09-12-2007, 05:22 PM
This post has the background info on how the Zodiac came to be in the first place, and all the trouble it caused. By reading these you will gain an understanding of the "Legacy of the Zodiac". The story is broken down into sections based on the time period of that section and such.
I made a video of this with narration by me, so you can just listen to the story if you don't feel like reading it. The link to the video can be found below.
Narrated Background Info/Story
Legacy of the Zodiac (Chapter I - Before EX)
Part I
Centuries ago… the world wasn’t as it is today… Some lands were the same as they are now. But there were many that were not. Armies waged war against each other for control of lands and for wealth. Armies ravaged through cities and towns destroying all in their path… Women… children… anything… Rivers of blood flowed everywhere… Skulls were bashed against rocks and stones… There was one sword that was said to have the power to destroy an army with a single blow… The sword was called the Zodiac. The sword had the power of the twelve mighty Zodiacs. Aquarius, Aries, Cancer, Capricorn, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Pisces, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Taurus and Virgo. If any man was to brandish the Zodiac, certain doom would be the fate of the earth, and all of its populace…
Part II
The Zodiac was a double edged sword. On one hand it has supreme curative capability. It could transform an inhospitable wasteland into a luscious forest. Whereas on the other hand the Zodiac could decimate anything in the vicinity. The Zodiac was originally created by the twelve Zodiacs as a weapon that could mend wounds of the earth and raze anything and anyone that would cause detriment to the earth. All of the Zodiacs added a fraction of their powers to the sword. With the realization of the damage the sword could do in the hands of a human, they decided to seal away the Zodiac at the heart of the earth; where no man could grasp it. The only way to get to the heart of the earth was passage through the Zulu Gorge, a passage that let right to the heart of the earth. The zodiacs created several beings; branded as the Sentinels. The Zulu Gorge was situated on the great southern continent; Celestria. Celestria was called home by a clan called the Celestria Guard. They were engaged in countless wars with the clan of the north; the Crimson Knights. Wars prolonged in a never –ending cycle of death. Clans changed over time, old ones passed away, new ones emerged; alliances were founded. In time though, Celestria was at the hands of the northerners… Fearing that the Zodiac would be in danger soon, the Sentinels ventured down to the heart of the earth; through the Zulu Gorge. The Sentinels planned to do away with the Zodiac, so that no human could ever brandish such a sword. They all rained down on the Zodiac; willing to give their lives to rid the earth of the sword. Thus was not their duty, their duty; and soul purpose for creation was to protect the sword. Alas, they awakened the Zodiac, which then proceeded to use all of its vigor to wipe out the Sentinel’s. This in turn wiped out the earth. While the earth was in its final precious moments, the Zodiacs gathered to try and stop what was about to come… The sword overtook them and merged with the Zodiacs…
Part III
When it looked like all was lost, and the earth ceased to exist… The Zodiac used its supreme curative prowess; it was too late to restore the earth. Instead, a fresh earth was created. The sword consumed enormous amounts of its power… The sword was at a critical point, where it couldn’t continue creating the earth. The power of all the Zodiacs that the Zodiacs imbued the sword with could no longer be contained, the power burst out of the sword in a rainbow of colors, only to disintegrate… Like a chain reaction, the Zodiacs used this opening to escape from the sword. Together they finished creating the new earth. They decided that the only way they could truly lock away the Zodiac, was by either destroying or sealing away themselves. But now that the power of themselves that they each put into the Zodiac was gone, no one without all of their power could wield the sword. Even so, without the pure energy of the Zodiac within the sword, it was quickly becoming tainted with darkness… The Zodiacs sealed themselves and the Zodiac away in another dimension… Finally ridding the earth of the Zodiac, as well as putting the fate of the earth in the hands of the humans…
Legacy of the Zodiac EX (Chapter II - Aftermath)
Part I
That was three centuries ago… The Zodiac hasn’t been seen or heard of since. No one has seen the Zodiacs either. Humans have changed quite considerably since then. War remains a part of daily life though, as it always will be with humans. Four main continents exist, the Northern Continent which consists of places such as Haven. Haven was remodeled from hieroglyphics that depicted how Haven was before what the humans called “the great destruction.†The hieroglyphics were left by the Zodiacs, in an attempt to guide the humans in the right direction. The Zodiacs left secrets all around the new earth, from damp caves to high mountains. These secrets hinted at what actually happened. They were very well concealed though. Many people had different theories about what happened, and a few have even slain each other over it. The second continent is the great southern continent of Zhu Jin. This is a continent host to many creatures and tribes. The third continent is the western continent, which consists of mainly Ryoko and Kenshi. Ryoko is home to many groups of dragons, as well as dragoons. Kenshi is home to a few monks and wandering rogues. The fourth continent is the eastern continent, which consists of a large city called Shinjoku. It is surrounded by a large wall to fortify its defenses. Many gather there, such as fishermen. But mainly it is home to many great samurais. Each continent consists of an army or “clan†which resides in the continent. They are the main source of war these days. They are not always opposed to each other though, they form alliances and the like.
