Shambhala
Shambhala, the refuge of the damned, is an underground spinoff site of the Total War Center, founded by Osceola and The Sundance Kid in October 2008, as a response to both TWC's strict Terms of Service, which many members felt were castrating free speech on the site, and Anagennese, the more famous and high-profile spinoff site of TWC. The Sundance Kid had been a member of Anagennese and noted how it had maintained its elitist attitudes towards new applicants, and wanted to create a similar haven where anyone could join if they wanted. The site is currently ruled over by Emperor Mackymoto.
The city of Shambhala is, according to legend, built over the final resting place of the Ark of the Sundovant. The spot is known only to Sundance himself, a secret he guards closely.
Joining
Joining Shambhala could not be easier; the link is available by messaging Sundance or Osceola (though the latter is currently suspended). Once there, an account is freely creatable and all forums open to all members. So far in the 3 months the site has been open, only two members have been banned:
Trobalov - For being annoying, idiotic and a conspiracy theorist.
Saneel - For being perceived as a racist moron. Saneel was later let back in after he was determined to be awesome.
GH@Z!-Self own4g3...typed random letters into the password changer.
The Administrators retain all rights to ban people they believe are detrimental to the site as a whole, yet will review their decisions if a public outcry is made. This clause was added due to the disputed banning of Magic Man from the Anagennese forums in Summer 2008, as he was let in to the site after a member voted yes on him multiple times, giving him a majority that was later noticed and corrected.
Content
There are forums for all possible types of discussion on Shambhala, including a general chatroom, games discussions, the arts and many more. There are absolutely no swear filters, however, and more importantly, Tony83 has taken to posting pictures of his penis, so one must be warned that they join at the risk of their own tender innocence.
There have been six 'eras' of Shambhala so far:
- Shambhala Original
- Bagelhala - A Bagel Theme
- Ye Olde Shambhala - A Medieval Theme
- Sham Diego - An 'Anchorman' Theme
- Shirebhala - A Lord of the Rings Theme
- Kemetbhala - An Ancient Egyptian Theme
- Naboohala - A short-lived attempt to vilify Episode I
- Coruscanthala - A Star Wars Theme (and the current theme)
The February Tremor
In early February 2009, the glorious land of Shambhala was attacked from within by Pallantides, who had wormed their way into the site's inner circle through subtle politics and treachery. In a surprise move during the early hours of a cold winter morning, the terrorist cell struck at the heart of the Elite Strike Team Force Squad Headquarters, deposing and exiling King Sundance I from the site and murdering the remaining members of the Strike Team, before sabotaging the Headquarters themselves deep in the Sogdian Uplands. He then promoted Justinian, Curator of TWC, to an Administrative position, before committing Seppuku with his accomplice.
Left reeling in the wake of the attack, a seriously wounded Boeing managed to get word to Sundance in exile, who returned to his kingdom. Seeing the full devastation of the land, Justinian appointed the surviving Strike Team members to their old position before honourably resigning, earning himself the title "Saviour of Shambhala". In secret and avoiding the authorities of the puppet government put in place by the terrorists, Sundance and Magic Man, his age-old accomplice, devised a cunning plan to retake the kingdom. Magic Man, working his way into the mainframe of the palace, temporarily gave all members Admin CP access, allowing the exiled king to enter and reclaim his root access. In the ensuing hours, the Elite Strike Team Force Squad was reassembled, and the kingdom returned to peace.
