Shardworld - the Game (Guide thread)

[Amaterasu]

The Shardworld

Welcome, Prime or perhaps not-Prime, to the Shardworld. You may be a new player around here learning the ropes, or you may be a veteran coming back to check for some detail. In either case, scroll down to find what you need!

IMPORTANT!
Please don't post replies into this thread to talk about the Shardworld! This is meant to be a purely "guiding" thread that lets players understand the game, it's not intended for discussion.
If you have questions, post in the "Game design & discussion thread" (link's at the bottom of this post), or send me a private message and I'll respond as soon as I can.

Below is an Index of the contents of this thread. Be sure to at least skip over the content.
If you are looking for a specific entry and don't want to scroll, you can use ctrl + f and enter the code in [brackets] in front of the respective entry to find it.

Before reading on, remember this:
The Shardworld's rules apply in addition to the site rules. If there is a clash, the site rules will always overrule the Shardworld's. Ideally this issue shouldn't come up, but if in doubt, you know what to do.

[V01] What is the Shardworld?

[V02] Rules

[V03] How to access the game

[V04] Locations & Points of Interest

[V05] Moves, Loot, Skills and Leveling

[V06] Bestiary

[V07] Currency, Crafting and Elder Shards

[V08] Raids

[V09] Lore and History of the Shardworld

[V10] NPCs

[V11] The Task System

[V12] Player vs Player

[V13] FAQ

Version 0.1 Closed Alpha will be opened once everything is set for a few players to come test the grounds!

Relevant Links:
www.shardworld.omni
Game design & discussion thread.

Todo List:
Complete existing sections
-Add mobile support for MDDs
-Add flavor items to be removed from the game (3D Printing? Analogizing?)

[Amaterasu]

What is the Shardworld?

The Shardworld is a virtual-reality game located within the Dataverse in the Omniverse. It is developed and taken care of by the Prime Aeris. Taking the form of an MMORPG, the Shardworld is a way for Primes to have fun without fear of dying or getting banished ingame, as well as to collect ideas for moves or to test out certain powers as they are emulated within the game (for instance, Flight). It is primarily designed to be a cooperative experience, but player-vs-player combat is possible under certain circumstances or if both players consent to it.

The Shardworld also functions as a home to many NPC Dataverse inhabitants that have no real home of their own. For the bargain price of allowing adventurers to "kill" them (which doesn't hurt them, and the game mechanic respawns them within a few minutes) they are given a home in the game's world which they cannot create themselves. Others have become inhabitants who go about their everyday lives in the towns and cities, providing a realistic experience.

The Shardworld is designed around allowing players to influence the game. While minor events such as completing tasks or even defeating a boss aren't noticeable, killing a major NPC such as a Shard's ruler will have a huge impact and will in fact allow the players to shape the story of the game. Sometimes a player-decided change may also be forced, like two factions duking it out and the player needing to decide who they'll aid.

A very important aspect of the Shardworld also are the so-called Elder Shards, unique items that provide the characters with great power if obtained and used. Most are in the possession of gods, but it is possible to kill their owners to obtain the Elder Shards. It is pretty much an ultimate goal for a player who wants to get somewhere in the Shardworld to obtain an Elder Shard. However, having one is similar to owning an Artifact in the Omniverse: it paints a big target over your head. But, more on that in the corresponding section.

[Amaterasu]

Rules

Yup, every game needs to have its rules. Please note that these are applied on top of the standart Omniverse rules! One doesn't exclude the other! When in doubt, the Omniverse rules overrule the Shardworld rules.

Know the game
Please at least peek at this thread before starting to play. You're not required to pass a test before you're allowed to join or know everything in every detail, but having a rough grasp on what the Shardworld is would be helpful.

Proper topic rules
If you make a new topic that takes place in the Shardworld, it must have the following:
-It must be named "(Shardworld) [Insert Thread title here]"
-The first post must have a quote containing a link to this topic at the top.

Have a template that you can stick at the top of your first post.

Code:

[quote][align=center]This thread takes place within the [b]Shardworld[/b] game. Special rules may apply.[/align]

[url=http://omniverse-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=3922&pid=46763#pid46763]Explanations and rules.[/url][/quote]

Why? Because this way people will be able to clearly tell that if they want to play with you they'll need to play by Shardworld rules, and you're giving them the thread link so they can quickly find it and read up on the rules as needed.

Keep to the game atmosphere
Outside of items and moves that you bring to the Shardworld yourself, follow the medieval high-fantasy theme if you're adding items, monsters etc. Modern and scifi-content is not allowed in most cases. There may be exceptions (such as a boss that comes from a future timeline or what have you). Tech that isn't really medieval fantasy but still sort-of fits - like say, steampunk, native-american, magitech or even victorian tech - is okay.

Separate the Dataverse and the Shardworld
Activity in the Shardworld will not earn you progress with the Dataverse-related factions, you can't fulfill any quests etc. It's important that you make the distinction.
NPCs will also not know a thing about the Omniverse or even just Dataverse. They will just share in-game information.

Be realistic with items
You can create your own loot fir your character. But, don't make us facepalm! A random cannon-fodder NPC won't drop a "Legendary Blade of the Apocalypse" upon dying, and you won't find it in a shop either. You may get it as a drop from a huge powerful boss, or by having an experienced blacksmith forge valuable materials together for you.

Make a character sheet
If you just want to peek at the Shardworld you don't really have to, but if you're getting serious about it, I recommend that you make a character sheet on your Roster. It should display your stats and you can track your loot in there.

Death works different here
Death functions like in an MMO. When you die a powerful healing mage can resurrect you on the spot or you can respawn at your chosen respawn point. These are player-chosen locations within a town or city where they will reappear, or if they are in a raid, at the start of that raid. Your respawn timer is ~10 seconds ingame time. Your virtual death has no negative impact on your player character or your Prime, outside of making them run all the way back to where they were. The exception is if your character carries loot which is dropped on death (see below for more info on this)

Omnilium summoning/extraction does not work in the Shardworld
You may not summon or extract Omnilium anywhere inside the Shardworld! This includes summoning Secondaries and Consumables and extracting Omnilium from anyone or anything in the Shardworld including the items that you have brought.

[Amaterasu]

How to access the game

The Shardworld game is located within the Dataverse, thus it's not quite as easy to access it to play. Here's what you need:
An accessway to the Dataverse
Either a base having a VR or Uplink terminal to access the Dataverse with, or you can use the public terminals in Coruscant.

A Communicator
If you obtain an Elder Shard it is mandatory that you have a Communicator, as you can be challenged for it and people must have a way to reach you. If you don't have an Elder Shard, it's still recommended to have a Communicator so you can contact your pals and set up dungeon raids and the like.

Once you're in the Dataverse
You must find the Shardworld, either by luck or with the right address which can be found on the Dataverse Messageboards. The Shardworld is located far away from File Island and the other points of interest of the Dataverse, as it is a large construct with its own set of rules within the rules, and Aeris doesn't want it to interfere with the rest of the Dataverse. It can be accessed from the Information Highway like most other locations in the Dataverse.

You have arrived!
Good. Now, the Shardworld takes the shape of a huge construct which is closed in by a massive glass dome. It can be viewed from outside, but the only way in or out are special doors at the bottom of said dome, which are clearly pointed to by pathways. If your character traverses that door their body is put into stasis and teleported to a safe location until you recover it, whilst their mind is transferred to the player character. The Shardworld automatically saves where you "logged out" so you will reappear there. If it's your first time, on to the Introduction Island Shard you go!
Leaving can be done by logging out of the game, which is accomplished by thinking clearly of "Log out". Mindreading magic, you could say. Your character's body is removed from stasis, joined up with your mind, and you find yourself a couple steps away from the door you entered through.

[Amaterasu]

Locations & Points of Interest

The funny thing about the Shardworld is that it has no true map. Or well, no conventional map. There are special maps which constantly need to be rearranged, sort of like a solar system representation, making them rather unpractical to carry around if they're not magitech powered. This is because the Shards that compose the Shardworld are in constant movement, rearranging themselves, orbiting each other or disappearing for long times before reappearing out of nowhere.

The means of orienting oneself are either these very expensive "World maps" as well as the much cheaper "Shard maps" which represent a single Shard only (what is on a Shard is fairly stable, so for instance a cit built entirely on a single shard won't rearrange itself) and the Shard-compasses, which point to a specific Shard at all times and are for instance very popular on airships that transport passengers from one Shard to another.

It is silently agreed on that the biggest Shard, the Central Shard, is the "center" of the Shardworld. It is one of the few stationary and stable Shards and is open to most people so long as they don't cause any trouble. Typically a World Map displays the position of other Shards in relation to the Central Shard.

As a rule of thumb, Shards further away from the Central Shard are more unstable, they move around faster and collide or disappear more frequently. However there have been recorded events of Shards appearing very closely to the Central Shard and disappearing again or flying around much quicker than others, and some Shards, despite being very far away from the Central Shard, are very stable. The further away a Shard is located from the Central Shard, the more likely it is to be considered dangerous, because there are fewer soldiers to control it, if any. Many Shards that appear out of nowhere also tend to have all types of strange, warped beings on them, said to be corrupted by the chaotic energies that plague the place that the Shard has been to when disappearing, making things even harder for adventurers - and more rewarding.

