Note: This thread aims to explain the long history of the Guardian Beasts in bite-sized chunks, and may omitt multiple details that are expanded upon in individual applications. Each period can be expanded freely, so if you want to be part of the long history of Guardian Beasts, ask Silim or Minato for advice and help!
Beginning of the Dimension
The Guardian Beast Dimension - now known as Sugiura Dimension - is as old as our universe, and has existed parallel to it without massive contact for the first billiions of years. The big difference is readily apparent - the GB Dimension does not follow the laws of physics. Instead of a big bang, it was created by two god-siblings being born from the power of a dying old god. Instead of atoms clashing together and creating solid matter, the dreams of the gods manifested the solid ground of that world. The first goddess of light was named Aura, and her brother was Cubia, her shadow and other half. For each life eventually ends, so all existance must one day end.
The world created from the dreams is an endless universe. By now, people question if the Guardian Beast Dimension is truly endless, but so far, nobody has reached a border. Unlike any normal planet, the entire universe seems to be a 'flat' plane - no matter how high one ascends, no curving can be seen, and the stars are really just bright lights adjusted high in the sky. How the sun and multiple moons of that world work, nobody understands... Because that dimension does not follow the laws of physics. It is a world of dreams and wonder - in other words, the GB Dimension is living, breathing magic in itself.
The Guardian Beasts were also born from those dreams at first, and from dreams of dead, old gods from the universe before our universe. They were the children of both Aura and Cubia, and quickly developed over the years. Thanks to their long lifespans, their technology advanced fast, together with their understanding of magic.
Big Players during this era:
Aura (Silim) - Goddess of Life, creator of the first Guardian Beasts
Cubia (Silim) - Brother of Aura, the shadow of life
Morgana Mode Gone (Can not be played) - The mother of Aura and Cubia, the last old god from the previous universe
Tsukasa (Free to Claim) - One of the first humanoid Guardian Beasts, saved Aura from imprisonment by Morgana Mode Gone
Ancient Guardian Beasts (Free to Claim) - This is a time of legends even by Guardian Beast standards. While they are long-lived, they are not all immortal. If you want to play a Guardian Beast that is this old, be very thorough in your design. Most Beasts from this time will not have a humanoid form at all. Consider this time a time of incredible adventure in a fantasy-like setting - with your character being more likely part of the adventures and setting rather than the ones that experienced it. An example would be: An ancient Dragon, a long-lived continent sized turtle
Empires Rising
With advancement came individualism and divide, but not always in bad ways. The Guardian Beasts were spreading quickly over their infinite world, and so many of them came together in unions, overthrew others that set themselves above the weak, or assumed positions of power themselves - in short, nations were being formed all over the worlds, and for the first time, wars broke out between them. Eventually, a council of all big empires was formed under a council held in the name of Aura - they named it Yggdrasil, and it later became the inspiration for the ancient nordic folklore of the tree of life and the nine worlds.
This was a turbulent, but also interesting, time for the Guardian Beasts. This was the first time they found out about different dimensions, but most decided not to interfere - humanity was still in it's earliest stages for most of this era, being nothing but a tiny spark compared to the wildfire that were the sprawling Guardian Beast Empires.
Nowadays, after the Calamity (seee below) one can still find old, ruined cities in the dimension, buried under landmasses or plantlife, maybe buried in a desert or floating above the clouds in shambles. These ruins are often the source for old and powerful magic and artifacts, and your characters might very well find part of these old empires by accident or by actively searching alike. Most of the ancient Magitek (magic and technology combined) is broken, or can't be operated by today's knowledge, but some might still work.
Big Players during this era:
Former Yggdrasil Members (Free to Claim) - These were once leaders or kings, which survived the following times through one way or another. Their strength and wisdom is not to be underestimated, and if you want to play such a character, take great responsibility in the terrors they lived through.
Ancient Guardian Beasts (Free to Claim) - when one thinks ancient guardian beast, it usually means ones from this era, not from the oldest era. Guardian Beasts from this era can either be humanoid or bestial. Those from this era were the ones that coined the terms 'Heroic Spirits' and 'Phantasmal Species'. An example would be: Living gods (Thor, Loki, Susano'o), a Medusa
The First Great War
A war caused by the great old god, Morgana Mode Gone. Her followers turned a few of the Empires against those following Aura's guidance, and those that protected Aura now stood against them. Morgana Mode Gone used her power of creation to make the 'Cursed Wave', a group of exceptionally powerful and intelligent Guardian Beasts, to crush Aura.
