[Wik]

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From birth, you've been taught to fear the Shadow. The Shadow is what plunged your world into a dark age. The Shadow is what motivates the bestial, poison-clawed Wildlings to attack and kill the people of Fastheld. The Shadow is what infests your people from within, turning average, pious men and women into raving psychopaths with the the ability to throw fire, become invisible, or turn into an 8 foot tall mankiller bear.

Now, the Shadow is in your backyard. The beacon of Fastheld, the township of Light's Reach, has been destroyed, rent block from block by a menace that once was sleeping deep beneath the city. Black and skeletal, with the ability to decay with a single breath, some call this draconian monstrosity He Who Destroys. Still others call it Alieron's Curse, from the Light's Reach Duke whose death came just days before this creature took flight. But the most common name for this incarnation is the Ravager. It sleeps once more in the ruins of the township (and hopes) it has destroyed, simply waiting for those who are foolish enough to waste their lives upon it.

But life must go on. Society shall not--MUST not falter under this weight. Vassals must serve, farmers must farm, merchants must sell, and nobles must rule. It is only when we allow the Shadow to infect our everyday lives that it has won. And the Shadow shall *never* win.

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Introduced in 2002 by the award-winning creator of Otherspace, Wes Platt, Chiaroscuro is an original-theme middle fantasy, featuring three areas.

First and most popular is the city-state of Fastheld. Medieval, with a strong crafter class and a bickering soap opera of a noble class, these magic-fearing people have surrounded their Maryland-sized city-state with a 600-foot wall to keep the Shadow at bay.

Second are the four mountaintop cities of Halagh. These diminuitive folks live in a work-focused socialist democracy, eking out an existance one steampunk-inspired invention at a time.

Lastly are the twelve islands of the Weeping Stones. Tall and caramel-hued, these people focus more on the spiritual than the technological, with a rich polytheistic tradition but a strong xenophobia.

All have had strong reasons to keep to themselves, and thusly, have never met each other. This will change.

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With a magnificent crafting system with thousands of craftable items, rp-based experience gain, a friendly staff and a fantastic and diverse playerbase, this is most certainly the game for you. Come visit Chiaroscuro via chia.jointhesaga.com, or come visit us directly at jointhesaga.com:2003! Join the saga today!

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