Dapling
Duke Fishron
This is meant to be a sort of "alternative canon" which sets up the world of Terraria for the player's adventure. It's written to be a sort of "historical account" though of course it was canonically wrote by a Derpling so there may be some bias or other subjective matter there.
A lot of information relating to the derplore (in fact, this includes most of the lore on how the actual Derplings live, as this is more focused on the Terrarians) was left out of this because I couldn't fit it into the main setup of the world, so hopefully if you have any further questions I will be able to answer them in the future.
Please do let me know if there's anything here I can improve such as spelling or grammar, and enjoy!
A lot of information relating to the derplore (in fact, this includes most of the lore on how the actual Derplings live, as this is more focused on the Terrarians) was left out of this because I couldn't fit it into the main setup of the world, so hopefully if you have any further questions I will be able to answer them in the future.
Please do let me know if there's anything here I can improve such as spelling or grammar, and enjoy!
In the beginning, the world of Terraria had only one landmass. If this landmass itself had a name, it has been lost to time. The two beings who lived there are what’s important, though.
They were known as the Core of Life and the Catalyst. They disagreed on how the world should work. The Catalyst, a large cube-shaped metallic entity, desired Unity of all minds under one hivemind, technological and scientific progress to become the main achievement of future civilization, and Focus to bring whatever future civilizations would exist beyond what other worlds had ever seen. The Core, a gargantuan vibrant flower, desired magical power to serve as the land’s Vitality, Emotion to express the minds of its residents, and individuality to bring diversity to all creatures and their thoughts.
Rather than fight over their disagreement, they taught each other the ways of their magic and technology respectively in order to try and understand the perspective of the other. These negotiations went well until suddenly something seemed to change the Catalyst’s mind. It’s six faces took on a bizarre indigo hue, and it began to react with hostility towards the Core’s attempts at teaching it. Eventually the hostility escalated to the point that the Core was forced to knock the Catalyst unconscious, knowing that killing it would remove the potential of any future intelligent life’s ability to use it’s respective aspects, and severely limit their room for growth. However, it decided to keep the Catalyst unconscious until it knew what had caused it to change so drastically without warning.
Now that the Catalyst was out of commission for the time being, the Core of Life realized she was free to shape the world however it pleased. She covered the continent it resided in with countless plants and animals that took on whatever shape the Core could dream of, becoming entirely coated in a gargantuan forest. Soon after, she took shelter within the forest’s heart deep underground and fell dormant, only using its power to keep the Catalyst suppressed.
The life on the continent continued to grow and evolve incredibly quickly due to the immense amount of magic that they had been gifted by the Core. The only intelligent race that existed there simply called this forest “The Jungle,” but that name does not do this place with a near-infinite variety of organisms justice, especially with how comparatively weak the Jungles of the present are. The Derplings now refer to it as “The Primordial Jungle” for this reason.
This ancient intelligent race was the Dragons, and they had physical power all of the races of the current age can only dream of. They came in many shapes and sizes, and had a variety of forms. These forms distinguished what tribe of dragon they were.
These were the Scaled, Furred, Feathered, Gilled, and Shelled tribes, and they lived in harmony, no conflict arising, for all resources were in abundance.
Unfortunately, this peace could not last, for the world itself was working against it. Six spirits arose from unfathomable depths not even the Core of Life could comprehend, and they would not halt their attempts at dominion until their enemies were destroyed. These were the Dark Triplets and the Illuminators, and the Primordial Jungle would never recover from their conflict. The War of Light and Dark had begun.
They were known as the Core of Life and the Catalyst. They disagreed on how the world should work. The Catalyst, a large cube-shaped metallic entity, desired Unity of all minds under one hivemind, technological and scientific progress to become the main achievement of future civilization, and Focus to bring whatever future civilizations would exist beyond what other worlds had ever seen. The Core, a gargantuan vibrant flower, desired magical power to serve as the land’s Vitality, Emotion to express the minds of its residents, and individuality to bring diversity to all creatures and their thoughts.
Rather than fight over their disagreement, they taught each other the ways of their magic and technology respectively in order to try and understand the perspective of the other. These negotiations went well until suddenly something seemed to change the Catalyst’s mind. It’s six faces took on a bizarre indigo hue, and it began to react with hostility towards the Core’s attempts at teaching it. Eventually the hostility escalated to the point that the Core was forced to knock the Catalyst unconscious, knowing that killing it would remove the potential of any future intelligent life’s ability to use it’s respective aspects, and severely limit their room for growth. However, it decided to keep the Catalyst unconscious until it knew what had caused it to change so drastically without warning.
Now that the Catalyst was out of commission for the time being, the Core of Life realized she was free to shape the world however it pleased. She covered the continent it resided in with countless plants and animals that took on whatever shape the Core could dream of, becoming entirely coated in a gargantuan forest. Soon after, she took shelter within the forest’s heart deep underground and fell dormant, only using its power to keep the Catalyst suppressed.
