(Special thanks to @Commodore as my history reference)General Premise
Beyond death there is no limbo, no heaven, no hell, merely a void that awaits the souls of the deceased with unending patience. It will one day breach the edges of existence and consume our world wholesale, a truth that has been known by the inner circle of the Maddari for generations. This fate is as inescapable as time.
For now, however, a few individuals have managed to escape the maw of death.
They are the Abbdi, horrible monsters monsters of absolute immorality. Their mere touch with the void stripped them of anything resembling mercy or humanity, and granted them power unfathomable by all but the most powerful mages. The Abbdi are nothing but monsters and animals, turned black from their brush with the void, as well as their newfound magic.
Hunting the Abbdi down and destroying them is a honorable task left to the Kadari Knights. An order named after their founder, who joined with a group of five other heroes and purged almost all of the Abbdi that had been plaguing the land Ultimately, however, all but one of these heroes perished in a fight against a particularly powerful Abbdi, whom they only barely succeeded in slaying. The survivor afterwards disappeared to places unknown.
That story is almost a thousand years old now, but it was those heroes who beget the bloodlines of all those who now serve in the Kadari Knights, an order which has now grown to hunt Abbdi across every county on the continent. That job is now being handed down to yet another generation of young Knights, who will continue to prove the value of the order to the world in a time where the Abbdi are becoming ever more frequent.
For now, however, a few individuals have managed to escape the maw of death.
They are the Abbdi, horrible monsters monsters of absolute immorality. Their mere touch with the void stripped them of anything resembling mercy or humanity, and granted them power unfathomable by all but the most powerful mages. The Abbdi are nothing but monsters and animals, turned black from their brush with the void, as well as their newfound magic.
Hunting the Abbdi down and destroying them is a honorable task left to the Kadari Knights. An order named after their founder, who joined with a group of five other heroes and purged almost all of the Abbdi that had been plaguing the land Ultimately, however, all but one of these heroes perished in a fight against a particularly powerful Abbdi, whom they only barely succeeded in slaying. The survivor afterwards disappeared to places unknown.
That story is almost a thousand years old now, but it was those heroes who beget the bloodlines of all those who now serve in the Kadari Knights, an order which has now grown to hunt Abbdi across every county on the continent. That job is now being handed down to yet another generation of young Knights, who will continue to prove the value of the order to the world in a time where the Abbdi are becoming ever more frequent.
The World
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SThe Lands
Peruwix - This is the continent where the majority of this story takes place. It has a variety of climates, from the cold tundra of the north to the deserts in the south, and a variety of cultures as well. As for its inhabitants, mostly only humans live on the continent, as things like elves and orcs have been forced off. There is, however, still a civilization of dwarves living in the Madari mountains.
‘The Wild Continent’ - Of the two continents of the world, this one is the smaller of the two and clocks in at just barely the land area of Australia. It contains the majority of the magical creatures living in the world. Most were forced there by the encroaching power of human kingdoms with their archmages. Every group of humans who have attempted to colonize this continent have been met with extreme weather conditions, poor soil, hostile fauna, and aggressive tribes of various peoples that were forced from Peruwix in ages past. It is unknown how many Abbdi live here, but it is assumed to be many.
No major lands have been found anywhere in the vast oceans beyond these two continents. Only Islands.
Major Powers
The continent of Peruwix has four major powers (all of which are roughly based on major cultures in our world):
The Kingdom Of Emiril - Placed in the central hills and plains of Peruwix, Emiril is a powerful kingdom split in two the river Eril, which is the largest in the world. The river, which also almost splits the continent in half, makes the two massive bridges spanning it critical choke points to many overland trade routes. It is these trade routes, and the massive land army the kingdom can afford thanks to taxes on the trade routes, that make the continent so powerful. However, its sea power is somewhat lacking, and the kingdom only controls one semi-major port on its east side.
Demonyms: Emiri (Singular/Plural/Possessive)
Weldiff - The capital city of Weldiff is relatively unimpressive compared to the capitals of the other world superpowers, but is a sizeable city nonetheless. The two things that set it apart from capital cities in the rest of the world is the opulent castle-palace that rests in the center of the city in a motte-and-bailey fashion, and the also very large headquarters of the Kadari Knights. The latter is also surrounded by a several barracks that house the surprisingly numerous members of the Knights, including those who work for them but aren’t tasked with hunting down Abbdi.
