Shattered

## Description

Shattered are humanoid-like creatures created by the Grand Watcher, composed entirely of a incredibly strong stone-like material, with deep purple skin, glowing pink, pupil-less eyes; bright purple hair, and the unique ability to summon crystals out of the earth, this can be used offensively or defensively, as well as for the purpose of getting around with ease by creating platforms.

The shattered can reproduce in two different ways; first, sexually through the same means as humans reproduce, secondly, they can reproduce by constructing a "husk" and blessing it with the Flame of the Watchers. A husk is a body of shattered without a soul to inhabit it's body, not to be confused with a dead shattered, husks can only be brought to life through the Grand Watcher, her Council, and the daughter of the Grand Watcher, as those 8 individuals are the only ones to be blessed with the Flame of the Watcher.

The shattered are largely associated with the Watchers as the Grand Watcher created the Shattered, because of this, some tribes of shattered live among the watchers, and the shattered as a species have inherited many of the social norms of the Watchers, such as the lack of a stigma towards nudity, a more socialist economic structure, and also a large enjoyment of purple.

Shattered outside of the Watcher's Domain are divided into tribes, nearly all of which are ruled by at least two monarchs, a king and a queen, two queens, or two kings.

Shattered are resistant to almost all forms of attack; bullets and slashes from blades have little to no effect on a shattered, and while stabbing them does *technically* work, it wont kill a shattered. Shattered can only be killed once it is physically impossible for it to move, bluntly, it can only be dead if it is smashed to bits.

## Elites

Elite shattered are unique shattered constructed specifically for conflict, boasting a larger stature then standard shattered, immense strength, and finally, much more durability then a normal shattered. These Elite Shattered, shortened to just "Elites", are constructed with horns as well as glowing marks on their forearms in order to differentiate elites from normal shattered.

Elites are exclusively purposed for any potential warfare between tribes and to protect the Shattered Monarchs at all costs, they do this job very effectively.

Elites are typically equipped with melee weapons constructed out of the rare, nigh-indestructible crystals that are produced by the shattered monarchs. These weapons are longswords, greatswords, claymores, spears, halberds, battle axes, maces, hammers and finally, spiked gauntlets. The weapons wielded by elite shattered are immensely heavy and can only be practically wielded by elites, with a simple longsword blade of this material weighing around 250lb, nearly 100 times the weight of an average longsword. Blades constructed with these weapons are the only blades that can slice through the tough skin of the shattered, although this still proves ineffective in comparison to blunt weapons, as even when beheaded, a shattered is still alive.

The Grand Watcher also has a royal guard consisting of 20 Elite Shattered soldiers tasked with protecting her at all times.

## Shattered Royalty

Shattered tribes often have two monarchs that govern the tribe, either being a king and a queen, two kings, or two queens.

These monarchs govern the tribe and produce the raw material that can be refined and used to create the weapons wielded by the elites. Tribes operate similarly to beehives, where standard shattered go out and gather resources to bring to the monarchs so the material can be purified into the mythical material mentioned earlier. The monarchs are immensely important to the tribes of shattered, if even one of the two is killed, the tribe will almost certainly fall apart before the monarchs can be replaced.

## Fallen Shattered

Fallen Shattereds are only created when a shattered's body is burnt so severely that it's body is charred black, no longer shining a bright purple, but now resembling volcanic rock, the once hollow insides of a shattered are filled with molten magma from the volcanoes that Fallen Shattered were thrown into by the Grand Watcher they once served without question.

The intense heat of a volcano ignites a spark in a fallen shattered, bestowing them the ability to cast pyrotechnics, including but not limited to: fireballs, fire breath, flamethrower hands, generating enough heat inside the shattered's body to melt - or at least severely burn - nearly anything that makes contact with the shattered's hand.

There is only one known documented case of a Fallen Shattered, Scoria Vino, a former member of the Grand Watcher's royal guard who was cast into the pits of hell for her sins against the Grand Watcher, being slowly melted alive until all that was left was molten goop left from what once was a mighty royal guard. Due to her body not being crushed to bits, Scoria lived, and pieced herself together bit by bit rising as a Fallen Shattered.

## The Grand Plague

The Grand Plague, also known as the Conversion, was a plague created by The Grand Watcher in an attempt to exterminate all of shattered in Penumbra to prevent any suspicion arising in her human followers. This plague was very effective initially and almost drove the shattered to extinction but backfired horribly when it was discovered that the shattered infected by the plague would rise from the dead, assimilating into a hivemind of sorts focused purely on a twisted version of the shattered's original goals, to gather resources to strengthen the heart and to spread the conversion until everything was assimilated into the hivemind. This would quickly escalate from a disaster to a calamity when infected shattered would begin to attack humans and local wildlife, killing them and encasing them in the cursed stone covering the infected shattered, this cursed stone has the property to hijack the mind of whatever it covers, assimilating it into the hivemind. For 500 Years this plague was rampant, nearly resulting in the extinction of humanity, the small forces of humans remaining banded together and began to fight back, slowing the progress of the hivemind; eventually, the Grand Watcher would come down personally, wielding a majestic double ended scythe, and would strike down the heart of the plague with it. She absorbed the energy of the plague into the scythe, cursing it for all eternity, and buried it deep within a temple underground, never expecting anyone to find it; this was the last time someone would see the Grand Watcher in person.

Nearly 10,000 years later, two royal guards of King Vane II bring a large chest that was discovered in an ancient temple underground. The knights inform the king that there were messages, claiming the contents of the chest bore unlimited power, but warning that a horrible curse would be reawakened after thousands of years of laying dormant... but the king didn't listen to the pleas of the twins, he sent them away and forced open the chest, getting the infinite power he so desired, but dooming his kingdom to ruin in the process...

While his body remains intact and alive, his mind is forever locked in a prison within itself. Cursed to be stuck inside his own mind, unable to do anything but watch and weep as his body is controlled by the hivemind *he* awoke from its slumber.