Fantasy Divinity Unbound: The Dragon Goddess (Lore and Mechanics)

[GojiBean]

Please do not post in this thread as it is for information purposes only!​

Welcome one and all to the central Lore page for my RP, Divinity Unbound: The Dragon Goddess! (Link to the IC Posting thread when it's created later)

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Yellow = Humans, Miithi, Uranus
Teal = Elves (normal, Dark and High Elves)
Green = Nymphs, Faeries, Treants, Naiads, Miithi, and Spriggans
Blue = Sirens, Miithi, and Merfolk (Sirens are coastal, Merfolk are out to sea or in large lakes)
Light Purple = Aerolians, Miithi, and Errit
Blue/Gray = Giants
Orange = Dwarves
Brown = Kobolds, Sylthii, and Harosians
Pink = Succubi
Gray/Black = Orcs
Red = Goblins and Imps (Goblins are in the mountains in the East, Imps are all the little ones scattered everywhere else)

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Let's jump right into it with what came before the world our characters know!!

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What Came Before
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Before the existence of time, there was only emptiness.

From this emptiness erupted a light so strong it gave birth to the first semblance of what would be known as life.

The first to Awaken was He who would be called The All Father. Beside him Awakened She who would be called The All Mother. Though carrying what would be known as male and female characteristics They were genderless, stood identically in height, and had powers comparable to one another. Opposite, yet equal in every way. Together They were known as The Duo Of Creation.

From their power was created a space which would become known as The Higher Plane. A space they would call "home." A space where they would go on to create the various Gods to rule the various aspects of this new concept called "life."

The first Child of The Duo Of Creation was She who would become known as Sil'Eph Niir, the Dragon Goddess. Born to a form of tremendous size and might She rivaled Her parents in terms of raw power. Her breath, comprised of pure energy, could destroy near anything it came into contact with. her wings with a single flap could generate hurricane winds that would last for weeks on end. And a whip of her tail would generate such a tremendous shockwave that it could split the world asunder. But Sil'Eph Niir wished for no such destruction. She loved Her parents. And They loved Her. Her heart was born to benevolence, and it filled her very being to the core. In service to Her almighty Mother and Father, Sil'Eph Niir took the mantle of Protector Of The Higher Plane. A role she took on with great pride and ferocity.

But from what?

Darkness.

Pure, unadulterated Darkness became a force known and all too familiar to the Gods before long. For every Child born to The Duo Of Creation, a Child of Darkness was born from whatever impurities were left over. These Children of Darkness were not very powerful on their own. But their numbers seemed never to decrease. It was as if, no matter how many times their physical bodies were destroyed, their Dark power would eventually rejuvenate a new one. And so it was. Darkness, like Divinity, can never be destroyed outright. Only banished temporarily and forced to recover enough power to manifest itself in a new physical form.

Finally, Hrath'ol Ga, The God of Time was born. And from His very presence emerged the passage of time itself. The gift of the sun, the moon, the stars, and sky. The passing of days, hours, minutes, and second. The Higher Plane now had a daily cycle, and the concept of tracking one's "Age" was born.

Time passed. But to the Immortal Gods its passage seemed... arbitrary.

This revelation brought with it a new sensation within their collected hearts. A sense of lacking fulfillment. The passage of time was something they could not appreciate or put true value into. That is until Yilia, The Goddess Of Wisdom, brought forth the idea of gifting life to new beings of their own creation as a means to appreciate the passage of time vicariously. And thus the concept of the "Mortal" was born.

To test this new concept The Duo Of Creation created a new space which would be called The Mortal Plane. It would be home to the Mortals produced by the Gods. To fill this space, Shara'Ma, The God Of Worlds, created the Earth, the moon, and the other worlds and stars which would inhabit this space.

As the first Child of The Duo Of Creation, Sil'Eph Niir was the first to offer a portion of Her divine power to create a race of beings which would henceforth be known as the Dragons. Born to the shape of their Mother's true form, the Dragons would spread to all corners of the globe. But there was a problem. It was too easy. Too perfect. The Dragons would age and die naturally, but something was missing. Life was too simple. They existed. And that was all. There was nothing to challenge them. Nothing to hinder them. Nothing to make this existence more than that. An existence.

