Sorcerio

An Elverhilin of high esteem would smile upon the concord, setting himself quickly to constructing the glamorous Principality.

Our last mag is nearly complete, and new botany submissions will be reopened. Do keep in mind that future submissions will face higher scrutiny in order to have this situation not repeat itself.

An onyx figure, garbed in ebony silk stared beyond the constraints of the Veil, plunged deep within pensive thought. And amidst the chorus of the wind, they uttered some ill rhyme; "To what end will man be restrained, to have all hope and essence preordained? We stand as watchers in the night, bearing hence some spiritual blight. What righteous salvation could ever be found?"

How so do you mean? This is fairly similar to how old Voidal connection worked (pre-Toxcat's), though there are bound to be significant changes/amendments made to this piece.

A lone rider trode upon the winding road to the Silver City, looking upon the missive then from beneath the shadow of their veil. They let forth a hoarse cackle upon reading it, clutching the reigns in their onyx gaunt. "What would there be to fear? Mere maidens of ice?"

Like father, like son !_!

** For the sake of clear comprehension of the lore, flavorful language has been disregarded in this piece. Overview of Connection The Voidal Connection is the fundamental link that a void mage must establish when wishing to cast any form of arcane magic, whether a spark to light a candle, the enchantment of a blade, or the conjuring of a furious whirlwind. This is done by the mage opening their mind and soul to the infinite emptiness of the Void, connecting themselves to everything within the veil indirectly. Nevertheless, it is the mage who must reach further to fully immerse themselves within the Void, for the Void has no mind to dictate its whims. Once connected, the mage may draw forth the raw energy of the Void and mold it into a spell by sheer will, otherwise known as spellcasting. The Mana Anchor To cast any form of Voidal Magic, a mage must be able to establish a Mana Anchor, essentially reaching through the veil and pulling forth raw mana from the Void to mould. In some instances, such as Translocation, the mage may be required to maintain another anchor where they seek to project their spell. All branches of Arcane Magic require at least one emote to connect to the Void, being the first emote in every spell count. Following the successful casting of a spell, the mage may still maintain their anchor to cast another spell so long as they are not exhausted or knocked out of their focus afterwards A mage can only focus on one spell at a time. There is no combative dual-casting with Void Magic (i.e. no casting a translocation portal whilst shooting fireballs). Non-combative circumstances such as enchanting something with transfiguration may be exempt. A non-exhaustive list of possible ways to lose connection include being armored, sprinting, being blinded, being forcefully displaced, or being harmed. In addition, losing sight of an already cast spell causes that spell to vanish. The Line-of-Sight Mages must be able to physically see the location where they wish to cast. If a mage is unable to see the desired location in which they wish to cast then they may not cast in that direction, such as behind themselves. This means that a mage could be effectively blinded by covering their eyes with one’s hands or a shroud of smoke. Mages cannot cast around corners, solid walls, through solid windows, through holes in gates or walls, and so forth. This also means that the blind would be incapable of casting. Mages cannot cast through mechanical barriers. Mages cannot cast where they cannot see. If a mage is blinded by any means, they cannot cast. Casting and Focus Connecting to the Void requires an intense amount of concentration and willpower, necessitating that the mage focus solely upon their connection and the spell they are casting. Though a more adept mage may maintain their connection while performing minor non-combative tasks simultaneously - such as serving tea - should their attention be disrupted by sudden motions or feelings, connection would cease. The focus of a mage may be broken by diverting their attention. Auditory distractions may range from abruptly lit fireworks, nails on a chalkboard, or screaming in the mage’s ear from close proximity to the caster. With pain, while a mastered mage may endure a small scrape or bruise, any intense searing or stabbing pain would be capable of throwing the mage out of their connection at any level of skill. Any strike landing upon a Voidal Magi's head would forcibly disconnect them. So long as a distraction remains present, the mage would be unable to reconnect until said distraction was removed. For example; a broken bone would need to be set and mended before the mage attempts to cast again. In the event that the mage’s connection is disrupted forcibly, they would experience a brief headache that prevents reconnection for up to one emote following disconnection. Mages may not move faster than a light sprint while casting a spell, though they may be limited further based upon its intensity and power. The mechanical number of blocks one may move per-emote is typically limited by the tier