In the beginning, the world was beautiful. Sierras of silver divided the landscape like the delicate curves of a cartographer's pen, and livable woodland stretched from coast to coast like conquerors, dense, rich and broken only by lush savannas, and flaxen prairies. And yet, despite all this… it was dark, cold and hollow. There were no men to stride through its vast, unexplored canyons, or delve beneath its silent, un-vexed seas: All was still, and the only light was the fire of distant stars, faint and without warmth. It was an incomplete work of art, hanging still and motionless within the great expanse of stars and shadows. Alone, before whatever creator had abandoned its great work could first breathe life into it. But soon, fortune came, heralded by the passing of a shooting star: The Goddess Merida, patroness of starlight. In her passing she saw the world, and she fawned over it: For in everything, from its most delicate beaches to its most rugged mountain tops, she saw beauty… And yet, it saddened her. ‘This world’, she thought, ‘Is perfect. And yet it is cold, and still.’ But in her bosom she felt warmth like no other, and took pity upon this planet ruled by darkness. And so she forged it a companion, one of her own heart, and set it above the world: Our sun, the brightest and most beautiful of all stars. And she decreed it be called Luxus –The Dawn Star, and the world she had gifted it to, Luxa. And at her command, Luxa was illuminated: The Dawn Star shone its finest, and shed upon the planet rays of gold and bronze, bleeding colour into the fields, the woodlands, the oceans. Vibrant, verdant greens, shimmering blues and sandy whites. And oh, she declared it beautiful: But still, she was saddened. She had given this world her heart, but it was yet empty, a wasted gift. A waif left neglected amongst her starry children. And so she gave it her breath, too: And in doing so she created the winds that did shake the trees and bellow throughout the valleys… and breathed life into Luxa, for the first time. The stag is fabled to have been the first beast Luxa raised from nothing, and so it became her symbol. Then the bird, the bear… and, eventually, mankind. And, for a while, they rejoiced, and named her Mother of them all. But humanity, unbeknownst to Luxa and The All-Mother, was not alone. For when Luxus had first struck out, and disentangled Luxa from the cold bonds of darkness, it had involuntary created another world. For when darkness was forced to retreat from the rays of the sun… the first shadows were born. And within those shadows lay another land all together, Luxa’s deformed twin, twisted and eldritch: The Nocturne. And it, too, had felt Merida’s breath… and awoken within its centre were a different breed of creatures. Most prominently the spirits which wailed and rattled, given life at last, and under the darkling Nocturne sky, The Demon Princes they paid fealty to. But this was not the concern of men, who cared very little for their shadows. Instead, they rejoiced in the light of the sun, and thrived! But as the centuries went on, man found life tiresome. The sun was never to set of Luxa, and whilst that was a good omen in metaphor, in practice it left mankind burnt, and weak. Nature shriveled at their feet, and- as The All-Mother had only given them life- they didn’t even realise they longed for death. They hadn’t even the knowledge to beg. But Merida watched from afar, and loving matriarch that she was, was saddened again. Man worked under the tyranny of the sun eternally. Like the Gods they were unable to die, but they suffered for it. And so, one day she saw that Luxus and Luxa were lonesome, and plucked from the meteor she rode as though it were her beast of burden a sphere, made of ice, iron and rock. And she cast it into Luxa’s orbit, and knighted it The Dusk Star – Selene. Then, imbuing it with the faintest starlight, she tethered it to a stretch of the darkness, and gave Luxa a spin. That is the story of first day, and the first night. And as mankind lay down, and slept for the first time, Selene reached through the night, and finally let the oldest die in peace. She gave humanity the gift of death, the gift of children, and the gift of rebirth. Then, satisfied, she retreated into the field of stars, and watched again from afar. For a while, her resolve worked well: Men lived by day, and by night they rested. The world grew hot, and then cool, and Luxa thrived under that balance. It was only… Merida had not anticipated the selfishness of her own child, Luxus. For Luxus was a jealous star, who did not believe he should have to share the sky: And so with each passing century the day grew longer, and Selene- being a modest star- obliged, and made