The Arbvar - It's Creation

‘"People like to believe that there are many universes and many galaxies all tied to one another.

That there are pockets of countless worlds amongst seamless seas of stars.

I’d like to think that is so.

The one upon which I dwell is a world of worlds.

The Arbvar.

Do you know of it?

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Perhaps you have glimpsed the garden of stars.

And the orchard of worlds parallel to one another.

So many worlds.

And connecting them are the branches of the Arbvar.

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Perhaps this is universal, but here there are many stories…

Of both origin and forthcoming ends.

Some tales are dazzling and grand.

And some about adventures that turn the most unlikely into heroes.

But I don’t want to tell you another’s story.

Instead, I’d like to tell you my own tale.

One which i had played a part in.

So why don’t I start at the beginning?"

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Above is an extract from the premise, the prologue of ‘Arbvar’s Secret’. It essentially explains what the Arbvar is – A galactic tree that grows worlds in place of fruits. Arbvar didn't start like this – the original world from my story started as an ordinary planet by the name of Esterm.

The inspiration for the Arbvar -

‘If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees.’

—Hal Borland in Beyond your Doorstep

The original premise for Esterm was that is was an ordinary planet and and had a greater affinity for urban settings. There were cities, cars , fairly modern with much of the nature eclipsed. I have always had a deep affection for nature, its wonderful, untamed and wildly sculpted and so in thinking about Esterm, i felt it wasn't expressive enough, it was stuck in a cast of what was typical – stuck because i felt this was what was expected, what people wanted and what had to be.

So i gradually began to open up my world. I let in the nature and slowly, the roots took hold, the cities receded. Mythology, Fantasy, the wild, free, the unbound took storm and in particular Religion and the concept of a tree of life influenced my ideas and became the literal planet platform for it.

The Tree Of Life & The Garden Of Eden

The tree of life is a long concept the influences many mythologies, worldologies and concepts. It is used as a means of branching family trees or as a motif in some legends. It is sometimes said to be a sacred tree bearing seeds or such as in China, a tree which produces a peach of immortality. Trees are brilliant, they provide us with so much – fruit, fuel, oxygen, shelter – and more. I looked into trees, their value, their important representations. Across all cultures, trees are holy, worshipped and represent so much. The concept of Gaia and the relation to life tied in to the tree of life until at last, these legends, relations and ideals formed the very Arbvar itself in a metaphor now taken literally.

As if by magic, the idea took form instantly. The world became a tree of ethereal crystal which would later be known as Magos. The idea suddenly happened that it would grow worlds just like a tree would grow apples and nurture them. I wanted my world to be huge, untamed, wild and fresh just like my view on nature, how nature is…

The core civilisations of Esterm, i would keep, as although the world has evolved, i would not forget my roots, as they were still relevant and still are. However, this new develop would create some problems, issues and new ideas. For example, would the physics of these worlds be different, would there be a shift in day and night cycles? Would there even be an atmosphere, how would things differ? So many questions i could ask and so many questions i would need to answer. My world was suddenly fresh, alive and interesting with all these concepts i could now explore.

Suddenly i drew upon all these different relations and views that stemmed from the tree of life concept. One of the major influences came from the Garden of Eden as i contemplated how my world would thrive, how it would survive, how the worlds would grow – what was its history? The tree would be true to its nature – it would be holy, a symbol of strength and a source of knowledge. The idea that it would grow patchworks of the land upon its ‘fruits’ or worlds, through dispersing seeds of knowledge, was inspired by the concept of the garden of Eden and the tree of knowledge. The origin of ‘Magos Marks’ within Arbvar also finds its roots in the garden of Eden with the consumption of the fruit, or in Arbvar’s case, the seeds, led to the appearance of these Magos Marks as a condemning brand. In a way, the Arbvar is a living deity that the people live upon on its fruits, like germs in a petri dish. The concept of ‘Projections’, guardians of ‘Magos Hearts’, stems from the idea of ‘Turuls’ in mythology. Originally, all Projections were going to appear like birds – until for variety and other concepts, they would be diverse but visually appear ethereal and otherworldly.

‘It is a divine messenger, and perches on top of the Tree of life along with the other spirits of unborn children in the form of birds.’

The main villian, known firstly by the title of ‘The Necromancer’ seamlessly began to take on the role as the serpent, the corrupting snake of Eden.

It is hard to pinpoint every single influence but i feel i have highlighted all the key ones so  I have condensed some of the influxes of inspirations further into small bits of trivia which you can find below…

General Trivia -

 - The world of Arbvar takes many inspirations and draws from religion and biology, such as…

…the name ‘Arbvar’ is a blend of the latin word for tree of ‘Arbor’ and the latin ‘Terra’ meaning earth.

…The Arbvar is a play on the concept of a tree of life, only taken rather literally.

… ‘Edens’ and their seeds are a direct reference to the garden of Eden and Adam and Eve.

… The ‘seeds’ of Edens contain a form of ‘knowledge’. Just like in the story, the ancestors of Esterm are said to have ingested them and so were branded and out cast just like Adam and Eve, only with crystalline blue marks.

… In contrast, the main villian, the Necromancer is rather like a serpent, taking the role as the snake who corrupts.

… ‘Projections’ are a  play on spirits and ‘Turuls’ that in mythology, were said to have protected a tree of life as guardians. 

Biologically…

… The Arbvar is obviously tree-like and grows ‘fruits’ just like trees. It is a world maker on a large, galactic scale.

… The Arbvar has ‘Hearts’ and ‘Antibodies’ and acts much like a living organism against disease, which the Hyjinxes are considered. The inhabitants are like germs.

… However, in contrast, the Hyjinxes are also a form of antibody in Esterm’s faith, said to be wiping those branded instead.

… The material of Magos is said to be an enigmatic but flexible material as it acts as the ‘spark’ or kick starter to life. It is inspired from DNA only in a physical manifested form, as it can be manipulated to deliberately produce things from ‘blueprints’ just as DNA acts like.

…Sigil scratching and Magos are like programming with computers. Peanists ‘program’ reality to create spells or alter life in a way it can not ignore.