of spell, rather than the mage’s own proficiency. Running whilst charging a spell higher than tier three would be impossible. ** This list refers to limits of mage at [T5] proficiency - though lower tiers would be limited to a lesser distance of movement up to the mage’s reasonable discretion. In Brief: Exhaustion and The Mana Pool The exertion which a Mage must put forth in order to breach the Veil is immense, not to mention that the mage only may manifest a limited amount of mana. Each time the mage connects and draws from the Void, they exert an amount of force similar to performing that action without magic, according to the Law of Equivalence. Most mortals may maintain a moderately sized mana pool which they draw upon each time they cast Voidal Magic, sapping their own energy in return for the mana drawn to form the spell. Universally, a particular amount of energy is sapped from the mage upon casting virtually any spell - though the amount of fatigue truly experienced varies depending upon the mage's proficiency and the spell scale in question. Most minor non-combative spells would be insignificantly draining to the mana pool of a mastered mage. Though most mastered mages possess a relatively large mana pool, their bodies are not capable of withstanding the strain necessary to apply all of it at once, and thus attempting to override the mortal’s own exhaustion would cause their body to experience Thaumburn. This entails the mage’s body slowly being consumed by voidal energy similar to whatever it was that they had attempted to conjure, pulling their mortal vessel apart in an agonizing fashion. Characters who attempt this feat are effectively PK'd. Though there is no specific point system for the casting of spells, it is important for one to employ adequate reasoning when gauging how fatigued one would be. While a tier five Fire Evocationist could realistically conjure a dozen small flames with relative ease, attempting to cast two successive blasts of combustive, fiery magic would result in them being rather worn from such exertion. Reasonable discretion is advised, and ST may deem what would be considered powergaming in that instance based upon their own reasonability. ** Keep in mind that a mage cannot be connected indefinitely. Such would be too straining for them. There are three primary contributors to exhaustion: Auras, Tells, and "Hiccups" The Mage's Aura Aura is a passive manifestation that occurs whenever a mage connects to the Void or some other foreign source of power. This would emerge as a harmless shroud of mist comprised of varying colors and hues, and even varying shapes and appearances. For example, a mage can have their aura look like a smoky grayish orange that fumes from a lighter orange, making it appear like fire, perhaps. This aesthetic can go into anything that requires to use or take on the color of the aura, such as Voidal Feeling, Translocation, and so forth. Mage's auras do not tend to change once chosen, though significantly life-altering events may rarely lead to an alteration in the color of the aura, such as the destruction of one's home or the death of a loved one. Auras may only be up to three singular colors, and may fluctuate between different shades freely. "Rainbow" or multicolor auras are forbidden, up to three colors must be chosen. Multiple aura colours does not mean one may present them at different times. They are orderly, and may not be summoned independently- meaning, they are summoned in a set order which aura colour would cycle through. Auras are passive and have no bearing upon the effects of the spell. Changing aura colors is incredibly rare and only occurs during life-changing events. The Voidal Tell Due to the alien influence of the Void, the Void Mage will express a tell which signifies their connection and focus upon the Void. When performing a simple spell in non-combat, and at high mastery, this tell may be as simple as the twitch of a finger or ear; whereas in combat, attempting to cast a spell would manifest a clear and distinguishable tell, such as the manifestation of their aura, clear ripples in the air, their entire hand trembling, etc. In the event of applying magics such as Sensory Illusion or Mental Magic, the tell should be a distinguishable and explicit emote of the mage focusing upon the target individual. To cast a spell, the mage's target must be able to hear them mechanically. You cannot perform a tell in #whisper and suddenly cast the spell in #shout. Tells for casting should be done in proximity to the target. The Voidal Hiccup Though all magi bear an aura that distinguishes them as a tell when casting, others might be granted an occasional ‘burst’ of voidal energy following or preceding the casting of a spell. Such may be anything from a fire evocationist coughing out some smoke after throwing a fireball, whereas the hair of a wind evocationist might find their hair to stand on end. They may grow more frequent as the mage grows in age and proficiency, common among age-worn magi who have practiced for many years. These hiccups are generally harmless and limited to aesthetic, providing no combative advantage for oneself or against one’s opponent. Voidal Poisoning The Void is boundless, an infinite and omnipotent force of chaos