Tome of Majin

[Shin Majin]

Marash Caldien

Name: Marash Caldien

Power: Moderate-high. While Marash possesses powerful and versatile magic, her lack of actual combat skill limits her power.

Species: Half-sphinx, half-human

Gender: Female

Age: 124

Appearance: As a sphinx, Marash possesses the hindquarters and forepaws of a lion, the head and upper torso of a human, the wings of a falcon, and a serpent-headed tail. She is considerably larger than your average lion, weighing nearly three-hundred pounds. Her fur is a tawny gold, and her hair is chestnut-brown. Her feathers are mostly white, with a dull-brown near the edges, and the scales on her tail are dark green, almost black. She wears her shoulder-length hair in braids, which she does herself via magic. She almost always has a calm, smug grin across her brown-eyed face. She wears nothing.

Personality: Marash is arrogant, and extremely prideful, especially when it comes to her intellect. She is generally calm, collected, and quite difficult to frighten. She considers herself above the morality of humans, and tries to project the image of an amoral, cold-hearted man-eater, but she is actually rather soft-hearted. She is rather sensitive about this, and does her best to uphold her monstrous image. Aside from her pride, her greatest weakness is her big mouth, and she is prone to long-winded explanations to her foes of just how she plans to defeat them.

History: Marash is the only child of the sphinx Natal Caldien and kind-hearted human adventurer. Reproducing with a less intelligent species is taboo in sphinx culture, so they were outcast from the community. Taking up residence in a remote mountain range, Natal taught her daughter about the ways of the world, and more importantly, the ways of magic. Thirty years later, her father died of natural causes, and Marash, now a capable wizard, set off on her own, taking up residence in the ruins of an ancient library in the desert. Eventually, she finished reading what tomes remained within, and set out into the world, seeking further knowledge.

Abilities: By sheer virtue of her species, Marash possesses strength beyond that of your average human warrior, though truly exceptional humans may be stronger than her. She has fairly powerful claws, though they are little match for heavy armor. Her most potent natural weapon is her serpent-headed tail, the venom from which causes intense pain, bleeding, necrosis, and possibly death, if untreated. Ultimately, however, she is not trained as a warrior.
Her true power comes from her intellect and magical aptitude. A powerful wizard, Marash has a strong preference for earth and fire elemental magic, though she knows a handful of spells from most schools of magic. Her signature combat spell is the Earthen Orb, which launches a ball of clay, stone, or iron ore, depending on how much time and effort she puts into casting it. She also strongly favors the Stone Shape spell and a minor telekinesis spell.
Marash is very well learned, and possesses more raw brainpower than any normal human ever could. She is extremely knowledgeable in the fields of thaumatology, mathematics, architecture, linguistics, and also is well versed in monstrous lore.

Settings: Marash is almost completely exclusive to high fantasy settings, though she may be viable with other settings provided they have enough high fantasy content.

Variants: Generally, Marash's sphinx heritage completely overrides her human blood, but in settings where this would not occur, she actually has a bipedal posture, though she still lacks hands. In settings where a union of human and sphinx would be impossible, she is typically a full-blooded sphinx.

[Shin Majin]

Song

Name: Song

Power: High. Song is strong, clever, and extremely agile, and her special abilities, especially her song, are very potent.

Species: Unique

Gender: Female

Age: 4 (adult at birth)

Appearance: A blend of many different creatures, Song stands at 5’7”. Her body is covered entirely in heavy plumage. Her head is that of a bird of prey, with a short, sharp, ivory white beak. Contrasting her avian visage is a pair of curling ram-like horns, though they are too small to be useful. Her torso is roughly humanoid in shape, and in spite of her bird-like features, she is rather well-endowed, though her plumage is sufficient to keep her modest. Her arms are large feathered wings, normally folded against her body. Sprouting from her back is another pair of skeletal wings, devoid of skin, muscle, or other soft tissue. Despite this, they still move, though without much purpose. Her legs are the muscular legs of a goat, and end in oddly sharp hooves; white like her horns and beak, but with a curious spiked protrusion in back, giving them the appearance of high heels. Her tail is long and whip-like, and ends in a feathered tuft. Contrary to what one might expect, she does not come across as "mis-matched." Rather, her features blend together smoothly, and her body is well-rationed, making her beautiful in the classic sense. Her plumage varies in coloration, as every time she sleeps, she molts completely, and regrows her feathering the same night. Her feathering comes in three different patterns. The first is jet black, with white specks, giving her the appearance of the night sky. The second is pure white, with tiny golden symbols running across each individual feather. The third is a dark red-purple, with navy blue along the edges of her wings.

