The Encyclopedia of Sanctum

Sanctum

"From its roots the Sanctum began to awaken. But their dreams were put to sleep, lying once more in the silence of the abyss."

- Crimson Assassin, "And Freedom"

Sanctum is the name given to the known world by the gods. From what is known, Sanctum is a planetary body about the same size as Earth, existing with similar atmospheric properties, axial tilt, and even its own moon and tides. It orbits a yellow star, Aerinor, the houses of the gods, in the dark oceans of the Abyss. The gods had full control over Sanctum until First Age 10,000.

Map of Sanctum After the Third Age

Creation

Before there was anything at all, there was nothing. Not light nor darkness, but nothing.

Then something appeared within, a single golden light, and then a rocky sphere on which it shone. The houses of the gods created a Sanctum for life to survive in this dead universe, showered in the light of their kindness. Twelve constellations appeared around the system like eyes, faint, but ever growing.

The god Keyvis was solely in charge of this effort, and with the help of others, they designed a planet with liquid water, an atmosphere and climate system, and continents. They created life and humanity, and uplifted a giant crystal on the warm equator of the world linking their realm with all their creations. 

Their Demise
Though the gods' plan would eventually fail, life still remained and fought the darkness that meant to erase all life from their dead sanctum. In F.A. 10,000 the eyes of the abyss destroyed the Vitanien Crystal and with that, most of humanity perished and their bodies filled with shadow. Humanity "awoke," now knowing violence and a consciousness for their own desires. Some fled to only to fight back or were instead captured by the chains of shadow, and some could not handle their awakening and became feral. Also, another planet was born at this time, sharing Sanctum's path but always hidden on the opposing side of the sun. That planet, Algol, or Anti-Sanctum, was identical to Sanctum in all facets except that it was somber and filled with abyssal horrors.

The gods had a presence in the lives of all humanity from F.A. 1 to 10,000 with the existence of the Vitanien Crystal as a conduit. And then from F.A. 10,000 to Fi.A. 1,530 the gods were absent save for a handful of divine interventions through rare rifts, as the growing darkness made it difficult to save their sanctum. But with the presence of Aerinor, the abyss could never be destroyed forever. At the end of the Fifth Age Sapphira Renoir killed the light, banishing the darkness and unwinding Sanctum, sending it to a stable universe much like ours in real life.

Geography:

Map of Sanctum Before the Fourth Age

First through Third Ages

Sanctum was once comprised of one great continent called Golden Wells, and a smaller landmass it encircled called Tabula Rasa. Humanity was supposed to flourish on Golden Wells and any intervention by the abyss to be funneled and sent to Tabula Rasa. Until F.A. 10,000, humanity only dwelt near the Vitanien Crystal but after, there was a significant diaspora. 

Sanctum had three oceans, the northern ocean (Septentria), the southern ocean (Meridiem), and the Golden Ocean between the two landmasses. There were also many mountain ranges and seas, and the climate patterns functioned much like that of Earth to form forests and deserts at specific locations.

There were two geographical anomalies, the first being the presence of a rainforest with leaves of pure gold surrounding the Vitanien Crystal, along with other strange flora and fauna. The second was the absence of all animal life on Tabula Rasa, there were trees and plants but not a single creature to be found, even as late as the Fifth Age. Throughout Sanctum's history, a common occurrence occurred, that is, the creation or alteration of magical forests. Done in times of supernatural presence, the leaves of Marnoria after their tragedy would become black as night and Solomnent's power grew a wood with pink leaves in Aorion, to name a couple out of many. By the Sixth Age there was most likely a forest of every base color.

The most important example of this occurred in the early Third Age. A curious intervention happened in the eastern reaches of Sanctum following the Marnorian Tragedy. By the hand of Keyvis a large swath of land was converted to alien forests of blue and a new race of humankind awoke there. The land was called Key Azurmian and the inhabitants, the Azurmian. They were the third and final life that the gods bestowed upon Sanctum, and were a powerful group of humanoids that could challenge the abyss. The changing of this land caused a forest of eternal autumn to arise in Katame, along with its easternmost azure reach, the Kobalten Woods where Sapphira Renoir was born. 

Fourth Age and Beyond
Ending the Third Age, the most important geographic event in Sanctum's history was seen. The abyss secretly corrupted the east and its tendrils infected the Empire of Sanctum; the Prince of Lan Sanctia at the end of the Third Age was a creature of darkness. They were able to sow discord and and distrust throughout the Empire, leading to the greatest war in Sanctum. Shadows were released upon the land and kingdom fought against kingdom, until the gods found an opening and sent destruction on the center of the Empire.

The central lands of Golden Wells cracked and split, fire belched from the deepening chasms, and oceans rushed into the opening gaps as the land sunk into the mantle of the world. Many perished but the west and east worlds were now separated, the east left under the abyss's influence and the west safe and free. Because of this new ocean, the Empirium Ocean now separating the two continents, currents and weather patterns shifted and the inhabitants of Sanctum saw their lands completely change in a matter of years. Desert became swamp and fertile plains became wastelands. Though the kingdom of Ralyme tried to resurrect the sunken lands, Sanctum existed in this shattered manner until the end of time. 

In the Fifth Age the Vitanien Stone was resurrected at the same spot it stood in the First Age. It was used by Sapphira and her allies to travel to Aerinor and slay the gods, then destroyed, ridding their world of both light and darkness.