Fractured Eras (The Time Walkers)

This was a write-up for a faux-MMO concept I was challenged to make by a friend. His proposal was to "make an MMO where every server was in a different time period of the world, and major events happening in one server would have a ripple effect in others."

This was the second of three concepts I came up with, and while he said I way missed the mark with this one, I still think it was by far the best of the ideas. In hindsight, this would work much better as a Table Top RPG. In fact, I recall I took some influenced from Mage: The Ascension for the magic mechanics and the idea of Paradoxi.

FRACTURED ERAS

Some theorize that time is ultimately just another dimension, akin to distance, depth, and length, that humans interpret as an irreversible linear progression. However, if it were possible to shift one’s perception and see time as merely another measurement of distance, one could theoretically “walk” from one second to the next. Each moment of time would essentially be its own separate reality; in order to time travel, one need only “step” into another dimension. In short: time is an illusion.

CHARACTER BUILDING
This game focuses on PC’s referred to as “Time Walkers”, those who have become aware of the illusion of time and who can see beyond it. Once this step is taken, the Time Walker becomes aware of other, subtler illusions: they are able to tap into the very fabric of existence, to feel the strings that bind the world together. With enough practice, the Time Walker is able to “tug on the strings”, so to speak, the manipulate the very fabric of reality. However, one must understand exactly what strings they tug and how properly to tug them, to achieve the effects they desire. Otherwise, nothing happens. 

Tugging the strings of reality is what gives the Time Walkers their special powers and abilities beyond merely travelling through time. Because all Time Walkers potentially can affect all facets of reality with enough study and practice, this game does not differentiate players by character classes. Rather, all players have access to specific Spheres of Influence, each of which grant a branching set of super powers and paranormal effects. A player can swap to different Spheres any time they are not engaged in missions or free-roaming combat, but they can at first only access one Sphere at a time. At certain levels, players can access two and three Spheres at once, respectively. 

The Spheres are: Spirit, Mind, Space, Time, Matter, Energy, and Void. Each Sphere grants both physical powers which can be used for special attacks and combat techniques, or spell-like abilities, which are generally more supportive, allowing for ranged attack, special defenses, or the ability to manipulate the environment, one’s allies, or one’s opponents. Use of these powers, however, creates disturbances in reality, which Time Walkers must be very careful to minimize, lest they attract the attention of the Demiurge.

THE DEMIURGE
No one quite knows what the Demiurge is. A cosmic force, a self-imposed evolutionary handicap, an alien and unknowable god or goddess? Regardless of its true nature, the “Demiurge” is that which binds all life to the illusion of time. The moment Time Walkers achieve awareness of the illusion, they are freed from the direct influence of the Demiurge. Any time they attempt to manipulate the fabric of reality, they attempt a direct conflict with the Demiurge. Most small changes evoke no real response, other than a need to strain against reality’s natural resistance to such blatant change. However, enough use of the power, or attempts at creating huge alterations of reality (such as trying to drastically alter the course of history), can instantly draw the ire of the Demiurge, which responds by generating Paradox.

PARADOX
Regardless of whatever threats appear in an era, Paradox is the constant enemy of the Time Walkers. Time Walkers by their very nature are anomalies in the reality fashioned by the Demiurge. The vastness of reality makes these flaws relatively harmless, so the average Time Walker, who concerns themselves with only the smallest of changes, and makes as little impact a possible when time walking, can generally stay free of interference from Paradox. But when a Time Walker attempts to change too much, or a cluster of Time Walkers begin to combine their efforts, Paradox appears as the defense mechanism of reality. 

Paradox manifests in the form of various abstract beings called Paradoxi. By abstract, that is to say that while they are recognizable as mimicking the form of familiar shapes, creatures, and concepts, they also are distinctly alien in appearance. For example, one of the more bizarre are the Throne Paradoxi, which take the form of two, bisected wheels, whose rims are lined with eyes and which shine with an aura of golden fire.

