Shad

The Shad are an alien race in the CrossWorlds MMO. They are the descendants of the Ancients and the native inhabitants of Shadoon.

Shad
Shad are the native people on Shadoon. They live in small, tribe-like settlements all over the planet and keep a healthy relationship with the humans. At first Shad were not fond of the humans as they tried to harvest resources from the planet and in doing so destroyed ruins and the Track of the Ancients. After the humans started Operation Trackwalker they became more friendly towards mankind, so far as to even provide resources for Seekers on their path through the track. Despite being native to the planet and bearing a strong resemblance to images of the Ancients, they possess no knowledge about the technology or any information regarding the track and its secrets.
-Encyclopedia entry

Appearance[ | ]

The Shad are often described as bird aliens due to their appearance. They have beaks and feathery faces, and many of them have some form of hair or long feathers on the top of their head. The females have small horns, which seem to grow larger with age, while the males instead have spikes coming from their eyebrows. Their skin and feathers are typically various shades of green, brown and purple. They have clawed hands and feet, and naturally stand slightly crouched.

History[ | ]

Although the Shad are descended from the Ancients, they have lost the use of their technology. Initial interactions between humans and Shad were hostile, due to the humans being intent on harvesting Shadoon's resources against the Shad's wishes. However, after the start of Operation Trackwalker, relationships between the two races improved. Trading between the two races is now common, with humans providing the Shad with technology in return for their experience with Shadoon and their limited knowledge of the Ancients' technologies. The largest Shad village seen so far, Ba'kii Kum, even has a sizeable human population.

Language[ | ]

The Shad have their own language, although it is not seen much in-game except in place names (Ba'kii Kum, Faj'ro, Vr'da Vil, Zir'vitar, So'najiz, Krys'kajo). Most Shad are able to speak English, although they typically do so with very poor grammar.

Villages[ | ]

Shad tend to live in isolated villages close to nature. So far, two such villages have been seen. Ba'kii Kum is a large regional hub in the desert with a strong human presence which has brought advanced technology. Vr'da Vil, by contrast, is small and insular due to the village's distrust of humans over a past incident. Both villages are governed by an elder female, known as the Eldress, which may be standard for Shad villages.