From “Travels of Marcus Sebastian”
I am not of this world, visitor. My case, I suspect, is much like yours. Without question of my willingness, I was removed from the universe I knew and grew up in and was thrown into this strange place. As is common where it seems we both come from, I adapted to this universe, and have learned a great many things in my travels here. It is my hope, that you will find yourself able to look to this tome for guidance through your firsts steps here, as I had no such luxury and would have greatly appreciated some guidance myself.
My name is Marcus Sebastian. I remember precious little of my life before I was swept into this universe, but what memories I had of my old life served me well early in my journey. This universe is not all dissimilar from our own. Certain laws govern here as they do there. If you are cut, you will bleed, if there is nothing beneath you, you will fall. You must quickly learn, however, that what was law there is not written in stone here. This lesson will be the truest indicator of you path through this universe.
My path, from the beginning, led me to a group of individuals that would help me make a place for myself in this universe. With them, I was able to walk from world to world to learn all I could. My association with this group opened many doors for me that a visitor, such as yourself, would most often find closed. Because of this, I gleaned a great deal of information about the workings of this place, but most importantly, I learned of its people.
A rich history has written the universe as it is today. There is staggering diversity here, and you will see all extremes from peace to war because of it. The universe’s people are divided into 5 primary factions and 7 minor factions that closely resemble what you know as nations. Each is as a world unto themselves, with their own cultures, traditions, beliefs, and of course, wars. There are others that you will undoubtedly encounter here, but learning of these 10 will serve you the most. As I tell you of them, I will try to be as unbaised as possible, but upon encountering each for yourself, you will quickly learn why this is a trying task.