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| Dark days are coming. |
Background Information
The Secret World is a MMORPG developed by Funcom and directed by Ragnar Tørnquist (yes, that is his actual name it's okay to be jealous I was too). It was uses a buy-to-play model, and advancement is heavily dependent on loot and having a varied arsenal for every situation. There are no class restrictions, and you can invest points into anything of your choosing as you gain experience. If you like a particular weapon you can focus on upgrading your ability to use it. If you like a certain branch of the ability wheel you can invest some points into it in order to get a particular ability that complements your playing style. This is all in the effort of building a particular "deck" of passive and active abilities that suits every situation. You can't equip everything at once so choose wisely, and be mindful that not all decks can solve every situation so relying on only one can be hazardous to your health. It's wise to have at least a few for every sort of obstacle you may encounter.
The world itself is a melting pot of every sort of fantasy you can imagine. As the tagline says "everything is true." It has an emphasis on dark fantasy in an urban setting and cosmic horror in particular. The world is on the edge of Ragnarok, and there might not be a way to save it. The Dreamers are being roused from their slumber, and their prison is breaking; the Filth pours into reality, warping the very foundation of the universe. The sun eaters are hungry, and we're all made of stars.
It is decent, and the story is surprisingly good for a MMORPG. The characters are interesting, and have unique personalities that grow on you. It also knows not to take itself so seriously at times, and has a sense of adventure in the face of Armageddon. Not to say it's a happy story: a lot of people die (innocent or otherwise) and often times in graphic and horrifying ways. A mother is manipulated into stabbing her own son to death, and her questline is about finding a cure for her immortality in order to help her commit suicide. Kingsmouth is screwed no matter what you do, and its citizens are doomed to become shoggoths as they are drawn into the dreams of sleeping gods, who can only beg for the sweet release of death when the time comes. Your victories are often pyrrhic, and only delay the inevitable in many cases. Staying true to H.P. Lovecraft in that sense unlike a certain eroge aimed towards amoral degenerates. I am looking at you Demonbane.
Despite that, you fight on, and through a combination of being stubborn and overwhelming resources you might just keep those primeval beasts trapped in their slumber.
At least for a while.
Do you fight something you cannot defeat or bend the knee in order to save yourself? Do you listen to the whispers of the Dreamers or do you spit in their face at every turn?
Standing in the Battledome
The Secret World is a multiverse which works on the parallel world theory, every possibility exists. It was created by the Gaia Engines, which contains, harnesses, and purifies the anima of the Dreamers. Agartha, which is an extension of the Gaia Engines, is connected to all of space and time; including these other possible realities. It was created by the Host in order to harness the anima of the Dreamers, who, after some infighting, split into the Grigori and the Nephilim. The Host created many of the supernatural beings that we see in The Secret World. They are responsible for creating Hell, and the demons that dwell in it were once their servants before they grew envious of humanity; the Jinn we see in numerous pieces of mythology and what have you.
The Dreamers are able to destroy all of reality when they wake from their slumber and have done so three times. After which the Gaia Engines recreated reality. There have been four ages in The Secret World. The previous three no longer exist, and have been erased from history to the point there is no evidence of them even in the DNA of human beings. The Host, and beings like them have survived throughout these upheavals unscathed. The Dragon, and the Illuminati have also managed to survive somehow.
We have the player character who is powerful enough to repair or cause permanent damage to the Gaia Engines, and the Dreaming Prison which consists of hundreds of dimensions each the size of a universe. The Infused like them who have a direct connection to the Gaia Engines, and are immortal as a result.
The anima is abundant, and in the air. You won't have to look hard for child prophets that can act in the time-frame of nanoseconds, and wizards that can reduce all of Western Europe to cinders. You can see sorcery of practically every variety, from space and time manipulation to elemental evocation.
Suffice to say it's a powerful setting as you would expect from a fantasy equivalent of a melting pot.
Supporters of the Series
- Soma Cruz
Character Profiles
Civilization/Race/Faction Profiles
- The Dragon
- The Illuminati
- The Templars
- Council of Venice
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