Personality: Song is afflicted by variant of manic depression. Song can only feel emotional extremes. When she is pleased, she is euphoric. When she is irritated, she is outraged. When disappointed, she becomes deeply depressed. As intense as her emotions are, it is relatively easy to sway her emotions…as long as she doesn’t think you’re trying to manipulate her. That really ticks her off. This extremism also applies to her opinions. Everything there is she either loves, hates, or is apathetically disinterested in. Outside of her madness, she is rather narcissistic, though not quite to the point of megalomania.

History: Song's mother, Xyn, was the servant of an insane and childish goddess of chaos called Pandora. To further her mistress’s agenda, she used a combination of science, magic, and things beyond sane comprehension to create bizarre creatures using a few pieces of existing beings. Song is the most successful result of this, being a fusion of satyr, nymph, harpy, some manner of vulture-like demon, and the tiniest bit of Pandora's own essence. Song was immediately indoctrinated into her mother’s faith as soon as she could speak, and worked with her to spread change and anarchy throughout the world, whether the people wanted it or not.

Abilities: Song has a highly magical voice, and can mimic nearly any sound or voice she hears or thinks of. In addition, those who hear her singing suffer from hallucinations of her design. These hallucinations are only visual and auditory in nature, and Song must concentrate somewhat to use this ability. Moderate pain will interrupt her. Her voice can also be tuned to such frequencies as to cause damage to specific substances. It is also worth noting that while Song is strong, intelligent, and extremely nimble, her body is highly magical, and should her magical nature somehow be suppressed, she weakens greatly, and her voice loses its power. In addition, she can engulf a portion of her body, typically her feet, with chaotic energy, lending unpredictable properties to her strikes. She has no control as to what manner of effect occurs.

Settings: Song is best used in very high fantasy settings, preferably with a bit of technology thrown in.

Variants: One variant of Song is not created by mad science, but by (slightly) more conventional magic. This Song lacks her insanity and chaotic powers. Depending on the setting, Song may lack any or all of her special attacks.

[Shin Majin]

Gly'al

Name: Gly'al

Power: High. While Gly'al is not the most skilled combatant, he is quick, strong, durable, and highly resourceful. His teleportation enables him to engage or flee from an opponent with ease.

Species: Vulture Demon

Gender: Male

Age: 569

Appearance: Gly'al is a fairly repulsive creature, resembling a bald, ashen-skinned humanoid with the head of a vulture. His beak is twisted into a perpetual sneer. While he is tall, standing just under nine feet tall, his hunch-backed posture typically cuts him down nearly two feet. He is grotesquely lanky, with long, thin limbs ending in oversized talons. From his back sprout four gaunt, bat-like wings. He possesses a second face on his chest, consisting of a narrow beak and single red eye, though both are typically closed, appearing to be nothing more than a strange spike-like protrusion.

Personality: Gly'al is as gentle and pleasant as his appearance would suggest. Gly'al is a sadist and a coward without a notable trace of morality. His greatest pleasure is in inflicting pain and misery upon others, and indeed, inventing new means of torture is something of a hobby to him. The only thing keeping his malice in check is his fear of attracting the attention of a do-gooder powerful enough to kill him. Indeed, he places his own survival far and above everything else, even his own dignity. If survival requires groveling at the feet of a mightier being, then so be it. He is rather opinionated, believing that all "proper" demons should act as he does.

History: Gly'al was created by a greater demon to serve as part of an aerial infantry unit. Seeking to work independantly, he double-crossed his master, leaking a battle-plan to a rival demon during a desicive battle, in exchange for freedom should his current master be defeated. This came to be, and Gly'al fled to a remote region of Hell to put his talents to use for himself. Since then, he's worked as a freelance torturer and tinkerer.