Part II
Lately though, something has been stirring in the south… heavy storms swell and move in from remote places out in the oceans. Strange sightings have been reported on most of the main continents…
Legacy of the Zodiac (Chapter III - Stormy Weathers)
The Earth's atmosphere is changing drastically, continents are beginning to sink at rates unthinkable. Tornadoes are destroying forests and leaving them as harsh unkempt wastelands. Storms are almost a daily occurrence, and they occur with such force that dozens die from them everyday, land is lost, lives are lost. Strange beings in hooded cloaks have been sighted around the continents mumbling something about the Zodiacs, mentioning their names... A land mass seems to be forming in the south as well as other places. The strange thing is, some days the land is visible, while some days it is not. Anyone who has tried to go near the land when it is visible didn't come back, for what reason nobody knows. They could have been killed, or gotten stuck on the island or anything else. One thing is for certain, nothing seems right; it seems like reality is being warped. Almost as if the earth is in contact with something else... something...
Legacy of the Zodiac (Chapter IV - Pieces to the Puzzle)
Part I
Conditions are becoming increasingly worse. Also, it has been confirmed, the Earth is in contact with something else. The cloaked wanderers were followed to their place of dwelling; a desolate den fit for only the most unearthly creatures. They were spied on, the information that was gained that day was choking. It seems that they had a book, written by their "God" Nerevar. The book was called the Revelus Colisius. The book told a story of how the all mighty sword, the Zodiac, was sealed away with the twelve Zodiacs in an alternate dimension. That alone was startling news, and that alone was evidence of what actually happened those many years ago. All the natural disasters, everything that had been going wrong was being done by Nerevar and his foul followers. What was happening was that Nerevar's followers were slowly laying a spell that would connect and intertwine the world with the dimension the Zodiacs were in. This would effectively not only bring the Zodiac within Nerevar's grasp, but also bring the twelve Zodiacs within his grasp and wipe out most of the life on earth, once the world and the dimension were finally combined.
Part II
The two dimensions combined would also change the earth very much, since the other dimension is actually another world. For the two worlds to combine, parts of each world must be destroyed and replaced by parts of the other world. Kind of like when two sets of puzzles are mixed and you try and put them together - all the pieces can't be used. The "pieces" are parts of each world, and each world is a separate puzzle. All together Nerevar's plan was a recipe for disaster. It was too late to stop it though, the damage done to the earth was already too great; and the gathering they witnessed was the gathering before the final part of the plan was put into action. That night, the final part of the plan would begin...
Legacy of the Zodiac (Chapter V - The Puzzle Completed)
Part I
The "puzzle" was almost complete, Nerevar and his unearthly followers had all gathered at the giant southern land mass; which was now completely there; completely in existence. They had erected a pedestal made of the finest ores available, where we all assumed the Zodiac would appear. Tens of thousands of Nerevar's followers were all crowded around that single pedestal, in never ending rows. It looked like a never ending sea of black hooded cloaks. Nerevar stood nearest to the pedestal, leading his followers in a also seemingly never ending chant. They spoke in a tongue none of us could understand or even begin to understand. They chanted for what seemed like days, it kept going on and on in an endless cycle. Eventually a great wind began to blow, the great oceans surrounding the landmass began to clash; giant waves assaulted the shores and mountains of the landmass. Lightning razed the ground and blew holes in the side of great mountains. A great fog settled in around the landmass, it seemed every element, every form of nature was assaulting the earth. Everyone was anxious to find out what would happen next.
