The words wrote themselves across the originally blank piece of paper in golden flowing script. The page arrived mere moments before in a white envelope you didn't remember anyone delivering. How it managed to get to you was a mystery.
You had never heard of Acadia. Internet searches brought up nothing but conspiracy theories. Missing people, aliens, demons, magic, cults - no one agreed on anything. Magic recently resurfaced, bringing along a surge in humans with innate gifts, either through circumstance or genetics, and those labeled inhumans, beings of other dimensions. They always existed but the return of the ley lines twenty years ago triggered a domino effect and rapidly grew the population. Normal humans still composed 80 percent of the population.
Inside the white envelope lay a long, thin key. As you picked it up, you notice a phrase carved into the shaft. Although you didn't reconize the langauge, you knew that this fit any lock and would lead you, if you wished, to a whole new destiny.
Acadia floats on a large isle in the middle of a crystal blue sky. It contains portals that allows free movement between its annexes which house training rooms, library, study halls, and dorms. Each student is assigned a dorm based on their year and gender and is given a personal room with a bed, desk, and closet. Bathrooms and dining rooms are communal within the dorms.
There are seven years in total at Acadia. These yeas are only meant to track your time at the academy and give students a peer group early on. Actual achievement is based on an individual level and several people in a class may advance to higher level classes quicker than others. Beginning at year 4, students are expected to assist instructors in allowing students into the dimensions for practical study.
Currently, 87 prospective models of Dimensional alignment have been submitted by those who study it. The only constant however is the Prime Plane, in which Earth is situated. It always maintains the same distance from each other dimension in every model, for one reason or another. As such, this discussion uses it as the reference point of each other plane.
What is a dimension? Simply put, each dimension is its own reality and is completely seperated from each of the others minus a few natural link points. Each one contains it's own universe and thus it's own laws of reality. Let's take gravity for example. In the Prime Dimension, gravity is oriented towards large centers of mass such as planets and stars. Only through magic can this effect be altered. However in the Etherial Dimension, gravity is subjective. One individual's down can be another's up and an object will stay unmoving unless moved by an individual.
These dimensions are group into general types: The Prime Dimension , The Transitional Dimensions which wrap around the Prime one, The Inner Dimensions that circle The Prime one closely, and The Outer Dimensons that never interact directly with the Prime Dimension. Demi-dimensions can exist but are formed as a product of magic for that specific purpose rather than existing on their own. Most demi-dimensions collapse once their creator dies.
List of known dimensions:
Transitional: Feywilds, Dark Dimension, Etherial Dimension
Inner: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Life, Death
Outer: Celesti, The Abyss, Pandemonium, Ysgard
Magic in this world can be generalize in three ways: Innate, Environmental, and Dimensional. These refer specifically to the power sources that drive each category.
Those with innate magic manifest powers without the use of glyphs, signals, or incantations. Examples of innate magic are Telekentics, Shapeshifters, Bioelectrics, and Speedsters. Some only manifest one strong power such as telekinesis or atmokinesis while others display smultiple smaller powers that work together like enhanced strength and rapid healing. The fall back is these individuals cannot learn magic through other means. Incantations and seals fail to trigger the change that is expected through spells.
Environmental magic user wield magic found directly around them. Using magic glyphs and seal matched with incantations, they shape their desires into reality. Environmental magic is cast when a user channels environmental forces into a glyph or seal in their mind while speaking the appropriate incantation. The glyph or seal appears as a magic circle as the effect take place. There is very little magic can't accomplish but this form of magic is limited to the resources around it. Using this technique, one could reverse gravity of the Prime Plane but not in the Etherial Dimension because gravity doesn't actually exist there.
Dimensional Magic is the most powerful form of magic. This technique draws on the energy generated as two dimensions interact with each other. The volatile nature of these energies makes wielding this power dangerous and difficult. Spells of this degree break the rules of any given dimension and often the governing principles of reality as a whole. Users can manipulate time, create demi-dimensions, and gain immortality. Most forbidden magics are part of this type.
Restricted: Summoning
Forbidden Magics: Blood Magic, Time Magic, Necromancy.