WORK IN PROGRESS!
There'll be a lot more to come here.

Means of traveling between Shards[spoiler]Teleportation A simple way that's accessible to everyone. Similarly to a Recall Station for an Omniverse base, it requires several minutes of remaining stationary while casting a conjuration to teleport oneself to a Shard which has a teleportation Nexus. Most big Shards have a teleportation Nexus which you must first have seen personally to be able to teleport to it, and not all Nexi will be available at all times - for instance if you are a member of a faction that opposes another faction, that other faction won't allow you to teleport to their Nexus. Many locations disable teleportation.
Teleportation Nexi are essentially big circular spaces to which you teleport. They are fixed in place.

Portals & Wormholes Portals are "stable" wormholes, essentially: direct links from one to another location, typically two-way, just like the Omniverse portals. The wormholes on the other hand are unstable and may collapse within seconds of coming into existence, or after weeks. They are much more random than portals because you never know where they'll appear and where they lead to. Wormholes can also be conjured up by characters and are essentially teleportation for multiple individuals, but cost energy to upkeep and can only be created at the character's location, though they can lead anywhere. Quite useful for taking your allies to the front lines or something.

Airships The major shards all offer blimps, flying ships and other means of traversing the void between Shards in a conventional way, for a small fee. Until you unlock Teleportation Nexi this is the safest way of getting around. Plus, there are some rogue ships which, for a little extra coin, won't bother to check if you really are "friendly" towards that faction whose Shard you're traveling to. They're a relatively slow way to get around, but much more panoramic.

Flight After acquiring wings from a certain raid or by having the Flight Power in the Omniverse, characters are able to move between the Shards that way. Unlike within the Omniverse flight BETWEEN Shards (not within one) doesn't consume power, so you won't end up plumetting into the eternal void because you run out of stamina.[/spoiler]

Notable Shards:

(Note that the "Level" displayed next to the name is a recommendation for the adventurer's level, but not obligatory)

The Central Shard - Level 0
[spoiler]The Central Shard is, as its name implies, the very center of the Shardworld. It’s one of the largest Shards and the only one to be truly immobile and always present, and as such forms the central point of reference of the World maps and is an important meeting point for its inhabitants. In its central plaza is where, according to legend, the God of Order unleashed the Reality Shatter, and is marked with the Shardstone’s imprint.


Due to being a neutral place, almost everyone is accepted her no matter their affiliation - although publicly displaying your allegiance to a specific faction or attempting to recruit followers is frowned upon and even illegal in certain areas. The Godless and the remaining followers of the Order religion rule this Shard with a regularly voted council and are enforcing its laws with well-equipped soldiers that use powerful magitech weapons to keep the order as necessary.

Locations in the Central Shard:

Sei’An City: The capital city of the Godless, and non-official capital of the entire Shardworld, Sei’An City is an enormous city spanning around half of the Central Shard, all by itself. Its enormous population means that the city is divided into a number of districts to keep order.
Sei’An city is one of the most modern areas of the Shardworld: the buildings have a late-medieval feel to them and are often built and enforced with magic - for instance, to keep the wood that composes most of the buildings from catching on fire. The ease of access to magitechnology means that the city prospers quite well.

-The Docks: Here Airships to other Shards land and take off, transporting travelers to various Shards. It's regularly guarded in case of attacks, and patrols may verify the legitimacy of the Airships as they land.

-Teleportation Nexus: For those with a little more coin to spare, the Teleportation Nexus allows for instant and safe travel to many Shards. The Nexus is highly secured by a Godless force, keeping intruders from invading the city or escaping it using the portals and ensuring that nobody sneaks by and uses them without paying.

-Market District: Besides shops for everything from simple cooking ingredients to relics of power and transmogrificators, the Market District offers an auction house here that allows them to sell just about every item in the game - or buy it from others.

-Blue Sun Inn: The Blue Sun Inn is somewhat of an odd place. Why? Because there’s only one Blue Sun Inn, but a dozen entrances, scattered throughout all of Sei’An City - all leading to the same place. This is believed to be the doing of the innkeeper, Harry, who is much more powerful than his unseeming appearance suggests. Giving out cheap drinks and rooms to people, the inn has become somewhat of a meeting point for all sorts of individuals.

-Housing District: This is where the vast majority of the Sei’An City residents live. Adventurers can buy a place to live here.

-Fortified District: This is the inner circle of Sei’An City. Access to the Fortified District is heavily controlled and patrols of well-equipped soldiers ensure that everyone stays safe. The central Plaza with the imprint of the Shardstone can also be found here. The district is heavily fortified and extremely hard to take by an invading force.

-The Castle: The heart of the Fortified District and of all of Sei’An City: the Castle, an impenetrable bastion and headquarters of the Godless. From here the Council rules over the Godless-owned Shards, speaks justice and, if necessary, places evildoers into the dungeons below. With magitech operated security, elite guardsmen and near-impenetrable walls the Castle can be considered to be one of the, if not the, most secure place in the Shardworld.


Farm Islands: In order to feed the gaping maw that is Sei’An city and its numerous inhabitants the Central Shard has a number of so-called Farm Islands connected to it via Reality Chains. While not physically part of the Central Shard they are counted as such simply because they are very close and never drift away from it, essentially making them extensions to the main Shard.
As the name implies the Farm Islands are large facilities where produce is grown and animals are raised to supply the Central Shard. Using magitech devices production is sped up, much to the disgust of some skeptic customers, but accepted as it’s the only way to supply such a big city with sufficient quantities.[/spoiler]

Easy Shards

Pixie Forest - Level 0[spoiler]
A Shard flying near the Central Shard which never strays very far. As a result its wildlife is mostly kept in check by the authorities, and is a very popular place for adventurers starting out on their journey. Most won’t die here unless they run into the roaming wolf packs. Pixie Forest is called this way because at night a number of pixie monsters can be spotted there. Perceptive characters are able to see the pixies directly, others will “only” see the light that they emit like large fireflies.

Locations in Pixie Forest:

Moranda City: Moranda City is located in the forest area of Pixie Forest. While little more than a town, it’s called this way as it is the only actual settlement on the Shard. There’s a number of tree houses linked to each other with cat walks and latters, though good climbers can also just climb the trees. The Shopkeepers here sell fruit and other natural harvest, which is great for beginner cooks who want to work with simple ingredients. The forest floor is pretty clear of bushes and shrubbery as paths have been made. Its inhabitants are simple people, though a few wood elves and avian beings have also made their homes here.

Forest Area: The growth of trees and foliage makes this area rather difficult to traverse unless someone uses beaten paths. These are marked by everlit lanterns and relatively safe to cross, whilst the deeper forest is more haunted with wildlife.

River Area: A river runs through the middle of the shard, splitting it in two. There are several small waterfalls, one of which has created a massive lake. The river is a favored spot for wildlife and Pixies to gather at night. The water just disappears into the void upon falling off the edge of the Shard. Why the river never runs out of water is an unsolved mystery. Perhaps the water returns to the Shard from the Void?

Lake Area: A massive lake created by a waterfall, near the center of the Shard. It holds a small island in the center that can be accessed with bridges. It’s a nice place to relax, but the villagers of Moranda City warn about the waters being dangerous. While no reports of people actually dying there or going missing exist, folks believe that something lurks in the waters. But nobody could say exactly what.

Research Outpost: Near the forest adventurers may come across a small research outpost, located near the edge of the Shard. It is protected entirely from wildlife using force fields. A few researchers there will give out tasks, usually consisting in assisting their research by collecting samples.
[/spoiler]


Asanda Town Shard - Level 1
[spoiler]
The Asanda Town Shard is a small Shard hovering not too far from the Central Shard. Due to the rarity of hostile creatures and the beautiful landscape it’s a popular place for players to buy their first home.

Asanda Town takes the shape of a medieval village with wooden and a few stone huts, covering about 30% of the Shard. The other 70% are fields and ranches that supply Asanda town with food. Being built rather chaotic means that it’s not very easy to get around the streets with a carriage and it’s possible to get lost. As the town is not very big though people generally don’t stay lost for very long.

Locations in Asanda Town

Asanda Town: Docks/Beach: The docks are located along one edge of the Shard, and actually include a sunny beach - except that there is no water. Instead a rock formation keeps the sand and people from falling off the edge into the void. This makes the beach a popular place to relax and enjoy some time off from monster slaying. A few ships also depart from here at regular intervals, offering transport from and to the Central Shard as well as to any moving Shards that may fly by.


Asanda Town: Town Center: The Town Center has a large fountain with many merchant stalls all over the place, buying and selling all sorts of goodies. Most of these are basic supplies though, and can be found cheaper in Sei’An City.


Asanda Town: Housing District: Here’s where people have their homes. The houses are affordably cheap and cozy, making for great places to start out from. The location isn’t very good because it means that one must first travel to Sei’An City and then teleport to their destination most of the time, but of course housing in Sei’An City is much more expensive as well.


