Revision 3

The World Movers are survivors from planets consumed by the Void. When their homeworlds fell, these individuals managed to escape to Setera, the last surviving planet. They are closely related to the Broken, individuals whose bodies carry Void contamination, but the World Movers represent those who retained enough of themselves to function as organized groups rather than mindless shells.

Origin

Chronos created twelve planets and distributed Arche unevenly among them. When Betelgeuse broke the Temporal Rift seal and released the Void, eleven planets were destroyed. Not everyone on those worlds perished. Some escaped before their planets fell, blessed with extraordinary strength, luck, or both. These survivors crossed the cosmic distances to Setera, bringing their Void contamination with them.

Void Contamination

Most World Movers carry some degree of Void contamination. This contamination causes seizures and bodily breakdown as the corrupting energy disrupts normal biological function. If contamination reaches a critical point, it disrupts energy flow entirely, leaving the victim in a zombie-like state. They retain some sense of self initially but attack anything on sight in a desperate attempt to restore lost energy. Eventually, some lose their sense of self completely, becoming little more than animated shells.

Not all Void-contaminated individuals become fully Broken. Some manage their contamination or find ways to slow its progression, though this is never easy and always temporary. The World Movers are those who have maintained enough control to organize and pursue goals beyond mere survival.

Internal Subfactions

Upon arriving on Setera, the World Movers splintered into three competing subfactions, each fighting for influence, rights, and their own vision of survival. Their shared goal is the prosperity of the World Movers as a whole, but they disagree sharply on methods:

• One subfaction seeks cooperation with Setera's native inhabitants, hoping to earn a place on the planet through service and alliance

• Another pursues independence, establishing their own settlements and governing structures without relying on Seteran goodwill

• A third prioritizes recovery of lost knowledge and resources from their destroyed homeworlds, focusing inward rather than engaging with Seteran politics

These internal divisions are separate from the more extreme splinter groups. The Deathless are World Movers who abandoned their factions entirely to worship the Void. The Outcasts are former World Movers expelled for committing crimes or acts of violence, who banded together out of shared hostility toward those who cast them out.

Relationship with Setera's Natives

The arrival of World Movers on Setera creates political and social tension. They are refugees from unimaginable catastrophe, but they also carry the contamination of the force that threatens to destroy Setera itself. The Frontier must balance compassion for the displaced with the practical danger of harboring Void-contaminated individuals. The Chronos Order has its own theological perspective on the World Movers, likely viewing them through the lens of Chronos's cosmic design.

Gameplay Role

World Movers appear as both enemies and potential allies depending on which group the player encounters. The Deathless are hostile, their corrupted cultists populating dungeons and open-world encounters. The Outcasts are territorial rather than aggressive, attacking only when their claimed land is violated. Some World Movers within the three main subfactions may offer quests and cooperation. Meanwhile, the Guardians, ancient Arche-born entities native to Setera, view all Void-contaminated World Movers as threats regardless of their intentions.