#shatterworld

[silverserpent]

A brief introduction to a project I got going on

thanks to @blazewatergem for asking the questions on this one :D

this is the Shatterworld

[paladinpuppypile]

Here it is - the link to our first @galrabigbang! A lot of life circumstances occurred while we were working on this fic, but it’s going to be posted complete over the next few days. It was such an honor to be in this event with so many talented people. Thank you to my wonderful artists, who put up with all that was going on with kindness and amazing art! Be sure to check out their blogs below!

Title: Shatterworld Authors: Aurum & Sylvyr Artists: @sillyotter & @eatyourgrapes Pairing (if applicable): Thace/Haxus Rating: Teen & Up Warnings: Depictions of violence, injury Summary:  The Galra were forced to give up everything they knew or perish with the planet when Daibazaal was attacked. Scattered across their solar system, stranded on neighboring trade planets, they have to rebuild everything from scratch, including their trust. Ulaz is reunited with Thace when he treats military survivors on board his evacuation ship. In the wake of Daibazaal’s final moments, Ulaz steps from med-engineer to trauma surgeon, entering a a new life with blood-stained hands. Thace seeks any word he can find regarding his mate’s whereabouts — to no avail. Haxus is a noble by birth, known as Teacher. He ushers his class to safety aboard a cargo ship before it's too late. As he negotiates for safe haven with Olkarion, he must face news that his mate’s military fleet has been obliterated in the attack. While Haxus is called to serve their grief-stricken and vengeful Emperor as an ambassador, Thace and Ulaz stumble upon a military commander who’s lost not only his family, but his sight. When the Galra Empire starts to rise in power once more, their shattered lives come together like jagged puzzle pieces — restoring bonds, building trust and facing the corruption growing from within their new world.

Link to the fic | Link to the art: Sillyotter | Talicor *cover art is also by Talicor!

[paladinpuppypile]

You brought this upon yourself, you know what you did! Thoughts on Haxus and Sendak after Sendak first gets his big ass prosthetic and has been sent on a space trip~ *imagine woo sounds*.

[Nah, Anon, you brought this on yourself <3 Thank you for sending this!]

Theyadministered the pain suppressants only after the procedure was complete. Haxushadn’t been allowed anywhere near the lab while it was happening, and that wasprobably safer for everyone involved. When Ulaz accompanied Sendak’s return tohis quarters, he barely met Haxus’s gaze, and he smelled of blood and guilt.Haxus helped ease Sendak down into his nest and Ulaz backed away as soon as hewas settled.

“Soon, he willnot feel the pain—“

“Get out,”Haxus murmured, his claws digging into his palms. He kept his features neutral,but his tone dripped with venom.

“Yes, sir.”Ulaz quickly departed. Haxus felt certain he and Thace would have words later,but now it was time to focus on Sendak.

His newprosthetic was monstrous. Emperor Zarkon had called this procedure an honor,something to strengthen Sendak’s power in the empire. Sendak needed no help; hewas already Zarkon’s personally-trained soldier, with more conquests under hisbelt than nearly anyone else in the main fleet. He did not need an arm made ofmetal and quintessence to be great. But the order had been given, and Haxusloathed that Ulaz would so readily carry it through. A rational part of him,one that Thace would speak to when they had the opportunity, understood that Ulazhad no more choice in the matter than Sendak or Haxus. That didn’t make it anyeasier for him to accept.

Haxus croucheddown at the edge of Sendak’s nest and ran his hand over the length of Sendak’sforearm. The metal was cool to the touch, and he recognized Ulaz’s mark in theway he had designed it. Sleek craftsmanship, functional, a touch of the flarethat somehow managed to follow the Galra all these long years. From thisposition, he couldn’t gauge how heavy the new limb was, what kind of toll it wasalready taking on Sendak’s body. The main port had been built into hisshoulder, and the slow-burn glow of pure quintessence connecting it to the elbowport made the fur on Haxus’s nape stand on end. Sendak would have to learn howto use this arm all over again.

