A "rip" is the name given for a magically created hole in the fabric of space and time. Only divine characters can create rips, and even then it is an extremely complex and difficult process
which nearly always goes wrong. This is one of the rare occasions in fairy history when a rip actually opened to the right place.
Although rips typically connect a particular point in time in two particular worlds, they are extremely flexible and it is often possible to
go through other, smaller exit points, such as points within the timeframe of one's own world. In this way, it is possible (although dangerous and difficult) to use a rip to travel back in time
or to go to another world which is not directly connected to the base world (where the rip was created). A good example of this is how Mallos used the rip which connected Shaman with Hoof Prince
to travel back in time within Shaman.
This particular rip connects modern-day Shaman with modern-day Earth, 2010.
Earth is inhabited by humans and fairies. On Earth, fairykind has more or less gone into hiding; frightened by the witch trials, fairies encouraged a general disbelief in their own kind,
to the point where most humans now completely disregard magic as fantasy and the vast majority of which do not even know that fairies exist. Occasionally, fairies do let slip their identities to humans,
since there is no law to prevent them from doing so - but Earth fairies generally accept that their existence must be kept a secret for fear of persecution.
Fairies inhabit all areas of Earth, and many of them now choose to pose as humans rather than trying to live secretly in a remote spot. It is now quite common for fairies to
amputate their wings to save the difficulty of having to hide them. Fairy/human partnerships are rare but do occur, although there have as yet been no fairy/human cross children;
there is a general belief that the two species are incompatible.
Original fairies were the first 20 or so fairies in existence; they are all millions of years old and are often regarded as deities. Because they were formed of pure stardust
rather than a compound, these fairies differ slightly from normal ones - for example, they do not grow wings and do not naturally have familiars. All original fairies have divinity (full magic). Aura was the very first fairy in existence and is the oldest of the lot.
The number of original fairies (which cannot, sadly, be replenished) has been gradually depleting over the millenia and now only something like six or seven inhabit Earth. More live on other worlds,
but Earth has the highest number of original fairies living, and it's on Earth where the Council of Originals is based.
There are two main religious beliefs amongst fairies. One is polytheistic, and views all the original fairies as gods and the joint creators of Earth. The other is monotheistic, and views Aura as the creator of Earth and the one true God,
and all the other originals as demi-gods who came after her. The originals are, in general, a conceited bunch who favour the idea of deification and regularly compete with each other to be the most worshipped.
All Earth fairies are aware of the Council, which consists entirely of the remaining original fairies and is based in Amarna in Egypt. The Council creates the laws of fairykind, to which
all fairies are magically bound. The Council meets once every 100 years or so.
The Star Chamber has two purposes; firstly, to trial the original fairies who break the law, and secondly to forward issues brought to it by the general public to the Council.
These issues will be dealt with when the Council next meets.
The current Chairman of the Council and the High Judge of the Star Chamber is Gwythr, who is currently absent. In his absence, Tsi is the Acting Chairman and Zed is the Acting High Judge.
Can I play my Shaman characters on Earth?
Yes! Shaman characters can freely cross over to Earth.
Will my Shaman characters lose their powers upon entering Earth/returning to Shaman?
No. Ordinarily they would, but the nature of the rip preserves your characters as they are.
Can I play temporary/permanent Earth characters (fairy or human) on Shaman?
Yes. Since the majority of humans don't know Shaman exists it is difficult for them to cross over, but not impossible, and fairies can cross over at any time.
Do humans know about fairies?
Most of them, no. Probably only a handful of humans in the whole world know that fairies exist.
Can I breed my temporary characters?
Yes, to other temporary characters. Temporary characters are not monitored in the same way as permanent ones, meaning they don't go in the database. You don't need to post up breeding stats anywhere; you can simply
start playing your temporary character as pregnant and then post up the baby's stats (you choose them) on the "join a temporary character" board.
To breed a temporary character to a permanent one, you need admin permission.
Can I breed/create a human/fairy crossbreed?
At the moment, no.
What's the difference between creating a character normally on Shaman and creating a permanent one on Earth?
When a character is posted on Shaman's joining board, it is entering Shaman for the first time from any world. All powers and levels the character may have had are reset to no powers and level 0.
A character joined on Earth may never have entered Shaman at all, and may not even be aware of its existence. They will retain their powers and levels until they cross over to Shaman permanently on the switchover to version eight.
If I make a temporary character can I change it into a permanent one?
Yes, by posting it on the permanent joining board. However, you must accept that on the switchover to version eight, their powers and levels will be reset.
I made a permanent character but it wasn't added to the database!
Permanent characters joined on Earth will be added to the database on the switchover to version eight, when their powers and levels will be reset.
Can I join a magical human?
No. Humans cannot control or possess magic in any form.
Can I join with special/extreme powers?
You need admin permission to join with extreme powers (e.g. hypnosis), however you may join without permission with special powers (e.g. power mimicry).
Can I join with mythical/extinct/magical familiars?
You may join with mythical or extinct familiars, however you need admin permission to join a magical (a familiar with independent powers of its own, e.g. a firebreathing dragon) one.
For more help guides and tutorials please see the help pages on Shaman.
If you're still stuck, ask on the Shaman chat board or email georgia@shamanrpg.net