Part II
Then, all of a sudden an immense lightning bolt shot down from the clouds and struck the pedestal Nerevar had erected. The great ocean of hooded beings roared and shouted, but Nerevar shouted even louder and silenced them. It became hard to breath, the air pressure greatly increased; forcing our arms and legs closer to our bodies. From where we were, we could faintly see some kind of sword appearing, than disappearing and appearing again on top of the pedestal. Another bolt of lighting struck the pedestal and finally the sword was there; completely. It hovered over the pedestal. It was the great Zodiac, we could not believe our mortal eyes... The sword did not move at all, then all of a sudden it rose higher into the air. The wind started to blow with great fury towards the Zodiac. Along the wind, faint images of the Zodiacs flew. After a while all of the twelve Zodiacs hovered around the great sword. The winds subsided and Nerevar stepped forward. He held out his hand and with some sort of magic drew the Zodiacs towards the sword. The Zodiacs let out wails and screams of pain and anger, they held out their hands and began releasing as much of their energy as they could possibly release; but they could not release it all. Nerevar had sealed the Zodiacs inside the great sword. The Zodiacs did not exist anymore, there was only one "Zodiac" remaining now, the sword. The sword now had all of the Zodiacs powers inside of it, it was complete again. Now Nerevar could wield the sword and rain destruction upon mankind. But something happened, something Nerevar did not expect...
Part III
Nerevar grasped the Zodiac by its hilt, when he did so the hilt of the Zodiac became as hot as the core of the earth. Even Nerevar couldn't hold onto the sword and he dropped it, the heat was so great that it burned off his hand and his arm caught on fire. The right side of his body began to burn away into ash. The Zodiac still had a mind of it's own though, in a final act of self control the Zodiac cut Nerevar in half. Nerevar's scream was so loud and so great that it was heard around the whole earth, from Kenshi all the way to Shinjoku; his scream was heard. Nerevar's body disintegrated and was blown away by the wind. All of a sudden the ground began to shake violently, fissures appeared all over the ground. Giant waves crashed against the great mass of land. Then immense waves from all sides rose up, over the land and began to fall towards the land. The waves crashed down on the island, covering it completely with water; drowning anyone that was on it. The puzzle, Nerevar's puzzle was finally complete. Both worlds had been combined, and the Zodiac was back and in it's most powerful form; it had the power of all twelve Zodiacs and now could be brandished by any who found it.
Legacy of the Zodiac II (Chapter VI - New World, New Struggles)
Part I
The world was now a new world, part old world, part new world. The new world was from the dimension the Zodiacs had sealed themselves and the Zodiac in. Even the parts of the old world that remained had been changed and rearranged, little looked the same as it had. Anything from the old world was changed by the weather and the sole process of the other dimension being fused with it.
Part II
Now that the Zodiac is on earth, Factions began to appear. The different Factions had different ideas on what they would do when they got the Zodiac. When the island that the Zodiac was on was hit with the great waves, the Zodiac had been lost. No one knows where it rests now, but many are determined to find it. There is a faction called the Zodiacs, they are the descendants of the twelve Zodiacs, they even have some of the power of the Zodiacs. These people were born and created from the power the Zodiacs released before they were sealed into the Zodiac. The other survivors were either part of the Valarians or the Gardavians. The Valarians planned to use the Zodiac for destruction, while the Gardavians wanted to do good with the sword. The Zodiacs believed the sword must be sealed away and never again touched or used by any humans. There were even some beings that were created and came to be because of the remains of Nerevar that were blown away after he was killed by the Zodiac. Therefore, those beings have the same ideals and values as well as ambitions that Nerevar himself once had.