Abilities: While created to serve as a warrior, Gly'al is a mental prodigy, having a great intellect and knack for invention. In particular, he specializes in alchemy and clockwork mechanics. While he appears frail and clumsy, these could not be further from the truth. Gly'al is extremely coordinated, especially with his hands, and is quite strong and durable to boot. He possesses a wide array of vicious natural weapons, including his serrated beak, massive talons, and the most powerful, the viciously barbed and incredibly strong tongue in the mouth on his chest. He cannot be killed by injuring his head, as his true brain lies in his chest cavity, behind his heart. He also possesses an innate teleportation ability, and uses it readily, making him incredibly difficult to kill.

Settings: Any setting where demons come in a wide variety.

[Shin Majin]

Evaine Garna

Name: Evaine Garna

Power: Medium to high. Evaine is strong, tough, and a skilled combatant, even at her minimal power. Given the nature of the chimera gene, her power can vary greatly.

Species: Genetically altered human

Gender: Female

Age: 21

Appearance: While human, Evaine's appearance is distinct. She is heavily tanned, hazel-eyed, and stands at an impressive 6'1". Even more striking than her height is her hair: a wavy crimson mane that comes nearly down to her waist. She has a sturdy, athletic build, supported by lean muscle. She dresses like the tomboy she is, with blue jeans, a T-shirt of any color, and a denim jacket.

Personality: The stereotypical tomboy, Evaine is loud, energetic, and aggressive. The brain modifications that allow the chimera gene to function partially compromise the fear center, and as a result, she does not fully experience fear or embarrassment. Consequentially, she generally shows little restraint in what she says and does, though she still has a conscience and morals which keep her under control. She is bluntly honest and is a strong believer in personal freedom. She loves chocolate, tigers, baseball, and mixed martial arts.

History: Evaine Garna was born in an illegal genetics research facility as subject EV-41. She was the decedent of a long line of experiments in creating a being that could consciously and voluntarily modify their own genetic code, and alter their body to reflect said changes. The results of her modifications were never discovered by her creators, however, as before her first birthday, the facility was discovered, and raided by the SWAT division of the local law enforcement. The researchers were arrested, and any subjects who capable of living normal lives were sent to orphanages or homeless shelters. One of the officers, Lawrence Garna, took pity on EV-41, and took her in as his own child. This went over well with his wife, who was barren, and already looking to adopt. Evaine lived a relatively ordinary life up to this point, and is currently pursuing a career in women's boxing.

Abilities: Evaine is extremely fit, and has the strength, toughness, and stamina to show it. She is quite proficient in both boxing and kickboxing, and can also throw a wicked fastball. Her true power, however, lies in her genetic alterations, known as the chimera gene. Evaine has incredible regenerative capabilities, being able to recover from most injuries four times faster than an ordinary human. This even allows her to regrow lost limbs, though she is understandably unaware of this. The chimera gene's other ability is the ability to somewhat intelligently copy traits from other animals whose body fluids should mingle with her own, whether it is blood or saliva. Due to an altered part of her brain, she has an incredible innate understanding of genetics, and subconsciously alters her own genetics in ways that her subconscious deems beneficial. This is somewhat unreliable and is completely involuntarily. Normally, this copying ability is dormant, but has a chance of becoming active if her genetics are further altered or tampered with.

Settings: Any setting in which her crazy genetics actually make sense.

Variants: Evaine can also be an ordinary, genetically pure human.

[Shin Majin]

The Vehram Solar System

The Vehram solar system, quite distant from our solar system, is named after the larger of its two habitable planets. These two planets are the only aspects of the system I deem noteworthy. It is believed that all intelligent life in the system was created by the same creator race.

Planet Vehram: The system's namesake, planet Vehram is a cold, watery planet 1.5 times the Earth's size. Due to its different mineral composition, however, it only has 1.3 times the Earth's mass. It is frigid, with a surface temperature that rarely rises above 20 degrees Fahrenheit. It is also roughly 80% covered in saltwater ocean. The planet has a single, fairly small continent, and a smattering of islands across its surface. The single continent is largely dominated by forest. There are two notable species on this planet, though relatively little is known about them. There was a third intelligent species, which has long been extinct.