They needed nothing.

To fulfil this need Yilia suggested the creation of requirements to live. Requirements beyond simply being born. Requirements which would, if unfulfilled, bring life to an end. From Her wisdom was created the concept of hunger, thirst, and sleep. Sil'Eph Niir was forced to destroy and re-creat the Dragons with these concepts in mind. A process which broke Her heart as She was made to do this Herself. However, this change brought only in-fighting and carnage as the Dragons killed and fed on each other for survival. The horrors of this reality struck Sil'Eph Niir hard as She watched Her children kill one another, perishing as a whole for the second time.

More was needed.

Yilia suggested the world be filled with more beings to sate the Dragon's hunger and prevent such a tragedy from happening again. And so the world was filled with other primitive creatures which would become known as "animals." Sil'Eph Niir once again recreated the Dragons. And as planned they fed on the animals to sustain themselves while enjoying the waters of the world to quench their thirst. Once tired, they would find places to lie and rest. Improvements were made. But still it did not satisfy. There were still things missing. Yilia spent over 100 years conceptualizing and planning all the various elements of life on Earth before presenting them all to The Duo Of Creation for approval. Upon receiving it the Mortal Plane was destroyed and re-created. And while this provided a blank slate to work from, it was the third time Sil'Eph Niir was forced to watch Her children die for the sake of this new world. Her heart grew heavier with each re-creation, and Her fears of it happening again intensified.

However, success. The world was generated anew and Sil'Eph Niir's Children were once again the first to set foot upon it.

... It was perfect. Life in its purest form had at last graced the Mortal Plane. Durable and strong, yet fragile and weak at the same time. Birth led to life, and life to death in an endless cycle. Everything had a place. And everything had a purpose.

The world of Mortals was complete... Or so They thought.

The Duo Of Creation saw fit to have each of the Gods create a unique race upon this world. And each would be granted at least some characteristics of the Gods themselves. Sil'Eph Niir's Dragons, for example, were smaller versions of their Mother's true form. Massive reptilian creatures of immense power and majesty who soared through the skies, burrowed through the Earth, and swam the depths of the world's oceans. Other races would be born to resemble their Parents in one form or another. The majority would be granted what would be called "humanoid" forms.

These humanoid races would be granted complete agency, as The Duo Of Creation forbade any direct interference from the Gods in any way. No matter what happened, life would find a way forward. No matter what happened, life would endure. No matter what happened, or how broken things seemed to become, life would persevere.

And from this realization came another discovery... Magic.

The power of the Gods had left something behind in the world which the Mortals would eventually come to know as "Mana." As a relic of the Gods, this Mana held vast potential. And through creativity and ingenuity the humanoid races all found ways to harness it for themselves in furtherance of their own desires and goals. And thus the many forms of Magic, as it would be known, were born.

And so, the world as we know it now begins...

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... Consequences...
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With the Mortal Plane now created and populated with the mortal races we know, things began to change.

Intelligence led to desire. Desire led to greed. And greed led to evil.

The world found a sense of balance in the existence of Good and Evil, Light and Darkness.

But with the rise of this balance for mortals, an imbalance would spark the beginning of a war the mortals would never know.

A being born of the Darkness would descend upon The Higher Plane. The culmination of all things negative in the Mortal Plane, coupled with the subtle release of Darkness with each labor of the Gods throughout all of time and existence, its power surpassed even those of The Duo Of Creation. And with its power growing, so too did its body. In Earth terms, this being became the size of a mountain. A single footstep would crush any God beneath destroying their body and releasing their divine essence to recover and renew itself later.

Taking to Her true form Sil'Eph Niir, whose own immortal body as a Dragon rivaled the wicked being in size, would do battle with it and was supported by Her siblings. The battle raged for years until Sil'Eph Niir was finally defeated and her body too destroyed by this wicked and terrifying creature.

And this would have consequences not even The Duo Of Creation could foresee...

