Game Overview

The Game Overview below will go over the key in character details including the setting, features, and more. We know there's a lot to take in so please don't feel like you have to have everything memorized! This page will be a great reference for you as you go along, and we're always happy to answer questions or help point you in the direction of the right resource(s) whenever you need help or have questions.

The World

• Our game is set in the world of Kinship. This world was originally created by the Primordial Gods as a neutral ground for their divine children to settle disputes without harming populated worlds.
• Some deities used the world as a testing ground for various experiments while others began "borrowing" lifeforms to fight on their behalf; some actually abducted individuals/groups from their homeworld, while other lifeforms were recreated using "blueprints".
• All native life, including flora and fauna, stem from these early transported and created populations; as such, the wildlife is often a peculiar blend of familiar and alien. Characters may encounter everything from robotic and cyborg plants and animals to dinosaurs, mythical creatures, and modern Earth animals both magical and not.
• Kinship's history of divine meddling has made it a cultural patchwork of different eras and worlds -- remnants of ancient dialects and futuristic argots pepper everyday conversations while songs, stories, and names carry echoes of both familiar and foreign origins.
• On Kinship, magic and technology intertwine in surprising ways. Wands and laser pistols are common tools. Mystical ruins hide behind force fields, while magic imbues mechs and motors. This blend of swords and sorcery, ancient and futuristic, creates a world where the mystical and mechanical complement one another.
• Kinship's kaleidoscope of cultures means social mores and material goods vary wildly between realms. A wizard may wear mythril robes and dwell in a tower topped with astrolabes in one country, while a cyborg bounty hunter dons graphene armor in the minimalist skyrise of another. People's views span the spectrum from mystical to pragmatic, traditional to progressive, fatalistic to ambitious.

The Island

• The island of New Ognos is the primary setting for our game. For centuries, Old Ognos was an isolated nation preoccupied with internal conflicts between its two primary races, Humans and Valka, and wary of outside influence.
• This all changed when a divine war between Ognos' patron gods broke out at the same time as another god arrived on the planet; the combination caused disasters and disruptions across Kinship, with Ognos taking the worst of the damage.
• With their homeland destroyed, the surviving Ognoshu became refugees. Some tried to integrate into the foreign realms that took them in, while others chose to remain nomadic, living permanently aboard ships and vessels either solo or in wandering fleets.
• After some time, the Primordial Gods became aware of what was happening on Kinship and personally made a visit to Ognos to intervene; they were unable to completely repair all of the damage, however, they were able to stabilize the island and the rest of the world.

Shardfalls

• Essence Shards are tangible, crystallized forces -- such as magic, nanites, and divinity -- that were left behind after the Primordial Ones visited Kinship. These shards have recently begun to destabilize for some reason, eventually causing a new natural phenomena/disaster called a "Shardfall".
  • Shardfalls are intense, unpredictable storms that cause Essence Shards to rain down from the sky; at the same time, geysers of pure energy shoot out of the ground, corrupting any lifeforms caught in the area.
• Each Shardfall is preceded by sightings of one of four massive, Shard-infested creatures called "Heralds"; they are typically seen in the area that will be hit by a Shardfall about 3 days before it happens.
  • Heralds seem to be living embodiments of an amalgamation of Shards, making them incredibly dangerous and best observed from afar. They are often accompanied by smaller, more fragile manifestations called Remnants. It remains unclear whether these Heralds cause the Shards' instability or merely serve as warnings.
• The Shardfalls have caused instability in the town of Pyronmouth, and everyone is scrambling to find ways to predict, protect against, and hopefully stop the Falls. Damaged by the recent events of the Shattered Vault event, the town also no longer expands and contracts based on popularity, and the Flies have become unpredictable and even erratic at times. With so many opinions and ideas about how to approach the disaster, and the apparent loss of security the town once provided, there is significant social upheaval with several factions breaking off from town to set up their own settlements.
• You can learn more about the Shardfall process in our Discord!

The Town (Pyronmouth)

