I recently read the
Glest background story and I was thinking about some story lines to fit FPM into the original story. Two thoughts immediately come to mind, one is that the FPM story is a progression of the original story, taking place some time after the original conflict broke out and the other is a widening of the camera view so to speak, that we are just including the stories of a large region. I'm a bit more akin to the first idea and this is roughly how that story goes.
The 4 subfactions (or perhaps even 6 if we go with an "in the middle" subfaction) exist with varied levels of conflict or alliances between them. In the early times of the war and after suffering horrific defeats in the surprise takeover, the magicians eventually won sweeping victories reclaiming most of the important possessions originally lost to tech seizers, at least those that were not destroyed, and much of the land. However, central cities of the technicians, fueled by the instinct of survival, quickly made large advances in war technologies and learned how to push back against the magicians, who perhaps became overzealous in allowing feelings of retaliation to influence their thinking into one of extinction of their enemy rather than simply attaining freedom and autonomy. Either way, having lost ground, the struggle eventually lost intensity and entered a type of stasis as each faction began to dig in and focus more on their own development and survival than the extinction of the enemy.
During this time of development is when the new factions formed. On the tech side, the event was a messiah who appeared amongst them and those who became devoted were granted powers of healing (monks, paladins & crusaders) and divine invocation (priestess) through living a pious life and adhering to spiritual principles. This was a saving grace for many who felt guilt for the betrayal of the magicians and even sympathy although they saw their consorting with daemons as a bad thing that they did not agree with. The religion sparked by this messiah challenged the system of authority however and many looked upon these "miracles" as no different than the unnatural magicians they had just driven away, and so a rift had occurred between the righteous and the calloused.
Relying more upon faith in a One God than upon their own minds & hands, those that followed the Path of Enlightenment were encouraged to focus more upon their faith and servitude than the furthering of destructive war technologies. Yet they were not defenseless. Empowered by their faith and belief in their way of life, these developed into powerful holy warriors that could heal the sick and injured, purify the lands of disease and bring hope and inspiration to the weak and weary.
But those following the Path of Reason neither wasted their time on devotion to the unnatural nor tolerated it. Instead, they furthered science, primarily in the areas of warcraft.
Amongst The Society, as the magicians called themselves, and without the oppression & criticism of their logically-minded former kinsman, differences in ideology began to develop as exploration of areas previously left alone began to grow. Many wanted see how far they could go without the shackles of their former critics and others how much power they could attain. Bulwarks previously built up in magical teachings to protect students from the many perils of tampering with the sacred had worn down in times of war and desperation. But perhaps it was more than that. With the Great Betrayal, as it had come to be known, cynicism and maliciousness had begun to set in as a state of being rather than just passing feelings.
During desperate times in the early war, many magicians had dipped into dark energies when the fear of loosing those they loved so dearly outweighed their fear of loosing their sanity, their lives, or worse as a result of violating magical laws. Although this was not often not spoken of, the results on the battlefield had undeniably turned the tide on more than one occasion. When seriously explored, most high scholars would partially justify their actions, claiming that desperate times called for desperate measures, but also emphasizing the grave need for these means to be quickly abandon and atoned for in order to maintain balance and prevent backlash upon the poor souls who came to use these forces and those that loved them.
Some, however, having seen or heard of the results on the battlefield and seeing no great harm (or at least apparent harm) befall the caster were encouraged and delved deeper, refining and even teaching the forbidden arts of necromancy and other exploitive forms of magic. Although uncomfortably tolerated at first in a show of unity, the High Council eventually held hearings and ruled that these magics and their teachings should not be allowed for the protection of those practicing it as well as The Society its self. This was not taken well by those who had devoted themselves to its furthering. Without realizing it, they had already crossed the threshold and become addicted. Having discovered a new realm of power, were not ready to let it go. For the first time, there was fighting within The Society and it was magician against magician, but it was quickly ended when the High Council decreed that the dark ones should be outcast, but that The Society should not fight with them, lest they risk sharing the consequences of their misguided brothers. Thus, they were allowed to collect their possessions at their leisure and even a share of possessions they did not own. These were said to have followed the Path of Corruption.
Conversely, many alliances had formed between the magicians and other cultures previously seen as insignificant and ignored. With the Great Betrayal and the ensuing struggle to survive, many magicians found solace in the healing ways of aboriginal cultures who still lived close to nature, being satisfied with a simplified life style. Although not generally respected by the High Council, such interminglings were not seen as harmful and ruled to be the choice of the individual. Abandoning aspects of the magical teachings of their fathers, many tried to adapt their lives to a more natural path, modeling a new society after their aboriginal friends, while still adhering to the core principles of The Society. It was not until they sought autonomy themselves that conflict emerged, since the High Council saw this as a further weakening of The Society that they could not afford. None the less, those who followed the Path of Nature had their autonomy regardless, for they had found a way to interweave their very lives with nature and all but disappeared into the forests.
So that's roughly the storyline I was thinking of.
