Universe
The Vrienden Universe is a semi-fictional setting that integrates altered, parallel, or recontextualized elements of real-world history within a single continuous framework.
Scope
The universe spans the period from the seventeenth century to the present day.
Real-world locations, institutions, and historical contexts may appear in modified or abstracted form. The universe does not aim to reproduce historical reality, but to maintain internal consistency.
Continuity
The Vrienden Universe follows a single continuous timeline. Later developments emerge from earlier conditions rather than replacing or resetting them.
Contradictions are not part of the universe’s structure. When multiple perspectives or accounts exist, they are reconciled within a coherent framework rather than treated as parallel truths.
Structural Eras
Historical development is organized into conceptual eras. These eras describe dominant structural relationships rather than specific sequences of events.
Detailed chronology is documented in the Timeline.
- **Vader structure** — centralized authority and rigid hierarchy
- **Middenvader structure** — internal fragmentation and reorganization
- **Vriend structure** — stabilized continuity and adaptive coexistence
Each structure dominates a defined historical period but may persist in altered form beyond its primary era.
Power Structures
Influence within the universe is exercised through persistent entities, including families, states, and regional regimes.
These entities are documented in the Factions section. No single structure is treated as universally dominant.
Narrative Use
Narrative material may adopt limited or localized viewpoints. Such material must remain consistent with established structural and chronological reference pages.
Interpretation
This wiki presents the universe descriptively rather than prescriptively. Pages aim to document how the setting functions, not to evaluate it.