The island-continent of Altea has finally reached 300 years of continuous peace. The age of magic has passed, as the Luminous Knights cast down the all powerful mages that ruled the land. No longer people needed to fear their town turned to ashes because of a mage's tantrum, or suffer horrifying curses because they didn't bow low enough. With the power of Luminosity, their magics were rendered useless. That terrible time became but a distant memory, and a reminder that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
But not everyone is content with peace, as the cost for said peace is great. Every facet of life is heavily regulated and monitored by Luminous Knights, more commonly referred to as paladins. And those born with the gift of magic are forced to live in specific ghettos and are even more heavily monitored. And the mages who run away to find freedom soon find themselves hunted.
Though still considered untrustworthy, the mages find themselves more and more accepted in society, even while being treated like potential monsters all the time. Just as there are less and less rogue mages. A deadly calm before the storm. The Age of Magic has passed. And the current Age of Peace is soon to give way to the Age of Strife.
----------
-------------
-----------------
- Origins - The Luminous Knights, more commonly referred to as Luminites, have suddenly risen to power roughly 300 years ago. Led by a man named Grinnoc, in a bloody civil war, they reclaimed Altea from the grip of mages. Roughly 75% of the total altean population has perished, and much of the cities, temples and castles were either abandoned or destroyed. Rebuilding both the population and the infrastructure has been a top priority for Luminites, but only roughly 30% of the land is considered civilization. A lot of villages and towns are in the middle of wilderness, where wild, powerful and hungry beasts roam, among other things.
- Luminosity - The power that made the revolution possible. When invoked, it looks like a brilliant white light. It has ability to completely nullify magic, in any shape or form. Yet the deadliest feature of Luminosity is it's ability to ignite mana (energy used by magic) - what remains of the spell after the contact with luminosity is consumed by the white flame. And should Luminosity make contact with mage's flesh, the poor spellcaster will be burned from inside out by his own magical energies. Luminosity itself is some form of magic, and though it can take any shape, it's basic properties cannot ever change.
- Hierarchy - Altea is ruled by Grand Master Grinnoc, founder and immortal ruler of Luminous Knights. He has absolute authority over everything, bypassing the rigid Chain of Command. Under him is the Knightlord Navius, his second if command. Navius commands all branch leaders of Luminites: Overseer, Overlord, Shadow and Paladin orders answer to him. Only the Overseers have the direct authority over civilians. The amount of Luminosity's mana given depends on your rank and position. The higher up the chain you are, the more power, literally and figuratively, you have.
- Paladins - The most numerous and basic branch, and the one everyone starts in. Paladins do patrols, guard people and merchandise, are tasked with hunting down rogue mages and various other grunt work. Those who prove themselves able may find themselves either rising through the Paladin ranks or being transferred somewhere else entirely. Paladins are given the least amount of Luminosity's mana, though higher ranked Paladins are given more.
- Overseers - The management. This is where those who can count and plan well end up. They oversee the cities, their expansion and care, taxes and so on. Everything related with civilians and civilian infrastructure is their domain. While none of those people are expected to see combat situations, they all went through the same basic training and possess basic powers of Luminosity.[/*]
- Overlords - The military version of overseers. These people are the would-be generals or instructors. They are given advanced training and significantly more power over Luminosity. They also govern everything related to military infrastructure.
- Shadows - The unseen eyes, ears and daggers of Luminites. They prowl their own ranks for cases of abuse, or among civilian organizations for signs of dissent. Always working undercover, these people are masters of espionage. If some questionable Overseer or a civilian gets in an accident or disappears in the wild, it is highly likely a shadow is at work. That said, the existence of Shadows is only known to very few. The population at large is largely ignorant of their existence. Though trained in subterfuge, they have powerful command over Luminosity as well. They also end up the ones field testing various contraptions and gadgets that the Dwarves invent.
- Covenants - More commonly referred to as guilds, they are an imitation of Dwarven society. A Covenant is created for a specific trade or purpose, such as Weaponsmiths, Transport Services, Farmers or any other conceivable legal activity. For example, an Armorsmith covenant will require the craftsmen to produce the armor, tradesmen to sell it, Paladins to guard everything worth guarding and to find the required materials and various inventors to come up with new merchandise. The process of forming a guild, recruiting, expanding your merchandise or area of sales all requires the approval of the Overseers. Any disputes are also to be settled by Overseers. This system, a near exact adaption of the Dwarven society, has received mixed opinions, since it is mandatory to belong in some kind of a covenant, and starting a new one is getting harder and harder. However, this system gave humans a chance to compete with Dwarven goods, and some covenants already made their name into a recognized brand everywhere.
