"Even in the midst of flowing time, I feel languid, watching, spinning 'round and 'round.
I can't even see the heart that's leaving me, and as it escapes, I don't care.
I can't even get myself to move, I continue slipping through the cracks of time.
I don't know anything about what's around me, I'm just me and no more.
Am I dreaming, or just seeing nothing? My words are useless even if I try to speak.
I'm just tired of being sad. It would be better to go on without feeling anything.
Even if you give me the words I'm at a loss for, my heart still won't listen.
If I can move, if I reclaim my lost emotions, I’ll turn it all Black.
Is there a future for someone like me? Do I even exist in a world like this?
Am I in pain? Am I sad? I don't even know myself.
Just walking leaves me tired, so how could I hope to understand other people?
If someone like me could change, if I can change, will I turn White?
Does a future exist in wasted time? Can I exist in a place like this?
If I were to describe myself, the words I'd use would be 'Good for nothing.'
Do I really exist in a place like this? Do even I exist at all now?
If someone like me could change, if I can change, will I turn White?

If I move, if I move, I’ll destroy everything, I’ll destroy everything.
If I grieve, can I be saved? Can my heart ever turn White?
I still don’t know a thing about you, about myself, about anything at all.
If I make a move at last, if I break everything...

...Then turn Black!"

---

Cidessus, meaning "High," or "Above." A fertile, prosperous country which continues to advance every day in the knowledge of its people and the quality of their lives. But it was not always such. Many might wonder at what exactly Cidessus claimed to be higher than. The answer to this question lies beneath the feet of all of its many inhabitants, for, dwelling within a vast, uncharted network of subterranean realms lie the Servitors, denizens of a twisted, warped dimension known as the Underworld. For many hundreds of years in the distant past, these powerful and mysterious beings, not bound by the laws of our world, posed a great threat to the Human species, as, in their hunger, they began to expand their territory to include parts of the world above ground, devouring the people within and consuming their very existences to empower the Servitors who killed them. And, despite the Humans' attempts to fight back, they were vastly outmatched, for the creatures they faced held power far beyond that of mere mortals, and, unrestricted in their actions, were free to twist and violate the world as they saw fit. And yet, out of this darkness shone a light: the light of the Celestial and the Seven Kings who succeeded it.

When all hope seemed lost, a Guardian Angel appeared to protect Humanity, a being even more powerful than the Servitors. Against its might, they were unable to resist, and many of them actually submitted to the guidance and the commands of the Humans they had once terrorized. The most powerful of these, seven Servitors, each one bearing one of the burdens of mankind's seven greatest sins, were given into the service of seven lords of men, the seven great kings known as the Virtues. With the power of their Servitors, they were able to command the other members of that unruly tribe, and, in some cases, even to bestow the enigmatic creatures as servants to their own followers. Even after the Celestial, mankind's savior, returned to its heavenly home, these seven Virtues governed wisely over Humanity, and, when they died, passed on their duties and their dominions to their children. For almost eight generations, these great kings and their descendants have governed over what have become the seven states of Cidessus.

The largest and central state, Superbia, is ruled by the Lucis family, and its main house of Schnee, the contractors of the Servitor bearing the sin of Pride.

The second largest, the seafaring province of Invidia, is ruled by the Viathan clan, contractors of Envy.

The remaining states are largely equal in size, but serve many different purposes. In the northern hills, the Mammon house presides over the great mines of Avaritia, while the lush western plains are home to the kingdom of Gula, ruled by the Belze family, and its fertile farmlands. Meanwhile, the southern deserts of Ira and the tropics of Luxuria, ruled by the allied houses of Astan and Asmodeus, famous for their soldiers and their lavish pleasures, respectively, control much of the lower half of Cidessus. However, tensions between all these states are high, and peace is maintained only through the efforts of the unaligned state of Acedia, just east of Superbia, which, ruled by the Belphegor house, serves as a praxeum to resolve the issues and disputes of the other six states. It is at one such council where our story begins.

Called to validate the recently come-of-age son of the Schnee house of Pride as that family's young successor, this council is but a front for many darker affairs. Although peace reigns on the surface, dark things are afoot in Cidessus. Assassinations, thefts, and underhanded activities all take place, unseen by the public eye. It is at this council that conflict will erupt, without a doubt. And yet, although all parties involved expected this outcome, and planned for it, what was not foreseen was a most unlikely discovery, made by one of the most unlikely individuals possible. This discovery will change the face of not only the war to come, but that of the world, as well. And the boy responsible for this will find himself alone, with the fate of not only Cidessus, but of the Underworld, resting within his hands.