Part III
With the rise of the factions and the return of the Zodiac, a time of great war begins. What will happen next? That is for you to decide...
-Scythe
I made a video of this with narration by me, so you can just listen to the story if you don't feel like reading it. The link to the video can be found below.
Narrated Background Info/Story
Legacy of the Zodiac (Chapter I - Before EX)
Part I
Centuries ago… the world wasn’t as it is today… Some lands were the same as they are now. But there were many that were not. Armies waged war against each other for control of lands and for wealth. Armies ravaged through cities and towns destroying all in their path… Women… children… anything… Rivers of blood flowed everywhere… Skulls were bashed against rocks and stones… There was one sword that was said to have the power to destroy an army with a single blow… The sword was called the Zodiac. The sword had the power of the twelve mighty Zodiacs. Aquarius, Aries, Cancer, Capricorn, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Pisces, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Taurus and Virgo. If any man was to brandish the Zodiac, certain doom would be the fate of the earth, and all of its populace…
Part II
The Zodiac was a double edged sword. On one hand it has supreme curative capability. It could transform an inhospitable wasteland into a luscious forest. Whereas on the other hand the Zodiac could decimate anything in the vicinity. The Zodiac was originally created by the twelve Zodiacs as a weapon that could mend wounds of the earth and raze anything and anyone that would cause detriment to the earth. All of the Zodiacs added a fraction of their powers to the sword. With the realization of the damage the sword could do in the hands of a human, they decided to seal away the Zodiac at the heart of the earth; where no man could grasp it. The only way to get to the heart of the earth was passage through the Zulu Gorge, a passage that let right to the heart of the earth. The zodiacs created several beings; branded as the Sentinels. The Zulu Gorge was situated on the great southern continent; Celestria. Celestria was called home by a clan called the Celestria Guard. They were engaged in countless wars with the clan of the north; the Crimson Knights. Wars prolonged in a never –ending cycle of death. Clans changed over time, old ones passed away, new ones emerged; alliances were founded. In time though, Celestria was at the hands of the northerners… Fearing that the Zodiac would be in danger soon, the Sentinels ventured down to the heart of the earth; through the Zulu Gorge. The Sentinels planned to do away with the Zodiac, so that no human could ever brandish such a sword. They all rained down on the Zodiac; willing to give their lives to rid the earth of the sword. Thus was not their duty, their duty; and soul purpose for creation was to protect the sword. Alas, they awakened the Zodiac, which then proceeded to use all of its vigor to wipe out the Sentinel’s. This in turn wiped out the earth. While the earth was in its final precious moments, the Zodiacs gathered to try and stop what was about to come… The sword overtook them and merged with the Zodiacs…
Part III
When it looked like all was lost, and the earth ceased to exist… The Zodiac used its supreme curative prowess; it was too late to restore the earth. Instead, a fresh earth was created. The sword consumed enormous amounts of its power… The sword was at a critical point, where it couldn’t continue creating the earth. The power of all the Zodiacs that the Zodiacs imbued the sword with could no longer be contained, the power burst out of the sword in a rainbow of colors, only to disintegrate… Like a chain reaction, the Zodiacs used this opening to escape from the sword. Together they finished creating the new earth. They decided that the only way they could truly lock away the Zodiac, was by either destroying or sealing away themselves. But now that the power of themselves that they each put into the Zodiac was gone, no one without all of their power could wield the sword. Even so, without the pure energy of the Zodiac within the sword, it was quickly becoming tainted with darkness… The Zodiacs sealed themselves and the Zodiac away in another dimension… Finally ridding the earth of the Zodiac, as well as putting the fate of the earth in the hands of the humans…
Legacy of the Zodiac EX (Chapter II - Aftermath)
Part I
That was three centuries ago… The Zodiac hasn’t been seen or heard of since. No one has seen the Zodiacs either. Humans have changed quite considerably since then. War remains a part of daily life though, as it always will be with humans. Four main continents exist, the Northern Continent which consists of places such as Haven. Haven was remodeled from hieroglyphics that depicted how Haven was before what the humans called “the great destruction.†The hieroglyphics were left by the Zodiacs, in an attempt to guide the humans in the right direction. The Zodiacs left secrets all around the new earth, from damp caves to high mountains. These secrets hinted at what actually happened. They were very well concealed though. Many people had different theories about what happened, and a few have even slain each other over it. The second continent is the great southern continent of Zhu Jin. This is a continent host to many creatures and tribes. The third continent is the western continent, which consists of mainly Ryoko and Kenshi. Ryoko is home to many groups of dragons, as well as dragoons. Kenshi is home to a few monks and wandering rogues. The fourth continent is the eastern continent, which consists of a large city called Shinjoku. It is surrounded by a large wall to fortify its defenses. Many gather there, such as fishermen. But mainly it is home to many great samurais. Each continent consists of an army or “clan†which resides in the continent. They are the main source of war these days. They are not always opposed to each other though, they form alliances and the like.
