Fantasy Crusader Lore

[Kylesar1]

LORE goes here

Basic Magic

Magic is defined as
The use of means (such as charms or spells) believed to have supernatural power over natural forces
Magic rites or incantations
An extraordinary power or influence seemingly from a supernatural source

Magic is the essence of nature and will. It can cause the user to do extraordinary things in and to the world around them. Every spell falls into one or more of these types, never breaking the category of magic it is in. Magic is supplied by mana and learning to utilize it effectively is not for the faint of heart. At absolute minimum, the most basic spell (which is to generate a small ball of light), from someone with an average affinity for magic (who has never even attempted to cast a spell before), requires a week of study. Fortunately, unless you're looking to go into another element, type, or level or magic, it tends to build off each other. Only 2 magic elements can be studied at a time, else the conflicting philosophies will prevent the learning of ANY magic

Levels of Magic knowledge/experience
None: 0 experience
Beginner: 0-2 years
Apprentice: 2-6 years
Intermediate: 6-10 years
Advanced: 10-15 years
Expert: 15-20 years
Master: 20+ years

Categories of Magic
There are 5 categories of magic
Natural
Moral
Spiritual- Also known as Arcane
Divine
Neutral

Natural

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Natural is just that. Elements that naturally occur on earth, whose resources are naturally explained phenomena and who's generation is part of the Earth's normal operation and vital to life on the Earth. The mana for these magics are governed by sleeping Ancient Gods. Fire, Earth, Water, and Air are the most basic elements of magic, the primary colors so to speak. Every other element of Natural Magic, such as Ice, Thunder, Nature (Grass), etc., are a mixture of 2 of these elements and require a higher knowledge of both elements of the mixture to learn it. These are the Advanced Natural Elements. For example, to even begin to learn Thunder Magic, one must have an Intermediate understanding of Fire and Air Magics. Unlike most other categories, your personality doesn't define whether or not you can learn it, but the ease of which you can learn it

Thunder, Plasma, Explosion, Smoke- Fire and Air
Dust, Sand- Earth and Air
Mist, Vapor, Ice- Water and Air
Steam, Oil, Lava- Fire and Water
Ice, Mud, Swamp, Nature (Grass)- Water and Earth
Metal- Earth and Fire

Fire​

Fire is all about Passion. The bright flame symbolizes the raw, unfiltered emotions that consumes the person's thoughts and drive at that moment. This is why anger is always associated with Fire. Anger is the greatest element of Passion that fuels fire. However, passion is a hell of a thing, and it can get into a person's mind, leading them down the path of self-destruction and is constantly seen as the berserker of magic. Lots of power, bad judgement. Those extreme fanboys who get angry at anyone who criticizes their idol? They would make GREAT fire mages.
Fire is super effective against Air and Weak to Water

Air/Wind​

Air is all about calmness and being free. Stress is not their strong suit, nor is being restricted. This means that Air is the most versatile of the natural elements and has the most ways to go advanced, as well as some overlap in how to go advanced, but is the weakest alone. Also, the emphasis on calmness and free-spirited unrestricted thought makes it the gateway to things like Spiritual or Divine magics. However, this means that who make fantastic Wind Mages can be very indecisive and the free-spirited more often than not affects their ability to use the Moral Magics to the point where Wind Mages only ever use Holy/Light magic when it's gained from a God.

To really make effective use of Air, one MUST take on another element or study it into the Advanced Wind Spells, as it'll allow you to manipulate the temperature of the wind (fire/ice) what goes in the wind (Earth) and the physical properties of the wind (such as slashing enhancements gained by Physical or Thauma magic).

Earth​

Earth is about tradition, strength, and perseverance. Earth is mostly unmoving and unchanging, just like ancient traditions. They embrace the past and embrace the Earth's essence in its most natural and primal form. This makes those who embrace Earth Magic embrace the traditional values that have long held people together, as well as weather the storms through any situation and value both physical and mental strength to not let anyone or anything tell them they're wrong. However, this leads to extreme stubbornness and an irrational fear of change. Even though Earth is the strongest in raw strength and has excellent defensive capabilities, it's also the least versatile. It can't really be captured in Tech like other elements or adapted for use in many ways outside of magic.

