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{{WIP, it'll be finished at the end of Spring Break/the 18th-ish}} {{THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BLOOD MAGIC! THIS IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT FORM OF MAGIC}} Boh'ka Magic idea with contributions from ~-~-~ Philip_2011 Tahariae/Baronvondietz Knights5544/Ninja805 drm0nst3rofd00m JCmarine Thor92299 ~-~-~ Introduction to Boh'ka: A magical-sensitivity exists in our blood, our hemoglobin to be exact. This magical-sensitivity, when altered by an outside-force, shows signs of magnetism. Any student specializing in human physiology would be able to tell you that hemoglobin, the red-blood muscle cells in our body, contains traces of iron. Any scientist specializing in chemistry would also be able to inform you of ferromagnetism, or the relationship/attraction of materials like copper and iron to magnets. What one can infer from above is that ferromagnetism can exist as a process within our hemoglobin, though it is unlikely for the effects of ferromagnetism to occur unless an outside force is acted upon the hemoglobin: That's where Boh'ka plays a role. By channeling energy/mana from the void, a mage can bring-forth an oppositely-charged amount of polar-energy which thus begins the process of ferromagnetism. With an outside force acting upon the mage's blood, a magnetic-effect takes place. By exerting more energy/mana upon their blood, the mage can semi-control their blood and use it for what they see fit. (if, and only if, the blood is exposed from an open-wound.) Boh'ka Regarding Distance: As you can probably infer, 'shooting' blood at a target that is tens-upon-tens of feet/meters/yards/miles/light-years away is quite implausible. The further you 'shoot' the blood, the lesser of a force the magnetic-charge yields. The furthest that blood could travel would be around 10-20 meters, and that's for Tier-5! Strengths: A master/learner of the art of Boh'ka is able to conjure simple-to-complex attacks and defenses to aid them in combat. Boh'ka is simple to conjure . . . As long as you're at a high-tier! Weaknesses: A novice who is unaware of how much blood he can conjure/use at once can easily die from blood-loss. The magic at a low-tier proves to be partially-useless to a mage, it's not until the mage reaches a higher-tier in which the magic proves it's use. Runs on blood. (Could be a strength, though!) Blood only travels a short distance. While most mages can initially experience the magnetic-energy that is present within our bodies, it is quite difficult to alter it to our own needs: Boh'ka is hard to learn and even more difficult to master. What's Required to Learn Boh'ka: Like most magics require, Boh'ka requires intelligence to learn/master. To begin even the most simple-forms of a Boh'ka attack/spell a grasp of the science behind Boh'ka must be understood. (If not, you'll have no idea how to alter your blood/provide a negative/positive charge.) Tiers & Levels of Understanding! Novice Tier-1: This novice, with a good-grasp upon the science of Boh'ka, can provide an opposite-charge upon their blood and control it within the air for a few seconds before becoming extremely fatigued. [0-2 weeks] Apprentice Tier-2: An apprentice is a step-ahead of a novice. A better understanding of the science of Boh'ka allows this mage to control their blood within the air for as long as ten seconds. An apprentice is able to conjure EXTREMELY tiny balls of blood, trying to 'shoot' these balls would prove futile, though. [3-4 weeks] Journeyman Tier-3: A journeyman is most likely going to be a scholar of some-sorts whose devoted a portion of his life to understanding Boh'ka. A journeyman can control his blood quite-well, being able to hold his blood within the air for well-over twenty seconds. A journeyman, unlike a novice and an apprentice, can actually form moderately-sized balls of blood and be able to 'shoot' these blood-balls up to five meters. Not only can a journeyman form balls of blood, but he can also form basic weaponry from blood, an example being a blade-like fang of blood which is connected to the body at a blood-source (look at the video). [6-8 weeks] Expert Tier-4: An expert of Boh'ka is rare to find. An expert is a step-above a journeyman. An expert of Boh'ka is able to keep his blood within his control for well-over thirty seconds, sometimes even being able to control it up to a minute! Experts can form large-balls of blood which can prove deadly to an enemy as the mage can 'shoot' these balls up to ten meters. Experts can form better blood-weaponry, like stronger blade-like fangs of blood (refer to the video). [10-12 weeks] Master Tier-5: Woah there, cowboy! You've devoted all your free-time to Boh'ka, congratulations I guess! As a master of Boh'ka, one can control his blood up to a minute + and even be able to 'shoot' large-balls of blood up to twenty meters! A master is only