The life on the continent continued to grow and evolve incredibly quickly due to the immense amount of magic that they had been gifted by the Core. The only intelligent race that existed there simply called this forest “The Jungle,” but that name does not do this place with a near-infinite variety of organisms justice, especially with how comparatively weak the Jungles of the present are. The Derplings now refer to it as “The Primordial Jungle” for this reason.
This ancient intelligent race was the Dragons, and they had physical power all of the races of the current age can only dream of. They came in many shapes and sizes, and had a variety of forms. These forms distinguished what tribe of dragon they were.
These were the Scaled, Furred, Feathered, Gilled, and Shelled tribes, and they lived in harmony, no conflict arising, for all resources were in abundance.
Unfortunately, this peace could not last, for the world itself was working against it. Six spirits arose from unfathomable depths not even the Core of Life could comprehend, and they would not halt their attempts at dominion until their enemies were destroyed. These were the Dark Triplets and the Illuminators, and the Primordial Jungle would never recover from their conflict. The War of Light and Dark had begun.
Before we discuss the war itself, we must be familiarized with its instigators and participants. Both the side of Light and Darkness immediately tried to destroy each other as soon as they learned of each other’s existence.
On the side of Light, there were the Illuminators, known as Hoard, Hallow, and Harmony. The Hoard wished to make the world shine like the treasure it possessed, and draw in others to both share and become part of the wealth. The Hallow wished to drive all shadow from the land and the hearts of its inhabitants. The Harmony wished to forcibly unite the minds and materials of the world in one song that would remove all future conflict and bring everlasting peace under its influence, even if it cost the free will of all who heard it.
On the side of Darkness, there were the Dark Triplets, known as Cypher, Corruption, and Crimson. The Cypher lusted for secrets, and wished to attain them by any means necessary, even if it meant murder of a lesser beings’ soul. The Corruption was a mindless shadow, which only grew because it knew nothing else. Where it could reach them, it magnified the darkness and evil all creatures innately have, turning them into heartless abominations. The Crimson was a living organism that constantly consumed the land around it, turning it into part of itself. It could integrate other living creatures into its system, causing them to serve a function of it such as protection from external threats, transport of Ichor (its blood) or simply assisting it in consuming the world.
The Illuminators and Dark Triplets immediately began infesting the land, crippling the Primordial Jungle and severing its connection with the Core of Life. The Dark Triplets forged a living weapon known as the Dark Lord, but realized that it was useless against the Illuminators and cast it aside. The Illuminators salvaged this weapon and infused it with their light, turning it into the Moon Lord, but it could not be controlled due to its dark origins, causing the Illuminators to cast it into oblivion once again.
The Dragons pleaded with the Six to cease, but they refused to stop attempting to destroy their absolute enemies. In desperation, the Dragons held council discussing how they could save their home. The Scaled Dragons vowed never to stop fighting for the Primordial Jungle’s purity, and voted to destroy the Spirits by any means necessary. The Furred Dragons decided to wait and see which outcome was most likely to succeed, and held their vote until a later date. The Feathered Dragons felt that opposing the forces of Light and Dark was foolish as they were far too powerful, and fled to the skies, never to return. The Gilled Dragons realized how much stronger they would become if they gave in to the Darkness and Light, and allowed themselves to be corrupted. The Shelled Dragons proposed resolving the war peacefully, but soon realized that the six spirits could not be deterred from their quest of unending fury, and voted for the Scaled Dragon’s cause. The Furred Dragons, realizing that only one proposed solution wasn’t either inaction or suicide, joined the Scaled Dragon’s cause as well.
And so, a third faction joined the war, the Dragons. They began by building a bomb which could shatter time and space itself, known as “The Fracture”, and turned against the spirits. It definitely dealt some damage, but it also backfired and turned half of the great continent into a myriad of tiny identical islands, known as the Archipelago. These islands were very similar to each other and had a barrier around them that prevented most creatures from leaving them.
After the Fracture crippled the Six Spirits, The Scaled Dragons quickly began hunting down and attempting to destroy the most powerful of them, the Harmony. The Shelled and Furred Dragons built a weapons laboratory and quickly developed engines of destruction to assist the Scaled Dragons. Eventually, the Harmony could not handle the colossal pressure of the entire might of the remaining Dragon Tribes, and was utterly obliterated. The Harmonic infection vanished from the world, but the land it had infected could not restore its connection with the Core of Life, meaning it could not become part of the Jungle once again, and instead became known as a new biome, the Forest.
The Shelled Dragons then proposed that they hunt down and destroy the two weakest spirits, the Cypher and Hoard. The Scaled and Furred Dragons agreed, and vanquished them easily. The cold, umbral energy from the Cypher lingered after it’s demise, creating the Tundra, and the immense amount of gold dust the Hoard craved lost its luster, creating the Desert. After the Hoard’s demise, The Gilled Dragons realized that their former brethren were decimating the Spirits, and consumed the last of their intelligence in order to place a terrible curse on the Dragons that opposed them.