Sensing the "death" of their Mother beyond the borders of their own Plane of existence, the Dragon Race sought to build a Temple at the Center of the World. Through this Temple, and by sacrificing one of their own in prayer to their Mother, the mortal body which was sacrificed became infused with Sil'Eph Niir's consciousness and memories. By use of ancient magics now long forgotten by the rest of Mortal kind, the Dragons restored and revitalized the Mortal coil and breathed new life into it from beyond the grave.

Sil'Eph Niir lived again... But she would not wake.

Try as they might the Dragons gained no response from their Mother to their pleas, prayers, and attempts to rouse her from her slumber.

Thankfully, even without Sil'Eph Niir the Gods were eventually victorious. The wicked being was banished to a new space between the Mortal and Higher Plane known as The Void Between Worlds. And there it remains to this day in what the Gods can only hope is an eternal slumber. Should this beast rise again... Even the Gods know not whether they can best it a second time.

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The Mortal Experience Today
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Today, there exist numerous races which are as follows:

Humans - Self-explanatory. Their magical potential is middle of the road compared to certain other races, but their sheer numbers make them difficult to deal with in war time. For the most part, humans are a craps shoot. You never know what the next human will be like because of how diverse they are in terms of culture, upbringing, etc. Human beings have an average life span of approximately 70 years, and are able to live in diverse biomes throughout the world.

Elves - Basic Elves. Light skin, pointy ears angled upwards, prideful, elegant, and arrogant. They believe themselves largely superior to other races, especially the non-magical races like Orcs and Kobolds. Their magical abilities are quite strong. Contrary to popular fantasy lore, Elves are not the best archers in the world. So Legolas won't be showing up in the RP. Sorry, not sorry. ;P Elves live an average of 1,500 years, and prefer to live in or near forests or open grasslands.

High Elves - High Elves are almost extinct with Elena (GojiBean's character) being one of the last of her kind. Their ears point slightly down and are traditionally covered on top with metallic or wooden ear jewelry. They speak largely in the High Elven tongue which is unique and all but forgotten outside of the few who remain. Their magical potential is the second highest among all mortal races, second only to the Dragons. However, there have been no known instances of High Elves having any combat-oriented magical prowess in recorded history.

Dark Elves - A sub-species of Elves with darker skin, pointy ears angled downward, more physically inclined than Elves as they are non-magical and prefer hand-to-hand and weapon combat to magic or projectile combat. They're far quicker to execute an intruder than capture or question them. And they find the Miithi and Errit to be tiresome species with their shapeshifting abilities. Dark Elves live approximately 1,500 years, and prefer to live deep in the heart of forests with giant trees.

Orcs - Large and powerful, but not tremendously intelligent humanoids with a brutish nature and dark skin between deep green and black. They are non-magical, and spend most of their time engaging in barbaric customs and rituals amongst their own kind. They despise diplomacy, and crave the sight and smell of blood on the battlefield. Orcs live to be around 400 years old, and live primarily in rough, rocky, or arid environments.

Dwarves - Stout humanoids who prefer mountains and caves to open cities and plains. Good with building and forging things, and are usually unable to resist the call of Gold. Though they are greedy and selfish by nature, they are dependable when their trust and respect are earned. Elves have gold and Dwarves have the best crafting skills in the world... So although there is a strong resentment between the races, open trade is established and flourishing. Dwarves live to be about 250 years old, and live primarily in mountains and cave systems in said mountains.

Faeries - Humanoids with translucent insect-like (typically butterfly) wings who can understand animals as if they're speaking the same language. They are normal human sized, speak the modern tongue very well, and have a unique language with nature which requires no audibly spoken words or sounds. They are highly secretive, and usually very shy. Fairies live to be around 400 years old, and live in deep, dark forests well beyond the comfort zone of most other humanoids.

Nymphs - Humanoids who can become one with inanimate nature around them (like trees) for a short time (very draining on stamina to hold it). They can sense nature's distress, and summon creatures around them to aid them in times of need. They are also average human size, and very, very reclusive. Because their ties with nature are so strong, they actively seek to protect it. Sometimes more violently than one would imagine from creatures so peaceful. Nymphs live to be around 800 years old and live in almost all of the world's forested environments.

