Richter Lawrence Alcross | Trevor Grant | Cerberus (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
keep_hope_alive) wrote2015-04-18 06:23 pm
keep_hope_alive) wrote2015-04-18 06:23 pm
World Info
Richter comes from a version of Earth where magic and technology exist side-by-side. Even though the two forces lived through the ages together, technology developed much faster than magic simply because not everyone have the capabilities to practice it. Only about 4 out of 20 people can use magic and the chances for one of them to have a talent for it is slim but, it wasn't always like this. In the old days of kings and queens, mages were a powerful asset. During times of war they could rain fire down from the sky on a battalion several leagues away, create potions and medicine to cure sicknesses and wounds, and restore life to infertile land.
These mages of old had power over people, power over kings, power over the very forces of nature and they only seemed to become stronger. They believed themselves second only to gods and their reign seemed to last an eternity until the number of mages, and those with the aptitude for magic, started to decrease and a new form of magic was starting to bud.
With the number of mages lessening because of death or the low birth rate of potential mages, technology had stepped in to fill the gap of power left by its predecessor. A kind of "magic" that was not limited to a set few, but available for all to use and experiment with. Technology grew quickly in a very short time, creating various machines, weapons, and vehicles to address the demands of men whilst magic started to fade into the shadows.
As time progressed technology expanded man's horizons with each passing day, while magic tried to find ways to regain its former glory by trying to decode the secrets left by its ancestors.
Magic : Magic in this world is fueled by Mana, the life of all and is present all around and it exists within every living creature. Everyone, in theory, can use mana but the aptitude varies from person to person. Some can use it freely and these people usually become mages, while other got their whole lives without ever feeling mana. Mana is capable of creating almost anything, wood, energy, fire, water, ice, steel, even life. Artificial humans called "Homunculus" can be created from refining mana and giving it a human form but the one thing it cannot do is recreate a life that has already been exhausted or heal wounds.
• MANA AND THE BODY :
o Mages are no different to normal humans in terms of physical condition, but their soul is slightly different. A mages soul generates mana, the medium that allows it to interact with the physical world.
o The soul is not able to use mana freely which is why it is used by the body to create a form that it can use, which is what ultimately links the two.
o When a mage uses magic, mana is expended and the link is put under stress. The amount of magic/mana a mage can use depends on how long the link can withstand the stress placed it on. Like a wire that’s being stretched in opposite directions. This phenomenon is called “Erosion”.
o The Erosion is a naturally occurring phenomenon and cannot be stopped, so mages take great care to know their limits. Any mage that goes beyond what the link can take suffer physical damage depending on how bad it erodes. If pushed too far, it can result in the soul and body being separated resulting in death.
o The links’ strength grows with the user, though not by a lot. It takes effort, proper care, and practice to really strengthen it.
o Each person’s mana is different in color, so even two people who have red colored mana are not of the same hue or intensity
o Coming directly from the soul, or the persona of the mage, their magic is also influenced by emotion. If a mage is confident or arrogant, their magic would manifest in a flashy or showy manner. If angered, the magic would be violent and destructive.
• ELEMENTS :
o At birth, each mage has one natural element that they can command at will. No incantations are required, they only need to use their mana to replicate it
o The element the user controls is not the actual thing, only a replication and mages are unable to manipulate what already exists in nature. In Richter’s case for example, with metal being his natural element, he can’t command an iron pipe to bend but he can make one himself and bend it like paper if he wishes.
o Mages can also manipulate the property of their natural element. Again with Richter as an example, natural metal can conduct electricity and his magic metal can do the same but, if he wants to he can remove the conductive property from his metal with enough focus and effort.
o The way magic replicates an element all depends on how the user preserves the element. If an ice user sees ice as hot, then it will be hot.
o Mages can use all elements of nature but, they would need incantations to do so except if it’s their natural element.
o Mages can freely change the color of the natural element they control. Fire users can change their orange flame to blue, but it won’t exactly be hotter or more intense.
• SPELLS / INCANTATIONS AND PRAYERS :
o To use other elements, mages imbue their words with power and say what they wish for their mana to do. If they want their mana make fire they have to tell it so, but the mana would only do so if they choose the right words. If a mage says “Make fire” and the mana doesn’t react, then it is not the correct word or sentence. This is called the spell vocabulary
o Mages spell vocabulary is different from one another but the commands are all the same. While “make fire” may not work for one, it may work for another
o The more complex the spell, the more elaborate or detailed the sentence must be. Complex spells like that are referred to as Prayers, and is mostly used in enchanting.
o Prayers are powerful spells and are capable of doing amazing things, such as teleportation, opening small pocket dimensions for storage, or communicating telepathically.