As a result, the Gilled Dragons were reduced to mindless beasts known as Pigrons, but their curse could not be broken unless the Dragons somehow found weaker intelligent creatures than them and made them stronger than the Dragon’s diminished form. The Shelled and Scaled Dragons fighting the Six Spirits quickly began to lose much of their power, and could no longer defeat the three remaining spirits. The War of Light and Dark quickly began to die down without half of the Six Spirits. However, the remaining infections were still spreading at an alarming rate. The Dragons realized that they would have to resort to something else if they were going to defeat the Spirits, and began to search for a way.
On the side of Light, there were the Illuminators, known as Hoard, Hallow, and Harmony. The Hoard wished to make the world shine like the treasure it possessed, and draw in others to both share and become part of the wealth. The Hallow wished to drive all shadow from the land and the hearts of its inhabitants. The Harmony wished to forcibly unite the minds and materials of the world in one song that would remove all future conflict and bring everlasting peace under its influence, even if it cost the free will of all who heard it.
On the side of Darkness, there were the Dark Triplets, known as Cypher, Corruption, and Crimson. The Cypher lusted for secrets, and wished to attain them by any means necessary, even if it meant murder of a lesser beings’ soul. The Corruption was a mindless shadow, which only grew because it knew nothing else. Where it could reach them, it magnified the darkness and evil all creatures innately have, turning them into heartless abominations. The Crimson was a living organism that constantly consumed the land around it, turning it into part of itself. It could integrate other living creatures into its system, causing them to serve a function of it such as protection from external threats, transport of Ichor (its blood) or simply assisting it in consuming the world.
The Illuminators and Dark Triplets immediately began infesting the land, crippling the Primordial Jungle and severing its connection with the Core of Life. The Dark Triplets forged a living weapon known as the Dark Lord, but realized that it was useless against the Illuminators and cast it aside. The Illuminators salvaged this weapon and infused it with their light, turning it into the Moon Lord, but it could not be controlled due to its dark origins, causing the Illuminators to cast it into oblivion once again.
The Dragons pleaded with the Six to cease, but they refused to stop attempting to destroy their absolute enemies. In desperation, the Dragons held council discussing how they could save their home. The Scaled Dragons vowed never to stop fighting for the Primordial Jungle’s purity, and voted to destroy the Spirits by any means necessary. The Furred Dragons decided to wait and see which outcome was most likely to succeed, and held their vote until a later date. The Feathered Dragons felt that opposing the forces of Light and Dark was foolish as they were far too powerful, and fled to the skies, never to return. The Gilled Dragons realized how much stronger they would become if they gave in to the Darkness and Light, and allowed themselves to be corrupted. The Shelled Dragons proposed resolving the war peacefully, but soon realized that the six spirits could not be deterred from their quest of unending fury, and voted for the Scaled Dragon’s cause. The Furred Dragons, realizing that only one proposed solution wasn’t either inaction or suicide, joined the Scaled Dragon’s cause as well.
And so, a third faction joined the war, the Dragons. They began by building a bomb which could shatter time and space itself, known as “The Fracture”, and turned against the spirits. It definitely dealt some damage, but it also backfired and turned half of the great continent into a myriad of tiny identical islands, known as the Archipelago. These islands were very similar to each other and had a barrier around them that prevented most creatures from leaving them.
After the Fracture crippled the Six Spirits, The Scaled Dragons quickly began hunting down and attempting to destroy the most powerful of them, the Harmony. The Shelled and Furred Dragons built a weapons laboratory and quickly developed engines of destruction to assist the Scaled Dragons. Eventually, the Harmony could not handle the colossal pressure of the entire might of the remaining Dragon Tribes, and was utterly obliterated. The Harmonic infection vanished from the world, but the land it had infected could not restore its connection with the Core of Life, meaning it could not become part of the Jungle once again, and instead became known as a new biome, the Forest.
The Shelled Dragons then proposed that they hunt down and destroy the two weakest spirits, the Cypher and Hoard. The Scaled and Furred Dragons agreed, and vanquished them easily. The cold, umbral energy from the Cypher lingered after it’s demise, creating the Tundra, and the immense amount of gold dust the Hoard craved lost its luster, creating the Desert. After the Hoard’s demise, The Gilled Dragons realized that their former brethren were decimating the Spirits, and consumed the last of their intelligence in order to place a terrible curse on the Dragons that opposed them.
As a result, the Gilled Dragons were reduced to mindless beasts known as Pigrons, but their curse could not be broken unless the Dragons somehow found weaker intelligent creatures than them and made them stronger than the Dragon’s diminished form. The Shelled and Scaled Dragons fighting the Six Spirits quickly began to lose much of their power, and could no longer defeat the three remaining spirits. The War of Light and Dark quickly began to die down without half of the Six Spirits. However, the remaining infections were still spreading at an alarming rate. The Dragons realized that they would have to resort to something else if they were going to defeat the Spirits, and began to search for a way.
The Dragons searched through past relics of the war. They soon discovered an incredibly powerful weapon: the Moon Lord, and realized that it could possibly be the answer to their problem. They brought it to life, infusing it with what little magic and technology they had left, granting it four new extensions of its power known as the Celestial Pillars… And of course, the beast could not be controlled.
