Monster Rancher-1

A world where humans live alongside the monsters they train in peace. Centuries ago, the monsters were sealed away, but they've come back into use. Unfortunately, the world may be headed down the same path as what broke the world apart so long ago...

Type: Blossom

Active Characters

No current characters.

Overview

Monsters and humans now live in peace, with humans raising monsters on ranches. Some ranches are small, farm-like deals with space for only a single monster; some are large, sprawling, mechanized champion factories. Most Breeders (what monster trainers are called) are somewhere in the middle -- having enough land to raise a handful of monsters and use a few training gadgets. Native Breeders don't need a lisence to only raise one monster, but they do need one to participate in battle, go on sponsored expeditions, or raise more than one monster.

Overall, the world is on the low-tech side of things, with steam ships being the highest technology that's publicly available. However, legends tell of a great, technologically-advanced society that once existed, and somehow fell. Ruins can often be found, but no one exists that still know how to activate them. And many people, particularly those in Vizley and on Age Island, feel that activating those ruins could only bring misery and death. There are books in Torble University, however, that tell about the technology and the civilization in detail; however, these books are in restricted sections of the library that special permission from the headmaster must be obtained to access.

While most monsters are owned by a Breeder, that doesn't mean that there aren't wild monsters strays have been running away from ranches where their Breeders are too harsh for centuries, and they do live in the wild. They aren't openly trying to destroy humans, though, since they're generally not at human intelligence. They will accost Breeders in the wild however, so caution is advised outside of cities and well-traveled areas. Few of these monsters truly mean harm; many are merely challenging newcomers in their territory, curious about travelers, or startled during an exploration.

FIMBA, IMa, and AGIMA -- the three monster breeders' associations -- work together to regulate Breeders and the official tournaments that take place. But monsters often fight in small exhibition tournaments; these are generally friendly tournaments that are regulated locally via whichever monster breeder's association is nearest. Ryuwn and Togle fall under FIMBA's local regulations, the big city of Torble falls under IMa's local regulations, and Age Island of course falls under AGIMA's local regulations.

Official tournaments are sponsored and organized by a committee from all three organizations, and take place every four months, over the course of the whole month. E and D rank tournaments take place in Togle, C rank tournaments take place in Ryuwn, B rank tournaments take place in Torble University's personal coliseum, and A and S rank tournaments take place in Vizley. Apart from this, however, there's no regulation on where unofficial matches may take place. Breeders may even arrange private matches, so long as no one is injured and there is no property damage. If either occur, they are charged to the Breeder who issued the challenge.

Since Pangaea has joined the World Tree proper, many people don't know what to make of these newcomers. Regulations have been put in place to protect the monsters, but right now these regulations are on the local level and subject to change if more Outsiders start showing interest in becoming Breeders. Of course, individual natives have their own opinions on the Outsiders, but there are of course generalizations.

Catchall Theme

This is mainly a catchall theme for players who wish to do Monster Rancher-themed characters, but who only have a very basic understanding of Monster Rancher's concept but still wants to do a MR character. I believe this theme is wide enough to encompass most of the games, with the appropriate restrictions, such as those monsters based on real-life companies or characters from other media.

History

Long ago, before recorded time, humans and monsters lived in harmony together. But that changed when humans created technology to enhance their monsters. It was harsh, painful, and caused many monsters to go mad. This technology created Xevion, who soon broke free of its control, and began to change monsters into Dark Ones, like himself. The resulting war tore the world apart, and only ended when the princess of the Tochikans, Rio, pooled her powers with the Phoenix Lord, Suzaku. It cost her life, and Suzaku placed her soul in a Disc Stone to keep her safe, in the hope that she might one day be reborn.

But the world didn't learn its lesson. The people who had created Xevion continued these experiments, creating Moo. This time, they thought, their monster wouldn't break free of its control. Of course it did, and began the very same attempt to subjugate the world. Only this time, the civilization that had created it was the first to be destroyed. This time it took a degree of cooperation between humans and monsters that had been unheard of up until that point to save the world. But it also resulted in the souls of all monsters being forced back into Disc Stones, and in the continent of Pangaea to break up into several islands.

Centuries passed, during which time the monster-raising techniques of the Tochikans were all but lost. The re-emergence of monsters began when an archaeologist dug up one of the lost Disc Stones. It was a Dino that it contained, and after researching the techniques, the local shrine was able to recover the techniques for regenerating monsters. And it didn't take long before the techniques for creating man-made monsters were rediscovered as well -- that of combining frozen monsters into other sub-breeds.

Soon FIMBA, the Fraternal International Monster Breeders' Association was formed, in order to regulate and support those who raised monsters. Tournaments formed, and a culture around (willingly) battling the monsters was created.

A few more centuries later, and monsters have returned to Pangaea again, and two more organizations have formed -- AGIMA, the Age Island Monster Association, and IMa, the International Monster Association. However, IMa has been experimenting with technological Training Gadgets that boost monsters' performance far beyond what is normal, and it's begun to take a heavy toll on monsters. Monster injuries, running away, and even monster death amongst IMa breeders' monsters is incredibly common. And there is talk that even more technological experimentation is happening.

Could it be that IMa is about to repeat the mistakes of the Pendant civilization? Is a third world-destroying monster about to be born...?