limited by how much blood he/she contains in their body. Masters of this fine-art can also form the most pristine quality of edge-weaponry weaponry. [20-28 weeks] Red Flags: Obviously no power-gaming of my fine form of magic. Drinking blood does not benefit your 'skills' at Boh'ka. Tier-1 and Tier-2's should not be using this magic as an attack, they haven't learned it yet. Not passing out/dying from using a liter + of blood is PG'ing x1,000 Regarding the dying/passing out: Yes, you must pass out/die if you've used too much blood. It's PG if you do not do this. It is power-gaming to learn this magic without understanding the science. This is because if you don't understand the science then you'll have no idea what you're doing when you're trying to actually conjure objects and such. To understand the science, I urge you to find a tutor in-game. Woah, woah, woah - Wait a second! N-no, p-please hold your questions! N-no, d-don't hit me there LMs! P-please, senpai! Q&A: Can I drink blood and become powerful with this? No, why would you even think that. Does drinking blood allow me to conjure better Boh'ka spells and such? You can be a totally weird edgy and drink blood and then go use Boh'ka and taint my nice idea for magic. Yes . . . Go along little Johnny, taint my magic. No. Drinking blood only makes you look like an edgy. Pffft, this magic sounds edgy! I'm really trying my hardest to make this a non-edgy magic . . . Yes, edgies can use this as long as they follow my parameters and don't taint my nice magic. I'd be delighted to have clerics use this magic, too! Videos of Boh'ka in use: Ignore the crappy-animu, I couldn't think of any better examples.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJoGVrfvKnU Ego is a form of energy that is everywhere in Athera, and around everyone. Only those whom are enlightened, and at peace mentally can feel the very gentle stir of the essence around them. This energy emits from the elements, other forms of life, and even influence (such as plants, wildlife, fire, water, evil and good). Very few can sense this energy, and even fewer can channel it into their body and manipulate it. Those whom can manipulate positive Ego find themselves much more at peace with themselves in the future versus those who choose to manipulate negative, dark Ego, whom tend to allow it to overcome them, and drive them mad. Ego comes in various forms, and colors, although they're invisible until manipulated from their being. Each color/form of Ego has its own unique feel, such as green Ego, which is emitted from life, tends to feel more warm, inviting, and relaxing, while dark Ego, which is emitted from evil beings, tends to feel very unwelcoming, cold, and claustrophobic. Every form of Ego can be manipulated, and each type of Ego has its own benefits, and some, even disadvantages. Those who can feel the slight presence of Ego choose whether to allow it within them or not, although some Ego is stronger than others, and may enter the body uninvited. Each different type affects the body differently, and prolonged exposure to a certain type can differ drastically than others. Only so much of a certain Ego can be stored, and channeled within the body at once, waiting to be used. Ego can be used in many different ways. It can be used passively, and overtime such as giving the user a very peaceful, and long-lasting relaxed feeling. It can also be triggered, and be used in a certain situation (this is when you are able to see the Ego's color). Keep in mind, each Ego has its own use, and some types might not be able to have the same affects as others. A deep, forest green. This Ego comes from nature, life, and various wildlife. The most common of Ego, this form can be found nearly anywhere within the vast land of Athera. Those whom come in contact with Green Ego begin to feel a very slight peaceful feeling. The more quiet the area the person is in, the more this feeling seems to intensify. Also, the more this Ego is absorbed, the more the peace and tranquility becomes apparent, and real. When channeled, the user may lay their hands on another being (animal or person), in which, they too will start to become overwhelmed by the calming nature, and presence of the Ego. A bright, embery red that bellows violently with life. This ego comes from anger, fire, and the deep rocky depths of Athera. Red Ego contains the essence of power and strength, and those who come in contact with it slowly begin to feel an energetic presence. The more the user absorbs Red Ego, the more the energetic feeling starts to overcome them. When channeled, the user receives a very short burst of previously shackled strength and energy, allowing them to endure rough challenges longer. A vibrant, frosty blue color that quietly bustles with intellect and knowledge. This Ego comes from distilled nature, calm waters, and the quiet, soothing sound of a trickling brook. Those whom come within the slightest