong.

I was wrong. I couldn’t stop anything. I just made myself complicit.

When the ritual began, I chanted the words. When the offerings were made, I participated. When reality started breaking, I kept going.

Because I thought: Maybe it’ll work. Maybe they’re right. Maybe I’m wrong.

I wasn’t wrong. They were. And I helped them.

That’s my sin. Not that I failed to stop them. That I helped them.

I’m dying now. Rot-infected. Ironic. The healer dies of disease she can’t cure. The Council member dies of consequence she helped cause.

If you’re reading this: Don’t be me. Don’t participate in something you know is wrong. Don’t hope you can moderate it from inside.

If you know it’s wrong, stop it. Or walk away. Don’t help.

I helped. And millions died. And I’ll die knowing: I was complicit.

—Mara Windborn, Year 28 S.

Salis Voidgazer’s Testament (Year 67 S.)

To Future Generations:

I was Luminar Council member. I voted against the Apogee Working. I resigned. I fled. I survived.

The ritual was wrong. I knew it. Kael knew it. Mara knew it. We objected. We were outvoted.

The majority proceeded. The world shattered. They died. We survived.

Survivor’s guilt is real. I’ve lived 67 years with it. Kael died with it. Mara died with it.

But here’s what I’ve learned: Being right isn’t enough. Objecting isn’t enough. Resigning isn’t enough.

If you know something is catastrophically wrong, you must stop it. Not just object. Stop it.

How? I don’t know. Sabotage? Violence? Martyrdom? Whatever it takes.

Because the alternative is: You’re right, everyone dies, and you live with guilt forever.

I was right. I survived. I’ve preserved knowledge for 67 years. I’ve built the Archivists. I’ve done good.

But I didn’t stop the ritual. And millions died. And I’ll die knowing: I could have done more.

Learn from me. If you know catastrophe is coming, stop it. Whatever it takes.

Or live with guilt like I have. It’s worse than death.

—Salis Voidgazer, Founder of the Archivists, Year 67 S.

Quest Hooks

1. The Nexus Search: Join expedition seeking Nexus Spire. Returners, Song, or Archivists. Find it (maybe). Discover what happened (possibly). Repeat the ritual? (terrifying choice)

2. The Ritual Reconstruction: Help Returners recreate Apogee Working. Gather components, find participants, attempt ritual. Undo Shattering or repeat it?

3. The Sabotage Investigation: Evidence suggests ritual was sabotaged. Investigate. Find saboteur (if they exist). Discover why. Conspiracy or delusion?

4. The Survivor’s Testimony: Find hidden journal from Apogee Working participant (Star-Reader who survived). Read firsthand account. Learn what really happened.

5. The Council’s Defense: Discover text defending Council’s decision. Compelling arguments. Were they right? Were they wrong? Can both be true?

6. The Warning: Find Kael Truthseer’s complete journals (only fragments currently known). Read his warnings. Learn what he knew. Could it have been prevented?

7. The Guilt: Help descendant of Council member (Theron, Elara, Vask, others) deal with inherited shame. Their ancestor broke the world. How do they live with that?

8. The Repetition: Discover someone attempting small-scale Apogee Working (dangerous experiment). Stop them or help them? Both options risky.

9. The Truth: Investigate all theories (Punishment, Accident, Success, Sabotage, Horror). Gather evidence. Reach conclusion. Discover uncomfortable truth.

10. The Memorial: Proposal to build memorial to Apogee Working victims (millions died). Controversial. Honor dead or condemn ritual? Both? Neither?

Related Topics

• The Shattering - The result of the Working
• Luminar Council - Who performed the ritual
• Pre-Shattering Era - The world before
• The Returners - Want to complete the Working
• The Archivists - Founded by objector Salis
• Guild-Master Elara Song - Seeking Nexus Spire
• Timeline - Complete chronology

“They tried to touch the stars. The stars screamed. The world broke. We’re still falling.”
—Common saying

“The Apogee Working was humanity’s greatest achievement and greatest failure. Both are true. History is complicated.”
—Archivist’s summary

“I was there. I watched them try. I watched them fail. I watched the world shatter. And I’m still not sure: Were they heroes or villains? Geniuses or fools? Right or wrong? Maybe all of it. Maybe none of it. Maybe it doesn’t matter anymore.”
—Survivor’s reflection