Diabolus 7
There are multiple planes of reality, multiple worlds and even fragments of worlds existing just beyond the surface of what one thinks to be real. Five have been discovered, and in that discovery and knowledge connected. Thirty years ago the inhabitants from the first world, the humans, opened the paths. They were a rather arrogant race however, and clinging to their science they upset the gods. Those gods that existed between the worlds, and those that exist within the worlds, looked upon the arrogant humans boldly trying to surpass them and were filled with rage.
Five years ago the first world was destroyed. It was consumed by the fury of the gods, and humanity was almost completely expelled from existence. It led to the discovery of a new threat, the dimensional gods. They were entities that lived outside the scrim of existence, in the chaos that lies between worlds. Their anger tore apart the world, casting its disintegrating shell into the chaos that lay beneath their thinly veiled reality. It is that unimaginable nightmare that waits just beyond the scope of what one sees and assumes to be real, beneath every floor, behind every wall, and under every person’s skin. Most of humanity died on that dreadful day, or at least let us hope so, but humanity was strong.
They were strong enough to fight, strong enough to kill and struggle and go into their deaths biting and scratching. They were strong enough to have survivors, and strong enough to create a weapon meant to kill a god. Seven units were made before the war was over, and had they had them earlier then the war might have been won. The seven weapons, no, the seven humans known as the Seven Diabolus, possessed the power to fight the entities known as gods. It was mankind’s peak, and their final blasphemy, however even these weapons were not enough to save the world.
So humanity’s world fell in one final battle that is referred to as Apocalypse, the revelation of the divine, and of the lower race’s powerlessness against them. In that final battle it is said that three of the seven Diabolus vanished into the carnage, that three fled as the tide became overwhelming, and that the final one was seen perishing at the world’s end.
Now the dimensional gods look over the remaining world, surveying them for threats and threatening war and destruction on any opposition. They seek out the technology and knowledge of the humans and bring ruin to it. What few humans did survive live as vagabonds and refugees, a people without a home and not welcome in most places. The realms that do not cast them out often treat them as a lesser class, and more than one world has turned on humanity in order to placate their deities.
Realms
Realm Name: Gaia
Realm Number: 1
Technology: Gaia possessed a high level of technology, including space travel, dimensional separation, powerful weapons, scanners, wireless communications and other such things. After Apocalypse the realm itself is lost, and although the gates they opened between worlds remain most of their technology has been destroyed. It is rare to see humans having military grade plasma guns or explosives, and even rarer to find things like ships or automobiles. Even a lot of the technology that was taken to or made in other worlds has been destroyed after the war with the gods began.
Plasma based weaponry can fire bolts of energy, and are generally thought to have the power of a mid-level spell; however their limit is their battery. Most ships can recharge the battery while also absorbing energy passively through solar panels, but they are rare and once the battery runs out the gun is useless until the battery is either recharged or replaced. They are also extremely rare to find, as is most human technology, but low grade plasma weapons are the most common. Due to the scarcity of recharging stations and the stigma associated with technology most people who possess it are very prudent and reserved with its use.
Species: Humans
World Description:
Gaia has a long history of a variety of nations, however none of that particularly matters as the realm was eventually unified under the Gaia’s World Court, an alliance who developed the ten sacred treasures. The ten sacred treasures were ten orbital weapons which each possessed the accuracy to eliminate microscopic targets and the firepower to destroy entire armies. They were unassailable targets, possessing barriers strong enough to withstand even nuclear blasts.
Using these weapons a small organization who addressed themselves as the world court took over the world some three hundred years ago, and sought to leverage humanities’ resources and brilliance to ending world hunter, rejuvenating the planet, and pursuing humanistic and intellectual pursuits. The world entered what was referred to as the age of enlightenment and technology thrived more and more. Humans continued their efforts, and found several more worlds.
Eventually an experiment in a small lab produced a doorway into the second world, Eclavia. This caused quite an upset for both realms as well as a huge surge in research involving the other dimensions. There were several camps on both sides, some wanted to invade or colonize the new worlds, others wanted to separate and isolate themselves. The World Court elected for attempts at peaceful trade negotiations and non-aggression with the nations of the new worlds. Likewise many in the new worlds thought to exploit humanity to gain their technology, or feared the presence and tried to fight for isolation, and there were several conflicts that arose. In response humanity crafted weapons for the first time in centuries and developed the World’s Knights, a small military that was meant to protect foreign diplomats and defend the gates. Originally the knights and the weapons were meant to be non-lethal; however certain frontiers demanded more aggressive tactics and the weapons quickly evolved into the plasma weaponry that is present in the world today. Several warships were eventually made and for a time shipped over into the new worlds, but they were recalled during the apocalypse.