Part II
Lately though, something has been stirring in the south… heavy storms swell and move in from remote places out in the oceans. Strange sightings have been reported on most of the main continents…
Legacy of the Zodiac (Chapter III - Stormy Weathers)
The Earth's atmosphere is changing drastically, continents are beginning to sink at rates unthinkable. Tornadoes are destroying forests and leaving them as harsh unkempt wastelands. Storms are almost a daily occurrence, and they occur with such force that dozens die from them everyday, land is lost, lives are lost. Strange beings in hooded cloaks have been sighted around the continents mumbling something about the Zodiacs, mentioning their names... A land mass seems to be forming in the south as well as other places. The strange thing is, some days the land is visible, while some days it is not. Anyone who has tried to go near the land when it is visible didn't come back, for what reason nobody knows. They could have been killed, or gotten stuck on the island or anything else. One thing is for certain, nothing seems right; it seems like reality is being warped. Almost as if the earth is in contact with something else... something...
Legacy of the Zodiac (Chapter IV - Pieces to the Puzzle)
Part I
Conditions are becoming increasingly worse. Also, it has been confirmed, the Earth is in contact with something else. The cloaked wanderers were followed to their place of dwelling; a desolate den fit for only the most unearthly creatures. They were spied on, the information that was gained that day was choking. It seems that they had a book, written by their "God" Nerevar. The book was called the Revelus Colisius. The book told a story of how the all mighty sword, the Zodiac, was sealed away with the twelve Zodiacs in an alternate dimension. That alone was startling news, and that alone was evidence of what actually happened those many years ago. All the natural disasters, everything that had been going wrong was being done by Nerevar and his foul followers. What was happening was that Nerevar's followers were slowly laying a spell that would connect and intertwine the world with the dimension the Zodiacs were in. This would effectively not only bring the Zodiac within Nerevar's grasp, but also bring the twelve Zodiacs within his grasp and wipe out most of the life on earth, once the world and the dimension were finally combined.
Part II
The two dimensions combined would also change the earth very much, since the other dimension is actually another world. For the two worlds to combine, parts of each world must be destroyed and replaced by parts of the other world. Kind of like when two sets of puzzles are mixed and you try and put them together - all the pieces can't be used. The "pieces" are parts of each world, and each world is a separate puzzle. All together Nerevar's plan was a recipe for disaster. It was too late to stop it though, the damage done to the earth was already too great; and the gathering they witnessed was the gathering before the final part of the plan was put into action. That night, the final part of the plan would begin...
Legacy of the Zodiac (Chapter V - The Puzzle Completed)
Part I
The "puzzle" was almost complete, Nerevar and his unearthly followers had all gathered at the giant southern land mass; which was now completely there; completely in existence. They had erected a pedestal made of the finest ores available, where we all assumed the Zodiac would appear. Tens of thousands of Nerevar's followers were all crowded around that single pedestal, in never ending rows. It looked like a never ending sea of black hooded cloaks. Nerevar stood nearest to the pedestal, leading his followers in a also seemingly never ending chant. They spoke in a tongue none of us could understand or even begin to understand. They chanted for what seemed like days, it kept going on and on in an endless cycle. Eventually a great wind began to blow, the great oceans surrounding the landmass began to clash; giant waves assaulted the shores and mountains of the landmass. Lightning razed the ground and blew holes in the side of great mountains. A great fog settled in around the landmass, it seemed every element, every form of nature was assaulting the earth. Everyone was anxious to find out what would happen next.