- Gaining the power of Luminosity - A special ritual is performed once the current group of initiates complete the basic training. The details of it are kept a secret, and process itself it said to be so painful the newly initiated Paladins lose all memory of it. Same with mana expansions when one receives a promotion.[/*]
- Meridian - The capital of Altea, though not the seat of power for Luminites. The center of human trade, as well as housing the headquarters of Paladins and Overseers. Built on top of an ancient dwarven city ruins known as simply as Undercity, it is the symbol of humanity's new age of prosperity. For others, it the symbol of everything that went wrong. The Grand Market is also here, a version of Grand Bazaar that's open to everyone.
- The Undercity - Ruined and abandoned during Grinnock's uprising, Undercity is still quite intact, mostly. A testament to dwarven ability to make deep underground tunnels sturdy and liveable, the Undercity has been taken over by the criminal element of the society, or anyone not wishing to be a part of this new order. Though the majority of entrances over Meridian are sealed, the Undercity has many, many entrances and exits, as well as countless tunnels and chambers over the majority of Altea. It is not unheard of to accidentally stumble onto an entrance in the wilds. However, getting lost or losing your source of light is very easy, or stepping on a faulty section of the tunnel causing it to collapse. Despite the dangers, the seedy underbelly of the society is thriving in it's own way, and any attempts to get them out are futile - they just relocate elsewhere.
- Triumph's Hold - Grinnoc's seat of power. Built on a mountain with a flat top, a plateau, by dwarves, this mighty fortress towers above the land. It is protected from all directions by a barrier known as Luminous Shroud, which prevents teleportation to anything inside the bubble, though it can be physically passed through by anyone. Shadows and Overlords find this place their home.
- The Undermountain - The new domain of the dwarves. In three centuries they managed to carve out their new empire within the plateau, with the only entrance being Triumph's Hold. An ultimate sign of partnership with the humans, dwarves are free to pursue their craft without any worry. The center of invention and masterpieces, their Grand Bazaar only welcomes the most wealthy and privileged, as the wares therein are second to none. Anything not deemed worthy for the Bazaar goes to the Luminites. Or any untested invention.
- The Scars - The sites of the great battles, scars of Altea. Areas classified as Scars are extremely dangerous, as the magics used so many ages ago still linger. Unnatural, strange and extremely dangerous beasts roam there. A massive ravine from which unnatural green flames erupt perpetually is one of the examples. Creatures existing around there also known to be perpetually engulfed by this green flame, not minding it all. However, the various anomalies and beasts around the Scars produce unique and rare materials for crafting, and which are sold for massive amounts of money.
- The Black Forest - An extremely dense and dark forest, bordering the Elven Forest. Extremely far away from civilization, this strange place has enthralled many by its secrets. However, no one who ventured there has ever returned. Presumably, it is the territory of a powerful mage known as The Black Witch, but since this story predates Grinnock's rebellion, it is considered a myth.
- The Elven Forest - Stretching among the western corner of Altea, the forest of tall, majestic trees is also the home of the elusive elves. They make a point of avoiding contact with the other races, and do not let anyone within their lands. Travelers report that these elves possess an unique form of magic, which allows them to control the forest itself. While no human was ever harmed, many were evicted by force by the said magic.
- The Barrier Storm - A mysterious storm that stops anyone that tries to leave Altea, it prevents any kind of passage. Neither ship nor magic can get through. There are many theories and why it's there, and what's on the other side, though many just consider it the edge of the world. In a few recovered ancient texts however, it has a name - The Barrier Storm.
- Luminosity and it's origins - The power used by Luminites, it's source and origins were never explained. Some people considered it being divine in nature, and Grinnock being some sort of prophet. However, Grinnock is doing everything in his power to remove anyone even considering him or his powers being divine in nature. Some Scholars consider him being overly paranoid over this - what's the worst that can happen? [You get to find out later on in the story]
- Mages in the current society - Hated, vilified and constantly under surveillance, their power is still extremely useful. Though they are forbidden to use it for personal gain or harm, mages make their mainly as enchanters and researchers. Because the only thing better than a good sword is a good sword than is on fire. Though such weapons aren't very popular - paladins usually accidentally burn off the enchantments with the misuse of Luminosity. Mages are forced to live in heavily watched ghettos, and anywhere they go or work at least two paladins will watch over them. Nevertheless, any abuses are also heavily forbidden, and the ghettos themselves usually have very good living conditions. Though not every mage cherishes the though of constantly being treated like a mass murderer, and quite a few run away to the wilds or The Undercity.