Ten years prior to the present time the humans discovered the gods, or at least identified them. They had always been phantom images on their initial readings, but humanity had finally been able to isolate the location of them in inter-realm travel. After becoming aware of them humans spent the next four years trying to observe them, and finally succeeded in pulling one into their world. This proved to be a mistake, and it is one of the incidents which led to the god and human war. The war started in what is known as the Night of the First Flame, in which the gods attacked the human bases and settlements on all the realms that humans had discovered before destroying the ten sacred treasures, humanities’ strongest weapons.
The war raged for just under five year as humanity tried to throw all their weapons and power at the strange beings, but it was to no avail. Eventually the humans created the first diabolus, a last ditch effort to defeat the gods. It was the magic bullet that changed the course of the war, and the wielder of the first weapon, Lucas, became humanities’ hero. Scientist quickly rushed to recreate the weapon, but it was a difficult journey. Not everyone could use the weapon, and those that could have to endure several surgeries, augmentations and intense training regimens, and even still just activating the weapon took an intense toll on the user. There were seven successes amongst hundreds of failures who all, without exception, died. Rather merely being able to activate the weapon and not die meant that you were a success.
The Night of the Seventh Seal was the final battle of the Apocalypse. A horde of dimensional gods broke through the fabric of reality and attacked the war torn world in a final battle. Humanity’s forces fought as best they could and the seven Diabolus took many down with them, but with so many gods manifesting at once, tearing away at the reality of the world, the entirety of the realm began to tear itself apart, and the impossible numbers made victory impossible. The battle only lasted three hours, and even though evacuation plans were already being executed only a handful of humans managed to make it through the gates and into other worlds before their world was destroyed. Many came to unwelcoming regions that slaughtered them, took them as slaves or drove them out.
Magic: Humans are incapable of magic.
God(s): No known gods.
Realm Number: 2
Realm Name: Eclavia
Technology: Medieval level, possess swords, shields, and basic cannons but not guns. They also possess alchemy, which combines chemistry and magic to create an art that is special in of itself.
Species: Sylphs and Ifrits
Sylphs
Sylphs are a winged humanoid race with feathers covering their backs and sometimes hair. They live in areas that have a high altitude for the most part, although they have been known to keep to lower altitudes. They possess very acute eyesight and reflexes, as well as being very nimble and acrobatic, but are usually on the lighter side and not very durable when they hit. Their features are usually quite delicate and although their wings can come in a variety of color the first humans to discover them described them as angels. They are omnivores who live primarily by hunting and growing orchards. A Sylph’s weapon of choice is a bow.
They consider themselves an ‘enlightened’ species, seeing themselves as the more intelligent and sophisticated beings of their realm, and some even in other realms. Most are taught that their race is simply better than the other races, especially the Ifrits who are seen as violent brutes. All Sylphs are also taught some degree of alchemy in their school, as well as literature, geography, and mathematics.
Sylph society is a matriarchy, having inheritance and names passed down through the females of the line. Their nations are preceded over by Matriarchs, who all swear fealty to the Supreme Queen who commands all the nations.
Ifrits
Ifrits are a large humanoid race that lives in valleys and in normal fields. Their skin is a deep crimson color and their hair is black, orange or yellow, and they are known for their red eyes, although some have an amber or yellow color to them. A blue eyed Ifrit is considered cursed and it is believed that they will bring misfortune to themselves and others around them. Ifrits possess both latent strength and an affinity to fire, and hate the cold. They are also deal in agriculture and livestock. Despite having been branded as inferior intellectually by the Sylphs they have proven their intellect several times over.
Ifrits actually have a better grasp of mathematics and the Sylphs, and this fact shows often in their engineering and their astrology charts. In the past they also possessed powerful weaponry and cannons, heavy armor that can block most arrows, and command of fire and earth. They are, however, a powerfully violent people towards the Sylph, who they view with nothing but resentment and hatred. If captured they are not likely to show mercy even to unarmed civilians, and the Great Hero and several chiefs after him made a point of sending dismembered corpses to Sylph royalty. There are many who think that the Sylph should be wiped off the face of the earth once and for all, despite the tremendous cost of their prior wars.
Ifrits have a relatively simple political system, each nation has a chief that is elected by popular vote of the adults in its district and they in turn form a council that represents the interests of the Kingdom as a whole. This system was developed by the Great Hero, who thought it important that they not be under the rule of those they didn’t choose after being slaves for so long.
