tab Hello, and let me be the first to welcome you to Shattered Past! Whether you're here to be a part of a fun community or to participate in role playing, we welcome you with open arms! I am sure seeing the enormous forum list might cause some level of anxiety for you, so let me start out by explaining what this is. This is a guide, an introduction, a walkthrough on what Shattered Past is, what we expect of you as a member, what you can expect from us as a Moderator team and, perhaps most importantly, where to begin in your adventures here should you choose to stick around. Now, because no one likes reading walls of text, I'll do my best to keep this concise and at the same time comprehensive if at all possible. If it ends up a tiny bit verbose I hope you can forgive me!
___________What Is Shattered Past? ||
tab Shattered Past began as a Naruto Role Play guild that, after much discussion, decided to become a guild based on magic and fantasy mixed with science. Instead of overhauling the story, making everyone start over, we have instead decided to explain the transition in character. Part of this shift, lore-wise, was marked by the breaking down of the universe's walls. Characters were shunted into a world unknown to them, and everyone, individually, could roleplay through the change in their own way. Yet that's not the end of it. The walls that separate all of the different universes, plains, and creations has been cracked in some places, sundered in others. They bleed into one another, sometimes bridging the gaps in unusual and impossible ways.
tab The end result?
tab Characters from other worlds, other existences, are possible. Anime's, TV shows, cinematic universes, etc. are all possible to bring in as ideas for character creation. Want to play someone from, say, the Star Wars universe? This is possible. Technology, and inherent powers, will change when passing through the Universal Commons, converting into properties of what can be found in this universe. The blaster rifle becomes a Mana-based fusion rifle, following the laws and regulations of this universe, though it will look similar if not exactly like its original.
tab Want to bring in a character you had in another guild? Fine. Same rules apply, they change to meet this world's standards, and yet their memories remain, with some twists of course. If you have a character concept please feel free to speak with a member of the Approval Committee and they will work with you to get as close to your concept as possible!
tab So, what's this all mean?
tab As a tl;dr, as a summary, Shattered Past is a fantasy/science fiction guild roleplay dedicated to helping every member have as much fun as we can. The guild is designed as a sandbox, with an existing world lore that requires activity to interact with it. This guild is about survival, with the world requiring action to survive and thrive. If you wish to have a pull in the story you need only post, need only work, and take it for yourself!
___________Member Expectations ||
tab We expect activity, but not at the expense of fun and health. We expect you to maintain activity if at all possible, and let us know if there is anything we can do to help. Our mods are here to be of assistance in helping you thrive and survive, but half of that battle, if not more so, is you as a member reaching out and participating. This isn't a video game, where there are predetermined paths or conversation options to pick, we keep realism in mind and treat events as makes realistic sense. You will need to provide input to get anywhere. This isn't to mean that you'll be ignored, we are here to help, but we expect people to try at least.
tab That said, through our Discord Server we are a fun loving community that respects everyone and enforces respect across the board. Our group is treated as family. There are times we don't like our family, and have issues, but we work through them as much as possible. We ask that you become a part of this community to keep up to date on changes in the guild as well as influence just what happens, for we moderators are constantly asking for feedback and input from our membership.
tab In addition, we value creativity. We allow members to constantly suggest changes, or submit their own creations, and we will work with those members to try and implement it with as close to the original intent as possible. While the world does have lore we're open to fleshing out much of the existing world with what our Members want to create or see. If you ever feel like your thoughts and feelings aren't being listened to, let us know and we'll try to work it out with you. Good, bad, beautiful and ugly, Shattered Past wants it all so we can have the best communal, roleplaying experience we can.
___________Where to Start ||
tab So now you know what Shattered Past stands for and what we are. You clicked that join button and you don't regret it, you just want to know where to start. Here it is!
→ [Rules, Ranks, & Battle Info | {Link}]: Here you'll learn the basic rules (i.e. don't be a d**k), how to level up, stats, combat, and armor. While reading it all isn't necessary from the get-go, it might answer questions you have about the world, how this guild functions, etc. Our best suggestion is not to get lost here, as the quantity of systems we have might look scary, but in practice you might only need to worry about one or two systems.
→ [The World | {Link}]: An in-depth overview of the world's history and the lands and people that inhabit it. This is an ongoing project for the guild due to in-character discovery. As players go through the world and discover more information more and more detail will be provided, along with the name of the member who discovered it! That said, this carries information about the world itself, the native species and geographical descriptions for each Land.
