1. Setting

From BluWiki

Prototimeline of the Setting

I. 140 years ago some cataclysm threatened to destroy the World Before

II. The Nine, also known as the Shepherds (by those who love them) or the Demiurges (by those who don't), created the Program (a synonym for reality - world - universe in this setting) and the Main Frame* (name to possibly change).

III. Humans abandoned the World Before and entered the Program in an event known as the Exodus. The World Before is now nothing more than a religious myth to the people of the Program, some believe it, others do not.

IV. Every once in awhile Sefirot* would come into existence in the fledgling Program. They were typically quickly killed by the Main Frame or were ostracized into fleeing into the island Domains.

V. 10 years ago Malkut, a Domain in the Main Frame, went offline*. That is, the regular roads to the Domain no longer functioned shunting travelers back wherever they attempted to travel from and all communications to the Domain have been met with failure. Many in the Main Frame believe that Malkut went offline because the people had descended into sin and were too outspoken against the Shepherd of Malkut and that their sin became literal virus which destroyed the Domain. Island Domainers usually believe that any number of rebel or religious groups may have destroyed the Domain.

VI. In the last few years, the Sefirot are being awakened en masse. Approximately 1 in every 10,000 animated programs becomes a Sefirot (the human program population of the Program is 10 million). The State has reacted to this by creating a new Caste of programs that are specifically designed to counteract the formidible powers of the Sefirot, Djinn, and Daemon*.

Additional Notes:

• asterik #1. The Main Frame is a collection of 8 (historically 9) Domains. These Domains are very tightly bound together and were created as a kind of theocratic empire around the Nine. They are not, however, the only Domains that exist. There are literally thousands, possibly tens of thousands, other Domains that remain outside the Main Frame. These island Domains are very often home to virus and Daemon though not nearly as often as the people of the Main Frame believe.

• asterik #2. Sefirot are programs that have the ability to rewrite the Program. It is unknown how they receive these powers as the only other beings in the entirity of the world who can do this are the Nine (and the various other incarnations of Sefirot which most mundane folks don't distinguish between - Daemon and Djinn).

• asterik #3. Even though the Shepherd of Malkut disappeared along with his Domain, during gatherings of the Shepherds they are still referred to as the Nine. It is the belief of all in the Main Frame that the Shepherds are either truly immortal or will be bodily resurrected to lead the people of the Main Frame when all virus and sin are gone from the Script.

• asterik #4. Sefirot are programs who have become spiritually enlightened and so have the ability to rewrite the Script (possible other name for the Program). Djinn are beings who do not possess a program (that is, a body) and are just free floating divine powers. They tend to be chaotic and disruptive if not outright destructive. They are more commonly called, Djinn Storms, because their powers tend to act over wide areas. Daemons are programs who have become physically and spiritually infected with a virus but who are also spiritually awakened and can rewrite the Script. All three types of beings are enemies of the State and the Nine generally lump them all together under the term Shaitans (or Daemons or whatever).

Other notes:

How about replacing the term "the Program" with "the Script"? Anything to lessen the number of times I have to write the word program would be good.