Water​

Water is all about flexibility and going with the flow. This means, like Air, it's a gateway magic that also needs another magic to really make the most effective use of it. Water is what every being on earth needs to live. A week max without water can kill you as opposed to upwards of a month without food. Water is in food, blood, and just about every other liquid on the planet. Users of Water magic are among the most all-around in terms of skill. It's not all cool sailing, however, as this means they suffer from a higher level of indecisiveness than Wind, but on a more manipulative scale. They seem to be TOO willing to change and try new things, leading to fluctuating morality. They must always remember that being that mentally flexible is not always a good thing

Moral Magics

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Moral Magics are just that. Magic that's defined by someone's morality and how well they stick to it. Despite what people seem to think, this is NOT a case of good morals vs bad morals. The tired misconception of Light is good and Dark is bad hurts both sides of implementing these magics. There is no such thing as it's all subjective. It's more of the reasoning behind the morals they have and how they view life, as well as their values and goals in life. Unlike with Natural magics, where your morals and values only help or hinder your ability to learn it, the Moral Magics are DEFINED by it. If you can't seem to stick to the moral path you walk, the very magic itself will be much weaker if not all around disabled. There are only 2 Moral Magics and they are both strong and weak against each other

Light
Dark

Light/White/Holy​

Light Magic, also called White or Holy Magic, is all about compassion, empathy, and upholding life no matter the cost. Every living being has good in them.........That's the motto of the Light Magic. This is typically where doctors, teachers, and clergy all shine. It takes a lot of optimism to look at the brighter side of things even when it seems like there is non. This is also why Light Magic is always associated with Religion, though they really have no actual relation. Religion is all about giving up control to a higher power and that power loves all, so respect all and you will have a good life. However..........this is also where things can go awry with no solution to solve it besides a mass change in mentality. If it can be interpreted by that higher power that they don't like something, it can justify ANY heinous action against it. Yes, every living being has good in them, but if the masses are better off without them, it's all justified, right?

Light Magic is more about Protecting Life (Defense), and Preserving Life (healing) than actually fighting. They don't hold a lot of offensive capabilities, but the few attacks they do have are DEVASTATING especially to its antithesis, Dark Magic

Dark/Black/Shadow​

Dark Magic, also known as Black or Shadow Magic, is all about the individual person, and gaining strength to the struggle. While Light tends to deny and prevent a struggle, Dark believes in philosophies like "no pain, no gain" or "survival of the fittest." This doesn't mean they're apathetic. It just means they see the value in a struggle instead of trying to prevent any and every hardship. This is where Counselors, Drill Sergeants, and Therapists shine. You can't have a testimony without a test. Growth isn't a team effort. It's a personal effort. They're more realistic in how they view things BECAUSE of that struggle. Of course, it's not all so good. Despite the fact that Dark is typically VERY misconstrued, some of it reigns true. Dark Magic can be bred without actually overcoming the adversity. Even though this means that the magic will be much weaker, it's still immensely strong. Lone Wolves, those whose struggles deepened hatred or knocked out their regard or life isn't terribly uncommon. These people though will NEVER be as strong as the person who looks around in their lowest and darkest moment and realizes that there is nowhere to go but up and that grudges are for the weak, and drags the shadows of their past with them just to realize where they came from and how thankful they are to no long be controlled by the bad things in their past

Spiritual Magics

Spiritual Magics are about how they view the sources of power and how they get their inspiration to keep going on or gaining control of these sources of power. These magics are incredibly advanced and takes almost a decade to learn. It's the Ph.D of magics. However, this is just to learn them effectively. To master it can take a lifetime, and mortal users may achieve immortality in the process (not always though). There are 2 forms of Spiritual Magics and they have no inter-interaction or any elemental weaknesses. These magics are 2 steps up from the Natural Magics and can only be learned in a Magic College

Aether- Requires Advanced Fire and Earth
Fig- Requires Advanced Air and Water

Aether​

Aether, also known as Creation believes that the sources of power are all contained in external sources beyond your control. It states that everything a person makes contains a bit of that person's power and essence and seeks to control it. Everything that has been created out of something has energy within it. The most common type of Aether Magic is Dimensional Pockets and Summoning Inanimate Objects and Magic creatures. Getting and storing things from another dimension for use or future use. Aether requires advanced knowledge in the forces of Fire and Earth, the more tangible of the 4 elements. This is so advanced that it goes into Celestial, and Pure Energy Manipulations. At its most extreme, it can go into Spacial manipulations and creating new body parts to replace lost ones

Aether is unstable in that it not only takes a LOT of mana and time to cast most of these spells with Forbidden Words of Power being a requirement, but that, if disturbed during casting, it can kill both the user and everything around it or suck it into a black hole

Fig/Mystic​

Fig Magic, who's name was changed in recent times to Mystic, believes that any source of power is contained within the person and that through achieving personal and interpersonal synchronization, they can do things far beyond the normal forces of the world. Arcane is a mastery knowledge of the more abstract concepts of magic. As such, a mastery of both Water and Air are required. Arcane Magic is a true symbiosis of Body, Soul, and its interaction with Magic. If ANY of these are off, then good luck trying to learn these magic. Arcane Magics deal in things like Psionics, Psychics, Mind Control through mental, emotional, and memory manipulation, and Teleportation. At its most extreme, it can go into Soul Capturing and the subsequent Revival, Time Healing, and Time Manipulation.

