User:SilverCrono/HVC

Historiae Veneficii Caelestia is the collective name of a trilogy of stories made by Ursoul Productions, a conglomeration of independent story game creators and novel producers. Historiae Veneficii Caelesti, which means "heavenly sorcery stories" in Latin, is independently based on various settings and different characters, but each one is connected by a common mythos and the effects - or causes - in each prior story.

The connection between the Historiae Veneficii Caelesti games could be somewhat compared to the one that exists between games like Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy V - like these famous games, they hold roughly the same crystal mythos and laws of the universe, but unlike them, they take place in the same world. Originally, they were developed independently, but converged and connected upon some unknown point of development.

Titles
Every story in Historiae Veneficii Caelesti was created by a different development studio, but much of the series were discussed and counseled by the three studios together.

The stories within the trilogy, listed in chronological order, are:
 * Kings of Strife, developed by Enuo Studio
 * Crimson Shadow, developed by Krystal Zero Works
 * Unknown Aspirations, developed by D.S. Slash

Mythology
The Historiae Veneficii Caelestia mythology was first hinted at in a developer interview shown at a Ursoul Productions Future Plans Convention at May 06th, 2013, but it was implied to have been in the works for at least a few months before that date.

The universe of the Historiae Veneficii Caelestia series is entirely the same throughout the three stories. In general, Kings of Strife deals with the beginning of the world and the mythos of how the Crystals came to be, as well as how their power changes the world and prepares it for magic, while Crimson Shadow shows how this magic ravages through the world and destroys the barrier between the real and the living. Finally, Unknown Aspirations depicts how science evolves from the most advanced magic, and how any amount of human flaw can radically change the world - or worlds.

In the beginning of known civilization in KoS, known as the Void period (named so because it was /void/ of the Crystals), the world of Terra consisted entirely of nomadic, uncivilized kingdoms, conquests, disasters, and wars. Very few lasting, notable civilizations were established, and little to no artifacts from the period lasted very long. At some point, however, there was an immense intelligence and civilization boom. Society moved from in-fighting and nomadic survival to enlightened civilization, organized/peaceful governments, and self-enhancement. The exact cause of the boom was never clarified and will likely remain a mystery. The era was known for exceptional advances in technology, economics, culture, and society. Governments began to move from monarchies to simple republics, art flourished to an unprecedented and unrepeated level, and poverty and oppression almost ceased to exist, and as a result of the great loss of death, the population ballooned to gigantic numbers.

Near the end of the period, legend stated that collective intelligence grew to such a level that magic and mystical arts were awakened in the beings most in tune with themselves and their environment. Within a short time period, this magic was pooled collectively by a small council of immensely powerful magic users to create objects of immeasurable power - the seven mystical Crystals. These artifacts were created almost entirely out of pure magical energy and managed to change those around them from their presence, physically and mentally. Soon these objects, especially when gathered together, proved sufficient to cause miracles and other amazing feats, and almost dripped with celestial power. But with great power came a great need for supremacy, and the true nature of humans were revealed as a two-thousand year war soon erupted around the world to control the Crystals. Power was misused, disasters struck, and when all was said and done, a fraction of the original population remained, and the world was forever changed.

The Crystals were hidden and great lengths were taken to ensure that they vanished from human memory, and so it was for millions of years. However, the seeds of a dream were sown into one man's head, and the sole living survivor from the original Crystal Council set about planning his idea of a perfect future. Driven to immortality by the Crystals and his study of them, he found that finding the Crystals by himself and performing his goal would be impossible, so he started conducting an immense plan that would span thousands of years. He began to manipulate biology and genetics themselves, breeding a small group of perfect henchmen who would be his catalysts into evolution. Slowly but surely his plan took effect, and during the events of Kings of Strife, his seven Serpent Knights, bred through years to create the perfect traits, gathered the Seven Crystals once more and radically changed the world once again. Due to the efforts of a mercenary and his group of companions, all lost to the pages of history, the Councillor's plan was foiled, and he and the mercenary were trapped in a giant pillar of Crystal, locking away the ancient artifacts for eternity. The effects of the barely-prevented Cataclysm, however, are felt throughout the world, and the people of Terra begin to evolve quicker than before, and magic creeps onto them once again. Over the years, the Crystal Pillar erodes, but the Floating Continent never falls, and the prisoners inside the Pillar cease to exist.

Crimson Shadow details a more celestial side to these events. After a non-specific war between them, the Goddesses of Life and Death on the world of Terra were cursed by their mother, the Grand Goddess, and shackled to a human fate. Now mostly powerless and mortal, they would forever die young and be reborn without prior memories, but always be attracted to a form of magic that they didn't understand. Both destroyed as a consequence of the Cataclysm at the end of Kings of Strife, they are reborn once again as Selena and Divina, twins, a good number of years after the Crystal Pillar begins to break down and the world moves to change once again. Soon, the large Ultimata Corporation makes the final breakthrough and formally grasps the secrets of magic. Humanity is forever changed.

Unknown Aspirations is the final story of the trilogy, and takes place hundreds of years after Crimson Shadow (thousands after Kings of Strife, as well).

Development
Historiae Veneficii Caelestia was first announced in 2013. It has been stated since, by all three active development studios, that the creation of the three stories are indeed independent, and the trilogy is a little more than loosely connected. None of the other stories is required to understand any story.

Trivia

 * The First Crystal Wars of KoS coincide quite well with the conflicts between the Death and Life Goddesses in CS that earned them their human fates. Continents changing, population devastation, plagues...