Miithi - Humanoids with at least two animal extremities such as a tail, ears, eyes, or claws. They can transform into the animal whose physical traits they share, and are much larger than their natural world counterparts (in some cases, anyway ). Though they are non-magical, they are very keenly attuned to the balance of mana in the world around them thanks to their animalistic senses. Miithi live to be around 200 years old, and live in a vast array of environments suited to their animal form's biology.

Aerolians - Humans with bird-like wings on their backs. They can survive high altitude conditions and fly on their own power. They typically live high in the mountains away from other civilized peoples, interacting with them solely through trade or diplomacy during times of great need. Other than that, they prefer to keep to their own. Aerolians live to be about 100 years old, and are largely concentrated in the norther mountains of Northundra.

Errit - Humanoids with bird wings instead of arms who, similarly to the Miithi, can transform into a large version of the bird whose features they share if the need arises. And much like the Miithi, they are highly attuned to the balance of mana in the world. Their kind is non-magical, but they don't need to be with their ability to fly. They live to be around 100 years old and are largely concentrated in the Western mountains of Lhamia.

Merfolk - Humanoids who, when exposed to enough water on their bodies, transform the lower halves of their bodies into a fish tail to swim at high speeds and reveal their gills to breathe beneath the waves. They usually keep to themselves in the oceans unless other races begin tampering with it, during which time they will aggressively defend their homes by any means necessary. Merfolk live to be around 100 years old and live all throughout the world's oceans, except the waters near Dragon's Cove in the center of the world due to the aquatic Dragons who drive away any and all seagoing intruders.

Goblins - Small humanoids, and a sub-species of Orcs. They're mischievous and conniving, and often get into trouble with other races. Despite their non-magical nature, they are very light footed and adept at combating magical arts using a combination of agility and reflective shields which can repel magic. Goblins can live for up to around 60 years, and typically live in mountains and caves, though they can sometimes venture into valleys and forests as well.

Treants - Tree-like humanoids who move slowly, but are very, very strong and long-lived. The oldest Treant in the world is about to celebrate its 33,068th birthday. They are largely peaceful creatures, but will violently defend their forest homes from any destructive invaders. Treants live an average of 25,000 years when left in peace, and life in the deep forests of Ilstramark.

Giants - Humanoids with massive stature, averaging 15' (4.5m) in height. They are non-magical, and do not speak the common tongue. They can often be found wandering the wilds at the bases of mountains and in very cliff-filled terrain setting up large camps and bonfires to keep warm at night. Giants live to be around 1,000 years old and live primarily in the Wastes of Katal.

Imps - Small humanoids with bat-like wings who are even more mischievous than Goblins. While not really threatening individually, in great numbers they can raze an entire city in a single night. They're very cowardly, so this is not a common occurrence... But it has happened before. Imps live to be around 50 years old and live in various environments, but are largely nocturnal.

Succubi - An all-female race which can transform from fully-human looking guises into vampiric creatures of the night with sharp teeth, wings, and devilish tails to feed off of the life energy and innermost desires of their favorite prey: humanoids males. Though this is inherently non-lethal, it does drain vitality from their prey and turns them, over time, into husks of their former selves. A side effect of this feeding method is that the Succubus can see the desires and memories as if they were a video being played for them while they feed. So even if you've never told anyone of your deepest desires to see your first crush naked, she will see it when she feasts on your desires. They live to be around 500 years old and can live in almost any environment so long as there is an ample supply of male humanoids to feed from every few weeks.

Succubi reproduce by converting the energy and vitality they drain from their prey into a special organ in their lower abdomen which acts much the same as a human female's womb. When enough vitality and energy is collected, a viable embryo is formed and is usually born within the next two to three months.

