43 replies to this topic

[bonesiii]

Long ago, there was a contest. Then a cataclysmic event Shattered the contest in two. After thousands of years, a giant robot came along-- Oh wait, wrong description...

*ahem* Finally this contest is being continued. All entries already posted on the archived version (logout warning) are accepted, but also greatly encouraged to be reposted here. New entries may also be posted! Here's the (updated) contest text:

Welcome to an Expanded Multiverse contest, focusing on the Shard Moons of the Shattered Planet, Clysmax. [The Expanded Multiverse is a collection of fanon characters, places, stories, etc. along with the Cipher Chronicles, that was begun on the old forum and is continuing now. There are seven main planets, one of them the Shattered planet, Clysmax. Here is the current EM Discussion topic for non-contest comments and questions.]

When that planet Shattered, it primarily broke into six main Fragments devoted to the six primary canon elements [the good Allied Fragments are Fire, Water, Cave, Stone, and Air, versus the evil Ice Fragment; see the 100-page guide in the discussion topic's first post for more], and we already know a lot about those. But we know very little about the smaller Shards except that there is one for each of the other canon elements and the main (non-combo) Multiverse elements.

We originally left this as an unorganized open call in the EM Discussion topic for proposed descriptions of the Shard Moons, but it got so hard to keep up with it, and we also considered just an open proposal topic about this that wouldn't have quite been a contest. Eventually we just decided the best approach is simply to do a contest.

So here we are. Anybody may enter short text descriptions of any Shard Moon -- and as many as you want!

[NOTE: The top winning Shards will play a heavy role in the Season 1 finale of the Cipher Chronicles, which I'll be writing and will take place after Current Events, which is being posted now. Other Shards may be featured in Season 2.]

How does the elemental theme manifest itself on its Shard? What's the environment like? How about the buildings, technology, and biology? What about culture and government? In short, you get to make up small worlds! You can even include artwork if you wish.

What Shards are there, you ask?

Here's a draft of a map, showing the orbital arrangement of the Shard Moons, with a finished CG-text list of the Elements on the right:



And here's just the list, along with the EM prefixes. Each moon may be alternatively called, for example, the Lava Shard, or Ig-Clysmax.



You can read brief definitions of these elements here (the first two lists there), and if you'd like more clarification on the noncanon ones, feel free to ask.

NOTE: In the case of Gravity and the other canon elements with non-canon prefixes, the ones shown here are considered standard for the moons. So the Gravity Shard is normally called Gar-Clysmax. However, inhabitants may be called Ba-Matoran or Gar-Matoran depending on your preference. The EM prefixes are basically a dialect used widely in the Multiverse, especially for the Shard Moons.

There are a few traits that apply to all Shards you should be aware of:

• Each Shard is shaped roughly like a cone, just like the larger Fragments, with people living on the mostly flat side (which was originally part of the planet's surface). NOTE: Shapes on map are approximate; you may reinterpret them as you wish.
• The Moons all orbit in a ring around the Fragments as shown on the map. They do NOT orbit particular Fragments.
• Just like the Fragments, each moon's environment and/or technology is somehow themed around the element.
  
  To use the Fragments as precedent, Ta-Clysmax has a huge volcanic pocket of flammable gas which vents in canyons on its surface side, igniting where the vents come in contact with air, so there is literal fire there (not lava like Ta-Koro). Ko-Clysmax is a snowy and icy mountain range. Po is a rocky desert, Le is a forest with technological emphasis on "airshield" technology, and Ga is a series of lakes in a forest. Onu-Clysmax is the only one not called by its English element name ('cuz Earth is already a planet ); it's the Cave Fragment because it's filled with caves and specializes in artificial gravity generators.
• All Fragments and Shards have large artificial gravity generators purchased from Onu-Clysmax long ago. The Cave Fragment often has tiny generators throughout the walls, ceilings, and floors of the caves but has areas with little to no gravity. The Gravity Shard may have features similar to this as you wish. Every side of the moons can have gravity, so you can walk on the sides that were originally underground on the planet, and even build cities there.
• Each Shard's inhabitants are usually associated with the thematic element, i.e. Fe-Matoran on the Iron Shard, etc.
• All Shards are independant from the Fragments, and the moons together are self-sufficient for most of their needs. Rarely they trade with the other Fragments. Also all travel and trade to other Multiverse planets must go through one of the six Olmak Totems, which are owned by the Fragments. [See the 100-page guide for more.]
• The moons are neutral towards the Fragments. So Ice (the only evil Fragment) doesn't own, or have strong allegiance to, any of the moons. At least not now in Year 500; it's possible that in history Ice both conquered and allied with moons. Also the five Allied Fragments are not technically allied with the moons either, although if Ice tried to attack a Shard the Allies would try to defend them. The Fragments' ongoing conflict is largely between themselves.
• This contest is only for the 24 largest moons, each devoted to one of the 24 non-combo elements besides the standard canon six. There are also combo elements in the EM, and countless smaller moons (some mere boulders) within the ring of moons. Some of those smaller moons may be associated with combo elements but this contest is NOT for those.
• Prior to Clysmax's Shattering, the planet was organized roughly like a six-sided cube (though spherical of course), with smallish seas / large lakes in the Water Region. The rest was mostly dry land, with the smaller elemental Regions that became Shard Moons in various places between the big regions. Thus the Shard Moons can be said to have originally been associated with a particular Fragment or pair of Fragments. But this is arguably best avoided in entries to save confusion; the EM leaders will likely decide this ourselves later.
• We're NOT defining every corner of any Shard Moon; in keeping with EM tradition, alternate interpretations are valid for your EM stories, in localized areas (as well as the science fiction phenomenon of Reality Shifting). Here you're defining the overall basics of each Moon.

Rules:

• Anyone may enter as many Shard entries as they like.
• Those who previously posted proposals in the Discussion Topic MAY, yes may, repost them here, and are strongly encouraged to [Likewise, those who had posted entries in the original contest may repost those here]. I have a collection of them handy as a backup if you don't, but please do, so everybody can conveniently see as many other entries as possible.
• We reserve the right to edit entries and combine multiple good entries as we deem fit in the judging stage. The final bios will likely be rewritten concisely by me with links to the source posts, but credit will be given for the ideas.
• Whether polls will be involved will depend on how the contest goes, if we're unsure of anything, etc. I will probably use polls if there's more than one entry for a Shard, although we judges reserve the right to choose if the choice is clear.
• Entries should be text descriptions, no longer than 600 words. (And please split up any long paragraphs; four lines is about the ideal maximum for a paragraph.) Post them in this topic.
• Entries MAY, yes may, contain original artwork in addition to your text descriptions. (But art isn't required.) Theoretically you could even MOC certain things like common structure designs or the like, but please do not include original living species as other contests focus on those. NOTE: Please keep all direct-linked images less than 500 KB in filesize, and link any larger pics.
• Whatever you enter, by definition you give up exclusive rights to it; since this is the whole point of the EM.
• You may, yes, edit entries for as long as the entry period is open. (Meaning you may make changes to your entry after posting it.)
• Obey all BZPower rules.

Entry Form:

[size="3"][b]ELEMENT Shard, PRE-Clysmax[/b][/size]
[b]Member Name:[/b] [Please use the username you want permanently on record.]
[Include any images here.]
[b]Description:[/b] [600 words max.]

Replace "ELEMENT" with the English element name (i.e. "Sonics") and PRE with the prefix (i.e. "De").


Entry Period:

Begins Continues now, ends August 28, at 11:59 PM EST (that's a Tuesday).



Please post entries and any questions here.

Edited by bonesiii, Jul 18 2012 - 08:05 PM.

[Taipu1]

Hooray it's back! I don't remember if I posted an entry before, I think I might have done, but I reckon I'll probably just make new one(s), as anything I did more than 6 monthes ago always seems to be awful in my eyes.

[tomdroidser]

Waited quite a while to post my entry. Here it is:

Sonics Shard, De-Clysmax
Member Name: Tomdroidser
Description: De-Clysmax’s landscape is similar to that of a city built on canyons and forests by “adapting” to its landscape. The environment is constantly noisy and filled with various sounds. There are three major buildings and one area where there is a near silence: the Transport Station floating in the skies, De-Clysmax Radio Frequency Tower located in the center of the shard, Shard Council/Meditation Headquarters underneath the city, and the Calm Metru located on the edge of De-Clysmax.

De-Clysmax is a place where sound is incorporated into everything ranging from portable media devices to transports and weapons. Major radio stations and recording studios can be found on this shard. The most prominent building of the shard is the De-Clysmax Radio Frequency Tower, known as the Coliseum of De-Clysmax. The DCRFT listens to radio frequencies originating from other Multiverse worlds, but sometimes from the past, future, or even other dimensions. Imports, exports, and travelers primarily travel to the Transport Station to enter or leave De-Clysmax.

De-Clysmax is governed by a council known as Council of Six. Each member of the Council of Six are chosen; three by predecessors, three by the citizens of De-Clysmax, and a seventh emergency member by the elected six. They decide on how the city runs by a set standard of predetermined rules set by the first Council of Six. They meet at the Shard Council/Meditation Headquarters for meetings open to the public.



-Tomdroidser

[bonesiii]

Hooray it's back! I don't remember if I posted an entry before, I think I might have done, but I reckon I'll probably just make new one(s), as anything I did more than 6 monthes ago always seems to be awful in my eyes.

Even so, I would greatly encourage you to check, and repost any that you did enter, as technically I have to include them if we do polls (and I'm thinking if there's more than one entry for a Shard then I probably will do polls). Being able to link to entry reposts here would be better since archive links log people out.

Keep in mind there's no limits on entries, so you can make as many more as you like.

[-Toa Lhikevikk-]

Light Shard, Av-Clysmax
Member Name: Lhikevikk
Description: Before the Shattering, beneath the Po- and Le-Clysmax border, there was a large lightstone deposit. It lay undiscovered until the Shattering, when this area broke off and became a Shard. The sides of the Shard, previously underground, bedazzled spectators with their beautiful walls of Light. As a result, beings of Light flocked to the Shard to settle it, founding the sovereign state of Av-Clysmax under a democratic government.

Due to how common they are, lightstones are the primary building material on Av-Clysmax. Scientists on the Shard have developed a method of producing synthetic lightstones that grow when exposed to liquid protodermis (the way a Knowledge Crystal does), which has increased construction speeds tremendously. The Shining Palace, which houses the Shard's governing bodies, is the most triumphant example of lightstone construction: a majestic pyramid, with tall spires on each corner and a fifth spire rising from the central point, all built entirely from lightstones.

Due to the heavy lightstone makeup and lack of fertile soil on the Shard, plant life is extremely rare, which the exception of Lightvines, as they feed on Light energy rather than soil. They are especially common on the edges of the Shard, where they form the Glowing Gardens. The Gardens are the second-most popular tourist attraction on Av-Clysmax, after the Shining Palace.

(BTW, if I have more Shard ideas later, should I edit them into this post, or use separate posts farther down?)

Edited by -Toa Lhikevikk-, Jul 02 2012 - 09:52 AM.

[bonesiii]

(BTW, if I have more Shard ideas later, should I edit them into this post, or use separate posts farther down?)

I have not approved double posting for this one, so if nobody has posted after you, edit them into your current post. If someone else does post though, I would then prefer you use a new post.

[-Toa Lhikevikk-]

Ah. Okiedokie.

Fungus Shard, Spo-Clysmax
Member Name: Lhikevikk
Description: Originally, Spo-Clysmax was a fertile land with lots of plant life. However, as tensions mounted between Ko-Clysmax and the other main regions, Ice warriors froze the area over and killed all of the flora out of spite to the rest of Clysmax. The Shattering occurred and the Shard broke off into orbit, where it thawed, leaving the dead vegetation to rot on the surface. Fungi began to grow all across the moist, decaying plant matter. Mushrooms and mold sprouted from the rotting leaves and logs. Mycelia spread through the soft, damp soil of the Shard, infecting any plants that grew there.

Spo-Clysmax was quickly colonized by those not wanting a part of the war. However, many of the fungi were discovered to be toxic, causing severe sickness and sometimes death to any colonist who touched the wrong mushroom or inhaled the wrong spores. To deal with this crisis, a large team of Spo-Toa was hired to neutralize all of the dangerous fungi. They eventually eradicated nearly all of the most dangerous species, making the Shard safe to colonize.

Despite the purge, species with weaker effects can still be found here and there. Infection by such species usually causes hallucinations and minor illnesses. Beings of the Fungus element have a natural resistance to these, and longtime Spo-Clysmax residents of other types have also developed a resistance. However, longtime exposure to these species is believed to have subtle yet permanent effects on a person's sanity, even for Fungus beings.

The residents of Spo-Clysmax tend to be rather eccentric, though whether this is a result of exposure to the aforementioned species is not known for certain. They are fond of nonsensical poetry (which all of their laws are written in) and hopping on mushrooms.

Edited by -Toa Lhikevikk-, Jul 02 2012 - 08:13 PM.

[Angel Bob]

Crystal Shard, Kru-Clysmax
Member Name: Angel Bob
Description: In the primordial days, an underground ocean formed over a vein of blazing hot magma. Heated by the molten rock, the near-boiling waters were the perfect conditions for crystals to grow and develop. Massive crystals grew to be miles long, and only primitive micro-organisms lived in what would become Kru-Clysmax.

During the Shattering, the waters were drained away from the cavern, which was tossed into orbit around the various shards, ultimately arriving in orbit around Ko-Clysmax. Only massive crystals were left, jagged spikes of brilliant mineral beauty. Beings of the Crystal element took up residence here, understandably. Using their elemental powers, they carved out dwellings within many of the larger crystals, making use of the naturally-occuring skyscrapers. Tourists also flocked here to examine the beauty of the crystals. (Temperatures are still swelteringly hot, but frigid compared to the waters the crystals were born in.)

