Cardea, The Realm of Ashordin, is a sweeping land of majesty and mystery. A place awash in fantastic adventure and hideous death, magical treasures and lurking danger.

A realm centered upon you. The Mortal Ones.

Cardea is modelled to be a living, breathing fantasy world, which like any good book or film, is based upon the central characters, the heroes and villians of the piece.

In the background there are many different events and scenes going on, life abounds all across the land as you would expect. It is this background, this tableaux, that we provide, the very background to your unfolding stories of high adventure.

This realm is watched over by the Immortal Deities, the Gods and Goddesses of Cardea, each with their own sphere of power to maintain. Their interest lies primarily with the functionality of Cardea, with the tiny little mechanisms that make things 'tick'. And they do this because of their dedication to the Great Work. Each Deity will be motivated individually, but without the mortals to walk the earth, even the power of the Gods would wane, and fade forever. Thus, though they may deny it, the Gods are as dependant upon the Mortals, as the World is dependant upon the Gods. This eternal cycle is the will of the Creators.

Gods should not be taken lightly, nor their authority questioned. Only the most foolish of mortals would dare to show disrespect to these beings of immense power, for even the least amongst them can snuff out life with a single thought. The Gods are not interested in what you may consider 'fair' or 'unfair' only that the world is in balance, and that all things play their part. So long as this is the case, all is well. When imbalance occours, you can be assured that the Gods will be aware of it long, long before any mortal.

The World itself is one of struggle and eternal conflict, and not simply on a level of personal combat. Consider where your heroes would stand without the villain to combat, If Light and Truth would be paragons in the absence of dire Evil, where challenge would lie, if there were no threat?

Without conflict, the tale becomes shallow and pale.

Because of this, Cardea provokes powerful emotions. More so, perhaps, than any other game you will ever play. You will become attached to your persona in deep ways, you will come to love parts of the land and hate others, both fear and triumph will be evoked in you and you may find yourself given cause to explore the deepest reaches of your psyche in ways you had never considered.

More than just a game, Cardea is a whole other life, with the same rules, allowances and resultants as any other life. You will stand and fall by your own actions, and oft times there may be none prepared to listen to your words of pride or anguish, other times you may rise to lead others to greatness, or you are left to wander alone in the wilderness. Which path you will walk, will be entirely of your own design and choosing.

It is for this reason that we consider Cardea to be a game for the 'mature' player. This doesn't mean you have to be a certain age to play, just that we expect you to have a sensible attitude towards the game, and to know your own limitations. If it has become too much, push your keyboard away, take a deep breath and regain perspective. Consider the feelings that have been provoked and measure their effect and worth to you, then armed with this knowledge, embark on another voyage of discovery into The Realm. This line, between what has happened to your character, and how you are affected by your play, is the divide between Out of Character and In Character play (OOC & IC). It is a fine one indeed, and one we ask you all to walk as best you can, for it is when equilibrium between the two is achieved, that the best experience can come about.

Being OOC is NEVER an excuse, it is NEVER a way to avoid the consequences of your actions within the world. If you have chosen to step over the threshold, and your persona is within the bounds of the land, then by definition, you are In Character and must accept the weight of all which that means.

Knowing this then, you must prepare. Draw forth blade and spell, dull not your wits, and keep one eye on the horizon....

Cardea awaits you!

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