Asanda Town: The Fields: Everything that isn’t part of the town on the Asanda Town Shard is part of the fields. Large grain fields, fruit orchards and a few greenhouses mark the place, with the occasional farmhouse thrown in there. The worst mob players may encounter here are oversized beetles which cause some troubles for the farmers but can be dispatched easily.[/spoiler]

Medium Shards

Labyrinthian Shard - Level 4
[spoiler]
The Labyrinthian an enormous multilevel maze spanning the entire Shard. How people live on it is kind of unclear, but there are a handful of settlements constructed in the topmost levels of the Shard, where the labyrinth walls lead into the open sky. All traffic is done through the sky to pass over the labyrinth, though the experienced travelers find their way through the labyrinth as well.
Beneath the topmost level are numerous more, each with vast labyrinths in which an unsuspecting traveler can easily lose their way and die of starvation. For those well equipped to go down there are treasures to find and bring back up however. The deeper one ventures into the maze the more likely they are to find what they seek.
The Labyrinthian holds no monsters.


Locations in Labyrinthian:


Sector 1-9-14: The largest settlement in the labyrinth. Note that the numbers of each sector represent a grid by which the labyrinth is categorized, sorted by: Depth-North/South-West/East. This applies to all existing settlements in Labyrinthian.
This slowly expanding city tears down the stone walls of the labyrinth and uses them to build new houses, it has shops with necessities such as solid thread to roll out if you venture into the labyrinth and maps of the explored areas as well as supplies and the occasional guided tour.

Sector 1-7-3: The other notable settlement besides Sector 1-9-14. They are known for the largest “descent”, a staircase leading from the first floor downwards, to a relatively well explored and mapped area. They also send out scouts with small helicopter-like machines that search the first floor for lost adventurers and save them. Guards are fairly lax around here and often neglect to warn people about descending into Labyrinthian.[/spoiler]

Volcanium Shard - Level 5
[spoiler]
The Volcanium Shard is a relatively small Shard composed of a volcano in constant state of eruption, and a safe "ring" along the edge where adventurers can land to explore the Shard. This ring is only about 10 meters thick, beyond that the Shard becomes dangerous.

This Shard is a little different from others in that adventurers have no monsters to fight. All that they must brave are the Shard's environment. It thus serves as an introduction to dangerous environments for medium-level adventurers. Those who wish to mine the valuable ores and search the caverns and summits for loot must be wary of the evershifting rivers of molten rock that block certain areas, lightning bolts and chunks of brimstone dropping from the sky and occasional ash and mud avalanches drowning wide areas every so often.
[/spoiler]

Cryopolis Shard- Level 5
[spoiler]
It is believed to be the "counterpart" to the Volcanium Shard. Its name is based on the abandoned city that dominates the center of the Shard.
A mixture of taiga, tundra and frozen area, this Shard is reminiscent of the Frozen Fields. People who come here must not only fight monsters but also the cold temperatures, the winds, snowfall, avalanches and thin ice.

The Shard's central area is made out of a snowed and frozen-over metropolis which looks like a 21st century city whose inhabitants all vanished some day. While modern things are present (cars, street signs, architecture) it is mostly decoration that cannot be manipulated. The city is overrun by looters and frost-resistant animals like wolves, and has numerous stashes of loot that daring adventurers can retrieve.
[/spoiler]

Hard Shards

Phantom Graveyard Shard - Level 9
[spoiler]
The Phantom Graveyard is an are that was hit particularly hard by the Reality Shatter. It takes the shape of a ghostly purple chunk drifting through reality, with a thick mist covering its surface. A dead forest and several abandoned wooden houses cover the surface. The fog, while not lethal, causes occasional dizziness and hallucinations to those weak of mind. Many have fallen off the Shard because they lost orientation.

The Shard has two major dangers: its inhabitants and daytime. During nighttime the surface is infested with ethereal monsters, restless spirits whose souls could not move on to the afterlife. They suck the lifeforce out of all living beings that come onto their Shard and touching one transfers some of the pain of their sudden death and their desasperation at being unable to move on to the other person, possibly crippling them as they are forced to go through the other's memories.

What is even worse however is that the Shard has an illusionary sun and moon flying in a circle around them. Every 24 hours, at dusk (8PM), the moon rises and the spirits emerge. At dawn (8AM) the sun rises and the entire island becomes ethereal until sunset, meaning that any adventurers currently on the Shard will fall through the ground and into the endless chasm below. Adventurers wishing to go there should try to reach the island as early into the night as possible to not be caught offguard.
[/spoiler]

Chaos Expanse Shard - Level 13
[spoiler]
Currently the most dangerous Shard of the Shardworld, the Chaos Expanse Shard is a true test of one's abilities, putting them against the most dangerous monsters and the greatest environmental hazards. The monsters are mostly "Chaos beasts" which look like black and red versions of existing monsters of other Shards, but with randomized stats. In other words one might find themselves against two monsters that look alike but one of which has very high defensive stats and the other very high offensive ones. Furthermore they are incredibly powerful: even characters at the required level may struggle if faced with more than one enemy at a time.

As if that was insufficient, the landscape itself seems to be set to destroy any invading elements. The Shard looks like a snowed plain offering little in the way of protection save for occasional rocks, and is almost constantly covered with snowstorms or thick mist that reduce the vision range of adventurers to ~50 meters. What's worse is that destructive bolts of blue lightning randomly strike from the sky at irregular intervals, and in rare cases small meteors drop as well, inflicting great damage or outright killing adventurers. They are hard to see coming due to the mist. The ground may also burst open without prior warning, creating deep chasms or spewing out lava or hot steam. The monsters of the Chaos Expanse are strangely immune to these environmental effects, making them dangerous only to adventurers.

And as a cherry on the cake, the world boss Chaos Phantom Dragon roams the landscape unpredictably. This boss is next to undefeatable even by a party of prepared adventurers, much less one or two unsuspecting individuals. The Chaos Phantom Dragon's deadly jaws and Chaos Breath have claimed many heroes' lives already.

Those brave or foolhardy enough to explore the Shard are awarded with some of the rarest loot found anywhere on the Shardworld, as well as bragging rights rewards.
[/spoiler]

[Amaterasu]

Moves, Loot, Skills and Leveling

When you play the Shardworld you have three sources of moves and powers: purchased items, loot and permanent rewards.

Purchased items are anything you spent OM on: Powers, Proficiencies, Moves, Power-Ups etc. These are brought along to the Shardworld and cannot be lost. Your Shardworld character can use regularly.

Permanent rewards are awarded to you typically on quests, and are moves or powers that can only be used in the Shardworld unless you buy that move or power with OM as well.

Loot is a special system presented in the Shardworld. If you find an item dropped from an enemy or in a loot stash, that is loot. It's a move that you can use without having purchased it, in the Shardworld only. If your character dies however, they drop all their loot which can then be picked up by other players. Loot can however be turned into Purchased items by buying that move with OM.
You can have a maximum of three Loot pieces on you at any given time. You will have to discard or purchase a Loot piece to free up space for more.

Skills!

There's a huge number of skills which each have a different advantage to being trained. Most aren't directly useful for combat but as a golden rule, you can never have too many skills trained.
Skills are trained, a level is permanent once it is gained, going from 1 to 50. You train skills by using them or training them. Generally speaking, starting out will be easy, but the higher you get the harder it will be to become skillful. Players can decide if their skill levels up from doing a certain activity, but you're expected to keep it somewhat realistic - pitching half a dozen tents won't give you legendary camping skills.

As RP Fodder, your character may start to "inherit" skills from their character, as the Shardworld is rather realistic. It will only make a "mental" difference, not condition your body to become stronger or faster, but you may find that after playing for a long time you're able to make a campfire more easily, or your fingers seem swifter at pulling a coin from someone's pocket.

More skills may be added eventually.