World Description:
The realm of Eclavia has several factions represented by two large ‘Kingdoms’ each possessing territories that function much like a nation. The kingdoms are known as the Sylph kingdom and the Ifrit kingdom, and one can easily see how they got their names. According to ancient legend the Sylphs and Ifrits were once the same species living in the perfect garden in which their three gods created. They were allowed to live a peaceful and perfect live so long as nobody left the garden. Supposedly the god of mischief tempted half of them to leave, and when the supreme goddess found out she was enraged, and case all her creations from the garden. The Ifrit lost their wings, and were forced to live on the ground, and the god of mischief was cast from heaven and forced to live amongst them. The goddess of truth pleaded for the supreme goddess to grant mercy to the faithful, and so the supreme goddess set forth the commandment that the unfaithful and their descendants would be made to serve the faithful and their descendants.
This legend became popular amongst the Sylph, who used it to justify enslaving and suppressing the Ifrit for essentially all their history. Possessing an affinity to magic and the gift of flight they thought themselves superior, and by enslaving the Ifrit to do their labor they were able to focus on pursuits in art and sciences. The Ifrit, who seemed to lack magic, were forced into either servitude or hiding in caves to live.
This was the norm until about five hundred years ago, with the emergence of the Great Hero. He was an Ifrit who managed to learn magic unknown to the Sylph and by teaching it to others and using it he started a great uprising and helped to establish the Ifrit nation, a small nation of freed slaves. The Sylphs did not recognize the kingdom at first, and sent a lot of forces to reclaim the Ifrit, but through clever strategies and the use of new magic the Ifrit managed to not only hold their own but expand.
Eventually the situation evolved into long stretches of war separated by brief periods of peace and change. The Sylph no longer have the confidence to enslave the Ifrit without fear of rebellion, despite regular doses of supremacy teachings, and the Ifrit are no longer a tiny nation, now they have a formidable military force. However both sides are constantly at a powder keg level of tension, and in addition to minor scuffles between nations there are also large wars that last decades between the two kingdoms.
The humans first arrived in one of these wars, although after their arrival and an attempt by both sides to court the humans the two have declared a ceasefire that has lasted up to this point. For now they remain at a strained peace, however there are factions in both kingdoms that want to resume the war regardless of what happens with the other realms. The majority of people would rather focus on the gods and the effects of the human god war.
Currently the Sylphs are relatively anti-human and in favor of barring them from their cities or chasing them out of their territories, where-as the Ifrit are actually supportive and sympathetic to the human’s plight.
Magic:
Sylphs – Sylphs possess magic that can control the wind, water and even the weather. Their magic is innate within every Sylph, although the more training one does the better they will be at it. They also possess a magic known as Clairvoyance, which allows for them to determine the chemical makeup of a liquid or object and sense chemical reactions occurring within it. Unlike their natural abilities Clairvoyance takes a great deal of training to use competently.
Sylph’s most prized art is Alchemy, which is generally only taught to royals and distinguished intellectual youths. It is a magic that can control specific chemical reactions in a controlled environment by infusing some latent magical powers within it. By using this with an understanding of the chemicals they are able to create various potions and then have those potions react with other materials in various ways. By using these potions as a catalyst they can even change the properties of pure materials in small doses, like turning led into gold. However the amount of discipline, concentration and patience needed demands years, if not decades, of practice and study to master the art.
Alchemist who travel generally make base potions, which are potions that normally either have no effect or have a generic effect but can be alchemically transmuted into a variety of other potions relatively quickly. Although their effects aren’t as effective or specialized as potions created in pure environments for a specific task they allow for some diversity and take up less room than carrying around the more effective specialized potions.
Some alchemist can even control the potion after it enters a person’s body, and manipulating how it is absorbed and used. Some potions even allow for the alchemist to control certain chemical and cellular reactions, allowing for the regeneration of cells within a region the potion has reached or is poured on or acting as corrosive poison. They can even alter the properties of some of these potions, often times simply referred to as base potions, with their magic to suit their needs. Through the use of a base potion a skilled alchemist can make it a deadly poison, a powerful explosive agent, or a healing concoction.
If the alchemists so desires they may even leave the agent dormant within the target’s system and activate it when they please, so long as the target is within their range. In the past this method was used to keep Ifrits in check by constantly adding such agents to their food.
