The day had finally come. After being pestered relentlessly by my father to check out an upcoming game endlessly for the past five years, it is finally here. My father has been a gamer since the day he was born in 1991. It was currently the year 2068, you’d have thought by now he’d have grown up, age extending drugs or no. I shook my head with a grin as I lay back onto my bed in my apartment room. My hands holding the back of my shaved head as I lay staring at the ceiling. A content smile forming on my face, happy I took off work for the next three days.
This modest square room alone costing nearly two grand a month in rent has been my home for the past six years. Sporting my bed on which I currently lay placed at the side of the room furthest from the door, a few posters of movies I enjoyed taped to the walls. One of which was an old Breakfast Club poster my dad had sent me. When I asked him why I should put it on my wall he kept singing ‘Don’t you forget about me’ until I relented.
Brown blinds covered the two windows on both sides of the room, my work desk and computer were pressed against the eastern wall close to the door on the south side. Along the west wall was my mini fridge, recently stocked with energy drinks and various fruits and health bars for energy.
The apartment complex in which I resided was nothing but square rooms stacked atop one another, seen one you’ve seen them all. Bathrooms in the same place to save plumbing costs in pipes, windows on the east and west sides of the room to give nice view of the other apartment complexes built the exact same way.
I always kept my blinds closed. Everything was built too economically these days, an obvious result of the second great depression that had taken the world back in 2021. When I asked about those times to my father for a class project he just grunted and said “Yeah it was horrible, fuckin’ emos everywhere.”
Never could take my old man seriously unless it pertained to gaming. Of course I was a smartass just like dad back in the day and attempted to convince my class that the second great depression was the re-emergence of the emo style from the early 2000s.
Needless to say I failed that report, had to attend a few after school detentions and went out with my dad that very night to celebrate. Mom just sat at the table rubbing her temples as she kept asking when we would grow up. I guess she counts it a miracle I matured unlike my dad.
It was then that my phone started vibrating on the nightstand next to my bed. I reached over and picked it up, placing it next to my ear. “Yello.” I looked at the time, nearly 8pm. Four hours to launch.
“Hey Mikey, you pick that game up yet?” It was my old man, his gruff voice sounding crystal clear over the phone as if he was right next to me.
“Yeah yeah, got it installing as we speak, should be done in a minute.” I responded, getting up from my bed and walking over to the headset that lay on my work desk.
Technology increased at a rapid pace in these times. In 2035 the first full immersion virtual reality system came out. It was basically a giant pod that you would lay in, connected to all sorts of probes that would stick all over you and put you into a semi-coma as you entered the game world. Easily achieved really but the expense of the thing showed very few sales in the long run. Not to mention it’s hard to find a place to put a freaking pod bigger than a human body somewhere.
That first iteration was quickly abandoned in about eight years when a VR helmet came out, far more manageable than a pod and far cheaper. It saw major sales across the globe and is still supported to this day, though its time is running short as more developers move to the current generation headset VR system.
Needing even less room than a helmet, the headset system is basically two headphones that go over your ears with plastic covering the probes jutting out from the headphones. Placed correctly on your head the headphones fit snugly over your ears and the plastic just out just to your temples. When activated the plastic shoots out two small probes that stick to your head and create a visual field and interface in front of you.
The interface and field system shows all the programs you have installed in the headset, you just simply move your hand around and slide the programs left and right until you have the one you want then you press it. VR programs such as games require you to be seated or lying down before they can launch, this prevents accidents from occurring when put into what my dad calls a “game state”. Me, I call it a coma.
You install programs by placing a program chip into the side of the left headphone, from there it installs automatically. Each headset comes with memory storage of sixty terabytes with potential to add in an advanced storage chip which can triple it. I put my headset on to check the progress, the interface and field popped up in front of me showing 96% done on the install. Only about 20 gigs left to go then. “Yeah it’ll be done in about five minutes.”
“Shouldda got your ass in gear last week when you could have pre-purchased and preloaded the game.”
“Sorry I’m not as hardcore as you old man.”
“I’m sorry to hear that my boy.” He sounded genuinely sad. His acting lessons started to pay off, I couldn’t tell if he was serious or not.
“Yeah, yeah me too.”
“Your mother would be disappointed too, god rest her soul.” Now I knew he was joking.
“You could have gone with her to the in-laws up in Canada you know.”
“Boy, it’ll be a cold day in hell before I willingly go to your mother’s parents.” I had to hold a clenched fist to my mouth to keep from busting a gut, never change dad. “Did you at least read the game manual?”
