For eons unknown, the Shards were seven independent worlds, clustered together and linked by well travelled portals. Some ten and a half years ago, that all changed one cataclysmic night when the Shards came together, fusing to form one world. In the hours between dusk and dawn millions died, wiped from the face of the Shards along with the lands they occupied. The Gods died along with everyone else and come the dawn after that fateful night, the Shards were changed forever and life would never be the same again.
Now, nearly eleven years after union (10AU) the Shards have moved on and its people continue to adjust to this strange new world in which they've found themselves. The sum of its parts, the world seems to be much, much larger than the original seven Shards. Vast swathes of land and sea remain unmapped and in the Known World, the remnants of the original Shards, an age of exploration has begun.
The Known World is still referred to as the Shards, with a Shard now representing a continent or large geographic region. Over time, this may change as power shifts and the world is explored, but for now we have...
Archipelago – As the name suggests, many, many islands with stretches of open water populated by all manner of sea faring cultures and people, including pirates, fishermen, sailors, Norse raiders, privateers, other cultures similar to the Spanish Main. Also home of the Triads, Voodoo and Water Sidhe.
Dust – A dry, arid, desert land buried under constantly shifting sands, although conditions have been steadily improving since the union of the Shards. This land is home to Arabian and Egyptian style cultures, with a backbone in commerce and trade. Dust is now home to the majority of Guilds who abandoned Whitewater Isle (Archipelago) shortly after the Shards became one world. Slavery is common here and wealth opens doors.
Faerie - A land of magic and mystery where nothing is ever quite as it seems and enchantments are commonplace. Faerie is home to many people and reputed (amongst Faeries at least) to be the oldest of the Shards; here you will find the Fae (elves) and the Courts which trade in favours rather than money; the Fomorii, and many creatures both mundane and fantastic. The Faerie mainland is fast returning to its former glory as flood waters recede and the land recovers from the turmoil caused by the continent of Atlantis rising from beneath the seas in recent decades.
The Five Thunders – A land based around the cultures of Ancient Japan, China, Tibet and India long subjugated by five evil Emperors and then occupied by the Monarchs of Atlantis. In recent years, the people of the Thunders have gone through political change and the land is now split between three rival factions: The Empire, The Shogunate and The Sanctuary.
Frontier – A savage forest land full of dangerous wildlife and aggressive, flesh eating plants. The peoples of this land include tribal groups (think Native American) and forest sidhe; living uncomfortably alongside them (and often regarded as unwelcome invaders by their neighbours) are settlers, descended from populations displaced from the other Shards. In the past decade temperatures across this Shard have continued to plummet, but temperate and tropical areas still exist amongst regions of geological instability.
Salem – Primarily based around the culture and geography of 17C Europe, this dark land is ruled with a iron fist by the Church of Salem (think Fire and Brimstone), which seeks to protect the people of Salem from all that is heretical. A people long ruled by fear and paranoia, constantly plagued by horrors such as Vampires and the Undead, Salem has been at war for most of its bloody history. Personal freedoms are suppressed for the good of all, reading is forbidden amongst the populace and stories must never be told; punishments are swift and harsh and all fear the Inquisition.
Union - Once a world with no native population but acting as a centre for all portal travel between worlds, this land was a valuable military asset and has seen its share of bloodshed. Originally an empty shard, it now boasts several settlements which have sprung up in recent years from refugee populations from other Shards, most notably from Faerie and Salem.
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