Thanks for the warm reception everyone! I will try to answer your questions.

I like it a lot, I would definitely play in the setting. I don't have much to say besides that. It would be sweet if you could get a map and more info posted

Thanks. It would be very difficult to post a map since there is no longer a solid world. I would have to post 1,000 individual shard maps.....

Niiice. I see either influence from a bunch of different video games and books, or some wacky coincidences. I especially like the possibility of a moral conundrum if the players find out how their skyships work, or attack the navigator at some point. I'd like to hear more on how the skiff's work, and just where each shard gets it's water nowadays.

Again, thanks. Much of this was original, but I did borrow a few concepts form some fantasy books and rpgs I have used. Nothing came from computer games though...

Unlike windriggers, windskiffs do not have a navigator, so occupants are on their own when it comes to finding their way around. A compass comes in vvveeerrrryyyy handy for this.

I like the idea, and this all seems to be very well thought out, I havent read it all but if you could elborate on mages and wether this is a med or low magic setting it would be great, also more information on the windriggers and the special qualities of the dragons would be useful.

Once again, thanks. Actually mgaic vaires from shard to shard. Most shards normal when it comes to magic, however the forces that were unleashed during the Shattering did result in some wild magic shards as well as a few magic-dead shards.

Now, here is some more info on the Shattered World, this time concentrating mostly on mages in the Shards. Hope you enjoy!

(More Selections from) A DICTIONARY OF COMMON ORAMIAN TERMS AND PHRASES:

Cabal, The: A group of rogue wizards who study the art of necromancy. They have banded together for the sole purpose of self-preservation, and are believed to have a covert shard base hidden somewhere. The name of this shard and its location are kept secret by members of the Cabal. They believe that the Restoration is a hopeless goal, a fool's errand, and are more interested in their own studies and goals - primarily the destruction of RASAMA-TAS. (See also: RASAMA-TAS, Restoration, The; Rogue Wizard; Shard.)

Circle, The: A group of rogue wizards (mostly demon conjurers, wild mages, and necromancers) who believe in the goals of RASAMA-TAS, but believe that the solution to the problem of the Restoration lies within the forbidden schools of magic (since the Guild has obviously had no luck using the more widely accepted schools). This group desires a shard-key to study in order to unlock its secrets in the hope of achieving this goal, and will pay HANDSOMELY to get their hands on one. (See also: Demon Conjurer; RASAMA-TAS; Restoration, The; Rogue Wizard; Shard-Key.)

Demon Conjurer: A type of conjurer specialty mage who specializes in the summoning of demons. Demon conjuring is considered a forbidden art, and all such conjurers are considered rogue mages. (See also: Rogue Mage.)


Guild, The: See Wizards’ Guild.

Guild Mages: Because of the Wizard War, which resulted in the Shattering of the world of Oramis, the general public is fearful of mages. As a result, the Wizards’ Guild has had to become an underground organization. Even so, the Wizards’ Guild is a powerful organization.

One of the main purposes of the Guild is to seek out new mages and try to convince them to join the Guild. There are two main reasons for this. First and foremost, it allows the Guild to keep tabs on all Guild mages. If these mages do anything to jeopardize the Guild or any of its members or goals (by the open use of magic, following forbidden schools of magic, etc.), they may be dealt with by the Guild. Second, in return for joining the Guild, a mage gets certain benefits. He has a place to go to get supplies and training if they become needed. He may recruit other mages to help in an adventure or other endeavor. He is welcome to use the Guild’s laboratories and libraries to further his own studies (as long as these do not interfere with the Guild’s objectives).

One of the conditions of joining the Wizards' Guild is that the mage must agree under a binding oath that he will not create any new spells or magic items without the expressed approval of the Guild. Also, any magic items found by the mage must be viewed and approved by the Guild before they may become anyone's personal property (thus the Guild may weed out any items deemed too powerful or dangerous for use). Any mage who refuses to join the Guild is branded a rogue mage, and is actively hunted by Guild mages.

The term “The Wizards’ Guild” is somewhat misleading. It is actually just another name for RASAMA-TAS. (See also: Oramis; RASAMA-TAS; Rogue Wizard; Shattering, The; Wizard War; Wizards’ Guild.)

High Magus: The leader of RASAMA-TAS. The current High Magus is a female human named Salandra Norfressa. (See Who’s Who in the Shattered World: Salandra Norfressa. See also: RASAMA-TAS)

Holy Order of the Skywyrm Riders: An order of paladins who are dedicated to the protection of the mages of RASAMA-TAS. These men and women believe in the possibility of the Restoration and have dedicated their lives to ensuring that the mages have the opportunity to continue work that they believe is vital to the survival of Oramis. Each Skywyrm Rider is chosen at dedication by a dragon and spends all of his or her training time with that wyrm. By the time the Rider is ready to join the Order, the two have developed a telepathic bond. The greatest threats facing RASAMA-TAS today include (but are not limited to): The Cabal, The Children of the Light, The Circle, the Sky-Pirates of Gao-Den, and the Witch-Hunters. (See also: Cabal, The; Children of the Light; Circle, The; Oramis; RASAMA-TAS; Restoration, The; Sky-Pirates of Gao-Den; Skywyrm; Witch-Hunters.)