But then, everything changed when the Ice Shard attacked! [Ha ha ha...] Ko-Clysmax raided its crystalline moon in a bid for territory, cutting off transport to and from Kru-Clysmax and imprisoning all its inhabitants in an occupation by the forces of Ice. Ultimately, the denizens of Crystal retaliated and drove Ko-Clysmax away, but Kru-Clysmax was forever shaken by the attack (which shattered several of the huge crystals -- lost forever in a moment of violence). Security was ramped up, and although Crystal is still a popular tourist destination, the road to it is steeped in tabletwork.

Many who live in or visit Kru-Clysmax feel an unexplained aura from the crystals... more than just natural beauty, they claim. Theories abound that the atomic structure of these crystals could be a reflection or echo of a key formula in Aethion physics. Philosophers, monks, and other mystics purchase crystals as property and convert them into small abodes for pondering the nature of the universe.

In summary, Crystal is a shard with unparalleled beauty and mystery, though difficult to visit due to its heightened security and proximity to Ko-Clysmax.

Edited by Angel Bob, Jul 04 2012 - 07:59 PM.

[The First Speaker]

Sulphur Shard, Fos-Clysmax
Member name: The First Speaker
Description:

The fact that Fos-Clysmax is mostly composed of volcanic rock, rich in sulphates and sulphites, is a reminder that it was once part of the region that would later become the Fire Fragment.

The portion of Clysmax that would become this shard wasn't inhabited before the Shattering, and it wasn't until a few years after that event when Matoran started populating it. The Onu-Matoran and Fos-Matoran that arrived at the shard quickly realised the potential of mining sulphur and glomosulfur, and soon after a mining complex was built.

Due to the high level of purity of the sulphur found in Fos-Clysmax, the mining proved to be quite profitable, and various Promathus companies started buying it. This resulted in a golden age for this shard, and the raise in economic level of the local Matoran was translated into the creation of various cities on the flat surface of the shard. Top technology was bought to increase production, with devices such as Artificial Gravity Generators, and it even had its own Cargo Star to send glomosulfur to Industrial.

However, Fos-Clysmax's luck changed by year 92, when a new sulphur purification technology was developed in Promathus. Since purificating the much-cheaper Industrial-mined glomosulfur was way more efficient than buying Fos-Clyxmax's sulphur, all economic interaction with the shard moon ceased. The Sulphur Shard entered in a strong decadence shortly after.

The Artificial Gravity Generators of the mines don't work anymore, meaning that anyone interested in going down the mines has to use a complex network of stairs and catwalks. Due to lack of manteniance, the Cargo Star no longer shines, and has entered in an erratic orbit around the shard moon. Eventually it is expected to crash land on the surface of the shard.

As for the population of Fos-Clysmax, only about 22% of the Matoran stayed after the economical breakdown, the rest migrating to other Shards and Fragments. The vast majority of the population are now Fos-Matoran. Mining as an economical motor is non-existent, and sulphur is only mined at a low-level to be traded with other shards for basic-need supplies.

The cities have been abandoned, most of its technology sold. The Matoran subsist thanks to agriculture, and in fact large portions of those cities have been demolished to make space for fields in which a wide variety of crops are grown. Water can't be found naturally in Fos-Clysmax in liquid state, and it is obtained either through trade with near Shards or by using the few still-functioning Vapour Condensation Machines.

For many years, Fos-Clysmax has been deemed as an isolated primitive farming community, and therefore forgotten by both the Ice and the Allied fragments. However, recent observation of the images taken by an Allied satellite show a steady increase in the technology that the inhabitants of the Sulphur Moon have access too. There have been sightings of advanced farming tools, some of the buildings of the abandoned cities have started to being repopulated, and what may be electrical power has been spotted in some places during night-time.

This increase in technology, combined with the sighting of Ice Aircrafts near the Fos-Clysmax, has made the Allies suspect that Ice might have some kind of interest in this Shard. The true nature of this interest remains hidden to the Allies to this day.

Edited by Mr. Hyde, Jul 12 2012 - 09:42 AM.

[Click]

Lightning Shard, Et-Clysmax
Member Name: Click
Description: Et-Clysmax has its beginnings as a part of the mountainous border of Ko-Clysmax and Po-Clysmax. A high mountain ridge with dangerous terrain on either side stood in the way of any refugees of the Ko-Clysmax force field factories, where brutal labor for the poor and prisoners of raids was common. The Matoran of Lightning were worse off, as their natural electricity resistance was put to the test at haphazardly-built, dangerous machines. To escape, many beings would run to the nearest or smoothest mountain, which usually happened to be the same one that became Et-Clysmax. Rumors spread about the sanctuary, and more and more beings escaped to this mountain, and armies of Ice warriors tried to follow, but were turned back by storms and defenders alike. A small settlement began to form atop the cloud-obscured peak.
Soon, the settlement was dismissed as myth, and anyone who believed otherwise was severely punished. Et-Clysmax, now named for the dominant element, enjoyed many years of peace until the Shattering. Fault lines around the peak split and it rocketed into the high atmosphere, only saved from annihilation by the gravity of the planet and the Airfield. The ice-vapor clouds that covered its peak from prying eyes followed, growing into a perpetual storm around the entire peak. Many beings left because of the lower air pressure, melting glacier, and storms, leaving mostly those of Electricity. In their complete isolation, technology and science flourished to complexity only surpassed by Izumal itself.
Currently, Et-Clysmax is cut off from the rest of Shattered by severe storms encircling the entire shard. Their civilization has evolved to a science-based system and a near Utopia. If a traveler were to brave the storms and survive, they would be well rewarded with advanced nanotechnology.
Et-Clysmax is still regarded by many as a myth, for slaves of Ko-Clysmax, a heaven where they don’t need to work anymore; for the nobles of Ko-Clysmax, a symbol of treachery. Among businessmen, a shard metaphorically paved in Gems, a goldmine of products and inventions; and for the average citizen of Shattered, a place of peace they will never visit. But Et-Clysmax is real, in the center of a spot most pilots would avoid entirely, saying it’s cursed by the Olmak effect.

[Toa of Italy]

Blue Energy Shard, Em-Clysmax
Member Name: Toa of Italy
Description: Originally, Em-Clysmax was the site of a project carried out by the good Clysmax governments and Promathus company Experimental Industries: building an experimental power plant, which would siphon Blue Energy directly from the Bluespace Wall.

Given the project’s nature, most of the workers inside the power plant, who eventually came to live in the surrounding area, were affiliated with the element of Blue Energy.

Unfortunately, two years after the plant’s activation, the Shattering occurred. The area containing the power plant was torn away from the larger fragments, something which hadn’t been predicted. The power conduits coming from the plant ruptured, completely enveloping the shard in a Blue Energy field. Due to this field, several phenomena occur on the moon, most still unknown. They include:

• Radiation: the entire shard has become radioactive. Prolonged exposure to it is fatal.
• Chain lightning: several Blue Energy lightning chains originate from the ruins of the plant’s reactor and spread across the entire shard. These constantly exist and usually do not move, hovering about 1000 feet above the ground.

However, smaller chains branch off from the main ones, originating and moving randomly. These often strike the ground; being hit by one is usually fatal.

Lightning also prevents most ships from approaching the moon, and this, along with the difficulty to communicate with the outside world due to interference, makes this Shard one of the most isolated. On very rare occasions, lightning can even strike nearby Shards and Fragments.

• Olmak Anomalies: given the high amounts of Blue Energy, Olmak Anomalies are particularly common here. They usually have the same characteristics as those within Tanuuk’s sea.

There are several permanent Anomalies, which never vanish. These can grow to huge sizes, and are very dangerous. A few of them even become permanent matter shredders, though luckily they usually hover above the ground and so cause only relatively minor damage.

• Blue Energy eruptions: sometimes Blue Energy travels through underground veins of conductive metals or through what remains of the old power conduits. For this reason, it can unexpectedly erupt from the ground. The worst eruptions occur when the remains of the conduits rupture, resulting in a huge Blue Energy explosion. This phenomenon occurs especially in the ruins of the power plant.

• Natural forcefields: this phenomenon occurs especially in the corridors of the old power plant. Here, energy discharges often shoot out from the conduits in the walls and strike the opposite wall. If enough of these discharges occur in the same spot, a solid energy layer forms within the corridor. Contact with it, while usually not fatal, can however deal a powerful shock.

The quite low population lives within the old power plant, in a section that was originally designed to withstand the effects of damage to the plant, and that therefore provides a shielding from most of the phenomena that occur on the planet. People rarely venture out, and if they do, they are always equipped with a radiation suit. Despite these precautions, however, deaths are common.

Fortunately, new beings are constantly created by the very numerous Olmak Anomalies. Most die quickly, but the rest (usually affiliated with Blue Energy) fill the ranks of the population.

An assembly to which every inhabitant participates takes important decisions, but people here are quite autonomous and mostly free to do as they wish.

Given the lack of food, the inhabitants have devised a way to use Blue Energy to recharge themselves. Since this only works for MU-native species, very few Spherus Magna-native beings live on Em-Clysmax.

Plants Shard, Vi-Clysmax
Member Name: Toa of Italy
Description:Vi-Clysmax was originally part of the Le-Clysmax region. However, while Air developed forcefields, Vi-Clysmax, given the enormous amount of plant life in its region, created plant-based technology.

After the Shattering, when the region gained autonomy, those efforts intensified. Over the years, these technologies have replaced conventional ones with new, unique solutions. To date, the only conventional technologies still widely used are artificial gravity generators.

Plant-based technology is founded on plant breeding. Vi-Clysmax has perfected the technique and can now give plants a wide range of characteristics, which can be exploited for the most diverse purposes, without however damaging the environment.

Among the uses of plant-based technology is plant-sentient beings symbiosis. Vi-Clysmax inhabitants use armor grown from plants (like the Bionicle Core Dimension Bota Magna Agori). In addition, several inhabitants have fused or replaced parts of their bodies with plant life specifically grown for that purpose, granting themselves unique, even strange, abilities.

Another department is plant objects. There are certain varieties of plants which can be bred to grow in specific shapes and patterns. These can go from simple tools to buildings and even entire cities, all grown.

Perhaps the greatest advancement in plant-based technology is plant-based machinery and circuitry. Several varieties of plants are bred so that, through the use of certain chemicals, they can perform tasks which machines perform in the rest of Aethion. This has also been adapted for communication (including plant-based phones, computers, TVs and almost anything else, with all information delivered through the use of chemicals) and for transport (plant vehicles).

Due to these technologies, Vi-Clysmax is completely self-sufficient. This, along with the fact that the technologies and environment are unfamiliar and sometimes even disturbing to foreigners, has given this Shard Moon a certain degree of isolation. The inhabitants are often distrustful of outsiders, and there are even groups that consider themselves superior to other life in the universe.

Vi-Clysmax’s inhabitants usually reside in plant-made cities, which are often undistinguishable from the rest of the flora until you get very close. Despite the presence of plant-based vehicles, travel between cities is rare, with the various areas of Vi-Clysmax linked together only by communications.

Jobs are basically the same as in the rest of the universe, with the difference that nearly all technology they use and/or build is plant-based. The best jobs are those that deal with technology development, heavily sponsored by the government, which is democratically elected. Though there is a central government, local governments (also democratic) have much power.

Since Vi-Clysmax cares very much about its plant life, it makes an effort to keep the war between the Allied Fragments and Ko-Clysmax as far away from itself as possible. Armed ships close to this Shard are likely to be attacked, regardless on whose side they’re on, with a wide arsenal of plant-based weapons, most commonly energy-draining plants, which leave a ship dead-in-the-water.

The little knowledge about these weapons makes them very difficult to stop. The government keeps the full power and capabilities of its arsenal secret, but it is believed to be quite powerful, and therefore ships from both factions tend to avoid this Shard. The Allies believe that if Vi-Clysmax were to join them, it might grant them victory over Ko-Clysmax, and have therefore been pressuring the Plants Shard to do so, but so far without success.

All information above is only about the “surface” of the Shard. The “sides” are inhabited by sentient plants, with their own society and government. They have no relationship whatsoever with the rest of the Multiverse. Their numbers, along with everything else about them, remain unknown.

Acid Shard, Hy-Clysmax
Member Name: Toa of Italy
Description:: Hy-Clysmax was originally a small volcanic region at Ko-Clysmax’s border. Its volcanic and seismic activity was quite low, but unfortunately the craters did emit very high amounts of gas. To prevent widespread pollution, Ice and Air threw one of the first air containment forcefields around the region, confining the gas to it.

When Ko-Clysmax took over Clysmax’s forcefield companies and created the wallfield technology, this area became a penal colony. The original forcefield became a wallfield, with a section that could be temporarily shut down to bring in criminals. Inevitably, most died from the terrible pollution.

During the Shattering, Hy-Clysmax detached itself from Ko-Clysmax, but the forcefield survived. The event drastically increased the gas emissions. The greenhouse effect peaked, temperatures became unbearable and the region began experiencing pure acid rains.

Hy-Clysmax would become uninhabitable within a month and there was great debate among the Allies whether to destroy the wallfield generator to let the inhabitants out. However, it was ultimately decided that the concentrated pollution couldn’t be released into Clysmax’s artificial atmosphere. Promathus technology was therefore used to teleport everything the inhabitants would need to survive inside the forcefield, including great amounts of non-corrosive materials.

Unfortunately, the inhabitants didn’t collaborate as the Allies had hoped. Each community took part of the materials and built its own settlement, protected by a dome made out of non-corrosive material. Each settlement became an independent city-state: a few were democratic, but in most small groups of individuals took over, creating tyrannical regimes.

