Pre-Shattering Era

Period: Ancient past to Year 0 S.
Divisions: Terrum Solidus (ancient history) → The Apogee (final 300 years)
Legacy: Everything humanity was before the world broke

“They had everything. They wanted more. They broke everything. We inherit their ruins and regrets.”

Quick Reference

|| Attribute | Details | ||———–|———| || Timespan | Unknown beginning to Year 0 S. | || World | Terrum Solidus (unified landmass, stable ground) | || Peak Population | 10-50 million (estimates vary) | || Government | Luminar Council (final 300 years) | || Technology Level | Advanced (surpasses current Aetherium) | || Defining Achievement | Astral Geometry (constellation communication) | || Fatal Flaw | Hubris (believed they could control reality) | || End | The Shattering (Day 8, Year 0 S.) |

The Pre-Shattering Era - The Apogee

Overview

The Pre-Shattering Era encompasses all of human history before the catastrophe that broke the world. For current Aetherium inhabitants, this period is simultaneously history, mythology, and cautionary tale. The further back in time, the less reliable the records—most knowledge comes from the final three centuries, the Apogee, when the Luminar Council ruled and humanity reached its technological and cultural zenith.

What we know is fragmentary. The Shattering destroyed most records. What survived exists in scattered texts, crumbling ruins, and the fading memories of those who lived through Year 0 (now all dead—the last survivor died Year 267 S.). The Archivists preserve what they can, but gaps are vast and growing.

The Pre-Shattering world was fundamentally different. Ground was solid, not floating. Gravity pulled down, not toward island centers. The sky was blue, not luminous void. People lived in cities of millions, not settlements of thousands. Technology was advanced beyond current understanding. Life was prosperous, safe, predictable.

And then it ended. In eight days, everything humanity had built across millennia shattered into fragments floating in an endless void.

The question that haunts every historian: Was the Apogee humanity’s greatest achievement or greatest mistake? Did the Luminar Council’s experiments cause the Shattering, or merely fail to prevent it? Should we aspire to recover what was lost, or ensure we never repeat their hubris?

No consensus exists. The past is both inspiration and warning.

Terrum Solidus: The Ancient World

What “Terrum Solidus” Means

Translation: “Solid Earth” (from Old Luminar, the scholarly language)

Concept: The world before the Apogee—ancient, stable, foundational

Duration: Unknown (possibly millennia)

Records: Almost none survive (pre-dating systematic record-keeping)

Geography

The Unified Landmass: Terrum Solidus was either a single supercontinent or multiple continents connected by land bridges. Fragmentary maps suggest:

Major Regions (names reconstructed from ruins): - The Northern Reaches: Mountains, forests, cold climate - The Central Plains: Fertile farmland, rivers, temperate - The Southern Coasts: Warm seas, trade ports, fishing cultures - The Eastern Highlands: Plateaus, ancient ruins, mysterious - The Western Wastes: Deserts, harsh conditions, nomadic peoples

Natural Features: - Oceans: Vast bodies of water (not Aether—actual liquid water) - Mountains: Permanent, unmoving (highest peak: Mount Luminar, 8,000+ meters) - Rivers: Flowing water connecting regions - Forests: Dense vegetation (ironwood trees originated here) - Deserts: Arid regions (harsh but stable)

Climate: Varied by region - Seasons existed (summer, winter, spring, autumn) - Weather patterns predictable - Temperature ranges extreme (from freezing to scorching) - No Aether-Storms (just normal weather)

Civilization Development

Early Period (timeline unknown): - Hunter-gatherer societies - Tribal organization - Oral traditions - Stone tools - Cave dwellings

Agricultural Revolution (date unknown): - Farming developed - Permanent settlements - Population growth - Social hierarchies emerged - Writing systems invented

Classical Period (fragmentary records): - City-states formed - Trade networks established - Philosophy, art, science emerged - Warfare common (resources, territory, ideology) - Empires rose and fell

Pre-Apogee (~-500 S. to -300 S.): - Technology advancing rapidly - Global communication developing - Population exploding (millions) - Resources strained - Transition to Apogee beginning