Kobolds - Small canine-like humanoids with a penchant for thievery and deception. Incredibly intelligent, but physically frail. They are non-magical, but very fond of their chosen trades. It's all but a scientifically recognized instinct for them to behave this way. Kobolds live to be around 80 years old and live mostly in grassland areas where their speed and agility are best put to use.

Naiads - Humanoids with the ability to transform into plants (most commonly flowers or trees). They can also communicate with creatures in nature and sense the distress of their forest homes. Though they can use magic, it's not very powerful. And this species, due to its peaceful nature, is often the victim of attacks by other, more aggressive races seeking more territory or bloodsport. Naiads live to be around 350 years old and live in only the most fertile of lands, both grassland and forested.

Spriggans - Tree-like humanoids with aggressive tendencies who protect their forest homes with their lives, even in peace times. They do not speak the modern tongue, and often don't care to learn the reasons intruders into their homes have for being there. They're a very attack-first, ask questions later kind of race, not unlike Orcs. However, they have been known to show respect for beings which treat the forest with respect and cause no harm as they pass through. Spriggans live to be around 200 years old and live in deep forests all over the world.

Sirens - All-female humanoids who sing songs near the sea to lure sailors to sink or crash their ships, and proceed to feed on the hapless fools. They are similar to Merfolk, but do not transform into fish-people. Instead, they are all Water Magic users who can use their magic to move rapidly through the water to ambush and assault their prey once they've crashed. Sirens live to be around 200 years old, reproduce in the same manner as Succubi, and live throughout many of the world's ocean coastlines.

Harosians - All-male humanoids with heavily tattooed flesh whose preferred food source are human cattle. They are a heavy nuisance to humans especially. This species is able to reproduce in a manner similar to Succubi, wherein which they absorb the life energy from their food to fuel the development of a viable embryo within their bodies. But unlike females, the embryo develops in their throats and is regurgitated in a protective sac when they are very small (about half the size of the average human baby). Harosians live around 120 years and live mostly in grassland environments where cattle are in ample supply.

Shemaians - Eyeless humanoids with thin, frail bodies who, despite their blindness, use a unique form of magic to "see" the world around them and can detect positive and negative energy sources. They cannot use any form of magic but this strange "Sight" magic, but are nonetheless more resistant to other magical arts in ways most other races aren't. This species is very rare, living in solitude following the decimation of their species to war with other humanoids over the centuries. They're nowhere near extinct, but they are on the decline, and very elusive. Shemaians live to be around 300 years old, and live largely in isolated mountain valleys cut off from the rest of the world.

Uranus - They are identical to humans in appearance, but the females of this species have a unique form of magic which allows them to manipulate the emotions of any individual of their choosing within a range of about fifteen feet (4.5m). This ability is very draining on their stamina, and can usually only be used once every few hours. Uranus live to be around 100 years old and can live in almost any environment, but prefer grasslands and low-lying mountains.

Sylthii - Hyenamen humanoids with a penchant for mercenary work. At around the same bipedal standing height as humans, and with a largely similar anatomy save their hips and ankles being more canine-like, they're able to run both bipedally and quadrupedally with incredible speed and grace to chase down their targets. Sylthii live to be around 100 years old and prefer to live in grassland environments, though they're equally at home in thinly forested areas.

(I am open to creating new races if you don't see a personal favorite on the list yet)

These races do not always get along. The rivalry/hatred between Dwarves and Elves is especially strong due to the number and severity of the differences between their respective lifestyles, appearances, and political preferences and processes.

I'm not going to get too much into politics as a whole because it's not going to feature too heavily in the RP. But just know that a lot of these races have at least one "rival" or "enemy" among the other races. For example the Faeries are enemies of the Orcs and Goblins.

If you pick a certain race we can discuss racial biases in more detail providing it's needed to describe your character's bio.

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The Magic System
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So, now we come to the Magic System. And boy, there's a lot to talk about. Here we go!

Rules of Magic

1) Magic is only possible to utilize by harnessing Mana. As such, it's not something anyone can learn on one's own. And the reason for this is simple. Being a relic of the Divine power of the Gods, Mana does not inherently interact with the bodies of Mortals. The body has to be taught how to open itself to the presence of Mana, learn to let it flow freely, and then learn to control it directly before a single magical spell can be generated. And this practice is only taught in accredited Magical Academies.