Minor and mid-level Paradoxi resemble distorted or chimerical animals, mobile plants, twisted humanoids, or occasionally living abstract sculptures. Major Paradoxi take the form of godlike or angelic humanoids or massive creatures of mythical or biblical origin. In fact, one may notice that many of the Major Paradoxi have appearances which correlate to Judeo-Christian Angelic hierarchy, such as the aforementioned Thrones, while the most powerful of all take the form of titanic monsters such as Jormungandr, the Midgard Serpent.

ALTERING THE ERAS
Each server contains a world as seen in a certain time period. Due to the nature of the game, it is possible to transfer your character from one server to the next. By doing so, you can actually create special scenarios with character or group-specific missions, in which you must travel to different time periods (servers) in order to complete your object. These objectives may involve making slight changes to a setting or course of events in order to obtain your goal. Because of this, these missions will, without fail, cause your character or group to encounter Paradoxi. The more drastic the potential changes the mission may cause, the more powerful the Paradoxi you will face.

While total server overhauls are not exactly feasible, certain special events can be engineered which cause lasting effects in the various game worlds. Obviously, the farther back the changes occur, the more servers must be changed to accommodate this change. The most likely solution is that, as the game goes on, changes are made to the servers’ environments as part of an annual “overhaul”, which each overhaul being preceded by special events which allow players to partake in certain missions that will ultimately result in the changes brought on by the overhaul. A bit “railroad-y”, but right now the best solution.

Changes on this magnitude will unlock the most powerful Paradoxi, which only the most powerful, massive, and skillful of teams will be capable of battling and defeating. Upon defeating the Paradoxi, the changes are allowed to take place as the Demiurge must concede to the changes and patch up the aftereffects, lest reality become torn beyond recovery.

ERRATA
A final note on the effects of time travel: the very act of time walking can wear thin the barriers between moments of time, causing loose strings of reality to unravel into little pockets of “null time.” These are dead zones where all things except the Time Walkers themselves are frozen. While free of Paradoxi, these areas seem to directly bleed out the essence of the Demiurge; as such, these areas are horrifically toxic to Time Walkers. Special missions in certain areas, particularly those with heavy traffic, can be performed to fix the null-time pockets, called “Errata” by the Time Walker community.

THE ERAS
This generally assumes the game has a play life of about ten years, so each server will be assumed to cover a ten year span of time.

0-10: MESOPOTAMIA
The cradle of civilization, this setting is largely primitive, having just recently reached the Bronze Age. Ancient cities exist close to large bodies of water or rivers. While Paradoxi are a notable threats, just as dangerous are the many beasts of the wild. Natural monsters still dwell in the stretches of wilderness between the cities. Equipment and shelter are simplistic, though by the tenth year, iron working will have already been introduced thanks to Time Walker interference. Time Walkers operate openly, and are seen as living gods, though this does not automatically beget them worship.

NOTABLE CONFLICTS
The Guardians of Time – NPC Time Walkers native to this era have generally been trained to defend the course of history as best as possible by simply tamping down Time Walker presence. Time Walkers that attempt anything more drastic than sight-seeing are quickly located and beaten down by the Guardians of Time. Other NPCs from future eras seeking to oppose the Conquerors of Fate have also joined this group.

The Conquerors of Fate – The Conquerors of Fate are Time Walkers from the future who are attempting to alter the course of history to their whims. They war with the Guardians of Time, but PCs may find themselves coming into conflict with them as well.

NOTEABLE FIGURES
The Great Ba’al – Ba’al is the King of Canaan. He is one of the first, and most powerful, of all Time Walkers, and is considered a wise and just ruler. Ba’al has actually spent much time in different eras, and thus is quite knowledgeable of the future. Nonetheless, his travelling days are mostly over, as he knows all too well, the dangers of excessive tampering with the time stream. Ba’al generally tries to keep Time Walker activity in this area to a minimum if possible. Native Time Walkers are discovered and trained to understand their powers and its grave consequences. As a result, the Guardians of Time have been formed under Ba’al’s guidance.