• ENCHANTMENTS :
o Enchantments, or enchanting, is a method by which a natural element is blessed with a spell or prayer and given certain properties.
o Enchanted items, such as Richter’s Empty Sky, needs a source to take mana from to maintain its abilities. The item can store mana but it will not last forever, and once depleted it returns to being a normal object.
o An item can have multiple enchantments but it takes more mana for each property it possess
o Enchantments could be placed on any object, but depending on what kind of enchantment is placed on it the object could crumble from being unable to take the stress of the prayer/spell.
• TABOOS :
o One major taboo in magic is healing and resurrection magic. Human bodies are natural elements and cannot be manipulated. Any attempt is sure to end in failure and would only further damage the victims’ body
o Resurrection is a forbidden spell since it requires too much mana to pull a soul back from the afterlife, and no mage who attempted this has survived. The reason for the failure is because no one really knows where a soul goes after death. To bind a soul to body, one must first find the soul and because its whereabouts are unknown the prayer that is used takes too much mana to find it, thus triggering the erosion and severing the link of soul and body.
The Homunculi : The Homunculi, artificial humans, were made by the mages to serve them, to address their needs and wants. In the modern society, they are made in special facilities where the main purpose is to create workers for many businesses. They can be molded to be a house maid, a body guard, a waiter, a cook, anything. They were sometimes treated like objects but they are very much full of life, capable of caring for another, laughing, smiling, and crying. Though they have what would be called a personality, Homunculi lack a human soul thus making them unable to perform magic. Homunculi live a little longer than humans, but they are not capable of reproduction, a sort of insurance that humans will always have some control or edge over them.
Geography : The geography of Richter's world if very much the same as our own, the only exception being the existence of Rise City. The city was built near the sea during the colonial period of America. It was surrounded by mountains and thick forests, with a river cutting across a wide plain and into the ocean. The city was named such because of religious and magical influences, believing that this land would be where men can ascend to new heights thus the name, Rise City. The colony was deeply rooted in religion and mysticism because of the various mages coming to the new world, and it's influence lasted for decades, building various churches, cathedral, and temples giving the city a very gothic look. The city was rich with various cultures, a grand melting pot for western and eastern cultures, but this lead to a high demand in living space that needed to be addressed quickly. The result was poor city planning, and city being generally chaotic in form. This all changed overtime and with advanced building techniques, better city planning, and the proper equipment, the city prospered and became a major hub for trade and culture.
Rise City is known for its mixture of modern and gothic buildings, and for being the center for learning magic in America, with the academy of magic being located here. The city itself is divided into two sides, the old and new city both located on either side of the river. The old city is where the original colony was built and contains most of the cultural sites, such as cathedrals and temples. With the old city being so poorly planned, this makes it the ideal spot of pickpockets, thugs, and other kinds of criminals. Criminals can easily hide between the buildings and the little ghettos located around different areas, making it difficult for the police to be keep the crime rate low but that's just one half of the problem. The other half is with the law enforcement itself. Since the old city's crime rate is almost high, the police here employ a more direct approach to crime usually resorting to violence and accusing people based on race and appearance. Needless to say, this is a pretty bad place to live in.
New city side is a lot more organized and modernized, looking like any other big city. This side is also home to the largest corporation in the city the Leona Company. With it's hand in science, medicine, engineering, and development, it is no exaggeration to say that this corporation was the shadow owner of the entire Rise City. With big sky scrappers, stadiums, and the rise city airport, the new city is certainly a lot more civil and has better living standards but that doesn't mean it's without it's own brand of criminals. Sporting suits and ties instead of guns and chains, the new city criminals are a lot more cunning and dangerous in the long run. Manipulating the stocks and sales, bribery and blackmail, and abusing power, these men and women control the city's business and gov't twisting them to suit their liking. The police force here are often also manipulated by these people, either through blackmail or bribery, so the law isn't really any better on this side. Some still try desperately to arrest these corrupt men and women but because of their influence and power, making charges stick long enough to make a case is very trying for them.
Technology : The technology level of this world is just like the present day. Cars, planes, microchips, etc. are all present. The only difference are machines used to detect mana and seal magic in a certain area to a degree.
Culture : Rise city is a melting pot of races. There are folk from all over, celebrating different events, and practicing different religions. Of course, there are the still racists among the masses but their remarks are easily and often ignored it's different in the case of the Homunculi population. Because Homunculi are man made some people feel that they are superior to them, treating them like objects not even showing a bit of concern or consideration about them. In some extreme cases some are even killed and hunted like game. The police try to prevent such crimes but even they have a hard time fighting against such things since among the police force who look down on the Homunculi even if some are officers as well.