2) Magical arts drain Mana from the world around the user in small quantities. If and when Mana is completely drained from an area, magical arts can no longer be used until the Mana regenerates which, depending on how severe the drain is and how wide-spread it was, can potentially take centuries (more on this later).

3) The United Magical Council takes the teaching and practice of magic very seriously and thus has forbidden the teaching of magic outside of specially certified academies throughout the world. To teach someone the art of magic outside these schools is punishable by death for both the teacher and their student. And the UMC has spies constantly traveling the world searching for any who violate this universal law. So, if you want to be someone taught "off the books" then you'll need to touch base with GojiBean for approval so you and he can hammer out the details as to how and why your character isn't dead.

Magical Affinity

Mortals in this world are born with only a single magical affinity which governs what kind of magic they will be able to use throughout their life. If your affinity is Fire, you will only ever be able to learn Fire Magic. If your affinity is Healing, you'll only ever be able to use Healing Magic. So on and so forth.

To learn one's Magical Affinity they need but be exposed to various forms of Magic either by local Mages, or visit a Magical Academy where they have specialized rooms to test you in. Once exposed to the form of magic with which you share your affinity your body will begin glowing and you will feel a warmth spread through your body as well as a pull to the magic itself, as if it's calling you.

Should you pursue the craft of magic you must journey to one of the academies which teaches magical arts based on your affinity (each academy specializes in two to three affinities). Upon arrival and the submission of a formal request for an application you will be taken to meet the Head Master and four Soul Searcher Mages. These four mages will observe your behavior during the interview with the Head Master to determine if you are true or false with your answers and intentions. Should you prove to be false you will be turned away and put on a Watch List by the spies of the UMC.

Should you prove true in your answers and intentions you will be accepted into the academy and your journey with magic may begin...

The Training

The earliest any individual may begin training, regardless of race or bloodlines, is age 16. Not one Magical Academy in the world will accept anyone younger for any reason.

The journey to become a Mage is a long one, and the road to becoming a "Master" is longer still. And a general outline of the process can be seen below:

* Learning to open one's body to the flow of Mana... 2-year process
* Learning to let Mana flow freely... 6-month process
* Learning to control the flow of Mana... 6-month process
* Learning to concentrate mana in ways unique to your affinity in preparation for magical spells... 2-year process
* Learning to cast basic spells... 1-year process
* Learning to cast intermediate spells... 1-year process
* Learning to cast advanced spells... 3-year process
* Learning to create your own unique spell (required to graduate from any Magical Academy)... 1-year process
* The Graduation Test... 4-year process

Total Time Invested: 15 years

As you can see, learning magic is very, very difficult. And even after you endure this 20-year process, at (earliest) age 31 you're still only a graduate which means you're just a "Mage."

You've still got a long way to go before you become a "Master."

To become recognized as a "Master" you must first petition the United Magical Council to allow you to participate in a grueling 10-year intensive program known as the Master's Trial. At the same time as you submit your petition for participation you will also submit a design for your personal insignia which will be utilized if and only if you complete the trial (more on this later). The Master's Trial itself is a grueling process which will push your mental, emotional, physical, and magical limits hundreds of times throughout the entire 10-year experience.

To give some perspective of just how hard this is, only 0.002% of those who have ever entered this program, no matter their race or bloodlines, have managed to complete it.

The official statistics are as follows:

* 48% drop out within the first six months
* 34% drop out before the end of the first year
* 12.5% drop out before the end of the third year
* 3.6% drop out before the end of the fifth year
* 1.5% drop out before the end of the eighth year
* 0.398% drop out before the end of the ninth year

One last statistic... 27.4% of all applicants die during this Trial.

Using a hypothetical number of 100,000, only 145 will become Masters once you factor in the death rate (and round down to the nearest whole number). 27,400 will die, leaving 72,600 to be weeded out with the drop-out rates before the final 0.002% manage to succeed. In the end, it's 145 individuals who become masters out of the original 100,000.

