Below is some setting info and lore just copy&pasted from the interest check board. Feel free to jump right in and RP, and don't hesitate to ask questions if you need a clarification on certain aspects of the setting. :)
OgdenOgden is a continent that, technologically, made it to the point of about modern day society: planes, trains, advanced medicine and sciences, etc. When the "Awakening" or "Ruining", name dependent on your opinion, occurred, it regressed technology: people began relying more on magic and less on technology, and throughout the years of warfare and the hazards of trial and error that came with learning the horrors that magic could produce without knowing beforehand, technology first was considered almost obsolete, and then lost and forgotten. There are some trains that still run, mostly throughout the districts united under the capital of Eden. Anything beyond Eden's "sanctioned" districts is considered the Wastelands. While many plucky trading posts and villages do survive in the Wastelands, they tend to be lawless, or are dictated by whim or an iron grip; they have no government to call on if things start to go south. Those brave enough to roam the Wastelands may stop in an outpost one year, and on their way through the next may find it in ruins and ash, overrun and destroyed by a roving gang of bandits or torn through by a ravenous fire elemental.Eden
Eden is the capitol of the continent, and thrives. Running water and electricity, luxuries in most other parts of Ogden, are part of an ordinary life in Eden. Eden is home to two of the largest influential organizations in Ogden: the Painbearers and the Bloodhounds.
The Painbearers are a sect of Enchanters and Conduits who devote themselves to the healing of others. They are led by a man known as the High Martyr, who is rumored to be blessed with the capabilities of an Enchanter and a Conduit, though there is no proof of this. Their main monastery is in Eden, but many cells of Painbearers travel to the Gardens and beyond to the Wastelands in search of those in need.
The Bloodhounds are an organization of witch hunters. They consist of two main branches, the hunters and the scribes. Through years of research, scribes have developed specialty ink that, when applied to a man, enhances his physical abilities. Though some consider this to be a lesser form of enchantment, the Bloodhounds see it as a way to even the battlefield against mages. These sigils are temporary, and last approximately three days, though the duration is somewhat dependent on the skill of the scribe.The Gardens
The Gardens are five outlying sectors of Eden, each specializing in specific ways to rebuild the world. They are the only official cities serving Eden and are under strict protection and law governed by Eden.Wastelands
The Wastelands consist of all land unclaimed by Eden. They are lawless and inhabited by outlaws, foolhardy travelers and traders, would-be adventurers, and mutants. Mutants are the result of Conduits who have been warped by their magic. This can occur when more than one rune is applied to them, a rune is inscribed onto them incorrectly, or if they abuse the power of their rune and allow it to consume them. Depending on the type of conduit, the mutation is different. A fanatical organization known as the Miraculum prowls the wastelands in search of "recruits" for their cause. The Miraculum believes that Enchanters and Conduits are more evolved than those incapable of magic, and their eventual goal is to exterminate the mundane.
Villages and outposts do exist beyond Eden and her Gardens, but they are subject to the whims and dangers of the Wastelands. There are some small hamlets who cut deals with outlaws or tribes; they offer up food and goods in exchange for "protection". Some even offer up sacrifices to cannibalistic tribes to avoid destruction.MagicMagic was introduced in an event called “The Awakening” by some “The Ruining” by others. A new language was discovered that was able to tap into an a previously unknown power source eventually dubbed as magic. The language consisted of an array of runes and words that, when used in combination, can control and summon certain elements and produce other extraordinary effects.
As more research was done, there become two distinct users, the “Enchanters” and the “Conduits.”