The Moon Lord had become even more powerful than the Dragons, Illuminators, and Dark Triplets, for it had the powers of all of them. It ravaged the world, obliterating everything in its path, for it wished to exact its vengeance against its makers. The Last Illuminator, the Hallow, realized that the Dragons only wished to protect their home, and joined forces with them, vowing never to destroy the Jungle again. The Hallow and Dragons began constructing an incredibly elaborate plan to seal the Moon Lord away once and for all.
The First Layer would be the duty of the Scaled Dragons. They harnessed the power of the moon into several tablets, and hid them within their sanctum, guarded by their Idol of the Sun. These Lunar Tablets would be what contained the soul of the Moon Lord, and what kept it within its prison.
The Second Layer would be the duty of the Core of Life. The Scaled Dragons entrusted the Core of Life’s protectors and children, the Planterae, with the keys to their temples, and the Planterae fell dormant alongside their mother within the jungle for eternity.
The Third Layer would be the duty of the Furred Dragons. They built machines of destruction inspired by the powers around them, and programmed them to hide the Planterae from detection as long as it was still alive.
The Fourth Layer would be the duty of the Hallow. It would create one final weapon, of flesh, darkness, and light. The Terrarian, with the ability to seal away the remaining Spirits forever. The true powers of the Archipelago, including the Furred Tribes’ weapons, would be sealed due to the actions of this Terrarian as well.
The Final Layer would be the duty of the Shelled Dragons. The security system of their weapons laboratory would become a ward to reinforce the Lunar Tablets, and would obliterate all who tried to break the seal.
The Moon Lord, Hallow, Crimson, and Corruption were sealed away, and the world was finally at peace once again. The Scaled Dragons retreated into the safety of their temple, their wings atrophied and their physical strength spent. These became known as the Lihzahrds, and they would soon forget what they were descended from. The Shelled Dragons also lost their wings, and much of their magic (though not their technology), becoming the Derplings. The Furred Dragons somehow retained their power, likely due to their generally non-confrontational/pseudo-pacifist nature allowing them to evade the Gilled Curses’ detection, and maintained their alliance with the Derplings. The Derplings sent a message to the Feathered Tribe, pleading for them to return. They would not listen, for they could not forget their fear of the Six. The time of Dragons dominating the planet was over, for the Pigrons’ Curse was wearing away at them. It seemed it was a new race’s time to rule…
The Moon Lord had become even more powerful than the Dragons, Illuminators, and Dark Triplets, for it had the powers of all of them. It ravaged the world, obliterating everything in its path, for it wished to exact its vengeance against its makers. The Last Illuminator, the Hallow, realized that the Dragons only wished to protect their home, and joined forces with them, vowing never to destroy the Jungle again. The Hallow and Dragons began constructing an incredibly elaborate plan to seal the Moon Lord away once and for all.
The First Layer would be the duty of the Scaled Dragons. They harnessed the power of the moon into several tablets, and hid them within their sanctum, guarded by their Idol of the Sun. These Lunar Tablets would be what contained the soul of the Moon Lord, and what kept it within its prison.
The Second Layer would be the duty of the Core of Life. The Scaled Dragons entrusted the Core of Life’s protectors and children, the Planterae, with the keys to their temples, and the Planterae fell dormant alongside their mother within the jungle for eternity.
The Third Layer would be the duty of the Furred Dragons. They built machines of destruction inspired by the powers around them, and programmed them to hide the Planterae from detection as long as it was still alive.
The Fourth Layer would be the duty of the Hallow. It would create one final weapon, of flesh, darkness, and light. The Terrarian, with the ability to seal away the remaining Spirits forever. The true powers of the Archipelago, including the Furred Tribes’ weapons, would be sealed due to the actions of this Terrarian as well.
The Final Layer would be the duty of the Shelled Dragons. The security system of their weapons laboratory would become a ward to reinforce the Lunar Tablets, and would obliterate all who tried to break the seal.
The Moon Lord, Hallow, Crimson, and Corruption were sealed away, and the world was finally at peace once again. The Scaled Dragons retreated into the safety of their temple, their wings atrophied and their physical strength spent. These became known as the Lihzahrds, and they would soon forget what they were descended from. The Shelled Dragons also lost their wings, and much of their magic (though not their technology), becoming the Derplings. The Furred Dragons somehow retained their power, likely due to their generally non-confrontational/pseudo-pacifist nature allowing them to evade the Gilled Curses’ detection, and maintained their alliance with the Derplings. The Derplings sent a message to the Feathered Tribe, pleading for them to return. They would not listen, for they could not forget their fear of the Six. The time of Dragons dominating the planet was over, for the Pigrons’ Curse was wearing away at them. It seemed it was a new race’s time to rule…
Several centuries later, a clan of small ape-like creatures adapted to the immeasurable amount of magic irradiating the land around them left over from the war. The Furred Dragons and Derplings found these creatures quite amusing, and were surprised when their studies on them revealed that their intelligence had the potential to become near-equal to theirs. The two tribes began monitoring these creatures, and gave their race the name of Humans.
The Derplings also had finally created an early form of interdimensional travel, which allowed them to lower the barriers around the islands in the Archipelago created by the Fracture and bring contact between them. The humans noticed that these barriers were down and decided to explore.
