They say we prospered once.
There are stories of tall buildings that kissed the clouds, of mechanical carriages that sped across paths as fast as dragons fly, and of a mystical library that held all the knowledge of the world, which each person carried with them. Fantastic things which can only be imagined in our times. Yet, we are told that none of this was through magic, that magic was considered fable and fairy tale in that age. The Cataclysm changed everything. We pass the memory of its destruction, and gifts, down from one generation to the next, lest it and the so many lives that perished during it, be forgotten. It was sudden and came without warning. Some believe it came because we abused our planet, that she fought back. Others claim that it was long foretold and inevitable. Some whisper that it was the gods returning to our lands, but those whispers are scoffed at. Where are our gods? They have left us all in the skeletal remains of a once great society. Our cries go ever unheard, echoing in the husks of the rubble that remains.​
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Those of us that survived have been rebuilding. It was slow, painful, at first. Many had evolved in the Cataclysm. Our elders tell us that we were all First Ones once, but those that survived the horrific event physically changed, their bodies warping into new forms, into the different Awakened that we all are today. Everyone was terrified and they fought or fled in desperation. Worse, was that they had all manifested new powers that none yet understood, the Aether now suddenly flowing freely through them. Beasts appeared and they prowled the realms, and during the first wave of the event Relic Sites rose, crumbling already from age at that time, erupting from the earth herself. Those first days are unimaginable, but it has been a hundred years since the Cataclysm and we have become stronger.
We are one people now and we are learning, rebuilding, in our new image.
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Shattered Realms is one of four campaigns for the Shattered Universe Series (SUS) setting. It is a high fantasy adventure set in our own world, after a destructive event has taken place. An event the people have deemed "The Cataclysm" saw magic (known as Aether) return to the world. The Cataclysm occurred without warning and the entire globe was rocked by waves of chaos. The aether, seeping into everything, caused people to physically change form to reflect the latent aether hidden within their genes, becoming the different kinds of Awakened. Not only did the people shift, but so too did the animals and plants. Every living thing was imbued.
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Soon after, technology came to a crashing halt. Any advanced technology relying on electricity ceased to function. Planes fell from the sky, vehicles would not start, the sky was as dark as pitch at night, and families had no way to reach out to one another to see if they were safe. These were dark times, figuratively and literally. Society collapsed almost over night and riots and looting swept through nearly every city. People were desperate for food and supplies, to survive.
Then came the Relic Sites, massive crumbling structures bursting from the ground. Some destroying entire cities in their birthing from the soil below. Some remained hidden, as only their entrances appeared, but still caused the ground to quake in the regions in which they formed. Each one completely different from the next. Labyrinths with twisting interiors, dangerous wild aether, and many containing and spewing forth wretched beasts.
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Hundreds of thousands of people perished in The Cataclysm. It was a difficult time for everyone, a struggle from one day to the next. Few had the skills and knowledge to survive in a world without technology, and once the dust settled, many banded together to form small societies. Some were in the interest of rebuilding as a community, others became marauders who pillaged and murdered to stay alive.
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It has been 100 years since The Cataclysm took place and life has gone on. New cities have been built, new alliances have been made, and many have studied the aether to learn its secrets.
This is the world of Shattered Realms.