Bega: The bega are a race of primitive hunter-gatherers residing on the planet's continent. With adults the size of small horses, they have thick, wrinkly, mint-colored skin, and a somewhat centauroid body with six elephantine feet, and four arms. The lower set of arms ends in heavy, two-digit claws, while the upper arms end in more humanoid hands. They have a tribal community that has recently succumbed to infighting.

Alrehs: The oldest race in the system, the alrehns are a fully aquatic species. Their bodies are typically somewhat serpentine, covered in leathery blue-grey skin, and they possess four webbed hands. The Creators eventually deemed an aquatic servant race to be nonviable, and left them unfinished. As a result, after reaching adulthood at roughly ten human years, their growth patterns become strange and unpredictable. Often, their bodies will simply continue to grow longer, with redundant sets of arms and internal organs until they can no longer feed their increasing mass. Others slowly gain more girth as well, and eventually their arms are absorbed into their mass. Despite their numerous genetic flaws, they have so far prospered.

Planet Altam: Smaller, younger, and closer to the sun, planet altam is a highly unstable planet. The planet has a similar density to earth, but is only .8 times the size. The atmosphere is stormy, and the hot, extremely humid environment result in a perpetually overcast, silver sky. The planet itself is dominated by a variety of biomes, though forests and mountains are by far the most prominent. The planet also has quite a few jungles and marshes. While plains and deserts are present, they are extremely sparse. The planet has no oceans, and is instead covered by a webbing of rivers and lakes. The average air temperature at surface level is roughly 80 degrees Fahrenheit. It is dominated by the kran, a race complicated and detailed enough to warrant its own entry here.

[Shin Majin]

Kran

The kran are the only intelligent species on planet Altam, and the most advanced race in the solar system.

Base Physiology: Kran have a centauroid body form, with four legs, and a humanoid upper torso, though the kran have much less upper torso. Their feet resemble a bird's talons, with two claws in the front, and one in the back. Their hands are similar, but have twice as many digits, essentially equating to four fingers and two thumbs. Their heads are shaped similar to that of a turtle, though they lack the hard beak. They have large eyes that are mostly internalized, so only their large iris is visible. Their ears are large and bat-like, and can be "collapsed," folding flat against their heads. On the back of their heads is a forked, horn-like growth. They have a slit on their chest, and several on the flanks of their lower bodies. Their smooth skin is somewhat rubbery, and they have feathers along their forehead, wrists, ankles, and wings, provided they have them.

Respiration: Kran do not breathe quite as humans do. Their air flow is one-way, entering through their six air holes (three on each side of their lower torso,) and exiting through their mouth. As with humans, they use this air flow to enable speech. Due to the location of these holes, the kran generally cannot breathe even while treading water, so they typically don't swim.

Digestion: The kran do not eat through the same mouth they speak and breathe through. The opening on their chest contains a secondary mouth with several needle-like teeth. They can only digest fruit juices. The kanil fruit native to altam contains all the nutrients needed for healthy development.

Sensory: A kran's eyes are keen, and have both superhuman precision and range. They are incapable of rotating in their sockets, and to look around, they must rely on the motion of their irises or neck. Their irises can be nearly any color. Their ears are also more sensitive, extending into the ultrasonic range. When in flight, or when confronted by loud sounds, the ears can collapse, folding against the sides of the head to cut out excess noise. A kran's skin is about as sensitive as a humans, but due to their climate, registers heat and cold twenty to thirty degrees higher than a human does. A kran has no sense of smell, and a limited sense of taste, which can only detect sour and bitter flavors. A kran's "horn" is actually an antenna, capable of transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves. This allows for a primitive and short-range means of communication, though it is involuntary, and can only convey base emotion. It can also read the weather to a limited extent. In particular, it can reliably predict lightning storms and even individual lightning strikes.

Reproduction: Just like most terrestrial animals, all kran are either male or female. A kran's reproductive organs are located in the same opening as their feeding mouth, and are just below the mouth. Mating is a fairly uninvolved and brief process. Kran pregnancy typically lasts 12 to 14 months, with symptoms remarkably similar to human pregnancy, before the female bears live young. Kran births are almost always brother-sister pairs. Single births are abnormal.

