Before the Great War

Before the Great War, humanity stood at the zenith of its power, having built a sprawling empire across the Earthly Realms. It was an empire of competing civilizations, each with its own culture, traditions, and values, yet all bound by a common species. These civilizations, though diverse, were united by ambition—a drive to expand, to conquer, and to reshape the world in their own image. But this unity was fragile, for beneath the surface, humanity was plagued by internal strife.

Conflicts over ethnicity, politics, and resources led to ceaseless warfare. Nations fought for dominance, while other factions struggled for independence or control of the dwindling resources left on a planet scarred by the rise of the Ancient Ones. The constant infighting kept humanity on edge, with alliances shifting like sand, and old grudges passed down through generations. This volatility laid the groundwork for a conflict that would soon consume everything.

Human culture during this time was not only shaped by internal battles but also subtly influenced by external forces. Over centuries of interaction with beings from other realms—eldritch entities, archons, and angels—human beliefs evolved. Some of these influences became ingrained in human societies, manifesting as gods, spirits, and ideologies. Some of the most influential cults in the modern era trace their origins back to these ancient interactions, where humanity’s contact with multi-realm beings would shape not only their religious practices but also their worldview. These beliefs, once considered fringe or heretical, would eventually form the basis of powerful factions in the post-war world.

In parallel, humanity's understanding of science and magic had entered an age of rapid advancement. Leading figures like Nikola Tesla, Charles Darwin, and Albert Einstein pioneered innovations that changed the very fabric of their society. Tesla, with his advancements in electricity and energy manipulation, pushed the boundaries of technology. Darwin's groundbreaking theories on evolution and genetics spurred humanity’s first steps into genetic modification, while Einstein’s work laid the groundwork for what would become an era of unprecedented technological leaps.

At the same time, humanity began to touch the realms of psionics and magic, fields that had once been relegated to the ancient myths and forbidden tomes. These early experiments in manipulating the mind and bending the laws of nature to their will opened new doors of possibility, but they also came with terrible consequences. Magic, once thought to be the domain of the eldritch, was now being understood and experimented with by human scholars.

However, despite these advancements, humanity’s progress was marred by a constant undercurrent of distrust and competition. The rapid pace of innovation led to intense global competition, as nations raced to harness new technologies for their own gain. This drive for supremacy resulted in a tangled web of diplomatic entanglements, where secret treaties, covert alliances, and underhanded agreements ensured that any small conflict could easily escalate into a global catastrophe.

It was this volatile combination of technological progress, internal division, and ever-encroaching external influences that made the Great War inevitable. The seeds of destruction were planted long before the Ancient Ones awakened. And when the war finally came, it tore through the fragile foundations of human society, leaving behind a world that would never be the same again.