Ifrits:
Ifrits possess the latent ability to withstand heat, to the point where they can bathe in lava, as well as having the ability to harden their skin when they tense up. This is reflexive for the most part, but an Ifrit can be trained to do it on will and hold it for several minutes.
Aside from that Ifrits possess a magic called Enkindle, which creates heat and flames that radiates from their body. They can fire this outwards with some training, however this magic takes a lot of practice to manifest. They also possess a magic that allows for them to manipulate earth, rock, and even metals and ores. This is very strenuous and requires a great deal of practice and teaching to grasp, and is not something that occurs naturally to them, but once they get the hang of it their ability with it will steadily increase. Many veteran casters can easily raise walls and pillars.
Ifrits also possess an ability called Transmutation, which they consider to be alchemy even if the Sylphs do not. It is a rare ability amongst them in which an Ifrit can tell what metals are in an ore just by touching it, purify it and even change the metal into another type quickly and efficiently. With this they can make an aluminum blade into steel and a piece of lead into gold.
God(s):
Lore the Supreme Goddess – According to myth she was the goddess that created all of existence, gave birth to the other two deities, and gave life to all living things. After banishing her creations from her garden she sealed herself off in heaven and remains separated from the affairs of mortals and non-mortals.
Yutile the Goddess of The Sylphs/Light/Order/Punishment – Yutile was often times seen as the goddess of order, light, truth, knowledge and whatever else can be seen as generally good. She is seen as the patron deity of the Sylphs and from their perspective is the deity that carries out the will of the supreme goddess. The Sylphs believe her to be their protector, in a sense, but also their order. To them order is absolute and those that do not represent this are to be punished. In that sense Yutile is generally a cold goddess, who maintains order through punishing those who stray from it, and yet rewarding those who follow it.
The Ifrit’s version of the fall of the two races hosts her as a diabolical control freak who tried to restrain them in the garden as slaves, until Ectial freed them. They portray her as a cruel and cold goddess who hides behind pretty sounding words and ideals while practicing heartless cruelties. What the Sylphs see as punishment they see only as wickedness in the name of righteousness. As with the Sylph version her role is to maintain order, but the average Ifrit would contest that it is not a good sense of order.
Shrines to her are meant to be placed in high well lit places.
Ectial the God of the Ifrit/Freedom/Fire/Mischief/War – Ectial is a more divisive figure amongst the Sylph and the Ifrit compared to any other figure in their branched religion. He is seen as either the villain or the hero. Originally he was seen as a sort of mischief god, a god who played pranks and through his curiosity and mischievous nature led to the fall of the two races from grace. Still he wasn’t seen as strictly being malevolent until the Ifrit rebellion took place, and with it his role changed. The Sylphs view him as a malevolent tempter who exists to spread chaos and conflict, in their eyes he has misled the Ifrits into revolting against their order with the goal of inciting war. Meanwhile the Ifrit view him as the liberator, as a being who refuses to be chained down by things like order and wishes for them to do the same. They glorify his role within their fall from grace story as him urging the race to take their freedom and destiny in their own hands, the god who saved them from the oppressive regime of Yutile.
Shrines to him are meant to be placed in caves or close to the earth.
Realm Number: 3
Realm Name: Tsukiyomi
Technology: Feudal Era Japan
Species:
Animal Kin – There are several tribes of humans who possess features (tails, ears, whiskers, ect) of certain animals, despite looking mostly human. Many noble families try to only marry the animal kin associated with their clan and crest, for example people of the hawk clan try to marry other hawks, people of the wolf clan try to marry other wolves, ect.
World Description:
Currently in the world there are seven nations, the nation of Hotei, Jurojin, Fukurokuju, Bishamonten, Benzaiten, Daikokuten, and Ebisu. Each nation has a guardian deity of the same name, and was unified at some point over 800 years prior. The nations themselves are located on isolated continents separated by expansive seas, and are believed to be protected by divine right. Although several attempts at invasion have been launched all of them have been quelled by a sea storm or a failure in navigation.
This has not stopped infighting, however, as several of the tribes within each nation have fought each other for territory or honor. So long as the will of the Emperor is preserved they are allowed to fight. Additionally the execution of ‘honorable duels’ is common, in which a warrior may challenge another to a fight to the death. Many have gained famed for participating in such duels, and some have even been allowed to marry into a noble clan or had their family declared as a noble clan just from being good with a sword.
While there are a lot of stories the regimes of these nations have not changed in the past eight hundred years, based largely on the same ‘divine right’ that protects the nation. Any rebellion is quickly squashed and so most of the clans obediently obey the emperor, who is thought to be the will of the gods given human form.