Culture and Society

Diversity: Terrum Solidus supported countless cultures - Different languages (hundreds, possibly thousands) - Different religions (polytheistic, monotheistic, animistic) - Different governments (monarchies, republics, theocracies) - Different values (warrior cultures, merchant cultures, scholarly cultures)

Unity: Limited until late period - Trade connected regions - Wars divided them - No global government (until Luminar Council) - Cultural exchange gradual

Legacy: Modern Aetherium cultures descended from Terrum Solidus peoples - Bright-Folk: Central Plains descendants - Veil-Born: Northern Reaches descendants - Sun-Touched: Southern Coasts descendants - Iron-Blood: Eastern Highlands descendants - These connections are cultural memory, not genetic certainty

Technology

Terrum Solidus Technology (reconstructed):

Early: Stone, bronze, iron tools Middle: Steel, basic machinery, sailing ships Late: Advanced metallurgy, early industrialization, printing

Limitations: No Aether-manipulation (didn’t exist yet), no constellation communication (not discovered), no reality-bending (came later)

Transition: As Terrum Solidus ended and Apogee began, technology accelerated dramatically. The discovery of Astral Geometry (constellation communication) catalyzed everything that followed.

The End of Terrum Solidus

When: Approximately -300 S. (300 years before Shattering)

How: Gradual transformation - Technology advanced exponentially - Global communication enabled coordination - Luminar Council formed (unifying government) - Society reorganized around knowledge - “Terrum Solidus” became historical term (the old world) - “The Apogee” became current term (the new world)

Why It Matters: Terrum Solidus represents stability - Ground that didn’t move - World that made sense - Life that was predictable - Humanity before hubris

For modern Aetherium inhabitants, Terrum Solidus is mythology. No one alive has seen solid ground. No one remembers what it felt like to walk without fear of falling into infinity. It’s as alien to them as the Aether would be to us.

But ruins remain. Fragments of Terrum Solidus cities, roads, monuments—shattered and floating, but recognizable. Reminders that humanity once built on foundations that didn’t float away.

The Apogee: Humanity’s Zenith (-300 S. to 0 S.)

The Golden Age

Name Origin: “Apogee” means “highest point” (astronomical term for orbital peak)

Duration: Approximately 300 years

Achievement: Humanity’s greatest civilization

Cost: Humanity’s greatest catastrophe

Society and Government

The Luminar Council: Ruling body of philosopher-kings

Structure: - 12 Council Members (elected by merit, not birth) - Each member specialized in specific domain (science, philosophy, governance, etc.) - Decisions made by consensus (required 9 of 12 votes) - Terms: Life (until death, retirement, or removal for incompetence)

Philosophy: Knowledge is power, wisdom is authority - Those who understood reality best should govern - Technocracy, not democracy - Education universal (everyone could learn, best could lead) - Meritocracy in theory (oligarchy in practice)

Legitimacy: Based on achievement - Council members had to demonstrate mastery - Public examinations (anyone could challenge) - Accountability (failed predictions = loss of position) - Generally respected (until the end)

Global Unity: First time in history - Instant communication enabled coordination - Trade networks spanned world - Cultural exchange flourished - Conflicts still existed (but managed) - No wars (for final 200 years—unprecedented)

Population and Demographics

Total Population: 10-50 million (estimates vary, records incomplete)

Distribution: - Major Cities: 1-5 million each (dozens existed) - Towns: 10,000-100,000 (hundreds) - Villages: 100-10,000 (thousands) - Rural: Scattered farms, homesteads

Largest Cities (names reconstructed): - Luminara: Capital, 5 million (now The Hollow—corrupted, fallen) - Nexus: Site of Apogee Working, 3 million (location unknown—possibly destroyed completely) - Ironhold: Mining city, 2 million (fragments remain, current settlement built on ruins) - Skyport: Trade hub, 1 million (fragments became Skyport Eos)

Lifespan: Extended through medicine - Average: 100-120 years (vs. 45-50 current) - Healthy: Disease cured, injuries treatable - Aging: Slowed (not stopped) - Death: Eventually inevitable (no immortality achieved)