Pilk Cavalry - Emiril, besides hosting the Kadari Knights, is one of the few places in the world with climates conducive to the raising of Pilks; a type of lizard that grows to be the size of horses, and has very terrifying claws/teeth. There is a guild of people who devote most of their life to training, riding, and fighting atop these great beasts. While the valiant (and frankly, terrifying) riders of the mounts are too few in number to even consider for front-line combat, they are very effective for guerilla tactics.
Emiri Highlands - To the northwest of the Emiri Capital, in the foothills of the mountains, are the Emiri Highlands. Here there exists a number of strong warrior tribes that are generally considered part of the Kingdom of Emiril, but are in truth independent. The rough terrain of the land and the vigor of the inhabitants has kept Emiril from conquering them, but many warriors from the tribes often find themselves in the employ of the kingdom.
Pilk Cavalry - Emiril, besides hosting the Kadari Knights, is one of the few places in the world with climates conducive to the raising of Pilks; a type of lizard that grows to be the size of horses, and has very terrifying claws/teeth. There is a guild of people who devote most of their life to training, riding, and fighting atop these great beasts. While the valiant (and frankly, terrifying) riders of the mounts are too few in number to even consider for front-line combat, they are very effective for guerilla tactics.
Emiri Highlands - To the northwest of the Emiri Capital, in the foothills of the mountains, are the Emiri Highlands. Here there exists a number of strong warrior tribes that are generally considered part of the Kingdom of Emiril, but are in truth independent. The rough terrain of the land and the vigor of the inhabitants has kept Emiril from conquering them, but many warriors from the tribes often find themselves in the employ of the kingdom.
Hai San - Placed on the large peninsula of Loruda, Hai San is a state whose existence rests on bounty of the sea. To their north there is only the frozen lands where petty kings and wintry barbarians live, and to the west by land is only the unnatural mountains of Madari. They maintain many healthy oversea trading routes, even though they are a fairly isolationist kingdom otherwise. Even the Kadari Knights are not allowed to enter their territory unless they are there to eliminate an Abbdi within Hai San's borders.
Demonyms: Hai Sanese (Singular/Plural/Possessive)
Yahanobe - The Hai Sanese capital is a sprawling and surprisingly down-to-earth city, if it can even be called that. The roads splitting up the naturally grown city are made of dirt, padded down by generations of citizens walking up and down them. Some areas, such as around popular temples and amongst the barracks, the roads have been paved and widened for the sake of traffic. The capitol building itself, a four-story wooden structure with significant religious design, stands on the edge of the lake that most of the city draws its water from. The most notable feature of this city is the large sacred gardens around the temple of Kami.
Munitions Corps - The Hai San Munitions Corps is the first full company of soldiers armed with muskets in the human world, though much beyond that is not known. They have only been around for roughly a year, but in that time they have distinguished themselves as a powerful force on the battlefield—at short range. Only the most skillful snipers able to hit targets regularly at ranges greater than twenty-five meters, and most only at five or ten.
The Northern Tundra - The lands north of the Hai Son Kingdom are cold and fruitless, yet home to several Viking-like warrior tribes. They raid coastal villages and islands all over the world, looting them for food and women, though they usually leave the town intact. The Hai Sanese have developed effective defenses against these raiders, but occasionally will coerce them into raiding towns owned by other nations if it suits them.
Munitions Corps - The Hai San Munitions Corps is the first full company of soldiers armed with muskets in the human world, though much beyond that is not known. They have only been around for roughly a year, but in that time they have distinguished themselves as a powerful force on the battlefield—at short range. Only the most skillful snipers able to hit targets regularly at ranges greater than twenty-five meters, and most only at five or ten.
The Northern Tundra - The lands north of the Hai Son Kingdom are cold and fruitless, yet home to several Viking-like warrior tribes. They raid coastal villages and islands all over the world, looting them for food and women, though they usually leave the town intact. The Hai Sanese have developed effective defenses against these raiders, but occasionally will coerce them into raiding towns owned by other nations if it suits them.