- Becoming a mage - You are simply are born one or not. It is completely random. A mage can be born to two non-mage parents, and two mages can fail to produce a mage offspring. Race does not matter either. Many people attempted to find some kind of pattern or clue, though so far, one has not been found. And even if there was anyone who found something, they probably died during Grinnoc's uprising.
- Mana - The energy used by magic, coursing through the body. Each type of magic has a different type of mana, Luminosity included. It's like a type of magical stamina, though running out of it does not impact the user physically, it does prevent further use of magic for a while. It regenerates by itself over time, especially while sleeping. Just like exercise increases stamina, constant magical exercise deepens the mana pool. However, Luminous Knights have a set amount of mana, no matter what. A special ritual is invoked to grant more upon promotions, however.
- Arcane Magic - the most common type of magic, usually referred by everyone simply as magic. It is extremely diverse, can be shaped into nearly anything and given nearly any property. It even allows to manipulate space-time itself, and grant such abilities as teleportation. There are even recorded instances of mages being able temporary speed up or slow down the passage of time in an area. However, things like time travel are not possible, nor is any kind of future sight. Manipulating animals and plants also remains out of reach of arcane magic. Only elven magic seemed to be able to do this.
- Negation Magic - Or pretty much always called by it's non-academic name - Luminosity. Luminosity is commonly molded into various shapes and used as a projectile, weapons and armor sheathed by it, stationary constructs created or anything in-between. While it is commonly believed Luminosity instantly negates all magic, it cannot be further from the truth. Luminosity can only fully negate an arcane spell that is equal in power. Anything over that will remain, though the mana that forms the spell will be set on fire, and depending on the remaining power of the spell, will have vastly reduced impact and burn up in a few seconds. Powerful spells can and will punch through a Paladin's defenses and wound or even kill them with their remaining power. And this basic principle is hammered into the new recruits - "Never rely solely on your Luminosity-based defenses to survive a spell. There are, however, a few types of spells against which Luminosity is powerless unless specifically prepared. Mana, unless in high concentrations, is invisible. Mind affecting spells, for example, usually don't have a visible projectile. And once affected, using Luminosity against yourself will end up extremely badly." Luminosity feels just like the Sun's farm light when affecting a non-mage entity. However, just as regular light, that heat can be focused by sufficiently powerful individuals to quite extreme temperatures. There are rumors of some Luminous Knights able to make their Luminosity spells solid.
- Focus - An item used to focus mana, no matter what kind. A focus is a means to amplify magical power beyond normal means, usually for a few very specific spells. Wands and Staves adorned with jewels are most famously known focuses, though nearly any item or weapon can be used as on, provided it is made of right materials and prepared with very specific skills. Wood, gems, and some types of metals are most conductive to mana, and thus, are usually used. Merely obtaining a focus isn't enough, one must learn to cast their magic through the focus as well. As such, even for a mage, being disarmed is a huge disadvantage. Using a focus is a rather advanced technique, and very few know how to use it. Focuses can be used with any type of mana, Luminosity included. High-ranking Luminites are known all use focuses, as well for their very unique fighting styles and weapons.
- Ki-Tan - An advanced and ancient Focus technique, rooted in martial arts. Body itself can act as a focus, or rather, mana can be used to greatly empower one's body. This is an extremely advanced technique, though all high-ranking Luminites are trained in it's basics. The infamous Charge, their ability to instantly move forward great distances towards their opponents has proven invaluable. The hard part of Ki-Tan is not learning to empower your body - it's to learn to move the empowered body. Everyone who passed Ki-Tan training says it's like learning to walk anew. Just like a focus, Ki-Tan cares not for what kind of mana is used.
- Runes - A dwarven take on a Focus. A symbol made from special materials, is carved on the recipient's skin like a tattoo. Invented after Grinnoc's uprising, Runes are solely a Luminous Knight technique at the moment. Quite a few high-ranking Luminites have abandoned physical weapons (or even armor) completely in favor of runes and Ki-Tan. In fact, Ki-Tan techniques seem to be even further enhanced by the runes.
