This guide has been designed for people who would be otherwise put off joining Shaman because of all the information to read. The purpose of the other information pages is to bring new players up to (almost) the same level of understanding of the game as existing players. Sometimes, however, people just want to be able to play and pick up things as they go, maybe returning to the detailed info pages later when they have more inclination to do so. This guide is designed to explain the basics of the game as simply as possible to get new members to the stage where they can play the game. For a full understanding of Shaman, newbies should consult the other info pages.
staff
Georgia, Equilibrium and Merlin are the equal owners, administrators and highest level of authority on Shaman. However, all three of these people are, first and foremost, players; like everyone else, they are bound by the rules of the game and cannot simply just do as they please. You have as many rights as they do. If you need to contact any of the moderators/owner, ask on the Chat board or email them at theirname@shamanrpg.com.
Chatango Names
Georgia: thetamar
Equilibrium: darthequilibrium
Merlin: magicalmerlin
Click here to read the rules of the game, here to get email support or here to ask a question on the chat board.
shaman
"Shaman" is the name of the planet/world in which the game is set. The world of Shaman was created by the deity Aura as an intended sanctuary in 1919 from planet Earth, but exists in another dimension to Earth. It is quite similar to Earth in that the grass is still green, sky is still blue etc, but because it was created by magic it doesn't necessarily follow the laws of physics/nature. Because of this, freezing tundras and burning deserts can exist side-by-side in perfect harmony.
All fairies from Earth can enter Shaman simply by wishing themselves there, but it's significantly harder to leave once you're here. Usually the only way to get back to Earth is to ask a deity to create a rip in the fabric of space and time to send you back through. Fairies don't have to be from Earth, however; they can come from any dimension/world. Other creatures can also come to Shaman and be turned into fairies upon entry. Because of the magical protection surrounding Shaman, all fairies enter at level one, usually with no powers at all.
Click here for more information on the world of Shaman.
fairies
Fairies are a separate species to humans, but coexist with them in secret on Earth. At the beginning of time, all fairies were created from stardust, which is also the origin of magic. There are two sub-species of fairies: ordinary and original. The original fairies are the deities/gods (see "Religion & the Gods" section) and are very small in number. All fairies are essentially the same, but there are some small biological differences between ordinary and original fairies: original fairies have no wings but have the capacity to control divinity (pure magic), whereas all ordinary fairies develop wings from level 2 onwards and none of them can control divinity. Half-bloods (the children of an original and an ordinary fairy) have the biology of an ordinary fairy.
All fairies are inherently magical and all have a close connection with nature. Otherwise they are very similar to humans. With the exception of wings and other physical traits which can be gained, they look the same as humans.
You can only join Shaman as an ordinary fairy.
Click here for more information on fairykind.
magic
Magic comes in many different forms.
Specific permanent magical powers can be gained in numerous ways, but primarily through trading a coin. These include things like immorality, fire manipulation, telepathy etc.
Levels increase a fairy's command of their magical powers and also provides additional powers, primarily in terms of transmogrification. Level rules are fairly loose so you can choose how your fairy develops through levels. There are 7 ordinary levels and then 3 extra levels in eight different level "branches": abeo (transmogrification), bestia (animal), vis (nature), animus (soul), medicus (time lord), orbis (otherworlds), somnium (dreams) and sentio (perception). Once a fairy reaches level VII, they will be sent on a quest to find their ren object. Once their ren object has been found, they will learn which level branch they will follow. You cannot choose your level branch but you can express a preference which will be noted. Fairies can rise through the levels by gaining points.
Doubloons can be traded for shop items, which are a kind of temporary magic. For example, purchasing a telepotion will give you a one-off teleportation in or out of somewhere.
Divinity is magic in its purest form and is more or less omnipotence, although what it can be used for depends on the skill of the fairy using it. It can only be harnessed by an original fairy. If an ordinary fairy has divinity, they cannot control it.
Ancient magic refers to a magic nobody really understands which predates all other forms of magic. No fairy has or can use ancient magic. Sometimes creatures or people (who aren't fairies, but a separate species altogether) with ancient magic may appear in the game with quests or contests.
Click here for more information on magic and levels.
religion & the gods
All fairy religions are optional; fairies can be atheists, agnostic, Christian, Muslim etc if they wish. There are numerous fairy religions, but the basic ones are polytheistic and monotheistic. The polytheistic religion believes that all the deities together created the world, whereas the monotheistic religions believe that a single specific deity is the key creator. Most monotheists believe Aura is the creator god.
The original fairies (the first twenty or so fairies in existence, all of whom are immortal and possess divinity) are considered to be the gods. Collectively they form an intergalactic government known as the Council of Originals, which has sworn to protect fairykind and lays down laws for all the gods to obey. The leader of the Council of Originals is Tsi. Other known living gods are: Mallos, Gwythr, Lorraine, Allianah, Zed, Khasekhemwy, Rhaegar and Xephyr. Known deceased gods are: Aura, Caspian and Thoth (not to be confused with the demigod Thoth, who was named after the former).