Amidal Empire - The Amidal empire is somewhat the remains of a former, larger empire, as well as a new entity to on the world stage. The former Yultva empire reached all the way to the borders of Emiril, controlling the entire southern part of the continent. They broke apart when the growing numbers of the Nomadic tribes in and around the desert began to rebel. That, combined with war and blockades from Emiril and Hai San quickly lead to the empire’s economic and political collapse. The Amidal empire that rose out of its ashes are mostly formed by the core states of the old empire who had to rely on each other heavily during the war periods in order to survive. Now, the new empire is already a major trading force in the world, though they are slightly behind in technological development.
Demonyms: Amidali (Singular/Plural/Possessive)
Adilla - A city built entirely in the last century, Adilla is an impressive feat of engineering. The port city is mostly built over water, with entire arms reaching into the sea in order to house more and more boats. The city can play host to several hundred ships simultaneously thanks to this design, and this connection to the outside world makes it almost unsiegeable. The other major facet of the city is the grand roost in its center, which holds the nation’s entire air-force. It isn’t a single building, but a large collection of tall buildings meant to house everything from small wyverns to sphinxes.
Air Warriors - Something almost entirely unique to the empire, is that a large number of winged beasts live within its borders. They have tamed a fairly large number of these and turned them into mounts for dragoons, cavalry, and archers. The three major beasts used for this section of their military are: Wyverns, while only large enough to fit one person at a time, can carry people in heavy platemail into the sky with no problem; Gryphons, which are most available mount to the empire, carry archers or lightly armored cavalry into battle regularly; and sphinxes, which are warriors in their own right (They’re also usually too dangerous to ride). This special attack force grants the Amidal empire a huge advantage in almost any fight.
The Wide Deserts - In the southwestern part of Peruwix lies the Itle Desert. It is mostly desolate wasteland, though a number of tribes roam over it to the various oasis. There are a few permanent settlements here, but they are large towns at best. The area is also a popular place for salamanders and basilisks.
Air Warriors - Something almost entirely unique to the empire, is that a large number of winged beasts live within its borders. They have tamed a fairly large number of these and turned them into mounts for dragoons, cavalry, and archers. The three major beasts used for this section of their military are: Wyverns, while only large enough to fit one person at a time, can carry people in heavy platemail into the sky with no problem; Gryphons, which are most available mount to the empire, carry archers or lightly armored cavalry into battle regularly; and sphinxes, which are warriors in their own right (They’re also usually too dangerous to ride). This special attack force grants the Amidal empire a huge advantage in almost any fight.
The Wide Deserts - In the southwestern part of Peruwix lies the Itle Desert. It is mostly desolate wasteland, though a number of tribes roam over it to the various oasis. There are a few permanent settlements here, but they are large towns at best. The area is also a popular place for salamanders and basilisks.
Madari Conglomerate - The Madari don’t quite classify as as a state in almost any sense of the word. It is more accurate to call them a group of duchies and petty kingdoms, bound together by nearly-common language and the mages of the Tower. For the most part they act in each other’s interests and stay mostly peaceable. Small conflicts abound, of course, but doing so risks the protection of the mages who live in the tower. This is also one of the few places left in the world outside of the Wild Continent where Dwarves still live.
Demonyms: Madari (Singlular/Plural/Posessive)
The Grand Tower - The Tower is a massive, man-made structure, that houses over two hundred mages, and contains the most extensive set of studies, laboratories, and libraries in the world. The building itself only stands thanks to it being built and maintained constantly by magic. It is also built atop the only Magic Well on the continent, where even a novice’s spells are amplified tenfold.
The Madari Mages - The Madari Mages are a convent of magic users from the world over, wielding sorceries granting powers those without magic can only dream of. Many study and practice their entire lives at the Tower, learning the secrets of the world, though there are also those who sell their services to the powers of the world or join groups like the Kadari Knights. Mages that show particular aptitude have the potential to become one of the twelve Archmagi, who possess some fraction of knowledge of The Truth. They make decisions for the whole of mage kind, and have the power to forbid mages from working for a particular individual or whole group.
The Madari Mountains - The Madari Mountains are actually an artificial construction. They were created in a much more tumultuous time of the world, when Abbdi stalked the countryside regularly, and the armies of the world felt they could demand the services of the Archmagi in destroying the monsters. As they marched to the tower, threatening it and mages everywhere, the Archmages gathered together and cast a massive spell which rose mountains beneath the armies, crushing them. Now, the mountains are practically impassible for armies, and the groups living within the mountains know when an attack is coming well before it arrives.