As if Sendakcould sense him near, his head turned, eyes opening slightly. He couldn’tfocus, the struggle of it showed in the crease of his brow.

“Teacher—“

“I am here.Rest, Sendak. You need to recover.”

“The pain…”

“It will easesoon, be patient.”

Sendak’s browscrunched up even further, and Haxus remembered such a stubborn expression on amore youthful and rebellious cub in his first years of training. “They said…itwas an honor.”

Haxus had neverheard his voice so thin before. Once more, his fists clenched up so tightly he couldfeel pricks of pain in his palm. With any luck, Sendak would not remember beingin this state. He forced his voice to stay level, sincere in spite of his anger.“I am proud of you, Sendak.”

Those wordsseemed to ease the tension tangled up in Sendak’s face. His ears, pinned backonly a moment ago, flickered and relaxed again. His eyes closed, and he oncemore slipped back into drug-induced slumber. Haxus let out the breath he hadbeen holding and his shoulders sagged. It wasn’t defeat, but rather exhaustionand worry. How much more would Sendak be able to take before the Empiredestroyed him. One way or another, that end seemed to be coming quickly for him.If it wouldn’t be at the hands of a battle Sendak wasn’t meant to fight, itwould be at the will of Zarkon himself – who would keep letting his druids makemonsters out of warriors and call it honor. Haxus feared honor had fallen faraway from the emperor, and soon Haxus and others like him would be the onlyones grasping at what the Galra were.

Sendak began tosnore softly; Haxus’s ears twitched toward it, the sound comforting. He relaxedhis hands and placed one of them over Sendak’s prosthetic fingers. He would notshy away from this. He would stay right where he always had – at the commander’sside.

[snakestories]

Shatterworld - rundown

Guys for my story. They go on a hiking trip together into a fantasy wilderness that kills so many people it wasn't crossed for a long time.

SERGIO NECTRIS, he/him – The mapmaker. He’s scrawny and pale, with short black hair, green eyes. He dresses in long, flowy coats, mostly to avoid getting noticed, but he often carries shiny or colorful object with himself. He uses hereditary magic that lets him communicate with crows. Socially awkward and perpetually lonely, he rarely talks to people. Has learnt some sciences, including cartography, cryptography, and optics. Likes to read in his free time. He struggles with a family headed by a controlling father. 

According to the stereotypes, he’s a black magician; this is indicated by him having eyes that can light up like a cat’s if the light hits them right.

RANRIL HALLE, they/he – The fighter. He’s heavy-set, with a broad shoulder, shoulder-length, straight gray-blue hair, blue markings. He looks considerably more healthy than Sergio, and he dresses a bit more flashily, though his first priority is free movement. He uses hereditary magic that lets him create so-called Sanctuaries, little, peaceful pockets of space that only the people and things he lets in can get into. He’s active and outgoing, prefers either physical activity or talking to his friends. He uses several kinds of weapons well, likes to hike in their free time. Struggles with too much responsibility placed on him too early.

According to the stereotypes, he’s from a freeloading family that has nothing and does nothing.

INGRISS NASSIN-ERNOD, she/her – The magical researcher. She’s lithe and very pretty, with long, brown hair, an always disapproving, lavender-grey gaze. She dresses in light colors, expensive and well-made dresses, usually. She uses partially learnt, partially inherited magic, that lets her create and teleport between little swathes of mirage, and that lets her sense and identify living beings and magical energy. She’s reserved, always proper and polite, someone who can chat with anyone nicely, and who seems unfazed by any insult. She likes to paint on a variety of objects and dance. She knows several social sciences, debating, law, languages, and magical science. She struggles with a need to be perfect.

According to the stereotypes, she’s a fragile, pure lady.