and consumption. It seeks to devour all things within itself, and the barrier which separates the mortal realm from this endless chasm is ever so thin. Thus, by breaching the Veil, the mage allows the Void to influence their person more heavily, sapping away their energy in exchange for the spells they conjure. It is for this reason that mages are made less hearty and frail, their vitaly slowly eaten away by the Void — for everything has a cost. On Strength Practicing Voidal Magic passively saps a mage's physique from the moment of their connection, their strength and endurance hindered gradually over time, in accordance to the chart below. ** Smaller and lightweight one-handed weapons may be used by a void mage, though they would tire out after excessive use far more so than an individual without Voidal poisoning would. *** The "Time Connected" is in totality, and begins from one's first voidal magic and staying persistently progressing regardless of tier. On Stamina Mages, while bearing little raw strength, may still maintain some degree of dexterity and stamina. Though they could not achieve the level of athleticism as a regular individual, they could still muster a sprint or jog alike to that of a regular sedentary individual. A mage could, ideally, assume a brisk sprint to flee from an enemy, though should their pursuer be more tolerant of fatigue they would likely outrun the mage should it come to a prolonged chase. Despite their lowered physique, the mage can still effectively jump out of the way of the blow of a blade or evade a long-distant arrow should they be aware of its coming - though they certainly would not be capable of any above average feats of dexterity or movement. On Armaments Mages who practice magic for one or more OOC months cannot wear full plate effectively, and at best are limited to half-plate or some light gambeson. Anything more than this would render the mage unable to cast and incredibly exhausted after just a short time of wearing it. Though a mage could wear full plate prior to this point, their ability to do so would slowly degrade, exhausting more over time. Once a mage has reached about three OOC months of casting would find themselves unable to cast in anything heavier than gambeson, struggling to connect and maintain their breath in heavy plate. - Mages must emote exhaustion properly and reasonably. Over exerting oneself in a fight will tire them out much faster than a non-mage. - Mages must emote weight properly and reasonably. Though a mage could use heavy equipment, it would tire them out faster than a non-mage. - Mages do not lose large amounts of muscle muscle, however, they cannot get fit due to the restrictions of voidal poisoning and their dedication to void magic. - Lesser enchantments, given their minute effect, have enough latent energies from their managem to activate without the "jumpstart" - inflicting no Enchanter's Sickness. Enchantment Sickness The Mageblade's Bane Enchantment sickness affects those who utilize enchantments due to their mechanism of sapping a user's own mana upon activation. Effectively, a "jumpstart" to letting the mana gems of the enchantment pull and restrain the voidal energies from beyond, when activating an enchantment a user (if not already a voidal mage) would suffer under Enchantment Sickness. Enchantment sickness immediately reduces one to a voidal-poisoning like state, even if normally fit and healthy. Lasting until the end of combat and for [1] Narrative Hour afterward (Or simply 1 narrative hour if noncombative in usage), enchantment sickness would reduce one's strength and stamina to that of utter exhaustion. Brought to their knees if in any armour greater than half-plate, the physicality of the enchantment-user would turn to that of someone with a sedentary (non-active) lifestyle, tired and weak. Most often accompanying enchantment sickness is a sour, bitter attitude and an aversion to sensation. Sensory overload extremely easy to succumb to, and stressing the enchantment user greatly. These effects trigger solely upon one activating an enchantment upon their person, and do not trigger upon recharge. - Enchantment sickness overrides any strength, including magical or physical. It cannot be undone or reversed through anything but magical means until the end of combat + narrative hour timer is up. - The first emote [Connection] upon utilizing an enchantment is the emote in which Enchantment Sickness triggers. Even if the cast of the enchantment is interrupted, Enchantment Sickness remains. - Voidal mages are unaffected by enchantment sickness. Imagination [Non-Combat] Imagination, much like transfiguration, is grounded in the manipulation of mana in the world, though not quite as complex. In essence, it is the ability to shape your own mana and project it into the world to take the form that you desire, hence why it assumes the caster's aura colour. The caster is capable of creating streams, rivers, wisps, streaks and other formations that are entirely harmless out of this projected mana, provided it adheres to the redlines. You are free to be creative with what you make using Imagination. This could be from swirling patterns on the walls, mosaic patterns on the floors, miniature models of towns, buildings, so on.