contact of Blue Ego begin to feel slightly relaxed, and at peace with their thoughts. The more this Ego is absorbed, the more the sounds of the outside world become nonexistent as you reluctantly begin to soar within your own thoughts. When channeled, the user briefly succumbs to their mind, and are able to think and imagine crystal clearly without distortion or any disturbance from the outside world. Perfect for mages wishing to cast a spell from the Void to the real world. A dark, menacing purple color that appears as if it would sap the life out of anything it comes in contact with. This Ego comes from Evil forces, abominations, negative other-worldly beings, and even death itself. The most dangerous Ego, for excessive prolonged exposure can corrupt ones psyche and leave them emotionless, distraught, lost, or even insane. Certain beings that have come in contact with, or that have been blessed by evil "gods" and/or "goddesses" can endure a much larger exposure to Dark Ego, allowing them to be able to absorb, and even channel large quantities. Normal people, and the regular races of Athera can absorb Dark Ego, but too much can lead to pain, paranoia, nausea, and hearing/seeing things. Too much Dark Ego absorbed into ones being can sap the person of their strength, either paralyzing them or ultimately killing them. A user of Ego can forcefully channel this energy into another one's being, which would heed the same exact side effects as stated before. Dark Ego can also be channeled into not only the races of Athera, but into Ather itself, corrupting lands, plants, and such (Although it takes massive, vast quantities of Dark Ego to fully corrupt a medium sized area). If an area becomes corrupted, that too will become a pool/vent of Dark Ego, and it will stretch further across the lands. A radiant, bright Ego that appears as if it would illuminate even the darkest of rooms entirely. This Ego comes from certain acts of humanism, good-will, and even certain Deities. When somebody who can feel the presence of Ego comes in contact with Light Ego, they instantly start to feel safe, and guarded and well-protected. Light Ego, oddly enough, is the hardest Ego to absorb. Your body can reject, and even be harmed by Light Ego if you are blessed by any dark Deity (although the harm is very little). Only short quantities of Light Ego can be absorbed at a time, and would probably take the entire short quantity to even correctly channel this Ego. Light Ego can be channeled on another living being (animal or person). Once the Light Ego begins to enter their body, any aches, or very slight pain will gingerly heal overtime. It will not heal the wound, only subside some of the pain. ~~~ Character Requirements: • An intellectual, mentally-at-peace character • Must find out IC'ly about Ego, whether through experience, other people, or reading Tiers: • There are no tiers to this "magic". Instead, overtime, as your character progressively becomes more knowledgeable and more experienced of using Ego, they become stronger in feeling the presence of Ego, and channeling it. Red Flags: • Character must find out about Ego IC'ly • Usually only very wise Characters will actually be able to feel the subtle presence of Ego. • No healing, only the relief of pain • This "magic" isn't made for power, but instead to delve into a more fun Roleplay experience with a very interact-able form of magic. • Will add more later OOC Notes: PLEASE! Suggestions and feedback are wanted and needed! Q/A: Many people are against the use of Void Magic, while Ego would be a natural alternative. No, I would probably have this entirely distinct from Void Magic. Although, the two would add for a great combination, and I'm still planning on adding more differences to Ego. Didn't know what else to classify it as to be brutally honest.

Reorganizing Arcane Magic The Arcane school had never been so actively practiced in all of its long history. Those using it were proficient in many schools, and many mastered the deepest aspects of their chosen craft--summoning beasts of great power, conjuring plumes of fire with a thought, and pouring power into deadly enchantments. It truly was a time for Arcanists to flourish and reveal every mystery of the void. But little did they know that the void had secrets unknown to even the most studious mage. The great number of minds creating and pulling within infinity bore an unnatural weight to the realm of nothingness. The void was not a conscious thing, but it had a nature, much akin to the wind directing a cloud, or the changing in the ocean's tide. A change was coming--no, not a change really, but a tremor. A ripple that would shift all that was known about the arcane schools. The void had no mind, but it would adapt. Something I wanted to do near the end of my time in the MAT (and near the end of the MAT in general) was to reorganize/combine arcane subtypes, and also define the limits of void-based