That led to today’s situation. The forcefield surrounding Hy-Clysmax “surface” still survives, maintaining the greenhouse effect inside, which causes almost constant acid rains that over the years have created widespread acid rivers and lakes.

Acid has also melted through the rock and created tunnels reaching the “sides” of the Shard Moon, through which acid flowed on the sides as well, making them quite inhospitable. However, these tunnels are filled with acid, subject to frequent collapse and usually too narrow for a living being to pass through; no one has ever managed to use them to slip past the surface forcefield.

The city-states have remained basically the same throughout the years. Most of the inhabitants are acid-affiliated beings, since they were the ones to survive the first weeks after the Shattering, before the city-states were created.

Resources are still extremely limited. The Allies still teleport food and other vital commodities inside occasionally, but these usually end up outside the cities. The inhabitants have to send out robots made of non-corrosive materials to recover them, but even so they do not always succeed.

Due to the need for such technologies, Hy-Clysmax’s inhabitants have become some of the top developers of non-corrosive materials and robots. They often use the designs to trade with the outside world.

Unfortunately, vital commodities aren’t the only thing the inhabitants buy. The lack of resources sparks several conflicts, both for the resources the Allies send in from outside and for a few areas that, if properly protected, could still be cultivated, though the yield would be minimal.

Wars are fought with robotic weapons protected by non-corrosive materials. Most are fought in the area where the resources are, but occasionally they reach one of the cities. If this happens, and the dome protecting a city is damaged, the inhabitants don’t stand a chance. Exposure to the elements is deadly here. Therefore these conflicts, which are very common, can be very destructive, even though they aren’t fought with very powerful weapons. No one, not even Weapons Science, wants to give the inhabitants something powerful enough to bring down the forcefield imprisoning them.

[The First Speaker]

Psionics Shard, Ce-Clysmax
Member name: The First Speaker
Description:

Ce-Clyxmax

It is unknown from which part of Clysmax this shard broke off. Nowadays it is covered by dense forests, but it wasn't always like that. In fact, Ce-Clysmax was originally a barren rock with no life in it. None of the major factions showed interest in it after the Shattering, apparently not having any exploitable resources, and the shard remained unnamed for many years.

But as the war between the Allied Fragments and Ice heated up, and subsequently both started a weapons race, Ce-Clysmax gained some importance in the geopolitical scene. Since there were no inhabitants in the planet, not even flora, the Allied Fragments quickly started using this Shard Moon as a weapon testing site.

For many years various types of weapons were tested, conducting surface and underground detonations. It's rumoured that implosive bombs based on Bluespace were detonated in Ce-Clysmax, even though the government of the Allied Fragments have always denied having developed such technology. The Allies always carried out the testing in top-level secrecy, so all information on the weapons tested has been retrieved through sightings from nearby Shards, information leaks and speculation.

The weapon testing ceased completely in the year 167, when the Allied army evacuated from the Shard, abandoning the military research compound that had been built on it. All the documents with information regarding the experimentation were destroyed, and forests were planted on all the sides of the shard to hide any marks of the weapon detonations.

The Allied Fragments planed on sending a commission of experts to investigate the incidents that had led to the Army abandoning the Shard, but budget cuts and political instability of the neighbour shards resulted in various postponements of such project.

It was not until year 197 that an expedition of scientists was sent. While at first nothing strange was observed in the Shard, the scientists soon noticed the existence of anomalous areas spread all over the moon. These anomalous areas were fields of psionic energy, apparently emitted either through the trees or directly from the soil. For this reason, this moon was nicknamed Ce-Clysmax.

The investigation carried on, and some Fikou Spiders were imported to test the effects of the psionic emissions on fauna. Some months later the reports from the scientists started being scarcer and stranger, some of them apparently nonsense, other talking about the Shard having life of its own and it being sapient.

Assuming that the psionic fields had affected the scientists, a group of Ce-Matoran was sent by the government to take over and continue with the investigation tasks.

The Ce-Matoran discovered that residual energy from an unknown origin was being channelled through the trees, forming fields of psionic energy that caused psychotropic effects on subjects directly exposed to the energies. These psi energies could be found actively in the psi fields and also in a low level all across the Shard. Long term exposure to the low level emissions without any kind protection slowly degrades the mental state of the subject.

Amongst other strange phenomena, it has been observed that at night the trees give off a blue glow, and every certain time, the trees have more psi energy than the amount they can channel, and a massive discharge from the forest happens, forming a bolt of psi energy that shoots to the sky.

Investigation in this Shard is still continuing nowadays, as an interesting side effect has been observed: ever since the investigations started in 197, no Olmak Anomaly has been registered. This might suggest that the Psi-fields are capable of repelling these anomalies, thus becoming of great scientific importance.

Edited by Mr. Hyde, Jul 16 2012 - 11:43 AM.

[Angel Bob]

Seems there's a running theme of Shard Moons being very isolated and detached from the war. Not a problem, just a pattern.

[bonesiii]

Seems there's a running theme of Shard Moons being very isolated and detached from the war. Not a problem, just a pattern.

It was stated in the first post that there's sort of a truce for the Shards as long as they stay independent from either the Ice Fragment or the five Allied Fragments. Although this is more recent and Shards may have histories of more involvement, and there might be some minor exceptions even in story-present. But for the most part, Ice focuses on fighting the Fragments.

[The First Speaker]

What does Tar specifically refer to? Resin or asphalt? Sorry if this question might sound a bit stupid, but I'm not a native speaker and I'm not familiar to the word 'Tar'.

Edited by Mr. Hyde, Jul 13 2012 - 02:47 AM.

[bonesiii]

Well in real life a variety of things are called tar. Since everything in Aethion is protodermis, it is proto-tar, a black or dark brown gooey substance, somewhat liquid but not slow-moving. We have not specified how it is produced; it could be volcanic, from plants, or something else, it's up to you.

[TLhikan]

Reposting my original Vi-Clysmax entry:

Plant Shard, Vi-Clysmax
Member Name:

TLhikan

Description:

The Plant shard is the only shard with plant life on all five sides. The "top" (the former surface) if covered with a particularly thick edge of the Air fragment that up until the Shattering was considered a part of Air, although separated by ethnicity (more beings with Plant Life association than Air). When the shard broke off, the inhabitants were quick to declare themselves independent (Air didn't care at the time).

The many Toa of Plant Life quickly spread The Green to the barren rock. Because the thin soil they had to hire beings of Earth to make for them was insufficient to grow more jungle on, all four other sides have a prairie/grassland/savanna terrain.

In addition, said soil was too malnourished to be used for large-scale farming, leaving Vi-Clysmax with no real source of economic income. To solve this problem, dozens of prairie, grassland, and savanna Rahi where imported, and many more of these creatures now naturally appear on the shard. These Rahi thrived, so much in fact that they began attracting big-game hunters.

Today, Vi-Clysmax is a popular destination for safarists, big-game hunters, and ranchers. The capital city (called, imaginatively, Vi-Metru), is built into the treetops in a portion of the "top" jungle. Because the inhabitants don't want to harm the trees, most of the city is built out of shaping the living trees, as well as metal/plastic structures

-TLhikan

Edited by TLhikan, Jul 16 2012 - 01:04 PM.

[MechaFizz]

Magnetism Shard, Neh-Clysmax
Member Name: MechaFizz
Description: Neh-Clysmax rests on a deposit of highly magnetic proto-ore that produces a strong magnetic field. While this field has always existed, it has increased considerably post-Shattering. The magnetic field disrupts most technological navigation devices, making navigation on and around the moon difficult, if not impossible. Even power-based navigation methods, such as the Mask of Pathfinding, have been known to fail within the moon’s field. In fact, technology as whole has been known to malfunction. For this reason, it is advised that spacecraft avoid flying too near the moon to avoid risk of encountering a problem that causes the craft to crash. Note that this magnetic field has little to no physically damaging effects on armored beings – only the functionality of powered technology.

Prior to the Shattering, massive, metal monoliths were constructed on Neh-Clysmax. Post-Shattering, many of these monoliths still remain, most in partial ruin but still standing to some degree. While it was a thriving metropolis in its prime, most of the inhabitants fled just prior to or during the Shattering, leaving Neh-Clysmax largely uninhabited compared to its prior population density.

Survival has now become somewhat of a struggle for the remaining denizens, as resources such as water and food are scarce, despite food drops made by Le-Clysmax ships about once every month. A mutual bond of comradery, however, allows the inhabitants to peacefully ration the food supply. Though crimes and acts of violence over food are not unheard of and usually go unpunished due to the lack of proper government rule. Additionally, this loose government makes Neh-Clysmax a safe haven for criminals and outlaws on the run from the other Fragments of Clysmax, even Ice.

Neh-Clysmax has a unique brand of technology compared to the other fragments, partly due to its unique situation. The walls of most buildings have “floortilters” built into them. These floortilters allow beings to walk up these walls as if they were proper floors. While at first glance they appear to be simply a variant of the artificial gravity technology developed by the Cave Fragment, they are actually magnetic based, rather than gravity based. The magnetic field produced by the floortilters is extremely localized. It can be felt minutely within a foot of the structure’s surface, but is only strong enough to hold a being steady at about a one inch distance off the surface of the building. Even buildings that lay in near-total ruin still have functional floortilters intact.

Transportation to and from Neh-Clysmax is near impossible, as the magnetic field inhibits spacecraft from functioning. There is, however, on-world craft that operates using floortilting technology with the polarity adjusted to work against the moon’s magnetic field. These crafts are lightweight, resembling wireframes with no components other than a seat, steering mechanism, and floortilting device for propulsion. These small crafts are not always reliable and nowhere near strong enough to escape the moon’s surface.

Prior to the Shattering, Chutes were used for transportation throughout the city. Most were either damaged or had to be shutdown afterward due to increased Force Sphere risk. Floortilting walkways were eventually added to the chutes that remained intact, allowing them to be used again to some extent. Usually, three or five walkways are placed inside a single Chute.

The inhabitants are currently attempting to construct a giant railgun to launch ships off the Shard. However, it is in developmental phases only and is occasionally sabotaged by the criminal residents.


Acid Shard, Hy-Clysmax
Member Name: MechaFizz
Description: Hy-Clysmax, the Acid Shard Moon, was originally a part of the Air and Water regions, a small wetland that lay on the border. It was governed by Le-Clysmax and participated in the development of force field technology. Pre-Shattering, Hy-Clysmax had no association with the Acid element, it was simply wetland. However, the Shattering devastated the Shard Moon’s ecosystem severely. Due to this cataclysm, acidic substances from deep beneath the ground were shaken to the surface along with a mysterious, mutagenic substance that polluted a number of swamps (these swamps are similar to Karda Nui’s Swamp of Secrets in the Core Universe). Thus, the moon was named Hy-Clysmax to reflect the new ecology.

As almost all water has been contaminated, acid rain is common. Most wildlife has adapted, but the rain still poses a hazard to buildings and sapient beings, such as Matoran and Agori. To protect against this, all shelters have large canopies with Mask of Quarantine type force fields over them. Beneath the force field, the canopy has acid resilient glass panels in case of technological force field failure.

The shelters themselves are built on large disk-shaped platforms raised above the swampland below (imagine an artificial, metal version of the Ga-Koro lily pad huts). Metal walkways connect individual shelter platforms together. These walkways also have quarantine force fields to protect them from the acid rain, as well as smaller canopies placed over sections of walkway at regular intervals for beings to seek quick shelter underneath if it begins to rain while traversing the walkway.

Some of these shelters sank along with their residents during the Shattering. Many of the survivors were exposed to the mutagen and transformed in a number of unique and distinct ways. Some became water breathers or amphibious, others mutated in some other bizarre way, and a few reverted to beast-like states (similar to Hordika, but different cause). Those who became water breathers reconstructed their dwellings underwater.

On-world transportation, aside from the walkways, mostly consists of swamp boats. Off-world transportation, while possible, runs on a tighter schedule than on most other Fragments. Travel to and from the moon must be scheduled around the acid rain storms, and may thus be cancelled abruptly if an unexpected storm occurs.


Psionics Shard, Ce-Clysmax
Member Name: MechaFizz
Description: Ce-Clysmax is a place of learning and higher thought. Throughout Aethion’s history, Ce-Clysmax has always been a place where beings devoted to higher thought have gathered in order to solve the mysteries of the multiverse. Most buildings have ancient Greco-Roman style architecture. Most of these structures remained intact after the Shattering, though the ones near the moon’s edges lay in ruins. Female Skrall are particularly common here.

In the early years prior to the Shattering, Ce-Clysmax was a province of the Ice Kingdom. Originally, Ce-Clysmax’s border was open for all travelers and journeying scholars to pass freely. However, a battalion of rogue Ice soldiers assaulted the city, destroying the largest library, resulting in the loss of an immeasurable wealth of records and knowledge forever. This subsequently prompted the Ce-Clysmian leaders to order the closing of their border to outsiders, including Ice Kingdom citizens and military members. This resulted in a sort of “cold civil war” between Ce-Clysmax and the Ice Kingdom. The border remains strictly closed to outsiders post-Shattering.

Similarly to Xian society, females are the dominate class within Ce-Clysmax society. The small number of male Toa of Psionics, Skrall, and other Psionics beings act as border guards. A relatively small class consisting of low ranking females also exists as boarder guard captains. Males are forbidden to become scholars and cannot rise above the warrior class. Low ranking females, however, can rise to the scholar class, but this is difficult and rarely occurs.


Adieu,
- MechaFizz

Edited by MechaFizz, Aug 10 2012 - 02:39 PM.