• Blessed by the now-exiled Gods as an apology for fighting amongst themselves instead of protecting the island/planet, the central town that characters begin in naturally expands or shrinks depending on population in town and has many basic conveniences to offer.
  • During this version, the town will no longer expand or contract based on population, leaving many buildings vacant as people have moved to settlements outside the city. To address the loss of tax revenue and in hopes of minimizing vandalism and criminal behavior, the government has opened up these unused properties for purchase, particularly in the Emerald and Sapphire Districts; this has allowed a class of wealthy landlords to emerge.
  • Wealthier characters may have also been asked to manage certain areas in the Ruby District who are most badly affected by the city's unstable state. Some take this duty seriously and provide services to people in their assigned area for free or at reduced cost, seeing this as part of their duty as a wealthy person/noble. Others have taken advantage of this, charging exorbitant rents while neglecting to provide even basic services in an attempt to get even richer.
  • Additionally, some shady background deals have allowed landlords to buy ownership of properties that are already occupied, meaning that characters who didn’t have a landlord before may now find themselves with one!
• Pyronmouth is protected by massive obsidian walls that are patrolled by robotic guards called Flies (named for their large black camera-eyes and faint buzzing sounds).
  • Flies will intervene if they see combat inside the city and can subdue Ognoshu or animals by releasing a flood of gas from their mouths. 
  • They will pursue murderers and people who cause physical harm to another if they catch them in the act, however, they do not enforce laws against other offenses like stealing. They also do not investigate further if the cause of a disturbance is not immediately obvious. Investigation and pursuit of discreet criminals is left to the Silver Watch.
  • Flies will also attack any threat against the city itself, frequently killing or driving off wild animals and the like.
  • During this version, the Flies may behave erratically, ignoring crimes they would normally prevent or unleashing sedative gasses on innocent civilians with little provocation. While rare, wild animals or other dangers may also enter the city due to their delayed response times.
• The town is divided into several districts:
  • The Emerald District has been claimed by the wealthiest of Ognoshu, commonly nobles and wealthy gentry.  The district features grand villas and manors and was named for the lush greenery of its sprawling lawns and flower gardens.
  • The Sapphire District features smaller, but still very desirable, homes. Members of the gentry -- merchants, scholars, soldiers, and skilled craftspeople, primarily -- live here.  The district is named for the blue-roofs of the various shops scattered throughout the district.
  • The Ruby District is named after the red brick and timber used to craft most of the houses here.  This district is home to primarily commoners, laborers, and tradesmen; living accommodations tend to be comfortable but sparse and somewhat cramped in order to dedicate more land to crops and livestock.
  • The Obsidian District is home almost exclusively to Valka; humans entering the area may be viewed with suspicion by some.  It features impressive communal buildings and homes made of dark stone; other residences include traditional housing like yurts and tents. The district is colloquially known as the Ash District, for the ash produced by the many large open fires dotting the landscape; these fires are used for a variety of purposes from mundane (cooking, keeping warm, etc.) to mystical (ceremonies, religious holidays, etc.).
  • The main shopping area is called the Copper District; it features a huge open air bazaar plus shops, shacks, stalls, and tents. The district is named for the new currency, coppers.
  • The Iron District is the formal name for the Docks.  It features rows of piers and warehouses for fishing boats, merchant vessels bringing or shipping goods, and the handful of Navy ships New Ognos has to its name currently.
  • The Platinum District, more commonly called The Hub, is the heart of the town and home to several administrative buildings, such as the Hall of Records and the Silver Precinct (where the guards/police force work from), as well as Guild Halls.

New Ognos Society

• While social classes still exist in New Ognos, they are less rigidly defined than in the past. There is now more fluidity and overlap between classes, especially in the upper echelons of society.
• The current social classes are explained below; characters from any race may be joined as a member of any class. Social mobility is possible through both in-character activities or by spending money in the Marketplace.
  • Nobility: Nobles sit at the apex of society in terms of wealth and hereditary privilege; their privileges include more lavish lifestyles, bigger estates, access to elite circles, exemption from certain laws, hired private forces, and the best education.
    • Female nobles use the title "Dame" and male or non-binary nobles use the title "Thane" followed by their last names. Among friends, they often go by Lord, Lady, or Liege [First Name]. For example, Dame Sherwood may be called Lady Amelia by her inner circle.
    • A handful of Valka clans and members of other races have attained noble titles, though old prejudices often persist against non-human nobles.
  • Gentry: The Gentry sit between the nobility and common folk. They comprise wealthy landowners, successful merchants, scholars, magistrates, master artisans, and military officers. In New Ognos, the wealthiest members of the Gentry often interact closely with nobles.
  • Commoners: Commoners comprise the bulk of society and the workforce in manual and domestic vocations. They include farmers, builders, miners, servants, and unskilled laborers. What they lack in wealth, they gain in social freedoms beyond nobles' scrutiny.

Companion Creatures (optional)

Companion Creatures are magical beings that usually feature in a character's posts as secondary/supporting characters, though they can occasionally be posted individually. These unique Companions have their own progression system and abilities, acting as your character's closest ally. You can learn more about them in the Companion Creatures guide.

Progression Systems (optional)

We offer the following progression systems; all systems are entirely optional and players can choose to track them (or not) at any time without losing progress -- it's literally just whether or not you pick a checkbox when posting!

• The Character Progression system will allow you to level up your character's nanites/magic and open up new opportunities.

• The Astrofel Progression system allows you to enhance your Astrofel and their bond, unlocking new features and opportunities.
• The Pet Progression system allows you to gain new abilities and bonuses for your pets, or to enhance pre-existing ones.
• Guilds are organizations that characters can join to access community, training, exclusive quests, special discounts, and collective benefits in pursuit of professional or social goals. After joining, characters can work together with their guildmates or take on individual tasks to help level up their Guild, unlocking and enhancing member benefits.
• The Island/Plot Progression system allows you to help level up the game, the island, and the world. Through participation, players can unlock new areas, plot opportunities/details, pets, talents, Marketplace items, sitewide discounts or rewards, races, Astrofel, and much, much more! Players can choose passive participation -- you help with progression just by posting! -- or active participation, where you opt to play specific mini-games or complete tasks in-character to help us progress.
• Challenges are special bonus tasks players can complete to earn Tokens and other special rewards; challenges are completely optional, but can enhance your experience. You can learn more about our available challenges here.

Mini-Games (optional)

We offer a variety of mini-games for players and characters can participate in to earn various prizes. These experiences are entirely optional, but are a fun way to experience unique aspects of the game, explore character development, complete challenges, and more. Opportunities may include, but are not limited to, explorations (solo and with other characters/NPCs), battles, gambling, capturing and training pets, and more; you can even create new lineages through the breeding catalyst!

Deeper Dives (optional)

If you'd like more information on the topics covered in this guide, please visit the Main Page and check out the resources in the Extras category.

Next up...

You can check out the other Essential Guides using the links below!

• Guidebook - a brief look in to game setting & mechanics
• Getting Started - your character creation companion

When you've read everything over, you can get going by joining your character here.

Don't forget to join our Discord!