the night shorter to compensate. However, what Luxus did not know- and Selene did not rightly bother to tell him- was that at night, The Nocturne thrived. For when it was so dark that Luxa at large was enveloped in shadow, spirits walked the Earth and The Demon Princes paced the villages of mankind as though they were men. And- sensing that their time on Luxa grew ever shorter- they would not abide Luxus’ reign. And so The Nocturne all at once revealed itself, and declared war on the sun itself. Pouring from the shadows were beings immortal, given life by Merida, but pardoned from the gift of death. And they marched, and joined arms with their mortal cousins to prevent Luxa from being once again under Luxus’ tyranny. Bestowing upon mankind the knowledge of demonic magics, they stretched a canopy of night across the skies, and blotted Luxus out completely. The sun was outraged, but powerless: For The Nocturne drew its power from Selene, and Selene, although smaller, feared Luxus not. So day surrendered, and negotiated with night. Selene and Luxus- with Merida, their surprised mediator- agreed upon their times within the sky, including periods in which one would reign longer than the other, as long as- over all- balance was maintained. Then they set about making neutral points. No longer would night and day simply become one another, they would transition, slowly and regularly, so peace might be maintained: These periods between day and night could become Dawn and Dusk respectively, in honour of the titles Merida had bestowed upon them. Satisfied, the denizens of The Nocturne returned peacefully to their lands (for the most part at least), and humanity settled finally into the eternal rhythm of dawn, day, dusk and night… and Merida, satisfied she had done well by her people, faded once again into the starlight. She will return, it’s fabled, when such a time as she is needed again… … so she’d best arrive soon.

Magus Since the first denizen of The Nocturne passed down the first spell, mankind has been utterly enamoured with magic. But just what is it, this strange and bewitching energy? For centuries books have portrayed mighty wizards and witches felling foul beasts with magic words and wands in hand… But in reality, those wizards and witches are actually Arcanists, Luxa’s most esteemed scholars and scientists. And magic, or Magus as Arcanists call it, is their science. What looks to any none-practicing observer like the hurling of a fireball is, in reality, a very precise manipulation of quantum metaphysics. By studying for all of their lives, and mastering an understanding both of modern English and ancient Luxor, astronomy, mathematics and theoretical physics, Arcanists have figured out how to bend and twist the subtle folds of the world around us, and accomplish fantastical feats in the process. They are our magical scientists, highly respected and dedicated to understanding the workings of all magus, and their job is never done. There’s is one thing about magus Arcanists don’t rightly know anything about, though, and that’s what exactly decides what sort Arcanist a person will become. Although they’ve tweaked magus down to a literal science, one mystery remains: Why is it when two Arcanists perform the same mental equation, one generates fire, whilst the other bends light? This is what keeps magus interesting: The randomness of an Arcanist’s powers. Two students on the same path of study could diverge suddenly, with one becoming a realised necromancer, and the other a potent healer. Yes, magus is a fascinating thing… but not nearly as fascinating as…

The Morrow Realms At first, we believed Luxa to be a world all on her own, beautiful and singular. However, we know now we were wrong. Thrice. The first world to reveal itself to us was The Nocturne, regarded to be Luxa’s twisted shadow. It is a land where the sky is always a dark and swollen purple, the moon never sets and the stars make no efforts to hide their fires, blazing like long-stricken flames against the canopy of the night. Its geography is indescribable, if not for its jarring and eldritch nature, then because it’s constantly shifting, bending to the will of its masters. Because of this, and in theory, The Nocturne is eternal in both age and size: Not even The Demon Princes have traversed their world in whole, and in trying in their youth they uncovered knowledge from books never written, and records from times that had yet to pass. These discoveries suggest to us that the flow of time in The Nocturne is cyclical, or else untethered from the known laws of temporal physics altogether, and whether that means it existed long before Luxa is a topic of fierce debate amongst most theologians. What territories