INTRODUCTION!

[mo money]

WELCOME TO YOUR NEW HELL me⋅nag⋅er⋅ie   Pronunciation [muh-naj-uh-ree] – noun :a collection of wild or unusual animals, especially for exhibition. Please take just a bit of time to read this brief history. I know it looks long - but it doesn't take long to read, and it's necessary you know all this! ^^ THE GENOCIDE EARLY, YEAR 2295. It all began when a secret race was discovered - Shapeshifters. It was thought to be a group, a nomadic tribe of sorts, a small scale gathering of freakish people. It was unknown that all throughout the world, there were others like this small group - millions of other Shapeshifters, living with their gift in secret. The Government swiftly eliminated this tribe; it was then that the Shifters living amongst the normal citizens rebelled, taking a stand against the global Government that ruled the planet Earth, called UNIT (originally a large corporation). It was then that the genocide began. A call went out from UNIT to all citizens of the Earth - Shapeshifters were to be turned in for 'extermination'. Anyone found harboring a Shapeshifter would be charged for crimes against the government and imprisoned or executed by the State. And so it was - but that was just the beginning. A group of scientists wanted nothing but to exploit the 'creatures', to learn about their abilities and use it as some sort of a weapon. Imagine the possibilities! THE EXPERIMENTS LATE, YEAR 2300. Thus began the experiments. The Scientists bartered for the young - any shifter that was 0-30 in age. Anyone older was not accepted. These poor things were put through tests of mental and physical strengths that normal humans could not endure. Most of the teens showed signs of stronger physical abilities, and slightly more primitive minds; more instinctive than deductive. But where to test these experiments where they could interact normally? The government scientists devised quite a simple plan; they would relocate the 'creatures'. They constructed a new testing facility; an entire city encased in an enormous dome. The city, surrounded by thousand and thousands of miles of huge, standard bullet and explosive proof glass, standing two layers thick, formed around the perimeters of the city. The inside hadn't been touched; only the enclosure was now climate controlled (the scientists could change the weather, seasons, anything they so desire). THE MENAGERIE...now opened to the public eye for viewing of these 'creatures', cameras fixed for observation. You can pay $25.00 a pop to observe their daily fight for survival, $50.00 to take a trip through the labs and observe some of the Scientists at work. Scientists, hah. The experiments call them "Keepers". THE RINGS YEAR 2302. In the short year that the Menagerie has been opened, there have been startling observations; the inhabitants of the Menagerie seemed to have formed social groups. Early in the year, the first experiment released into the Menagerie, by the alias "Manic", created a group called "The Ring", devising rankings and a basic way of life, accepting all types into his Ring. As the numbers swelled, trouble grew - people began to rebel against Manic, reasons currently unknown and swept away in the past. Two individuals - Anna Whitaker and Kane Hess lead the revolt and separated, forming their own "Rings". Thus, there were three - called the 'Rings of Order'. Three of them have yet been formed, and it is presumed that in the future there may be more. The original Ring, now called the CarnaRing, led by Manic - a merciless, bloodthirsty group. The FulsiRing, led by Legend - an avaricious and power-hungry group and The FallenRing, led by Skye - the enduring pacifists, who only wish to survive. THE MUTATIONS YEAR 2303. Day in and day out, survival grows more difficult as the Keepers up the level of challenge. Less food, less supplies. Harsher conditions. And the turmoil increased as a new race was born - a race of anthropomorphics, direct results of a DNA mutation. Anthros are Shapeshifters that have been genetically altered to have animalistic traits: tails, fur and claws. They formed a massive group, called the Bestia, to survive, as most Shifters reject them outright, claiming them to be a "contamination". THE INFECTION EARLY, YEAR 2304. "Some call it a plague - others, an epidemic. But we call them monsters." These...artificial creations that the Keepers call the ARCANE. Humanoid viruses. Mutated from artificial DNA and grown, aged and matured inside test tubes and liquid filled chambers, these viruses are spawned by the "Elite", the very founders of the Menagerie. The