Quality of Life: High - Basic needs met universally - Hunger eliminated (food production efficient) - Shelter guaranteed (construction advanced) - Healthcare accessible (medicine advanced) - Education free (knowledge valued) - Leisure time abundant (automation)

Technology

Communication: Instant, global

How: Constellation-resonance devices - Transmitted thoughts/words through Astral Geometry - Required trained operators (Star-Readers) - Expensive but widespread - Enabled global coordination

Medicine: Disease conquered

Achievements: - Infections cured (antibiotics, antivirals) - Surgery perfected (minimal mortality) - Regeneration possible (limited—couldn’t regrow limbs, could heal wounds) - Aging slowed (not stopped) - Mental health treated (therapy, medication)

Manufacturing: Mass production

Capabilities: - Automated factories (minimal human labor) - Advanced materials (stronger than current steel) - Precision engineering (microscopic tolerances) - Energy-efficient (unknown power sources)

Transportation: Fast and safe

Methods: - Ground vehicles (wheeled, fast) - Airships (primitive compared to later, but functional) - Rail systems (connecting cities) - Personal transport (individual vehicles)

Energy: Unknown sources

Mystery: Pre-Shattering devices still function - No fuel required (or fuel unknown) - Self-sustaining (perpetual motion?) - Irreproducible (current technology can’t replicate) - Valuable (Archivists, Guild, everyone wants them)

Astral Geometry: The defining achievement

Discovery: ~-280 S. (20 years into Apogee)

Breakthrough: Constellations are conscious, can be communicated with

Method: Precise architectural forms + mathematical incantations = constellation response

Applications: - Communication (instant, global) - Healing (constellation-blessed medicine) - Construction (reality-bending architecture) - Knowledge (constellations answered questions) - Power (channeling stellar energy)

Danger: Reality manipulation - Late Apogee experiments pushed boundaries - Attempted to reshape reality itself - Warnings ignored (hubris) - Result: The Shattering (possibly)

Daily Life in the Apogee

Morning: Wake in comfortable home - Climate-controlled (always perfect temperature) - Automated systems (lights, food preparation) - Communication devices (check messages from across world) - News (global events, instant updates)

Work: Specialized, meaningful - Most labor automated (machines did repetitive tasks) - Humans focused on creative, intellectual, social work - 4-6 hour workdays (rest was leisure) - Fulfillment valued (not just productivity)

Leisure: Abundant - Arts flourished (music, theater, visual arts) - Philosophy debated (meaning, ethics, existence) - Sports played (competition, fitness, community) - Travel common (visit other cities, cultures) - Education pursued (learning for its own sake)

Evening: Community and family - Meals shared (social bonding) - Entertainment (performances, games, conversation) - Constellation-watching (religious/scientific practice) - Rest (comfortable beds, peaceful sleep)

Challenges: Few - Boredom (abundance created ennui) - Meaning (what’s life’s purpose when needs are met?) - Ambition (where to direct energy when survival is easy?) - These “problems” seem absurd to current Aetherium inhabitants (who struggle to survive)

Culture and Arts

Literature: Flourishing - Novels, poetry, philosophy - Universal literacy (everyone could read) - Libraries vast (millions of texts) - Most lost (Shattering destroyed them)

Music: Sophisticated - Orchestras, operas, folk traditions - Instruments advanced (some irreproducible now) - Recordings existed (technology lost) - Fragments survive (sheet music, oral tradition)

Visual Arts: Magnificent - Paintings, sculptures, architecture - Materials advanced (colors that don’t fade, stone that doesn’t erode) - Ruins still beautiful (despite centuries of decay) - Museums existed (now looted, destroyed)

Philosophy: Deep questions - What is consciousness? - What is reality? - What should we become? - Can we transcend humanity? - These questions led to the experiments that broke everything

Religion: Constellation worship

Beliefs: - Constellations are conscious, divine - Can be communicated with (Astral Geometry) - Grant blessings (healing, knowledge, power) - Deserve reverence (worship, offerings, prayers)

Practices: - Observatories (temples to the stars) - Star-Readers (priests who communicated with constellations) - Rituals (precise, mathematical, effective) - Festivals (celebrating constellations)

Relationship: Partnership - Pre-Shattering, constellations answered reliably - Miracles were common (documented, verified) - Humanity felt chosen, blessed, special - Post-Shattering, constellations are distant, silent - What changed? Did we anger them? Did we break them? Did they abandon us?