“Yeah, any idea on where we should start?” I picked up the manual from the desk. The cover showed a battle between some people in various bits of armor fighting a giant monster. Very cliché if I say so myself.
“I’m thinking we should go to the Gerheld Empire. Caldmor looks like they’ve got too much power and could use a kick in the balls. Besides, most people these days are wimps who think republics and democracies are the best. Bah, everyone knows a corrupt dictatorship is the way to go with government.”
“You do know that Gerheld is a monarchy though right?”
“Same thing.”
I shook my head, “You going to play an Orc like usual?” I moved the phone away from my ear in a hurry after the question, which was followed by a deafening WAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH. That’s a yes. “Alright then, thought up a name?”
“Think they’ll let me use Sisterfister?”
“Not for long, no.”
“Alright then, I’ll think of something else. What about you boy? Got a name and race picked?”
I had to think for a second and grinned, “I think I’ll play an elf.”
“Pansy!” came the immediate reply. “Frolicker!” I could literally hear his teeth grinding. If there was one way to push my dad’s buttons, it was to talk about Elves in a positive light. “No true-blooded son of mine plays an elf!”
“Yeah you’re right, I’ll be boring a play a human I guess.”
“Better than an Elf.”
“As for a name...hmm. That’s rough. Alasor? Medim? Shadow?”
“You could be xxDarkSoulBladexx. That always gets people angry.”
“You’re liable to cut yourself on that edge old timer.”
“Bah, youngsters like you never appreciate the classics.”
I snickered, “I’ll think of something, you’ll probably be the only Orc in town anyways. See you in a bit old man.”
“Yeah, see you on the field of battle new blood.”
I clicked off my phone and placed it back on the nightstand before sitting back on my bed with the manual in hand. I decided to give it another flick through before putting my headset back on to browse the internet until the game’s release.
Welcome to Reckoning
Developed by Claymore Industries and boasting the latest in AI research and development, Reckoning promises to push the boundaries far beyond that of previous games. The world is controlled by a single AI responsible for generating quests for players, assigning loot tables to monsters as well as adapting the world based on player interaction. Borders will change, armies and countries will rise and fall based on the actions of you and your peers.
***Special Note from the Claymore staff***
Thank you for purchasing the product of our past seven years of hard work. We here at Claymore Industries hope to live up to and surpass your wildest expectations in the field of gaming. From a small team back in 2035 developing games from our homes into the major company we have become we owe all our success to you, our players. Please accept our most gracious and heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you. We’ll see you in game! Now without further ado, onto the rest of the manual!
Below the note was a signature from the ten founding members of the company. A nice touch if I were to say so, these guys really took pride in their work. A good sign.
The World -
Reckoning takes place on the world of Patelle, an earth-like world filled with creatures ranging from simple kobolds to mighty titans slumbering beneath the earth itself, waiting for their moment to arise. Magic is rare in the world of Patelle where one in a thousand children would be born with the ability to control mana, the spiritual energy required to use magic.
Now as the fires of war threaten to erupt throughout the world beings from certain races known as ‘The God Touched’ have arrived. Immune to death and able to use magic, these new comers have the potential to bring peace to the land or never ending war.
That would be us, the players. In game we’ll be referred to as ‘Touched Ones’. I flipped the page to the lore section.
A Brief History -
Thousands of years ago the Elves were the most prominent and magically gifted race in the world. Nearly every Elf born in that time could control mana and in time they spanned the entirety of the single continent of Ithilianial. Considered the Golden Age by all of Elven kind, they built massive cities of crystal that dwarfed the very mountains. Their reign lasted centuries until the Titans awoke.
Moroloch, Titan of Fire was the first to awake in the very center of the continent where legends tell that the very sky was aflame at his emergence. Mountains erupted and cities burned as he marched. Legends describe Moroloch as a giant of obsidian that caused thick ash to fall wherever he wandered.
Wamaosh, Titan of Water awoke not long after in the seas surrounding Ithilianial, sending massive tidal waves crashing across the coasts. Countless towns and cities were washed away in an instant. Some of the remaining legends describe Wamaosh as a hydra of unprecedented size.
Skidanos, Titan of Air brought storms never before seen in the world. Massive tornados ripped the land apart and cities crumbled as the storms crashed against them. One artists rendition of Skidanos picture it’s form as a long serpent whose giant wings caused hurricanes at every flap.
Krodalo, Titan of Earth has never been seen. But all know his touch, for he is the one who ripped the land apart, splitting the once whole continent into three. Perhaps the most dangerous of all the Titans for soon after he awoke, the rest disappeared.