Athletics[spoiler]These are most useful for rogues but you can never go wrong with it. It allows characters to navigate difficult terrain, surpass obstacles and trains their muscles to achieve greater non-combat feats. For instance, a trained athlete could climb onto a large mob's back and strike at their neck without being flung off.[/spoiler]
Blacksmithing[spoiler]The forge is your home. A trained blacksmith can forge masterwork out of metal and jewels, creating amazing crafts which can rival even that which you find on high-level bosses. Blacksmithing allows you to craft everything a forge and anvil are required for, including weapons, armor, jewelry, decorations... Note that weapons created this way are considered Loot unless you buy it as a move.[/spoiler]
Camping[spoiler]Particularly useful for those not too fond of cities or who have to spend a lot of time outside. A good camper can build up complicated tents, lays out an encampment in the most beneficial way, uses the surrounding resources to their advantage... camping also includes making a fire, surveying the area for fitting spots etc.[/spoiler]
Cooking & Brewing[spoiler]Delicious, delicious foods! A skilled chef will burn less food when cooking it, use advanced recipes, conserve their prepared meals longer before they rot, their meals will be more delicious and restore health or boost stats. This skill also includes brewing which is both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
A good cook also knows the other side of the medal and is able to craft lethal non-magic poisons, however.[/spoiler]
Craftsmanship[spoiler]Non-smithing crafting goes here. This can also be used in tandem with smithing-related skills, such as inscribing and decorating your weapons, making bonetooth jewelry, taxidermising animals, sewing...[/spoiler]
Fishing[spoiler]Along with Hunting and Wayfarer, this skill is useful for not starving in the wilds. A good fisherman can fish anytime, everywhere, using elaborate and complicated fishing devices such as depth charges instead of hooks, and gains a damage bonus against aquatic mobs.[/spoiler]
Hunting[spoiler]Very useful to slay the beasts of the wild, and/or avoid going hungry. Setting traps, retracing tracks, catching elusive animals... a good hunter knows their tricks inside out. They also get a damage bonus against land-dwelling mobs.[/spoiler]
Leadership[spoiler]Being a leader ain't easy! Leading your adventurer group through a successful raid, strategizing, instructing and explaining are all parts of this skill. Being a good leader will make NPC workers work more efficiently, your inspiration will be passed to them, they will fight for you because they know you will lead them to victory.
Perks include enemies giving up or betraying their allies to fight for you, buffs becoming more effective, being able to lead NPC groups etc.[/spoiler]
Mining[spoiler]Finding and properly mining out precious metals and gems becomes easier with this skill. Finding weak spots on tough surfaces becomes easier. You'll learn to use explosives without exploding yourself. Generally useful in tandem with Blacksmithing skills.[/spoiler]
Thievery[spoiler]Sneaking, picking pockets, opening locks... it's not the most honest work, but who cares about that when it fills your pockets? And of course it helps when that grand loot chest appears to be locked and you don't want to smash it open. Training this skill will let you open doors and chests silently, sneak right behind unaware foes, empty someone's pockets or even steal their weapon in the middle of combat.[/spoiler]
Wayfarer[spoiler]It's a very useful skill to have in conjunction with camping, Fishing and Hunting. A skilled wayfarer finds herbs and roots, they can tell whether a mushroom is poisonous or edible, how one can avoid angering the local wildlife and so on. In addition, they are better at analyzing their opponents to fill out their bestiary or find weak spots on the fly. In short, everyone who lives away from the cities likes a good wayfarer with them.[/spoiler]
Woodworking[spoiler]Cutting trees down and fashioning them into useful objects is a woodworker's job. It doesn't go as far as to replace craftsmanship, but for instance they'll be able to operate a sawmill reliably, create planks, dry out wood for firemaking and so on. It's also useful for making arrow shafts which a fletcher can then fashion into a full arrow.[/spoiler]

Levels

Because all MMORPGs need levels. These are a measurement of your character's power, which is mostly useful when determining what content you could be accessing or should hold off on. Note that your Shardworld level is not the same as your Omniverse level.

Levels are determined by your character's purchases, by the following calculation:

-Each character starts at level 0.

-Each stat-up purchase adds 2 levels.

-Having at least one T1 Super Move of any sort adds 1 level. Having T2 Super Moves adds 2 levels, and having T3 Super Moves adds 4 levels. Multiple Super Moves of the same tier do not add multiple levels.

-Having at least one T1 Power-Up or Power-Up Form adds 2 levels. T2 Power-Ups/-Forms add 4 levels. T3 Power-Ups/-Forms add 8 levels. As for Super Moves, multiple Power-Ups of the same tier do not add multiple levels.

The highest level any character can have (without counting beyond 10 stat-ups) is thus 31 (10 + 1 + 2 + 4 + 2 + 4 + 8).

[Amaterasu]

Bestiary

Placeholder for now.
This is/will be a list of animals, critters, beasts, monsters, demons and whatever odd beings might navigate the Shardworld. (Mini-)Bosses and beasts specific to a single Shard or two (such as followers of a certain god) are not listed here, instead they will come under that specific Shard.

Bandit[spoiler]Most Shards have them. Often times they are unfortunate people who had to step outside the law to support themselves and their families, others do it for riches and enjoyment.
Bandits can be cutthroats that are best skilled with a knife, or snipers that use the bow to great skill.[/spoiler]
Bear[spoiler]A bear is a beast like no other. They are big, deceptively fast for their size, they have thick hides and lots of meat, and with their mighty claws and muscular bodies they can swipe even seasoned hunters off their feet. Hunting down a bear is an impressive feat and a source of lots of meat and a warm hide.
Bears are relatively rare and usually encountered in mountaineous cool climates.[/spoiler]
Boar[spoiler]While they are a source of delicious meat, they should not be taken lightly. Especially protective parents can make quick and painful work of unprepared adventurers with their tusks. Boars can be encountered in most temperate, non-civilized shards, especially in forested areas.[/spoiler]
Crab[spoiler]Most beaches have them, but the really big crabs are what's dangerous: with claws able to match the strength of a human arm and a tough carapace they can be dangerous foes.[/spoiler]
Demon[spoiler]There's several types of demons, mostly the Imps which are petty demons and the Lesser/Greater Demons. Demons are often familiars to a skilled summoner and require some skill to maintain, though others serve certain gods as well.
Imps are the weakest demons and ill-suited for battle even with a weapon. They are the size of three stacked apples.
Lesser Demons are a whole new level, they are bigger than humans and even bare-handed pose a great threat. Some have wings or can use magic.
Greater Demons tend to be Bosses at lower levels and Mini-Bosses at high levels. They are brutal beasts proficient in melee and magic combat which are feared by wildlife and adventurers alike. It is said though that if someone were to discover a demon's true name somehow they would be able to subdue that demon simply by pronouncing it.[/spoiler]
Dire Wolf[spoiler]The staple monster of every D&D campaign, a dire wolf is what happens when you are confronted by a pack of wolves and ask: "Could this get any worse?" They are big as a horse, usually with dark fur and more dangerous than a dozen wolves by themselves. Often times they are the alphas of packs of normal wolves.[/spoiler]
Elemental Slime[spoiler]Slimes are known for their tenaciousness and their ability to adapt to any given environment.[/spoiler]
Pixie[spoiler]Pixies live almost exclusively in Pixie Forest, though some may stray from the Shard and explore others. They are small fairy-like beings with a tendency for mishief (they like to steal shiny things) and deceptively strong for such small sizes - a Pixie can lift as much as a shortsword or a rock. They're not aggressive though unless attacked.[/spoiler]
Skeleton[spoiler]They can be encountered in the same places as the skeletons, pretty much. Skeletons are relatively fast, make no noise, feel no pain and are relatively durable, especially if the bones are fresh. Depending on the skill of the necromancer that animated them they may wield weapons and even recompose themselves after being destroyed, making the only viable method of killing them to grind their bones - though killing the necromancer is also a good option.[/spoiler]
Slime[spoiler](Basic, Elemental, Biome-Specific (like "Forest Slime" or "Tundra Slime").
They're kind of everywhere, really. Slimes come in various sizes which dictates their strength, some also are elemental and for instance on fire or covered in electric energy. Generally, even big slimes don't pose a threat to most adventurers, especially if dealt with correctly.[/spoiler]
Tree Ent[spoiler]They look like big trees, and live among the big trees. In short, a not-so perceptive adventurer may walk through a copse of Tree Ents without ever realizing it.
Luckily Ents are slow and peaceful beings, protectors of the forest. If you deforestate an area systematically, then yes - do expect them to get angry at you. They are very capable fighters, dishing out enormously powerful melee strikes and throwing whatever item is nearby at their foes.[/spoiler]
Vampire[spoiler]Vampires are indistinguishable from humans, elves, dwarves or whatever race they are, except for their behavior. They are immortal and very powerful beings of the night who can survive for aeons without any food or drink, although if they get no blood for a while they lose strength and become less humanlike.
Vampire blood transmits their condition, thus drinking one's blood, even if it's mixed with water, can transform someone.

While vampires are predators of the night, they are a prime target to Paladins and Nighthunters, which purge the world of their presence. These groups have figured out many ways to slay a vampire:

-Holy magic, holy water, blessed crucifixes or other blessed religious icons. Vampires are especially vulnerable to holy magic, but chucking a bottle of holy water in their faces or coating one's weapons with it is also an effective way to deal with them. Religious icons must have been blessed by a priest or similar in order to ward them off, and are not as effective as offensive weaponry.

-Sunlight burns vampires, causing them to emit a thin white smoke from their skin surface. While it doesn't kill them it blinds them much more than regular humans and reveals them easily.

-Garlic has a limited effect on them. Its smell causes severe headaches, but can be avoided simply by covering up their nose.

-Werewolf blood will kill a vampire if it is ingested as it's poisonous (including if a vampire bites a werewolf to feed from them). The other way around, vampire blood will kill a werewolf as well.

-Wooden stakes are a perfect way to instantly slay a dormant vampire, or one that's held down by other means. By driving a wooden stake through their heart with a hammer they die immediately. However it takes great sneaking skill to get up to a dormant vampire and apply this method.[/spoiler]
Werepyre[spoiler]These are extremely rare and extremely powerful. A werepyre is an individual that was bitten by a vampire AFTER being bitten by a werewolf before they could turn into one themselves. The only way to do this is if a vampire bites the individual within ca. one hour of the werewolf doing so. A werepyre enjoys the advantages of a vampire without needing to feed on blood (however, they can) and of a werewolf to a greater extent: they can transform at any point during the night, not just during full moon.