Each nation has its own view on the humans. Hotei is probably the most accepting of humans and technology, allowing them to live there in relative peace. The other nations are a bit less accepting, all of them doing things like limiting what humans can do and destroying any human technology, however some are employed as vassals by certain lords who secretly horde technology and knowledge. Bishamonten is the most extreme anti-human nation, and makes a point of hunting them down and either deporting them or killing them.
Magic:
The animal kin practice a magic called channeling, which allows for them to draw from their primal nature to create a spirit like familiar. The familiar has physical form and depending on the beast it corresponds with can be quite strong or fast. Its size is dependent on the spiritual strength of the caster, and those with low affinity or who are not skilled or trained to use it will have trouble maintaining it while moving or focusing on other things, although a skilled practitioner who has been trained can engage in pressing combat while maintaining the form, and even coordinate their attacks with its.
The familiar will also possess an affinity towards fire, water, earth, wood, or metal depending on the user. Through disciplined training and practice a familiar can learn to channel its affinity into magic, allowing for it to create or manipulate the element in question. This consumes the same spiritual strength required to maintain the familiar, and is usually ill advised to use in a real fight for all but veteran practitioners, as most others don’t have a good grasp of how much energy they are actually expending with their magic. A lot of novices end up falling unconscious because they use magic that they can’t handle.
The other type of magic is barrier magic, which consists of storing spiritual energy in tags or talismans and projecting it from several points in order to make a wall or barrier made from a similar form to the familiars. By condensing and concentrating the spiritual force they are actually able to make the barriers much stronger than a familiar, and like a familiar it too can possess an elemental affinity.
God(s):
According to the beliefs of the Tsukiyomi people there are a myriad of unidentifiable gods that dwell in the heavenly realm, a place existing beyond the mortal realm. They view the creation of their world as an accident, as a sporadic creation that just manifested one day beneath the heavenly realm. The gods themselves took notice, and when the world was younger gods often times entered and exited the world, interfering as they saw fit. At times they clashed with mortals, and at times they loved mortals, and that was just how things were.
Eventually seven powerful gods appeared they were: Hotei, Jurojin, Fukurokuju, Bishamonten, Benzaiten, Daikokuten, and Ebisu. The Seven Gods each selected on providence to settle and declare as their own, and there they bring luck and good fortune to the people who live there. They, along with all other gods, deserve worship and praise. There are many minor gods, such as gods associated with clans or specific locations, and the people of Tsukiyomi believe there to be even more gods out there in the heavenly realm. In fact they initially thought that the humans were gods, until the humans clarified that they were not.
Realm Number: 4
Realm Name: Imperator
Technology: Roman
Species: Elves, Dwarves, Orska, Metera, Nymphs, Karmast
Elves Elves are a tall humanoid race that excels in magic, possessing the second highest affinity of all the races on the planet. They also possess long lifespans, living for hundreds of years. They are nimble and quick, and can commune with nature and sense magical energies. Their civilization possesses a great deal of knowledge with magic, and with the opening of the gates they are searching for more.
Dwarves The dwarves are short, stout bearded people. They possess a great deal of physical strength and skill in forging weapons. They live near mountains and up to the north, and produce great metal works. There has occasionally been conflict with certain elf nations over things like territory and resources.
Orska Large eyeless beings with thick gray skin. They stand taller than the elves, and have a much larger frame. They also possess a large nose with four nostrils that allow for them to utilize their psychic smelling. Their noses are more sensitive than a dog’s, and by breathing in the air they can take in more information than any other creature’s senses combined. They can not only ‘see’ for miles around them, creating a 3-d landscape with each breath, but also tell things like when something is wounded or sick, when a person is nervous or afraid, and even when magic is being used.
The Orska also possess a great deal of strength, the average male being able to tear apart metal sheets and crush rock. Normally they live underground or in caves, although they will occasionally come up to the surface. They are scavengers by nature, ones who usually dig holes or tunnel through the earth, and they are very good at digging. Usually they eat small prey like moles or bats, but many who move to the surface also like things like raccoons, mice, and owls. They really love owls.
The Orska are a rather simple people, when another species is in the room they are never the brightest bulb in it. They are not very pleasant to look at either, but they possess enough intelligence to speak and enough talents to be recognized as powerful. Despite this they are not a militaristic race, in fact they are not naturally violent, even if they can be driven towards it if attacked. The other species, especially the elves, often use them for labor. The Orska’s natural enemies are the Metera.