The legends say that they destroyed the world in a mere seven days, leaving it in its current state. Nearly all life was extinguished from the world of Patelle in that short amount of time. Centuries of work undone instantly. Many surviving Elves believed the Titan’s emergence was punishment for their pride. Humbled, they moved into the forests of the world where they currently reside to this very day.
Current day Patelle is split into three continents and many islands.
Lidana - The North-Western Continent. Lidana is the smallest of the three continents though perhaps the most diverse. Mountains stretch along the northern sections of the continent while marshes and forests dot the landscape. The south-western peninsula of the continent however is pure desert called the Everwastes by locals.
Fedimi - The Southern Continent. Fedimi is a horseshoe shaped continent with a massive water-filled crater in the center caused by what the Elven legends call a fallen god. A massive whirlpool rips through the center of the crater, destroying any ship folly enough to ride into the waters there. Plains and forests carpet most of the continent, with wetlands to the southwest and mountains to the southeast.
Caldmor - The Northeastern Continent. Once called Matalia the lands of Caldmor is dominated by plains and forests with mountain ranges to the east and south. The name changed to Caldmor recent as the rise of the Caldmor Empire laid claim to nearly all the land in the continent.
Countries of Continents:
Lidana:
The Gerheld Empire - Recently formed by conquering the neighboring lands, the Gerheld Empire lays claim to a large section of the continent. Located in the east the Gerheld Empire is currently at war with the Caldmor Empire, but outmatched by far. Driven by desperation they now set their sights on the lands to the west, hoping for a quick conquest so that they may fight Caldmor on more even terms. With forests to the west and mountains to the north Gerheld owns many resources to make it self-sufficient.
Issim State - Located west of the Gerheld Empire, it is a state ruled by a single man, Issim. He leads his country with wisdom as he has held off the Gerheld Empire’s incursions into his lands with brilliant strategy. Few can claim to have ever seen Issim, but the people honor his name by following his decrees to the letter. South of Issim is the Dohan Republic and to the west are the Final Peaks. Mountains range the northern part of Issim, leading them to be a land exporting mainly ores.
Dohan Republic - Located south of Issim, the Dohan Republic is led by a council of nobles from the land. Together they have led Dohan into prosperity and have laid claim to much land. Threatened by the rise of the Gerheld Empire they now gear up for war. Dohan lands contain forests and wetlands but no mountains to mine. This leads them to have a desperate need for ores needed to make weapons with.
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Telim Sovereignty - Located west of both Issim and Dohan, the Telim Sovereignty is a land that boasts the most territory owned on Lidana. With the Final Peaks located to the north they mine the once dwarf-owned mountains for precious metals. Though recently many mining towns have been found abandoned with no signs of what could have happened.
Final Peaks – Located to the north of Telim lays a vast mountain range where the Dwarves of Lidana once called home. However, their love for machinery and tinkering has led to their exodus of the mountains as their once docile creations suddenly went berserk, destroying a vast majority of their race on the continent.
Everwastes – South of Telim are the Everwastes, a peninsula where there is only sand and death.
Caldmor:
The Caldmor Empire – A vast country spanning nearly the entire continent, the Caldmor Empire is ruled by emperor Tyda. A man that is whispered he is able to move mountains and shatter the earth at a whim. While not much is known about the Emperor he makes public appearances often and has gained the respect of his people via his successful conquests of nearly all the lands on the continent. The land itself is varied as mountains range from the center to the south of the country and a vast forest lies to the east.
The Free Republic – Located in the northeast of the continent, a republic in name only. It is currently ruled by a ruthless dictator who is willing to fight to the very end against the Caldmor Empire. Hills, mountains and forests cover the border between itself and the empire giving it a strategic advantage used often to hold back the empire’s advance.
Fedimi:
Ticmet – A land with no official governing body, ruled by clans of Orcs. Located on the eastern part of the horseshoe continent and split in half by the Mikrem Empire, the Orcs of Ticmet have come to an agreement to band together in a massive horde to defeat the invaders on the land once theirs. Their land contains mainly plains and forests with mountains in the northern section.
The Mikrem Empire – Located on the tip of the western part of the horseshoe continent and the middle of the tip of the east the Mikrem Empire wages war against the Orc clans of Ticmet.
The Freehand Alliance – An alliance of the five countries of Rilen, Elseym, Adari, Bistil, and Tekkis. Located to the south of Ticmet they have bonded together to fight the Orc clan’s raiders of Ticmet to the north and the Dwarven invaders from the Ironhand Peaks to the south. Words of change are in the air and perhaps soon the alliance will form into a single country.