- The popular theory - The Beyond is a realm beyond this reality, closely connect to this reality, yet remaining a separate entity. It is inhabited by mostly mindless, yet powerful beings. It is a chaotic, shifting reality, incomprehensible to a mortal mind. And yet, it can serve as a source of power for a mage, or it change or even destroy him. Those foolish enough to bring a creature from The Beyond to this world quickly regret it - those beings of incredible power are incredibly hard to control, and this strange alien world drives them into a rampage. Anything related to The Beyond and it's manipulation is extremely specialized and complicated magic. Not many are able to learn it.
- The link between realities - Those seeking to harness the power from other world must first make a link. Peering with your mind into The Beyond is hard enough, finding another entity is even harder. Once said link is established, a mage can start draining the being's essence. It is, pretty much, absorbing the soul of that being. The most practical benefit is that the mage gains an expanded mana pool, as well as having absorbed a soul from The Beyond allows for easier navigation in the future. However, it takes tremendous willpower to retain one's sense of self and personality. Which only increases exponentially as more souls are absorbed. Along all this, physical changes begin to occur, with the mage slowly becoming more and more demon like, albeit humanoid. If a mage's mind is overwhelmed, you get a Husk. The transformation becomes more violent and chaotic, and whatever abomination remains attacks everything in sight mindlessly, just like a demon. However, the soul drain can be reversed, if the demon is more powerful. The result is a mage simply falling over dead, and a creation of a Spirit.
- Demons - The supposedly mindless and most numerous inhabitants of The Beyond. It is they who are often targeted as pray of ambitious and careless mages. Demons usually take form of some kind of element of our nature, though composite demons are a possibility. If summoned to this world, they go on a rampage, regardless of circumstances. Even the weakest of demons can demolish an experienced Paladin, even if Luminosity burns them the whole time. It takes a coordinated team to safely bring one down. It takes even more if it's of a Greater Demon variety.
- Spirits - Just like mages take on more and more demon-like personality and features as they drain their souls, the reverse is true as well. Once a demon gains sentience by absorbing a human soul, it becomes a Spirit. Spirits, now being able to harness their great power with their intelligence create imitations of the physical world, seemingly imitating concepts of kingdoms, empires and wars. Spirits are also extremely interested in being summoned, and can detect mages looking for a soul link. All of this is known since Spirits can directly communicate through those links, however, they always have an ulterior motive. Be it summoning, or simply robbing a fool of his/her soul. If summoned, those spirits will usually attempt conquest. It takes a small army to take down a single spirit. Though it takes a lot of power to summon one as well.
- Celestials - Celestials are only a theory, as their existence cannot be proven. Or more likely, confirming their very existence would be terrifying. Like lords and dukes have Kings and Emperors, Spirits allegedly have their own masters. Spirits so ancient and powerful they are referred by their peers as Deities. Communication or even a summoning one, if they existed, is an unthinkable thing. If such a creature was somehow brought into this world, there would be little hope of resistance. Though there is one terrifying fact - the Celestials described by various spirits closely resemble the pagan gods of ancient times.
- Elves - Some elves have wandered from their forest and integrated themselves into the human society. Many refuse to tell why they left, yet all have something in common - they are no longer able to control nature, unlike their forest dwelling brethren. Elves are leaner, taller than humans. They have long pointy ears, and are unable to grow facial hair. Considered to be far more beautiful than any human could be, they are well liked. Just like humans and dwarves, elves can be born with the power of Arcane Magic. Elves are physically weakest of the three races, but make it up with superior senses and agility. Elves live up to 300 years.
- Dwarves - Short and wide, Dwarves prefer underground. During the reign of mages, dwarves were used mostly as slave labor. Now, they are the genius craftsmen and inventors. Dwarves can easily navigate underground, can see very well in the dark, and are easily the most durable and physically strong of all the three races, though also the slowest. Dwarves can also be born with magic. Dwarven livespan is about 120 years.
- Humans - The most numerous and most balanced race. They have no definitive strengths nor definitive weakness. Human lifespan is roughly 90 years.
- The Three Archons - The de facto rulers of the old world, the Archons were the most powerful mages who ever lived. Ever competing with each other, regardless of collateral damage, their depravity was one of the main reasons for Grinnoc's uprising. More myth that history at this point, it is not clear if stories of their power is exaggerated, or the opposite.
