The World of Althon is a parallel world to Earth. However, if not the same. Althon is a wild world with mysterious powers…
The Twin Chronicles
Twin Stories
The story of the Twin Chronicles takes place in Parallel worlds. First, on our own world of Earth, also known as Terra, are the twins Andy and Dani. Brother and sister, these twins share a special bond, one which separates them even from other twins. Similarly, Aya and Dagga have some interesting similarities and feelings, even though they were raised apart and unknowing of each other.
Twin Bond
The idea of twins having a bond is actually somewhat controversial. From a scientific perspective, identical twins do have peculiar similarities, even when separated at birth. However, while identical twins do carry certain biological similarities, their lives and experiences indelibly leave them as different individuals all the same.
However, when one dives into the philosophical, and the less scientific, realm, there are a lot of interesting theories about both identical and fraternal twins.
For starters is that aforementioned twin bond which some twins claim and others disavow. Some twins believe so deeply in their bond that they’ve made experiential claims of actually being able to know things, like when their twin is hurt, even when apart. It’s a more common claim among identical twins, but even some fraternal twins report it.
Ultimately, though, twins do end up as different individuals with different experiences and perspectives in their lives. Even twins that claim a special bond will still have their own interests, relationships, and activities in their lives. This holds true even for those very rare twins who do often seem to live very identical lives. However, most twins are far from that particular experience, even if they do share similar interests and bonding activities.
On the reverse are the twins who claim no specific bond. Many of these twins actively work against the idea of being similar, whether it’s a conscious effort to separate, or simply a natural desire to be unique, there are plenty of twins who are very different people. This is more common among fraternal twins, but plenty of identical twins have these experiences as well.
It’s likely rare for twins to actually have animosity for one another, but it’s fairly clear that there are plenty of twins who reject the idea of the twin bond, even when they’re close to one another. With little evidence to back up the idea of a twin bond scientifically, it remains something mostly explored in the realm of fiction.
Twin Worlds
Back to our characters: Andy and Dani; Aya and Dagga; our twin pairs of twins, exist on separate worlds. I already mentioned Earth, or Terra, but there’s also an alternate Earth, known as Althon. These two worlds have their own special bond that links them, and, as a result, they share similar fates even though the worlds have developed differently and independently from one another.
Now, the Earth, our Earth, is still fictional in this story. It’s a world in which magic exists, even if that magic does its best to stay hidden. Beyond the magic of those Alterrans, descendants of Althans who managed to jump from Althon to Terra, there are also references in the story to other types of magic and a world that is full of curious intrigue that we don’t have similarly in our own world.
Enbrev
However, the world of true curiosity is Althon. Parallel to Terra, Althon has evolved into a much different place. The initial story takes place in an isolated part of Althon known as Enbrev. Long ago, a powerful cult of clerists managed to separate Enbrev from the rest of Althon, cutting it off from the magic of the rest of the world. As such, Enbrev is a setting which has steampunk elements and in many ways is similar to Europe in the Victorian era.
There are other cultures and peoples in Enbrev, including darker skinned islanders and, far to the east, people with monolid eyes and a strange language.
Rathuma
Rathuma is more than a city, it’s an Empire. At one time, the continent of Kavod was made up of multiple, diverse city-states. However, King Eruth took the city state of Rathuma and conquered most of the rest of the continent, bringing it under his own rule. The other cities still function with a fair bit of independence, Ashtung and Farum still have their own monarchies under the rule of the Emperor. The city of Rathuma itself is a planned city after most of it was wiped out in a massive fire.
Talvale
The only remaining free city on the Kavod continent, Talvale is nicely situation in the mountains offering it plenty of shelter from storms and also tactical shelter against attacks. As such, the Rathuman Empire has left it alone and, in fact, often has good trade relations in spite of the fact that many of the goods that pass through Talvale are liberated from Rathuman traders.
Qiho
The Qihoan kingdom is much smaller than Rathuma, at least in terms of land. However, the city of Li’wan is the largest in the world, followed by Akeu, then Rathuma, then Ashtung, and Yiwasha. The sheer population of Qiho makes it a force to be reckoned with, in spite of their lack of territory.
Tavalis
Tavalis is the most powerful of the remaining independent city-states. While Talvale is technically larger, Tavalis has control of a number of smaller villages that surround the Silver Cloud Bay which Tavalis is situated in.
Skull Isle
According to the elite of Rathuma, Skull Island represents the end of the civilized world of Enbrev. What this means, though, is a rather dubious bit of racism and classism that persists even through the poorer and more marginalized elements of the so-called civilized world. While the rest of Enbrev is relatively magic free, Skull Island represents a weak-point in the spell that cuts off Enbrev from the rest of Althon. It is a place of strange creatures and even stranger occurrences.
No kingdoms or empires exist on Skull Island. Instead, it is populated by tribes of natives, most of whom co-exist peaceably with one another but have a violent mistrust of outsiders.
Kiawono
Though recognized by the rest of the world as a city-state, Kiawono is more of a trading post with some of the elements of “civilized” society flavoring it. It exists as a place where the tribes of Skull Isle can treat and trade with outsiders without allowing those same outsiders to interpose on the sacred land of their ancestors.
Breaker Cove
While Breaker Cove is also recognized as a city-state, it shares a similar status to Kiawono, being a place where the desert and savannah tribes of the Saruthian continent can trade with the rest of the world. The city itself is small and has little more to its defenses than its own city guard which is corrupt.
Piro
The second largest city-state in Enbrev, Piro exists as a major trade city interacting with Rido. As a result of this relationship it boasts a strong defense force, but its power is contained to the metropolis itself. Unlike the other larger city-states such as Talvale, Tavalis, and Rido, Piro does not control any smaller cities or villages on the land nearby.
Rido
Home of the Church, Rido is the largest and most powerful city-state in Enbrev. In many ways, Rido acts more like the capital of a small kingdom than as a city-state, but none of the cities or villages in its territory are large enough or powerful enough for the rest of the world to recognize Rido as a true state outright. Part of the problem is that the ruling entity of Rido is the Church, rather than a true government or monarchy. This arrangement works out well for the Church, even if it’s a pain for the populace itself which is subjected to the tyrannical rule of a theocracy.