Marduke – Marduke is the Son of Ba’al and Prince of Canaan. Like his father, he is an immensely powerful Time Walker, and he is credited with the defeat of the monster Tiamat. Marduke can be either an ally to the PCs, giving them missions to fulfill, or a high level “special boss” enemy if the PCs actions threaten to disrupt the peace and stability of Mesopotamia or the time stream.

Lillith – Lillith opposes Marduke and Ba’al, though she is not as powerful, and acts as the leader of the Conquerors of Fate’s forces in this era. Unbeknownst to her “minions”, Lillith is actually a nihilist of the highest order. She knows full well that drastic changes could cause unparalleled destruction to reality, and directs the efforts to the Conqueror’s to maximize the summoning of Paradoxi.

SPECIAL SUB-SETTING: TIAMAT
Tiamat is thought to be a powerful dragon who once threaten to ravage all of Mesopotamia until Marduke defeated her. This is only half true: the dragon slain by Marduke was only a small fraction of the entity known as Tiamat: unfathomably vast, she is the most powerful and deadliest Paradoxi of all, who rests on the very edge of the Time Walker path.

Those who attempt to travel further into the past than “Year Zero” find themselves repelled. Those who manage to bull through this obstacle will find themselves removed entirely from Earth, and the time stream itself. They will find themselves adrift in a sea of pure darkness, broken only by the occasional, tiny flickering orb of light, creating a depthless ocean of space, lit only by the faintest of stars. This is the true form of Tiamat. It can only be accessed as a special mission by the highest level Time Walkers.

Time Walkers who enter this area find themselves flying in the void. The void itself is toxic, immediately draining the health of the Time Walkers. The only reason to come here is to farm experience points, battling the manifestation of Tiamat’s draconic avatars.

It may be possible to one day defeat Tiamat fully and unlock previously unseen eras of the past, but for now, this is not possible. Tiamat proves to be an insurmountable wall which no Time Walker, not even Ba’al or Marduke, has managed to pierce. Attempts to do so will only cause Tiamat to awaken and lash out. Tiamat’s first and thankfully only manifestation into the world was after Ba’al made an attempt, pushing himself to the limit, to penetrate the Tiamat barrier and step further into the past. The backlash nearly killed him and manifested a fraction of Tiamat’s essence as the draconic avatar of Tiamat, which only Marduke was able to suppress. This is why Ba’al seeks to limit Time Walker activity in this era, because changes too drastic may reawaken Tiamat, and this time, it may be much more than fraction of power that gets unleashed.

100-110: THE GREAT EMPIRE
A Persian Empire has formed from the seedling nations of Mesopotamia. Time Walker presence has caused incredible leaps in technology and sciences. Already, the Great Empire has discovered advances in mechanics and chemistry that have allowed them to conquer any and all fledgling civilizations, expanding at an exponential rate. They have not yet discovered practical steam power yet, but it won’t be far off.

NOTABLE CONFLICTS
Chimera – Most natural monsters have been suppressed, though they will occasionally pop up if one strays too far from civilization. Deadlier than them, however, is the creation of Chimera, alchemically formed hybrid monsters who are used by the military, but sometimes manage to run free.

Rebels – Otherwise, the primary conflict arises from the various other nations attempting to retain independence from the Great Empire. PCs can choose to work for the Great Empire, or the fight against it as rebels among the neighboring nations.

NOTEABLE FIGURES
Ixion – The foremost alchemist of the Great Empire, he is seen as a greatly respected member of society. It was he who created the first Chimera, professing that he desired to create a servant race for humanity. In truth, he is simply a demented sadist who manages to retain a façade of devotion to public service. PCs will undoubtedly run a fowl of him. A Time Walker in his own right, he also employs lesser Time Walkers that he has brainwashed into being his personal guards.