Arcane stop at nothing to fulfill their one true desire, their entire reason for existence - to infect, and to kill. They are not human; they may resemble Shifters...but their minds, they know only one thing - to eliminate human-kind. The Arcane are viruses that take on human form, their bodies often twisted and defected with odds and ends of animal parts, sometimes horrible mutations, other times they seem almost normal. And worse of all - they can shift into large, mutated beasts that have more power than Shifters could ever hope to have. There are, of course, cures for every Virus - but only for the Keepers. THE WAR LATE, YEAR 2303. The three Rings have clashed, at last, in a violent war. The Fulsi, Fallen and Bestia joined an alliance against the Carna. After a bloody, ruthless battle (all keenly observed by the Keepers), the Carna were driven into a retreat, vastly outnumbered - nearly 300 to a mere 100. The Bestia were eliminated. Strange reports of various test subjects of the Menagerie are pouring in - strange new abilities are popping up. Once known only to appear in the Bestia, these abilities are increasing the strength of the human Shifters, making them even more so a force to be reckoned with. The Keepers are sure to ante up and increase the Shifters struggle to survive in the Menagerie. Kidnappings, disappearances and horrifyingly new experiments are becoming all the more common... Peace among the Rings seems prevalent, but - in a wild place such as this...who knows how long such a wonderful thing can last? THE INVASION MID-YEAR 2304. A new species has been discovered - and introduced into the Menagerie - Retromorphs. They are animals with the ability to shape-shift into humans, holding the wild instinct of the predator with all the intelligence of mankind. They are direct descendants of the shape-shifters 'ancestors', the origin of the shifting gene. And so they form packs, prides, groups with their own species or those similar within the Menagerie. For now, they remain at peace with the Rings, if only to eke out a life in this godforsaken place. As starvation and desperation set in, though, how long can peace remain steadfast in the hearts of all? THE ALLIANCE YEAR 2305-2306. All has been relatively quiet within the Walls - the usual raids, thievery, mayhem, chaos, murder...if you could call that quiet. There have been no new releases of creatures, no rampant diseases (excepting the vicious Viruses). But there has been a change in alliances though, a surprising twist of events. Legend, the Fulsi Alpha, was been kidnapped by the Carna. As a show of strength and retaliation for the brutal Carna RAID as well as the kidnapping, the Fulsi (after rebuilding their strength and numbers) then invaded several territories and claimed them as their own. They took over the FallenRing Oasis, Delica Park and the Breathelight Inn, as well as the surface streets surrounding the area. The Carna and Fallen made an alliance - the Carna to protect and reinforce the Fallen in their times of need in exchange for food and supplies. CALM BEFORE THE STORM YEAR 2305-2306. After Legend being returned to the Fulsi, he chose to step down as Alpha as his health declined from being tortured by the Carna. Thus, the Fulsi have been taken over by a new Alpha, Adam Petite. With the addition of his new and harsher rules there have been hints at unrest and unease within the FulsiRing under his command. The Carna-Fallen alliance is on very thin ice, and the Carna Scout patrols on Fallen territory are becoming increasingly tense. After a Fulsi raid on the Carna's homefront, Sewertown, Manic has been drawing back Scouts from aiding Fallen patrols and in return, Skye (Fallen Alpha) has withheld food and supply trade-offs. No one knows how much longer this alliance will last. THE RESURRECTION YEAR 2307. Rising from the ashes of what seemed a total annihilation, the Bestia have returned; but now they are known as the Nakoma Tribe. Their Chief has returned to redeem herself and bring the Anthros to the top, to end their suffering at the hands of the Carna and Fulsi. The Nakoma have taken back the old Bestia territory and expanded its borders, proclaiming their strength against opposition and daring the Rings to make a move; the Nakoma grow daily, and with each new member they add to their swelling ranks more and more Anthros who have suffered, to have their sorrows brought to an end. Zephyr, Nakoma Chief, is intent on bringing the Anthros from the shadows to stand amongst the Shifters as equals and invites any Anthro who wishes to join her group and fight for their cause.