of The Nocturne we do know of are those that roughly occupy the same amount of territory as The Darkling Domains, as it lingers in their shadows. This is a vast stretch of land divided into fifteen parts by fifteen Demonic princes (princes only in name, for at least five of them are female.) And yet, the spirits under their dominion are without suffering: To be a demon does not make one inherently evil or power thirsty, it simply makes them… easy to bore. The Demonic Princes care little for human matters lest they interfere with The Nocturne, and otherwise intervene only in order to make things more interesting. Each Prince also claims the fealty of some particular element in The Nocturne not comprised within their lands. Who claims what seems to be a closely guarded secret, but we do know this: Saveus Hawthorne, Fengari Prince of The Shadow Wreath, claims possession of The Dusk Star, and his sister Accipi Hawthorne, Prince of The Obsidian Throne, of the sky. The Nocturne is inhabited largely by spirits and generally incorporeal entities, but does also play host to some terrifying beasts: The Firedrake is said to have emerged from The Nocturne during the war against the sun, and the creatures of the night are fabled to have followed. The Nocturne is the homeland of all demons, their natural territory, and resting place… should you want to strike a deal. The Duskthorough The realm theoretically adjacent to both Luxa and The Nocturne, The Duskthorough has been regarded throughout the centuries as a work of art, the tranquil yin to The Dawnstream’s energised yang. An archipelago comprised of thousands of smaller islets orbiting a moderately sized Mediterranean island known as Kardia, and set upon the gentle waves of an amber ocean, The Duskthorough is the image brought to mind whenever a person ponders a quiet island paradise. The sky is of perpetual twilight, a series of purples and reds peaking over the horizon and staining the world gold. For the most part, The Duskthorough is occupied by neutral entities, spirits and similar constructs who have retired from The Nocturne in search of peace. However, opacamancers and their associates are no strangers to the realm, and as such the islands also play host to a small and docile collection of humans and Arcanists seeking peace within the dusky light of never-ceasing gloaming. What waits beyond the oceans of The Duskthorough is a mystery to everyone, however: Whenever spirit or man alike has attempted to sail out and explore, they’ve somehow always ended up re-docking on the sandy white shores of Kardia. Although once the envy of the realms for its simplicity, The Duskthorough has recently been on its guard, as it would seem the twilight is regularly broken by tumultuous storms, the likes of which have made the furthest of the islands from Kardia near unliveable by virtue of their unrestricted destructive power. The Dawnstream If The Duskthorough is the sleepy Mediterranean dream, then The Dawnstream is the jumping youth-fantasy. A tropical isle flanked on all sides by pale, sandy beaches and deep, cyan ocean, The Dawnstream is caught in a state of perpetual sunrise and unstoppable energy. Inhabited by a massive clutch of creatures, ranging from emigrating Arcanists to indigenous, oceanic humanoids, The Dawnstream is simultaneously the smallest and busiest of the Morrow Realms. Aside from playing host to balmy winds and summery spices all year round, it’s also the only realm in which volcanic water is readily available (from the caves beneath the main isle), and combined with the salts found readily in the realm’s sand, this makes it a veritable goldmine for travelling spectral salesmen. The in-land is covered in dense and beautiful patches of palm trees, separated by massive limestone market plazas, where business is done furiously and consistently through all hours of the day. The wine flows like ale and money from all over the realms pours into and out of The Dawnstream’s pockets. Its citizens usually build their homes on the beach, as the sea is temperate and unthreatening. Entering the different Morrow realms can be tricky. Whilst an umbramancer can enter The Nocturne at any time, the same cannot be said of an opacamancer or auroramancer. The same applies to their respective territories, meaning access to each is limited, and almost impossible for anyone of the elemental distinctions. This can be circumvented with the help of a Journeyman’s Sigil, an ancient Arcanist symbol which permits travel between the Morrow Realms to any Arcanist of any expertise. They are, however, tricky to make without the right resources… fortunately, a salesman spirit will never be unwilling to flog its wares, if you should track one down.