Sexual Dimorphism: Kran males are extremely well-coordinated, and almost always ambidextrous. They are usually highly competitive, and quick to form rivalries with other males with similar talents. Females, on the other hand, are simply more intelligent. They excel at most intellectual pursuits. Females are predisposed towards a more submissive personality, which leads males to generally hold management and leadership positions. Roughly one-in-four females develop some sort of psychic ability upon reaching adulthood.

Physically, males tend to be thinner and leaner, but no weaker, than females, who are somewhat rounded, and have longer lower bodies. Males also have larger ears. Relative to humans, male kran have a higher, sharper voice, while females have softer...less-high voices.

Psionics: As previously mentioned, roughly one in four kran females develop a psychic power. What determines who does and doesn't is unknown, bu the nature of the power is almost wholly dependent on their interests and pastimes. For instance, a kran with a great interest in computers might develop cyberpsionic power, allowing them to mentally interface with computers. Those who take an interest in the way others think might become telepaths.

Magic: It might be worth noting that the entirety of planet Altam is a low mana area, meaning that spellcasting is far more difficult there. As a result of developing on this planet, the kran are naturally insensitive to mana, and are thus completely incapable of spellcasting. In addition, they are resistant, but not immune, to magic in general.

Metamorphosis: All kran possess a special organ, similar but separate from their brain, which keeps a chemical record of their environment. At a certain point in their lives, an age of 12 to 14 earth years, kran undergo a metamorphosis into one of several adult forms depending on the environment in which they spent the most time. The metamorphosis takes roughly two earth weeks to complete, during which the kran is in almost constant pain. After this, they are considered adults. The kran were never completed by their creators, and as a result, the metamorphosis is somewhat unreliable. Roughly one in ten kran fail to metamorphose properly. Of this ten percent, roughly half simply fail to metamorphose at all, while one fourth die from complications in the metamorphosis, with the remaining fourth metamorphosing improperly. The latter are called "broken."

White Kran: Kran who have not reached adulthood are referred to as white kran, as their feathers are an off-white, and their skin is a light gray. Immature kran have no traits unique to themselves, possessing only the traits common to all kran.

Black Kran: Also known as urban kran, the black kran are those who grew up in an artificial or urban environment. They have black feathers, and darker gray skin than the white kran. They have four feathered wings on their backs, with the larger set on their lower torso providing lift, and the smaller set on their upper backs helping maneuverability. In addition, they have a second set of arms, located just below their original set. They are the most common variety of adult.

Green Kran: Green kran, known as arboreal kran, are those who grew up in forests, jungles, or any other environment dominated by solid ground, numerous climbing surfaces, and inadequate room for wing-based flight. Their skin is a gray-brown, and their feathers range from mint-green to a more solid green. They have four arms, though their secondary arms are located lower than those of black kran. Their ears are considerably larger, and incapable of collapsing. Their limbs are longer, and their feet are more hand-like, with two "thumbs" and four fingers each. Of all kran, they are the greatest climbers. They are quite common.

Gray Kran: The gray kran are those who grew up in the mountains, or any other high-altitude environment with unstable footing. They have dull grey feathers, and reddish-pink skin. They have four wings, larger than those on black kran, and have a longer horn, too, with a fleshy "sheath" that can cover it, insulating it well. Their feet aren't smaller, but their toes are much, much shorter and less flexible, and the feet are covered in hard callouses. The gray kran are quite common.

Aquamarine Kran: The "aquamarine kran" are also known as the aquatic kran, though this is something of a misnomer. Not truly aquatic, these kran grew in a similar environ to the green kran, but without much stable footing, and abundant water. Generally, these come from altam's marshes. They have the same four arms, and long limbs of the arboreal kran, but their skin is a bluish gray, and their feathers bluish green. They do not have the extra toes or larger ears though, and have large, webbed feet. They aren't as common as green kran, but they aren't quite rare, either.