physical weakness. Now that arcane is basically free-for-all with everyone able to learn everything, I figured I'd try to put some easier, definable limitations on arcane, as well as making arcane more convenient to learn. Many of the arcane branches have very similar functions, and have no business being separate subtypes (looking at you, five fundamentally similar evocations). What I want to accomplish is to give a reasonable suggestion for a single, reformed archetype of Arcane, with four subtypes: Sorcery, Wizardry, Thaumaturgy, and luxamancy. I'd also like to add extra abilities for some schools that are a tad sparse, but we'll see how much support this 'mission statement' gets first before we make knitty-gritty decisions like that. Sorcery (http://nahelus.deviantart.com/) Those that seek raw, undulated power look to the many skills of the sorcerer. Though all arcane magii are studious, those within the schools of sorcery are less inclined to learn from grand, dusty tomes. They learn through hardship, experience and above all, the continuous application of their power. Fueling their array of destructive forces with chaotic emotions and overwhelming willpower, they are individuals to be treated with caution. More-so, when they are in great numbers. Current Subtypes Tossed into this School -Electrical Evocation -Fire Evocation -Water Evocation -Earth Evocation -Wind Evocation -Arcane Evocation -Arcane Shielding Possible Additions: -Group-based super-spells: E.g. creating Blizzards, tornadoes, lightning-storms etc. -Combination spells: Fiery boulders, electrified water etc Wizardry (http://tira-owl.deviantart.com/) The slow and contemplative sect of Arcanists, the wizard is a bulwark of knowledge and study. They are beings of learning, who would more likely be found deep in a cavernous library studying the deeper mysteries of their art, rather than adventuring through the lands. Their skills lie mostly in the manipulation of the world around them, rather than the more direct route taken by the others schools. Wisdom and intelligence define this school, and those who are proficient are afforded great respect. Current Subtypes Tossed into this School -Transfiguration (includes enchantments, transmutation, and wards) -Telekinesis -Void Translocation Possible Additions: -Group-based super-spells: Teleportation, enormous wards, etc -Combination spells (though already possible in lore, greater afforded fluidity): Floating towers, larger things lifted, etc. Thaumaturgy (Thaw-mah-ter-jee. Shut up, I liked the name!) (http://mysticaldonkey1.deviantart.com/) Though arguably as studious as a Wizard, the Thaumaturge can be seen, often unjustly, as more sinister. Skilled in the study of life, these fringe-magii focus not on destruction, change, or trickery, but on creation. Preferring quiet laboratories to explore the workings of living beasts, they use their considerable arcane power create their own. For what purpose they do so is unknown. Perhaps such is why they are feared? But more likely because others would not understand. Current Subtypes Tossed into this School: -Conjuration (including morphons, primordials, and perennials) Possible Additions: -Binding creations in existence with a permanent slice of mana taken away from the user (unless the creature is de-summoned) -Non-existent, custom-designed creatures for higher tiers (so long as their biology is logical) -Attracting and trapping spectres, then binding them to their will. -Group-based super-spells: creating larger creatures with the combined mana of multiple Thaumaturges, summoning void-creatures and binding them to this world. Luxamancy (http://shininmysticice.deviantart.com/) More secretive than even a Thaumaturge, the Luxamancer heralds the school of manipulation and trickery. The school itself has a poor reputation, if only due to the individuals who are attracted to it. A Luxamancer is not one to be kept in the confines of a library or laboratory, and actively seeks subjects to test their power upon. They are devious and manipulative by their nature, and will rarely tell the whole truth in any situation. They ought to be considered dangerous, but you wouldn't have seen one anyway. Unless, of course, they wanted you to. Current Subtypes Tossed into this School -Light Illusion -Mental Magic -Cognitism Possible Additions -Group-based Super-spells: Grand illusions, invisible houses, memory rewriting. All the things written in here (especially the expansions and group-abilities) are all up for debate, and are hypothetical along with all other suggestions, here. This entire concept is, after all, a rough draft, so don't get too upset about decisions I made! Another important note that you may have noticed is that I have left out a number of arcane subtypes, notably bardmancy, beardmancy and the two Fi’hiiran anti-magics. This is because I couldn't find a place to put them (and because some of them are too silly). And