[The Kingdoms] Then, there’s our world, Luxa itself. The globe is vast, but has been divided betwixt four kingdoms, all representative of a particular quarter of the solar/lunar cycle. The Kingdoms of Luxus, otherwise regarded as ‘The Kingdoms of the Day’ or ‘The Five Kingdoms’, form the largest of the Luxan principalities. Largely feudal, they inhabit the Northern hemisphere’s flatlands and savannahs, and are comprised mainly of rudimentary agricultural villages. For the most part, the folk there are simple and honest, and work day to day to carve their living. However, whilst these farming settlements may represent the majority of The Kingdoms of Luxus’ territory, they are not what people picture whenever they think about them at all. The Kingdoms of Luxus are iconic not for their peasant-folk, but instead for their massive castles, superstructures built of out Caen stone and towering over the landscape under their dominion. Their walls are mountainous, and their interiors so wide that often the cities within will share the land with the wealthier of Luxus’ farmers. All together there are five of these castles (Castles Ilios, Soliere, Sonne, Foteino and Titannia) and the territory of each is considered a different kingdom under Luxus. Despite this, the rulers of each answer to one authority, The Knight-King Ilios. Religion and magus-wise, the people of The Kingdoms of Luxus are very fervent worshippers of Luxus’ might. Solmancers needn’t work hard to become celebrities within the castle walls, as the simpler peasants regard them as incarnations of Luxus himself descended unto them. However, umbramancers, necromancers and any other sort known to confer with dark powers, in the metaphorical and literal senses, are often openly despised, despite the kingdoms’ laws of toleration (which state such Arcanists are to be left unharmed, but cannot practice within the territory of The Kingdoms of Luxus.) This is the kingdom where The First Light reared their heads and began causing trouble. Although they seem to have fled or disappeared back into the crowds by now, it seems that they were operating from somewhere within Castle Foteino, a territory renowned for its religious zealots. Although Knight-King Ilios has voiced his opposition to The First Light and begun a counter-attack inside his own walls, some (albeit a minority) of the denizens of The Five Kingdoms are in agreement with the radicals, which has led to illicit Arcane studies and attacks of random terror within the walls of the castles. The sleepy villages outside have changed little in light of recent events. The Darkling Domains (or ‘The Kingdoms of Night’) are The Kingdoms of Luxus’ neighbour to the South, and- in many ways- their opposites. Although they are connected intimately to a realm ruled by princes, The Darkling Domains deposed their monarchy centuries ago in favour of a more progressive system of democratic government. They then proceeded to vote the wrong people into the role of ‘Tyrant’ almost consistently, a proud Darkling tradition. The current Tyrant of The Darkling Domains, however, is a compassionate soul. Tyrant Tondeo Carpo has been greatly concerned by the political unrest in Luxa and has been playing mediator between The Nocturne and The Kingdoms of Luxus for months, now. The Darkling Domains occupy the valleys and forests of the southern hemisphere, and are a little more progressive than their northern neighbours. The peasant class is more or less gone from the Darkling infrastructure, the society in general having gone through a renaissance of sorts a few hundred years prior. Although The Darkling Domains boast only one castle between them, their lands are generally more developed, dappled with trading, functioning towns built of wood, slate and plaster, as well as travelling bands of spirit merchants. Magus-wise, Arcanists of any walk of life are welcomed within the territories of the Darkling Domains, be ye Solmancer, Necromancer of Psionic. They consider themselves a very forwards-thinking society, where an Arcanist can experiment freely within the borders of ethics. Because of this philosophy, one might think The Darkling Domains less religious than The Five Kingdoms, but in actuality The Darkling Domains have never held onto a religion as such. They consider The Dusk Star less a God and more a friend of their kingdom, and although they are a very superstitious and magus-minded people, said superstitions change between towns and are often laughed about betwixt migrating citizens. The Darkling Domains’ only castle is a mass, hilltop fortress which could rival any of The Kingdoms of Luxus’ castles one-on-one. Carved from a mysterious grey stone, the castle is famous for its tall spires and grotesque carvings, which line the walls like ancient murals. This is Lang Castle, capital of The Darkling Domains. Spires, carvings and high arches are themes prevalent in a lot of Darkling architecture, most prominently The Yingzi-Magus Academy, Luxa’s most prolific facility for the study of Elemental and Kinetic magus, and the crown jewel of the town Lang Castle plays citadel to. The Crepuscular Kingdoms, or ‘The Kingdoms of Dusk’, probably take up the smallest amount of Luxa’s known landmasses. Predominantly in the East and just slightly to the North, The Crepuscular Kingdoms largely occupy the coasts and are renowned for their militant neutrality in political conflicts. The Crepuscular Kingdoms are largely interested in trading as opposed to any sort of struggle, a standpoint that makes sense given that many impatient spirit merchants make their final tours through their territory before settling down in The Duskthorough within the kingdom’s shadow. Its anti-military stance is interesting, however, given