The humans quickly spread all over the two main regions of Terraria, forming a gigantic city on what remained of the Continent, and several smaller settlements in the Archipelago. The Derplings and Furred Dragons were alarmed at first, but then realized that these creatures had an innate love of nature, and their technology functioned accordingly. The Derplings soon reached out to the Great Human City, forming an agreement to share knowledge and technology with them. In doing this, the Derplings broke their part of the Pigron’s Curse and regained much of their former strength, some even regained their wings.
But eventually, the Furred Dragons noticed something was wrong. The two remaining Dark Triplets, in their anger, had worn away at their seal, and were beginning to seep back into the world. The Great Human City would be destroyed if the Dark Twins reached it, and the they could not allow that to occur. They informed the Derplings of this, and the Derplings began developing weapons in their laboratories once more.
The Furred Dragons created a shield around the Continent, allowing nothing of dangerous magical nature to breach through. This was done to prevent the Dark Twins from reaching it, but it also prevented a far greater threat from doing so as well later on.
The Derplings had come up with several weapons, including the Clentaminators, the Powers of Purity, and the Necroavirus, in order to destroy the Dark Twins, and presented them to the Furred Dragons. The Furred Dragons were generally pleased by these weapons, but one in particular, the Necroavirus, was a bioweapon far too dangerous for their liking. They suggested that the Derplings keep it in stasis within one of their laboratories until a later date, just in case the previous methods did not succeed.
The Derplings soon set to work. The first part of their plan was to gift the Powers of Purity to a lucky few of the humans, transforming them into the immortal Dryads, and instructing them on how to purge the Dark Twins. The Dryads were immensely flattered by these gifts, and used their newfound power to destroy all Corruption and Crimson in their path. The second half of the Derpling plan was to send ambassadors to the Crimson in order to attempt to reason with it and come to a truce, or possibly even form an alliance against the Corruption.
The ambassadors never made it back. The Crimson lured them in and trapped them, turning them into mindless abominations known as Herplings. The Derplings were horrified at this fate worse than death, and understood that they could not reason with the Crimson. They told the Human government the situation, and gave them the Clentaminators. The Human Government created a gigantic army of Steampunkers and instructed them on how the Clentaminators could be used. Once their training was complete, the Steampunkers invaded the land corrupted by the Dark Twins and began purifying it.
The Steampunkers quickly managed to almost completely destroy the Dark Twins. What remained was isolated, and could no longer threaten anything. The Dark Twins, in a last ditch effort, coalesced their power into the Shadow Orbs and Crimson Hearts, which acted as a ward protecting what little remained, but inhibited their power to spread. The Humans declared the war against Darkness a victory, and eventually decided to regroup into their colonies.
The human colonies soon began their exploration once again. One expedition in particular ended up infiltrating the abandoned laboratory where the Necroavirus was kept.
It is not known why they did this, but the explorers somehow breached the capsules containing the Necroavirus and set it free. The Necroavirus scanned its surroundings and set its’ targeting to the first life forms it saw: the humans. It was free, and it would now fulfill the purpose it was created for: Extermination and Reanimation.
The Derplings also had finally created an early form of interdimensional travel, which allowed them to lower the barriers around the islands in the Archipelago created by the Fracture and bring contact between them. The humans noticed that these barriers were down and decided to explore.
The humans quickly spread all over the two main regions of Terraria, forming a gigantic city on what remained of the Continent, and several smaller settlements in the Archipelago. The Derplings and Furred Dragons were alarmed at first, but then realized that these creatures had an innate love of nature, and their technology functioned accordingly. The Derplings soon reached out to the Great Human City, forming an agreement to share knowledge and technology with them. In doing this, the Derplings broke their part of the Pigron’s Curse and regained much of their former strength, some even regained their wings.
But eventually, the Furred Dragons noticed something was wrong. The two remaining Dark Triplets, in their anger, had worn away at their seal, and were beginning to seep back into the world. The Great Human City would be destroyed if the Dark Twins reached it, and the they could not allow that to occur. They informed the Derplings of this, and the Derplings began developing weapons in their laboratories once more.
The Furred Dragons created a shield around the Continent, allowing nothing of dangerous magical nature to breach through. This was done to prevent the Dark Twins from reaching it, but it also prevented a far greater threat from doing so as well later on.
The Derplings had come up with several weapons, including the Clentaminators, the Powers of Purity, and the Necroavirus, in order to destroy the Dark Twins, and presented them to the Furred Dragons. The Furred Dragons were generally pleased by these weapons, but one in particular, the Necroavirus, was a bioweapon far too dangerous for their liking. They suggested that the Derplings keep it in stasis within one of their laboratories until a later date, just in case the previous methods did not succeed.
The Derplings soon set to work. The first part of their plan was to gift the Powers of Purity to a lucky few of the humans, transforming them into the immortal Dryads, and instructing them on how to purge the Dark Twins. The Dryads were immensely flattered by these gifts, and used their newfound power to destroy all Corruption and Crimson in their path. The second half of the Derpling plan was to send ambassadors to the Crimson in order to attempt to reason with it and come to a truce, or possibly even form an alliance against the Corruption.