After 495 years, it has finally come time to decide what color the world will become, and what hue the heart of the one destined to change it will be painted.

BLACK or WHITE?

---

The world of Cidessus is set somewhere around the beginning of the Renaissance period, technologically and culturally. It is populated entirely by normal Humans with developments beginning to be made in scientific areas - for example, there are rudimentary firearms as well as swords and the like - but not much magic to speak of. The main difference between this world and ours lies in the fact that below the surface of the planet lies an extensive labyrinth of tunnels, caverns, and caves in which reality is subverted and physics are shamelessly violated, all of which are populated by a wide variety of oftentimes hostile supernatural, and, oftentimes, outright demonic entities, known as Servitors. These creatures are the main source of magical power in the RP. A very diverse group, only the weaker ones are generally mostly alike, all being largely monstrous and mindless. The more powerful the Servitors get, though, the more diverse and unique they become, growing closer to sentience, with each having a unique appearance, ability, personality, etcetera. Although normally hostile to Humans, or, at the very least, tremendously proud, they can be coerced into a contract either through nessecity or through overwhelming power. By entering a contract with such a creature, the Contractor's mind becomes linked to that of the contracted entity, and their soul becomes fuel for the Servitor's powers, allowing the Servitor to exist outside of the Underworld, which normally they cannot easily do, as well as increasing their power. In exchange, however, the Contractor can order the contracted being to follow absolute commands - although the Servitor can violate these with some effort over time if given long enough, and if its willpower is strong enough, and the willpower of its contractor weak enough - and can summon it or, alternatively, cut it off from its source of power and seal away its fighting abilities at will. And, due to the influence of the contracted being's soul on that of the Contractor, the Contractor becomes much, much stronger/faster/tougher, etcetera, gaining an impressive regenerative faculty as well as tremendous physical abilities and the power to ignore certain laws of physics. For example, a Contractor could probably walk in thin air, given some effort, by ignoring gravity. And, the Contractor, as an extension of her or her Servitor's soul, can serve as a channel for the being's powers, although this is much less efficient than simply channeling them through the being's own body.

The world is ruled by seven main individuals, each of them a lord or lady with his or her own holdings, and each bearing a contract with one of the seven most powerful of all the Servitors, each based on one of the Seven Deadly Sins. These Sins are unique in that, unlike other Servitors, they actually possess perfectly Human bodies, although they do not always need to eat and drink in order to survive. Using the power of their Servitors, the Sins' seven Contractors - known collectively as "The Virtues" - hold the power to coerce beings of the Underworld into contracts, allowing them to bestow their followers with Servitors to fulfill their objectives. These Servitors are, however, contracted imperfectly, with control over them being provided also to the Sin presiding over the contract, who in turn faithfully serves their Virtue, therefore ensuring that all followers of the Virtues have no choice but to follow their commanders loyally, as their very minds are under the watchful eyes of the Virtues. The end goal of many of the Virtues is, naturally, then, to ensure the absolute loyalty of their subjects by binding every single person under their control to a Servitor, which would in turn provide them direct links to the souls of all of their people, granting them absolute control over all of their followers as well as immortality from the collected energy. However, there's a small hitch in these plans. The Sins, although they bear the power to open portals to the twisted Underworld dimension, cannot actively draw entities out from within save when these beings come willingly, and, being bound to mortal masters, can no longer enter the Underworld for prolonged periods of time, making it difficult for the Virtues to gain Servitors for their followers. This is because the Sins are imperfect, being only artificially created fragments of a whole, ultimate Servitor. The original intent behind the Celestial's creation of the Sins was to create this ultimate Servitor, but it was broken down into pieces so as to be able to serve all seven of the greatest Humans. But, if one Virtue were to defeat the others and obtain control of all the other Sins, they would gain the full power to control the Underworld, as well as reality. So, although the Virtues are currently maintaining an uneasy truce while amassing their individual forces, many betrayals and plots are going on behind the scenes, with each one playing against the others for control. With this tension in mind, many, if not all of them, are preparing themselves for outright war, and are simply waiting for the right time to make their move.