The Madari Mages - The Madari Mages are a convent of magic users from the world over, wielding sorceries granting powers those without magic can only dream of. Many study and practice their entire lives at the Tower, learning the secrets of the world, though there are also those who sell their services to the powers of the world or join groups like the Kadari Knights. Mages that show particular aptitude have the potential to become one of the twelve Archmagi, who possess some fraction of knowledge of The Truth. They make decisions for the whole of mage kind, and have the power to forbid mages from working for a particular individual or whole group.
The Madari Mountains - The Madari Mountains are actually an artificial construction. They were created in a much more tumultuous time of the world, when Abbdi stalked the countryside regularly, and the armies of the world felt they could demand the services of the Archmagi in destroying the monsters. As they marched to the tower, threatening it and mages everywhere, the Archmages gathered together and cast a massive spell which rose mountains beneath the armies, crushing them. Now, the mountains are practically impassible for armies, and the groups living within the mountains know when an attack is coming well before it arrives.
Religion
Like real life, religion varies wildly across the continents. However, they all focus on the Void in some manner or another. After all, how can one not believe in the void with the Abbdi wandering the world slaughtering people? There are three major religions, but a number of other religions also exist around the world.
Voldttism - Named after Audrey Voldtt, one of the heroes who founded the Kadari Knights and the only survivor of the encounter with a legendary Abbdi. They believe strongly that good people go to a place called the Aether, an absolute antithesis to the nothingness of the void. A part of this belief is that the Aether and the Void came together to form the world, and that the heroes that founded the Kadari Knights were, essentially, Abbdi from the Aether. Followers of Voldttism also believe that there is a god watching over all three planes of existence, and who decides where one goes after death. This religion is held primarily by the Emiri peoples.
Iodism - Iods believe that the void is not something separate from the world, but just another part of it. They believe that all of nature is a singular, flowing, river. From Birth to Death to the beyond one flows, and along that path one must respect everything that follows its own parallel path. Iods see the Abbdi as those who have broken from the natural order of things, and that is why they act so evilly. It is most usual for the people of Amidal Empire to hold these beliefs.
Manduism - Manduists believe the Abddi are spawned from creatures in life that were already horrible, and their evil persisted in them to their next life. Otherwise, their beliefs are simple: You do what you are best at in life, and after you die you are brought back as either something higher in the order or lower depending on how well you did it. They believe in many gods that rule the universe, the most powerful and important of which being Kami, the god of creation. The Hai Sanese almost exclusively follow this religion.
Iodism - Iods believe that the void is not something separate from the world, but just another part of it. They believe that all of nature is a singular, flowing, river. From Birth to Death to the beyond one flows, and along that path one must respect everything that follows its own parallel path. Iods see the Abbdi as those who have broken from the natural order of things, and that is why they act so evilly. It is most usual for the people of Amidal Empire to hold these beliefs.
Manduism - Manduists believe the Abddi are spawned from creatures in life that were already horrible, and their evil persisted in them to their next life. Otherwise, their beliefs are simple: You do what you are best at in life, and after you die you are brought back as either something higher in the order or lower depending on how well you did it. They believe in many gods that rule the universe, the most powerful and important of which being Kami, the god of creation. The Hai Sanese almost exclusively follow this religion.
The Kadari Knights
General Overview - The Kadari Knights are the organization responsible for hunting down the Abbdi as they come into the world. Founded almost a millennia ago, they have a number of practices and special knowledge that makes them better at this than any other group in the world.
