Traverse space, time, and alternate dimensions
through England’s six fictional universes.
We thought humanity's biggest threat would either be ourselves or come from space. We thought we understood artificial intelligence and could recognize the first sparks of consciousness.
We were wrong.
Humanity expanded to take up residence within Earth's oceans as well as the surface by the middle of the 21st Century. A fast and brutal world war breaks out in the early 2060s that wipes out almost 85% of the surface population in a matter of weeks, and disaster after disaster meeting relief efforts cause those living within the oceanic domes to retreat below the waves.
Decades later, the next generation calls for renewed efforts to aid the survivors still struggling on the surface, but those grown complacent refuse to change the status quo. Rebuilding isn't easy when the knowledge of generations past is lost forever, and power must be pried from the hands of those who hold it.
Our universe is not alone. Countless other realities with natural laws and a universe all their own lay beside ours.
Eons ago, the denizens of another reality discovered the means to travel between our worlds. They have exploited Earth for its resources and guided the development of its life ever since. We've known of their existence from the beginning, but centuries pass sometimes between one "visit" and another. Humanity's memory is short and what was fact soon becomes legend, and legend passes into myth.
The Secrets and Stones Universe asks the question, what if there was more to myth and legend than we think? When we read or hear the legends of any particular place or culture, we automatically discount tales of fantastic creatures or feats of magic because such things are not real and never were. Or so we believe.
What if these stories were at least partially true and merely exaggerated? What if there were Fae and sphinx and chimera and others before something happened to drive them into hiding or extinction?
The stories contained within this universe currently center around 1st Century Ulster under the reign of King Conchobar MacNessa and just after his death.
Humanity began developing amazing abilities centuries ago. At first, these abilities were barely noticeable but helpful, and the wages earned by these talented individuals enriched their lives, allowing their families to grow in power and number. Over time these abilities grew, and those with them became ever more coveted by those in power.
The race to develop the means of nurturing and strengthening the bloodlines carrying such superhuman talents directed the course of technological development. Families who tied themselves to royal families, and later democratic governments, grew ever more powerful as technological wonders enhanced and diversified the mutations carried within their DNA. Yet, not all trusted their benefactors.
Decades ago, metahuman families all across the globe broke ties with the powers that be in their homelands and went underground. Some still use their abilities to help those in need and their communities at large, but they are forced to hide their identities to do so now. A few continue to work within the system as sanctioned supers, receiving technological and financial support in exchange for their services, but far more chose to stay hidden after the horrors their ancestors faced in the shadows.
Centuries from now, humanity unites in a last-ditch effort to save itself by spreading out through the stars. Generational colony ships set course for the most promising systems, two or three ships per system, timed to make landfall within three to five years of each other.
Unfortunately, not all saw this as a good thing. A few religious zealots saw our wanton destruction of the planet as humanity’s rightful punishment for our failure to act as good stewards. They sabotaged the ships with viruses meant to strand the colonists in orbit around their new homes, able to see their salvation but never land.
The Yekara Series follows the descendants of one such ship, the UNE Galaxia, who managed to make a successful crash landing despite the damage, only to find their new home not as uninhabited as they expected. The Yekar, a race of intelligent reptilians who resemble the dragons of Earth folklore, take the survivors in, helping them survive their first brutal Yekaran winter. In return, the humans do all they can to assist their new friends and allies, whose numbers were diminishing due to increasing cases of hibernation failure.
Seven hundred years later, humanity is adapting to this new world, and not all are ready or willing to accept the changes in our species. Tensions flare as Lanre Virchow becomes the first telepath to be crowned king alongside his bride, who can influence weather patterns. For nobles whose only power is the ability to command men, this is too much power for any one man to wield, frightening, dangerous, and more than enough reason to go to war.