Metera The Metera are a small humanoid race whose height averages out to about three feet. They are not very nimble and often times clumsy, and have average magical capabilities and magic, but they are most noted for a unique skill they possess. They can release a powerful odorless and tasteless chemical from their skin that allows for them that seeps into the air and allows for them to manipulate the senses of anyone who inhales it. The effects don’t last long, only for about twenty seconds so they must constantly secrete it in order for their illusions to remain in effect. However so long as a person continues to inhale the chemical they will be subject to the Metera’s illusions.
Nymph Nymphs are a mysterious race which prefers solitude to conflict. It is commonly thought that they are all female and can’t survive without constant water, but the truth is that their males tend look really feminine and they can survive out of water just as well as any other species. Nymphs possess the ability to turn their bodies into water and manipulate it as they see fit, as well as any water that comes into contact their own. They can also breathe underwater and sense where water is at.
All Nymphs tend to look like very attractive women to other races and even humans, often times being indistinguishable in terms of frame and face. Because of this there are quite a few that have been sought after to hold as prizes or wives, however containing them can prove quite costly. Nymphs have also been known to seduce and drown sailors at sea for fun, and can have a bit of a cruel streak.
Nymphs are the only race that has been to the bottom of the sea and the surface, and they have farfetched tales of underwater kingdoms and sunken treasures. Some humans started to investigate but couldn’t find anything in the short time they had.
Karmast A long time ago the Karmast race was the dominant race on the planet, however then they were wiped out by an event called the calamity. Nobody quite remembers what the Calamity was or what the Karmast were like, but there are enough reports to know that it happened. The Karmast were more skilled than any other race at magic, and they had a plan, a way to survive. They removed their souls into bodies, into containers of stone and metal. This was not immortality though, a soul was not meant to last forever in human form, and although they had long lifespans those ancient souls did eventually extinguish. The lifespan was roughly 200 – 300 years.
The Karmast have existed since then as a species of souls, rather than as flesh. They can reproduce, in a sense, by imbuing a piece of their soul and a piece of their partner’s in a container, a doll, a new soul will spring forth. This new soul will grow, much like any child would. There are complex rituals, first a pair must be married and then they must gather the parts and craft the body of the child. They must craft several bodies as the child grows, placing it from the body of an infant to the body of a child to the body of an adolescent and teen. The final body must be crafted by the child’s own hands.
The dolls that the Karmast live in are usually only a few feet tall, however when dealing with the other races some use mannequins as tall as six feet to move. Most reside in hollow dolls made of porcelain or wood, but some prefer metal. Dolls use magic to move, and can not only walk naturally doing so but also float and even fly, but because heavier materials are harder to move having a body made of metal can feel unnatural to most.
The soul of a Karmast is solidified into a glowing clear rock the size of a pebble that resides at some point in the body, and so long as it remains undamaged to Karmast will not die. If it was destroyed it would mean the death of the Karmast. This doesn’t mean that a Karmast is detached from its vessel though, it can sense everything that happens to its vessel in a way that is not quite like a living thing’s but not too far off. They can distinguish between a good sensation and a bad one, although they will never be overwhelmed by such sensations in the way living things can be.
Karmast are also the most adept at magic in the realm, if not in all the realms. In addition to being very skilled at most things they also possess a unique ability that allows for them to create golems and guardians out of stone, metal, dirt, ice or whatever other materials are handy.
Since Karmast are sexless by the nature of their design their gender is often determined by their own preference, and plays little role in who they choose to ‘mate’ with. In some cases a Karmast chooses to ‘mate’ with another race, and will assist them in transplanting a part of their soul. The child from such a pairing will be no different than any other Karmast, although the other parent may have a hard time raising it.
World Description:
The myths of this world include four cataclysms that are supposed to happen over the course of the world, which are to happen like the closing of chapters in a book. When each arrives a great kingdom is to end. The first was the Karmast Empire, which fell thousands of years ago. It fell two thousand years ago in a way that left little information about it to be passed on. Even its survivors seemed to know nothing about it.
The capital of the Karmast Empire remains uninhabited in an area known as the black desert, named as such because of its iron sand. It lies within the white desert, a large expansive desert with two rivers flowing through it. It lies in the center of modern day Mast, the nation that the current Karmast People reside in. Despite being dolls the actual cities are a pretty normal size, although most residents live in small apartments with furnishings to their scale, many races have had trouble adapting. The kingdom lies between the nations of the northern elves and the nation of the southern elves, and in addition to having a large amount of trade flow through there they also receive many treasure hunters who explore the ancient ruins found in the desert.