Joining - In order to join the Kadari Knights, one must first be sponsored by a recognized member of the Knights. This usually is the least difficult step, though it requires proving to one of them that you have the potential to be a useful member of the Knights. The sponsor is then expected to train the potential recruit until they believe they are ready for the entrance trial. Training can include everything from simple direct combat, to letting tag along and watch (And only watch) them take down one of the Abbdi. This always includes at least some team-combat practice. The trial the new recruit then has to go through is twofold: They must demonstrate at least a minimum amount of knowledge about the Abbdi and how to kill one, and they must pass a trial where they and several other recruits take down a lead member of the Knights who is pretending be one of the abbdi (Usually it's a martial master with a mage standing to the side to simulate the dangers an Abbdi. All members are required to be able to wield at least one close-combat weapon competently). After the trial the recruits are evaluated and selectively let join the Kadari Knights. The trial is always held exactly a month before the induction ceremony, which is held in the inner sanctum of the Knights' Headquarters. This process is mostly the same for mages, though they don't have the requirement of having to know how to fight with a weapon. The spell to banish Abbdi is taught after joining, though only to mages (and is surprisingly simple to learn).
Resources - The Kadari Knights have a number of resources available to them. The first of which is a pair of blacksmiths who work almost exclusively for them. These blacksmiths are highly skilled, and are responsible for helping Knights maintain their weapon and gears on the rare occasion that they are home. The city in which the Knights' headquarters rests also has fletchers. The second resource is a team of mages that constantly scry for new Abbdi, meaning that not one claws its way into existence that the Knights don't know about. Finally, they have a unique relationship with Madari Mages, where occasionally one of the upper class mages from the tower will visit and teach magery to mages who have joined the Knights and so can't be at the tower.
Teams - Hunting Abbdi is a dangerous business, and so the Kadari Knights search for them in teams of five to eight members. They never fight one of the Abbdi without a mage, and often have two in larger teams. It is rare, but for an Abbdi they believe will be more difficult to fight teams will get together so that they can overwhelm the reborn individual. There are usually four or five of these teams abroad in the world at any given time, and to be involved in the killing of Abbdi is a great honor.
Joining - In order to join the Kadari Knights, one must first be sponsored by a recognized member of the Knights. This usually is the least difficult step, though it requires proving to one of them that you have the potential to be a useful member of the Knights. The sponsor is then expected to train the potential recruit until they believe they are ready for the entrance trial. Training can include everything from simple direct combat, to letting tag along and watch (And only watch) them take down one of the Abbdi. This always includes at least some team-combat practice. The trial the new recruit then has to go through is twofold: They must demonstrate at least a minimum amount of knowledge about the Abbdi and how to kill one, and they must pass a trial where they and several other recruits take down a lead member of the Knights who is pretending be one of the abbdi (Usually it's a martial master with a mage standing to the side to simulate the dangers an Abbdi. All members are required to be able to wield at least one close-combat weapon competently). After the trial the recruits are evaluated and selectively let join the Kadari Knights. The trial is always held exactly a month before the induction ceremony, which is held in the inner sanctum of the Knights' Headquarters. This process is mostly the same for mages, though they don't have the requirement of having to know how to fight with a weapon. The spell to banish Abbdi is taught after joining, though only to mages (and is surprisingly simple to learn).
Resources - The Kadari Knights have a number of resources available to them. The first of which is a pair of blacksmiths who work almost exclusively for them. These blacksmiths are highly skilled, and are responsible for helping Knights maintain their weapon and gears on the rare occasion that they are home. The city in which the Knights' headquarters rests also has fletchers. The second resource is a team of mages that constantly scry for new Abbdi, meaning that not one claws its way into existence that the Knights don't know about. Finally, they have a unique relationship with Madari Mages, where occasionally one of the upper class mages from the tower will visit and teach magery to mages who have joined the Knights and so can't be at the tower.
Teams - Hunting Abbdi is a dangerous business, and so the Kadari Knights search for them in teams of five to eight members. They never fight one of the Abbdi without a mage, and often have two in larger teams. It is rare, but for an Abbdi they believe will be more difficult to fight teams will get together so that they can overwhelm the reborn individual. There are usually four or five of these teams abroad in the world at any given time, and to be involved in the killing of Abbdi is a great honor.
The Abbdi
General Description - Abbdi are the bodies of people who had died, returned from the void but now inhabited by a malevolent spirit. They are easy spot due to their skin turning into an oil-like substance, and/or their blood turning black. When they return they are granted knowledge of quite a few spells. Occasionally they will try to coerce Kadari Knights into letting them live, fortunately to no avail. They materialize somewhere in the world roughly once a week with a large burst of magical energy. This is the most often they've appeared since the days of the heroes that founded the Kadari Knights.
