The BLACK MOON is an angel, sent by heaven to conquer the world. Outside the kingdom, is the "real" world - the Kingdom of Kalaphast is a foreign entity to this universe, the BLACK MOON is an angel sent from the heavens to conquer this world as part of multiversal conquest - the conquest of the HANGED QUEEN (The queen is hanging from Heaven, her rope is tied to the stars themselves)
The "Old Country," the place out east, are one of the natives to the world, who were scattered on the arrival of the BLACK MOON.
However, the BLACK MOON was captured. Before its mission could be completed, the Foundation stopped this conquest, spitting on Heaven.
They maintain a containment field around the kingdom, securing it inside and outside. Anomalies are things from the outside, found a way in. The BLACK MOON is the Emperor a "bleeding corpse," a thing alive and dead, chained at the center of the Tearstone Palace, held in place by sacred bonds maintained by the subjugation of 7 angels around Kalaphast.
The Foundation pretends the 'Emperor' is in charge, using its image to rule over Kalaphast, searching for a way to truly kill the BLACK MOON, to prevent the onslaught of heaven. As long as the King remains bound, the Celestials CANNOT enter the world. Kept outside of the prison.
In response, Heaven has sent the Harbringers - souls touched by the Hanged Queen, who can shatter the bonds holding the 7 seven angels. The Foundation has managed to stave them off.
However, all stories must have an ending.
They will fail. The BLACK MOON will escape its bonds and lay waste to all beneath Heaven.
They will fail, utterly and completely, as they have failed thousands of times before. But just before their conquest is complete, something turns the wheel back to its start…
The cycle continues.
The Heirophant is from one of these failed worlds. A leftover of a universe passed, consumed by the Black Moon, he sees the wheel turned over and over and over - he sees the prison, but he does not see past the bars - he sees the world being reset over and over and over, in this endless cycle of suffering, but he does not see WHY.
He wishes to use this knowledge to BREAK THE WHEEL. To end this suffering, forever.
But. I. Lied.
The Truth is, the celestials, Heaven itself, is RUNNING. They are fighting a war and are LOSING.
World after world after world consumed in desperate, wild fury, searching for the exit, stage left, into the next universe. They do not consume the universe - that honor is given to the one they are running from.
Neither do the celestials reset the universe.
The party is being influenced by the one who is - someone pretending to be the Hanged Queen, who has made these pretend "Harbringers," the Players.
Someone who sits at the top of the tree, someone who perches above the forest, someone who sits higher than the mountains - Someone above even heaven itself, who sits at the fractal's end.
The world dances on its stage, over and over, as she searches desperately for a different ending - for all endings have ended in one thing. One constant, the thing in the dark chasing the Celestials, that which breaks all swords,
The Quiet in-between silence -
The-Never-Was -
The Aborted Lord -
The Scarlet King.