In the workforce, Homunculi are almost never promoted to a position of power and even when they in such a position, most refuse to listen and think of it as a joke. Some Homunculi try to form groups to resist this discrimination, some sympathetic humans join their cause but the opposition is still too great. To summarize the Homunculi, though free to live within society, are not truly free. They have the right to own a home, right to live, and the right to free speech but because of the major discrimination against them, they cannot enjoy their rights to the fullest. Most only take this abuse in silence and be thankful to simply be alive, while those who speak up and stand against it often meet terrible ends. Their hands and feet are forever bound by the invisible chains to society.
These mages of old had power over people, power over kings, power over the very forces of nature and they only seemed to become stronger. They believed themselves second only to gods and their reign seemed to last an eternity until the number of mages, and those with the aptitude for magic, started to decrease and a new form of magic was starting to bud.
With the number of mages lessening because of death or the low birth rate of potential mages, technology had stepped in to fill the gap of power left by its predecessor. A kind of "magic" that was not limited to a set few, but available for all to use and experiment with. Technology grew quickly in a very short time, creating various machines, weapons, and vehicles to address the demands of men whilst magic started to fade into the shadows.
As time progressed technology expanded man's horizons with each passing day, while magic tried to find ways to regain its former glory by trying to decode the secrets left by its ancestors.
Magic : Magic in this world is fueled by Mana, the life of all and is present all around and it exists within every living creature. Everyone, in theory, can use mana but the aptitude varies from person to person. Some can use it freely and these people usually become mages, while other got their whole lives without ever feeling mana. Mana is capable of creating almost anything, wood, energy, fire, water, ice, steel, even life. Artificial humans called "Homunculus" can be created from refining mana and giving it a human form but the one thing it cannot do is recreate a life that has already been exhausted or heal wounds.
• MANA AND THE BODY :
o Mages are no different to normal humans in terms of physical condition, but their soul is slightly different. A mages soul generates mana, the medium that allows it to interact with the physical world.
o The soul is not able to use mana freely which is why it is used by the body to create a form that it can use, which is what ultimately links the two.
o When a mage uses magic, mana is expended and the link is put under stress. The amount of magic/mana a mage can use depends on how long the link can withstand the stress placed it on. Like a wire that’s being stretched in opposite directions. This phenomenon is called “Erosion”.
o The Erosion is a naturally occurring phenomenon and cannot be stopped, so mages take great care to know their limits. Any mage that goes beyond what the link can take suffer physical damage depending on how bad it erodes. If pushed too far, it can result in the soul and body being separated resulting in death.
o The links’ strength grows with the user, though not by a lot. It takes effort, proper care, and practice to really strengthen it.
o Each person’s mana is different in color, so even two people who have red colored mana are not of the same hue or intensity
o Coming directly from the soul, or the persona of the mage, their magic is also influenced by emotion. If a mage is confident or arrogant, their magic would manifest in a flashy or showy manner. If angered, the magic would be violent and destructive.
• ELEMENTS :
o At birth, each mage has one natural element that they can command at will. No incantations are required, they only need to use their mana to replicate it
o The element the user controls is not the actual thing, only a replication and mages are unable to manipulate what already exists in nature. In Richter’s case for example, with metal being his natural element, he can’t command an iron pipe to bend but he can make one himself and bend it like paper if he wishes.
o Mages can also manipulate the property of their natural element. Again with Richter as an example, natural metal can conduct electricity and his magic metal can do the same but, if he wants to he can remove the conductive property from his metal with enough focus and effort.
o The way magic replicates an element all depends on how the user preserves the element. If an ice user sees ice as hot, then it will be hot.
o Mages can use all elements of nature but, they would need incantations to do so except if it’s their natural element.
o Mages can freely change the color of the natural element they control. Fire users can change their orange flame to blue, but it won’t exactly be hotter or more intense.
• SPELLS / INCANTATIONS AND PRAYERS :
o To use other elements, mages imbue their words with power and say what they wish for their mana to do. If they want their mana make fire they have to tell it so, but the mana would only do so if they choose the right words. If a mage says “Make fire” and the mana doesn’t react, then it is not the correct word or sentence. This is called the spell vocabulary
o Mages spell vocabulary is different from one another but the commands are all the same. While “make fire” may not work for one, it may work for another
o The more complex the spell, the more elaborate or detailed the sentence must be. Complex spells like that are referred to as Prayers, and is mostly used in enchanting.
o Prayers are powerful spells and are capable of doing amazing things, such as teleportation, opening small pocket dimensions for storage, or communicating telepathically.
• ENCHANTMENTS :
o Enchantments, or enchanting, is a method by which a natural element is blessed with a spell or prayer and given certain properties.
o Enchanted items, such as Richter’s Empty Sky, needs a source to take mana from to maintain its abilities. The item can store mana but it will not last forever, and once depleted it returns to being a normal object.
o An item can have multiple enchantments but it takes more mana for each property it possess
o Enchantments could be placed on any object, but depending on what kind of enchantment is placed on it the object could crumble from being unable to take the stress of the prayer/spell.