→ [Character Creation | {Link}]: All the information you need to create a character, from race, to historical time periods, to our Evolutionary Traits that define your uniqueness. For further information on how to create and fill out a profile you may wish to look [here], which walks you through each portion of the profile to explain it.
→ [Pregenerated Characters | : To assist with newcomers and veterans alike who find themselves bashing a creative block or wall we have created what are called Pregenerated Characters [Pregens]. These are either fully developed and fleshed out characters, or mostly filled out characters that you can edit to your heart's content. The first are called Paragons, which are fully filled out characters that you must take as they are. The reason is that Paragon profiles are fully fleshed out, and if you are only taking parts of it, the character can now no longer be used by another player. Paragons can only be used by one [1] person at a time, and will only become available if the player has not posted in two [2] months and there's been no communication from the player to the Approval Committee. Prototype is the other type of Pregenerated Character, which will have blank spaces marked as "[___]" within the profile where you can fill in the information that fits best for you. These are often given the name of common RPG Classes or known Characters from other media which are just an indicator of what type of character they're meant to be designed after. These are entirely able to be edited by anyone and everyone for your own use.
→ [Character Approvals | {Link}]: Where you post your character and any custom creations. Something to note here is that we absolutely love members to bring in custom content. One of our moderation rules is to look at any such offered and try to work with you to make it work for the guild. It's rare we give a hard no, and we will do our best to accommodate while also asking for you to be flexible along with us.
→ [Spells & Techniques | {Link}]: Lists of all the non-custom abilities a character can get. This will mostly be important after character creation when you want to learn new abilities. Keep in mind that every character who starts at E - rank will received one [1] Starting Technique, from either the E, D, or C - rank lists of any class, that their character gets to start with without spending time finding it or learning it. Choose wisely!
→ [Available Lands]: Alright, you've got all your information sorted, and now it's time to pick a land to begin play in. Right now we have three [3] locations, with more on the way as the guild and story grow. Below will be listed each land, with a quick description and important notes.
Quote:
tab tab ► Iron Lands: In the old world, the land of Samurai and technology. A place where science and discipline defined civilization instead of the mystical arts of the Shinobi. Now split into three dominions, one of ancient ruins of a bygone age, one of a frozen land filled by demonic Yokai, and one rolling hills controlled by subterranean insectoids, the Iron Lands are one of the friendlier locations to those newly Awoken. Players who start here may join the City of Steps, Ikeinasu, where they will have access to missions, spells to learn, and a base of operations for future endeavors. Located in the Yokai's territory one best be dressed for the cold, or quickly adapt to it lest they freeze to death!
tab tab ► Eastern Marshlands: One a land of islands and known for its mists, the Eastern Marshlands are a supernatural hotspot that have grown into various types of jungles and marshes that harbor a great deal of danger to the unwary. Ruled by a trio of avian tribes, the Eastern Marshlands maintain their powerful tie to supernatural and magical forces, whilst also carrying a great deal of history buried beneath water and mud for those who dare to traverse it's landscape. The Eastern Marshlands are home to the second city most friendly for the newly Awoken, a location called Kokorogakure, the City of Hearts. Players who start here will have access to learning materials, walls from which they are defended, and may experience a life similar in nature to the Shinobi of old. Be wary of traveling outside the walls, however, for one wrong step might send you hurtling into a dimension wholly alien from our own.
tab tab ► Radiant Wastes: Once a vast desert kingdom ruled by the most advanced of all civilizations, where technology and magic brought prosperity and power that kept the world in check, the Radiant Wastes have since been devastated by a manmade natural disaster that to this day makes it aggressive to life. Radiation, a deadly light that falls in ran, that flashes in the sand storms that travel the lands, has changed both geography and fauna in ways unforeseen by its original residents. Now a land where heat and radiation takes a tole on all who dare travel, the Radiant Wastes hold many ancient and powerful secrets to those who seek it out, from lost technology to magical experiments that defy reason and logic. The native population are some of the most hospitable to the return of man, but also the most aggressive depending on which you meet. Of the three [3] current lands, the Radiant Wastes serve as the most difficult location to start in, where resources are scarce, where spells and other such knowledge must be fought for or sought at personal expense to obtain. Here, the belief of "nothing is free" will serve you best. If players look to start here it might be best to start in groups, for here more than anywhere else Death can be around any corner. In less vague terms, players can see this as a "Hard Mode" for the guild's story.
___________Important Notes ||
tab As noted, this guild is ever growing, with more knowledge, lore, and experiences on the horizon. Please, join us in our Discord Server and become a part of our welcoming community, and work together with your fellow members and moderators to grow this guild in new, and exciting, ways!