[TakunuvaC01]

Silver Shard, Ag-Clysmax
Member Name: TakunuvaC01
Description: The region of Clysmax that would become the Silver Shard began as a large protosilver mine between Onu-Clysmax and Po-Clysmax. The deposits were originally discovered by Toa of Earth prospecting in the caves of Onu-Clysmax, but soon Matoran and Toa of Silver established a nearby mining town in Year 16. For the next seven years, the silver they exported brought in a great deal of wealth.

When the Shattering struck, the mining town was badly damaged. The Shattering tore it in two, parts ending up on Onu-Clysmax and parts ending up on Ag-Clysmax. The survivors were temporarily evacuated to Onu-Clysmax, intending to return and reestablish the silver mining operation as soon as they had the resources.

Ag-Clysmax was resettled by year 35. What had once been a very large silver vein had become a cone-shaped chunk of silver and rock. For all intents and purposes, Ag-Clysmax could have been a shard cut straight out of Izumal rather than Clysmax.

The history of Ag-Clysmax was without much controversy for the next few hundred years. The community of Ag-Matoran, Toa of Silver, Troak of Psiocage, and other silver-associated beings continued to grow. Over time, however, the community slowly became more interested in studying the power-channeling properties of silver than in mining and exporting it. The silver trade slowly died down, and the community became rather isolated by year 400.

Then, about sixty years ago, the culture of Ag-Clysmax changed seemingly overnight. Visitors to the Silver Shard discovered Toa of Silver hard at work at sculpting a much scaled down version of the City of Izumal. This prompted curiosity, and it was discovered that the residents of Ag-Clysmax were attempting to emulate the culture of Enlightened.

This prompted considerable concern and alarmed investigation. No one could report any Agent sighting near Ag-Clysmax for quite some time, and it was quite clear that the people of the Shard had no access to any Izumal technology. So while cultural observers from Alarist were brought in, and remain to this day, it was eventually concluded that the whole thing was not an immediate threat.

The "Cult of Enlightened", as the people of Ag-Clysmax are now derogatorily referred to, are some of the only people in Aethion who believe that the Izumali are in fact Enlightened. They seem to believe that by emulating their way of life, they will eventually become Enlightened as well- as if by pretending to be members of the City they will become members of the City. Whether they think that Agents will swoop down and fly them off to Izumal, or whether they have a more mystical attitude towards the whole thing, is uncertain.

It is also uncertain whether Izumal was actually responsible for this cultural evolution. Conspiracy theories suggesting that Po-Clysmax government representatives (supposedly, according to who you listen to, acting on behalf of Izumal) somehow contaminated the Shard, have generally been discarded.

Of potential interest, however, is the fact that in the last sixty years not a single Agent has been seen around Ag-Clysmax. Of course, just because the many observers can't find them doesn't mean that they aren't there, as the conspiracy theorists enjoy pointing out.

Edited by TakunuvaC01, Jul 20 2012 - 11:53 AM.

[MechaFizz]

Shadow Shard, Kra-Clysmax
Member Name: MechaFizz

Description: Since the beginning, Kra-Clysmax has been an independent territory that refused cooperation with any other Fragments. The people of Kra-Clysmax are generally hostile toward outsiders and the moon’s government is extremely militaristic. Throughout history, they have always been adamant in defending their territory and airspace and are said to be the single Shard Moon to be capable of reasonably holding their own against an assault from Ice without aid from the larger fragments. However, they have never been aggressive or outwardly evil like Ice has.

Post-Shattering, a large hollow beneath the Kra-Clysmax territory was exposed and quickly populated and fortified by Shadow’s government. Since this area is essentially a large cave and faces away from the nearest light sources, it is typically dark and dimly lit in most parts of this region. The original settlement still stands on the moon’s main face. The original border is completely surrounded by massive walls and watchtowers occupied by armed sentinels. The Capital City lies in the center of this territory and is dominated by the Government Hall, the largest single building in all of Kra-Clysmax.

Kra-Clysmax is led by a single leader, known by the title of “Mangai” (feminine “Mangaia”) and a council composed of appointed officials. There is no fixed number of officials to take seat within council and they may be appointed or dismissed by the Mangai at any time. There is also no set time for a Mangai’s reign; they may lead for life, resign at any time, or even be removed if deemed unfit to rule.

The possibility of Kra-Clysmax aligning with the Ice Kingdom has been a concern amongst the other Fragments and Shard Moons for some time. However, this is highly unlikely as Shadow wishes to maintain independence and has little desire for conquest or acquiring more territory.



Light Shard, Av-Clysmax
Member Name: MechaFizz
Description: Av-Clysmax has always been a free and independent territory that refused alliance with any other Fragment. The people of Av-Clysmax are a peaceful and hospitable people. They welcome any being who wishes to pursue enlightenment and peace of mind, body, and spirit, regardless of from where they come. Their belief is that any being, no matter how evil, has the potential to reform and banish their inner darkness. However, those who resist or refuse reform will be promptly banished from Av-Clysmax.

The people of Av-Clysmax reside within temple-style buildings. These temples are relatively spread out with circular gardens for meditation placed between them. The largest temple, the Great Temple, lies at the center of Av-Clysmax. The Great Temple is a hexagonal, three-tier tower with massive half-arches extending from each corner of the second tier. The three divisions of the Great Temple are representative of the Three Matoran Virtues which are believed to lay the path to enlightenment and inner and outer peace. The interior of each tier is divided into numerous subfloors that openly overlook the center of the main tier. The walls are lined with countless texts written by philosophers and scholars. A massive Light Stone is held within a chamber in the top-tier and glows brightly during the night.

Beings who wish to achieve complete enlightenment are required to make their way from the ground-tier (Unity) to the top-tier (Destiny) in order to attain this right. Many tests of discipline challenge journeyers on each tier, making the climb difficult not only physically but mentally as well. Those who fail to make it to the top are permitted to attempt the climb again from the beginning at any time.

Av-Clysmax is governed by a council composed of the “purest” and wisest individuals. The main duties of the leading council are to offer guidance to students and to pass the final decision to banish those considered too corrupt to accept reform. The latter duty is not one looked lightly upon but must be done in order to protect the wellbeing of Av-Clysmax’s society. It should be noted that those who actually are banished are violent and openly proclaim their rejection of the principles of enlightenment. It should also be noted that the people of Av-Clysmax view the Izumal Agents and people as misunderstanding the concept of enlightenment or are at least not at peace.



Virus Shard, Cha-Clysmax
Member Name: MechaFizz
Description: Cha-Clysmax, the Virus Shard Moon, was originally a bioengineering research complex within the Ga-Clysmax region. The majority of researchers of Cha-Clysmax viewed Ga-Clysmax’s jurisdiction over them as a burden, as the larger Fragment’s government restricted them from carrying out some projects for ethical reasons. Post-Shattering, Cha-Clysmax took advantage of their sudden and convenient estrangement from Water to become a completely independent facility without the ethical restrictions imposed by Ga-Clysmax on their work.

The majority of all inhabitants are devoted researchers and scientists. Since Cha-Clysmax was only a research lab prior to the Shattering, most residential buildings were constructed near the facility afterward. Apart from the main research building, which stretches over several acres and stands several stories high, there are a number of biodomes used for controlled environmental experiments. Also, Cha-Clysmax is the only facility other than the Museum designed and permitted to hold Energized Protodermis. The Energized Protodermis is held in massive vats inside a separate building with heavy security and access limited to a select few authorized persons.

While many experiments are performed simply for the sake of experimentation, projects are occasionally commissioned by third party groups. Many of these projects are commissioned by Experimental Industries or other Promathus companies. The researchers are not beyond fulfilling commissions by evil groups, even Ko-Clysmax; however, they demand a highly exorbitant price for even the smallest of projects that often discourages these groups from using their services extensively.

Despite revolutionary discoveries made in the field of medicine and environmental research, a number of groups have sprung up in recent years petitioning Cha-Clysmax for their testing and experimentation on living creatures. It is even rumored that they have performed experiments on sapient beings. These rumors are at least partly true, as there are at least a few researchers who have used themselves as their own test subjects or volunteered to participate in the experiments of others.



Kinetics Shard, Nu-Clysmax
Member Name: MechaFizz
Description: Originally part of a sprawling metropolis, Nu-Clysmax was fortunate to have remained mostly intact and functional unlike some other parts of the original city. Nu-Clysmax was one of the quicker Shards to recover from the Shattering. While this may seem unusual for an urban area, those familiar with Nu-Clysmax know that if there is one thing Nu-Clysmians like to do, it’s to do things fast. Throughout their history, the people of the Kinetics Shard have been obsessed with progress and achieving it as fast as possible. They are perhaps most famous for their locally centered mail system. Physical mail is transported along a rail system in specialized cargo containers designed to minimize air resistance and friction. The containers are shot off at high speeds via a kinetic charge (usually from a Toa of Kinetics). The system works so fast that a running joke among non-natives is the mail on Nu-Clysmax will “arrive before it’s sent”.

However, the Nu-Clysmians’ taste for speedy progression is also their biggest hindrance. While their mail system is fast, it isn’t very stable. Toa of Kinetics are stationed at various checkpoints throughout the route (usually start points, end points, sharp turns, and the rare corner) to make sure the shipment remains on the track and moving in the right direction by giving them a kinetic “push”. The haste also causes, on extremely rare occasions, items to arrive at the wrong address; however, these errors are quickly corrected upon discovery.

Many of the inhabitants work as physicists. There is also a sizeable and fairly well-known company that specializes in the development of super-fast engines. This company, Top Velocity Incorporated, is famous for creating the fastest engines in Aethion, befitting their slogans “Arrive before you leave” (a play on the joke associated with the mail system) and “Don’t stop”. Unfortunately, there aren’t many vehicles that can handle the power of their engines, not even those produced by Lake Aerospace or Phantoka Motors or even most military-grade vehicles, and Nu-Clysmax isn’t very efficient in making their own stable vehicles. Despite this, Top Velocity isn’t waiting for other companies to catch up, continuing to develop faster engines without any prospect of them hitting the mass production line and being put to commercial use in the near future.

Nu-Clysmians have adopted a unique speech pattern befitting their quick nature. They use a simplified form of the Matoran language heavily littered with contractions and abbreviations. While they are accustomed to their hurried speech, non-natives are often left begging them to “slow down and sound things out” in conversation. Being as quick-natured as they are, though, even when speaking slower it is possible for a foreigner to miss a word or two if not paying very close attention. Of course, it’s equally possible the speaker omitted the missed words because “conjunctions and linking verbs aren’t mandatory”.

Notably, Levoctus tend to pop up here more often than anywhere else. They are by no means common here, but you’re more likely to see one on Nu-Clysmax.



Tar Shard, Res-Clysmax
Member Name: MechaFizz
Description: Res-Clysmax, the Tar Shard, was always a wasteland of sorts known for its troublesome tar pits. After the Shattering, new tar pits surfaced and existing ones expanded. Res-Clysmax was originally founded as a mining town, as the region was rich in coal and oil as well. The town expanded into a rather large city powered almost exclusively by those local resources. Res-Clysmax was also the largest producer of rubber and plastic at one point. Local technology and architecture is heavily diesel punk in style. Dirigible-like aircraft are commonly utilized as both passenger and cargo carriers. Other aircraft is common as well and nearly everything is powered by internal combustion engines.

As Res-Clysmian society developed, it became increasingly stratified. Originally, miners were at the bottom of society while mine owners were at the top. Over time, middle classes formed as the demand for factory workers, transporters, and other jobs rose and a more formal government developed. The government possesses a strict hold over the shard’s economy and strong authoritarian views. Over 80% of the energy business is owned by the government and roughly 60% of all industrial productions are government commissioned. Society is stratified vertically; partly due to the fact that the city was expanded vertically with towering skyscrapers to accommodate the growing population. Naturally, miners were left at the bottom, with existing factories and their workers remaining at ground level during the upward expansion. Big business and government actions take place in the upper levels of the city.

Currently, the Tar Shard Moon has reached a state of unrest. In the past two-hundred years it came to the attention of the general populace that the city was sinking into a massive tar pit that formed beneath it. The sink rate is slow, but the situation is no less alarming to the public. Also, the working conditions of the lower class are incredibly poor. Many workers have developed the need for artificial respirators due to damage from toxic fumes and other inhaled pollution. Additionally, the construction of “HAVEN”, a flying fortress commissioned by the government intended to keep safe the upper class and those who can afford entrance, further stratifying Res-Clysmian society, has caused much controversy and sparked the formation of several rebel groups. Dogfights between the rebel groups and the military are increasingly common. The Shard Moon is teetering on the brink of an all-out civil war as government approval falls and rebel support rises.

A large number of Teralpid sought work in the mines when Res-Clysmax was still a small town. Post-Shattering, many of these Teralpid still remain and, as miners, are part of the lower class. Those of higher classes came later in Res-Clysmax’s development. Steltians are also fairly common and typically hold positions in the middle classes. Reportedly, Tar Elementals are common outside the city and said to attack wanderers and nomads, dragging them into the pits. Such reports remain unacknowledged by the government.



Sand Shard, Vo-Clysmax
Member Name: MechaFizz

[Click for full]
Description:
The Sand Shard of Vo-Clysmax was once a beautiful beach with a prosperous people under the rule of a benevolent king. Post-Shattering, Vo-Clysmax was torn away from the body of water it bordered, becoming a barren desert wasteland. Water is now scarce and sustaining food supplies is difficult.

The most prominent feature of the Sand Kingdom of Vo-Clysmax is the central castle to the North which acted as the kingdom’s capital. This castle was constructed entirely from sand using force fields to maintain its shape. Post-Shattering, the castle still stands; however, the originally sprawling palace within its walls has since fallen silent and desolate, leaving the kingdom without its king. It is unknown what happened to those within, though it is rumored by those on the outside that they have all been cursed and fallen into a deep slumber, earning it the nickname “Sleeping Citadel”. Efforts to penetrate the castle have all met failure as the castle’s Manas guards are still quite active and aggressive. The few that have made it in have never been heard from again.

