Stories of H Merrill

I welcome you to the Living Universe. It is an ongoing project that records the fictional histories of those within the Living Universe. Like our universe, the Living Universe has some basic systems and rules that govern existence. 

First and foremost, is the existence of magic. While not all species of the Living Universe practice magic, they are aware in some way of its existence and that it has an effect on their lives. 

Second is the different planes of the Living Universe. There are two planes, the Living Universe itself and Aeon, the plane of deities and a slew of magical creatures. Most important of the deities are the Tetrad, the four beings that created the Living Universe and the life in it. Below the Tetrad are the Visages, personifications of universal constants, such as the Visage of Chaos, Visage of Order, Visage of Time, Visage of Life, etc. The Visages are very significant to the Living Universe as they have their own wants and desires for it and seek to manipulate those within the Living Universe in their favour. The Tetrad, in contrast, ultimately exist to ensure the continuity of the Living Universe as a whole, but not to interfere with those within it. (See this chart for more)

Third are the terms for certain things, which will be in more detail in the glossary of terms. But there are important ones to understand right away. I will mostly be using Orthtirian terms in my writings, as Orthtir was the planet I began writing for. Terms such as Pre-Global Era (PGE) and Global Era (GE) are seen on the maps, and are used by the Orthtirians as dating methods. Myrad is the term for magical creatures to differentiate them from non-magical creatures, which are often referred to simply as beasts.  

Fourth are the main peoples. There are six species within the Living Universe that make up a large portion of the stories. The Orthtirians, also referred to as human for simplicity’s sake, are like you and me, they are in every aspect aside from supernatural abilities, human. They reside on the planet Orthtir. The Veltenri are a reptilian race that reside on the planet Pithnethal, they are tall in stature and as strong as they are devout to their god. The Krat are comparable to dark elves of traditional fantasy in appearance . The Slevnians are similar in stature and complexion to Orthtirians, but have noticeable anatomical differences which won’t go into detail here. Both the Krat and Slevnians live on the planet Kratelia. The Nurnans are taller than the average Orthtirian and are more alien, with slightly oblong heads and softly glowing eyes. They live on the planet Nurna. The Karnathal are a bipedal insect like species that are commanded by their psionic Nucleon Mind; they are from the planet Xenowrath, although their name and planet name was given to them by the Veltenri. 

I hope that, while brief, this introduction brought some clarity to the expanse that is the Living Universe, although it barely scratches the surface of what is to come.