• TABOOS :
o One major taboo in magic is healing and resurrection magic. Human bodies are natural elements and cannot be manipulated. Any attempt is sure to end in failure and would only further damage the victims’ body
o Resurrection is a forbidden spell since it requires too much mana to pull a soul back from the afterlife, and no mage who attempted this has survived. The reason for the failure is because no one really knows where a soul goes after death. To bind a soul to body, one must first find the soul and because its whereabouts are unknown the prayer that is used takes too much mana to find it, thus triggering the erosion and severing the link of soul and body.
The Homunculi : The Homunculi, artificial humans, were made by the mages to serve them, to address their needs and wants. In the modern society, they are made in special facilities where the main purpose is to create workers for many businesses. They can be molded to be a house maid, a body guard, a waiter, a cook, anything. They were sometimes treated like objects but they are very much full of life, capable of caring for another, laughing, smiling, and crying. Though they have what would be called a personality, Homunculi lack a human soul thus making them unable to perform magic. Homunculi live a little longer than humans, but they are not capable of reproduction, a sort of insurance that humans will always have some control or edge over them.
Geography : The geography of Richter's world if very much the same as our own, the only exception being the existence of Rise City. The city was built near the sea during the colonial period of America. It was surrounded by mountains and thick forests, with a river cutting across a wide plain and into the ocean. The city was named such because of religious and magical influences, believing that this land would be where men can ascend to new heights thus the name, Rise City. The colony was deeply rooted in religion and mysticism because of the various mages coming to the new world, and it's influence lasted for decades, building various churches, cathedral, and temples giving the city a very gothic look. The city was rich with various cultures, a grand melting pot for western and eastern cultures, but this lead to a high demand in living space that needed to be addressed quickly. The result was poor city planning, and city being generally chaotic in form. This all changed overtime and with advanced building techniques, better city planning, and the proper equipment, the city prospered and became a major hub for trade and culture.
Rise City is known for its mixture of modern and gothic buildings, and for being the center for learning magic in America, with the academy of magic being located here. The city itself is divided into two sides, the old and new city both located on either side of the river. The old city is where the original colony was built and contains most of the cultural sites, such as cathedrals and temples. With the old city being so poorly planned, this makes it the ideal spot of pickpockets, thugs, and other kinds of criminals. Criminals can easily hide between the buildings and the little ghettos located around different areas, making it difficult for the police to be keep the crime rate low but that's just one half of the problem. The other half is with the law enforcement itself. Since the old city's crime rate is almost high, the police here employ a more direct approach to crime usually resorting to violence and accusing people based on race and appearance. Needless to say, this is a pretty bad place to live in.
New city side is a lot more organized and modernized, looking like any other big city. This side is also home to the largest corporation in the city the Leona Company. With it's hand in science, medicine, engineering, and development, it is no exaggeration to say that this corporation was the shadow owner of the entire Rise City. With big sky scrappers, stadiums, and the rise city airport, the new city is certainly a lot more civil and has better living standards but that doesn't mean it's without it's own brand of criminals. Sporting suits and ties instead of guns and chains, the new city criminals are a lot more cunning and dangerous in the long run. Manipulating the stocks and sales, bribery and blackmail, and abusing power, these men and women control the city's business and gov't twisting them to suit their liking. The police force here are often also manipulated by these people, either through blackmail or bribery, so the law isn't really any better on this side. Some still try desperately to arrest these corrupt men and women but because of their influence and power, making charges stick long enough to make a case is very trying for them.
Technology : The technology level of this world is just like the present day. Cars, planes, microchips, etc. are all present. The only difference are machines used to detect mana and seal magic in a certain area to a degree.
Culture : Rise city is a melting pot of races. There are folk from all over, celebrating different events, and practicing different religions. Of course, there are the still racists among the masses but their remarks are easily and often ignored it's different in the case of the Homunculi population. Because Homunculi are man made some people feel that they are superior to them, treating them like objects not even showing a bit of concern or consideration about them. In some extreme cases some are even killed and hunted like game. The police try to prevent such crimes but even they have a hard time fighting against such things since among the police force who look down on the Homunculi even if some are officers as well.
In the workforce, Homunculi are almost never promoted to a position of power and even when they in such a position, most refuse to listen and think of it as a joke. Some Homunculi try to form groups to resist this discrimination, some sympathetic humans join their cause but the opposition is still too great. To summarize the Homunculi, though free to live within society, are not truly free. They have the right to own a home, right to live, and the right to free speech but because of the major discrimination against them, they cannot enjoy their rights to the fullest. Most only take this abuse in silence and be thankful to simply be alive, while those who speak up and stand against it often meet terrible ends. Their hands and feet are forever bound by the invisible chains to society.