RAENA, she/her – The diplomat. She’s a harpy, with a heart-shaped face, broad shoulders, but thin limbs, she has a pair of pure white wings, and claws. She dresses in anything but her fellow harpies’ clothes, instead modifying anything she can get her hands on. Doesn’t use magic. She’s soft, social and empathetic, a great listener who will mingle with anyone. She sews in her free time, if she’s not out socialising. She has practice with a hunter-gatherer lifestyle and can fight with a spear decently, but she is on the team for her talent to talk to people. She struggles with not having a place to fit in.

According to stereotypes, she’s wild and uncivilised.

SEADEW, they/them – The medic. They are thin and lanky, with a few plant tattoos, and green hair. They wear cheap, simple clothes they can move in easily. Uses learnt ritual magic that lets them heal beings, repair objects, cleanse areas and create protection. They are cynical and world-weary, who will mostly crack rude jokes. They habitually chase any small pleasure they can get the moment they can get it. They like to make music in their free time. They have knowledge of plants, weeds and herbs, and they are used to handling crises. They struggle with not having the means to live comfortably.

According to stereotypes, they are lazy and dumb.

[sndfrosteyneko]

Now this song just makes we wish i could play it...

[horizonthetransient]

Shatterworld: A Story Setting, by Horizon the Transient

This one is pretty long.

Background

The idea is simple: there was a world, where magic was part of the world. Over time, the people that arose on this world learned how to manipulate this magic. However, that turned out to be a bad thing because, as everyone found out, it’s really easy to break things with magic.

The world was shattered, split into thousands of pieces, and were swallowed into a newly created universe. Now, the pieces of the world float through a chaotic void, bridges forming and dissolving as they move. Maps are useless, and any hope of stability is merely a pipe dream. Society regresses to a classical-era state, where for the most part might makes right and nobody truly knows what they’re doing.

Except for a few magic users, who were previously seen as clumsy failures. You see, in the old world, before it all fell apart at the seams, magic was divided up into elements. Air, Fire, Water, Earth... the classic four. Every mage had a primary affinity, an element that they could use intuitively and naturally; a secondary affinity, an element that they knew how to use under most circumstances; and a tertiary affinity, an element they had unreliable usage of. The fourth element was one they simply could not use, and was often the one considered the diametric opposite of their primary affinity.

But these clumsy mages didn’t seem to have a primary affinity, only a secondary and a tertiary, that they often weren’t very good at using. Until the world shattered, and the fifth magical element was discovered:

Void.

Suddenly, in a world that seemed to have gone completely to hell, there was a spark of hope. There were mages, now called Voidwalkers, who were able to actually interact with the void between pockets of reality, and could solidify connections between them. Suddenly, millions of people condemned to live short, painful lives had a chance to escape their tiny pockets of reality, and go someplace more livable.

As void became better and better understood, the most powerful Voidwalkers started stitching pieces of the world back together, forming ever-larger pockets of reality. They became the Black Kings(even the females were called Black Kings, out of tradition), and began to eke out a better civilization. But, with unity comes Us, and with Us comes Them, and with Them comes tension, and with tension comes war.

So suddenly, the hope was gone. These Kings would put some of the world back together, only to knock another part of it into little pieces again. Things were breaking a little above even, though, and the rubble of old kingdoms was larger than the gravel it started as.

The Five Kingdoms

As of late, the five current Black Kings have been in a stalemate, which brought some very nice stability. Trade has become a thing, as the Kings try a different tactic than simply throwing armies at each other. Things have transitioned into a more medieval state, and there’s a sudden demand for diplomats and courtiers.

King Bellflower: Unlike most mages, King Bellflower does not have a secondary or tertiary affinity. King Bellflower is simply very, very good at void magic. As such, their throne acts as a sort of beacon, used for navigation. They keep four advisers, all of them also Voidwalkers, and all of them with different secondary affinities. Their kingdom, Bellerose, is considered to be the center of the world, for most intents and purposes, although that does not make it the center of commerce or travel, or even knowledge or culture. It’s simply the middle of it all.