Silver Kran: Silver, "desert" kran come from any environment with wide open space and fairly dry air. They hail from the only sizable desert on the planet. They have light yellowish brown skin, and highly reflective silvery feathers. Of all kran, they have the largest ears, and the largest wings, of which they only have two. Most of their changes are internal, and assist in radiating heat and conserving water. They are quite rare.

Brown Kran: Plains kran come from spacious environs that are not overly dry. They have green-gray skin, and wheat colored feathers. They have four wings and fairly large ears, but their most striking feature is their oversized, muscular legs, with vestigial, undersized hind toes. These make the plains kran the best runners of all kran.

Underkran: These kran are the unfortunates who lived in dark, subterranean environments. This metamorphosis is flawed, and generally avoided. The underkran are completely bald, and blind, having neither eyes, nor eye sockets, and have the same pale gray skin as white kran. To make up for this, they have incredibly sharp hearing, and are actually capable of echolocation. Strangely, they are incapable of vocalizing at normal frequencies, and are only capable of ultrasonic speech. Their bodies are forced into a horizontal, hexpedal posture. They are extremely rare.

Broken Kran: The result of a failed metamorphosis, the broken kran often have traits from several other subtypes. Any wings or extra arms they possess are typically malformed and useless, and their existing limbs are also often deformed. They are usually sterile.

Culture: The kran were built to be loyal, and as a result, are highly patriotic. The current planet-wide nation is capitalistic, strongly encouraging competition. The social ladder is achievement-based, with medals and badges being given for all manner of accomplishments, ranging from services during war to success in various tournaments. It is a common punishment for criminals to have these medals stripped from them. The kran are typically monogamous, choosing a single mate and staying with them for life.

Language: The kran global language has fewer sounds than English, containing six vowels, A (bar, walk, clock,) E (day, weigh, fake,) Eh (bed, let, friend,) I (bean, seen, ring,) U (boo, new, soup,) and O (bone, soap, nope.) Their constanants are B, D, G, H, K, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, V, and Sh.

Naming Conventions: Kran have a first, middle, and last name. The first name is their personal name, and what they typically go by. It always had the A sound in it, and never has the Eh in males, or the E in females. The last name is the family name. The middle name determines what branch of the family they come from, and is always a single syllable with the A sound.

Very Brief History: The kran are the genetically manipulated offspring of a race known only as The Creators. Created slightly over two-thousand earth years to be all-purpose servants, the kran eventually tired of their lot, and rebelled against The Creators, driving them from altam. Since then, the kran have had three world wars, leading to the current global nation.

Technology: From their creation, the kran had access to technology beyond that of modern-day humanity. This includes advanced alloys stronger and lighter than steel, efficient and portable laser weaponry and space flight, and common, affordable cybernetics. They are currently dabbling in nanomachine technology, and are researching a recently discovered crystalline structure extending beyond the three known dimensions. They also have considerable technology that revolves around their psionic abilities including machines that can amplify, nullify, and even alter these.

[Shin Majin]

Junior Goddess Song

"You would challenge me? Ha! You don't know what I am, do you? My power is that of chaos itself, the power of possibility, a power that could never be understood, let alone opposed, by the likes of you!"

Name: Song

Power: Extreme! Anything Song could do before, she can do better now. Combined with her Chaos Force technique, she becomes a contender against nearly any foe.

Species: Unique

Gender: Female

Age: 14

Appearance: Her base form is the same, but with several differences. Her feathers are now a shining silver, with tiny purple motes that actually move across her body. Her hooves, horns, and even bones are transparent, and cycle through a rainbow of colors as they are viewed from different angles. The skeletal wings on her back are now covered in a colorful, transparent envelope of chaotic energy. Beneath her feathers, impossibly deep scars crawl across her body, as if having a life of their own. These are completely concealed by her feathers, but if closely observed by mortals, these unnatural gouges can be harmful to the inquirer's sanity.

Personality: At night, Song's personality is as it has always been. During the day, however, she is capable of feeling emotion in moderation, though she is still fickle, prideful, and quick to anger.

History: Fourteen years after her creation, Song's divine blood makes itself known, granting her far greater power. With this power, she alters her own form and even her own mind to better reflect the chaotic forces she serves.