Werepyres obsessed with power can further grow by selectively drinking the blood of a single species only. Around 700 litres of blood are required before the werepyre will acquire that species' features to their Werepyre transformation, becoming a [Species name here] Werepyre - for instance, an Ursine Werepyre or a Draconic Werepyre. They are arguably the most feared creatures of the night.

Werepyres share the weaknesses of vampires and werewolves: they are vulnerable to holy magic, sunlight, holy water, stakes, religious symbols, silver and cannot endure the smell of garlic. They are not vulnerable to vampire or werewolf blood, however.[/spoiler]
Werewolf[spoiler]Werewolves are the archenemies of vampires and predators of the night: they are individuals cursed with "Lycantrophy", who transform at full moon during the night. They are bipedal wolves with brutal physical strength and speed as well as great defense. When transforming they heal any damages they may have sustained, including even severed limbs or missing eyes. If they bite a human or wolf while transformed, they transmit their condition, turning them into werewolves too.
Were-animals also exist, however they are merely more ferocious and dangerous during a full moon and do not transmit Lycantrophy. They are the result of a werewolf biting them.

Werewolves are especially vulnerable to silver weapons, even the touch of silver burns them and causes a lot of pain. Vampire blood kills them within seconds of ingesting it. Werewolves are also "only" as strong as their non-werewolf selves until a full moon comes up, but remain vulnerable to the above items at all times even when not transformed.[/spoiler]
Wolf[spoiler]Encountered in most non-civilized Shards, especially cool or cold-climate ones. Wolves are particularly dangerous when encountered in packs - and they travel in packs. Though not very aggressive, if they feel threatened they can quickly turn.
Dire wolves are much bigger and much more dangerous. Sometimes they can be pack leaders or even have their own pack.[/spoiler]
Wyvern[spoiler]They're kind of like big bats. Coming with a tail, wing-arms and sharp talons they are known for swooping down and taking off with some livestock in their clutches to bring back to their roost. Fighting one is generally risky.[/spoiler]
Zombie[spoiler]The Unliving. Zombies are encountered in evil areas where necromantic powers are at work, usually in the ruins of old cities and towns - especially around graveyards. They are rather slow, half-rotten and groan audibly so they are not too challenging by themselves - which rapidly changes if confronting several of them at once. Zombies rarely go by alone and their groans attract other zombies. Because they are undead they feel no pain, the only way of really disposing of them is destroying their brain.
Zombies also are rotting and thus carry all sorts of diseases in their bodies. Their preferred method of attacking is biting, so it's important to avoid letting them grab you.
In some cases zombies can have elemental effects to them or wield weapons that they used before dying.[/spoiler]

Unfinished
Elemental Slime - Water, Earth
Guard
Imp
Lesser Demon
Oversized Critter - Rat, Spider, Snail
Pixy
Rogue Elf - Warrior, Archer, Arcanist
Shark
Skeleton
Slime
Tree Ent
Wizard
Wolf
Wyvern

[Amaterasu]

Currency, Crafting and Elder Shards

This is neither a list of all existing items in the game (as that list would easily reach the hundreds and thousands mark) nor detail about what each mob drops or where X item can be found. Moreso than that it will explain the archetypes, so that your character may find/craft the right items.

Currency
OM! The Shardworld's payment system is unique in that currency earned by playing the game (drops from enemies, selling items etc.) is given directly to your character, and you can pay using "real-world" Omnilium to purchase moves and Powers which will be available to you both in the Shardworld and the real world.

Crafting Materials
Materials can be found all over the Shardworld, some are more exotic and rare than others but they are always useful. They can be used to craft equipment or consumables.
Metals, obtained by mining, are typically used by Blacksmiths and can be used to craft weapons.
Ingredients including meat (from Hunting), fish (from Fishing), herbs (from Wayfarer) and farmed goods are used by cooks and brewers to make delicious meals - or deadly poisons. They can also make healing potions.
Components are very varied, ranging from leather and scales to gems, cloth and bones. They are used by Arcanists and mages to create spellscrolls (single-use spells) and spellbooks (Loot that lets you cast a spell repeatedly).
Wood is obtained from woodcutting (Woodworker) and can be used as a Component.

Consumables
Things that are not equippable and have a limited number of uses go here. This includes health potions, food and drinks, limited-charge spellscrolls, throwables... things along those lines.

Housing
Housing essentially gives you a simple home, a center of operations. Don't confuse it with an Omniverse base! Here's what a Shardworld house is, and why it's different:

-Shardworld houses are not bought like a base. The cost you pay for buying one is hand-waived.

-Shardworld houses are fully customizable plots of land located on any Shard. They can not be broken into. However if the person inside has an Elder Shard on them you may force them out via a challenge. A Shardworld house is only your safe haven otherwise. You can refuse a fight, but will forfeit your Elder Shard.

-You may add generic NPCs, Merchants, Witch-Doctors, Bankers and one Skill Trainer to populate your plot. Be realistic and don't put hundreds of villagers into a tiny plot.

-Fruit orchards, fishing ponds, crops, barns, iron mines, mana collectors and other material-providing stations are allowed, but they would only supplement, not replace hunting for materials out in the world. They provide only common and semi-common materials, nothing too rare.

-Shards will have rules on architecture if you build there. Building anything lewd, with offensive paintings or writing on its surface, or something that goes heavily against the neighbourhood buildings (like say, building a skyscraper in the middle of medieval huts) will result in the authorities tearing your building down and possibly kicking you out.

-Portals, teleport-pads, minecarts and any other means of fast-traveling from and to your house, especially if it allows you to sneak by an ambush or run away from a challenger, are not allowed.

Miscellaneous
Everything that doesn't fit into the other categories goes here. It can be flavour items (random tools, wooden sticks, cutlery, trophies...) or items designed for other uses than the above (such as a taxidermised animal ready to be placed in your home).

Elder Shards

Elder Shards are the artifacts of the Shardworld. Currently they only provide bragging rights, however they will have further functions later on.

Players can challenge other players for Elder Shards and retrieve them from them if they win the fight, unless the owner stores the Elder Shard in a Base Vault where it can be stolen. Elder Shards must be carried on a person at all times, both in the Omniverse and in the Shardworld, if not deposited in a Vault.

[Amaterasu]

Raids

The adventures on the Shards, completing Tasks for people, defeating monsters and all that... that's just the preparation for instances, or as they are also called, raids. These are the test to an adventurer's ability, their strategy, memory, reflexes... and most importantly, teamwork.

Lore-wise, a raid is a location somewhere on a Shard, or an entire Shard itself, where some sort of task is to be completed. This might be as simple as driving back an invading force or cleaning out a nobleman's cellar that's infested with mutated mega-rats... or it could be an adventure of epic proportions and taking many ingame days, where entire strongholds must be sieged, breached and seized, or a titanic beast must be vanquished.

Raids are repeatable content designed for a party of adventurers, though a single person can try their hand at it too (which is relatively likely to result in failing). Most Raids have at least one major boss and requirements for completion (not word-length requirements or such, but ingame things like "find the key to this door"). They offer substantial rewards for adventurers who are able to make their way through.

How to play a Raid:

Easy/Medium/Hard is a basic indicator to how hard you should expect the raid to go. Being of high level will make things easier, having a group of adventurers to accompany you also helps (and is in many cases recommended).
[spoiler]Easy raids can be completed by a single person without any preparation, or of level 1-2. Playing it with more than the minimum amount makes things easy.
Medium raids are anywhere between level 3 and 7, but they may need to withdraw every so often and use proper strategy. A good party will encounter some obstacles but can overall handle it.
Hard raids should not be attempted with fewer than the minimum number of characters and even then are highly difficult - level 8+ is recommended. With the max number of players it would be feasible with relatively little trouble.[/spoiler]The number of players is the minimum recommended and the maximum allowed. For instance, a 5-10 player raid can be accessed with 1 person but would be much harder. You can go in with up to 10 people, and going in with 5 of a proper level is recommended.

The level is an indicator of how high-level all participants should be at least - not their total level, but each individual's level!

During a raid each player must write at least one post outside of boss fights - it's advised that you arrange turns or something. There are no minimum or maximum post lengths but try to not make a two-line post which contributes next to nothing, or on the other hand write four pages worth of text that leaves your friends with little breathing room for their own posts.
When encountering a boss each player must make at least one post as part of the fight, for each of the boss's forms (if they have more than one). The last player of the group may deliver the killing blow or leave the boss alive to continue the fight until another player decides to down them.
Return to posting between bosses, repeat these steps until you are finished.
Example:[spoiler]Player A, B and C attempt a raid with 2 bosses. The second boss has two forms. They arrange posting order to be A, then B, then C.

No-Boss phase
Player A opens up with entering the raid location. They get some info from an NPC so they know what to do.
Player B follows A's lead, with a minor skirmish interrupting the adventurers. They quickly dispose of the mobs.
Player C continues after that. They end up encountering the first boss, he makes a brief description about it and sets the stage.

