Amaranth (Cosmoria)

The death of infinity was not particularly spectacular or glamorous even though the events leading up to it, the Ultimate End, were. Ambrosia, the previous reality, was a deterministic play that Imagindarium directed. It meticulously arranged countless omnipotent powers and particles to tell its story. The moment the story ended, Imagindarium disappeared, leaving Ambrosia's infinities to slam into one another with unstoppable might. Hardly a heartbeat could happen before Ambrosia imploded. The only thing to have survived was Amaranth, the most fundamental of Ambrosia's forces. Etched into what it meant to exist, Amaranth had become objective.

Even though Ambrosia disappeared, a more base substrate existed on which activity could still happen. This medium in which stories could be told, usually called the "Stage," was not empty. Imagindarium left behind nearly infinite possibility in the form of a frothy soup of unrealized potential. This energy manifested in countless particles that attempted to take form, one of which was The Monad, Cosmoria's sole particle. Familiar concepts like space and time caused Amaranth to cease its inactivity.

Creation

In the first few moments of Cosmoria's existence, Amaranth split into Good and Evil. Perhaps it was imitating the quantum field that was Cosmoria, or perhaps it was breaking down without Imagindarium to guide it. Either way, these two forces would have a lasting impact on Cosmoria. Good and evil, while not objective anymore, are better described as the names for Amaranth's two fundamental halves. The two would remain separate and mostly inert for most of Cosmoria's history.

As the fire of Cosmoria's creation settled down, the Ambrosian Remnants precipitated out of the primordial plasma. The Remnants ranged in size from specks of dust to an entire planet and exhibited exotic properties that were usually impossible. They evenly spread themselves throughout most of Cosmoria long before life began. Only a small number would ever have the privilege of interacting with life; most were locked away in the core of stars or deep in interstellar space.

Discovery

A theory that included Amaranth was a holy grail for scientists in Cosmoria. For millennia, a theory of everything, which included the quantum, gravity, and the Noosphere, had been the standard view. It was the most successful theory of all time, launching technological development everywhere it was discovered. Accurately predicting the behavior of particles a quadrillion times to one, it was truly a theory of everything. Much to the dismay of philosophers, it swallowed the field of metaphysics, converting it into a science with definitive answers and testable hypotheses.

When scientists began exploring the few exceptions, they noticed a common trend. The stray particles that defied their theories, for only nanoseconds at a time, had only null properties. For example, metaphors like "spin" and "color" are often used for quantum particles to describe their utterly alien behavior. When the particles got out of line, physicists measured these properties as null. As the quantum physicists petitioned governments to build ever-larger particle colliders, serious advancement in the field slowed to a halt. As they looked closer, it only confirmed their existing theory. No matter how high the energies involved, these so-called "Null Behavior Particles" behaved the same.

As conventional physicists were stumped, an emerging field would prove an attempt to explain these phenomena. The scientific community saw the field of Anomalistics as an unserious discipline beset by pseudoscience, unfalsifiable claims, and ludicrous explanations. In the Providence Union, then the center of scientific advancement, anomalists could hardly find the funding to conduct planetary-scale quantum research. Within the Triumvirate Civilization, however, the theocratic government was looking for any esoteric reason to justify their faith. The Triumvirate showered anomalists with large amounts of funding, even going so far as to have primitive species under their control research it as well. Anomalists emigrated to the Triumvirate in large numbers to pursue their research or, more often, become tremendously rich while doing little.

Amaranth-Touched Particles

As centuries passed, Anomalists from across the Triumvirate rediscovered the Ambrosian Remnants. When studied, they proved to be made up almost entirely of Null Behavior Particles. Due to their relevance in Aeternalism, these once legendary artifacts inspired their new name, "Amaranth-Touched Particles." The Triumvirate sanctioned the Ministry of Occult Research to gather as many Ambrosian Remnants as possible. Faye Vaughn, chair of the Ministry, diverted funds toward the secretive Occult Galaxy Project. The Project aimed to monopolize dangerous technology and sabotage governments pursuing similar research.

The organization managed to outlast the Triumvirate but had a difficult time maintaining its monopoly on the Ambrosian Artifacts. Religious fanatics, rival organizations, and governments collected most of them. The Sedrua-aligned Cabal of Amaranth Truth in particular collected the most notable of them.

The Great Amaranth Heist

The Remnants would change hands dozens of times in history. By 85,000 CE, they would end up firmly within the coffers of Sedrua. The Aeternalist state considered them to be holy objects that were to be protected at all costs. During the War of the Ancients, Sedrua moved all of its Remnants to the Lux Aeterna. There, they would be protected by Father Zaphenim. He spent much of his time studying them, but his focus usually returned to two of the most interesting artifacts—the Amaranth Knight and the Antiwraith. The former, an indestructible living suit of armor, and the latter, a violently boiling mass of liquid, had legends told about them since before the Common Era. They respectively represented both the good and evil portions of Amaranth.

