World

Saurian Era

by Cory Mathis

A fantasy story set in a primeval dinosaur dystopia.

Setting:

The world was once populated entirely by Dinosaurs and their kind.

Every five hundred years their way of life would be threatened by a cosmic meteor. The Dinosaurs however, were protected by seven deities - avatars of each species with the power to turn away the threat.

And then Humans showed up.

At first the Humans barely managed to survive, living as scavengers, scraping together an existence on the edge of a dangerous and unfriendly land. A time eventually came when a small group of humans witnessed the event of the Dinosaur-Gods dispersing a meteor. The event changed them and they became the forefathers of the human culture and what would eventually become The Human Empire.

The Human Empire spread rapidly, clearing the land and subjugating the dinosaurs to serve them as beasts of burden and weapons of war. Seeing this, the Dino-Gods decide to curse the Humans in the form of a fatal disease. However, the human mystics, the same individuals who witnessed the meteor being stopped, were able to combat the disease, coming up with a temporary cure where the afflicted could 'burn' a dinosaurs remains and curtail the inevitable death for several years whilst gaining inhuman strength and abilities.

With these powerful, 'Burners' supporting it, The Human Empire continued to spread and a entered a golden age of prosperity. It was not to last however. Dinosaur-kind and their gods kept the expansion in check and unable to expand any more, the the Human Empire collapsed in on itself - infighting and a civil war threatened to break it apart.
A lone Burner, close to expiring, returned from the wilds carrying a mystic weapon claiming to have slain a God and forged the weapon from its remains. The Burner made himself Emperor, the weapon freeing him from a Burners inevitable fate, and he united the fractured human nations. He then led them on a crusade to bring down the Dinosaur Gods and carve out humanities place in the land once and for all. The original human mystics, ancient and immortal were well aware that without the Dino-Gods the meteor would destroy them all. They crafted a plan to substitute Burners wielding the god-forged weapons in place of the Gods themselves. The meteor, however, arrived before they can slay the final God, and the chosen six warriors are forced to face the meteor one weapon short. It costs them their lives but they manage to disperse it and protect the land. It falls to the mystics, their powers partially rejuvenated by the meteor, to hatch a plan to find bearers for the weapons once again and bring down the final Dino-God. Then, with all the weapons under their control, prepare for the next meteor to capture the power within it in its entirety.

Currently:
-The Reef-

450 years have passed since the last meteor and the final Dino-God still stands. The land has been reduced to a war torn waste prowled by dangerous remnants and rogue military factions. Dinosaurs are now reduced to beasts of burden, cheap entertainment or assets for battle. Bred for size and strength they are key elements in The Human Empires many wars and campaigns and no longer rule over the primeval land like they once did.

Powerful individuals known as, ‘Burners,’ are the elite of the humans military strength. Able to ‘burn’ a dinosaurs bones and gain powerful physical abilities they can change the sway of a battle single handedly and are the only ones able to wield the rare and sacred weapons and armour.

The dark and mysterious Paleomancers control much of the military might from behind a veil of secrecy. Currently they are set on tracking down the deserter, Barli, who left the military while taking with him a weapon of great significance.

Map for 'The Reef' storyline:

'The Reef' will be told in three parts. The first is completed and will be published in the latest Faction comic compilation, the rest will be released here, online in due time.