The majority of the Sand Kingdom’s people lived in villages outlying the Sleeping Citadel. Only two major villages still exist, the larger Western Village and the smaller Eastern Village. These villages are arranged in a circular fashion with all doorways facing toward the village center to help protect against sand storms. Many nomadic clans make temporary settlements throughout the Sand Shard and often pass through the major villages.

Vo-Clysmax’s shore, now called End’s Shore, for it is now the literal edge of the shard, has become a symbol of the desolation suffered by the once glorious kingdom after the Shattering, in stark contrast to the life bearing ocean that once existed there. A port still stands at End’s Shore where airships now dock.



Lava Shard, Ig-Clysmax
Member Name: MechaFizz
[Include any images here.]
Description:
Ig-Clysmax formed during the Shattering when a massive volcano from the Ta-Clysmax region broke off. Magma from this volcano leaked out and cooled rapidly forming many smaller Shards around Ig-Clysmax. These smaller Shards where sold to wealthy individuals as “private islands” of sorts, making the Lava Shard Moon very rich.

Many of the natives are artists and sculptors, utilizing the dominating volcano as a forge and kiln and lava harvested from venting lava flows as a raw material. The work produced by the Ig-Clysmians is renowned for its high quality and beauty. Auctions are often held bringing in many wealthy bidders from around the Multiverse to acquire these prized pieces of art, in turn making many of the residents very wealthy.

The residents are not the only things “rich” about Ig-Clysmax, however; the volcanic soil is very rich in mineral nutrients, making the land very fertile. Many exotic plant species that are accustomed to the tropical climate and volcanic weather are thus found here. A number of species of biomechanical reptiles and birds similar to those found on Bota Magna of the Core Universe also bountifully inhabit the Lava Shard Moon.

These two sides of Ig-Clysmax give the Lava Shard Moon a unique contrasting feel of a wealthy gated community and an exotic prehistoric land removed from time.


Adieu,
- MechaFizz

Edited by MechaFizz, Aug 09 2012 - 04:19 PM.

[tomdroidser]

In the possible event of leftover, uncovered Shards, what would happen?

-Tomdroidser

[bonesiii]

In the possible event of leftover, uncovered Shards, what would happen?

-Tomdroidser

First of all, lets try to avoid it! There's still some time left to enter.

But I won't have time in the Season 1 finale to feature all of them anyways, nor plot basis, so the top voted winners will be the ones I'll show there anyways. It would just mean we couldn't have as many featured in Season 2.

Here's the list of Shards that have yet to have entries, at least in this topic (I haven't had time to check the archived posts yet, and please correct me if I missed any. I do seem to recall one or two had entries on the old forums):

[None!]

And here's the list (again, just from this topic) of Shards with entries. We could also use more competition for many of them!

Sonics
Light (3)
Fungus
Crystal (3)
Sulfur
Lightning
Blue Energy
Plants (2)
Acid (3)
Psionics (3)
Magnetism
Silver (2)
Shadow (2)
Virus (3)
Kinetics
Tar (2)
Sand
Lava
Ghost
Iron (3)
Gold (2)
Gravity (2)
Plasma
Mercury (2)

Edited by bonesiii, Aug 25 2012 - 04:04 PM.
Updated as of August 25

[Click]

Ghost Shard, Ka-Clysmax
Member Name: Click
Description: This shard has had a dark history. It began as simply another segment of Ga-Clysmax, a mineral-rich swamp, in fact. Rumors circulated all around about what lay inside, but few dared to enter, and those that did were never seen again.

All of this was forgotten during the Shattering, when the shard was lifted into a low orbit two hundred bio above the larger fragments. It was said that majestic glowing waterfalls poured from its sides onto the land below, enriching crops with their soil. It became a magical shard, said to contain the good will of those who died in the swamp above, but still, few wished to settle it.

The waterfalls left the shard hollow and porous, filled with phosphorescent minerals that give it an eerie green glow. The swamps on top are now heated by pockets of hot gasses, giving the entire surface a misty covering. Wind whistling through the hollow caverns create a howling effect, leading this shard to gain back its reputation as taboo.

Finally, some Ka-Matoran explorers decided to adventure up there to see what’s left of the surface and find the source of the myths. What they found was a haggard society deep within the swamp surrounded by horrible Rahi and low on food. The Ka-Matoran saved the inhabitants and shipped in food to begin taming the Ghost Shard. They summoned Toa to plug up the caverns with their Ghost powers, giving the shard an even more ghostly look, and scared the Rahi off into the less frequented areas of the swamp, making exploring very dangerous. The only materials on this shard is a weak tree that is prone to falling apart, but the explorers made do with it, leaving empty, ruined homes all over, similar to haunted houses.

A small settlement still exists over the old, where the explorers are forced to fight for their lives against Rahi sieges. All contact has been broken off by strange properties of the mineral making up the shard, and the explorers are presumed to have joined those who have perished in the horrible swamps.

I don't know about that, I think my other entry was a bit better. This one seems rambly; I'm not good at describing things.

Edited by Click, Aug 13 2012 - 02:10 PM.

[~~Zarkan~~]

Tar Shard, Res-Clymax
Member Name: ~~Zarkan~~
Description: A desert fragment dotted by hundreds of tar pits, which were untapped before the Shattering due to the presence of dangerous “Elementals.” These blob-like creatures wielded both tar and fire, and as such always appeared to be flaming. No one knew what they fed on or what their biological makeup was, for no one had encountered them and survived to tell the tale. After the Shattering, however, these creatures mysteriously disappeared, and after a few years the Stone and Cave fragments began setting up operations to collect and process the tar. The shard is now home to a variety of businesses that make and utilize rubber, as well as a few who specialize in coming up with other uses for tar. Strangely, in the last thirty years their have been reported sightings of what appear to be the Tar Elementals, but the few who claim to have seen them also insist that they were not aggressive. This has prompted Res-Clymax to hire a team of elite Toa and Troak warriors for the purpose of investigating these rumors.

Virus Shard, Cha-Clysmax
Member Name: ~~Zarkan~~
Description: The Virus fragment is different from many of the smaller shards in that it was named entirely for its commerce rather than any natural features. Originally a somewhat forested region, most of the trees have been cut down and replaced with factories specializing in virus creation – and as a result, Rahi creation. Most are run by Makuta, and as such the fragment is sometimes looked upon with suspicion, but over the course of its history there have been no significant scandals or disasters. In fact, for a fragment dominated by smoke-belching factories and toxic-waste disposal facilities, it sometimes seems too ethical to certain denizens of Clysmax. This has lead to a wide range of conspiracy theories as to the “true motives” of the fragment, ranging from a secret desire to overthrow the Fire fragment’s government, to a scheme to mind-control the entirety of Clysmax by seeding viruses into the air. However, no real evidence for any of these has surfaced, and if there is a secret agenda lurking behind Ra-Clysmax’s motives, the Makuta are likely doing everything they can to conceal it.

Crystal Shard, Kru-Clysmax
Member Name: ~~Zarkan~~
Description: A shard that is similar to Onu-Clysmax in many ways, but with a far more specific business focus. Early in the history of the EM, it was discovered that its underground tunnels contained a type of rare crystal that housed enormous reserves of energy. Mining companies quickly scrambled to claim and begin excavating the caves, as well as determining how to best harness the crystal’s power. By the time of the Shattering, the industry had become self-sustaining, collecting enough crystals to both power their machines and make a steady profit selling them across the Multiverse. Thus, they were in a far better position to recover from the Shattering’s effects than many fragments, and they soon became one of the most powerful minor shards in Clysmax. However, in the last one-hundred years, Kru-Clysmax has begun to run low on crystals, the tunnels having been enlarged as much as possible without endangering the structural integrity of the fragment. While the crystals grow back over time, the industry is nevertheless finding itself in a difficult position. As a result, they have begun offering a monetary prize to the first being who can figure out how to artificially duplicate the crystals, in the hope that they will eventually be able to manage the growing process themselves. In the meantime, limits have been established on crystal harvesting procedures, and the once astronomical profits have slowed down to a trickle.

Edited by ~~Zarkan~~, Aug 14 2012 - 05:51 PM.

[rollabar]

Iron Shard, Fe-Clysmax
rollabar



The inhabitants of the Iron Shard can often be found hard at work, while they dream of creating the newest little (or not so little) creation, and impress everyone around them. Sadly, for many, this is but a dream. So they try to increase there crafting skills by recreating old buildings, tools, and machines. Yet they are not satisfied even creating an enormous building, unless it was designed or invented by them.

Because of all these items being made, the shard is cluttered with stuff. Odd contraptions can be seen rolling down roads, and towering buildings provide shade for the population below. But often, ditched designs lye about, waiting to be melted down for some other use.

With the populations dream for creating the new, no two creations seem to be the same. It may just be an extra, useless button, added to an old design, or a building twice the size of its counterpart, but nothing is the same on the Iron Shard.

The ruler of the Iron Shard makes ALL the big decisions, weather his shard's citizens approve or not. The citizens don’t really care that much though, as there leader makes good decisions most of the time, and when he doesn’t, well, they work (really anytime there sad they go work on some new little trinket and such).

Edited by rollabar, Aug 14 2012 - 09:57 PM.

[Toa Nidhiki05]

These general ideas were in my previous posts to the old topic, but these are changed and are the entries that should be used:

Acid Shard, Hy-Clysmax
Member Name: Toa Nidhiki05
Description: The shard known as Hy-Clysmax is one of the more uninhabitable ones in the entire system. The majority of the shard is covered in corrosive, deadly acid and the sky regularly rains corrosive acid. Few areas of land exist, but rock formations are somewhat common. Storms such as acid hurricanes and twisters are frequent and the fauna on the shard are dangerous and adapted well to the harsh conditions of its environment.

For the general safety of their residents, general travel to the shard is prohibited by each Fragment. However, most fragments have permitted research teams to form outposts on the shard. Such outposts are exclusively scientific, studying the acid and its effects on the environment. Scientists are also curious as to how the shard became so acidic and deadly after the shattering, and how some of the species on the shard survive in such deadly conditions. Some conspiratorial denizens of Aethion claim that the research colonies are a sham, serving as 'death camps' for political criminals - but there is no proof that this happens anywhere on the shard.

Most research colonies are platforms suspended high over the more swampy areas of acid (think something similar to the settlements on Kamino in Star Wars). Spacecraft land at a central platform, the space dock, and are sent from there to the main colonies for their respective shards. Small houses and larger research facilities dominate these platforms, with walkways and bridges serving as pathways between platforms. All colonies utilize specially-designed acid-resistant ships that allow travel off of the colony, while a protective tangible 'bubble' covers the research settlement, keeping acid and outside contaminants out but allowing Matoran and ships to exit.

As the colonies are funded by the government of their respective fragments, these governments retain veto powers over these decisions. In cases where the fragment governments are not involved, the residents of the research colony use majority vote to make decisions.

Gold Shard, Au-Clysmax
Member Name: Toa Nidhiki05
Description: Au-Clysmax, the Gold shard, is controlled by Experimental Industries (Industrial). Prior the Shattering, Au-Clysmax was near and run by Po-Clysmax, but never stood out as anything in particular and was mostly uninhabited. After the Shattering, however, untapped gold reserves from the core rushed up to the surface, staining it a bright gold before seeping back into the ground and hardening in underground caves. When residents of Po-Clysmax were sent to investigate the shard, they found vast reserves of almost pure gold.

After this discovery, Au-Clysmax was sold to EI, as Po-Clysmax had no interest in running a mining colony. EI, seeking the gold resources to use in experimental weapons, immediately began establishing mining communities near the largest gold deposits. These corporate-sponsored settlements are run by EI, with lodging supplied by EI and general stores owned, operated and staffed by EI employees. No private shops exist in the settlements. To encourage efficiency, miners, who are mainly Fe-Matoran and Iron Agori, can keep a small amount of gold mined in addition to their regular pensions. This has led some to see the shard as an opportunity to 'get rich quick'.

The environment of Au-Clysmax is similar to that of Po-Clysmax, with rain being particularly rare. Rahi and fauna are similar to Po-Clysmax, and can pose a major problem to settlements if they attack in herds. Most settlements are built away from known herd locations and are situated near caves, preferably those close to water.

The government of Au-Clysmax is based in Au-Koro, the capital city and the largest inhabited location on the moon as well as the sole location of spaceports to and from the moon. It is also home to the shard's jail as well as the judicial system for the sharp. An EI-appointed governor is in charge of most shard-wide decisions, with a ceremonial elected legislature serving beneath him. This legislature has little authority and mostly rubber-stamps the governor. At settlements, an EI representative is in charge, also serving as the boss for the workers. Unionization and unauthorized settlements are strictly prohibited under pain of exile.

Silver Shard, Ag-Clysmax
Member Name: Toa Nidhiki05
Description: Ag-Clysmax is controlled in a similar manner to Au-Clysmax – EI owns the shard and settlements are spread out across the moon. Large silver spikes protrude from the moon surface, which is tinted a light silver, and the environment is bleak. Rain is common and few days are very bright.

Due to the somewhat lower value of silver, EI has not built as many settlements on Ag-Clysmax. The largest, Ag-Koro, is the center of government and is run in a similar manner to Au-Clysmax, although it is nowhere near as large. Due to EI's lesser interest in the shard, Ag-Clysmax residents have more control over local affairs and private shops, while uncommon, do exist. However, no unions are allowed and workers do not get to keep any silver they mine.

Iron Shard, Fe-Clysmax
Member Name: Toa Nidhiki05
Description: Prior to the Shattering, Fe-Clysmax was always independent of the other fragments, and was largely left to their own devices by the official rule of Po-Clysmax. Large mountain settlements of Fe and Onu-Matoran as well as Rock and Iron Agori mined decent supplies of Iron, which was traded for goods and supplies.