Boss 1 phase
The players agree to rearrange their posting order beforehand. Now it's B, A, C.
Player B posts. Fighting occurs, they inflict some damages on the boss etc.
Player A follows suit, having the boss use a big attack, his character gets injured and needs to withdraw from the battle to heal.
Player C decides to not place the killing blow, instead he heals player A.
Player B deals the killing blow to the boss and moves the group out of the boss room to the next area.

No-Boss phase
Posting orders remain the same. As player B ended, player A follows up.

Player A posts about them finding a key in the boss room to get them ahead through a previously locked door.
Player C posts about a skirmish occuring.
Because player B wants everyone to have the same number of posts they come up with an obstacle that will delay finding the next boss. They start dealing with it.
Player A accepts B's offer and adds a side-track library where they find some useful books, delaying the adventurers further.
Finally player C concludes the delay and leads the group to the boss room.

Boss 2 phase - part 1
Player B can't post for a few days so they propose to rearrange the posting order from B, A, C to A, C, B. The others are okay with this.

Player A opens up with the boss fight in the first phase. Things happen.
Player C decides to give the party a buff and hang back for a bit while dodging the boss's attacks.
Player B who can post again goes for the "killing blow" which triggers phase 2 of the boss.

Boss 2 phase - part 2

Player A takes player C's spot hanging back to buff and fill their bestiary entry on that boss.
Player C returns to the fray and, using player A's advice from the sidelines, exposes the boss's weak spot.
Player B decides to end it, dealing the killing blow to the boss.

End phase
The players decide to let player C have the final post because they really like C's writing style. They could also do one post each, but they decide not to.
Thus player C concludes, handing out the rewards from the boss and playing through the end of the raid where the adventurers return victoriously. He sets the stage to continue in another thread outside the raid.[/spoiler]

Available raids

Off the Island! (Level 0, 1-5 chars)
[spoiler]This is a "tutorial" raid which is the last part of the Introduction Island Shard. It primarily teaches the players about group raids and combat, but can also be accessed by people who are already off the Introduction Island Shard so as to avoid people getting stuck in the Introduction Island Shard.
It can be skipped if nobody is to be found, or the difficulty can be reduced so fewer players are able to play through it. Skipping it entirely is not advised of course.

Meant for: 1-5 people.
Difficulty: Easy.

Gameplay: The raid begins in the underground of the island Shard. An Island Master is about to open up a portal to the rest of the game to let players leave when an otherworldly demon uses the portal stones to open up a rift from his homeworld. Ignoring the party he laughs and teleports away. The Island Master identifies that demon as a Lesser Chaos demon, which likely intends to cut the influx of heroes from the Introduction Shard by eliminating the Island Masters who teach people about the game. As the demon's presence keeps the rift open and the Island Master is only able to keep it from letting more demons in, but not fully close it, he tasks the adventurer(s) with slaying the demon so that they can leave.

The players must then backtrack their steps through the island. A number of cannon-fodder demons have been spawned by the Lesser Chaos demon which are fighting the Island Masters, although they are holding their own very well as they are all seasoned adventurers themselves. There are three encounters with minor bosses which happen to be linked to the skill whose skill area they are fighting in. For instance, the Fishing Teacher is fighting an octopus-style demon that is in the training pond and must first be forced out of the water with a fishing rod before it can be damaged, and the Mining boss would be a demon which is using the ore rocks from the Mining Area as armor - which can be mined off. The players can choose any three skills that they want to fight the bosses for.

(Placeholder: I'll add a list of bosses once I have all the skills figured out)

At the end near the starting area lies the Lesser Chaos demon who has defeated and knocked out the Island Master that welcomes players to the Shardworld. Before being able to deliver the death blow the players arrive and interrupt him, upon which the demon attacks them. This is not a hard bossfight: the Lesser Chaos demon uses melee against close opponents and ranged missile bolts against others. He may hop around the battlefield to switch targets on the fly, and periodically affirms how resisting him is futile. His strongest attack is Chaos Cloud, which he rarely uses: he releases a large amount of a black fog-like substance from his body which coats the battlefield in darkness and teleports everyone except Lesser Chaos demon around at random in intervals of ca. 5 seconds. It is possible to escape the cloud to avoid being teleported, and very much advised so, as after ~1 minute it explodes, dealing moderate damage to everyone caught in it.

When the Lesser Chaos demon is defeated he conjures up a portal with his last strength and escapes, claiming that he will be back. The Island Master can then be woken up: he will congratulate the adventurers for their victory, and allow each of them to pick a skill-book which will teach them about that certain skill, unlocking more advanced recipes. More experience is also awarded in the three skills that the bosses were fought for. The Island Master then teleports the players back to the portal room, where they can leave the Raid and escape the island.[/spoiler]

Nurnengard (Level 5, 5-10 chars)
[spoiler]The fortress of Nurnengard, a grim fortress, jet black and showing with every bit of its cold walls that intruders are not welcome, stands at the edge of a high cliff, overlooking the sea. Once it was the home of an immensely powerful mage and his summoned demons. Now, it is sealed off, but within still lie dark, horrific secrets, and an even darker, much more horrific aberration which protects the fortress. Or does it...?

Meant for: 5-10 people.
Difficulty: Medium.

Gameplay: Rather than a traditional run, Nurnengard is intended to be played as a survival-horror themed story: the fortress is dark, wet and void of all life, even of rats, spiders and other critters that might inhabit an abandoned building. As such, the players will face no "cannon fodder" enemies in these halls.
Instead an immensely powerful demon haunts the place. Periodically it will appear as a fleshy gray mass of maws, eyes and limbs which advances towards the players in tight corridors and instantly devours them if they do not run away. It is immune to everything (damage, blocking, stun effects etc.) during these phases. However it cannot traverse doors for some reason, thus escaping the corridor and closing the door will make the demon disappear 1-2 seconds after the door is closed.
As the players progress through the mansion they need to find keys with symbols on them which fit a specific door in the fortress, backtracking their steps several times. They traverse the various parts of the mansion such as the dining halls, quarters, alchemy room, kitchen, storage rooms and library, finding keys and parts of the original owner's journal, telling about his exploits summoning demons. The entries get progressively dark and evil, boasting about the powerful demons he controls, until the two last entries dramatically change tone and speak about having summoned something beyond his control, and writing about how he is fleeing from this "aberration of pure horror" and is barely able to keep himself sane from the constant terror as he runs but is unable to escape. Other findings may include ancient texts about magic and enchanting, beastiary entries and books about dark magic arts. The original owner has scattered these texts semi-randomly around various rooms in the mansion.

The dungeon reaches its peak when the group finds the Summoning room where the dark mage had summoned the demons. A book detailing the summoning of a so-called Terror Demon and how it takes on the shape of one's greatest fear. One person is then picked randomly (you could roll a die for instance) to become the target of the aberration which appears in the room. The demon then takes the shape of the randomly picked person's greatest fear and causes the entire room to morph into a giant battle arena where they then take on the beast. While in shape and looks it is pure horror it is deceptively vulnerable in this state and can be killed without too much trouble. As soon as it is slain the group is returned to the Summoning room and the demon's corpse crashes through the floor, creating a hole to the entrance hall - using a rope or hover-spell allows for a shortcut here. The group may then loot the corpse for rewards and leave Nurnengard through the main door.

Rewards:-Various books and scrolls on subject of magic, mostly dark arts, as well as enchanting and beastiary entries
-Decorative armor and weapons from knight-statues scattered about the fortress (very weak armor)
-Miscellaneous items which serve no real purpose such as kitchen tools and cutlery, decorative animal skulls, brooms, burnt or ruined books etc.
-(from the demon corpse) demon skin which can be used to craft light magic-resistant armor
-(from the demon corpse) demon bones which can be used to craft heavy magic-resistant armor and daggers or shortswords that can pierce magic barriers to some extent.
-(from the demon corpse) weapons, armor and trinkets based on what the demon's form was during the bossfight.[/spoiler]

City in the Clouds (Level 8, 3-5 chars)
[spoiler]Sae'Nua, the City in the Clouds, is a city built upon a shard which floats very high above the Central Shard and is stationary. It is mostly independant and the people living there worship no god. It has tech levels similar to the Godless factions, and even has developed magic-powered wings that allow for flight between the island pieces. They are a very peaceful population though.
However, not all is fun and light up there: a group of cultists worshipping some avian deity have assaulted and occupied vast parts of the city with little resistance. If left unchecked, they could take over the entire city and acquire a strategically important point to launch assaults against the central shard from above. This cannot be allowed: they must be stopped.

Meant for: 3-5 people
Difficulty: Hard.

Gameplay: The players are teleported to a military airship from the Godless faction outside of the Sae'Nua shard which is overlooking the city. Because it is nearly impossible to travel between the city islands after the cultists have torn down most bridges, the Godless have replicated the wing tech to allow for long jumps between the islands, but aren't powerful enough to reach the higher levels, for which the adventurers would need original Sae'Nua wings. Their order of business is to get to one of the fortified locations where Sae'Nua citizens are, and obtain proper wings from them. After that the adventurers are able to fly to the upper levels and confront the cultists leaders in a final battle.