even if I did, they were too out of place with the other ones. Better in my opinion to keep them separate, or remove them entirely. I wouldn't be opposed to joining the two Fi’hiiran magics together, though. More importantly, the simplification of the subtypes allows for a more concise management of the main arcane weakness (That is, physical weakness) and also allows another weakness to balance out their power-boom. It furthermore makes arcane magic more convenient to learn--finding a teacher for four different fiddly evocations can be painful. As an Arcanist grows in power, they will inevitably find themselves drawn to the schools that interest them most. In many situations, of course, they will also delve into the studies of other arcane schools. Though the more advanced they become in their preferred school, the more other schools will feel... wrong. Mana doesn't flow as it should. Sometimes it is painful to use their secondary abilities, other times disastrous. These other schools in turn seem to stop mages from advancing further in their preferred school--those magics contradicting and prohibiting one-another. There are only two options for a mage at this time; to accept the limitations of their powers, or abandon these 'lesser' schools. There can no longer be total mastery of all magical schools. This means there will always be a varied number of 'average' mages, and also those of greater power. The two weaknesses can be summed up in this handy-dandy chart I threw together in MS Paint. Tiers are just a placeholder for whatever magical ability is measured with nowadays. (By the way, I didn't mention this before, but I feel that household magic ought to be the pre-beginner's magic. Just to have new folks ease into it, y'know? It's still non-combative) So, that's basically the rough draft of my idea. If you have any suggestions about implementation, or subtypes I have missed, or you're just a big complainer, or you dislike hamsters, or you think mince pies are delicious please comment, and throw you idea-pies in my face! You know you want me to! Remember that all names, combinations and abilities are not final! And there is no tl;dr you can bloody read it.

(Well, here it is again, my beloved Cal'tarethro Magic, this time back as an idea proposal for the server! Please read all of the text I wrote, as I put a lot of effort into it, and feel free to leave comments on what you think! Thanks! Also, I think it is worth saying that this is very different to Runesmithing; just read it all and you will see.) Cal'tarethro Magic Music that goes with with the magic: Lore: Markings. Every man or woman belonging to the ancient tribe who hunted the cursed creations of Iblees had markings. Powerful and ancient symbols, full of meaning and purpose, created for the sole purpose of ridding the world of Iblees and his minions. Rumoured to be the runes of the Ancient Races, these markings gifted the wearers with otherworldly powers, enabling them to stand a fighting chance against the minions of the fallen Daemon. Wearing these markings, however, came at a price. The person imprinted with these markings slowly had their life force sucked away due to the energy required to keep the markings working, so they had to wear pure white crystals (named Cal'tar Shards) given to them by the Ancient Races, and these crystals supplied the energy needed to keep the symbols going. Regardless of the drawbacks, legendary heroes were made out of these men and women, and many a story or song was written, describing the glory of their brave endeavours against Iblees' creatures. There was one story, however, that was not known to the unmarked (people with no symbols on them) people of the mortal realm. It was the story of how these men and women came to be... It was many centuries ago, after the world of Aegis faced near destruction and domination by Iblees, that the holy races of Aenguls and Daemons decided that they had to find a way to prevent another uprising against the mortal realm. Unable to care for this realm for eternity, and thus unable to prevent any minions of Iblees from returning, the Ancient Races devised a plan to give the four races of Aegis the power to protect themselves against Iblees, should he rise once more. As such, they gifted the mortal races of Man, Elf, Orc and Dwarf with this power, sending down a bright white tome, named The Cal'tarethul, from the skies that contained thousands of mysterious symbols. This single tome held the knowledge needed to use these symbols, and it revealed to those who read it that the races of Aegis had to imprint these symbols onto their body to access their full power. And so began the benevolent campaign of the Cal'tarethro Venatium (Literally: Hunters in the name of Cal'tarethro Magic); killers of the minions of the dark. Not soon after the delivering of The Cal'tarethul, a tribe of warriors was formed, consisting of all four races. This tribe was