Should you become one of the 0.002% who succeed in this gruesome venture, the following take place:

1) The Ceremony of Ascension is held in your honor during which time you are recognized by the presiding Grandmaster of the United Magical Council as a Master of your art.

2) You will receive specially crafted and personally fitted robes which identifies your magical art in the style and coloring of the fabrics; and the fabric is laced with raw magical energy which helps to enhance the potency of your spells.

3) The back of your robes will bear the insignia which you submitted to the Council when you petitioned to enter the Master's Trial, and serve as your personal identifier for the remainder of your natural life.

4) Your name will be forever engraved in the Hall of Enlightenment on a pillar which has been carved to look like a spell from your magical art

5) Being named a Master gives you unique authority throughout the world which includes the following:

• Passing through border checkpoints without the need for a permit or known family crest
• Requesting meetings with, or work from, the ruling families of almost any nation at any time (Orcs aren't likely to give a damn about your status), as well as taking first priority over all others seeking the same
• The right to moderate or call an immediate end to magical feuds (aka duels) wherever they take place (as they are frowned upon among mages of all practices)

On a side note, some (or all) of you might be wondering why Magic takes so long to learn and why being recognized as a master starts (at earliest) age 41. The answer is simple... To stop 20-something "Masters" from making it into the RP.

I could hold everyone to the honor system, but sadly that has proven ineffective in the past and I've learned to take precautions when utilizing mechanics so easily abused as magic.

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Types Of Magic
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These are the (current) magical arts usable in the RP. I will continue to update this page as I think of more types of magic to use. Thanks!

Elemental

Because the Elemental magics are all naturally occurring in the world it takes only a single spell to activate a response from the world around you and get the element in question to respond. Then, you can use the mana in the environment to shape it as desired. If you need more info, hit me up!

- Fire
- Water
- Earth
- Wind

Defensive

Warding - Creating wards to block incoming spells, but not physical objects.

Magic Circles - Creates magic circles in the ground or on almost any surface to trap anything that comes near enough and is small enough to fit inside the circle. If something larger comes along the trap will activate and break almost immediately as the target passes by.

"Circle" is a bit of a misnomer, and these spells can be cast in any shape the user can think of, no matter how obtuse it may be. Also, a Magic Circle spell is, in large part, a force field to immobilize an enemy. However, they're not paralyzed. They can still wriggle in an attempt to get free. And if they're a powerful mage, they can still activate their own spells in an attempt to assault the circle itself and break it, or you in order to break your concentration and free themselves.

Shadowfare - Manipulates the shadows to both move through or hinder movement in others, as well as disorient targets. This magical art, despite its appearance, is a quasi-elemental art form. But because it's not as tangible as its relatives like fire it's classified as a largely Defensive art form. However, savvy Shadowfare mages know how to make it just as offensive as it is defensive.

Shadowfare mages can also move through the shadows, similar to Transportation magic. But they can only do so over short distances. An average jump distance would be between 3-5 meters, though much larger leaps are possible without too much extraneous effort. But once you break 12 meters, things start getting much more taxing.

Illusion - Creates illusions to disorient and confuse enemies. These illusions can be anything from a bubble around the user's head which causes them to see the world differently, to creating a wall of illusion so they can't see what's truly beyond it and think they're looking at something else. A skilled Illusion mage could create a bubble of illusion around an enemy causing them to see what they fear most, and guide the illusion in such a way as to lead them towards a cliff they cannot see coming. Once they take their first step over the edge, the illusion can be lifted, and they will see the chasm just long enough to realize they're now falling to their death.

Sealing - Seals magic in other beings, and is much more difficult to use against those with a higher magical threshold than the user. However, a powerful Sealing Mage could seal the magic of an equally powerful enemy mage for as long as they can maintain concentration on the task. This form of magic is almost solely practiced from behind the front lines, as any direct interference will break concentration and the Seal will fail, thus unleashing the target once again.