After the Shattering, Fe-Clysmax sold a portion of the left half of the shard to EI of uninhabited and untapped reserves to EI. Fe-Clysmax became one of the richest moons off of this deal, improving the living conditions of its citizens, but it quickly turned sour after EI began encroaching on Fe-Clysmax controlled areas. A group of miners had anticipated this and sabotaged one of the EI-owned mines, adding further to tensions. Border fights are increasingly common, with travelers from either side viewed suspiciously and armed conflict occasionally occurring.

The overall environment of the shard is mountainous, with both caves and mountain ranges containing valuable deposits of Iron. The EI-controlled side of the shard (roughly 35% of the shard, mostly based on the left side) has less caves than the right side, controlled by Fe-Clysmax, but both have about the same amount of mountains. Communities are generally based either on the mountain ranges or near caves, with outposts set at intervals between communities. Water infrequently flows in streams at ground level, but underwater creeks and lakes are common, as is small amounts of snow on the mountain tips. Fauna is diverse, with trees growing near streams and on some mountains - subterranean and mountainous Rahi are common in their respective regions.

The portion of the shard controlled by Fe-Clysmax operates under a representative government system. Each village elects one representative, and the whole legislature in turn elects a president. The government is based in Fe-Koro, a large outpost set roughly in the middle of the shard. It hosts spaceports as well as a Kolhii stadium. Villages are usually governed by the rough equivalent of a major-council model. EI settlements are governed the same as Au and Ag-Clysmax, and the main EI headquarters is based in EI-Koro, which hosts the government and spaceports. Contact between governments is irregular and generally occurs to solve border disputes or negotiate extradition of fugitives.

Psionics Shard, Ce-Clysmax
Member Name: Toa Nidhiki05
Description: The Psionics shard is one of the more surreal locations in all of Aethion. On Ce-Clysmax, communication by spoken word is impossible – if one tries to speak, no noise comes out. The thoughts of the being are instead transmitted telepathically over a short radius, allowing anyone and everyone to hear them. The cause of this bizarre effect is unknown and affects all inhabitants aside from Rahi and Psionics-affiliated individuals, as well as beings wearing a Mask of Mental Shielding.

Ce-Clysmax hosts a temperate, moderate environment. Rahi are generally docile and fauna consists of trees, flowers, and fungi. The shard has a strong central government, which in turn governs the various districts. The main city, Cy-Metru, has a modern, sleek appearance that fits in with the local environment. It hosts the government and the Temple of Justice, where disputes between citizens are solved. It also contains a back room where disputes between third-parties are solved. Other major cities exist, but many citizens of the shard own houses in the countryside.

Inhabitants of the shard are predominantly those immune to the shard's thought transmission, as most others are understandably weirded out by the issue. EI has invented a device that negates the effect on the user to be immune, and this is frequently sold to Matoran tourists as well as government officials from the Fragments - however, the effect is temporary and it wears off within days of activation. The shard, which views itself as an intellectual, peaceful land, is vocal in its support of a peaceful solution to disputes between the fragments/shards. As such, they trade with all sides and offer to intervene as a truly neutral third party to solve disputes, provided both sides are open to it.

The shard's overall leader, a Turaga of Psionics, is elected for 100-year terms with an option for recall every 50 years. The leader is expected to resign if she is prevented from governing due to illness, physical or mental, and is expected to serve no longer than two terms. She is also expected to respect the outcome of a recall election and to govern honestly and impartially.

New entries:

Shadow Shard, Kra-Clysmax
Member Name: Toa Nidhiki05
Description: Kra-Clysmax is a foreboding location, dominated by fortresses, imposing rock formations, and barracks. Initially located near the Ice Shard, the inhabitants of Kra-Clysmax despised the rule of ice over them, feeling they were superior. Ice, on the other hand, exploited the Shadow Shard residents for their knowledge in weaponry and war. Prior to the shattering, as the other Fragments were preparing for the impending disaster, Kra-Clysmax began secretly building war machines and weapons.

After the Shattering, Kra-Clysmax expelled all remaining citizens of other elements, leaving themselves occupied exclusively by Matoran/Toa/Turaga and Agori of Shadow. They quickly built fortresses and barracks and, using the space fighter ships and surface to air missiles they developed, made short work of the Ko-Clysmax fighters sent to reclaim the shard. Now, the shard is entirely cut off from the rest of Clysmax - any outsider ships are ordered to leave and, if they refuse, immediately destroyed. Entry onto the shard is by invitation only and species not associated with Shadow are not welcome.

The landscape of Kra-Clysmax consists mostly of various fortresses, castles, and barracks arranged strategically throughout the shard. Each fortress links into subterranean caves.The largest of these caves hosts the Underground City, which hosts the power system for the entire shard as well as the central government. Residences are based in the caves, allowing for easy entry to the fortresses if military action is needed. Water is mostly drawn from underground springs, while food is grown above-ground in the more fertile areas of land.

Recently, some leaders of the Fragments have proposed the idea of allying with Kra-Clysmax against Ice, hoping to use their advanced military technology against Ice. No discussions have been made with Kra-Clysmax, however.

-TN05

Edited by Thor (TN05), Aug 24 2012 - 01:06 PM.

[Taipu1]

Thought I'd finally get onto posting an entry:

Gravity Shard, Gar-Clysmax
Member Name: Taipu1
Description: Unlike the other shards, where civilisation usually lies on one particular side of the shard, on Gar-Clysmax the towns and villages are scattered across the full surface of the shard. The gravity generators act on the main surface of the planet.

The rock of the shard has unusual gravitational properties, which beings of the gravity element are able to tap into. This allows them to walk on any surface of the rock, no matter what the orientation. Beings not of the gravity element are unable to do this, and follow the usual direction of gravity. The properties of this rock are desirable for the inhabitants and it is used to build all buildings and structures on the shard. The rock is known as Gar-Stone, and is found only on Gar-Clysmax. It also mostly lacks appeal outside of the shard, so it is never exported in large quantities. Smaller packages may be sent out for scientific testing, but any non-gravity beings attempts to study it are fruitless.

Visitors to the fragment usually find it disconcerting, as all the buildings are not oriented to the same gravitational pull, some even not obviously oriented in anyway. A particularly unpopular phenomenon with visitors are “spiral adjusters” which are doors with a twist in the frame, which beings of gravity may step on so that they enter oriented to one direction and end up in another way.

The shard has roads and paths on the surface, and a sequence of tunnels just below the surface, which are perfectly round in shape to allow ease of travel on any surface. The perfect circle also means that the whole tunnel surface can be tapped into, cancelling out the users gravity completely, allowing inhabitants to float along the tunnels.

The most common occupations are mining, building and sculpting. Miners collect the Gar-Stone from within the core of the shard, and bring it the surface. The builders and sculptors then use the stone, both incorporating its properties. Sculptures are common sights on Gar-Clysmax, they are usually very large to allow beings to walk on them and experience them, often designed specifically with this in mind.

Gar-Clysmax has an elected government, who mainly concentrate on the mining and distribution of the Gar-stone, as well the security of the shard.

The most common species on Gar-Clysmax are Matoran, but there are all types of beings with the gravity element inhabiting the shard.

The shards gravity generator would not be used at all were it not needed for farming. There are hundreds of small allotments on the main surface, used by the inhabitants to grow food.

Edited by Taipu1, Aug 17 2012 - 08:14 AM.

[Toa Nidhiki05]

What exactly is Mercury in the EU? I'm interested in writing something up for it but there isn't much detail on it at all. Is essentially identical to Earth Mercury (toxic liquid metal)?

-TN05

[bonesiii]

Metal that is liquid at room temperature. We've said before that there are some nonpoisonous varieties of it in the EM (keep in mind everything in the EM is protodermis, so it doesn't have to be exactly the same as real-world materials), though a lot of it could be poisonous. And I see it as almost always heavy enough to walk on.

[Zo'Tomana]

What exactly is Mercury in the EU? I'm interested in writing something up for it but there isn't much detail on it at all. Is essentially identical to Earth Mercury (toxic liquid metal)?

-TN05

Metal that is liquid at room temperature. We've said before that there are some nonpoisonous varieties of it in the EM (keep in mind everything in the EM is protodermis, so it doesn't have to be exactly the same as real-world materials), though a lot of it could be poisonous. And I see it as almost always heavy enough to walk on.

It is heavy enough to float Iron on, can dissolve gold, and flows off stuff like water off a duck's back.

[Zorkel567]

Didn't even realize this was on again.

Reposting from original:

Light Shard, Av-Clysmax
Zorkel567
The Light Shard is a strange one. It is mostly inhabited by Av-Matoran, who are basically slaves without even realizing it. For a group of peaceful seeming Matoran, they have a twisted history. In the year 27, the Shattering occured, destroying the planet. A young Matoran, an Av-Matoran, wanted a true settlement for his people. Before the Shattering, he'd been exploring many places that on Clysmax that weren't controlled by any of the six major powers on the planet.

During the Shattering, he was exploring what is today the Light Shard. He had dug deep underground, looking for resources when he discovered something that even today nobody is sure about. He returned, having somehow transformed into a Toa. As a Toa of Light, he brought his people, many Av-Matoran, to the Shard, where he revealed his find: streaming out of a huge hole he'd made came this beautiful, golden, untainted light.

He claimed on his journeys, in the center of the Shard, he discovered what he called, "The Light." "The Light" was powerful and mystical, what exactly it was, he didn't explain. He claimed it was there to give them a purpose, and so the Matoran began to worship "The Light." They built an Altar around the hole and spent some time each day worshipping "The Light." The Toa who'd discovered it claimed that "The Light" had transformed him into a Toa, and as the one to discover it, he should lead their society. He lead the Matoran in colonizing the rest of the Shard's sides, and made it a law that at least once every month the Matoran must visit the Light.

As the new leader, he also made them live in poverty, where any extra money they didn't need was dropped down the hole to "The Light." He, though, lives greatly with a place, as a quarter of everybody's wages must go to him. Now hundreds of years later, he still rules, with the Matoran so in love with "The Light," they don't even realize he's become a tyrant. But they don't mind.

The Matoran's fascination with "The Light" has worried many other Shards, Fragments, and the other planets. Multiple times Wiki-Nui teams have tried to investigate, but every time they are turned back by the Av-Matoran, since their leader claims letting them investigate would corrupt "The Light." Once an aggressive scientist tried to force his way down, and the Matoran killed him and threw him down the shaft as a sacrifice to "The Light."

The Toa, who goes unnamed here, rules the Shard single handedly. The Matoran have no real jobs here, and so most work off world. The structures are small, dilapidated huts, spread across grassy fields across the planet. No known Rahi species are known to exist on the Shard. The source of "The Light" is unknown, and may remain that way unless discovered by some people. But as long as the Toa stays in power, that may never happen.

Crystal Shard, Kru-Clysmax
Zorkel567
The Crystal Shard is a bit of a mystery. The Shard was colonized by the Crystal Matoran because of the crystals found just below the surface. Just before the Shattering, a discovery was made: a huge crystal deep underground in a large cavern. The Shattering occurred and the team who made the discover never returned. 23 years after the Shattering, a second team was sent down to see if the original team could be recovered, but were all found dead around the newly re-discovered crystal, not a single scratch on them. Then a shocking realization was made: a Crystal Matoran who touched the large Crystal died, just by touching it. A Wiki-Nui Scientist who was with the team said it was because the large Crystal sucked the life force out of the poor Matoran.

The Team returned with the discovery and the bodies, and a larger team was sent down to better explore the underground. They found two other things. One was that there were smaller crystals who had the same golden sheen as the larger Crystal that were nicknamed Memory Crystals. The smaller Crystals had the power to absorb a memory or memories, depending on how long the Matoran remained in contact with a Memory Crystal. Throughout the years this has led to many beings accidently coming across them, getting amnesia, and never returning.

The second discovery was that the larger Crystal couldn't be penetrated. When the team tried to use tools to dig into the Crystal, the tools fell apart. A side effect of staying down there too long was also discovered: a form of madness, called the Crystal Madness, caused by energy ripples emanating from the large 'Life' Crystal and the mini Memory Crystals. There have been many Matoran who have suffered Amnesia from the Memory Crystals and then gotten Crystal Madness. But there is also a tale they all come back with. Of a group of beings who are made of Crystals that live below the surface, but that is usually attributed to Crystal Madness. Is there any truth to these rumors?

Throughout the Crystal Shard's existence, there have been many theories about what the 'Life' Crystal actually is. But there is one theory used prominently among the Scientific Community. A theory first put forward about the years 250. A Matoran who'd lived on the Shard for many years theorized that the 'Life' Crystal could possibly contain an Olmak Effect or something similar to it, with the Crystal channeling the Olmak Effect's power. So when a Matoran touches it, it takes them to an alternate dimension. A second theory was put forth by a Matoran known to have Crystal Madness. He claimed he'd seen dead Matoran roaming around as spirits or ghosts, though many are in doubt with that theory. No matter what, it's a mystery.

For a Government, the Crystal Shard has a more Democratic Triumvarite, with each member serving for three years. The way it happens, a new member is picked every year, always keeping it fresh. The Shard's economy is based on selling crystals located in the top few layers that don't have a golden tint to them. The Crystals are a sign of wealth, beauty, and power across Aethion. The Triumvarite is located in a Shard Hall, which isn't huge. There are many cities across the shard with multiple mines. Very few Crystal Shard inhabitants live off-Shard. The Shard is at current very peaceful.