The Ironhand Peaks – Located south of Tekkis in the Freehand Alliance, the Ironhand Peaks are ruled by three Dwarven clans. The Granite Fists lead the military with strong tactics and discipline. The Gilded Mugs manage the country’s economy and The Jade Tongs forge the dwarves’ weapons of war.
The Dehn Unity – A land ruled by a democracy of different races, the Dehn unity seeks peace in a land of war. Being pacifistic has led the Mikrem Empire to the east to ignore them for the time being to focus on their conquest of Ticmet. However, voices on the Dehn Council have started talking about preparations for war. Though many fear their decision will take too much time and have started preparing in the shadows.
Isthinmilia Woodlands – South of the Dehn Unity is located these woods. Trees blanket the land in a massive forest unseen before in all the history of Patelle. Inside the forest lurk deadly monster and plants. Even deeper inside live vicious clans of Elves who are eager to emerge from their woods and take the world that was once theirs back.
Bikkil Monarchy – Southwest of the Isthinmilia Woodlands and west of the Misawi Wetlands lays the Bikkil Monarchy. A land in peace with no desire to expand the country has recently grown lax with no current threats since it unified into a single country.
The Misawi Wetlands – Home to the Misawi, the wetlands are a hostile environment to nearly all who live there. Where a single bite from an insect can leave a man dead in an hour the Misawi have enjoyed a long last peace for them to hunt in packs throughout the wetlands. However, to the east are whispers of an invading force of horsemen from the Endless Plains. Misawi tribal leaders have convened to assess the threat and decide if perhaps it is time to unify the tribes into a single force.
The Endless Plains – East of the Wetlands and west of the Ironhand Peaks lay the Endless Plains. Here the centaurs make their camps and cultivate the land for use as they expand westward to make room for further generations of their people.
The Broken Isles – South of the Endless Plains lay the broken Isles, nine islands of various sizes and shapes uninhabited by all but the Aqamari and other sea dwellers. An isolationist society originally, the Aqamari have kept to themselves for untold generations. Only recently have they left their underwater homes to travel the world in search of items of value.
I enjoyed reading the pages of information on the game world, always nice to know a bit about the background of the game’s story. Though, the website was far more in-depth compared to this small booklet.
Playable Races –
The world of Patelle contains many races, a few of which you can select to play. Any character can start in any country of their choosing, though be sure to expect unusual reactions from NPCs if you play a race in a country that hasn’t had much experience with your chosen race.
Human – Humans are now the most commonly found race in the world of Patelle. After the world was nearly destroyed by the Titans humanity rose from the ashes and spread like the fires of Moroloch himself. Adaptable to nearly any environment Humans of Patelle enjoy higher base resistances to all elemental attacks.
Elf – Humanoid in appearance with longer ears, sharper eyes and lightning fast reflexes are the Elves. The once rulers of the world are the second most common race after humans in the world of Patelle. Boasting an innate bonus to magic this race receives a bonus to Mana, Spell Damage and Healing.
Dwarf – Short, strong, sturdy, and imaginative. These words best describe the Dwarves as they are fearsome warriors and master craftsmen. Located mainly in the mountains, these folk use the resources they find to create strong machines for different purposes. From giant diggers to help expand their homes to golems to defend themselves, they certainly don’t lack for imagination. Thanks to their natural strength and endurance, Dwarf characters enjoy a small bonus to strength and endurance.
Misawi – (Mis-ah-wee) A tribal people with tough scaly skin. Often referred to as Lizardmen, the Misawi closely resemble humans. Their hands only have three digits, two fingers and a thumb on each hand. Painted markings adorn their body which tell each Misawi’s personal story from family to achievements. They have no hair on their body and their scales harden with age until they reach maturity. With strong scales a Misawi player character can look forward to having a higher physical damage resistance than the other races.
Orc – Big, strong, tough, violent. Originally from warrior clans Orcs dominate the battlefield with pure physical prowess. They stand about a foot taller than the average human with far greater muscle mass and skin tones ranging from a brown tan to a dark green. An Orc player is able to crush their foes quicker than normal thanks to their bonus to strength and damage.
Goblin – Short and smart, the brains of the Orc clans. They were the first race the Orc clans conquered. Or rather, the Goblins let themselves be conquered. They then used their new “masters” to further their goals of expanding the land of Ticmet. It is these little green devils that the Mikren Empire and the Freehand Alliance truly fear, for they are the brains behind the Orc raids. Goblin players can enjoy a buff similar to that of Elves, increasing their Mana but instead of greater healing or damage they are able to have a lesser chance of a spell being interrupted by taking damage.