Transportation - This magical art comes in two phases. An Anchor, and a Trigger. The user sets an Anchor in the world to serve as a warp point, and then they can use a secondary "trigger" spell to warp to said point. The longer the distance traveled will have adverse effects on the user. The single longest transportation ever attempted was approximately 1,000 miles, and it almost killed the Master who attempted it.

Assist

Healing - Heals physical wounds. This does not, however, recover stamina or relive other natural ailments like soreness. It's only for dealing directly with wounds and mending the body. Not relieving the pain of what once was. So the victim who is healed will still feel the pain and discomfort of whatever wounds they suffered for a short time after the Healing is over.

Medical - Heals illnesses and can remove toxins from the body. This does not, however, relieve the body of the symptoms of said toxins, presuming the spells are successful. In order to relieve those symptoms, the body must naturally deal with it on its own, or a doctor and antibiotics/medicine must be sought to relieve them.

Seid - Song magic used by Nymphs and Faeries to affect their targets with disorientation, dizziness, or even pain.

Other

Alchemy - Is able to take ingredients and almost instantly transform them into an item or resulting material that the ingredients would have created, such as creating a medical salve from herbs and extracts, or creating gunpowder from sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal.

Divination - The user utilizes a crystal ball to see into the future for an individual. This is usually done in singular short spells to catch a glimpse that's maybe a half second to two seconds long. Anything longer is usually considered taboo and unethical, as knowing too much of one's future is potentially very dangerous.

Soul Searching - Can see inside the mind of an individual seeing their brain light up green for telling a truth and red for telling a lie.

Animation - An Active form of magic which allows the spellcaster to bring inanimate objects to life for as long as their concentration holds, or as long as the enemies don't destroy the objects.

Conjuration - Summons Spectral Creatures from another realm to fight for the individual in question. These creatures have minds of their own, but are naturally obedient to the summoner. They will remain in the world for anywhere between fifteen seconds to one full minute before returning to their realm. If you really dump all your mana into the summoning, they'll stick around for maybe a minute and a half to two minutes.

Magic Smithing - This is a rather complicated form of magic which relies on bottled "Essence" of specific magical arts in order to infuse that essence into a weapon, armor, clothing, or item. The stronger the essence, the longer the enchantment on the resulting work will last and the more potent its effects will be. This process is insanely expensive and something usually only the wealthy will ever enjoy. All enchanted works will eventually lose the enchantment. The longest enchantment ever recorded lasted for a period of two months, and it was a sword imbued with Fire essense.

Polingual - Enables the user to understand any language as if it is spoken in the modern tongue for as long as their spells are active.

Forbidden Magics - (NPC enemies only)

Possession - Possesses the mind of the target.

Necromancy - Forcefully removes spirits of the dead to live again in undead bodies to fight for the summoner against their will. The spirits feel everything that happens as if they were alive. And unless they are dismissed by the summoner, they will continue to fight until the body is destroyed beyond the ability to continue battle, meaning the spirit must face the pain of death a second time.

Siphon - Siphons the life energy of the target, can be strung with multiple magic circles to siphon multiple targets at once.

Memory - Manipulates the memory of the target, sometimes even erasing it entirely and turning them into a blank slate.

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Money
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This is a really simply mechanic, but an important one cause money will be a regular part of the RP experience.

One Copper is the equivalent of $1 USD.

One Silver is the equivalent of $50 USD (or 50 Copper)

And one Gold is the equivalent of $500 USD (or 10 Silver)

Simple, but again, important. You will be expected to keep track of your character's personal funds. And I'll be keeping track too to make sure we're on the same page and there's no magical renewing of money from out of nowhere.

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The Calendar, and the passage of time
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The current age is the Selicene Era, and it began 574 years ago.

So, for date purposes...

Year 574 SE is how you will reference your character's birth date.

If your character is 24, they were born in 550 SE. Etc, etc.

Every day lasts for 28 hours as opposed to 24 in our real world.

The sun is out for 16 of those hours, and 12 hours are spent in darkness.

The sun rises at 7am, and sets at 23pm (this time is tracked directly numerically rather than using a 12am-12pm clock like the US does).