Like with Aether Magic, this magic is HIGHLY unstable, where a mis-cast or ANY sort of deficiency that makes the spell operate under 100% effectiveness, even 99.99999999%, can kill people or break someone's mind for good. All of these require lots of Forbidden Words of Power and in the case of Mental, Emotional or Memory Manipulation, requires a higher understanding of a person, usually gained by the use of other powerful spells.

Neutral Magic​

Neutral Magic is for those who have no or little affinity for magic, or for those who feel like the basics are all you need. They hone these spells to perfection and use these to augment their own skills instead of depend on them like dedicated magic study tends to do. There is a dedicated study of them, but it's all about practicality in battle, not about any sort of specific path. These magics don't use any other element mentioned to a high effectiveness. It's just enough of another element to get by. The most common example is Spellblade, which is applying an element in one's weapon to take advantage of a weakness in an enemy. This is the most all-around in magic, with no weaknesses, but no real strengths either. There are 2 elements of Neutral Magic spells

Physical
Thauma

Physical​

Physical Magic is just that. Magic that deals in altering, augmenting, or weakening the physical properties of something or someone. Weight, Speed, Strength, Reflexes, Material, and Durability are the most common examples of the uses of Physical Magic. Advanced enough Physical Magic can go into the realm of Alchemical changing of areas, personal gravity and vectors of movement to close gaps or keep someone away. It's not uncommon to see Runic Magic either, which is runes drawn on items that makes it somewhat easier for those with little magic to use spells in battle, though these spells are bare bones of a spell and as such are about 50%-75% the strength of a casted spell and never exceed the Apprentice Level Spells

Thaumaturgy​

Thauma is Miracles. This magic is amplifying natural phenomena. Sound Magic, Summoning Non-Magic animals, Communicating with animals, Sensory spells (sight, hearing, touch, etc.), and higher understanding of other cultures through language spells and knowledge of items via appraisal spells, breathing underwater, etc. are the most common practical uses of Thauma Magic. As mentioned before, Spellblade is the most common battle use for Thaumaturgy. Advanced enough Thaumaturgy can go into the realm of applying Light and Dark enchantments, re-equipping mid-battle, and gaining an intermediate understanding of all 4 natural elements

Deific Magic

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Deific Magic isn't an element of magic in itself. It's just a more different form of normal elements. The tradeoff is that this magic must be GRANTED to the user by the god they're contracted with. This means strict rules, missions, and that this magic can't grow any stronger by training. So while initially strong, it can be outclassed by non-contractors. On top of this, Deific Magic can't be used with non-contractor magic. In other words, if you know magic beforehand, it CAN'T BE USED while using Deific Magic. This also goes for weaponry. If you're granted a weapon under contract, you can only use that weapon

Void​

Void is the antithesis of Magic that focuses on returning magic and mana back to the Earth. The void is the place where people go when they don't go to heaven or hell. It's basically purgatory. Void Magic is all about Anti-Magic. Void Magic's sole purpose is to cancel out not only Life and Death, but Magic in general. This is why many many places may have Anti-Magic for protection, such as castles, forts, and every other plain than earth. It keeps almost everyone from just going in and out at will. The catch is that this magic is the ONLY magic a user can wield unlike the others. It's a subsection of Thaumaturgy that has its own path to walk down.

 

[Bakuyoshi]

Draconians​

The origin of the Draconians are still heavily under debate. Some say they are the children of dragon and man. But others argue they are a new type of dragon made by the dragon gods in light of the possibility that dragons could go extinct

What is known about them however is their near anarchic hierarchy. Above all else Draconians favor the mighty so the title of king has gone to at least 200 draconians in the past 10 years alone. With new challengers to the throne showing up daily. The duels are done in an honorable tradition. Should the king win the challenger must submit and agree to never show up for a solid year. If the king loses the title of king goes to the challenger who quickly forces the old king to be an underling of their own.