Sae'Nua is not only very dangerous because one wrong step or one misplaced jump can spell death by falling off the shard, but it is also filled with cultists in the maze-like lower levels, and powerful high priests in the upper levels where the Sae'Nua nobles reside. The cultists are powerful magic users and will stop at nothing to defeat the adventurers, happily throwing themselves at death to service their god. The high priests on the other hand use highly powerful spells and may even try to knock players off the island with wind spells or breaking off pieces of the ground they are standing on.

There are four bosses to be encountered:

First is the relatively easy Sparrow, a cultist group leader who fights with the assistance of five cultists and hovers above the battlefield while peppering the players with powerful weather-themed spells. He will periodically consume the life essence of his cultists to heal himself. He guards a massive bridge which the players must cross to get to the slums.

Second comes Owl, who oversees the battering rams that are trying to breach the fortified refugee camp where the adventurers will get their Sae'Nua wings. She periodically coats the battlefield in total darkness which requires the adventurers to use light sources to find and battle her, other than that she relies heavily on sneak attacks with her sharp talons to attack unsuspecting foes from behind. She may also periodically swallow a player whole, dealing periodic damage to them and requiring the other players to attack Owl's stomach to force her to regurgitate the player before they can be digested.

Third comes Condor. This boss fights by himself and darts around the battlefield extremely fast, being nearly unhittable most of the time. He will however periodically descend upon one player, slam them against the ground and viciously bite them, healing with each successful hit but also being a stationary target. It is also possible to prevent him from flying around freely by attacking his wings. Although this deals no direct damage it will ground him. Being a very high ranking priest, this boss is not to be taken lightly even on the ground though!

Last are Hawk and Crow - indeed, the cultist group is led by two individuals. They are encountered in the Halls of the King, where they have set up shop and are bringing in the other cultists through portals. Hawk is a white-feathered female who flies in circles over the battlefield and fires down various solar-themed attacks such as beams and blinding flashes, usually scorching the ground and leaving fires everywhere. Crow on the other hand is a black-feathered male who battles with a two-handed sword that is coated in a dark magic which freezes what it comes to contact with. Despite being polar opposites they work very well together, but this is also their downfall: the players can use mirrors such as the polished marble surfaces encountered everywhere in the throne room to reflect Hawk's solar attacks at Crow. When Crow is defeated, Hawk swoops down and coats herself in a mantle of fire, becoming harder to damage and scorching everyone near her. One player must then pick up Crow's black sword and use it to damage Hawk past her fire protection, ultimately defeating her.

At the defeat of Hawk and Crow, an ominous voice tells the two of them that they have failed "him" and tells the adventurers not to get overly confident - "he" will be back. The Sae'Nua King then appears with an escort and greatly thanks the adventurers for defeating the cultists and defending the city. The Godless forces are cleaning up the remains, but it was them who did most of the work. As such, the king awards them with the honorary title of "Sae'Nua Knight", gifts them with a pair of Sae'Nua wings that the adventurer can freely customize with an NPC in Sae'Nua, and complete access to the kingdom of Sae'Nua. (before that only the slums are accessible, wings may not be purchased).[/spoiler]

[Amaterasu]

Lore and History of the Shardworld

Considering that the Shardworld is a small world with hundreds of background-story-threads which are slowly coming together in a single universe, it would need a small library or a wikia site to house all the information without causing your PC to explode when you open a spoiler. As a result, the most important bits are saved here.

More may come as people discover fragments of lore, unveil lies and discover the truth, make connections and overall assemble the puzzle. Stories may be found in books such as diaries, ancient tomes, logbooks and other written recordings, on scrolls, maps, paintings, engravings, by visiting archeological sites and museums, speaking to eyewitnesses... there are numerous sources.

The Story:
[spoiler]The world of Adalor used to be a magnificient land where magic and technology coexisted peacefully. Humankind lived alongside with the elves, dwarves, goblins, non-human animals and a few types of mythical beasts, though they coexisted in relative peace - there was of course the occasional quarrel over land and the like but never anything of grand scale.

That is, until the Gods descended upon the planet. At first they only observed, but then they began to desire worship and obediance and started to command the inhabitants of Adalor to do so. They rapidly crushed any opposition from the populace using enormous magical powers. It was later revealed that these powers come from the so-called Elder Shards, which are items supposedly created by the Elder Deities, which created and shaped the universe and all that live on it, and were tools to shape the universe before they grew experienced enough to not need them anymore. However, these items still hold a notable fraction of the Elder Deities' power, to the point that simply owning them empowers the wearer, turning them immortal and granting them immense magical powers and resistances. In essence, the wielder of one of the Elder Shards initially is as strong as a mortal, but with every passing day they become more powerful, eventually reaching godhood status.

Adalor happened to be the planet where the Gods had left the most powerful artifact of all, known as Shardstone, although nobody had ever found it. This is why the gods were drawn to Adalor in the first place, after having collected the eleven other artifacts across their respective homeworlds and longing for even more power. They required servants to find the Shardstone of course, this is why they demanded worship.

And of course, it didn't take long for the gods to start fighting each other as they laid claim to entire races, trying to convert the inhabitants of Adalor to their own religion and clashing as their followers collided in search of the Shardstone. Fights turned into battles, battles into wars, and wars into an all-out God War which ravaged the lands far and wide and dragged even those not worshipping any gods into it as they battled for survival.

One day, a couple of worshippers of the self-proclaimed God of Order got lost as they escaped from a group of pursuers and came across a temple hidden deep underground. In the innermost sanctum of that temple they found a large item resting on a pedestal, and though they had never seen it before they knew immediately that this was the Shardstone. When one of them that approached the stone he accidentally awoke the stone's guardian, a mighty golem who swiftly killed the one that had come too close. The other of the two escaped and returned to his God to guide him to the temple along with a part of his army. However, even with the power of his best soldiers and his own considerable might, the God was only barely able to slay the creature and take the Shardstone for himself.

Days later, he returned to the surface, wielding the Mindstaff (which he called the Orderly Staff) and the Shardstone together - two of the Elder Shards. In an effort to put an end to the God War, he slammed the Staff down and drew upon his power that he had gained through the Shardstone. But he had severely underestimated the immense power granted to him by the Shardstone: he had intended to separate the god's encampments from the rest of the world by creating islands out of the pieces of land they were on and sending them hurtling into space. Instead his strike split the very fabric of reality and shattered not only the entire planet of Adalor, but the fabric of reality that the dimension rested on.

Shocked by what he had done, the God of Order scrambled around in a desperate attempt to undo what he had done, or at least mitigate the damage. Before the pieces of the dimension could drift apart, never to be rejoined again, he drew upon his powers once more to try to force them back together. He only managed to loosely attach them back to each other, using dimensional chains which, much like a ship is anchored to the seafloor, would prevent the shards from drifting apart from each other too much. This huge amount of effort was too much for him however, and knowing about his impending death he hid the Mindstaff and the Shardstone in separate places using what he had left from his magic power.

As a result of the Reality Shatter, as the event is known to this day, Adalor or, as it was renamed, the Shardworld, is a highly unstable place. The Reality Chains keep the world together, but cannot keep it from constantly rearranging itself in a seemingly random fashion. The central shard, the biggest shard from where the God of Order split the world, is the most stable location and due to the large number of worshippers of the Order religion who were there during the Reality Shatter it has been kept in relatively good shape. There is a central city, a no-man's land built around the temple where the Shardstone was once kept, which is considered a non-combat zone - the other gods silently agree not to fight here. The other shards dock and separate themselves from the central shard and each other in irregular intervals, sometimes staying together for years, other times drifting back apart after a week or two.

There are hundreds of shards, of which a number holds one god encampment each - where that god's worshippers have their fortress, palace, church or whatever it may be. If two of those shards meet or an unoccupied shard collides with that of a god-shard, large fights may break out though due to the gods being similarly powerful no real winner is ever set - control merely shifts back and forth. Other shards are peaceful, such as the cities of the godless ones which fend off attackers but don't go on the offensive themselves. Interestingly, the godless people are much stronger than any of the god factions (without factoring in the strength of their respective god, that is) and thus are actually harder to attack than any of the god-shards.

There are some dwarven-design airships which can bring people back and forth between the shards for a fee (the currency in the Shardworld is gold coins), as well as a God-Ship on the central shard which is dedicated to traveling to the god-shard.


Now, recent findings at the temple where the Shardstone was kept seem to indicate that the Shardstone's presence in these halls has empowered the guardian golem to be able to not only wound, but also absorb the power of the gods it strikes, as was indicated by the God of Order. Traces of his magic have been found in the golem's remains. And the contents of the room, its walls and ground, even the pebbles lying on the ground, have all gained this power. It is believed that the other Elder Shards have a similar effect on the items they are around of, and that discovery has led the gods to outfit their most trusted soldiers with empowered weapons, whilst the godless have bought large amounts of empowered materials from the people on the central shard. Indeed, using an item empowered with this effect seems to enable its wielder to steal a god's power by attacking them with it, and ascending to godhood themselves by killing that god, even without owning an Elder Shard. And while the gods have grown comfortable and laid-back on their thrones in the safety of their shards, what if this discovery led to the rise of new gods? ... only one way to find out.[/spoiler]

[Amaterasu]

NPCs

There are hundreds of NPCs scattered around the Shardworld, and that's without counting in the "monsters". Most NPCs are simply constructs that are programmed to respond to a certain prompt in a certain way, such as merchants or Task-givers. Others are indeed Dataverse inhabitants, secondaries of unknown origin or just bits of data that have achieved self conscience. They can be anything and are easily identifyable by how they act much more dynamically.

