THE 2000s
As of the early 2000s, Wrenwyre City was considered your run-of-the mill settlement, blending almost seamlessly with the rest of the U.S.A despite a few... unusual inhabitants. Situated in northwestern Vermont, Wrenwyre garnered itself a reputation as a place with the perfect balance of nightlife and nature.
In 2002, with the introduction of the first magical academy, Cerulean High, Wrenwyre made itself known as a safe haven for everyone from any walk of life.
Things remained ever-growing and ever-changing, and, in 2024, the decision would be made to close the doors of Cerulean High... temporarily. The boarding school would be rebranded, restructured and most importantly, made open to those blessed with all kinds of magic, not just those who walk the path of light.
Perfection was never going to last. With a population bonded by their use of the arcane, there was always going to be outliers. Those who used their abilities for... less honourable purposes. Between 2034 and 2041, the crime rate would skyrocket. Local police would soon become far too familiar with a faction dubbing themselves 'The Noir Group'.
In 2001, the mayoral election would make its mark on history - the most popular candidate? An angel, unashamed and unapologetic, would take the helm as Mayor Of Wrenwyre.
Over the coming years, the city's swift expansion and reconstruction was a sight to behold. Commercial areas boomed, with new store after new store, apartment block after apartment block being built. Crime was low, and opportunities plentiful.
Aptly renamed Aure Academy, the new arcane academy opened in 2025, featuring enough dormitories to house 25,000 students. Alongside the legacy of the existing Wrenwyre University, Aure Academy offered in-house degree programs to its graduates. A place at Aure Academy was in high demand, a one-way-ticket to success in almost any chosen field, pushing the numbers of new residents to new heights.
Kidnappings, serial killings, and a sudden influx of substance-related deaths. Within a blink, the sanctuary city could no longer uphold such a title. The Noir Group had no shame - even when captured by armed police, each member seemed to have mastered weaseling their way out of trouble. Existing technology could do little to combat the impact these senseless executions were having on the young people of Wrenwyre, and so... Thousands fled.
2042 - THE GREAT FIRE
A blaze so sudden that emergency services did not have time to respond before a third of the city had burned to the ground, the great fire originated in the Aure Academy Dormitories. Within hours, the entire campus and the surrounding area (now known as The Dust District) were singed to nothingness, including its residents. Thousands perished in the fire, most of these deaths being attributed to smoke inhalation.
The U.S government turned a blind eye to the destruction, leaving Wrenwyre to rebuild itself with what little brick, mortar and timber its magical residents could produce in a single year. These events caused the majority of the human population to flee.
For more than a decade, those who resided within Embers Edge lived a life of ungoverned anarchy. The law could work hard, but vigilante groups worked harder, and smarter. The outside world watched. The outside world criticised.
From February 2058 onwards, the state of Vermont and the U.S as a whole elected to round up those documented to possess magic into 'sanctuaries' worldwide, Embers Edge and Canada included. Each region was placed under a strict quarantine, and in the case of Embers Edge, the city was segregated into four districts. Each district housed a certain 'type' of fauna, with the human guards doing everything they could to deter the citizens from straying from their designations.
Borders were built, with checkpoints, in order to enforce these rules, including a large wall around the city, and a heavily monitored lake port to the northwest. All residents were assigned ID cards and DNA tested. Human guards, armed with power-muting technology, were not to be argued with.
The people rose up, and swiftly, headed by the most powerful magic users Embers Edge had to offer. There was no time for strategy. Any and all residents above the age of 18 were called to fight, to cause mischief and to do anything and everything to derail the humans plans. Despite being barred from fighting, hundreds of underage Phoenix Academy students chose to join the uprising, usually concealing their identities to do so.
The battle began with the exchange of hostages: over the past ten months, hundreds had been taken as political prisoners, including the husband of the rebellion leader. Kept underground, beaten regularly and starved beyond recognition, it was a sight that churned the stomachs of their loved ones. Before any aid could be given... the U.S military, assisted by the Noir Group, opened fire.
With a sense of deep betrayal after the government's abandonment, the remaining residents voted on a sort of 'rebrand'. From 2043 onwards, the city of Wrenwyre was no more. Embers Edge took its place.
2058 - THE QUARANTINE
January 1st 2058 - the U.S president was assassinated by a demon. This cemented the human's hatred of the growing magical population, finally giving the quiet majority a reason to be loud.
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The Downtown area was reserved for dark magic fauna.
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The Uptown area was reserved for light magic fauna.
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The Suburbs were also reserved for light magic fauna, cutting access to education off for many dark fauna children, as the majority of the city's schools were located here.
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The Dust District, the most impoverished and still fire damaged section of the city, was cordoned off specifically for hybrid creatures. This was also the location of Phoenix Academy, the replacement of Aure Academy.