The war went anything but well for Aura's side right from the start. The Cursed Wave turned every possible win into a stalemate, and anything worse into a crushing defeat. In that time, Aura summoned a great warrior from beyond the veil of worlds to her side - a warrior we know nowadays as Zefonse, but back then, he was called Arst Outsway. He became both Aura's general and lover, which was the origin of the first two Demi-Gods. After turning the tide in the war, Skeith joined the side of good, and the remaining Cursed Wave was defeated, although nobody knows if they were killed or not.
Big Players during that era:
Arst (Raiki) - The hero who turned the war, many stories are still told of how he rose from a nobody to a general that defeated Morgana Mode Gone.
Kite (Silim) - Arst's son, the demigod of fire. His courage managed to convince Skeith to switch sides.
Marie (Agito) - Aura's daughter, a caring figure that helped stabilize the forces of good.
Cursed Wave, any of them (Free to Claim) - The Cursed Wave is inspired by the force of the same name from the .hack franchise, but not limited to that. All that is required of a Cursed Wave is to look downright alien in at least one of their forms. Their objectives, personalities and powers are completely up to the player.
Soldiers of Light and Shadow (Free to Claim) - the fighters on both sides of the war. Especially interesting could be direct subordinates to the Cursed Wave, or the true companions that accompanied Arst and Kite during the battles of the war.
The Great Fall
After the end of the war, peace returned for a few precious years. However, a dark force rose to power and attempted to engulf the entire dimension in eternal shadow - that force was Cubia. After the whole world had gone to war previously, the intense conflict and pure 'evil' of it had awoken the true purpose of the shadow - to end a world that no longer deserves to exist in the eyes of the shadow.
This war was even more brutal than the last. Cities and entire empires fell within days and weeks, not a single battle was a true victory. The forces of good were decimated and corrupted, while those loyal to the shadow became dreaded Shadow Beasts, Guardian Beasts born from nightmares instead of dreams.
During that time, the Guardian Beasts collected their magical knowledge and technology for the final time, and created the ultimate artifact. Something that could grant wishes to the owner. That creation was the Holy Grail, a golden prison to lock away Cubia for all eternity. In the final battle against Cubia, Arst weakened the creature, and the Holy Grail sealed Cubia, before being sealed itself. The mind of Cubia, known as Zeref, was detached from the body and given a new form of it's own.
This war was one the Guardian Beasts never recovered from fully, up until this very day.
Big Players during this era:
Nightmare Soldiers and Dream Guardians (Free to Claim) - the titles given to warriors from that time, on sides of shadow and light, respectively. Neither side is completely good or evil, and those carrying the title are former soldiers that now follow varying paths through their lives.
Modern Era
Also known as the era of the Sugiura. When the Sugiura came to the land of Guardian Beasts, they became the allies and the new hope of the race. Their dreams sustained a race that had lost their gods and kings, and together with their own kingdom in the south, aim to create a new future for both races.
However, the by now already legendary tales of the Holy Grail were misinterpreted by some Sugiura, and those that knew the truth either desired it anyway or tried to prevent it's unsealing. When it was finally found, the evil from within the grail poisoned the mind of one ancient king known as Gilgamesh, and to seal away it's major evil force, the grail was shattered into pieces. The main body of Cubia is still sealed away in a different dimension, but thanks to this shattering, the 'Fragments' of Cubia have started appearing more numerously.
At the beginning, they were fragments of major parts that didn't get sealed, like the Mind and Heart. Now, things like the Shell and the Blood of Cubia started taking form.
And this is where we are today, in a broken world filled to the brim with both disaster and miracles, hope and despair. This is the world and story of Guardian Beasts and Sugiura alike. Join in on it, become part of old or new history, and help shape new events, with fresh ideas or old grudges. I hope you enjoyed reading a bit of imaginary history.
Big Players during this era:
Cubia Fragments (Free to Claim) - They all represent a part of Cubia, and can be abstract or direct. It could be a 'biological' part, like the Blood or even Hair of Cubia, or something abstract, like the 'Loneliness of Cubia', or 'Love of Cubia', even. There aren't many limits on this. Fragments do not need to be evil, but are always connected to Cubia somewhat, can feel great evil, and may or may not have a psychotic and darker side to themselves. For direct examples, see Zeref himself or Blake, the Heart of the End.
Modern Guardian Beasts - Really, just any Guardian Beast that isn't over 6000 years old qualifies as this. They aren't old enough to have memories of the old war or of the old empires, and are completely free of ancient history, unless you want to connect them to it, which you are free to do at your own leisure.