Gravity Shard, Gar-Clysmax
Zorkel567
The Gravity Shard has what are called Gravity Wells by the natives. The strange phenomenon is like this: as the Shard orbits with the others, it has something special- the gravity can change in an instant. One minute, it can be normal like ours(Earth), the next it'll be like (the moon), and the next instant, gravity is crushing down. What exactly causes this is unknown.

The Gravity Shard was founded before the Shattering. Once the Shattering occured, though, the Gravity Wells sprung up. After seeing the Gravity Wells crush an entire village, and then float its' remains up into space. After witnessing that, the Matoran of the other villages, and the few Matoran who survived the experience, were forced underground. They built underground cities and villages. The Matoran made their society democratic, with an actual President who served four year terms. The Matoran built up a great nation on the Shard, with very little outside contact due to the gravity wells. The Matoran often tried to learn of what caused the Gravity Wells, but nothing ever succeeded. The current President, a Toa of Gravity, began to experiment with what caused the Gravity Wells. Recently, something strange has occured: only two days after the formation of Team Cipher, the Gravity Wells ceased to exist. Now the population is forced to wonder what stopped them? Did the President do it? Why? Or was it an outside force that caused them to dissapear? No matter the reason, it's most likely not good.

The Shard is democratic with the process of voting for their President. The Gravity Wells surrounding the Shard are both good and bad: they've destroyed any attempts by the Ice Fragment to invade, but have also limited their trading with other planets and Shards. In later years, though, there have been some who've learned the patterns of the Gravity Wells and delivered and traded goods.

Virus Shard, Cha-Clysmax
Zorkel567
The Virus Shard is filled with Virus Matoran and Toa. Ra-Clysmax, before the Shattering,p bordered both Ta-Clysmax, and Le-Clysmax. As it was unclaimed land. Originally disputed between the two sides, when both Ta- and Le- citizens started getting sick after coming in contact with the animals of the area, the governments both thought there must be a Virus going on around the area. Together, they sent in a team of Toa and Matoran of Viruses, originally from Central, to investigate. Before they could finish, the Shattering took place and the Virus Element beings claimed ownership, of which was allowed. The Virus plaguing the Rahi was cured and so they began to colonize the Shard.

They decided in the year 30 a government was needed, and a Makuta came to power. It was decided to use barbaric ways for the bet of the citizens, in which another being could challenge he current leader, and the winner became leader.

Up until the year 300, a series of Makuta governed the Virus Shard. Then, a Toa of Virus challenged the ruling Makuta, and won, and then majorly changed the way the government worked. He turned the Shard from a loose group of neighbors to a strong, strict group of citizens who he claimed 'would change the future.' He also destroyed the barbaric form of election, and made it so he was sole power. Once that occurred, he demolished the Capital, changing it 'for the better.' He changed it into a walled city, with a central palace, filled with laboratories that the Matoran became employed in. He hired Makuta loyal only to him to be in charge of the facilities.

With them at the helm, they made many scientific breakthroughs in terms of Viruses, many of which were turned into weapons on Promathus.

The new and improved Virus Shard soon became known for their raids on many of the other Shards and sometimes even the Fragments in which they would kidnap Matoran to use as test subjects with new Viruses. Though peace lasted for a hundred years, in the year 400, things changed. A rebellion took place that lasted ten years in which their leader, the Toa of Virus, distanced himself from the citizens, locking himself in his palace and having his Makuta henchmen battle the rebelling Matoran and Toa. Then, at the end of the rebellion, he revealed his newest creation: a Virus that only affected all species besides Makuta. He protected himself with a vaccine, but the entire Shard's population was affected.

The Virus had the power to slowly shut them down, eating at their insides and other horrible things. In other words, the Shard's population was dying. To keep them under his control, he offered them a solution: every week they worked, he would them a piece of the antidote. Not enough to cure them, but just enough that it keeps them alive another week. As long as they work for him at his labs, they can live. But otherwise... it's death.

The exact Virus used on the population scared a lot of Aethion. Something like that could be used to take over the Universe. But there was a fluke with it: the Toa was unable to create a powerful enough version that could be used on say... a planet. His initial use also wiped out his original store of it. But there are rumors circulating around the Multiverse. Rumors that he may be close to a breakthrough in a more powerful version. If so, the Multiverse may be in trouble.

The Virus Shard is ruled from a fortified city which holds the palace of the Tyrant Toa, and the many labs used to create more Viruses. There are also more secure labs located underground which are used to create more high risk Viruses. Each lab is controlled by a Makuta, who are also the police force of the Shard. The Virus known as the 'Living-Dead Virus' is used to control the population. All surfaces of the Shard are covered with huts used by the inhabitants.


Iron Shard, Fe-Clysmax
Zorkel567
The Iron Shard is one of the poorest, if not poorest, of the Shards, but it turns out, the Shard is falling apart and collapsing in on itself. It became the Iron shard shortly before the Shattering, when Iron Matoran discovered a lot of iron below the surface. Before the discovery could be put to use, the Shattering occurred and they became their own shard. A group of Turaga, known only as the Council of Elders, were elected leaders of the shard. Around the year 28, only a year after the Shattering, they were approached by Promathus companies, which wanted to set up mining operations on te Shard. The Council declined, but months later, a plague went through the Matoran population, similar to the one in the Core Universe, where something similar happened to the Agori on Spherus Magna. The plague wiped out over half the population, and in exchange for money to buy medications for the Matoran, the Council agreed to letting some Promathus companies do some mining on planet.

With the money from the deal, the Council hired a team from Wiki Nui to investigate, and the only thing they came up was was that it may not have been a plague, exactly, but more like a Virus. The Virus shard, perhaps? Throughout the years, the Industrial Companies continued to build mines and dig deeper and deeper into the Fragment, continuing to rob them of their resources. The mined Iron would be used for machines and other creations. Around the year 425, the mines finally went dry. When that happened, the Companies pulled out. The Council, who now deeply regretted letting them come, sent a small investigative force in 480 to search for potential undiscovered areas of Iron. But they discovered something else instead. The Industrial companies had unknowingly created a lattice of mines that intersected and balanced at different points to form a web.

Some of the main mines, closer to the surface, have rusted and started to bend, no longer able to hold up the surface any longer. Slowly, they discovered, the mines are collapsing, and with it is the mine. The Shard, who never even got a crack at the iron, made their living as hired work for the companies. But now, with the companies gone and the Shard falling apart, there is no money to repair the collapsing mines. How much time is left is unknown, but the Council continues to debate ideas to save their precious Shard. Will they be able to save it?

The Shard is ruled democratically. After learning the Shard was collapsing, the Council of Elders, who'd been ruling since the Shattering, changed it to a democratic vote every two years. Now the entire council, save one, has been replaced with new members. The reason for the change was they regretted what they'd done and felt they were no longer fit to rule. They have good relations with most of the other Shards and Fragments, but none are willing to help stop the collapsing after they didn't listen to the other Shards/Fragments, most of whom warned the Iron Shard from allowing the Promathus presence.

The entire shard is poor, with 95% of the Matoran living in poverty. They live on the surface in rundown huts, with the Council seated in a larger building, though not much better. Because of their troubles, crime is rampant as they scavenge for life on the shard.


Shadow Shard, Kra-Clysmax
Zorkel567
The Shadow fragment is often referred to as the Enigma Fragment, and with good reason. Before the Shattering, though distrustful of the others, always allowed other visits. But onece the Shattering occured, things changed. Diplomatic parties sent there would go missing, or be found dead on a different Fragment or Shard. In the beginning, it was just thrown aside, but as the Occurences kept happening, the Allies were forced to act. They sent a small force to find out what was happening, but were defeated by the Ice Fragment, who allied themselves with the Shadow Shard. Eventually, around the years 100, rumor flew about the Multiverse: for the first time since the diplomatic parties had stopped being sent and the Shadow Shard had banned offworlders from coming, a single being had been allowed onto the Shard- a single, male Makuta. The Makuta soon had rumors going about that he'd seized powers from the current government, turning it into a dictatorship.

In the beginning, the Matoran rejoiced now that they had a strong government. The Ice Fragment's relationship with them was also shattered, because the Makuta thought their alliance made them look weak. But soon, the Matoran were begging for help, of which the Allies refused. The Makuta soon allowed offworlders back onto the planet, by none ever returned. The only clue to their dissapearence was a small creature that looked like the Core's Shadow Leeches. The populanfe guessed they had been turned to the Shadows, and the Allies banned travel to the Shadow Shard. Around the year 150, the Shadow Matoran rebelled, and the Makuta used infected Kanohi to enslave the population. There are rumors, though, of a secret band of Shadow Matoran fightin for freedom who live deep urethritis within the shard. Will they ever be freed?

The Shadow Shard is completely covered with shadows. It's set with a huge palace-fortress in the center of the shard's land, with small villagers dotted around the outside of the palace-fortress. They don't have much technology, instead living like the Mata Nui population, with a primitive society. They stay mostly to themselves. The reason they're called the Enigma Fragmen is beaches like the mysterious planet Enigma, not much is known about how they're society truly works, since no one can leave the Shard without being controlled by the Makuta, and they refuse to answer any questions. The Shadow Empire, the name for the Makuta's reign, controls all communication and access points for leaving the Shard.

Edited by Zorkel567, Aug 20 2012 - 06:33 PM.

[The First Speaker]

Plasma Shard, Io-Clysmax
Member name: The First Speaker
Description:

In its origin, Io-Clysmax was just a highly-industrialised section in the Air region. When the Shattering occurred, fortunately most of the machinery stayed intact, and production wasn’t stopped. That allowed the inhabitants, mostly Le-Matoran and Io-Matoran to recover quickly from the cataclysm.

One of the particularities of Io-Clysmax is the fact that the Shard was propelled closer to the Bluespace wall than any of the others during the Shattering. As a result, it is within the reach of the radiation coming from the Bluespace, and the atmosphere of the Shard has become highly ionised.

Quickly the Matoran inhabitants learnt that they could use the ionosphere to rebound radio waves, and many Industrial companies soon showed interest in the Shard, converting it into a telecommunication centre. Maps of the density of the ionosphere were made, allowing the sending of signals across Shattered with high precision.

Also, at night immense Aurora borealis-like phenomena appear on the sky around the Shard, making it one of the most impressing sights in Clysmax.

The Plasma Shard had a democratic government, elected by the Matoran in free elections. However, in the end the decisions taken were always commanded from the Air fragment, and for this reason Io-Clysmax was considered to be a puppet state. This lack of autonomy to make decisions was manifested in the relations with Ice – while the Io-Clysmax inhabitants desired to have neutrality, like most of the other Shards did, Air imposed an alignment with the Allied Fragments. This position would end up turning against Io-Clysmax.

By year 200 Ice decided that the Plasma Shard, due to its communication complex, had to be eliminated, and the Shard underwent heavy bombardment from Ko-Clysmax spaceships, obliterating most of the factories.

After the attack, the Io-Matoran rebelled against the Air Fragment, expulsing the Le-Matoran out of their land and creating a new parliament. The new government immediately declared its neutrality, not wanting to ever take part again in the war between the Allied Fragments and Ko-Clysmax, and expropriated the few remaining factories from the Industrial companies.

Soon after, the rebuilding of the industrial complex began a project that wasn’t finished until 50 years later. By that time, the government employed a few Plasma Troak scientists, something that created suspicions that the Plasma Shard might have something hidden in store.

A year later, a public announcement was made. The Io-Clysmax government revealed that after extensively studying the ionosphere and its properties, they had decided to reconvert the industry of the Shard to the manufacturing of Plasma-based weapons.

The Io-Clysmax government received much criticism from other Shards and Fragments, since it was willing to sell to both the Allied Fragments and Ice. However, moral problems aside, the selling of weapons was profitable and has returned the Shard its wealthy status.

The neutrality of the government is not shared by all the Io-Clysmax inhabitants, however. Slowly the society has started dividing in two factions; one, loyal to the government, which proposes starting war with Ice but not aligning with the Alied fragments, and another, ideologically close to the ruling class of Ice, which supports starting hostile relations with Air.

[bonesiii]

At last update of the list in my post earlier (linked to in the recent news article), there's only one more Shard without an entry! Mercury. Still some days left to enter.

[MechaFizz]

Gold Shard, Au-Clysmax
Member Name: MechaFizz
[Include any images here.]
Description:
Historically a small kingdom of great wealth in gold, Au-Clysmax is now famous for its old palaces of gold and deep and winding gold mines that took off shortly before the Shattering of Clysmax. Gold trade made Au-Clysmax fairly wealthy prior to the Shattering and trading with companies on Industrial keeps their economy stable.

Before the Shattering, the Gold Shard Moon was dividing into several smaller provinces and city-states ruled by kings. After the Shattering, these separate states became a single kingdom ruled by the Fourth Court, a council composed of four of the kings and their successors from the original provinces and city states. Despite the title, the kings may be female.

Huge cavern systems exist deep within Au-Clysmax and are occasionally stumbled upon by miners. Often, miners will become lost within these caverns, sometimes for days to weeks at time. They are always unharmed and in good health when they are found or find their way back, but they have no memory of the time they spent lost or even of being lost at all. Some believe that they stumbled upon massive deposits of exceptionally pure gold and are pretending to have amnesia to keep the alleged gold deposits a secret. Upon examination by medical officials, however, the miners genuinely had no memory of being lost. It appeared as though they simply fell out of existence for a period of time.

Some miners have also reported that they have seen Blade Burrowers donned in intricately engraved gold armor. Other miners often dismiss these claims as mere hallucinations from working too long in the mines. A few believe, however, that these incidents are somehow linked to the rumored Gold Teralpids. Others have resolved to simply avoid these cavern systems out of superstition, believing they are somehow cursed.


Adieu,
- MechaFizz

[TakunuvaC01]

At last update of the list in my post earlier (linked to in the recent news article), there's only one more Shard without an entry! Mercury. Still some days left to enter.

