My brethren are the very best of us and the very worst. While we have built the tallest and most beautiful artifices we have also scarred the world in our arrogance and greed. I cannot hate my fellow shards but I cannot abide them to continue their path of destruction

Kontaro’s missive to the Eye of Morrow

What are Shards?

When gods became enamoured with their creations they took physical form and had children with them. The offspring were extraordinarily powerful compared to their mortal kin. Some had strength well above what could be imagined, others intellect that could deconstruct the nature of the universe and magic. Some knew they were the children of gods and others it was hidden from them. Quickly they rose to lead kingdoms and armies or build schools and artificer labs. Some were benevolent and just and others self serving and vile. The common mortals were wary at first until they realized that the shards could not be truly killed.

The creation of the Durance

A group of mortals known as the Eye of Morrow came together to face the challenge some of the strongest and more dangerous shards and came to the decision that for the future of the realm all shards would need to be neutralized. Together with six of the most powerful beneficent shards they tapped into deep powerful creation to tear power from the very world and used it to create the Durance. Knowing that a shard could not be killed the Durance would be an eternal prison. The Eye of Morrow then used their new power to pull every shard from every part of the world into the Durance. While the six were distracted wielding and controlling the wyld power the Eye of Morrow betrayed them and wounded them grievously forcing them into the Durance as well. Only one shard escaped. Kontaro.

Hundreds of Years later…

The world rebuilt, the Eye of Morrow still hunted Kontaro, and the power that they created, the Wyld, took root as the only divine power and religion of the world. The shards were all but forgotten and the massive fortress of Caer Carnalon was built over where the Durance was. Unknown to all Kontaro had spent the years studying and growing and searching for a path to revenge. He found something in the depths of the unknown west and returned to wreak a powerful unseen ever in the world to bring about the Night of Fire.

The Night of Fire

The Night of Fire saw mountain sized chunks of stone fall from the sky, installed magic gone wild across the world, weather calamities, and sudden blooms of undead activity. Caer Carnalon was utterly destroyed and the whole of civilization thrown into a quick state of chaos. Some kingdoms and city states recovered quickly, others were overrun with sudden monster or undead attacks. Reports and rumours days later were that survivors from the Caer emerged stumbling into the village of Kilkaen. Some know the truth. The shards have been freed.

Playing a shard

The shards have been locked in a state of stasis and without bodies for hundreds of years. While you are for all intents and purposes a demigod you have emerged as weak and inexperienced as any mortal. You also have no memory of your time in the world before being imprisoned. You only remember your name. As you grow in strength you will remember more of your history and time before your imprisonment. Will you become a benevolent leader helping to rebuild the world or will you take revenge on the mortals? Will you devote your unlimited power to growing the wyld unleashed by the Eye of Morrow and the Six or will you seek to bring your god parents and patrons back to life? Will you end the scourge of the void and undead or will you do the unthinkable and wield those powers for your own?

Welcome to the world of Durance. You are shards, the world is yours.