Prologue
You’ve heard the cliches of secret societies hiding beneath humanity’s notice or magical civilizations living in secret, haven’t you? Well, how about this. Back when the world was still a dark and savage place, not the very beginning, but around the early civilizations, about the early Mesopotamian era, humans with mage-like abilities started popping up in villages. Some could shapeshift, others could even go so far as to manipulate gravity. But there was one thing they all had in common. Somewhere on their bodies, a birthmark detailing a symbol was etched. It was one of twelve symbols now termed as the zodiacs. And, that was what the group of individuals became known as ”Zodiac’s.” The twelve different signs: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Virgo, Libra, Aquarius, Capricorn, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Pisces, and Leo; became twelve different clans, groups, organizations, whatever you want to call them. The Zodiacs, as they called themselves, acted how they saw fit, often leading to chaos and death, until, the elders, who were still respected, ruled that the Zodiacs would go underground, melding into society but keeping themselves secret.
Pride for the individual signs still led to conflict between the clans. While not able to publicly confront or assault other signs, the twelve Signs used their positions in society to try and not only gain the advantage over the others, but cause them as much trouble as possible. Foreseeing that such things would come into play, the elders agreed that the Libra, known for balancing the world, would regulate all eleven other Signs, thus, keeping any from gaining too much power while abstaining from ruling themselves. For ages, civilizations prospered and the Zodiacs became myths lost to time with only members of the twelve Signs ever knowing.
At the time of the fall of the Babylonian Empire, the Zodiac War erupted. The twelve Signs flew into an all out war with each other, causing utter chaos and destruction in its wake. The fall of Babylon was the empire most affected. The reason for such a horrible war is lost, but many Zodiacs speculate that it was a rise in one Sign’s power, whereof they used it to lash out at the other signs, but the Sign in question is changed by whomever is telling the story. Since the cause of the Zodiac War is often said to be one of the twelve signs, and every sign points its finger at the one it likes least, it is impossible to tell which sign started the Zodiac War.
After the two-hundred and fifty-five year period of destruction, the surviving Zodiacs formed an accord deemed the Accord of Stars, forbidding the rise of any Zodiac to a rulers position, and that any conflict between Signs was to be put down swiftly and without mercy. The Libra took up this duty the fiercest and proceed to uphold its orders to present day.
Amidst all the conflicts and sidings, there were some labeled “Cuspers,” which were individuals that were not born under any sign, but in between two. Now I know what you’re thinking, they got the powers of whatever signs they were born between and were even more powerful. Not even close. They were gifted with no abilities, that of an ordinary human, and left with an amalgam of a birthmark. They were considered the backwash of Zodiacs, treated as badly as slaves during the colonization of North America by the British. Some Signs provided support where they could in sympathy, but a vast majority held Cuspers in contempt and disgust at their impurity.
Back to the task at hand, the peace that had been maintained from the fall of Babylon to present day is fraying thin. The Signs are growing restless. A new Zodiac War looms. But, instead of threatening a single people, it is now in position to engulf the entire world in chaos and destruction.