Undead – Originating from the Isle of Bones, an island just off the coast from northern Ticmet, these people are the risen remains those killed by the Titans. They harbor a deep hatred to the gods for abandoning them and the Titans for destroying them. Any playable race can be played as an undead as they have only one goal. Unify the world in undeath so if the Titans return the world will rise against them. The dead never need to eat, therefore an Undead player doesn’t have to worry about satiety levels.
Aqamari – (Ack-ah-mar-e) Standing a foot shorter than the average human, the Aqamari originate from the Broken Isles to the south of the Endless Plains. Though they do not live on the islands, their cities reside under the water near them. Humanoid in shape, blue in skin tone these people use their webbed feet and hands to glide through the water. Gills on their necks and back provide air for them under water and fins adorn their heads. They pierce themselves with jewelry to show status among their peers. Players of the Aqamari never need to fear the depths of the seas as their swim speed is far faster than that of other races and they can breath underwater.
Magic and Skill System:
The world of Patelle has a uniquely crafted magic and skill system where players can learn base spells and skills such as a Fireball or an Ice Beam from tomes given as quest rewards, monster drops or found in ancient tombs. From there each skill has three talent tiers for you to place your talent points. So a base fireball will do some damage. A tier one fireball would do more damage. A tier two fireball would increase the damage further and add a small Damage Over Time effect (DoT) and the final tier would make it do Area of Effect (AoE) damage as well as hit the main target harder with both the damage and the DoT.
But that’s not all, we’ve also designed and included a Skill Fusion system where you can take two or more spells and tailor them to your wants. A good example would be the skill Charge which charges an enemy combined with the Flame Wall spell and when you charge a foe a wall of flame will erupt in the space that you charged! Each spell added to the fusion however weakens the effects of all the final result so be sure to not add too many!
This magic and skill system means that this game is not bound by classes like those found in other games like Warrior, Mage or Thief. Want to play a spell-slinger who wears heavy armor? Go right ahead, the freedom is yours.
The magic and skill system is what I was looking forward to messing about in game the most. The ability to create your own spells using spells found in the game was highly appealing. After daydreaming about the possibilities for a minute or three, I quickly looked through the rest of the manual which gave a brief description on grouping, dungeons and guilds. Groups were limited to six players, dungeons were scattered about the game world and guilds, well. They were interesting.
In previous games you could build a castle or fort wherever you wanted so long as you paid a tax/upkeep cost. In this game you still need to pay the upkeep, but you also need permission from the country you wish to build in, otherwise your keep would be considered bandit territory and would be attacked once found and reported by NPCs.
With the land as vast as it was claimed to be, there would be many guilds creating bandit keeps for sure. But those built with the blessing of a country are automatically outfitted with NPCs to stand watch and guard the land, even while the players are out in the world.
I’ll bet my old man was planning on building many bandit fortresses. In fact I’d place a thousand dollars his ultimate plan would be to take over the world himself. He thinks big my old man does, it’s one of the reasons why he’s loaded.
I placed the now re-read manual on the night stand and walked over to my desk to put on my headset. When it was secured I opened the interface and checked the progress of the download. A robotic voice played in my ears, “Download complete, do you wish to launch the program now?” The yes button was grayed out as I was standing. It wouldn’t change unless I was sitting or lying down.
I had no intention of launching the program this early anyway, the server wouldn’t open for another three and a half hours. I pressed no as I walked to my bed to lie down and browse the net. Just as my head hit the pillow my phone began to ring. I picked it up, “Yello.”
“We have an early launch! Code red! I repeat, we have an early launch! Start the game now!” It was dad. He hung up just as he finished shouting. Ah well, guess I’d boot up the game after all. I selected Reckoning from the list of programs and hit yes to launch. The world around me went dark as my mind shifted into virtual reality.
------
Free talk zone
Thank you for reading this first chapter in this work of fiction, I hope you've enjoyed this brief taste into the world I have built for your enjoyment, I'll have plenty more for you in the coming days so sit back, relax and let me take you on a fun journey! Also feel free to leave a comment or two, I like those.
Also I know I haven't described the main characters yet, you'll get it next chapter when they create their characters. After all, they'll be spending quite some time in the game as opposed to the real world.
Added note: Oh yeah, I figured out how to export the map I made in this program so for those interested heres my terrible map! http://i.imgur.com/CsIH3L8.png