Taurus – Not all Chimera are mindless beasts. This minotaur like creature is leader of a group of intelligent chimera, most of which are part him in some way, who only seek to find a home of their own. PCs may choose to help or hinder them in these efforts. Taurus is to generally be considered an ally, but if your actions run counter to his goals, he will become an enemy.

200-210: NATIONS OF EURASIA
The Great Empire fell apart due to political in fighting and eventual success of the Rebels retaining their independence. Chimera, however, were rendered virtually extinct. Only the extremely long lived have managed to survive to the modern era through cunning.

Alchemy was seen as an imprecise and ultimately dangerous science, and eventually gave way to more dependable chemistries, biological, and botanical studies. Further focus on mechanics has allowed the creation of true, efficient steam power. This has allowed the further spread of humanity, to cover huge sections of Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa.

Though split up into many separate nations, the countries were generally able to maintain peaceful relations and trade. Unfortunately, during these relatively peaceful times, a powerful criminal empire has arisen, one whose influence stretches larger than any existing nation. Under the banner of Vritra, the Golden King, many gangs, bandits, and pirates have formed a network that threatens to drag all civilizations into financial ruin.

NOTEABLE CONFLICTS
Bandits, Gangs, and Pirates – These make up the primary enemies of the games, particularly as PCs travel the routes between cities. They are armed with advanced steam tech and revitalized brand of alchemy.

NOTEABLE FIGURES
Vritra, the Golden King – Vritra is a Time Walker who doesn’t quite realize that his actions could indirectly cause the collapse of many nations, and thereby drastically alter the future. His avarice knows no bounds, and he believes himself a King of Kings, thinking only of the riches such a position holds. He is a parasite who doesn’t understand the term “moderation.” And why should he, when he has such power at his command?

The 14 Indras – “Indra” is a legendary figure even in this time, as a great champion who fights the Golden King. In truth, there are actually 14 Time Walkers who have taken up the mantle of Indra, in an attempt to not only frighten Vritra with the illusion of an opponent who can be many places at once, but to also serve as a symbol of hope for the people of many nations at once. PCs may ally themselves with the Indras who will give them missions to help combat Vritra, and may even join them as guest NPCs to help ward off the deadlier Paradoxi that may arise during large scale conflicts.

300-310: WORLD AT WAR
Since the defeat of Vritra, a huge push of exploration an expansion occurred, as the various nations grew in power, and decided to expand their influence. Many nations now sought total self-sufficiency, believing dependency on trade would result in a dangerous weakness. No one wanted another threat like Vritra to arise. To this end, however, some nations began to horde as much land as possible. This has led to nations beginning to fight over new territory, and soon enough, skirmishes begin to break out. The various nations find themselves on the edge of a potential World War.

Humanity by now has mastered control of electricity and battery technology, as well as beginning to develop more advanced weapons of war.

NOTEABLE CONFLICTS
War – Soldiers from various nations are engaged in battle. PCs will likely stumble across these fights, and be targeted as enemy foreigners. Otherwise, missions can be run as PCs work for one country or another. The general goal of most Time Walkers, however, is to try and tamp down to wars, before things spiral out of control.

NOTEABLE FIGURES
The 8 Kings – The leaders of the 8 strongest nations are the ones spearheading the war effort, as each desires firm control over the land. However, at heart, they are ultimately trying to ensure the future of their nations. The true menaces are their advisors.

Pandora, Set, and Loki – They are Time Walkers attempting to accelerate the Wars, hoping to cause mass chaos. They have positions themselves as advisors to each of the 8 Kings, nudging them to take ever more drastic measures. Time Walkers will find themselves in direct conflict with these three if they want to make the wars cease.

400-410: CRACKS IN THE WALLS
This era resembles a modern day Earth with slightly more advanced technology. While the World War did begin, it managed to be ended in less than a year. While tragic, the war nonetheless forced many nations to push their engineering to its limits, and thus did computer technology soon develop a few years afterwards. Once computers were created, technology began to grow by leaps and bounds every decade.

