Introduction to the "When the Curtain has fallen"

Warning: most of the links here still lead to the old versions of the articles. My idea for the world has changed so I'll gradually try to change them.

What is "When the Curtain has Fallen"

"When the Curtain has Fallen" is a project created out of parts I have been working on since I've been in elementary school.
A lot of them were separate worlds and stories. But I decided to mix them into one world with one timeline so that I can write collections of stories from different perspectives and times.

The main plot/idea

The world of the Fallen Curtain is almost the same as ours. That is, until the people there found The Prophecy, an ancient text that predicted the end of the world. It also describes lost technologies with which the end could be stopped. And if not for the evidence of the ancient rituals and maps of locations where old Beasts slumber, it would probably be ignored.

Themes:

Themes of now and then

The world and stories happening before The Curtain fell are mostly focused on developing ways to prevent the end of the world, the hope that comes with successes and the ultimate despair once everything started falling apart when coming close to the final hours.z
Once The Curtain falls, those themes shift into a fight for the survival of the last remaining humans, rebuilding, and trying to discover the rules of the world that has changed so much.

Everything comes in threes

There are three cataclysmic beings that would bring the end of the world, three organizations that were supposed to stop them, and three guides in the world after the end.

Three Cataclysms

The Lords are conceptual beings that inhabit the bodies of some of the people and can move from one host to another. There are certain requirements for one of them to be awakened, but once one does, it will start a chain reaction by spreading The Word, a primeval Concept that wakes other Lords of their slumber and kills the unfitting hosts. Each Lord is a master of certain Concepts, having full authority over them. To the point where they can bend reality when it comes to said concepts.
The Beasts are pets of the Lords, sleeping, waiting for the call of their masters. When summoned, those enormous creatures will cleanse the world so nothing dares to stand against their owners. Each one of them, called after the monsters of various folklore, is a materialization of the most destructive aspect of the Concept attached to them.
The Spirits. They are the things that come from beyond The Curtain, the ever-shifting representations of various Concepts. Even before the end, they could sometimes manifest in the material world as ghosts or urban legends, or simply influence it with their presence.

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Three organizations

Each of the organizations and their stories come with their own themes.

The ZODIAC is an organization that tries to find twelve heroes chosen by the stars, the only ones capable of fighting and stopping the Lords before they get too powerful. There's not much known about them, but it was their disappearance that was the most heavy blow to the chances of stopping the end of the world.

The Creation Project creates living weapons based on the genes of the Beasts in order to kill them. While there is some hope in the stories of other organizations, for The Created there is only a fight. To become strongest, to destroy the Beasts, to live another day. Because broken weapons are discarded and replaced with new ones.

The Faceless create Faceless Ones, a mix of the human soul and a spirit, bound to special suits. Their purpose was to control the leaks of the Spirits through The Curtain. They operate in teams, their stories are more light-hearted. At least, until the end comes.

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Three guides

After The Curtain falls, there are three guides/protagonists that can teach you a lot about how the world has changed. Each one of them offers a different experience, perspective, and understanding, and while their paths might cross once in a while, they all have their own goals.

Vagabond, one of the last of the Faceless Ones. Even though he disappeared for a few years, he still has the most experience with Spirits and fighting them and the Lords out of the three. Doesn't require food or sleep but some wards against Spirits affect him.

Professor Kostek, a mysterious scientist, fascinated with the changed world. Can create various devices that warn him of the presence of the Spirits, distract them, or get rid of them for some time. His refusal to show his face and his unusual behavior makes other people distrustful or even hostile toward him.

Kundel, the young man led by beings visible only by him. He's a Stabilizer, meaning that the world around him doesn't shift as much as for others. Has incredible luck to survive any danger but anyone who accompanies him for too long meets an untimely end.

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Words and Concepts

Words and concepts are very important in this world. The fall of The Curtain marked the merging of the material and concept worlds, Lords can control things related to the words they have a rule over, Spirits are embodiments of concepts and can change when they feed on concepts that have different meanings to their own, and to kill them one has to affect their taboo, something that's an antithesis of their concept. Even the world has changed, with memories and rumors changing the places from their location to how they can affect someone that stays within them.

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Thank You for reading my articles, I hope you'll have fun discovering my world.

- Revyera.