Abilities: Song has retained all of her power, and has become faster, stronger, and tougher. Most importantly, she wields a power she dubs the "Chaotic Force." With this, she can create any manner of vaguely controlled effect. For example, she could create an explosion of energy near a foe, but could not choose the nature of the energy, which could be pure, damaging heat, or healing life energy. She could create a burst of fire, but could not control the nature of the manifestation. It could emanate from her, or launch an explosive projectile. She can alter the minds and bodies of others, but not in a predictable manner, and other divine entities are highly resistant to such an effect. This power gives her almost unlimited versatility, but its unpredictability makes it a double-edged sword.

Settings: Any setting in which Song could exist.

Variants: This is a variant of Song.

[Shin Majin]

Maraenyth

Maraenyth is a world, a dimension, quite unlike our own. It is a wold of high fantasy, where magic and monsters are commonplace.

Magic: Most of Maraenyth is saturated in an almost invisible energy called "mana." Mana can act upon, and be acted upon by, virtually anything, and can produce nearly any effect, from creating matter where there was none, altering the minds of intelligent creatures, and snuffing out the life of the same, to increasing or decreasing gravity, transmuting stone to metal, or even bringing life to the dead. The world inherently tries to oppose magical tampering to a degree, causing many magical effects to be temporary, though with some cunning and effort, a spell can be made longer, or even permanent.

Any creature capable of higher thought processes and conceptualizing the abstract can learn, through study and meditation, to perceive mana, and from there, draw mana into his own body, and imprint his will upon it. Such a being is called a mage, and the manipulating mana in this manner is called spellcasting. Mana has laws and physics unique to it, and interacts with the world in very complex ways. As such, spellcasting is an exercise in logic, memorization, and overall intellect. Channeling mana in this manner also puts stress on the caster's body, tiring him in a manner remarkably similar to that of physical exertion. As with any exertion, of course, spellcasting in excess can cause long-term physical harm to the body, and though it is rare, people have died from this phenomenon. This is often called mana burn, as it is accompanied by an unpleasant burning sensation.

In areas with abnormally high mana levels, the mana is slightly visible even to non-mages, appearing as faint motes of silvery-blue light. In such an area, mana flows more easily, and it is much less stressing to channel it. On the other hand, it can be harder to control, and spellcasting can often backfire spectacularly.

There are several "schools" of magic; categories of spells with related fundamentals. Many mages specialize, as practicing the more fundamental techniques of a school can improve many other spells within the school. Certain spells fall under more than one school; a spell that creates magma is both earth and fire magic. The schools officially recognized by most magic colleges are as follows:

Air magic- Spells that create, manipulate, or otherwise involve the element of air, which encompasses gasses. These spells can purify contaminated air, create wind, create a vacuum, and when combined with other elemental schools, can replicate weather phenomenon.

Body magic- Spells that directly affect organic bodies. Incredibly versatile, body magic can strengthen or weaken muscle, inflict pain, alter a body's shape, or even cause death by crippling vital organs.

Earth magic- Spells that involve soil, stone, and metals, earth magic is extremely versatile. Commonly used to harden, soften, or move stone, it can also be used to create strong armor, and when combined with body magic, can even turn living beings into inanimate statues.

Meta magic- Spells that specifically interact with other spells, or with mana itself. Meta magic can nullify other magic effects, create areas that repel mana, or imbue creatures or objects with magical effects, such as a rod that throws fireballs. This art is often referred to as enchantment.

Fire magic- Somewhat limited in utility, fire magic involves creating heat and fire. It is most often used by more militant mages, as it is second to no school when it comes to causing physical destruction, to creatures and objects alike. It can also be used to keep one warm, cook one's food, and makes a respectable (but not terribly safe) light source.

Gate magic- Quite a challenging school to learn, gate magic involves sending or pulling things through dimensions, and even creating portals. Some knowledge of this school is vital for summoners, and also contains a good portion of the teleportation spells. Spells in this school in particular tend to have horrific consequences when botched, ranging from summoning powerful demons to teleporting oneself into solid matter.