The ambassadors never made it back. The Crimson lured them in and trapped them, turning them into mindless abominations known as Herplings. The Derplings were horrified at this fate worse than death, and understood that they could not reason with the Crimson. They told the Human government the situation, and gave them the Clentaminators. The Human Government created a gigantic army of Steampunkers and instructed them on how the Clentaminators could be used. Once their training was complete, the Steampunkers invaded the land corrupted by the Dark Twins and began purifying it.
The Steampunkers quickly managed to almost completely destroy the Dark Twins. What remained was isolated, and could no longer threaten anything. The Dark Twins, in a last ditch effort, coalesced their power into the Shadow Orbs and Crimson Hearts, which acted as a ward protecting what little remained, but inhibited their power to spread. The Humans declared the war against Darkness a victory, and eventually decided to regroup into their colonies.
The human colonies soon began their exploration once again. One expedition in particular ended up infiltrating the abandoned laboratory where the Necroavirus was kept.
It is not known why they did this, but the explorers somehow breached the capsules containing the Necroavirus and set it free. The Necroavirus scanned its surroundings and set its’ targeting to the first life forms it saw: the humans. It was free, and it would now fulfill the purpose it was created for: Extermination and Reanimation.
The many humans in the Archipelago could do nothing to halt the Necroavirus infecting them. The Derplings noticed many cases cropping up in the human colonies, and immediately identified the symptoms.
The Derplings ensured the Necroavirus was designed to be as ruthless as possible, which unfortunately made it very, very good at it’s job. It was an airborne infection which caused those afflicted to rapidly gangrene until they couldn’t even be considered alive anymore, then reanimated their corpses, turning them into heartless hungering abominations, the Undead.
The defense system of the abandoned laboratories, Skeletron, began inhabiting humans in order to evade this new infection, but this caused much suffering for both parties in question, even if they couldn’t become infected.
The Derplings informed the Furred Tribe of what was happening, and they quickly decided to act. The Derplings reprogrammed the shield around the Continent to prevent the Necroavirus from entering, and informed the Great Human City that no transit should occur whatsoever. The Human government agreed. While the Derplings were doing this, the Furred Dragons began quickly and efficiently developing a cure for the Necroavirus.
However, this proved to be a terrible mistake. The Necroavirus identified the Furred Dragons as a threat, and set itself to target them in retaliation. The Furred Dragons, realizing their error, suggested that building a civilization within the planet’s Grand Lava Caverns would be bearable for humans, but would sterilize the Necroavirus on entry.
Many of the Humans in the Archipelago quickly journeyed deep underground once they heard of this. They built cities and called their land the Underworld. The Furred Dragons tried to accompany them, but the Necroavirus had already embedded itself too far into most of their systems, causing them to transform into the Bone Serpents, and driving them to near extinction.
The Terrarian, seeing all of this horrid destruction, realized it had to act. It gave all the remaining humans on the surface a fraction of its power, turning them into the pinnacle of evolution, the Terrarians. These new creatures were immune to the Necroavirus and the Six Spirits. Those who received just enough power to make themselves immune were called Lesser Terrarians, and they also gained the ability to convert certain metals into other matter. Those who received a greater amount of power were identical to the Lesser Terrarians for the time being, but their potential was near limitless and would show itself in time. Realizing how convoluted things would become if The Terrarian did not change its name, it now called itself the Guide, and helped the young race to master its power and work towards a brighter future.
The Necroavirus was crippled without any humans remaining to host it, but it still could not be stopped. It began targeting everything it could, which included the lesser minded beasts, as well as plant life. The Derplings realized that they had to find a cure before life on the planet grinded to a halt. They returned to the laboratory where the trouble all began, and set to work engineering a way to destroy the Necroavirus once and for all.
The Derplings ensured the Necroavirus was designed to be as ruthless as possible, which unfortunately made it very, very good at it’s job. It was an airborne infection which caused those afflicted to rapidly gangrene until they couldn’t even be considered alive anymore, then reanimated their corpses, turning them into heartless hungering abominations, the Undead.
The defense system of the abandoned laboratories, Skeletron, began inhabiting humans in order to evade this new infection, but this caused much suffering for both parties in question, even if they couldn’t become infected.
The Derplings informed the Furred Tribe of what was happening, and they quickly decided to act. The Derplings reprogrammed the shield around the Continent to prevent the Necroavirus from entering, and informed the Great Human City that no transit should occur whatsoever. The Human government agreed. While the Derplings were doing this, the Furred Dragons began quickly and efficiently developing a cure for the Necroavirus.
However, this proved to be a terrible mistake. The Necroavirus identified the Furred Dragons as a threat, and set itself to target them in retaliation. The Furred Dragons, realizing their error, suggested that building a civilization within the planet’s Grand Lava Caverns would be bearable for humans, but would sterilize the Necroavirus on entry.