that despite it The Crepuscular Kingdoms have the largest naval fleet of all Luxa’s territories, and a habit of producing daring explorers, many of whom have actually tried at some point or another to map The Nocturne. Recently, The Crepuscular Kingdoms have been tense and are hurrying to evacuate any spirits and Arcanists trying to flee The Duskthorough. As it is their trade routes through the realm are disrupted, and with their humanitarian efforts taking up most of their time, the military forces of dusk have thus far been unable to mount a chase on The First Light. This said, The Crepuscular Kingship (which is a misnomer, as they are in fact a democratically elected body of government) have offered their most enthusiastic young Arcanists to the efforts of The Aurora Empire to stop and apprehend the radicals. The Crepuscular Kingdoms are not particularly religious, but they are very spiritual. Their people are genuinely quite humble, but whether this is the result of overexposure to The Duskthorough is yet unclear. The Aurora Empire is the second smallest stake in Luxa, occupying the mountains and gorges of the East. Their cities are carved into the sides of mountains, be they silver or chalk, and the deed is done with great care towards their choice of architecture. Fluted pillars, columns and ceramics are largely what comprise Auroran buildings, and clay and terracotta statues line most of the streets. Whilst The Kingdoms of Luxus are the biggest and wealthiest of the territories, The Aurora Empire is certainly the most ostentatious of them. And why not? Auroran architects, artisans and artists are the envy of Luxa. Each kingdom has its own specialty: The Kingdoms of Luxus are proud to train the best solmancers in the world, the Crepuscular Kingdoms breed legendary explorers and sailors, The Darkling Domains are liberal and simply aglow with magus… and The Aurora Empire is the best looking of them all. It’s also a trading powerhouse, with salesman and merchant spirits aplenty pouring in and out of the Dawnstream keen to turn a profit or two: This is largely where Auroran artists and architects get their resources. Because of this relationship with the Dawnstream, Aurorans at large are a fairly religious people, although they worship not Selene or Luxus but instead Luxa herself, for she’s their muse and from her mountains they carve masterpieces. The capital, Don Monda, is just one of these works of chiselled perfection: A grand baroque city of gold and marble, forged and folded by the deftest hands on the planet. Still, Empress Scettero tries not to get too big a head when she admires it from her ivory palace, which sits in its dead centre, scrimshawed with carvings of The Dawnstream that lays within its shadow. In fact, she’s rather worldly, having been a pilgrim princess, an errant artist before ascending the throne. As such, the distress breaking out on the world beneath her mountains is a worrisome one, and if nothing is done, Dawn may very well be The First Light’s next victim. As such, she has summoned any Arcanist willing to help… and that’s where you come in.

The Types of Magus But just what sort of Arcanist are you? Well, there’re certainly a lot of categories. The most well-known sorts of Arcanists fall into four categories, which follow: Luxomancers The manipulators of light and scholars of The Morrow Realms, Luxomancers were amongst the first Arcanists. They come in four breeds, The Solmancer, who feeds on the light of the sun and converts its energy in order to perform their magus, The Umbramancer, who gorges similarly on the glow of the moon, and light to their will, and The Opacamancer/Auroramancer, both of whom channel the energies of The Duskthorough and Dawnstream in order to conjure and control their powers. Elementalists The second wave of Arcanists, Elementalists are perhaps the best known sort of magus-user, those who channel and manipulate the five raw elemental powers of Luxa: Fire, Water, Earth, Air and Lightning. As Luxomancers draw from The Morrow Realms, so too do Elementalists borrow their energy from the planet itself. Kineticists Kineticists are slightly rarer than most other magus users, generally because their abilities aren’t quite so immediately visible. Kineticists are Arcanists who, instead of drawing their energy from elsewhere, have somehow managed to establish a magus generator within themselves. Whilst this may sound ideal, it comes with its own set of problems: A kineticist’s body doesn’t draw energy in, and as a result it’s almost unable to let that energy out, too. This means a kineticist won’t be hurling fireballs… but it does allow for some interesting physical magus. What exactly that entails differs between Arcanists, but some Kineticists have been known to charge their magus into their fists for superhuman blows, whereas others have been capable of turning their bodies into intangible energy for short periods of time. Vessels And the most controversial breed of Arcanist, the vessel. Vessels are none-Arcanists who, instead of dedicating themselves to the science, instead took the easy route and cut a deal with a demon or spirit, allowing them to occupy their body in exchange for the use of their powers. Demons, being the original Arcanists, do not differ massively in style from mortal Arcanists, however a vessel can be considered a time-bomb given that, the moment they lose their emotional grip, whatever’s possessing them will take over. And demons, as we know, don’t care for the well-being of humans. Other styles Although these are the best known styles, there’re many others! Psionic Arcanists use mental magus, and necromancers draw power from nearby spirits to perform their spells. You can be any, either, or! Get creative.