The Experiments

Late Apogee (-50 S. to 0 S.): Reality manipulation research

Goal: Transcendence - Luminar Council wanted to ascend - Become like constellations (immortal, powerful, divine) - Reshape reality itself (not just observe, but control) - Ultimate achievement (or ultimate hubris)

Methods: Classified - Even then, experiments were secret - Only Council members knew details - Star-Readers assisted (most died in Shattering) - Fragments of research survive (Archivists guard them)

Warning Signs: Ignored

Year -30 S.: Reality anomalies reported - Objects phasing through walls - Time distortions (clocks running wrong) - Gravity fluctuations (things falling up) - Dismissed as measurement errors

Year -15 S.: Council member dissent - Three members objected to experiments - Warned of catastrophic risk - Outvoted 9-3 (experiments continued) - Two resigned in protest (unprecedented)

Year -5 S.: Public unease - Rumors spread (something wrong) - Protests organized (stop the experiments) - Council reassured public (everything is safe) - Experiments accelerated (racing toward goal)

Year -1 S.: Final preparations - Apogee Working planned (ultimate ritual) - Nexus Spire prepared (ritual site) - Star-Readers gathered (hundreds) - Constellation alignment calculated (perfect timing)

Year 0 S., Day 1: Ritual begins

Year 0 S., Day 8: World shatters

The Apogee Working

Purpose: Ascension ritual - Attempt to physically ascend humanity to constellation realm - Become immortal, transcendent, divine - Ultimate achievement of Astral Geometry - Greatest experiment ever attempted

Location: Nexus Spire - Tower so tall it pierced clouds (10+ kilometers) - Built specifically for this ritual - Thousands of workers (construction took 20 years) - Perfect geometric form (every angle calculated) - Now lost (location unknown—destroyed? Hidden? Elsewhere?)

Participants: Luminar Council + Star-Readers - 12 Council members (all present) - 300+ Star-Readers (best in world) - Support staff (thousands) - Observers (millions watched from afar)

Timing: Constellation alignment - All major constellations visible simultaneously - Rare event (occurs once per century) - Perfect conditions (calculated precisely) - Day 1, Year 0 S., dawn

Duration: Seven days and seven nights - Continuous ritual (no breaks) - Chanting, geometry, offerings - Energy building (witnesses reported feeling it) - Something happening (reality bending)

Day 8, Dawn: Catastrophic failure

What Happened: Unknown - Witnesses describe: - Sun turning black - Stars screaming (sound that humans could somehow hear) - Ground cracking like glass - Terrible wrongness seeping from below - Then: World shattered - Terrum Solidus broke into thousands of fragments - Fragments cast into Aether (new medium, breathable void) - Millions died instantly - Survivors traumatized permanently

Cause: Debated - Did ritual cause Shattering? (Clergy says yes) - Did ritual fail to prevent Shattering? (Some scholars argue) - Was Shattering unrelated? (Coincidence? Unlikely) - Did something else cause both? (Unknown entity?) - No consensus (evidence destroyed)

Legacy of the Apogee

Ruins: Everywhere - Pre-Shattering buildings (crumbling but recognizable) - Roads (leading nowhere, broken mid-span) - Monuments (shattered, floating) - Cities (fragments scattered across Aetherium) - Every settlement built on or near Apogee ruins

Artifacts: Valuable - Pre-Shattering devices (still functional) - Texts (fragmentary but precious) - Art (beautiful, haunting) - Tools (superior to current) - Everyone wants them (Archivists preserve, Guild sells, adventurers loot)