Part II
Then, all of a sudden an immense lightning bolt shot down from the clouds and struck the pedestal Nerevar had erected. The great ocean of hooded beings roared and shouted, but Nerevar shouted even louder and silenced them. It became hard to breath, the air pressure greatly increased; forcing our arms and legs closer to our bodies. From where we were, we could faintly see some kind of sword appearing, than disappearing and appearing again on top of the pedestal. Another bolt of lighting struck the pedestal and finally the sword was there; completely. It hovered over the pedestal. It was the great Zodiac, we could not believe our mortal eyes... The sword did not move at all, then all of a sudden it rose higher into the air. The wind started to blow with great fury towards the Zodiac. Along the wind, faint images of the Zodiacs flew. After a while all of the twelve Zodiacs hovered around the great sword. The winds subsided and Nerevar stepped forward. He held out his hand and with some sort of magic drew the Zodiacs towards the sword. The Zodiacs let out wails and screams of pain and anger, they held out their hands and began releasing as much of their energy as they could possibly release; but they could not release it all. Nerevar had sealed the Zodiacs inside the great sword. The Zodiacs did not exist anymore, there was only one "Zodiac" remaining now, the sword. The sword now had all of the Zodiacs powers inside of it, it was complete again. Now Nerevar could wield the sword and rain destruction upon mankind. But something happened, something Nerevar did not expect...
Part III
Nerevar grasped the Zodiac by its hilt, when he did so the hilt of the Zodiac became as hot as the core of the earth. Even Nerevar couldn't hold onto the sword and he dropped it, the heat was so great that it burned off his hand and his arm caught on fire. The right side of his body began to burn away into ash. The Zodiac still had a mind of it's own though, in a final act of self control the Zodiac cut Nerevar in half. Nerevar's scream was so loud and so great that it was heard around the whole earth, from Kenshi all the way to Shinjoku; his scream was heard. Nerevar's body disintegrated and was blown away by the wind. All of a sudden the ground began to shake violently, fissures appeared all over the ground. Giant waves crashed against the great mass of land. Then immense waves from all sides rose up, over the land and began to fall towards the land. The waves crashed down on the island, covering it completely with water; drowning anyone that was on it. The puzzle, Nerevar's puzzle was finally complete. Both worlds had been combined, and the Zodiac was back and in it's most powerful form; it had the power of all twelve Zodiacs and now could be brandished by any who found it.
Legacy of the Zodiac II (Chapter VI - New World, New Struggles)
Part I
The world was now a new world, part old world, part new world. The new world was from the dimension the Zodiacs had sealed themselves and the Zodiac in. Even the parts of the old world that remained had been changed and rearranged, little looked the same as it had. Anything from the old world was changed by the weather and the sole process of the other dimension being fused with it.
Part II
Now that the Zodiac is on earth, Factions began to appear. The different Factions had different ideas on what they would do when they got the Zodiac. When the island that the Zodiac was on was hit with the great waves, the Zodiac had been lost. No one knows where it rests now, but many are determined to find it. There is a faction called the Zodiacs, they are the descendants of the twelve Zodiacs, they even have some of the power of the Zodiacs. These people were born and created from the power the Zodiacs released before they were sealed into the Zodiac. The other survivors were either part of the Valarians or the Gardavians. The Valarians planned to use the Zodiac for destruction, while the Gardavians wanted to do good with the sword. The Zodiacs believed the sword must be sealed away and never again touched or used by any humans. There were even some beings that were created and came to be because of the remains of Nerevar that were blown away after he was killed by the Zodiac. Therefore, those beings have the same ideals and values as well as ambitions that Nerevar himself once had.
Part III
With the rise of the factions and the return of the Zodiac, a time of great war begins. What will happen next? That is for you to decide...
-Scythe