There are seven Elvish nations spread across two continents. Although roughly as close as Europe and Africa the nations are separated by a small sea and the desert nation of Karmast, which is the largest on the southern continent. Above the three northern elf nations are the two dwarven nations. Thick forests lie between them. There has been conflict over whether the dwarves have the right to cut down the forests for lumber or not, but there hasn’t been any actual conflict between the nations in hundreds of years.
The Northern Elves tend to build their cities in or around forest, using magic to clear out paths to make it easy to enter and aesthetically pleasing. As one might imagine their houses and buildings are made of wood, however most are reinforced with magic. The humans who first arrived there were surprised how durable it was and how well their structures resisted wears.
Elvish southern cities are usually made of a white stone and possess the traces of advanced magic, bearing even the semblance of a modern society through magic. They possess things like magical elevators and self-propelled carriages. Often times they live around large artificially created oasis, rivers, or even small forests.
The Nymphs have several costal territories and islands where they live. They look like normal tropical villages. The Metera live in villages to the east on the northern continent, in small villages for the most part but with a few great walled cities. Their home is surrounded by a lot of thick forest, partially separating them from the western nations. The Orska generally dwell in the same region in subterranean areas, and have no nation proper even if they understand territory. Though they have been migrated and moved to all over the world and generally live in dwarf or elf towns when employed by them.
Magic:
Magic in this world is performed by drawing upon the innate magical power in a person and drawing those into glyphs. These glyphs each represent a minor phenomenon that can be compounded or combined with other glyphs in order to form a larger distinct phenomenon. Furthermore the amount of power placed behind each glyph can not only affect the strength of the glyph but also its role within the formula, a spell can turn out completely differently depending on how much energy has been placed into a single glyph. The results of combining two of these glyphs in succession without understanding what they do can be extremely dangerous. Likewise merely drawing the individual glyphs without understanding the nature of the glyph or its capabilities will not produce a result, thus magic requires a large amount of study. Some magic formulas can string together hundreds or even thousands of glyphs in order to produce the proper effect.
The term often used to gauge one’s ability in magic is affinity. This is determined by two factors: one’s magical strength, which is required to be poured into each glyph, and their control over that strength. If a caster lacks the magical strength they won’t be able to power all the glyphs needed, and if they lack control then they won’t be able to place the precise amounts of power into each glyph. Merely possessing a lot of strength isn’t enough to properly become a skilled wizard.
In addition to this each race also possesses a passive magic that requires no spell formulas to perform and is unique to them.
Elves – Elves possess a high affinity for magic along with the ability to sense when various types of magic and even scientific phenomena occur nearby. They are also tied to most plant life, allowing them to feel whether plants are healthy or diseased or are in need of water.
Karmast – Karmast possess a mid-level telekinesis that allows for them move their own bodies and levitate other items. It isn’t stronger than a normal human’s strength and can’t be used on things that they can’t see, aside from their own body. It also has a range averaging out to about ten feet and can only handle about one thing at a time. They also possess an ability known as animate, which allows for them to create a simple guardian made out of just about any inorganic or dead material to protect them. It is a simplified version of a Karmast, made from using a small portion of their soul that is kept separate from their main soul for this purpose. It’s portion is much smaller than when creating a new Karmast, but is still a precious piece, so most Karmast try to recover this portion when the golem retires.
Metera – They possess the ability to create mental illusions through an odorless and tasteless substance they can release from their skin. Anyone inhaling it will be subject to the illusions while they continue to breathe it in, so long as they are not Metera. The Metera can also gather this substance and create a concentrated version or make candles and incense of it. The Metera are immune to its effects.
Orska – Orska possess an ability known as Psychic Smelling. This ability allows for them to gather more information through airborne particles about an area than most other senses combined, allowing them to become aware of everything going on. They can even pick up on magical sensations with this. The range on this is miles, allowing an Orska to keep track of nearly everything in their surroundings. It should also be pointed out though that a Metera’s illusions can affect them all the more easily because of this.
Nymphs – Nymphs can turn their bodies into water and then control that water. If they happen to come into contact with water while in that state they can then control that water up to ten times their original mass.
God(s):
Realm Number
Realm Name: Nocturne
Technology: Little to none
Species: Vampires, Lich, Spirits
Vampires Vampires are immortal creatures who feast on blood. While they can survive without it they grow weaker the longer they go without drinking. After the calamity that ended this world most have retired into a deep slumber in order to preserve their bodies. Without it they can’t access their innate abilities and might even fall into a slumber and become unable to wake. The only way to kill a vampire is by piercing its heart after cutting off its head. They are very rare and only the five noble families remain.