Fighting an Abbdi - Abbdi are difficult to fight, partially due to their magical capabilities, and partially due to the challenge in killing one. In order to kill one, a mage has to remain in physical contact with the Abbdi for the entire time it takes to chant the spell to 'banish' them from existence. This takes about a minute. The hard part is incapacitating the Abbdi in such a way the mage can do this. One way is to knock them out, but this usually requires doing the kind of damage to the Abbdi that would usually kill someone (Perforating the brain, and bleeding out come to mind). The more common way is to do something to make spellcasting impossible- say by cutting their vocal cords or stabbing their lungs, then holding them down with brute force while they are 'banished.' Dismemberment is discouraged, as each piece then has to be banished (Blood can be ignored). Abbdi can (and will) regenerate from any injury if they're not banished. They won't regenerate from anything smaller than a hand or foot, if most of them has been banished already.
Fighting an Abbdi - Abbdi are difficult to fight, partially due to their magical capabilities, and partially due to the challenge in killing one. In order to kill one, a mage has to remain in physical contact with the Abbdi for the entire time it takes to chant the spell to 'banish' them from existence. This takes about a minute. The hard part is incapacitating the Abbdi in such a way the mage can do this. One way is to knock them out, but this usually requires doing the kind of damage to the Abbdi that would usually kill someone (Perforating the brain, and bleeding out come to mind). The more common way is to do something to make spellcasting impossible- say by cutting their vocal cords or stabbing their lungs, then holding them down with brute force while they are 'banished.' Dismemberment is discouraged, as each piece then has to be banished (Blood can be ignored). Abbdi can (and will) regenerate from any injury if they're not banished. They won't regenerate from anything smaller than a hand or foot, if most of them has been banished already.
Magecraft
Magic is difficult to explain. It contradicts itself seemingly at every turn, yet is quantifiable in many aspects. It is this quality that makes it greatly misunderstood, even within mage circles. So, in the interest of maximum understanding, I've split the major arcing facets of magic into four main sections: "General facts of Magery," "The Learning of Spells," "The Components of a Spell," and "The Casting of a Spell." ((You don't need to read any of this if you're not applying for a mage position, and come up with whatever ideas or biases you want about magic.))
((Two special notes to add here. One: the 'banish' spell used on Abbdi is a completely unique spell in that it is incredibly quick and easy to learn. Two: Besides the Banish Spell, the majority of Limbo spells are beyond the mana of even the greatest archmages))
General Facts of Magery - Being a mage is not a simple matter. Almost no one trusts magic, and in many societies mages are killed if they don't have someone or something standing behind them, metaphorically speaking. This is why most Mages who manage to live to adulthood join groups like the Kadari Knights and Madari Mages. From within those groups, mages can safely act in the world with the knowledge that there are people who will make sure they don't get hurt. This safety is usually used to study aspects of the world and learn new spells not available in the stuffy classrooms and libraries of the Grand Tower. When out and about, however, Mages are usually have to rely on melodrama, wit, and slight of hand in order to avoid being attacked anyway. Even most relatively powerful spells are rather dull looking, and very few people who would attack a mage fear dull-looking spells more than they hate mages.
The Learning of Spells - Aptitude, as a mage, is impossible to determine at a glance. The first part of being a mage is having a natural talent for Magic, which is often referred to as one's 'mana.' This dictates what levels of magic someone can learn can learn, and texts describing magics someone does not have the mana to learn will usually be completely incomprehensible (It is rare, but not unheard of, that a spell different from the one the book teaches is learned that is within the scope of the reader's mana). The second part is one's studiousness. Spells are learned through research and understanding of the spell and its effects on multiple levels. If someone cannot sit down long enough to learn, they will never be a mage. The third part to learning spells is one's disposition. Every mage has their own understanding and interpretation of a spell, based on their biases towards the spell and their personality. An excellent example is the spells 'fireball' and 'fire heal.' Both were originally learned (by different mages) from the same text, but one create wounds and the other closes them.
The Components of a Spell - Part of learning a spell is figuring out what basic magical 'components' form it. Components are the subdivisions of magic that make up the spell. All components fall under five types: Aether, which is associated with light and warmth; Order, which is peace and shaping; Void, normally gathered with darkness and a lack of heat; Chaos, denoting war and destruction; and Limbo, which is beyond the scope of most people's mana and is associated with creation and fate. Of any given spell, these components can be quantified and counted, but doing so requires a significant amount of resources put forward by very powerful wizards. This is why it is usually left to the user of the spell to know the components of the spell.
