Welcome, newcomer, to the Shardlands – a realm forged from cataclysm and sustained by conflict. This guide serves as an introduction to the fractured reality you now inhabit, covering the known history, environments, powers, and peoples of this dangerous afterlife. Survival demands understanding; pay close attention.
1. The Sundering & Atheria's Lost Past
Millennia ago, the world known as Atheria existed. Details are scarce, fragmented across decaying ruins and contradictory legends, but it's believed to have been a whole world, perhaps vibrant with advanced magic, technology, or both.
Then came The Sundering. This cataclysmic event shattered Atheria, leaving behind the floating islands and chaotic void we now call the Shardlands. The exact cause remains one of the greatest mysteries, fueling endless speculation and scholarly debate:
The Arcane War Hypothesis: Suggests pre-Sundering civilizations wielded immense magical power and destroyed themselves in a conflict that tore the planet apart. Proponents point to magically saturated ruins and volatile energy zones.
The Celestial Impact Theory: Posits that Atheria collided with a massive asteroid, rogue planetoid, or perhaps an entity native to the Maelstrom, the impact fracturing the world. Evidence cited includes strange geological formations on some Shards and anomalous energy signatures in the void.
Divine Punishment: Religious texts and oral traditions speak of Atheria's inhabitants angering powerful, now-forgotten gods through hubris or forbidden practices, resulting in divine retribution that shattered their world.
Technological Singularity: Whispers found in certain ancient data vaults hint at runaway artificial intelligence or uncontrollable energy experiments that spiralled out of control, consuming or fracturing the planet from within.
Maelstrom Genesis: A less common theory suggests the Maelstrom always existed, and Atheria was somehow drawn into it, consumed, and transformed into its current state.
Regardless of the cause, the result is the reality of the Shardlands. The pre-Sundering era is a lost golden age, its remnants – the Sunken Vaults – holding tantalizing clues and dangerous power.
2. The Shardlands: Environment of Survival
The Shardlands are defined by three core environmental components:
Shards: These are the floating islands, the remnants of Atheria.
Variety: They range from tiny, unstable rock clusters to massive landmasses capable of supporting nations, complex ecosystems (jungles, deserts, frozen wastes), and even oceans or mountain ranges.
Corestones: Many larger Shards possess a Corestone, a massive natural or artificial artifact that generates the island's localized gravity field and often stabilizes its atmosphere. The health and integrity of a Corestone are vital; damaged ones can cause gravitational anomalies, atmospheric leaks, or attract dangerous Maelstrom phenomena.
Resources: Stable land, breathable air, clean water, cultivable soil, mineral deposits, and energy sources are unevenly distributed, leading to constant competition and conflict between inhabitants. Some Shards possess unique properties based on their composition or Maelstrom exposure.
The Maelstrom: The turbulent, chaotic void separating the Shards.
Nature: It is not empty space but a roiling ocean of raw magical energy, spatial distortions, and gravitational tides. It is inherently hostile to unprotected life.
Phenomena: Prone to unpredictable energy storms, gravity shears that can rip ships apart, pockets of null-magic, zones where time flows differently, and dangerous "reefs" of solidified energy. Strange visual phenomena like Void Echoes (fleeting images of the past) and Maelstrom Phantoms (hostile energy constructs) are known hazards.
Travel: Navigating the Maelstrom requires specialized airships, magically attuned mounts, or extremely risky void-diving suits. Established "currents" offer relatively safer routes, but deviations are common and often fatal. The Maelstrom is littered with the wreckage of countless vessels and lost Shards.
Inhabitants: Bizarre Ether-Fauna have evolved to survive and hunt within the Maelstrom, feeding on its energy or preying on travellers. These range from swarming scavengers to colossal leviathans.
Sunken Vaults: Relics of the pre-Sundering world.
Locations: Found embedded within certain Shards or sometimes drifting freely (and dangerously) within the Maelstrom.
Contents: Contain remnants of lost technology, powerful magic, historical records, and potentially clues to the Sundering or the nature of the Shardlands. Often hold valuable resources like intact machinery, rare materials, or stable energy sources.
Dangers: Almost invariably guarded by malfunctioning Automatons (ancient defense robots), lingering Spectral Echoes (psychic imprints of those who died within, often hostile), hazardous environmental conditions (energy leaks, radiation, structural instability), and complex traps designed by their original creators. Exploration is perilous but potentially immensely rewarding. Notable examples whispered about include Vault Axiom, The Crystal Labyrinth, and The Tomb of Whispers.
3. The Shardfall Phenomenon: A Warrior's Afterlife?
Perhaps the most defining aspect of the Shardlands for newcomers is the Shardfall, the mysterious process informally known as the Rebirth Cycle.
The Mechanism: An unexplained law of this reality. Beings from countless other worlds who die during moments of extreme combat intensity – demonstrating extraordinary martial skill, tactical genius, or sheer indomitable will – have their souls drawn into the Shardlands.
Arrival: The soul is reconstituted onto a Shard, often violently and disorientingly (materializing mid-air, during storms, in battle zones). The location seems random but often coincides with areas of high conflict or energy.
The Shardfallen (Echoes): These reborn warriors are the primary subjects of this guide.
Retention: Echoes typically retain their core personality, memories (though sometimes initially fragmented), and crucially, their full combat skills, instincts, and tactical knowledge from their previous life.