Many of the Humans in the Archipelago quickly journeyed deep underground once they heard of this. They built cities and called their land the Underworld. The Furred Dragons tried to accompany them, but the Necroavirus had already embedded itself too far into most of their systems, causing them to transform into the Bone Serpents, and driving them to near extinction.
The Terrarian, seeing all of this horrid destruction, realized it had to act. It gave all the remaining humans on the surface a fraction of its power, turning them into the pinnacle of evolution, the Terrarians. These new creatures were immune to the Necroavirus and the Six Spirits. Those who received just enough power to make themselves immune were called Lesser Terrarians, and they also gained the ability to convert certain metals into other matter. Those who received a greater amount of power were identical to the Lesser Terrarians for the time being, but their potential was near limitless and would show itself in time. Realizing how convoluted things would become if The Terrarian did not change its name, it now called itself the Guide, and helped the young race to master its power and work towards a brighter future.
The Necroavirus was crippled without any humans remaining to host it, but it still could not be stopped. It began targeting everything it could, which included the lesser minded beasts, as well as plant life. The Derplings realized that they had to find a cure before life on the planet grinded to a halt. They returned to the laboratory where the trouble all began, and set to work engineering a way to destroy the Necroavirus once and for all.
The Derplings worked swiftly, and quickly came up with a possible way to exterminate the Necroavirus. The method they first tried was to genetically engineer a new species of bacteria, which theoretically could spread extremely fast, consume the Necroavirus at a rapid rate, and do so without harming any other life forms.
The Derplings came up with the bacterium NCVIC-001 (or “Virus Eater'') as their first possible test. They first tested it on a quarantined environment, which contained the Necroavirus as well as a large variety of other life forms.
Surprisingly, the Virus Eater worked stunningly well! The Necroavirus floating throughout the environment was utterly obliterated, and the bacterium quickly died out without any other nutrients to sustain it. No harm came to the other creatures in the area, but the Virus Eater unfortunately could not cure creatures which were already considered Undead (though this was probably fortunate as it likely would have targeted the Derplings if the Virus Eater could cure it).
The Derplings set NCVIC-001 loose on the world, and it destroyed all remnants of the Necroavirus in a matter of days. There still were many Undead left, but they could not infect any other creatures. NCVIC-001 didn’t stay around, either, quickly dying out once it’s task had been fulfilled. The Derplings considered this a success, but they still mourned for the ones who had been destroyed by the Necroavirus. They eventually informed the Great Terrarian City that transit could now begin again, and realized that there was nothing left for them to help the Terrarians with, simply bidding them farewell until some larger threat appeared.
The Human cities in the Underworld, however, were not doing so well. The immense heat and magical irradiation which had sunk deep into the earth had warped their minds and bodies, and they had long regressed into abandoning their homes. These Humans had now become what’s known as Demons, their children becoming Imps, and they could not leave the extreme heat that had cursed them for eternity.
The Terrarians attempted to build more colonies on the Archipelago’s Surface, but the nightly endless hordes of Undead proved to be far too much of a challenge for them to deal with. Most of them soon returned to the Terrarian Capital where they could be safe.
Other Terrarians scorned the powers gifted to them and turned to other means of prosperity on stray islands separate from the Archipelago and the cities of the Continent. While some simply turned to piracy and raided the brave few who had managed to somehow survive in the Archipelago, others turned to different powers entirely. Those who embraced their inner darkness and manifested it into Shadowflame transformed into the Goblins over time, while those who simply wished to be left alone in the tunnels beneath the Continent became the Dwarves. Yet another group of Terrarians worshipped Terraria’s ten moons and the more base instincts of the form predating the Humans, transforming into the Lycanthropes.
Other, more mysterious events that could not be explained by the Derplings or Terrarians also occurred. Gargantuan pockets of unidentified minerals located beneath the Archipelago soon appeared. For these to make sense, we’ll have to direct our attention once again to the two Primordials, who were beginning to quietly stir. A vision within the Core’s dreams informed her that whatever had been influencing the Catalyst was no longer a threat. After awakening, she removed her spell of suppression over it. The Catalyst still had it’s indigo hue, but it had returned to it’s calmer self. They realized how long they had been dormant and sent scouts to the surface in the form of Plantero and the Companion Cube respectively to assess their world. They were shocked to be informed of how much it had changed, but after discussing it with each other they were pleased. They decided they would create new areas to monitor the Archipelago as it seemed to fascinate them more than anywhere else, and engineered the Marble and Granite caves in order to do so.
And this, Terrarian, is the end of all this tale has to offer, for it’s the beginning of yours. Unlike the ones you call “NPCs”, you are a being one would call Greater. While they must toil just as the Humans did to shape their world and alter matter around them, you can accomplish their achievements on a mere whim. You have a sense of direction and knack for memorizing locations that they cannot even dream of matching. You have far more dexterity, are far more durable, and your potential is boundless.
Now that you are about to awaken in the Archipelago with none other than an extension of the Guide who created you, I, as the Keeper of Knowledge for all Derplingkind, grant you the freedom to do whatever you choose. You could chance a voyage upwards, towards the skies the Feathered Dragons still call home even after all this time, or you could enter the depths of this world and explore the grand caverns which the warped brethren of your ancestors still inhabit. You could try to form another settlement to rival the ones before the Necroavirus came and purged these lands of them, or you could even attempt to break through the Great Seal and face the one whose strength is absolute. The choice is yours, and we will not impede you.