- The old pagan gods - Luminesca - Goddess of Light, Oberon - God of War, Mazius - God of the Dead and Cybele - Goddess of Nature. These were the four deities worshiped in the days predating written history. The first three are known to be eternal enemies, while Cybele only cared about preserving the land in it's purest form. The odd thing is that there are records of people who communicated with spirits, and their descriptions of the hypothetical Celestials match those of the old gods.
- Veriah - The oldest legend known, now nothing more than a fairy tale. Theorized to predate even the old gods, and passed verbally from generation to generation, it's origins unknown. Despite that, the premise is so ridiculous and impossible that it is considered just a fairy tale, though the point it's trying to teach was not ever found. The legend speaks about a figure called Father of Magic, Veriah. The countless different versions of this legend name him the first user of magic, others say he was the first to truly understand magic, some say he WAS the source of magic for the future generations. In some stories, he is a benevolent god, in others, a ruthless and depraved tyrant. Either way, they all end with him ending his own life, ashamed of his sins. According to the legend, he left behind an artifact of unlimited power. It has a few names, though the motif stays the same: The Heart of Magic, The Heart of Veriah, The Heart of God, etc.
- Focus and Ki-Tan - Will be obtained automatically by all character at some point in the story. Those who already specialized in those will get an even greater boost. Your characters will have to surpass the natural limits of their bodies and minds to even have a chance to survive.
- Soul Override - All mana is based and powered by one's soul. Though Luminous Knights don't naturally gain their mana, the point still remains. While regular magic is rather stable, it can gain mutations if something drastic happens to the user's soul or mind. After all, the mind and soul are tightly linked together. Luminosity, however, is far less stable, and mutations aren't that rare. And the effects of those mutations are kept a big secret, usually do their unique applications. However, even after mutating, Luminosity cannot change it's base effect, but can gain new ones. [Soul Overrides should be tied to your character's personal story arcs, if you choose this route.]
- Elemental Domains - A variaton of beyond magics, instead of draining the denizens of beyond and risking your own soul, some mages found it easier to simply use very energies of beyond instead. The Beyond, wild and chaotic, contains "fields" of pure elemental energies, nearly infinite in amount. Any "element" a mage can think of, they can find it in The Beyond. So instead of shaping mana into fire and giving it the properties of fire, a domain mage will open a breach between dimensions, pouring forth the flames of The Beyond instead. And since those flames are NOT created from mana, Luminosity has no effect of them. However, unlike regular magic, domain magic possesses a great risk. A flame created with mage's mana can never hurt it's caster. However, summoned elemental forces must be carefully controlled by the mage, or it can and will hurt their caller as well. While ineffective against the spell itself, Luminosity will break the mage's control over the spell instead, which may end up badly. A popular theory says that this is how the majority of Scars were created - domain spells over which the mages lost control. [After reaching Weisstraugh Archives, the mage characters will be able to choose how to progress their powers. This is one of those means.]
- Dwarven Gadgets - Exclusive to Luminous Knights, the Dwarves come up with some crazy gadgets. They are not usually very safe, however. Nevertheless, some things they are starting to do with their so called technology start to rival (or mimic) magic. [The Luminous Knights will be able to request such gadgets after the events in the Triumvirate hideout.]
- Other - Both factions will gain the opportunities to either upgrade an existing skill or learn a new ones after overcoming great challenges. [Mages will get the first opportunity after their fight with the Tyrants. Luminous Knights get this after their fight with Triumvirate's mercs.]
Image: (I would really prefer you would find an image for your character, though if you can't include a description)
Name:
Race:
Age: (Can be any. The Paladins have no age restriction for joining either.)
Alignment: (Luminous Knights or Mages? Luminites start as fresh Paladin graduates, mages have quite a lot more freedom, though mages will more or less end up meeting each other very quickly. Obviously, you will be the rogue kind of mages.)
Personality: (Character quirks, how he/she interacts with the environment and other people.)
Bio: (Notable childhood experiences. Reason for choosing his/her path. Anything else notable that happened to your character.)
Initial spells/techniques: (Three initial spells/techniques, at their weakest form.)
Skills: (Up to 4 additional skills, like mastery over a specific weapon, good survivalist/hunter/cook, etc.)
Combat strategy: (How does your character employ your spells, techniques and skills to fight. What is their general approach to combat? How does it all work together?)
Unique equipment: (Equipment unique and important to your character. Maybe it just has sentimental value, or it's important in combat. In latter case, it is expected to be at it's basic form, and can be improved later.)