Now, the world has things like electric cars, aircraft, and use of hydroelectric, nuclear, and solar power. Humans have even made it out into space. Humanity seems on its way towards a great destiny.

Which makes the presence of those called “the Broken Ones” all the more terrifying.

NOTEABLE CONFLICTS
The Broken Ones – They claim to be Time Walkers from thousands of years in the future, though they call their home era the “twenty-first century.” Just another sign of their madness, perhaps. And they surely must be mad, for they also claim that Time Walkers did not exist until that era, thanks to experiments with Quantum Sciences finally allowing humans to pierce the veils of time. They say that one of their number, the brilliant quantum physicist Professor Bartholomew Allister, was the first to master the power of Time Walking. He said he planned to use this power to become the world’s ultimate historian. And so he took a step back. And then, the Broken Ones claim, the world shifted.

The more lucid Broken One’s claim that their era, in fact, all eras until this particular cluster of centuries, have been swallowed by a deadly force of entropy. Only by racing backwards in time did they eventually find an era stable enough to survive in. None of them made the trip back fully intact. Most lost their minds. Many lost parts of their bodies, but still manage to live and move, despite twisted and “unfinished” physiologies. They aren’t abstract like the Paradoxi, but they are just as grotesque in their own way. And they seem to have a universal belief that they’re only salvation is the complete and utter destruction of the Time Walkers of this era. Even more frightening, though the Broken Ones’ own Time Walker powers seem as crippled as their minds and bodies, they have somehow gained the power to directly summon Paradoxi.

NOTEABLE FIGURES
Apollyon – Apollyon associates himself with Broken Ones, but seems to be much more sane, not to mentioned is physically intact. He could be considered their “leader” though it’s doubtful the Broken Ones have enough true presence of mind to be lead. Apollyon works behind the scenes to direct Broken One assaults on PCs. He also seems to be in communion with Apsu.

PCs who make it a point to pursue Apollyon in the hopes of defeating the Broken Ones will eventually discover that he is actually a Paradoxi, a fragment of Demiurge who has gained independent existence. He will eventually reveal that the presence of Time Walkers, particularly the meddling of one Bartholomew Allister, has caused human civilization to develop and technology to rapidly advance way before its time, and thereby completely written the course of human history. The change was so thorough that time itself was massively broken. Not to mention, created a temporal shockwave which resulted in a mass awakening of Time Walkers in the earliest eras of human history, which simply compounded the problem. 

In order to save existence, Apollyon has quarantined this selection of centuries, trapping all Time Walkers within by setting Tiamat and Apsu at their respective “sides” of the time stream. Apollyon dares not lift the block and allow time to progress until he has managed to destroy all Time Walkers. Then humanity can continue anew, without meddlesome time travelers getting in the way.

SPECIAL SUB-SETTING: APSU
Apsu is a vast and unbelievably powerful Paradoxi barrier similar to Tiamat but cast in negative. A pure white void, broken only by spots of darkness, like an inverted photograph Tiamat. Apsu is considered Tiamat’s rival, an equally powerful Paradoxi which cannot be bypassed. Somehow, it allowed the Broken Ones to enter the known timestream through it, but will not let them back out. Like Tiamat, Apsu is capable of manifesting avatars to for high level PCs to combat. Also like Tiamat, it is theorized that one day, Time Walkers may be able to breach Apsu, though this may prove unnecessary. Even though Time Walkers cannot travel to eras beyond her, she seems to be slowly moving away from Tiamat, making it so that Time Walkers can, little by little, go further into the future. But for now, in order to reach the future beyond Apsu, they must essentially do it the hard way: waiting it out, just like everyone else.

POTENTIAL NEW ERAS
Depending on player actions, it may be possible to stabilize the timeline enough that Apollyon can safely move Tiamat and Apsu further apart, thereby opening the time stream further. This would in turn allow Time Walkers to reach new eras, if more were to be added.