Physical State: They often reappear in their physical prime, sometimes with minor, unexplained alterations attributed to Maelstrom exposure (e.g., unusual eye color, faint energy aura).
Equipment: Usually arrive with remnants of the clothing/armor they died in, often damaged. Weapons and complex equipment are rarely retained unless intrinsically part of them (like a cybernetic limb or a soulbound artifact – extremely rare).
Native Perception: Natives have long coexisted with the Shardfall. Echoes are viewed with a mix of awe (for their skills), fear (for their potential disruption), suspicion (of their unknown origins), and pragmatic opportunity (as powerful recruits or dangerous rivals). They are often identifiable by their unfamiliar appearance, immediate combat readiness, and initial disorientation.
Lingering Mysteries: Many questions surround the Shardfall. Is there a limit to rebirths? Can an Echo truly "die" permanently in the Shardlands, or is it just another transition? What intelligence, if any, governs this process? Why are only warriors chosen? Some Echoes speak of fleeting glimpses of a "Watcher" or "Gatekeeper" during their transition, but these accounts are inconsistent and unverified.
4. Power Systems of the Shardlands
Survival and dominance in the Shardlands rely on mastering various forms of power:
Aether-Crystal Technology: Primarily used by the Aegis Concordat. Relies on mining, refining, and harnessing the energy within specific crystals found in certain Shards or Vaults. Powers advanced energy weapons, protective shields, sophisticated airship drives, and complex machinery. Requires significant infrastructure and technical expertise.
Runic Forging & Elementalism: Favored by the Iron Legion. Involves inscribing runes onto weapons and armor to imbue them with power, or directly manipulating raw elemental forces (fire, earth, storm, metal). Requires rare materials and skilled artisans (Runesmiths), and individuals with innate or trained elemental affinities (Elementalists). Can be powerful but sometimes volatile.
Veridian Magic: Practiced by the inhabitants of the Whispering Groves. Draws power from the life force of living ecosystems, particularly the ancient, sentient forests of their home Shards. Used for healing, growth manipulation, controlling plants and animals, weaving illusions, and communing with nature spirits. Strength is often tied to the health and proximity of the natural environment. Can potentially be corrupted into dangerous "Blight Magic."
Maelstrom Siphoning: A dangerous and often forbidden practice used by some Corsairs, rogue mages, or desperate individuals. Involves tapping directly into the chaotic energy of the Maelstrom itself for bursts of immense power. Highly unstable, unpredictable, and carries significant risks of mutation, madness, or self-destruction. Often requires rare artifacts or a dangerous innate sensitivity.
Shardfallen Adaptation: Echoes bring their own unique combat skills. Survival often involves adapting these skills to the Shardlands' reality – blending advanced tactics with primitive weapons, learning to anticipate magic, jury-rigging technology from salvaged parts, and developing resistances or even new abilities through sheer exposure and force of will.
Artifacts & Lost Tech: Sunken Vaults contain powerful relics from the pre-Sundering era – weapons, tools, knowledge, or power sources operating on principles perhaps unknown to current factions. Acquiring and understanding these can grant significant advantages.
5. Major Factions: Powers on the Shards
Numerous groups vie for control and survival in the Shardlands. Five major players dominate the known regions:
Aegis Concordat: A coalition of technologically advanced Shards valuing order, law, and collective security. Their gleaming cities and disciplined military (including elite Paladins) are powered by Aether-Crystal tech. They seek stability and expansion of their "civilized" influence but are often seen as rigid and bureaucratic. View Echoes cautiously, assessing them for integration or containment. Notable figures include High Councilor Valerius and Prefect Cassian.
Iron Legion: An expansionist, militaristic empire built on volcanic, resource-rich Shards. They value strength, conquest, and pragmatism, employing powerful Runic forging and Elementalism. Their society is meritocratic but ruthless, led by figures like Warlord Vorlag and the infamous Forgemaster Kraya. They actively recruit skilled Echoes into their demanding ranks.
Whispering Groves: Independent, mystical communities inhabiting ancient forest Shards. They practice Veridian Magic, living in symbiosis with nature and guided by spirits and elders like Elder Rowan. Fiercely protective of their territory and wary of outsiders, especially those wielding technology or disruptive magic. Rogue elements like the Blighted Hand pose an internal threat.
Sky-Corsair Clans: A loose confederation of nomadic fleets, independent captains (like the notorious "Stormblade" Zara), and hidden bases operating in the lawless Maelstrom routes. They value freedom, profit, and reputation. A diverse mix of natives and Echoes, utilizing salvaged tech, risky Maelstrom Siphoning, and unpredictable tactics. Alliances are fluid, betrayals common. Some groups, like the Crimson Fleet, are particularly feared.
Frostfell Nomads: Hardy tribes surviving on ice-bound Shards in the upper Maelstrom. Master survivalists, hunters of colossal Cryo-Beasts, and communicants with winter spirits, often led by figures like Great Hunt Chief Bor or influenced by shamans like Ice Witch Malia. Clan loyalty is paramount, but internal feuds are common. View outsiders with caution.
This guide provides a foundation. The Shardlands are vast, dangerous, and constantly changing. Trust your instincts, hone your skills, choose your allies wisely, and perhaps you will survive long enough to find your own purpose in this endless war. Good luck, Echo.