Post by Silentheart on Dec 9, 2013 11:14:46 GMT -5
Far, far away is a tiny world beheld by two moons. This world holds one large continent that covers the majority of the tiny planet, and both planet and continent share the same name: Dav'Ris. In Dav'Ris, magic is a way of life and the land is shared by a strange and diverse population and delicate ecosystem. The world is simple yet dangerous, and is shared by men, elves, dwarves, dragons, giants, and fae. Magic is commonplace and science is new and mysterious, and could propel the world forward into chaos or a new understanding toward harmony between the races. Four kingdoms of men span the continent, and constantly have a push-pull relationship with each other and the world around them. Dav'Ris is a world where fairy tales are based on history, happily ever after is a possibility, and where adventurers are free to seek all the gold and glory their hearts desire... at the risk of being cursed or eaten!
ABOUT: MAGIC
In the beginning, there was chaos as energy freely moved throughout the world. Further back than anyone living can recall, there were the Fae. These tiny people are the ultimate balance and irony to the world, making magic possible at all. The small and delicate Fairies feed on the raw energy of the universe, and in turn, exert magical energy, their wills nearly prompting the world to adhere to them. This exerted magical energy only added to the chaos, pooling in some areas, giving birth to the monsters and magical creatures of Dav'Ris. Gnomes, the earthen and hardy half of the Fae, bring balance to the chaos caused by Fairies, channeling their exerted magic into live feeds that pulse through the earth and connect to all life. These feeds are the Ley Lines. They are invisible rivers of energy and intent, and can be harnessed by all intelligent creatures to reshape destiny to their wills through both innate ability and intuition or through years of dedicated study.
The use of magic is fairly commonplace in Dav'Ris and its many kingdoms and peoples; even an idiot can learn one trick (usually.) Magic use does manifest itself into a few common trades, depending on one's race and where they grew up, and most importantly, how they best believe to use the power available to them. The term mage refers to a broad variety of magic users in the world.
The use of magic is fairly commonplace in Dav'Ris and its many kingdoms and peoples; even an idiot can learn one trick (usually.) Magic use does manifest itself into a few common trades, depending on one's race and where they grew up, and most importantly, how they best believe to use the power available to them. The term mage refers to a broad variety of magic users in the world.
ABOUT: ALCHEMY
Alchemy is a touchy subject amongst all the races, but used exclusively by the humans in any of the four kingdoms. Unlike magic, alchemy is not innate; there is no intuition, guesswork, or spiritual connection. It doesn't rely on the Ley Lines at all, and is completely based in logic. This is not Full Metal Alchemist; transmutation arrays are not applied and don't work. Alchemy is the basest understanding of chemistry and is the ultimate antithesis of magic. Some humans see it as magic only because they don't understand it, but those who do see it as the future. Only the simplest of mechanics exist here and are very rare, usually reserved for making clocks and spring-powered toys made solely to please kings at dinner, and alchemists tend to firmly believe that science will take magic's place someday, causing a lot of mixed feelings amongst humans and other races. Alchemists cannot reshape the rocks into golems or instantly turn water into sheets of ice; that's strictly for mages. Alchemists can, however, understand the highly explosive properties that when combined make black powder (gun powder), or how to make phosphorescent extracts in bottles to light dark rooms when shaken.
ABOUT: AGES
The history of this small world is divided into Ages; currently Dav'Ris is in its Third Age, and 850th year. Ages occur roughly every 10,000 years during a perfect planetary and lunar alignment. During such a time is when the Ley Lines are at their strongest and out of control; more than once a mage has tried to tap such a power for themselves and caused their entire kingdom to be obliterated or vanish to become part of the Ley Lines' magic. It is said that such a beacon of energy is what brought the Fae and all of life in Dav'Ris into being.
ABOUT: LANGUAGES
While there are a few regional dialects, languages are very simple, and being multi-lingual is common and sometimes necessary to get by.
COMMON
The language spoken by humans in all kingdoms, and learned by Elves and Dwarves to communicate with them.
ELVISH
Native language of the elves in all three tribes, though there are some regional accents here and there. Elves also have the ability to communicate via Sending, or a telepathic bond. This telepathic connection is only able to be used by elves and Fae.
DWARVISH
The language of the dwarves, though the majority of dwarves speak Common outside of their own home since it's better for business.
FAE
Fairies and Gnomes share the same origin and are two halves of the same whole. They are both capable of learning any language and communicating orally, but between elves and other Fae they most often “speak” through Sending (telepathy).
LYCAN
Lycans are unique in that while most of the time they appear to be human, they are still animals and can benefit from both worlds for communicating. Like all intelligent races, they are able to learn any spoken language, but are not able to Send like Elves and Fae. However, they can communicate effortlessly with animals, especially other canids, whether in their human or wolf forms.
ABOUT: MAGIC
In the beginning, there was chaos as energy freely moved throughout the world. Further back than anyone living can recall, there were the Fae. These tiny people are the ultimate balance and irony to the world, making magic possible at all. The small and delicate Fairies feed on the raw energy of the universe, and in turn, exert magical energy, their wills nearly prompting the world to adhere to them. This exerted magical energy only added to the chaos, pooling in some areas, giving birth to the monsters and magical creatures of Dav'Ris. Gnomes, the earthen and hardy half of the Fae, bring balance to the chaos caused by Fairies, channeling their exerted magic into live feeds that pulse through the earth and connect to all life. These feeds are the Ley Lines. They are invisible rivers of energy and intent, and can be harnessed by all intelligent creatures to reshape destiny to their wills through both innate ability and intuition or through years of dedicated study.
