Game Overview

The Game Overview provides all the key details you’ll need to understand the world, setting, and unique features of our game! We’re always here to lend a hand if you have questions or need a nudge in the right direction. This page was updated on September 27th, 2024 to reflect changes brought about by our new version; any changes made after the fact will be marked with a star (★).

World History

Kinship’s past is one of divine interference, where the whims of gods shaped the world and its people. What began as a neutral ground for resolving disputes became a place of conflict, experimentation, and mortal suffering, leaving scars that still shape the present.

• The younger gods, addicted to the power of mortal prayers—which could extend their lives and increase their abilities—fought for control of life-supporting planets, causing destruction across the universe. To contain the damage, the Primordials designated Kinship as a battleground where these gods could resolve their conflicts without harming other worlds.
• Early disputes were settled through games and duels, but the gods soon grew bored and began abducting or creating lifeforms to fight in their place, initially plants and animals and then expanding to humanoids. Some mortals were modeled on blueprints from other planets while others were kidnapped directly from their home planets; some were even deliberately altered or hybridized for the purpose of battle or destruction.
• Mortals, often forced to fight or commit heinous acts against each other, suffered greatly; their prayers for survival, peace, or victory fueled the gods backing their side of the conflict, creating a cycle where destruction fed divine power. The scars from these battles still linger in Kinship’s cultures and societies today.
• Eventually, the Primordials intervened, transforming Kinship into a Sanctuary Planet. Though some gods continue to oversee it, their influence is now more structured and controlled, focusing on guidance and stewardship rather than chaos and conflict.

Modern Day

Today, Kinship is a world where magic and technology coexist, woven together by its rich and often painful history.

• The planet is a patchwork of cultures, with architecture, languages, and traditions borrowed from or created by countless civilizations. Ancient dialects blend with futuristic slang, and you'll find relics of long-forgotten eras standing alongside cutting-edge technology.
• Magic and technology intertwine—wands, enchanted machines, and laser pistols are used side by side, seamlessly merging the mystical with the mechanical in ways that are both surprising and familiar.
• The wildlife of Kinship is equally diverse, a mix of robotic creatures, mythical beasts, dinosaurs, and modern species with both magical and mundane aspects.

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!