Aether and The Field: The New World Order (Episode 1)

Something which unleashed terrible and wonderful powers occurred in the 19th Century

“The world’s equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order.” — ‘Baha’u’llah’

Something truly momentous happened in the 19th century, something, which changed every aspect of life on the planet, something, which unleashed wonderful and terrible powers. These powers have allowed humans to touch another world and yet are capable of driving the next mass extinction or ending life as we know it. If you look at any metric of human activity, from population to economic, scientific, artistic or literary output over time it is hard to miss the inflection point one observes in the 19th century. Every aspect of human society was upended from race, class and gender roles to political structures.

These events were followed in the 20th Century by the most terrible conflict humans have ever witnessed. Over two world wars, nations fought battles raging across the globe culminating in the horrors of the holocaust and the atomic bombs dropped on Japan. Many, living during World War I viewed it in apocalyptic terms, calling it the War to end all Wars. As if to echo this sentiment, one of the final battles of World War I occurred…