Kusaran Alliance: An alliance of four shards: Kusara, Carbuncle, Sheranda, and Tartassos. Guild mages from RASAMA-TAS have found a way to magically tie the four shards together so that they are always near each other. The four shards that make up the alliance are probably the most accepting of mages of all of the shards. (See Lexicon of Shards: Carbuncle, Kusara, Sheranda, Tartassos. See also: Guild Mages; RASAMA-TAS; Shard.)

Library at Tartassos, The: The legendary Library at Tartassos is a mysterious place. It is large beyond belief and so old that it is believed to predate even the Dragon Lords. (See Lexicon of Shards: Tartassos. See also: Dragon Lords.)

Mageslayers: See Witch Hunters.

Mundane: Wizard slang for anyone who is unable to harness the power of magic.

Pirates of Gao-Den: Plague of the Wind Ways, they are known to harry caravans of the Sky Merchants. (See Lexicon of Shards: Gao Den. See also: Sky Merchants’ Guild; Wind Ways, The.)

RASAMA-TAS: An acronym which stands for The Royal Academy for the Study and Advancement of the Mystical Arts and Thaumaturgical Analysis School. This is the formal name of the Wizards’ Guild. The Guild formally and openly receives the endorsement of the shards comprising the Kusaran Alliance, since its main goal is the Restoration of the world to its former solid shape. Branches of RASAMA-TAS, also known less commonly as the Wizards’ Guild, are known (at least to mages) to exist on many shards, however most -except for the University on Tartassos - exist in secret owing to the paranoia most mundanes feel toward mages. (See Lexicon of Shards: Tartassos. See also: Kusaran Alliance; Mundane; Restoration, The; Shard; University on Tartassos; Wizards’ Guild.)

Restoration, The: The name applied by Guild Mages to the major goal of RASAMA-TAS - the restoration of Oramis into a solid whole. (See also: Guild Mages; Oramis; RASAMA-TAS.)

Rogue Wizard: A wizard who has refused to join the Wizards’ Guild. Such mages are hunted by Guild mages. It is rumored that the Wizards’ Guild sometimes sells information concerning known rogue wizards to the radical organization known as the Witch Hunters. (See also: Guild Mages; Witch Hunters; Wizards’ Guild.)

Sky Merchants' Guild: Guild of merchants responsible for most inter-shard commerce. (See also: Shard.)

Sky-Pirates of Gao-Den: Plague of the Wind Ways, they are known to harry caravans of the Sky Merchant’s Guild. It is believed that one of the Guild mages who first learned how to create windriggers has gone rogue, and is now helping the sky-pirates to create an armada of pirate windriggers. (See Lexicon of Shards: Gao-Den. See also: Guild Mages; Rogue Mage; Sky Merchants’ Guild; Wind Ways, The; Windrigger.)

University on Tartassos: Home of RASAMA-TAS. (See Lexicon of Shards: Tartassos. See also:
RASAMA-TAS.)

Wind Wraiths: It IS possible to fall off the edge of a shard. Doing this is a terrible way to die. Unless one is rescued by a windrigger or other benevolent inhabitant of the Wind Ways, crash-lands on a shard, is devoured by skywyrms, or meets his demise in some other way, one drifts aimlessly about the ‘Ways with no control over direction or speed. One simply floats about until one dies of thirst or starvation. Many of those who die in this fashion become Wind Wraiths. These horrid undead creatures have no fear of the sun. Being formless entities like ghosts or common wraiths, they are immaterial, and can pass through the walls of an windrigger. They are most often identified by their terrible moaning which is often mistaken for the sound of the wind blowing. Sometimes called “Lost Ones.” (See also: Shard; Skywyrm; Wind Ways, The; Windrigger.)

Witch Hunters: Because of the fear the general public has of wizards, Witch Hunters have become very popular. These men and women seek out and slay known mages, even Guild mages if they can do so without getting caught. Witch Hunters have an innate magic sense which they use to track down and slay wizards. It is known that the Wizards’ Guild often sells information about known rogue wizards to Witch Hunters. It is rumored that the Witch Hunters are a branch of the Children of the Light. Also referred to as Mageslayers. (See also: Children of the Light; Guild Mages; Rogue Wizard; Wizards’ Guild.)

Wizards’ Guild: Unlike the guilds of most worlds, the Wizards’ Guild is a secret organization. Because of the effect the Wizard War had on the world of Oramis, the general public is frightened of wizards. Because of this, all wizards MUST be Guild mages. Those who are not are branded rogues and are hunted down by Guild mages. The primary goal of the Guild is to find a way to reunite the shards back into a solid, whole world again, and thus regain the confidence of the general public (referred to as “the Restoration”). The term “Wizards’ Guild” is misleading. The Wizards’ Guilds are actually local branches of RASAMA-TAS, a magical university based on the shard Tartassos, a member-shard of the Kusaran Alliance. (See also: Guild Mages; Kusaran Alliance; Oramis; RASAMA-TAS; Restoration, The; Rogue Mage; Shard; University on Tartassos; Wizard War.)