King Mason: King Mason is considered a simple woman, who enjoys the luxuries that being King gives her. Her secondary affinity is Earth, and she has used it to great effect in building her kingdom of Mountainhome. It is a center of commerce and luxury, and in the capital you can find almost anything, if you’re willing to pay for it. It’s also the biggest supply of raw materials, although it isn’t the center of industry.

King Evan: King Evan is a scholar more than anything, and built his kingdom of Alexis mostly so he had a place to put his library. His secondary affinity is Air, and it shows in the tall towers he’s had built, standing in defiance of the winds and gravity. Alexis is the center of knowledge in Shatterworld, and King Evan knows it. Any book written in Alexis(and many that were not) has a copy of it sitting in King Evan’s vast library, which is unfortunately not entirely open to the public. The librarians do sell copies of the books within their archives, though, ensuring that the knowledge accrued can actually be used.

King Larson: King Larson is a passionate man, seen by his subjects in the kingdom of Delaval as an inspiring, charismatic leader. His actual policies, though, leave something to be desired. Still, the forges of Delaval burn hotter than any other, and they're the only source of crucible steel in all of Shatterworld. Everything else is pattern-welded, which takes skill to make into something useful instead of just a soft piece of iron with crunchy bits of high-carbon steel in it. King Larson’s secondary affinity, if you haven’t noticed, is fire.

King Triton: King Triton’s secondary affinity is, of course, water. Did you even have to ask. Process of elimination, and all that. His kingdom of Corriveau is the center of the world as far as travelers are concerned, because you can go from Corriveau directly to almost anywhere else in the Five Kingdoms. Corriveau does not have much in the way of agriculture, due to being primarily a costal kingdom that subsides on fish.

Currently, the stalemate between the kingdoms is due to Bellflower. Bellflower is strong enough to crush any other Kingdom in one fell swoop, but at the same time, they would be severely overextended and the remaining three Kingdoms would gang up on Bellerose, crushing Bellflower before turning on each other.

Bellflower, not being an idiot, knows this, and is open about this. Bellflower is the lynchpin of Shatterworld, the toothpick in the Cosmic Cheeseburger, and this means that even in the other Kingdoms, what Bellflower says goes.

The Gods

Well, Shatterworld isn’t ruled and controlled only by five entities with the power to significantly and permanently warp reality. It’s got four others who can do that too, except they are also permanent fixtures of reality. They are the Gods.

Icarus: The god of the Sun and the Stars. The Grand Temple of Icarus is in Delaval, near the capital, and the priests spend most of their time in the forges, keeping the fires burning.

Stormweaver: The god of Weather and Birds. The Grand Temple of Stormweaver is in Alexis, in the capital, and the priests spend most of their time atop the towers, trying to keep the wind from turning a marvel of architecture into an expensive pile of rubble and corpses.

Petrarch: The god of Nature and Minerals. The Grand Temple of Petrarch is in Mountainhome, where the priests guide the miners to the deposits of ores and gemstones that seem to just spontaneously generate underground.

Leviathan: The god of Rivers and Fish. The Grand Temple of Leviathan is in Corriveau, and the clergy consists of most of the population, who are predominantly fishermen.

Yes, the gods are all related to observable aspects of the natural world, rather than more abstract things. There is a reason: a God of Fish who provides their followers with fish gets more followers, whereas a God of Water and Emotions who provides their followers with fish gets confused looks and requests for dating advice.

Also, more importantly, Shatterworld is composed of many tiny pockets of self-contained reality, and these pockets are not self-contained solar systems. They do not have a natural sun, or atmosphere, or wildlife, or flowing water. That is what the Gods do: Icarus provides the sun during the day and the stars at night, Stormweaver provides the air the people breathe along with weather and seasons, Petrarch gives them resources to actually build things with and animals to eat, and Leviathan provides clean water, fast-ish transit, and another major source of food.

The Gods have a strange yet simple relationship with their priests: the priests are slightly terrified of their gods, and tend to keep their requests small and simple; the gods, on the other hand, just do whatever is asked of them that they can actually accomplish. Stormweaver cannot provide water or fish, nor can Icarus make summer come sooner.