The Casting of a Spell - Casting a spell is simple. One must simply speak the word, or words, of the spell and have a focus for the spell to effect. The word is what is learned when one learns a spell. It is a word from the language of the world, referred to as simply Truth, and these words hold so much power that if you do know the word when you hear it said you can't quite understand it. For example, if the word were 'Claroan,' one might hear something like 'Cl**oh**n,' if they did not know the spell themselves. The simpler part of the spell-casting process is the focus. One must simply have their mind dedicated to the object or place the spell is meant to effect, and when the spell is spoken it will effect that object or place. Most mages, however, lack the discipline to focus their mind cleanly on one object. The way to get around this incapability is to make some kind of hand motion towards the object. Even a flick of the wrist and a glance can be enough is one is practiced.
Now simply put the word and focus together and... Oh dear, your fireball barely charred his shirt you say? Well, that is simply because magic is inherently weak. To create the truly catastrophic effects you are looking for, one needs to add Reagents. The reagents needed for a spell are specific to the kind of spell and the particular effects of the spell. Ashes, for example, are common for fire spells. These regents are used up at the mages discretion when the spell is cast, and amplify its effect to some extent. Higher quality, better mixed, or more aligned reagents usually will provide stronger effects. An alternate way to power a spell is to use one's own life force. This is incredibly ill-advised however, as life-force does not 'grow back' or 'return' in any sense of the word. The use of life force in a spell, however, greatly increases its power. Theoretically, even a novice mage could destroy a city if, from being perfectly healthy, they sacrificed all their life force into a single fireball spell. A feat which is, indeed, possible. However, no one has ever hated a city with such a passion they would kill themselves to destroy it, and oftentimes cities have enchantment spells that would protect against such things to some degree.
The Learning of Spells - Aptitude, as a mage, is impossible to determine at a glance. The first part of being a mage is having a natural talent for Magic, which is often referred to as one's 'mana.' This dictates what levels of magic someone can learn can learn, and texts describing magics someone does not have the mana to learn will usually be completely incomprehensible (It is rare, but not unheard of, that a spell different from the one the book teaches is learned that is within the scope of the reader's mana). The second part is one's studiousness. Spells are learned through research and understanding of the spell and its effects on multiple levels. If someone cannot sit down long enough to learn, they will never be a mage. The third part to learning spells is one's disposition. Every mage has their own understanding and interpretation of a spell, based on their biases towards the spell and their personality. An excellent example is the spells 'fireball' and 'fire heal.' Both were originally learned (by different mages) from the same text, but one create wounds and the other closes them.
The Components of a Spell - Part of learning a spell is figuring out what basic magical 'components' form it. Components are the subdivisions of magic that make up the spell. All components fall under five types: Aether, which is associated with light and warmth; Order, which is peace and shaping; Void, normally gathered with darkness and a lack of heat; Chaos, denoting war and destruction; and Limbo, which is beyond the scope of most people's mana and is associated with creation and fate. Of any given spell, these components can be quantified and counted, but doing so requires a significant amount of resources put forward by very powerful wizards. This is why it is usually left to the user of the spell to know the components of the spell.
The Casting of a Spell - Casting a spell is simple. One must simply speak the word, or words, of the spell and have a focus for the spell to effect. The word is what is learned when one learns a spell. It is a word from the language of the world, referred to as simply Truth, and these words hold so much power that if you do know the word when you hear it said you can't quite understand it. For example, if the word were 'Claroan,' one might hear something like 'Cl**oh**n,' if they did not know the spell themselves. The simpler part of the spell-casting process is the focus. One must simply have their mind dedicated to the object or place the spell is meant to effect, and when the spell is spoken it will effect that object or place. Most mages, however, lack the discipline to focus their mind cleanly on one object. The way to get around this incapability is to make some kind of hand motion towards the object. Even a flick of the wrist and a glance can be enough is one is practiced.
