Research and Development

Overview

The world in which Ephimoria lives in is not one where everything is so easily known. Mysteries and secrets lay throughout, and the fracture constantly shifts and evolves things, never leaving it as it was. The world is no exception to this, as the very land we once knew could be different when we awaken the next morning. In Ephimoria, many flora and fauna of rarer qualities are still yet undiscovered, and will require extensive research and discovery to be able to actively document and learn about them. From something like their behaviors, to what effects their organs have in the study of alchemy need to be studied and researched.

The Evolving Lore Concept

The Concept of evolving lore is based on the fact that much of the old worlds concepts have travelled with us to the new. While we know many things about what was, the changes that Ephimoria will make on anything, from races to plants to beasts, is unknown. Whether it happens immediately, or over the course of weeks, months or even years, the lore is always changing as new realms, possibilities and changes occur in the shattered timeline, causing unexpected shifts and new realities to push themselves to the forefront.

Discovery

The lands of Ephimoria are quite literally shrouded in a mysterious Miasma. As we discover ways to purify and heal the land, repelling this strange substance that corrodes it, we are left with brand new areas filled with new discoveries. Rock formations, biomes, flora and fauna, to ruins and landmarks that are entirely untouched. And beyond the miasma lies the possibilities of real collisions, where entirely foreign concepts may be discovered and introduced. The possibilities are infinite, and so are the discoveries that are possible to be made.

When a discovery is made for the first time, the person or group who did so has the chance of committing to two options. Privatizing their discovery, or Publicizing it. Both come with its advantages.

Privatizing the findings of a certain discovery, be it a piece of flora, fauna, or any details about such effectively seals the knowledge to you or anyone you desire to share it with. During that time, the lore for that discovery will not become public, and it will allow the person(s) in question to wield such knowledge for their own gain. However, the best secrets eventually get out, or someone else will stumble upon that same discovery sooner or later, and so it eventually becomes public after a 1 month period. Anyone else who discovers it during this one month period also has the the chance to publicize it or keep it for themselves, though this will not refresh the timer.

Publicizing the discovery, either then the immediate advantage of the knowledge becoming commonplace, is that if the discovery warrants a name the person who publicized it first, not discovered, will get the chance to name it. In addition, they will also be credited for the discovery on the lore page itself, regardless if it warranted a name or not, immortalizing them and their efforts. This opportunity only happens to the one who made it public first, not the original discoverer.

Research and Development

While many old things will change, many new things will be introduced in equal measure. These unknowns are sometimes a mystery, and it will take time for them to figure out the ins and outs of what exactly a thing is comprised of. If it was a beast for example, what does it look like? Does it have any special talents such as a venomous tail or the ability to understand language? What does its pelt or insides do when committed to smithing or alchemy? All these things are revealed via inquiring and testing with trial and error, but no discovery is kept private for long. This rule will apply to many things as discoveries are made, and the secrets of Ephimoria are laid bare for all to witness. All of this will be done seamlessly in roleplay, allowing for no applications or annoying wait times to discover just what something does or can do.