The World Before the Player

Long before any player arrives, the island of Aeternum exists outside normal time and death. Its power comes from Azoth, a mysterious substance that grants immortality, fuels technology, and warps reality itself. Civilizations across history—Ancient Egyptians, Romans, medieval Europeans—were drawn to Aeternum in search of eternal life, power, or divine truth.

None escaped unchanged.

Those who died on the island were reborn endlessly, their minds slowly eroding. Over centuries, this led to the rise of corrupted beings, lost civilizations, and eternal wars that could never truly end.

At the center of Aeternum’s fate is an ancient precursor race known as the Ancients, who mastered Azoth but ultimately destroyed themselves trying to control it.

The Player’s Arrival

You arrive as a shipwrecked explorer during the Age of Discovery. From the moment you set foot on Aeternum, you discover that death no longer holds meaning—you resurrect at shrines, bound to the island like everyone before you.

You quickly learn that Aeternum is divided among three major factions:

• The Marauders, who seek strength and conquest

• The Syndicate, who pursue forbidden knowledge and truth

• The Covenant, who believe Aeternum is a divine test to be purified

Though ideologically opposed, all three are trapped in the same cycle.

The Core Conflict: Corruption

The greatest threat on Aeternum is the Corruption, a sentient force born from Azoth misuse. It manifests as demonic invasions, corrupting land, creatures, and even souls. Entire civilizations—such as those of Isabella, Thorpe, and the Angry Earth’s enemies—fell to it.

You learn that Corruption is not simply evil—it is a symptom of imbalance. Azoth grants immortality, but without restraint, it breaks minds and reality itself.

The Ancients and the Truth of Aeternum

As you explore deeper ruins, you uncover the truth:

• The Ancients created massive mechanisms to regulate Azoth.

• Their technology failed.

• Aeternum became a closed loop—no escape, no true death.

• The Corruption emerged when balance was lost.

Worse still, attempts to destroy the Corruption only feed it. The island cannot be “saved” in a traditional sense.

Isabella and the Fall of Hope

One of the most tragic figures is Isabella, once a human explorer like you. Believing she could master Azoth to free humanity, she instead became its avatar. Her fall proves the central lesson of Aeternum:

Those who seek control over eternity are consumed by it.

Her defeat does not end the Corruption—it merely delays it.

The Angry Earth and Nature’s Judgment

Opposing humanity is the Angry Earth, sentient nature awakened by Azoth pollution. To them, humans are a recurring infection—arriving, exploiting, corrupting, and never leaving.

They do not seek domination, only balance. In many ways, they are the island’s immune system.

The Endless War

By the time your story reaches its height, the truth is clear:

• Aeternum cannot be escaped

• Death is not release

• Victory is temporary

• Every generation repeats the same mistakes

Wars rage, territories change hands, invasions are repelled—but nothing truly ends.

The Implied End

There is no final cutscene where Aeternum is destroyed or saved.

Instead, the ending is philosophical:

• You become part of the island’s history

• Another immortal warrior in an endless cycle

• Fighting not to win forever, but to delay collapse

• Preserving fragments of meaning in a world without finality

In this way, New World is not about triumph—it is about endurance.

What the Story Ultimately Means

New World tells a quiet, mature story about:

• The cost of immortality

• The danger of unchecked power

• The human need for purpose even when outcomes are temporary

The island never lets go—but neither do the people who love it.