Now simply put the word and focus together and... Oh dear, your fireball barely charred his shirt you say? Well, that is simply because magic is inherently weak. To create the truly catastrophic effects you are looking for, one needs to add Reagents. The reagents needed for a spell are specific to the kind of spell and the particular effects of the spell. Ashes, for example, are common for fire spells. These regents are used up at the mages discretion when the spell is cast, and amplify its effect to some extent. Higher quality, better mixed, or more aligned reagents usually will provide stronger effects. An alternate way to power a spell is to use one's own life force. This is incredibly ill-advised however, as life-force does not 'grow back' or 'return' in any sense of the word. The use of life force in a spell, however, greatly increases its power. Theoretically, even a novice mage could destroy a city if, from being perfectly healthy, they sacrificed all their life force into a single fireball spell. A feat which is, indeed, possible. However, no one has ever hated a city with such a passion they would kill themselves to destroy it, and oftentimes cities have enchantment spells that would protect against such things to some degree.
((Two special notes to add here. One: the 'banish' spell used on Abbdi is a completely unique spell in that it is incredibly quick and easy to learn. Two: Besides the Banish Spell, the majority of Limbo spells are beyond the mana of even the greatest archmages))
Additional Stuff
The Void - The Void is where everyone, without exception, goes after death. There, they will spend eternity in its nothingness if they don’t escape as an Abbdi. It is unclear why the time in the void grants Abbdi any change in power. However, a popular theory is that the void ties itself to the Abddi, which them allows them to cast as if they were pouring life force into it.
Technology - The level of technology in the world is roughly very early 1400s. Beginning of muskets and all that. Field Guns and cannons are only slightly uncommon on the battlefield, but plate armor, swords, spears, and crossbows are still fairly popular ways to protect oneself. As far as the Kadari Knights are concerned, firearms are a somewhat dishonorable way to fight the Abbdi, and less effective.
Technology - The level of technology in the world is roughly very early 1400s. Beginning of muskets and all that. Field Guns and cannons are only slightly uncommon on the battlefield, but plate armor, swords, spears, and crossbows are still fairly popular ways to protect oneself. As far as the Kadari Knights are concerned, firearms are a somewhat dishonorable way to fight the Abbdi, and less effective.
Your Character
Now, you’ve read this far, and so you clearly have some interest in joining. Your character will be a recent induction into the Kadari Knights, and honor above almost all others.
First of all, rules for all characters (Unless you have a good backstory that justifies breaking them):
Things to just keep in mind:
Also, there are kinda limited spaces, but Idk how many yet. At least five, but up to eight or nine.
First of all, rules for all characters (Unless you have a good backstory that justifies breaking them):
- I’m only accepting Human characters.
- I’m only accepting one mage.
- Your character can be an ex-criminal, but they can’t have been infamous
- For now, at least, no characters are members of the Knights. I plan on beginning the IC a couple hours before the induction ritual.
- No characters under 25-ish, preferably a little older
Things to just keep in mind:
- Think about where your person comes from, and the culture in that area (you’re free to make up a lot of stuff)
- If they are or aren’t part of a family line of Kadari Knights
- If they aren’t, what drove them to join the Kadari Knights?
- How did they get to Emiril, if they weren’t born there?
- Their culture is not as progressive as ours.
To apply, just throw a complete CS into the OOC and I'll give it a look.
Also, there are kinda limited spaces, but Idk how many yet. At least five, but up to eight or nine.
General Conduct Rules
In no particular order:
- I appreciate realism to the time period as much as the next guy, but know when to draw the line.
- Don’t be aggressive/antagonistic/hostile/blatantly mean in the OOC.
- If you disagree with me on how something should’ve gone down in the IC, it’s okay to talk about it in the OOC. If you disagree with how I handled something in the OOC, PM me.
- I would prefer warning if you’re about to/in the middle of dropping off the face of the world, but it’s okay if you don’t. Either way, if you come back show up in the OOC first before you just start posting again.
- Try to keep conflict polite or in PMs.
- I prefer if posts are kept to a minimum of a paragraph, and in the event of conversations where doing a paragraph to say one line is really excessive, do a collab and post each new section of that every ten lines or so so that others can still join in.
- Keep modern, real-life politics out of my OOC please.
- Please try to have fun.
((Note, I will be adding more and more information to this over time. This is just the basic information to get started.)))