The use of magic is fairly commonplace in Dav'Ris and its many kingdoms and peoples; even an idiot can learn one trick (usually.) Magic use does manifest itself into a few common trades, depending on one's race and where they grew up, and most importantly, how they best believe to use the power available to them. The term mage refers to a broad variety of magic users in the world.
The use of magic is fairly commonplace in Dav'Ris and its many kingdoms and peoples; even an idiot can learn one trick (usually.) Magic use does manifest itself into a few common trades, depending on one's race and where they grew up, and most importantly, how they best believe to use the power available to them. The term mage refers to a broad variety of magic users in the world.
- Craft-based magic is very specific and uncommon, largely because its only use is for making magical items, such as talismans and magic mirrors. While not a hard magic to learn, it's less applicable in useful settings.
- Shamanism is an organic and naturally-derived magic most commonly taught and practiced by the elves. Generally this magic is elemental and doesn't attack directly, instead relying on summoning nature to come to your defense instead. However, sorcerers can also use elemental-based magic, making it an even match, and sorcerers who specialize in black magic may have the upper hand entirely.
- Clerics are present in both human and dwarvish cultures, and call upon the powers and blessings of the gods they service in order to do good (or not so good) for the world around them. Typically clerics use only white magic (protection, healing, spells that adhere to the law of “Harm None”), but on occasion clerics will have an attack or two up their sleeves in case of emergency or if the god they serve isn't known for friendly omnipotence.
- Healers come from the innate magical ability to tap into the Ley Lines and the energies of a person who is ill or injured and merge their energies in order to correct the issue. Healers most often only deal in white magic, spending much of their lives honing their gifts. Even the ability to take away minor aches and pains is seen as a rare blessing, humans with this gift often not living long enough to explore its full potential, whereas highly advanced healers can become flesh-shapers and change a person's body entirely. The drawback to healing is that it is one of the most personal magics and relies on the healer to make it all stay connected, and can exhaust or even kill the healer if they exert too much energy.
- Sorcerers are seen as the most prized and useful of the magic-users (especially among humans), and a skilled sorcerer can easily find himself with many profitable offers for work. Sorcerers often begin with a little magical affinity displayed in early childhood and spend their lives apprenticing other sorcerers until they've graduated and are ready to stand alone. They have the widest base of magical knowledge and use, but many will specialize on one or two things. Sorcerers who focus more in white magic can more easily use the protection and healing spells of clerics, or the defense-based elemental magic of shamanism. Those who study black magic have a more aggressive spell list, black magic more suited to destruction, chaos, and attacking. While black magic could be seen as the stronger of the two, it does come with the danger that the more it is used by a sorcerer, the more likely it is that their will may be consumed by a stronger spirit someday and they be turned into a monster themselves (think of it as karma; the more you hurt, the more you hurt yourself). White magic takes more time and patience to learn than black and is less combat-oriented, but safer for the user; black magic feeds on emotion and passion but has a much greater risk.
ABOUT: ALCHEMY
Alchemy is a touchy subject amongst all the races, but used exclusively by the humans in any of the four kingdoms. Unlike magic, alchemy is not innate; there is no intuition, guesswork, or spiritual connection. It doesn't rely on the Ley Lines at all, and is completely based in logic. This is not Full Metal Alchemist; transmutation arrays are not applied and don't work. Alchemy is the basest understanding of chemistry and is the ultimate antithesis of magic. Some humans see it as magic only because they don't understand it, but those who do see it as the future. Only the simplest of mechanics exist here and are very rare, usually reserved for making clocks and spring-powered toys made solely to please kings at dinner, and alchemists tend to firmly believe that science will take magic's place someday, causing a lot of mixed feelings amongst humans and other races. Alchemists cannot reshape the rocks into golems or instantly turn water into sheets of ice; that's strictly for mages. Alchemists can, however, understand the highly explosive properties that when combined make black powder (gun powder), or how to make phosphorescent extracts in bottles to light dark rooms when shaken.
ABOUT: AGES
The history of this small world is divided into Ages; currently Dav'Ris is in its Third Age, and 850th year. Ages occur roughly every 10,000 years during a perfect planetary and lunar alignment. During such a time is when the Ley Lines are at their strongest and out of control; more than once a mage has tried to tap such a power for themselves and caused their entire kingdom to be obliterated or vanish to become part of the Ley Lines' magic. It is said that such a beacon of energy is what brought the Fae and all of life in Dav'Ris into being.
ABOUT: LANGUAGES
While there are a few regional dialects, languages are very simple, and being multi-lingual is common and sometimes necessary to get by.
COMMON
The language spoken by humans in all kingdoms, and learned by Elves and Dwarves to communicate with them.
ELVISH
Native language of the elves in all three tribes, though there are some regional accents here and there. Elves also have the ability to communicate via Sending, or a telepathic bond. This telepathic connection is only able to be used by elves and Fae.
DWARVISH
The language of the dwarves, though the majority of dwarves speak Common outside of their own home since it's better for business.
FAE
Fairies and Gnomes share the same origin and are two halves of the same whole. They are both capable of learning any language and communicating orally, but between elves and other Fae they most often “speak” through Sending (telepathy).
LYCAN
Lycans are unique in that while most of the time they appear to be human, they are still animals and can benefit from both worlds for communicating. Like all intelligent races, they are able to learn any spoken language, but are not able to Send like Elves and Fae. However, they can communicate effortlessly with animals, especially other canids, whether in their human or wolf forms.