While rumors have always been whispered of the possibility of one capable of being both and Enchanter and a Conduit, no such claims or stories have ever been verified, and most -- those who revel magic, those who revile it -- consider such tales to be nothing more than exaggerated fairy tales. Tellings of those who have attempted both forms of magic always end the same, with the caster regressing to a monstrous mutation.Enchanters
Enchanters are those that have an acute knowledge of this new magic language, able to enchant everyday objects and “conduits.” They have the ability to give life to the words, focusing more on external magic as opposed to the Conduits. An Enchanter must have an artifact, some sort of trinket carved with a rune, to be able to cast their magic. Without their artifact, they are unable to produce magic. An Enchanter can use only two different runes at any given time without suffering from ill side effects, but any rune can be discarded in favor of another. For example, an Enchanter with a fire artifact and a water artifact can destroy their water artifact and inscribe a new artifact with a rune for earth if they so choose. To cast their magic, an Enchanter must also have a verbal component to their spell. It can be as soft as a whisper, but they must speak to invoke their magic. If gagged or otherwise rendered mute, they are unable to cast.Conduits
Conduits are those that are able to sustain having a rune inscribed onto their body. While the conduit is able to invoke the rune for their powers, they are unable to scribe or use artifacts as an Enchanter. Their magic is considered internal, their power source drawn from within. They require no trinket for their magics, but all of the elemental conduits do need to have some sort of supply for their abilities. A Fire Conduit needs fire, an Air Conduit some sort of electrical charge, a Water Conduit a source of water, and an Earth Conduit a natural piece of earth. Conduits will often carry around something to insure their supply; Fire may carry around a lighter, Water a canteen, and so on. To invoke their spells, a Conduit must employ a somatic component; if their hands are bound, they are unable to cast. Elemental Conduits are capable of stronger spells, but are limited to the single element they are inscribed with.RunesRunes are what unlock the magic, be it for the Enchanter or the Conduit. A Conduit's Rune locks them to that particular brand of magic, leaving them incapable of performing any other variety. An Enchanter, inscribing their runes onto a trinket, are able to destroy their artifacts and pick up a new breed of magic if they take the time to do so.Rune Material
The material used to hold the rune is nearly as important as the rune itself. The material determines the strength and duration of each spell.
- Paper: Temporary effect. The weakest of the magic. Normally used by those that are beginners.
- Cloth: Temporary effect. Second weakest. Normally used by novices for basic enchanting.
- Wood: Semi-permanent. Good for basic trinkets. Will lose power eventually but takes longer than a month depending on wood.
- Stone: Permanent. The go to trinket for magic users. Fairly stronger depending on the stone used, the power will not drain away since the magic will not burn through the material.
- Gemstones: Permanent. Strongest of the trinket magic. The right gem must be chosen for the right spell for maximum usage.
- Conduits: Strongest of materials. The rune empowers the Conduit and no longer requires the Enchanter to direct it.
Types of RunesElemental
- Air
- Earth
- Fire
- Water
Other
- Astral (Conduit only)
- Healing (Enchanter only)
- Necromancy
Elemental
Elemental is by far the most common rune used. The elements are everywhere in the world around, and each of the four offer superior offensive capabilities. Note that conduits who have been inscribed with an elemental rune receive a specific inhuman boon in regards to their element.
- Air: An Air Conduit has inhuman reflexes, the ability to react to certain actions and situations with far more speed than an average man could hope to.
- Earth: An Earth Conduit is solid and sturdy, their flesh hardened and somewhat akin to an exoskeleton or shell; their bone density increases, making them harder to wound.
- Fire: A Fire Conduit does not suffer from heat, and cannot burn. Their articles -- clothing, for instance -- can be destroyed in fire and they may still die of smoke inhalation, but fire itself can neither harm nor kill a Fire Conduit.
- Water: A water conduit is able to breathe underwater.
Astral
Astral is to project yourself out of your own body, and in some instances being able to force your will on another creature. This is often done through animals, and those who have mastered the ability to imprint their will upon a beast to do their bidding are known as Skinwalkers.Healing
To heal with magic, a wound or illness must be taken from the patient and transferred to another being of similar make. There is no curing a failing liver from a young man and passing the ailment on to a pig; it would have to be moved from one human to the next. The patient must also either be willing, or unconscious to be healed. There is only one formal group in Ogden who are legally sanctioned to perform healing rituals. They are known as the Painbearers.Necromancy
Necromancy can be categorized, loosely, as a combination of healing and astral. It is the darkest of the rune types, and even those who embrace and revel magic are more often than not opposed to such dark rituals. A Necromancer is the only magic user capable of bringing a man back from the dead; to do such requires the death of another. Necromancers are also able to raise the dead as mindless servants known as ghouls. They are nothing like who they may have been in life, and serve their creator without hesitation. To raise a ghoul, no sacrifice is needed, and this makes Necromancers incredibly dangerous, capable of bringing about an army of dead if the bodies are available. Though there have been no reports of a true necromancer in hundreds of years, it is still common practice throughout Ogden to burn the dead as opposed to burying them; back when necromancy was more common, people learned quickly that burying the dead only provided these attackers with fresh 'recruits'.