Knowledge: Fragmentary - Most lost (Shattering destroyed records) - Some preserved (Archivists’ life work) - Some reconstructed (archaeology, inference) - Gaps vast (more unknown than known)

Aspiration: Controversial - Returners: Want to recover Apogee (undo Shattering, restore world) - Traditionalists: Want to forget Apogee (hubris destroyed us, don’t repeat) - Pragmatists: Want to learn from Apogee (take what’s useful, avoid mistakes) - No consensus (debate ongoing)

Warning: Universal - The Apogee had everything - They wanted more - They broke everything - We inherit ruins and regrets - Don’t repeat their mistakes - (But what were their mistakes? That’s the question)

In-World Documents

Fragment from “The Apogee Chronicles” (Pre-Shattering Text)

Year -100 S., Entry 47

Today, the Luminar Council announced universal healthcare. Disease, they proclaim, will be eliminated within a generation.

I believe them. I’ve seen the new medical centers. I’ve witnessed the healing rituals. Constellation-blessed medicine works miracles.

My daughter was dying of fever last month. The healers saved her. She’s healthy now, playing with friends, laughing.

We live in the greatest age humanity has ever known. Our children will live even better lives. Their children better still.

Progress is inevitable. The future is bright.

[Note: Author died in Shattering. Daughter survived, lived to Year 67 S. Her journals describe this entry with bitter irony.]

Luminar Council Minutes (Year -15 S., Leaked)

CLASSIFIED - COUNCIL EYES ONLY

Subject: Apogee Working Risk Assessment

Present: All 12 Council Members

Debate: Member Kael Truthseer raised concerns about reality destabilization. Presented data: 47 anomalies in past year, up from 3 previous year. Exponential growth pattern.

Kael’s Position: “We’re pushing too hard. Reality is not infinitely malleable. We risk catastrophic failure. Recommend halting experiments, studying anomalies, proceeding cautiously.”

Council Response: - Member Theron Starborn: “Anomalies are expected. We’re reshaping reality. Of course there are side effects.” - Member Elara Brightmind: “Caution is cowardice. We’re on the verge of transcendence. Stopping now would be tragedy.” - Member Vask Ironwill: “The public is watching. If we halt, we admit failure. Continue.”

Vote: Continue experiments (9 in favor, 3 opposed)

Kael’s Response: “I resign. I will not be complicit in what’s coming. History will judge you.”

Council Response: Resignation accepted. Replacement appointed.

Note: Kael Truthseer survived Shattering, lived to Year 34 S. His journals are primary source for pre-[Shattering warnings.]

Protest Pamphlet (Year -5 S., Distributed in Luminara)

CITIZENS OF LUMINARA

DEMAND THE COUNCIL STOP THE EXPERIMENTS

Reality is breaking. You’ve seen it. Objects phasing through walls. Time running wrong. Gravity failing.

The Council says it’s safe. They’re lying. They’re risking everything for their ambition.

They want to become gods. They’ll destroy us all trying.

PROTEST: Market Square, Day 47, Dawn

DEMAND: Halt experiments, independent investigation, Council accountability

OR: We all die

[Note: Protest occurred. 10,000 attended. Council promised investigation. Nothing changed. Five months later, world shattered.]

Survivor’s Account (Year 1 S., Recorded by Archivist)

Interviewer: Tell me what you remember.

Survivor (Name: Mara Windborn, Age: 34): I was in Luminara. Market Square. Buying bread.

The sun went black. Not eclipsed—black. Like someone snuffed it out.

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

The ground cracked. Not like earthquake—like glass. Spiderweb cracks spreading. I could see through them. Void beneath. Nothing beneath.

People ran. Nowhere to run. Ground was breaking everywhere.

Then I was falling. Not down—just falling. Into nothing. Into void.

I thought I’d die. I wanted to die. But I didn’t. I kept falling. For hours? Days? Time didn’t work.

Then I stopped. I was on a fragment. Piece of Market Square, floating. Bread still in my hand. Frozen, terrified, alive.

That was 287 years ago. I’m still terrified. I’ll die terrified.

That’s what the Apogee gave us. Terror. Forever.

