The person who "set" a particular setting was the single point which could end that setting and restart the process anew. This "Wonderland Gambit" was the goal of several individuals who had kept their memories or who had worked out some of the details. There was a group of such individuals who would seek out other such individuals and either enslave or recruit or kill them.
In this world, the history Ranma was familiar with had taken several different turns, which Ranma was going over as the differences in memory between Ranma Saotome and Ash Ketchum. Both had taken history lessons in school, and both had paid less than strict attention, but some details were remembered.
The earliest one he could find was that Ash remembered there being an ancient Kingdom Of Ur. An Akkadian trade kingdom that had existed between 15000 BC and 12000 BC. It had been centered in the Meditteranean and had stretched from Phoenicia in the East to the Gibraltar Gap. There had been Nine Summons at that time, and their power had been restricted to the highest members of the Royal Family. Still - that power had set Ur firmly on the road to civilization and made a mark that had lasted ages. There were still ruined ancient structures dating from that time.
The glories of Ur had ended when a tenth Summon had been worked out by Princess Beryl il Pand'ra Vul Ur. Denied power of her own, and watching Prince Endymion grow closer to the Moon Princess Summon, she craved greater power and control. Opening the forbidden box, she unleashed the Poisoned Metal Summon - Metal'la Wyrmskar. With the power she began a civil war that ended with the fall of the kingdom of Ur when their capital city on the isle of Crete was completely destroyed by volcanic eruption.
There had been survivors of Ur - and these refugees settled in three areas. Atlantis, an island raised by the power of Summons in the Atlantic Ocean. Mu, a land in the Pacific Ocean. Lemuria, in the African continent. From 12000 BC (British Calendar) to 8000 BC, the three kingdoms tried to hold onto the lore and power of the Ur Kingdom and to rebuild past glories. It ended when someone disregarded the old legends and again Poisoned Metal found a willing pawn. In the resulting destruction - Atlantis was sunk beneath the waves, Lemuria vanished in an earthquake and duststorm that wiped the city from the land, and Mu was swept by storms so savage that only a few traces remained. Three of the Nine Summons known to the ancient people were corrupted by Metal'la, and all ended up sealed.
Mankind struggled to rebuild and the two histories merged again for a time, though the timeframes seemed a little "off" from each other. Though that might have simply been Ranma/Ash not paying attention in class. Greek and Egyptian civilizations began. Mesopotamia and Babylon. Persia and Tartar.
During the Roman Empire, things changed again. In an outlying colony land of the Roman Empire, there came the first scientist. Ambrosius Patronus Myrll'n Blackhair, advisor to the tribal chief Artur Pendrakun Drakonis. Using new Summons he successfully fought off five attempts to conquer the land of the Britons. The warriors of Artur became the Knights and united the land known as Briton. Myrll'n eventually became Merlin to some and Patrick to others, Artur became Arthur, mainly because it was easier to pronounce those names in other languages. The other Knights were warriors of repute from a variety of lands united against the Romans. Regimes changed and the next Caesar was more concillatory. In exchange for scientific and sorcerous information exchange, full recognition of Artur's Briton began.
Artur's coalition and his table of equals did not survive his death in the year 085 (After Drakonis) though the foundation of a new set of sciences had developed in that time.
Artur - summoner of Excalibur, the King's Summon. With his death, the Summons had been lost.
Lancelot went back to what would become France. The other Knights brought back their own lore to their own lands, and all turned their back on the glories (and frustrations) of Camelot.
Merlin briefly appeared twice more in history's annals, his own skills having extended his life considerably. The next time he surfaced was as a middle-aged man in 255 AD in India, teaching a way of life that included a spartan lifestyle and contemplation in the seeking of enlightenment. The path of the wise-art or wizard, one who sought the underlying truths of existence and how to unlock the inner powers of mind and body. It was thought by many that he had merely returned to this land and lifestyle, having been there once a thousand years previously.
The second and last appearance of Merlin was as a gray-bearded old man who moved through the civilizations of 412 AD, spreading new hints and revealing bits of what he had learned. Many of the time had tried to capture the old man and get him to reveal his secrets. Many failed. Merlin went last to the lands of the farthest North, bringing maps and tales of many lands. His final words were that he would go to the lands of the South, and there his final works would remain with him until such time as someone worthy of his secrets appeared.
The reason for his appearance was eventually revealed as the summoner known as Lady Pain, in a province of India. Dismissing the warnings as lies told to keep her from power, she was able to piece together the necessary fragments to summon a weakened Metal'la, and from there proceed to summon even greater power. Kali. One of her allies was gifted lore and another forbidden Summon was learned - Drakul. Another great war began, though with the spread of summons and science it ended with civilization not quite collapsing yet again. Lady Pain's name and the names of her inner circle were blotted from history so that even their shades could not be summoned to inflict more harm upon the world.
Pokegirls were those surviving Summons. Summoners were all male by tradition, though there were female summoners in modern times. All Summons were female, human looking though often exotically dressed or shaped.
Ash came in sight of Professor Oak's lab, noting the traditional white tower with the banners flapping in the wind. Here is where he would gain his Summons and determine his career track. He had already been marked as a potential summoner by Professor Oak, using the All Seeing Eye (well that was her title, actually she just read auras and got glimpses of the future and things like that - it was just that the 'Seeing A Whole Lot More Than You'd Think Eye' was kind of clumsy and not very impressive sounding), had determined that Ash was one of those with the potential to summon.
Would it be one of the fae? An oriad with powers of mountains and earth? A sylph of the air, a naiad of the waters, a nymph of the wood? Pixies were fairly common, messengers and the like. Being able to summon a brownie was popular but not very powerful outside the home. Maenads were useless and difficult to control, unless you owned a distillery in which case they became downright amiable and useful.
Would it be one of the kami or divine spirits? Shiva or Lorelei were both useful, as was the redheaded Phoenix.
Would it be one of the daimon? Those could be tricky and difficult to control. Still, it was said that they were among the more rewarding once one had established who was the boss.
Little did Ash know:
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(Posted Sun, 24 Jul 2005 21:00)
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