FIMBA

The Fraternal International Monster Breeders' Association is the oldest known organization, formed soon after the monsters were rediscovered in Pangaea. Their focus is on the pursuit of knowledge of the past, and sharing of those discoveries with the rest of the world. FIMBA is determined not to repeat the mistake that caused the monsters to be sealed in the first place. The organization has a middle-of-the-road approach to raising monsters, and sponsors many famous explorers, such as the archaeologist Dr. Karnab and the teacher Tesca. They enshrine the goddess Fleria over the other two gods. FIMBA's symbol: https://i.imgur.com/7B8pZQl.png

IMa

The International Monster Association was the second group formed, and concentrates more on ceremony and pomp than FIMBA, enshrining the goddess Gadamon above the other two. It is headquartered in the IMa Tower, part of the Torble University campus. Breeders of IMa are expected to maintain good public relations, as well as to compete and do well in monster battling tournaments. The best battlers are picked from IMa tournaments to compete in cross-organization tournaments and to represent IMa in other continents. IMa's reliance on Training Gadgets is beginning to worry the world, as the percentage of monsters dying and running away from IMa breeders is higher than with other organizations. IMa's symbol: https://i.imgur.com/ruZpjPN.png

AGIMA

The Age Island Monster Association is the youngest of the three organizations, and have a much more laid-back approach to raising monsters than IMa or FIMBA. As such, they enshrine Bragma before the other two gods. They have the fewest tournament winners amongst their number, since they focus more on monsters as companions than as battlers. Their chairman, Mr. Mardoc, is a personable and kind fellow. AGIMA's symbol: https://i.imgur.com/3aT4K8W.png

Tochikans

The Tochikans were the tribe who first regenerated monsters for the rest of the world, and also the tribe whose princess, Rio, ultimately fought and defeated the Dark Lord Xevion, with the help of the Lord of the Phoenixes, Suzaku. It is thought that Bragma, Fleria, and Gadamon were Tochikans. The ruins of the Tochikan civilization can be found across the world. It is still unknown how they managed to build the floating structures that are commonly referred to in historical accounts from around that time.

Pendant People

The scientific experiments of the people of Pendant first resulted in the creation of Xevion, the Dark Lord, and later in the creation of Moo. Xevion was defeated with the aid of the Tochikan princess Rio and the Phoenix Lord Suzaku, but this didn't stop their experiments. They later created Moo, who broke free from his control and (of course) attempted to destroy the world again. It took a herculean effort to reseal him, requiring the Phoenix Lord's soul again, but by that time the civilization of Pendant had been utterly destroyed. Much like the Tochikans, non-functional ruins of the Pendant people are often found across Pangaea.

Geonyte

Geonyte is an energy that is stored in Spirit Trees -- large, ancient trees that are sometimes even sapient. Those that are tend to pretend they're not however, because they generally don't want to frighten the humans living on the land. The roots of these trees go deep, deep underground, into the world's very pulse. Native humans are incapable of using Geonyte naturally. Monsters can, however; in fact they have a store of Geonyte, and this is why they are able to use the supernatural abilities inherent to their breed. This is also why monsters die -- their personal supply of Geonyte runs dry. The "monster heart" is in fact the last of a monster's remaining Geonyte, turned into the form of a crystal.

Monster Hearts

When a monster's personal supply of Geonyte runs too low to sustain it, the monster dies. However, it often leaves behind the remainder of its Geonyte, as its physical form releases it. His remaining Geonyte is in the form of a crystal, colloquially referred to as a "monster heart" (despite looking less like a "heart" and more like a vague lump of crystal). Allowing another monster to absorb the Geonyte contained within it grants some of the previous monster's memories. This can teach monsters new skills, increase their physical condition, or make them smarter -- the effect varies between monsters. This can be used to greatest effect when allowing a monster whose main breed matches the monster that left the crystal behind to absorb the Geonyte crystal. For example, a Joker-type that has been allowed to "inherit" the remaining Geonyte of the Joker before it will have a greater effect than if the Joker's "heart" was given to, say, a Suzurin (a bell/doll monster generally regarded as "cute").

Ease of Obtaining

Most shrines across the world can easily generate a Zuum (a raptor-like dinosaur), Golem (a humanoid rock monster), a Suezo (a large single eyeball with eyelids, supported on a single "stalk"), or a Garu (tiny humanoid lion-/wolf-like monster). Via exploration of wilderness areas, ancient Disc Stones can be found -- and if broken, they can be repaired. However, for the shrine to agree to regenerate a monster, one will need either a Breeder's Lisence, or special permission from one of the monster breeders' organizations (FIMBA, IMa, or AGIMA).

Disc Stones

Disc Stones are NOT regular CDs from a modern world. You can't bring your favorite band's CD to the Shrine and have it pop out a Monster. Disc Stones are the ancient magical tablets into which Monsters were sealed. They do break, but can be repaired, and once a Disc Stone is repaired, the Monster sealed in it can be revived at the Shrine.

Outside Breeder Regulations

Regulations are still being discussed for Outside Breeders; however currently they're regulated only at the local level. Breeder hopefuls from the Nettle Kingdom do not need a license only to raise a single monster; this is only required if they wish to raise more than one monster, participate in battles, or have their expeditions sponsored by one of the breeder associations. Outsiders (those not from this world) who wish to raise monsters need a license to raise even one, due to the difficulty in keeping track of monsters raised by outsiders. This can be mitigated by obtaining citizenship in the Nettle Kingdom and registering with the local breeder association that governs the area one has decided to settle in.

Additionally, for now, no Outside Breeder may compete in official tournaments, and these Breeders must get permission from the local monster breeder organization to compete in local battles. This is because Outside Breeders may be using unauthorized means to strengthen their monsters that native Breeders cannot match, and this could give them unfair advantages in official tournaments. However, in return, Outside Breeders are treated as S Rank Breeders, and may compete in any rank of non-official battle that they wish (so long as they get permission from the local breeder association). They may compete and receive rewards as normal if their monsters place high enough in the battle.