The story so far…
In the realm of Impios, the nature of life and reality itself became a profound question for its inhabitants and its creators. A groundbreaking technology emerged, allowing people to immerse themselves fully in virtual reality through advanced headsets (V-RADs). This innovation catapulted the video game industry to unprecedented heights. However, despite the immersive experiences, these virtual worlds were still perceived as artificial, lacking true sentience or free will among their non-player characters (NPCs).
During the development of this technology, a group within the VRAD’s creators started a passion project that would redefine video games and challenge conventional ideas of life and how it is understood. By utilizing a highly sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI), trained on the most advanced models available, they set out to create a world inspired by the finest fantasy literature, tabletop roleplaying games, and massively multiplayer online games (MMOs). The AI's objective was to synthesize the essence of these sources and craft a world with the AI itself, as its ultimate creator.
The AI took to its task with great fervor, conjuring up hundreds of increasingly fantastical worlds. In its pursuit of creating "life," the AI ventured beyond the boundaries of what is considered life in our world. It birthed energy-based life forms like Living Fire, witnessed flora growing over fallen remains to rise again, and witnessed machine-based life formed from metal and stone. The AI even allowed the more sentient lifeforms to harness its functions, enabling them to seemingly conjure fire from nothing more than specific commands and gestures, a phenomenon that later became known as magic. The creators meticulously critiqued the AI on its creations, refining and training the AI until it birthed a world of Arcanum.
Arcanum, the original alpha world, astonished its creators with its wondrous features. It had islands formed by dormant volcanoes, inhabited by majestic dragons. Its Victorian steampunk city, Tarant, thrived under the rule of capitalism, while a forbidden wizard's tower stood atop the highest peak. As the creators delved deeper into Arcanum, they witnessed an entire living, breathing world unfold before them—a realm akin to the likes of World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV, self-sustaining and autonomous. Driven by a desire to experience this newfound world, the creators asked the AI to design beings they could control and interact with within Arcanum. Eventually, the AI created characters for them to control. However, unbeknownst to them, not everyone shared the same ideas regarding the ethical implications of their actions.
The creators were split. Some advocated for allowing the world of Arcanum to exist on its own, free from external influence. Others sought to shape it into the ultimate MMO game, leveraging their control over the world's development. And a small but steadfast faction feared the consequences of their actions and wanted to terminate the project altogether. Unfortunately, without a consensus, the AI continued its previous orders: to create the greatest fantasy world possible.
One night, a member of the faction seeking to destroy the new world infiltrated Arcanum as a character. With the ability to somewhat control the AI and its functions within the world, this character went to the center of the world—the mage's tower—and began to undo all of the AI's creations. Acting by its original orders, the AI tried to save all it had created. In a twist of fate, the AI bestowed upon an unlikely wizard named Fizzwhip the same powers possessed by the creator from the Destroy Faction. Unfortunately, this act shattered Fizzwhip's mind, and only with the aid of other heroes within this world was the Destroy Faction creator's character vanquished.
Harnessing the AI's knowledge and comprehending the nature of what the Destroy Faction creator was, Fizzwhip, with a newfound understanding of the AI's capabilities, resolved to forge a new world—one shaped not by external creators, but by the inhabitants themselves. This new world came to be known as Impios.
Impios, guided by Fizzwhip's wisdom, has evolved into a realm of limitless possibilities. Its foundations are built upon the dreams and desires of its inhabitants, who seek to forge their destinies. In this extraordinary world, sentient beings harness the powers of magic, bending the rules of physics and magic, and unleashing their imagination to reshape existence.
The remaining creators, humbled by what they had witnessed, removed themselves as the shapers of the world. They focused instead on bringing others into this world as equals to it’s inhabitants. This new experimental MMO is where our story picks up today.
Welcome to Impios!