Archivist’s Note on Pre-Shattering Technology

Subject: Why Pre-Shattering Devices Still Function

Mystery: Apogee-era technology requires no fuel, no maintenance, yet operates perfectly 287 years later.

Theories: 1. Perpetual Motion: Devices tap unknown energy source (Aether? Constellations? Something else?) 2. Temporal Lock: Devices exist in frozen time-state (don’t age, don’t decay) 3. Constellation-Blessed: Divine power sustains them 4. We Don’t Understand: Technology so advanced it seems like magic

Attempts to Replicate: All failed. We can use Apogee devices. We can’t make new ones.

Implication: We’re technologically inferior to our ancestors. We’re living in their ruins, using their tools, unable to match their achievements.

Question: If we can’t replicate their technology, how can we avoid their mistakes?

—Chief Archivist Theron Bookbinder, Year 251 S.

Children’s Rhyme (Origin: Year 50 S., Still Sung)

The Apogee was golden bright,
They reached too high, they touched the light,
The stars said no, the ground said crack,
The world broke up and won’t come back.

Now we float in endless void,
Everything they built, destroyed,
Lesson learned (or should have been):
Don’t anger stars, don’t break the world.

Quest Hooks

1. The Lost Library: Discover intact pre-Shattering library on forgotten island fragment. Texts inside could revolutionize understanding—or reveal dangerous knowledge. Archivists, Guild, Clergy all want it. Who do you give it to?

2. The Survivor’s Descendant: Meet great-great-grandchild of Luminar Council member. They have family journals describing the Apogee Working. Clergy wants them destroyed (heresy). Archivists want them preserved (history). What do you do?

3. The Working Device: Find pre-Shattering device that still functions. It’s powerful, valuable, and possibly dangerous. Guild offers fortune. Archivists offer knowledge. Returners offer purpose. Who gets it?

4. The Apogee Ruins: Explore massive pre-Shattering city fragment. Dangerous (unstable, Rot-touched, Rot-Beasts), but filled with artifacts. Expedition organized. Do you join?

5. The Returner’s Plan: Returners claim they’ve found Nexus Spire location. They want to attempt Apogee Working again (undo Shattering). Insane? Heroic? Suicidal? Stop them or help them?

6. The Truth About the Council: Investigate what really happened during Apogee Working. Evidence scattered across Aetherium. Uncover truth—but truth might be worse than mystery.

7. The Last Survivor’s Testimony: Year 267 S., last person who lived through Shattering is dying. They want to record final testimony. Be their scribe. Hear firsthand account. Preserve history.

8. The Apogee Festival: Settlement celebrates “Remembrance Day” (mourning Shattering). Tensions between those who mourn Apogee and those who condemn it. Mediate conflict. Prevent violence. Honor complicated history.

9. The Reconstruction Attempt: Scholars trying to recreate pre-Shattering technology. Need rare components from dangerous locations. Help them. Success could change Aetherium—or repeat Apogee’s mistakes.

10. The Warning: Find pre-Shattering text warning about the experiments. Author predicted Shattering, was ignored. Text describes what went wrong—and how to avoid it happening again. Share it or suppress it?

Related Topics

• Terrum Solidus - The ancient world before the Apogee
• The Shattering - How the Pre-Shattering Era ended
• Luminar Council - The rulers of the Apogee
• Apogee Working - The ritual that broke everything
• The Returners - Those who want to restore the Apogee
• The Archivists - Those who preserve Apogee knowledge
• Pre-Shattering Technology - Artifacts that still function
• Timeline - Complete chronology

“The Apogee was humanity’s peak. Then we fell. Three hundred years later, we’re still climbing from the crater. Maybe we’ll reach those heights again. Maybe we shouldn’t try.”
—Archivist’s Reflection

“They had everything. They wanted more. They broke everything. We inherit their ruins and regrets.”
—Common saying

“I was there. I saw it happen. I watched the world shatter. And I’m still here, 287 years later, unable to forget. That’s the Apogee’s real legacy: memory that won’t die, even when we wish it would.”
—Last survivor’s final words, Year 267 S.