The War of the Ancients, however, motivated soldiers from the Dominion of Astraeus to find a way to break into the mansion. It is well-known that Magi are the only individuals capable of entering the Lux Aeterna. Thus, the Dominion dispatched its most potent magi, led by empress Jezebel Drusus. During a protracted battle between Jezebel and Father Zaphenim, soldiers from the Dominion secured the Amaranth Knight but failed to extract the Antiwraith. The soldiers fled with most other remnants. The Amaranth Knight went on to kill Jezebel as she attempted to eliminate the Dominion's limited democracy. Her crusade to secure power for the aristocracy called Jezebel's War, ended with her death.

Aylathiya's Ignominy

The Antiwraith played a great role in the coup attempt known as Aylathiya's Ignominy. After Zaphenim surrendered in the War of the Ancients, he spent nearly all of his time plotting against the newly-created Greater Martial Consilium. He often paced through the empty halls of his mansion, waiting for the best opportunity to strike. He spent the most time with the Antiwraith. The manifestation of Amaranth's evil half, Zaphenim's behavior slowly changed under its influence.

Under its sway, Zaphenim began planning a coup. His subordinate, Mother Ohko, took power over the Consilium but refused to surrender her position to him. Zaphenim recklessly attacked the Consilium, resulting in a great battle. During the coup, The Administrator seized the Antiwraith for itself. Unlike Zaphenim, who never dared to release it, The Administrator contacted it directly. Within seconds of escaping, it disappeared. As The Administrator recovered from the attack, thanks to the Antiwraith's power, it began its plan to harness Amaranth.

Penultimate End

By 11000, the remnants of Sedrua had largely disappeared. Their capital, Amarent, had become the base of operations for the Occult Galaxy Project, which had subsumed the Cabal of Amaranth Truth some centuries prior. The unified organization had become devoted to researching Amaranth in all forms. Nearly every nation in Aylathiya contributed to the organization's operation. In return, Cosmoria's governments received the Project's fruits. The group had been diverting a great deal of funds towards a project that sought to trigger an Amaranth Contravene. This phenomenon was infinity in action, Amaranth acting upon reality.

The ability to grant any wish was too tempting for Project leadership to ignore. In 11036, by a slim margin, the board voted to allow the Antiwraith to come into contact with the Amaranth Knight. The experiment resulted in the two entities beginning to fight. As the embodiments of Amaranth's two halves, their reunification released an immense amount of energy— energy that sealed away as Cosmoria formed. The result was enough gamma radiation to sterilize half of the galaxy. In the aftermath, surviving governments began warring over the remains.

The Occult Galaxy Project's chair revealed their ultimate aim, to unlock the ability to manipulate The Monad via Thaumaturgy. This was the ability to create and destroy universes. The prospect tempted anyone with the resources to pursue it; the race for omnipotence had begun. Azurade joined in, hellbent on using the power of Amaranth to preserve Cosmoria forever. Many governments had to choose between securing the power for themselves, which was still unconfirmed, or spending on their militaries to mitigate instability. Making the wrong choice meant utter annihilation from their neighbors.

The Administrator would be the first to understand Amaranth. It became clear that manipulating Amaranth required full immersion in it. Esoteric Thaumaturgy is based on alignment between the mind and a certain concept. To use Esoteric Thaumaturgy based on Amaranth was key to directly interacting with it. The Administrator, only having experience with the Antiwraith, became fully aligned with Amaranth's dark half. After embracing abject evil, The Administrator began calling itself Administrator Mystara, a reference to the most evil of Ambrosia's villains.

Imperator Eero quickly filled the space left by the burning civilizations, using the power vacuum to seize dozens of stars. This ruler united worlds that had never been under the same banner, only to drain them of resources in resisting the Administrator's tireless onslaught. The High Warlock began attacking the Administrator, who was now too evil even for the galaxy-eater to tolerate, and the Neural Amalgam also entered the fray. The unlikely alliance sought to unify all of Cosmoria in the fight against The Administrator. Eero ventured light years into the void to conquer the forgotten colonies of old, the High Warlock attempted to consume the nebula-like Administrator, and the Neural Amalgam supplied resisting armies.

By 12030, Eero had slain the last Aberration in Azurullya that defied his rule. He fulfilled the prophecy of Martial Civil Religion, that all would bow and all Overlords would be humbled. While the religion was inaccurate about the final obstacle, and many other things, it was correct that Mars would wage war against an omnipotent power. Mars fused with Eero as it had with all of the Imperators in history. The climactic final confrontation mirrored the origin of Mars standing alone in front of the same enemy. However, it was with the help of their allies that Mars was finally able to enact vengeance on The Administrator.

Azurade decided to follow The Administrator's example, absorbing Amaranth into herself. Without anyone else's blessing, she mastered Esoteric Thaumaturgy for both of Amaranth's halves. She triggered the final Amaranth Contravene, causing Amaranth to become one with her. The ability to manipulate The Monad was beyond Amaranth's potential, however. It was a disturbance in the stage, the stage created by Imagindarium and beyond Amaranth's influence. Cosmoria's lifespan was absolute. The Monad reached its 6-billion-year time limit, Cosmoria's fundamental particles began annihilating one another, and Cosmoria faded away.

The aspects of Azurade under the purview of The Monad fell away, resulting in the creation of Amaranth-Azurade. She helped to usher in the new era of Galvyria.