Sometimes deities inhabit Shaman, and when they do they generally live in the Pantheon. The gods live amongst ordinary people and interact with them.
As a race, the deities are largely selfish, arrogant and fairly inefficient, but they do have their individual redeeming qualities. It is generally believed that the gods' perception of the world and their passage through time is different to ordinary fairies'. Most of them do have some morals but not all of them are inclined to help ordinary people. There are no "good" and "evil" deities; all of them have both good and evil inside them, just like normal people, and their actions are mostly influenced by their own attitudes and beliefs.
Click here for more information on religion and culture.
civilisation
Shaman is a world on the brink of civilisation, which means that it is pretty backward compared to Earth. Electricity and other modern power sources don't really exist here, but magic can be used as a substitute and technology is frequently brought in from other worlds. Many people are not literate.
There is a central government (known as "the Core") of Shaman which is run primarily by the royal family of Shaman, headed by the crowned King or Queen. The current king is Arthur. The government are the ones who make the laws for the land and the rest of society is structured beneath them. Most people live in family groups within their own individual territories, but empires and ambition also exist. By and large, the people of Shaman are fairly peaceful. Most wars and battles occur between fairies and other magical creatures, or when the gods come to Shaman to mess things up.
Click here for more information on how territories and civilisation work on Shaman.
gameplay
Within the game, there are many different roles a character can take on because of all the different elements of society.
- Family-oriented fairies can set up their own little homeland with permission from the King and settle down into a nice family routine.
- At the Academy, fairies can teach the next generation or become apprentices and maybe earn themselves a title and profession such as doctor, soldier, pioneer, carpenter etc.
- Fairies interested in judiciary can become lawyers or members of the jury.
- Posh fairies might want to join the King's courts (Equites) and become members of the elite. If they are especially favoured they may even become nobles or knights.
- Aspiring politicians may be voted in to the Senate at the next election. The Senate comes with a whole host of responsibilities.
- Law-abiding citizens may want to become prison guards, royal soldiers or bounty-hunters.
- Adventurous fairies can explore Shaman as King's Explorers or pirates.
- Rebellious fairies may become outlaws, safe only in the Smugglers' Caves.
- Amibitous fairies can establish their own empires and make up their own section of society, or maybe attempt to usurp the throne from the existing royal family.
- Battle-hungry fairies can fight mosnters in Macabre Marsh.
history
Shaman is currently in its eighth version. Here's a brief overview of the plots and histories of Shaman over each version.
- Version one: Aura created Shaman and fairies started to move in.
- Version two: Gwythr, under the guise of Mallos (who had been locked up), came to Shaman, stole Aura's magic and took over as god and self-proclaimed king. During his time he created "the Mallos generation" (30 or so demigod children made with Mallos' genetics) and started a war against the horse world of Hoof Prince. A resistance led by Twinge quickly formed against him and he proved to be extremely unpopular, particularly when he later murdered Aura. At the end of version two, the Oracle of Hoof Prince worked together with the horses and fairies to contain Gwythr in a magical prison.
- Version three: the people of Shaman learned to get by without gods. Arthur became the new king. Anneliese, Aura's phoenix-familiar (who had been reborn when she died), united Shaman in the goal to bring Aura back to life and sort of succeeded. Anneliese's soul fused with remaining fragments of Aura's to create an imitation of her personality.
- Version four: a time of relative peace.
- Version five: Gwythr discovered a way to break out of his prison by releasing seven magic-infused rats to weaken the barriers. As each rat was released, a new curse rocked Shaman.
- Version six: Gwythr finally broke out of his prison and started a war against Aura and her supporters. Shaman split into the two empires of Per-aa Nakht (Gwythr's supporters) and Set-Merut (Aura's supporters).
- Version seven: Gwythr, whom everyone had believed was Mallos, was finally revealed for who he truly was. Aura created a rip in the fabric of space and time between Earth and Shaman and accompanied a small group of fairies on a top secret mission. The mission was to free Mallos and alert the Council of Originals of Gwythr's treachery.
- Version eight: Tsi brought the Council of Originals to Shaman and declared a suspension to the war. He reduced Aura and Gwythr to zygotes and announced that they would be reborn on Shaman to live as ordinary people until their 20th birthdays, whereupon their memories of their past life would return to them. The rest of Shaman were given these 20 years of peace to rebuild. Mallos was appointed as a guardian of the peace.
- Version nine: At the end of the 20 year period Aura was declared the deity of Shaman. With an unknown danger threatening the originals on Earth, she and Mallos were recalled for a reconnaissance mission on which she died. Tsi spread the originals out between the worlds and adopted Shaman as the council's base while the deities tried to fight the mysterious threat. He kept with him on Shaman the unstable deities Xephyr and Rhaegar.
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