Stop s*xualizing your character art plz then you can talk

Good evening everyone (or day I guess)! Over the last couple weeks, the Botany Team has been working especially hard to revise botany lore, as well as ensuring vortex compatibility and implementation along with the help of @nickrocky213, @Llir, @Heero, @SquakHawk, @The King Of The Moon, @DISCOLIQUID, and @Sybbyl0127. As of right now, the botanical reagents currently implemented are all vortex-implemented and story approved, able to be harvested using Alchemist’s Shears on the nodes. These nodes have been placed in various locations around the map, though are typically not too far from roads and nation hubs. Alchemist’s Shears may be made at a crafting table using any gold ingot and any iron ingot material alike to the vanilla shear’s recipe. On Story Signed Herbs All Story-Signed Herbs are now consolidated under the Vortex Plugin, and may be acquired by using Alchemist’s Shears on the respective herb node. These nodes have been placed all around the map in regions matching their respective locations, though typically stay along the roads and around RP hubs - meaning you shouldn’t need to go on some grueling trek to find herbs. As of right now, all respective lores of the following herbs have been updated and are now usable in-game by finding their nodes and collecting the item. An example of an Alabaster Leaf node. What about Non-Story Herbs? As of right now, Non-Story Herbs are still usable, however, may not be applied in any means alchemically for the foreseeable future. Botany Team, in collaboration with the playerbase, will be going over available herbs that will be usable outside of vortex, and amending certain mechanics and measurements of the resource. These herbs will likely be very minor in terms of any significant effects, such as poison or medicine, and will likely have very little to no alchemical usage at all. Once those have been organized and approved, they will be usable without need for ST signing or collected through vortex. Keep an eye out for updates. The Botany Team will be working very hard to ensure that Botany is otherwise fully operational and usable as quickly as possible. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions or voice your concerns, and have a lovely rest of your day!

Lore has been shelved and moved to the appropriate subforum. If you have questions about why this specific lore has been shelved, please contact an ST Manager or the ST Administrator.

Lore has been shelved and moved to the appropriate subforum. If you have questions about why this specific lore has been shelved, please contact an ST Manager or the ST Administrator.

This lore has been denied. You will be sent a forum PM regarding the reasons for denial within the next 24 hours.

This lore has been denied. You will be sent a forum PM regarding the reasons for denial within the next 24 hours.

This lore has been denied. You will be sent a forum PM regarding the reasons for denial within the next 24 hours.

This lore has been denied. You will be sent a forum PM regarding the reasons for denial within the next 24 hours.

A mere conjurer scoffed upon the missive, therein uttering in some obscure, though poetic versing. "A tragic affront, to not practice what thoust preaches. For one not to learn, and yet still teaches. Such reckless abandon of the infinite Void, leaves all remnant truth to be destroyed. I pity thee, ill-fated scholar."

Sorry to see you go, but I wish you all the best. Appreciated the few times we interacted, and hope you feel better soon.

Discord: pundimonium#9142 IGN: Hollowgeist Skin Name: Helix Bid Amount: 100