Here you go. Just under the wordcount at 598... I came up with a lot of stuff for mercury given how little we actually know about it.

Mercury Shard, Gi-Clysmax
Member Name: TakunuvaC01
Description: The Mercury Shard was once a fragment of Ta-Clysmax that, in addition to pockets of volcanic gas, contained large pools of mercury. The heat from the region kept one large mercury pool close to the surface above normal air temperature and thus, more liquid than others lower down. Over time, the mercury from this pool began to seep into the ecosystem in the area. Plants, Rahi, and even purely organic animals were tainted Thus, no one had bothered to settle the region when the Shattering hit.

Some years later, a group of researchers working for Experimental Industries made an important discovery. They discovered how to refine toxic mercury into non-poisonous varieties. While such varieties existed naturally, they were very rare, and as already mentioned most of the mercury on Gi-Clysmax was toxic.

While there were no major applications for non-toxic mercury at the time, EI nevertheless agreed to fund a research station and refinery on Gi-Clysmax. The Ta-Clysmax government (who at the time claimed the uninhabited Shard) encouraged and supported EI in this effort, establishing Gi-Clysmax as a colony. Elemental beings of mercury began to settle there, and a vibrant community was established.

Years passed, and the colony continued to grow. The scientists, who believed they had refined most of the mercury, began performing far stranger experiments (no doubt in an attempt to develop a product that could be brought to market). A few useful discoveries were made, but not many.

Over time, more and more (harmless) mercury began to build up in the population, until suddenly a group of Toa and Turaga of Mercury realized one surprisingly useful side effect of this. Because most of the mercury the population had been living with for years had come from the same source, by using their elemental powers of mercury, they could sense the presence of anyone else living on the Shard. This discovery revolutionized life on Gi-Clysmax. The Toa declared their independence from the Fire Fragment and established a new, independent Shard government. The researchers was allowed to stay, but the Toa demanded they be able to look into just what the scientists were developing (and were granted this right).

Today, visitors to the city on Gi-Clysmax will probably not notice anything unusual (other than the occasional mercury pool and the metallic tinge to plant and animal life) until they pass through Shard Security. There they will be required to inject or absorb a small sample of mercury into their armor. This will allow the Security Buereau to monitor where they go within a few dozen kio of the Shard as if they were a citizen of the Fragment. As a result of this practice, some claim that the government is a repressive regime that uses this power (along with other unknown mercury control powers) to abuse its citizenry, but there is no evidence that anyone living on Gi-Clysmax is actually unhappy with the way things are. The Shard government gladly works with other Shard (and sometimes even the Fragment) governments, should that be necessary. They have no known dealings with entities such as Izumal and don't actually appear evil

Two other notes of potential interest: first, no one is really sure what the Experimental Industries scientists have been working on since the rise of the independent Shard government. Said government supposedly has access to the facilities, but they don't seem to know much either. And secondly, the rumors of sentient elemental beings of mercury lurking in some of the pools have yet to be ruled out, though no one on Gi-Clysmax seems to take them very seriously.

Edited by TakunuvaC01, Aug 21 2012 - 09:13 PM.

[Zo'Tomana]

Two Entries for Mercury!


Mercury Shard, Gi-Clysmax
Member Name: Zo'Tomana (Zo;Tomana on BS01)


A water feature in London, England similar to the "Mercury rivulets" idea expressed below.

Description: Gi-Clysmax is the main source of Mercury for much of Aetheion. Since Mercury is a niche resource, and Gi-Clysmax has exceedingly large deposits of it, the Gi-Clysmax inhabitants spent most of the money they made exporting to research laboratories on expanding their existing shelters. As they have expanded, they have incorporated Mercury into their structures, many houses sporting flowing, mirror-like walls of falling Mercury, and most plazas containing at least one Mercury fountain. (Note, this description is based on the EM Mercury being non-poisonous.)

The “Quicksilver City” is a byword among some for mixing art and architecture. Its skyline is not as grand as that of Wiki Nui – the buildings are mainly of a three-story size with only a few taller near the center – but is respected as a shining example of using what you have to its utmost. Most recently, artisans have been experimenting with incorporating normal, liquid protodermis into existing designs (not replacing the Mercury), and retouching the city with new colors to make the city as striking visually as possible. As such, the city is constantly being worked on by its inhabitants; no section of the city the same as another.

By the start of the Cipher Chronicles the flat surface of the fragment has been almost covered by the city, and the plazas are crisscrossed with rivulets of Mercury feeding into an artificial lake at the center. The bottom of the artificial lake is part of a distinct layer between where the Matoran live and work with Mercury in art, and where the Mercury is extracted and refined and readied for either export or use on the surface. Gi-Clysmax inhabitants rarely allow outsiders below the surface, preferring only the developed surface to be remembered of the world.

This lower layer is the contrast of the surface. Where the surface is known for being artful in appearance, the lower regions are strictly pragmatic in development. Where it has been possible to build them, the underground facilities are crosses between bunkers and factories. It is also here that the pipes and pumps for the various Mercury compositions of the surface are hidden. Near the bottom tip of the shard’s cone, a series of Onu-Clysmax artificial gravity generators run to keep “down” pointed in the direction of the tip. This simple down rule is followed except where an artisan might use a small gravity

Gi-Clysmax is run by an elected council of sixteen Magistrates and four Chancellors. The working class elects twelve of the Magistrates; the artisan class elects the remaining four. The Magistrates then choose four people to act as Chancellors. The Magistrates handle disputes and run day to day affairs while the Chancellors handle relations with other Fragments. In keeping with the wish that outsiders view the Mercury Shard only on the outside, and that image being that of the Quicksilver City of the Artisans, all personal disputes between inhabitants are carried out and mediated below the surface. Artisans, known for being prickly about their work, may even engage in supervised Kanoka Disk Dueling, but only in designated areas below the surface of the city. Even resident criminals restrict their vagrancy to the subterranean region, keeping the Shard deceptively peaceful on the surface.

The majority of Gi-Clysmax inhabitants are Gi-Matoran/Toa/Turaga. Almost the entire working class is of the Mercury element, but the surface population contains many representatives of other elements. With the rising interest in incorporating liquid protodermis into Mercury art, the second largest group is Water elementals.

Edited by Zo'Tomana, Aug 24 2012 - 04:51 PM.

[bonesiii]

And now here's the list in terms of competition (for this topic, if I read right ). Bold ones could use more entries.

Sonics (2)
Light (3)
Fungus
Crystal (3)
Sulfur (2)
Lightning
Blue Energy
Plants (2)
Acid (3)
Psionics (3)
Magnetism
Silver (2)
Shadow (3)
Virus (3)
Kinetics (2)
Tar (2)
Sand
Lava
Ghost (2)
Iron (3)
Gold (2)
Gravity (2)
Plasma
Mercury (2)

Edited by bonesiii, Aug 28 2012 - 08:09 PM.
Updated as of August 28

[TakunuvaC01]

Sonics Shard, De-Clysmax
Member Name: TakunuvaC01
Description:

It will not take a visitor to De-Clysmax long to notice what is strange about the Sonics Shard. At first glance, the flora and fauna are fairly ordinary- though rather sparse, as befits a former part of Ko-Clysmax. The climate is cool- not frozen, but definitely more polar than some Shards. And while there are many houses and structures dotting the land, and while many Sonics-affiliated beings live here, they somehow seem to produce no sound at all.

No sound. No noise. No distractions.

Oh, short, terse, and most importantly quiet conversations are allowed, but apart from that, there is simply no sound.

This might sound strange on a Shard associated elementally with Sonics beings, until you remember that many Sonics beings have extremely sensitive hearing, such as De-Matoran.

The locals refer to it as "The Quiet", and it is everywhere and inviolate. Attempting to break The Quiet through use of sonics powers, or indeed any sort of powers, is grounds for immediate deportation to the nearest Fragment. Specially modified solid-state crystalline Vahki are stationed on De-Clysmax, scanning for attempted violations and excessive sound.

But The Quiet is not simply a law- it is actually enforced on the Sonics Shard by technology. When the Gravity Generators and forcefield systems were first installed underground, shortly after the Shattering, Le-Clysmax scientists noticed a strange feedback phenomenon. Somehow, the gravity fields and air forcefields were affecting the Shard itself in ways that are still not understood today. And one of the side effects was the absorption of a certain amount of sonics energy from everything within the airfields around the Shard.

On De-Clysmax, everyday sounds are almost undetectable even by De-Matoran, and shouts are little more than a whisper. Once this was discovered, Sonics beings flocked to the Shard- a place where they could be free from the tyranny of noise.

No one is exactly sure what causes this effect, however. There are as many different theories as there are scientists who have studied the problem. But scientists did figure out how to use the collected sonics energy to power the generators. Thus, what ultimately powers the Quiet is the noise that is being cancelling out, meaning that the more people on the Shard the stronger the effect becomes. Theoretically, a sufficient amount of noise would eventually overload the forcefield generators, but no one is certain what that level might be.

The only place on De-Clysmax where one can escape the Quiet is the fortified facility containing the generators that cause it. This is the only facility on the Shard for handling offworld visitors and vehicles, and the only place where the noise they produce is acceptable. There is a reasonably large community here primarily made out of merchants trading with offworlders and scientists and engineers attempting to figure out just what is causing the Quiet.

Today, the rest of De-Clysmax is a popular destination for those who wish to meditate and live a life of quiet contemplation. In addition to the permanent residents, many throughout the Multiverse will visit De-Clysmax for retreats and vacations, but rarely for longer than a week- the sheer silence becomes oppressive after a while. Even De-Matoran have been known to take brief vacations away from the Quiet,

[LewaLew]

Right now I'm just reposting old entries. I might give other categories a stab later.

Psionics Shard, Ce-Clysmax
Member Name: LewaLew
Description: The Psionics shard draws it's affiliation with its element from a strange phenomenon that the natives of the shard experience. Even before the Shattering, the natives of the region that became Ce-Clysmax discovered that some unknown force in the area caused all of the Rahi, plants, and even a few of the natives who spent enough time around the wildlife were part of a hive mind. As such, those that are part of the hive mind work together for the good of each other, but the other inhabitants of the shard that remained under their own control became the target of the members of the hive mind, who wanted to either absorb into the hive mind those that were not already, or to kill those who refused.

At this point in Clysmax's history, only one group of inhabitants have not been absorbed into the hive mind--the Ce-Matoran, and other mentally shielded beings. The hive mind cannot invade their brains, allowing them to remain free. They govern themselves just as any other people in the free fragments, calling themselves the Open Mind government of the Psionics shard, but they are constantly in conflict with those in the Hive Mind government on the other side of the shard. The Open Mind has banned all travel to the shard by beings not having mind shields, in order to prevent their enemy from gaining members. Those without the shields can still reach the shard through Hive Mind territory, although they are usually absorbed into the Hive Mind before they are able to leave.

Open Mind has an advantage over the Hive Mind in that they can purchase equipment from the other planets, and thus they have better weaponry and vehicles. They do not trade with the fragments, because they do not want to become entangled in the war with Ko-Clysmax while they are still fighting the Hive Mind. Members of the Hive Mind have been sent to the other areas of Clysmax to gather equipment, but once they leave Ce-Clysmax, the Hive Mind loses control over the being that it sent. Unfortunately, the being that escapes the Hive Mind usually enters a vegetable state once the Hive Mind loses control. The Hive Mind has an advantage over the Open Mind in that its members are united and self-sacrificing, and because curious and foolish visitors to the shard are constantly being absorbed into the Hive Mind, while the Open Mind has to wait for beings with mental shields to join them.

Wiki Nui scientists have made several theories as to what the Hive Mind actually is. Some believe that it is caused by the Olmak Effect or one of the undiscovered effects of the Shattering, and some have theorized that some beast with Psionic powers lies beneath the surface. Unfortunately, any Wiki Nui scientists that have been sent to that world have been absorbed into the Hive Mind before they could discover its nature.

Geographically, Ce-Clysmax is a forested region, but the Open Mind kills all Rahi and plantlife near their camps, becuase the Rahi are always hostile to shielded beings, and the plantlife grows quickly, like kudzu vines, in an effort to overrun Open Mind territory if allowed. There are many lakes, which are crucial targets. Since the Hive Mind cannot get water from offworld, they focus on controlling all freshwater lakes, so they can continue to thrive. Wildlife is greatly varied, althouh all of it serves the Hive Mind in some way. Most technology belongs to Open Mind, who also build their own psionic shielding equipment and other devices involving psionics.


Sonics Shard, De-Clysmax
Member Name: LewaLew
Description: De-Clysmax is known for its large number of canyons, mountains, and tunnels, the last of which serves as the home of many of the inhabinants. Its landscape is what makes it the sonics shard, because if one person makes a moderately loud shout, the canyons' echoes can carry it across the entire shard, and because a being can simply whisper and whoever he is talking to will hear it as if he said it normally. Ironically, the sonics shard contains almost no Sonics Matoran, since their sensitive hearing makes it painful for them to live there. The Sonics shard's snow-covered mountain ranges contain no inhabitants, because of the high risk of avalanches.

In the tunnels, however, the inhabitants find safety. Many of them have soundproofed the walls of the caves, so that the inhabitants can speak as they would any other place in Aethion, and they also make their living by creating similar soundproofing materials for the rest of the multiverse. They also rely heavily on lightstones and heatstones from other worlds, to light and warm their cavern homes. Their government has outlawed any vehicles traveling in the atmosphere without some device to quiet its engine, in order to reduce the risk of avalanches or tunnel collapses.

Edited by LewaLew, Aug 28 2012 - 02:46 PM.

[Dreadheart]

bonesii, would you mind elaborating on the "Ghost" element, please? I'm still sort of hazy on the subject...

-Void