~Ω-00, Keeper of Knowledge.
P.S. If you wish to know more about the creatures of this world that were not covered here, then feel free to check the Second Edition of the Bestiary that the Rogue Lycanthrope gave you, she tends to know what she’s talking about. I wouldn’t use the First Edition, as that was written back when we commanded her to misinform your kind and employs a lot of censorship/blatantly untrue facts. It’s rather unfortunate that the one filled with lies is always going to be the more widespread one...
The Derplings came up with the bacterium NCVIC-001 (or “Virus Eater'') as their first possible test. They first tested it on a quarantined environment, which contained the Necroavirus as well as a large variety of other life forms.
Surprisingly, the Virus Eater worked stunningly well! The Necroavirus floating throughout the environment was utterly obliterated, and the bacterium quickly died out without any other nutrients to sustain it. No harm came to the other creatures in the area, but the Virus Eater unfortunately could not cure creatures which were already considered Undead (though this was probably fortunate as it likely would have targeted the Derplings if the Virus Eater could cure it).
The Derplings set NCVIC-001 loose on the world, and it destroyed all remnants of the Necroavirus in a matter of days. There still were many Undead left, but they could not infect any other creatures. NCVIC-001 didn’t stay around, either, quickly dying out once it’s task had been fulfilled. The Derplings considered this a success, but they still mourned for the ones who had been destroyed by the Necroavirus. They eventually informed the Great Terrarian City that transit could now begin again, and realized that there was nothing left for them to help the Terrarians with, simply bidding them farewell until some larger threat appeared.
The Human cities in the Underworld, however, were not doing so well. The immense heat and magical irradiation which had sunk deep into the earth had warped their minds and bodies, and they had long regressed into abandoning their homes. These Humans had now become what’s known as Demons, their children becoming Imps, and they could not leave the extreme heat that had cursed them for eternity.
The Terrarians attempted to build more colonies on the Archipelago’s Surface, but the nightly endless hordes of Undead proved to be far too much of a challenge for them to deal with. Most of them soon returned to the Terrarian Capital where they could be safe.
Other Terrarians scorned the powers gifted to them and turned to other means of prosperity on stray islands separate from the Archipelago and the cities of the Continent. While some simply turned to piracy and raided the brave few who had managed to somehow survive in the Archipelago, others turned to different powers entirely. Those who embraced their inner darkness and manifested it into Shadowflame transformed into the Goblins over time, while those who simply wished to be left alone in the tunnels beneath the Continent became the Dwarves. Yet another group of Terrarians worshipped Terraria’s ten moons and the more base instincts of the form predating the Humans, transforming into the Lycanthropes.
Other, more mysterious events that could not be explained by the Derplings or Terrarians also occurred. Gargantuan pockets of unidentified minerals located beneath the Archipelago soon appeared. For these to make sense, we’ll have to direct our attention once again to the two Primordials, who were beginning to quietly stir. A vision within the Core’s dreams informed her that whatever had been influencing the Catalyst was no longer a threat. After awakening, she removed her spell of suppression over it. The Catalyst still had it’s indigo hue, but it had returned to it’s calmer self. They realized how long they had been dormant and sent scouts to the surface in the form of Plantero and the Companion Cube respectively to assess their world. They were shocked to be informed of how much it had changed, but after discussing it with each other they were pleased. They decided they would create new areas to monitor the Archipelago as it seemed to fascinate them more than anywhere else, and engineered the Marble and Granite caves in order to do so.
And this, Terrarian, is the end of all this tale has to offer, for it’s the beginning of yours. Unlike the ones you call “NPCs”, you are a being one would call Greater. While they must toil just as the Humans did to shape their world and alter matter around them, you can accomplish their achievements on a mere whim. You have a sense of direction and knack for memorizing locations that they cannot even dream of matching. You have far more dexterity, are far more durable, and your potential is boundless.
Now that you are about to awaken in the Archipelago with none other than an extension of the Guide who created you, I, as the Keeper of Knowledge for all Derplingkind, grant you the freedom to do whatever you choose. You could chance a voyage upwards, towards the skies the Feathered Dragons still call home even after all this time, or you could enter the depths of this world and explore the grand caverns which the warped brethren of your ancestors still inhabit. You could try to form another settlement to rival the ones before the Necroavirus came and purged these lands of them, or you could even attempt to break through the Great Seal and face the one whose strength is absolute. The choice is yours, and we will not impede you.
~Ω-00, Keeper of Knowledge.
P.S. If you wish to know more about the creatures of this world that were not covered here, then feel free to check the Second Edition of the Bestiary that the Rogue Lycanthrope gave you, she tends to know what she’s talking about. I wouldn’t use the First Edition, as that was written back when we commanded her to misinform your kind and employs a lot of censorship/blatantly untrue facts. It’s rather unfortunate that the one filled with lies is always going to be the more widespread one...