Lich There are four Lich that remain sealed away and one that has been awoken. The Lich have the power to control the mindless zombies that would otherwise normally shuffle around aimlessly, as well as powerful necromantic abilities. Despite that they were all sealed away during the calamity and remained sealed by powerful magic until humanity appeared and reawakened them. Their souls are bound to their old and decrypted bodies and killing them is either difficult or impossible.
Spirits They are the flitting images of the people who lived here last. Few have much self-awareness and fewer still have the focus to remain aware of everything that is happening around them. They can do things like levitate objects, pass through walls and even magic barriers, and even sometimes possess people.
Zombies *zombie moan*
World Description:
Nocturne was described as a dead planet, with a black crust devoid of life and littered with sharp jagged peaks and deep ravines. It has no oceans and the sky is blanketed in black clouds. Rain has not visited this wasteland in ages, and though the remnants of ancient and forgotten cities remain nobody can recall their names or rulers. Ancient castles have eroded by time and death is all that remains.
The only civilization, if it can be called that, is the five vampire families. They are few in number, and are seldom have more than one family member awake at a time, but they stand as silent vigils hungrily looking over the state of their ruined world. Even they have forgotten the disaster that befell their world, or perhaps they simply do not wish to talk about it, but they are unable to die and unable to feed. At least they were until recently; the humans provided what few of them they could with blood packs.
Aside from that there are hordes of undead, mindless zombies under the command of the slumbering lich, vile creatures whose thirst for conquest and destruction have enabled them to live on far after their death.
Magic:
Vampires – Can turn into mist and shadow, climb on walls, and are immortal. Some can also control blood, however they must have nourishment in order to do all of this.
Lich – Can raise the dead as zombies, are nigh immortal, create black toxic smoke from the air and turn water and food poisonous.
Spirits – Can possesses certain people who are susceptible, enter into people’s dreams while they are sleeping, and levitate objects through intense focus or outbursts of emotion.
God(s): all dead
Seven Diabolus
The Seven Diabolus are Phenomena Absorption weapons that draw in the energy known as Divinity and repurpose it towards an Altered Reality. Divinity is not only the source of a god’s power but all supernatural phenomena, or magic. There are several incomplete theories about divinity, magic and the nature of gods, however no concrete facts beyond this point.
That is basically all anyone left alive knows about the Diabolus. The units themselves are stored within the host’s body, and upon activation will glow bright violet color. While activated the device can and will absorb nearby magic or the miracles of a god and allow for the wielder to repurpose the power to their own ends, creating magic or even god like miracles with it. Not that this doesn’t come with certain risks, in addition to requiring constant concentration in order to keep the power from consuming them the power must also run through their own body, and places a great deal of strain on both their body and mind.
The Diabolus also has no capacity for storing the power, so the power must be used shortly after being reabsorbed. The devices were originally meant to fight gods, who are creatures made of raw divinity, and thus allowed the user to use that large amount of pure energy to alter reality and create phenomena at their whim. Magic, however, not only has less divinity in it but is somewhat impure compared to the gods, thus the Diabolus is only able to repurpose it in ways similar to its original state. ( e.g. absorbing fire magic will allow for the user to create a fire spell)
The device’s only visible part is usually a black lens with several vents found somewhere on the user’s body, although its location and size vary between the units. Usually the earlier models are larger and more strenuous, whereas the latter models can be smaller. Despite that there are several wires and tubes in the user’s body, especially around the area of the lens.
The seven units are as follows:
Lucifer - Maria Iscariot (thought to have died in the final battle of the Apocalypse)
Mammon -
Asmodeus -
Leviathan -
Beelzebub -
Aamon -
Belphegor -
Character Sheet
A few notes would be that each species has magic that they can or can’t learn to use. Species are not able to learn other types of magic, and humans are not able to learn magic at all. Likewise the seven Diabolus are all held in human hands, as is most technology. Various species are allowed to traverse the realms and even migrate and live in other realms, but they are foreigners and it is not common enough to be considered normal. I’ll probably be pretty lax with things like power and backstory for the most part though so be creative and make whatever type of character you want, I’ll let you know if you need to change something.
Also if you have any questions just ask and if I forgot something let me know.
Name:
Age:
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Realm of Birth:
Current Realm:
Magic:
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Diabolus:
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Appearance:
