About

A post-apocalyptic/cyberpunk world set far off in the future. Most forms of government are in shambles and people are generally left to govern themselves in most sects. The reason for the world's decline is left unknown. 

Factions

The East: 

Where the last stable form of government was housed before the United Regions took it over. Made up of crumbling cities and lots of desperate, lower-class people. Most of this area is sunk deep in gang wars, drug-dealing, illegal black markets, and prostitution, with little enforcement to serve or protect citizens. Living conditions are especially poor; high pollution rates, contaminated water supplies, unregulated living environments, and the violence of the streets all contribute to high mortality rates. Life expectations are low. These are the remains of the old world now in decay. 

Most of this section of the world has forgotten the existence of Guardians, especially after the government's fall. 

The South: 

Largely split between agriculture and military. Many people only have the options of tending to small family farms and/or businesses, or else entering into various military camps - some dedicated to the UR, but many more originating in rebel groups. 

This is the origin point of the Rage. 

Guardians in this area are largely known but kept hush-hush, due to small yet vocal religious groups that view them as evil supernatural entities. This has led to horrifying cases of "exorcisms," in which people may kill or sacrifice their own Guardians. Others still have been confined to mental hospitals for their "delusions." Otherwise, views are very diverse. 

The West: 

There is a very clear divide between the people in this faction; the extremely wealthy and the lower-class stricken with poverty. Most of the rich here come from family money and control large areas, as well as their communities, and often hold old-fashioned values rooted in sexism and racism. In turn, the lower classes are forced to work long, hard hours for the rich with little chance of ever being well-off. 

This is the origin point for the UR, and in turn, many of the wealthy families pour money and resources into the cause. 

Opinions on Guardians are incredibly diverse here; some see them as partners, while others see them as tools for their work. Many of the upper-class see them as symbols or decorations, a means to place themselves above others; as such, the form a Guardian takes is highly important, with more beautiful or powerful Guardians valued. 

The North: 

A mainly untouched part of the world. Due to extreme weather conditions, the other factions have dismissed the possibility of inhabiting this area. However, large groups of people have established camps scattered throughout the wilderness, where they manage to thrive off the land and their own skills. While they have little contact with each other, and even less contact outside the North, there is nevertheless a strong sense of community. 

Most of these groups are incredibly in-touch with their Guardian counterpart, treating them as equals and growing alongside them from very young ages. The passing of Tokens is an incredibly important ceremony, where the person in question will usually create them on their own. The knowledge of Guardians is strongest here.  

Guardian Info

Guardians are an extension of the soul that come in the form of an animal. Most are the opposite gender of their human, or "Master," but that is not a rule. They often represent the core of their human counterpart (or what they value most), but are in fact separate entities than their humans, having their own beliefs and personalities. 

The forms a Guardian takes is usually split into two distinct groups; protectors and guides. While a Guardian's role is always dedicated to protecting and guiding their Master, the physical form they take signifies the core of which side they will fall into. For example, Terra has a grey wolf Guardian, Blackfire - his form is large, intimidating, and built to fight and defend. He falls into the protector category, as his goals usually involve making sure Terra isn't physically harmed. In contrast, someone like Priscilla, with her magpie Maximus, has a Guardian whose core involves being a guide. Maximus would not be very suited to win a fight, but he is Priscilla's intellectual equal and consoles her in their faults.

Guides are usually more in-balance with their Masters than protectors; despite this, protectors are generally revered more by those that define status by the form a person's Guardian takes. 

Important details on forms: 

While there are broad stereotypes regarding Guardian forms, each are purely unique to the person, culture, and environment. For example, dog Guardians are generally seen as belonging to helpful, subservient people, such as servants; however, Nick's golden retriever Guardian does not signify a submissive person. His core is, in fact, loyalty. 

Therefore, two people may have the same Guardian form but be very different personality-wise, depending on the core the Guardian is meant to represent. After all, in some cultures black cats are considered unlucky, while others actually view them as lucky! 

Guardian Death: 

An important note to make on Guardians is that they are not purely physically beings. Upon death, their body will not remain, and they will dissolve into grey and gold dust. 

Additionally, while the Guardian is an extension of a person's soul, the person in question can survive having that part fade, a.k.a. the person's Guardian can die while the person continues to live (although the emotional toll may result in the person's death later on, depending on the depth of their bond). 

Guardians, however, cannot live without their Masters. Therefore, if the person dies, so does the Guardian. 

Bonded vs Unbonded:

Masters that establish a connection with their Guardians become bonded to them. This bond is purely mental but does result in an S-shaped brand to appear on the body of the human counterpart, usually in the first place their Guardian touches. This connection means the bonded pair will be able to sense each other and feel each other's emotions and physical states. Usually this manifests in the form of intense emotions and/or physical pain; and while a wound on a Guardian would not physically appear on their Master (and vice versa), they would feel an echo like a phantom pain in the same spot. The deeper the bond is, the more clearly the pair would be able to sense each other. 

Bonding, however, is above all a way to establish equality between Guardian and Master - and due to the negative aspects of this connection in the form of sharing pain, many places see bonding as a disadvantage (especially in places like the military) and actively discourage it.

Older lore regarding bonds more clearly highlight the advantages besides establishing a partnership; it was said that mastering how to regulate additional senses and emotions would train the mind to a higher plane of existence and the pair could move in-sync. Legends even tell of Masters and Guardians being able to transfer their consciousnesses smoothly between each other (e.g. body swapping/sharing) or being able to telepathically communicate regardless of distance. Bonding is a re-connection of the Guardian part of the soul to the whole. However, such depth and "powers" that may be unlocked in bonds are now considered no more than myth.  

Awakened vs Unawakened: 

Guardians do not actually exist on the same plane of existence as their Masters. Therefore, one of the greatest losses during the world's original decline was the knowledge of Guardians fading. As such, places like the East have almost no awareness of Guardians existing. 

Unawakened Guardians are completely dormant; they do not eat, sleep, or interact with the physical world. People without knowledge of Guardians will not be able to see them or awakened Guardians, while those with awakened Guardians would only see the unawakened as shadows trailing after their Masters. The Guardians in this state have no awareness and are not able to reach out to their Masters. While they exist, they are not truly living. 

Usually unawakened Guardians are from people who were unable to create a connection during childhood, so that the Guardian faded into this dormant state as the person grew up. Therefore, while some people may remember having an "imaginary friend," they will be written off as fake and fade from the person's consciousness later on if not validated by an informed adult with their own Guardian to confirm that Guardians actually exist. 

An awakened Guardian is usually one that has grown up alongside their Master. Growing up in an environment that acknowledges the child's Guardian makes it so the Guardian solidifies by the time the child has a conscious awareness of themselves and their surroundings. Places like the North, where Guardians are simply a way of life, means that everyone has a connection to their Guardians from the start. 

There are other ways to awaken a Guardian as an adult; this of course relies on the person's acknowledgement that Guardians actually exist and having conviction in connecting to them (which can be difficult, as they can't actually see them). They can, however, sense them - and it is through that connection that they can awaken their Guardian to the physical realm. Other things, like potions, certain plants, and chanting or singing rituals, can help with this connection, but such knowledge is rooted deeply in old Guardian lore, and so only a handful of people know of these teachings. 

Guardians that are unawakened are always unbonded; however, awakened Guardians can be either bonded or unbonded. 

Tokens: 

Tokens are gifts given to Guardians from their Masters, usually to celebrate their bond. This usually consists of a form of jewelry; collars, necklaces, bracelets, rings, etc, that the Guardian can wear. Often, Masters will wear a matching token to their Guardian, to signify the pair's trust in each other. 

In the North, tokens are especially important and are seen as coming of age occasions, as it signifies the Guardian and person becoming bonded. The human counterpart usually spends time crafting a handmade token they will award to their Guardian; this goes hand-in-hand with naming ceremonies, where the person will finally announce the Guardian's official name. 

The giving of tokens is almost always just for bonded Guardians, as such sentiment to unbonded Guardians is regarded as insignificant.