Life magic- Interacts with the life energy flowing through all living creatures. Life magic, while not very versatile, is extremely important to most societies, as it is used primarily to heal injuries far faster than natural regeneration, or even body magic would allow. It can even regenerate limbs, or brain damage. Masters of the school can even reverse aging, or restore the dead to life, though such incredible feats require incredible practice, and place more stress on the body than any single being could survive. As such, raising the dead requires a team of master healers contributing to the same spell, and the longer the target has been dead, the more energy is required. As a result, only people of extreme importance are even remotely likely to receive such a boon. Surprisingly, life magic is not very good at curing diseases, though it may alleviate the symptoms. This is because bacteria and viruses are living as well, and all but the most precise life mages will empower the illness even as they heal the host. Disease is better cured with body magic and, ironically, death magic.

Illusion magic- These spells create, destroy, and bend light and sound. They are most often used for deception, but are also often used as art. It can also make a powerful but safe light. When combined with fire or air magic, it can create lasers and damaging sound waves, respectively.

Knowledge magic- A rather unique school, knowledge spells almost always overlap with other schools. These spells can be used to analyze the composition of nearly anything, from rocks, to people, to spells, and relay this information to the caster in a manner he can understand. It can be used to search an area for certain things, and is useful for detectives and security alike.

Mind magic- These spells can affect the thoughts of anything that has them! It can can bring lost memories to the surface, or implant false memories. It can even erase memories, alter personality, or invoke emotion. Understandably, use of mind magic is highly controlled in most places, if not outright illegal.

Movement magic- Also sometimes called force magic, this school simply creates pure kinetic force, which allows one to create barriers, levitate objects, or even fly.

Death magic- Death magic creates and manipulates an energy that does not naturally occur, but directly opposes life energy. As such, death magic can, as one might guess, injure or kill living creatures, but not objects. It can also be used to reanimate the dead, and while this is easier than full-blown resurrection, it typically does not draw the soul back to the body. As a result, most undead are not the person they were before death. Indeed, most are nearly mindless, depending on the condition of the brain upon reanimation. Necromancy can also be used to "flip-flop" living beings directly to undeath, and while this is much more difficult, it usually leaves the soul in the body, and is seen by some as a viable means of attaining immortality. Many cultures see this as taboo.

Soul magic- Magic that affects one's true being, soul magic can pull one's consciousness from their body, flat-out dismissing it to the afterlife, or trapping it in an object, or even another living creature. Currently, there are no known means of destroying a soul, though one may be altered to an extent. Rumor has it that some mages have learned how to create souls, or use them as power sources...in any case, soul magic is illegal virtually everywhere.

Water magic- This school involves the manipulation of liquids. Directly opposing fire magic, it can also lower temperatures. As a result, this school is very versatile, though not as destructive as fire magic, or utilitarian as earth magic. It can keep one hydrated, create ice slicks, keep one warm in the summer, or even part rivers!

[Mairzy Doats]

It is so cool to get inside your brain! Now I understand a bit better what you were saying about Song's magic earlier. This is a cool world, and I stay say a cool setting for an rp. It seems like the kind of world where just about anything is possible, and also a highly dangerous world. I like the idea that it's possible to make undead, but it's also possible to bring someone completely back to life though insanely difficult.

[Shin Majin]

Maraenyth

Monsters: It is worth noting that mages are not the only beings to utilize mana. Some creatures are innately able to channel mana to create an effect, often without any conscious effort, or even subconsciously! This is believed to be the result of a structure in the cells of these creatures, called monsters, that automatically imprints mana with a predefined instruction. This trait has been proven to be hereditary. "Monster" is not a derogatory term in most of Maraenyth and is used quite liberally. Examples of monsters include unicorns, with their healing powers, sirens, with their mind-affecting voices, and dragons, which are exceptionally reliant on this, as their bodies are too heavy to allow entirely natural flight.

Humanoid society's views on monsters varies greatly from community to community, depending on the non-monsters' species, that of the monster, she size and technological/magical capability of the community, and many other things. In societies where arms and magic are highly controlled by government, monsters are often forbidden from entering due to their abilities, if they have the power to enforce this. Others, out of fear or tolerance, allow monsters to become full-fledged citizens. Such communities often make special accommodations to monster, which often lack things humans take for granted, such as color vision, or manipulating appendages.

On the flip side, many monstrous species have societies of their own...