Generic NPCs
-Villagers, Commoners, Nobles, Workers, Farmers... the list goes on. They all share the same traits in that they liven up the Shardworld by traveling around, going about fixed patterns (such as going to work, to home, to church, hanging around somewhere or buying at x shop at specific times of the day) and can share gossip, news and such when spoken to. They are also targets for pickpocketing. A few offer minor tasks.

-Static Helpers are more like human-looking versions of books. They stand around in one spot day and night, giving out information when spoken to and sometimes offering tasks.

-Bankers, Merchants and Shopkeepers have a "shop" or "bank" option. Banks allow players to store their excess items into some sort of vault that can be accessed from any banker because magic. Shopkeepers have a fixed shop, usually a building or stall, that they will run day and night, buying all your unneeded items for gold and selling you materials or equipment - though purchasing equipment from a shop is unusually expensive. Merchants are basically the same as Shopkeepers, but travel around the Shards outside of the cities.

-Witch-Doctors are sort of Merchant-type characters, but then again different. Unlike Shopkeepers they don't buy items from you. Instead they sell "blessings": they can cure curses, diseases and other permanent or long-lasting debuffs with their voodoo magic (for a price, of course), or bless you with temporary buffs. These buffs are "conveniance", like filling your stomach enough that you don't need to eat for several days, allowing you to breathe underwater or wade through molten rock without getting burnt. They do not provide a distinct combat advantage.

-Functional NPCs are any NPCs that are neither Static Helpers nor Bankers/Merchants/Shopkeepers. This is a big umbrella for all sorts of characters, such as transmogrifiers and auctioneers.

-Skill Trainers are... well, skill trainers. They give useful advice on training the skill that they represent, and may assign tasks that require that skill to be completed in order to gain an amount of experience in it.

-Task-Characters are... well, task-relevant characters. Either they give out tasks or they are a task-related character such as someone you must escort or assassinate. Task-Characters can also be in other categories, like a Merchant.

-Guards can give directions and share gossip, and also are very dangerous opponents if they see anyone who's committed a crime running around. Even well-equipped characters have great difficulty against the justice upholders.

[Amaterasu]

The Task System

Tasks are the equivalent to Quests in MMOs. They're named Tasks because we don't want people to confuse Omniverse Quests and Shardworld Tasks. A task rewards the character with an amount of gold and possibly experience for skills (which is explained by the task-giver providing some training or sharing their expertise).
Some tasks also bring bonuses with them such as rewarding you with items or privileges in the game, like a better reputation with a faction or a promotion in rank.

You are allowed to make up your own tasks so long as they don't interfere with an "official" task, which is listed here. For instance, if there's an official task for the XYZ faction saying "you must kill this traitor and bring us his ring to prove you are cooperative, then we will allow you into our faction grounds", you are not allowed to make up a task saying "alternatively to killing this traitor you can just pay us 20 coins and we'll let you in." As with all user-made content, please be reasonable - don't make up a trivial task of "show this old lady the way to the local bakery" where she pays you with millions of coins.

Types of Tasks

Open Tasks VS Requirement Tasks Open tasks can be done by anybody without prerequisites, whereas requirement tasks need you to fulfill a certain condition or several before you can take them. This could be social standing with a faction, a minimum amount of skill or having completed another task (more on the latter in "Task chains").

Isolated Tasks vs Task-Chains Isolated tasks do not "unlock" another task. A Task-chain is a number of tasks that must be completed in order, as completing the first unlocks the second etc. Tasks in a chain may have requirements in addition to having completed a previous task. Guilds and factions often offer Task-Chains.

Unique Tasks vs Repeatable Tasks Unique Tasks are done once, then that's it. Repeatable tasks can be done multiple times, though they may have some prerequisite to become available again - like an amount of time having passed or you having completed another repeatable task (like say, a merchant travels from city A to B and needs an escort, later he wants to return from B to A and you can protect him again).

Raid Tasks and Event Tasks
Like the name implies, Raid and Event Tasks only take place in a specific environment, namely within a Raid or during an event. Raid tasks are always open, isolated and unique tasks and often have multiple steps to completing it successfully, or can only be completed near the end of the Raid (like "rescue the hostages" which are kept by the final Raid boss).
Event tasks serve as a guideline for an event, they are only over when the Event ends and give out small rewards for your work as long as the event goes on, then a bigger reward depending on your performance when the event ends. Say, it's a christmas themed event and you help Santa Clause hand out presents, you will get a few gold coins for each 10 presents you turn in, then as the event ends you are handed a big present containing christmas armor.
Event tasks and Raid tasks are official only. Players cannot make up their own.

[Amaterasu]

Player VS Player

The Shardworld has PvP tacked on, so to speak - chances are that players looking for a fight won't be very satisfied. But, it exists, and has its own rules.

PvP is an optional component - unless you have an Elder Shard on your character
There is no part of the base game requiring you to defeat a player opponent in order to progress. There are a few optional quests, and events usually bring some form of PvP to the mix, but it is technically possible to go from the starting island to being a legendary warrior without ever crossing blades with another player.
The exception to this is if you own an Elder Shard or more, and are carrying it on your character. Elder Shards are like artifacts, they are limited and you must be willing to fight for them in order to keep them.
Enemy players can challenge you to a fight over an Elder Shard provided that they are near you, and if you refuse you automatically forfeit the Shard to them. Like an artefact, it is dropped on your character's death. If you want to avoid losing your Elder Shard, store it in an Omniverse Base Vault.

PvP always goes by Omniverse standarts, not Shardworld standarts.
Let's say you are about to engage in combat against someone - what moves and powers are you able to use? Does that "Enchanted Unholy Crossbow" you wield in the Shardworld count?
The answer is no. Any and all PvP happens by Omniverse standarts - which means that everything on your Shardworld character sheet is ignored. Your normal moves, stats (including stat increases), artefacts and items all apply. As with any fight, you are judged by normal Omniverse standarts too. Elder Shards (currently) do not provide any PvP advantage!

PvP is virtual only
All participants are treated as if they were using VR stations to access the Dataverse, even if they are using an Uplink station. If you win a "virtual" fight the most you can do is to kill your opponent and they will respawn in a minute or so, losing any Elder Shards they may have on them.
"Real" death, banishment and bounty claiming are not possible as you are not actually defeating your opponent - only a virtual representation of them. If you want to "really" battle your opponent, track them to where they are hooked up to the Dataverse in the Omniverse.

Fights and rules function like any Omniverse fight
Post length limit, number of rounds, time call and judging happen as they do with any regular Omniverse fight.

Themed arenas can be enabled
When entering PvP, players will get thrown into an arena that can be modified to follow a "theme" which enables environmental elements instead of "random elements". By default the arena will be a wide circular space with no special terrain like a gladiator arena. Players can however select to include a "theme" which will turn the arena into one of many possible terrains. Themes can be "frozen mountain", "volcano slope", "Metropolis" and so on.

NPC spectators will often be around in the arena, waiting for a fight to happen. Players can also opt to spectate by selecting from a list of ongoing matches in the Shardworld menu.

Game Masters
An optional component to any PvP fight is to have a third party, an impartial Game Master, set up the game. They can set up rules and terrain to make the fight interesting for the players. Game Masters may also double as judges for the fight.

[Amaterasu]

Q: My character has one or more artifacts on them. Are they safe from losing it while in the Shardworld?
A: Yes. Because your character is not physically present in the Shardworld no physical items on them (which artifacts are) can be taken away by others. However you may always get found in the "real" world.

Q: Can I use my artifact(s) in the Shardworld game/in PvP?
A: No.

Q: What happens if I have an Elder Shard but I'm not playing?
A: You can get challenged anywhere in the Omniverse, it doesn't have to be in the Shardworld. An Elder Shard must be carried on your person like an artifact (in the Omniverse it would take the shape of a USB stick, a DVD or another storage medium) and it works about the same way in that you can take it. For instance, your opponent could steal the storage medium that you have the Elder Shard on.

Q: Do my accomplishments/items/Elder Shards in the Shardworld earn me any advantages in the rest of the Omniverse?
A: By default, no. But you can always turn what loot you have into an Omniverse move.

Q: Can I deposit my Elder Shard in the vault of my base?
A: Yes. You could put it on a USB stick, CD or similar data storage device. It can also be stolen that way. Note that a vault is the only place that you can leave your Elder Shard at if you don't carry it on yourself.

Any unanswered questions?

PM me (the author of this post) and ask away. There's no stupid questions, only stupid answers.