Chronicles of the Tetrad Chapter 1: Guide
#1 of Chrea's New Earth
Welcome! This first chapter is more of a prologue, but it's more or less needed material to start the setting. Expect a story that takes a lot of inspiration from westerns and greek mythology once it picks up. It's Earth after people, but exactly the opposite of post-apocalyptic. I would also call it furry-adjacent, but I struggle to call it furry as the way I envision things is very different from how most think of things in the fandom (Examples being that they're a lot more instinct driven and retain much shorter lifespans).
This document is pre-loaded into every Scientific Research Presenter given out, and cannot be removed. It is designed to welcome Chrea who are ready to explore the world, started by the first Chrea researcher and consistently updated daily by anyone who would contribute. It comes right after a rudimentary lesson in reading, for Chrea are extremely quick and efficient learners.
This first chapter is for those Chrea not born from parents, who have vague memories of our previous eras. Those who we call Newlives. The first thing you need to know is that these memories are no mere coincidence. Your species did at first walk on multiple legs only, or perhaps slither on its belly, fearing predators or man. Your distant family may have skittered about a human's floor hoping not to be crushed by giant feet. Your cousins long ago may have flown through skies of blue or smog, dodging great flying vehicles. Your lineage did indeed once have only one way of traveling from place to place, and had a much simpler way of thinking. The certainty that you were supposed to be a part of something very different than now is no delusion.
Gaea, the earth one which you vaguely feel existed, was long ago. Perhaps you remember humanity, the mostly hairless beings that stood on two legs and had thumbs. Or their great cities that climbed to the skies, and eventually took over the entire planet. Humanity once reigned Gaea with technological superiority, rendering the majority of our former selves extinct. Eventually (meaning at least hundreds of years before our time; it cannot be known exactly when) humans left her in the care of these machines, which eventually resulted in what we call The Birthright. A great fault had appeared in the mechanisms humanity used to slowly reverse the damage they had done to Gaea, re-mapping the planet chaotically and yes, resulting in your very existence.
The sources of The Birthright are not gods, nor are they creations of a god. The experience of appearing in adult form from what would appear to be only dust, suddenly realizing that you have been granted a unique body with intelligence far beyond your supposed limits... none of us would blame you for the mistaken assumption of being deity-sent! This is important, as many wars have been fought over this issue: you must understand that these are only machines. Everything you have seen and will see has been influenced by the aforementioned chaotic Terra Formers, built by mortals of those now-ancient times. Our fathers and mothers are alien, most likely long dead, have no way of knowing our existence, and have no interest in our affairs at all.
You may also realize that your mind can reach beyond yourself, and affect the surroundings around you. Being born as we have been has unwittingly allowed us to gain what is known as psionic power. This is not magic, nor is it sacred. Many try to claim themselves as mages or priests, but this comes only from your own mind's energy. The exact reason is not known; perhaps this is because even though no Newlife primates have ever been recorded, our brains appear to have been formed similar to a human's.
At this point you may be inquiring as to why you even exist. Your life belongs only to yourself. You owe no debt to your creators, nor should you ever expect them to guide you. If there is a reason why we certainly do not know it. Moreover it does us no good to dwell on these questions; while we most likely have a shorter lifespan than our creators, we live our lives to our own purposes and need less time to learn how. We only ask that you spread word of what you know. Do not let these memories die with you, because they are precious pieces of history that cannot be reclaimed.
[Addendum: added Chrea Year 1005, Second Month]
Newlives are almost always created at the very edge of the frontier, of which we have no way of exploring. Look for a sheep. The Wooly Union has agreed to give any Newlife survival supplies and assistance as a guide for free when contacted for one time. However you should always check your supplies; compassion is not a given with Chrea, and sheep can only very rarely be trusted at face value.
Directions to the nearest known settlement or merchant are always directed. Look at the top of your SRP. You will see a bright green arrow pointing in the correct direction, and can enable an audio cue if you cannot see it. However do not expect anyone you meet to accept you. Your best bet is one of the larger cities instead of one of the many scattered clans found in the wilderness. Remember: we may be more intelligent, but we are not any less wild.