Generations​

Draconians divide themselves by generations. Each one having a unique trait then the others

1st generation: The first generation of draconians are monsterous in appearance. With their body being completely covered in scales with a draconic face and mouth lined with razor sharp teeth. Most of the 1st generation have usable wings that let them fly. In draconian society they are considered the berserkers for their bulky build and insane amounts of strength. A first gen is a force not to be trifled with.

2nd generation: The 2nd generation draconians are the face of draconian society. When most people think of draconian the 2nd generation comes to mind. A near perfect mix of human and dragon in appearance. With them having the features of a human such as normal skin. But dotted around them are scales. Depending on the individual the scales could be easy to hide as they are in areas that are always hidden from sight thanks to clothing. But others can have their hands be vicious claws or good half of their face covered in scales or in some cases sport a tail or horn. A common misconception to someone who has not seen a draconian of this generation is that they have pointed ears resembling elves.

3rd generation: Now thanks to a 3rd genration this type of draconian is considered the rarest. As at this point the only way for a 3rd generation to be made is for a draconian to mate with a human. Which due to draconians being isolationist makes this type uncommon. This type is nearly identical to an elf with a few key differences.
1. They have slitted eyes and show draconic tendencies when around treasure
2: While this method is cruel hit them with an emerald. Seems as though emerald is their version of silver. If the person looks at you funny its an elf. If they make a scream that can only be made from someone in horrific pain that's a third generation.

Relations with other species​

Though draconians are isolationists they have made some relationships as just in cases of any races choosing to attack them

Humans: Draconians have a neutral stance on humans but admit they are the wild cards of this world. They once made trades with humankind before Valerian rose to power with the draconians removing any traders from the country. At the moment the draconians are paranoid of Alreos' army and readying their own as a just in case.

Dwarves: Draconians hate dwarves. Mostly due to a pact gone wrong with some dwarves stealing some treasure from them and generally being too nosey. They are quick to call dwarves "Greedy little footstools" and actively refuse to assist them.

Orcs: The draconians relationship with orcs is a complicated one. While the orcs are barbaric the draconians admire their brute strength. Draconians have been seen to challenge orcs exclusively in sparring sessions. But due to the orcs conquering nature the draconians do not wish to be on their bad side. Essentially playing friendly so they don't have to deal with a war against them.

Elves: Draconians list Elves as the weakest of all the races. The idea of an elf fighting with a sword makes them laugh uncontrollably. And elves are the butt of quite a few draconian jokes. One elf batallion attempted to challenge a group of draconians. Said draconians proceeded to laugh and walk away from the fight. But in the end the draconians know it's in their benefit to keep the elves on good terms so most officials are neutral on elves.

Millitary tactics
Despite how strong draconians are they have a special army comprised of three parts.
The main force is filled with 1st generation berserkers who are meant to rush at enemy armies in an attempt to overwhelm them.
The 2nd generation draconians make up a group simply called the shadows who's main goal is to sneak around and attack from a believed to be safe spot and proceed to make the enemy ranks scatter
The last one is a mixture of 1st and 2nd generations who's main job is to deal with archers and mages. One part being shields to keep the others unharmed while the second part weaponry meant for dispatching mages.
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[Birdsie]

Ravinian Kingdom & The Inquisition

Anthem of Ravinia
Judgment Day by Benjamin Waterfeller

Regis regum rectissimi prope est dies domini, dies irae et vindictae, tenebrarum et nebulae, (x2)
Diesque mirabilium tonitruorum fortium, dies quoque angustiae, maeroris ac tristitiae. (x2)
In quo cessabit mulierum amor et desiderium, hominumque contentio mundi huius et cupido. (x2)

The day of the Lord is nigh, the day of the most righteous, the day of wrath and vengeance, of darkness and shadow. (x2)
And the day of marvelous strong thunderings, even the day of despair, of sorrow and misery. (x2)
In that day will cease women's love and desire, men's strife and the yearnings of this world; the day of the Lord is nigh. (x2) ​

Organization
The Ravinian Kingdom is governed by the Council of Kings, which is currently composed of six kings and the High King Alreos, and constantly growing as new nations kneel before the One God. Under the Council of Kings is the Clergyhood of the One God, simply known as the Inquisition, which is partially a form of government that rules over specified administrative zones along with the aristocracy and which effectively runs the military of Ravinia.

Ravinian Special Forces in Action (4PV (post-Valerian) colorized)

Spoiler