2058 - THE REBELLION
Historical texts today hail the rebellion as a large scale, underground movement beginning the day that the quarantine began. In truth, the 'rebellion' was as cobbled together as they come. Desperate people doing desperate things.
It was November 13th, 2058, when the rebellion began their attack. An army of 20,000 arrived at the southern wall, unprepared but determined to free themselves from the humans' reign of terror. The humans had underestimated them, a mistake that would be fatal for many.
Although many lives were lost, the flattening of an army twice outnumbering you is a sure-fire way to have your voice heard. It was day 8 when the humans conceded, agreeing to end their involvement and end the segregation. The external quarantine, however, remained.
2059 - THE 'APOCALYPSE'
Spooked by their sheer powerlessness when faced with magical beings, the human governments came together with one common goal - to harness magical weaponry themselves. This backfired horrifically, and resulted in the creation of the first rift.
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Outside of the safe walls of Embers Edge, the human world quickly became overwhelmed with hellbeasts, with no magic to successfully battle them. Most are in some way immune to gunfire. Believing Embers Edge to be the origin of these rifts, the humans strengthened the quarantine, and designated Embers Edge as its own nation. Raikou Nasaki Noir was named King, as penance for his part in the rebellion.
Embers Edge has had increasingly little contact with the outside world. In the present day, the city is entirely self-sufficient, for everything such as food, clothing, ammunition, power and water. Though newcomers are extremely rare, refugees stumbling in from the waste are not unheard of.
March 18th, 2066, the city's emergency services faced something no one could have predicted. The, albeit brief, return of the leader of 'The Noir Group'. Though the wider public were not provided with great detail, the grapevine is powerful. Through his return and the subsequent possession of an innocent citizen, around 100 new rifts were opened. Many were successfully closed, but not all. This occurred in The Dust District.
Horrifyingly, it was also discovered during this attack that a 'new wave' of hellbeasts had emerged within Embers Edge. These great, hulking walls of flesh have a particularly difficult-to-manage ability - splitting into two, or more.
Approximately 600 civilians were killed in mere moments. Others watched in horror as loved ones were dragged into glowing indigo fractures, ensnared by winding tendrils no force could sever. As far as records show, over 70,000 citizens remain unaccounted for. The missing are presumed dead.
November of 2066 was a month of little reprieve. With frost coating every surface, it was all hands on deck, with many taking leave from desk jobs to aid in the cities reconstruction. Thousands of job posts became available, including within the military, providing fast-track solutions to the lack of employment.
Along with the constant hum of jackhammers, December brought another addition to Embers Edge: a revamped governmental structure. Overwhelmed by the loss of High Council members, those remaining opted for smaller scale operations, convening bi-weekly. In each subdistrict, local elections were held. These newly appointed 'Local Representatives' oversee all things infrastructure, commercial additions and housing. On top of this, many positions remain vacant within the High Council.
2066 - A YEAR OF CHANGE
2066 was, in all senses of the word, a chaotic year for the citizens of Embers Edge. With a sudden influx of new rifts, the military became increasingly overwhelmed. Struggling to maintain the safety of all 150,000 citizens, the Northhaven Royal Training Academy were left desperate for new starts.
On the 21st of May, a terrorist attack on Eventide Boulevard shocked the nation. The high street was left practically decimated, along with the death of an important military figure, Colonel Mars Blitz-Morgan. Around 20 others suffered severe injuries, including the Commanding General of the Marines. Despite the severe damage caused, the perpetrator was never officially charged.
It was October 17th, 2066, when life changed drastically for all citizens of Embers Edge. Chaos erupted without warning as paradox rifts, vast, purplish-black voids, tore open the ground before military forces could respond. From the cracks surged a militaristic onslaught of monsters, arcane-wielding entities, leaving trails of thick, sticky blood in their wake.
The majority of Downtown was severely damaged, along with much of the Dust District - including the long-abandoned ruins of Aure Academy, destroyed entirely in the assault. Even the Northhaven Royal Training Academy, once thought safe within the region most known for its protection and stability, crumbled into ash and stone. As swiftly as they came, the new wave of hellbeasts seemed to vanish.
Any and all available resources were poured into the repair and redevelopment of the Embers Edge Military - the reconstruction of the training academy, alongside the addition of several new bases of operation. By December, watchtowers stood tall in each district, and a base in Southhaven opened its doors. In Nightshade National Park, a hotspot for the unknown, construction began on a third military outpost.
CHRISTMAS 2066
December 25th 2066 was the gift that kept on giving. As citizens huddled in with the remains of their families, news broke that would ignite the hearts of many. Their missing loved ones may still be alive. Across the nation, a handful of confused but unharmed civilians reappeared in the exact place they'd last been seen. The first to re-emerge was the Minister of Justice, Ginger Snapps. Speaking tall tales of 'parallel universes' and story-book worthy adventures, this small few provided the city with something it had needed for months. Hope.
2067 - PRESENT DAY