Below is the information about the Meridian, the central location in which the events of THE SUMMONING OF CLADE JOSSO take place. I was hoping to attach it as a file, but unfortunately the formatting of this site does not permit me to do so. So until then... Enjoy!
See you in the Vein!
J. Dean
The Meridian
The Meridian is an expanse which serves as a connection point for Seven different Worlds which exist in seven different universes. Made up of a diverse conglomeration of climates and terrains, the Meridian is not a planet per se, but a flat region that undergoes a planet-like cycle, with a white sun that occupies the sky during the daylight hours, and a starless purple night during the evening.
Prior to the great schism between the Heretics (also called the Blindmen) and the members of the Sect of the Awakened, who were loyal adherents to the deity Balys-Crahly, the Seven Gates which corresponded to their respective worlds were easily and freely accessed by the Seven Races. Anyone could travel to and from the different worlds; and the Meridian was appraised as an important central point of commerce and community, as well as a mystical place full of unfathomable wonders and mysteries. Although not originally intended to be a place for permanent residence, the Meridian had several settlements spring up throughout its regions, mostly near areas which provided for agricultural and commercial business. The wildlife of the Meridian had a benign relationship with the beings of the Seven Worlds, in addition to an already harmonious community of the multitudes who interacted with each other in their business and travels.
But when the schism occurred, all of this changed. The harmony and unity degraded into a terrible war, during which a series of dark changes overtook the Meridian and its inhabitants, and eventually spilled into the Seven Worlds. Although the exact history of the events that happened is sketchy (as many of the historical records were lost after the schism), what is generally known is that, during the war, the Meridian became a shadowy, forlorn world; its wonders and wildlife transforming into dangerous and nightmarish terrors. Great monuments and cities of a united civilization became desolate ruins, falling victim to the unbridled lusts and hate of the Meridian citizens, corrupted by the dark evil that spread over the land; or becoming empty shells of their former glory, changed by things more mysterious and hideous.
The war between the Sect and the Blindmen came to a head at the center of the Meridian, where the Sect initially seemed to be successful in defeating their foes during a fierce battle. But the Blindmen were not finished; before being banished from the Meridian, the Blindmen, through means unknown to the Sect, were able to successfully capture and imprison Balys-Crahly in the Vein, a little known “para-world” which is accessed from a portal located in the heart of a thick Wood in the central region of the Meridian. Though ultimately beaten in the end, the Blindmen had inflicted their damage. A great, impassible, cloud-like barrier, referred to as the Edge, filled the Meridian perimeter, sealing off the gateways to the Seven Worlds. What followed was mass panic among the remaining beings in the Meridian, resulting in a bloody, chaotic struggle, carried out by those motivated either by fear of what had happened, or by lust for power. Due to the sudden harshness and hostility of the Meridian creatures, those beings who survived the Sect-Blindmen war and the following lawless massacre took refuge in the cities, setting up improvised governmental structures, most of which were eventually taken over either brazenly or covertly by the Orders, which began to form shortly afterward. The arrival of the hostile Orders forced the remaining Sect members in some of the cities to go into hiding, as the Orders viewed the Sect as a potential threat to their power base.
Now, centuries after the great schism, the original inhabitants of the Vein have vanished. The once conventional access to the Meridian from the Seven Worlds through the original gateways is impossible; the gates on each world are shut fast (and in some cases, hidden). Nor can any within the Meridian leave, as the thick, cloudy Edge engulfs those who try to find the gates. Inhabiting the cities are “pact-makers”, those who lived in the Seven worlds, who have agreed to an accord which brings them to the Meridian upon their death in a type of afterlife. The only other beings permitted entrance to the Meridian are the Bearers, and it is prophesied that Seven Bearers will come, one from each of the Seven Worlds, and travel through the Meridian to the Vein, where they will release Balys-Crahly and restore the Meridian to its former state of peace and paradise.
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