lead by a man named Tolfidar, and he name his tribe the Cal'tarethro Venatium; and they stood true to their name, seeking out and eliminating all creatures that preferred the terror of Iblees over the reign of the Ancient races. Unknown, however, to Tolfidar and his Hunters, their time on Aegis was rapidly running out. The minions of Iblees had been gathering in the caves and dark alleyways of towns and villages all around Aegis, plotting and planning the perfect way to end the thorn in their side that called itself the Cal'tarethro Venatium. The Hunters had seen not a single servant of Iblees for two weeks since the minions had put their plan into action. Out of the vigilant gaze of the Tolfidar and his hunters, masses of minions were gathering in the shadows, amassing themselves in the thousands, outnumbering the Hunters one to ten. By the time the hunters realised something was amiss, it was far too late. The next day, a dark haze could be seen on the horizon; shades, witches, necromancers and their creations were charging towards the peaceful town where the Hunters resided. In an act of desperation, Tolfidar took The Cal'tarethul and placed protective runes, that sapped energy from living things, on it, ensuring that it would not be destroyed by the elements or by people with the wrong intent. Placing the sacred tome in a nearby river and praying that it would later be found by a worthy person, Tolfidar prepared to face the oncoming horde of vile creatures. The Hunters were crushed. The few men and women unlucky enough to survive the attack were tortured, but they would never give away the location of their tome. As for Tolfidar, it was said that he died in the battle. This was the last time the mortal realm heard about the Hunters for a long, long time...until... The journey of The Cal'tarethul was largely undocumented, and as such, it still remains quite a mystery as to how it ended up in Asulon, many years after the attack on the Cal'tarethro Venatium. It was found by a treasure hunter underneath a large amount of sand on one of the many shores of Asulon. Exited by his new discovery, the treasure hunter sold the book for a handsome fee to the leading institute of the study of magic, and then the tome was lost once more in the obscurity of the past. It was later recorded to be in a large chest on its way to Anthos, where it was lost once more until it was auctioned to a prominent noble family of humans. The book remained in the possession of this family for many years, serving for interesting conversation for the guests visiting the family's manor, and also acting as a boasting right to all who cared to listen. Then, on a stormy night, a trio of mumbling madmen, fresh out of prison, broke into the house of this noble family, stealing the book and climbing up the highest mountain before throwing it off the side, where it landed on a secluded section of the Anthos Highway and was later discovered by a man named Caius. Taking interest in this odd book, he packed it up in his donkey cart (with the help of his two trusty assistants) and brought it to his house where he studied the contents of the book, meticulously translating some of the sections written in the ancient language of the humans. And it was there, in the shoddy home of the travelling salesman, Caius, where The Cal'tarethul was opened once more, revealing its secrets once more, after a wait of many years... Meanwhile.... In the dark alleys of Anthos, the creatures of the night sensed a peculiar feeling, almost never felt by themselves during their lifetime; a disturbance in their everyday lives. They no longer felt safe whilst walking around at night, and constantly felt the hairs on the back of their necks prickle, as if someone were following them, but they could not pinpoint why. Unknown to them, the Cal'tarethro Venatium were reforming... The Magic: Ok, this is kind of like rune smithing, because all of the things that the Mage can get from the runes on his body are passive buffs, such as increased speed, fast thought processing, increased strength, resistance to flames, etc. The user only gets this buff, however, if they have the symbol on their body, and if they can support this rune (otherwise they need to get a bigger Cal'tar Shard and/or more Cal'tar shards). There is one symbol that every Hunter wears, and that is the bonding symbol; it links them to the Cal'tarethul which in turn links them to the Aenguls and Daemons. This rune purges their body of all evil, which is necessary if the hunter wishes to use his runes to their fullest. There are many kinds of symbols that a hunter can bind to their body, each with their own attribute given when worn, but all symbols require extensive knowledge on how it works and a minor ritual before putting the symbol on the body (More explained in the next section). The Cal'tarethul: This book is incredibly heavy, and it requires two men to carry or one man with a strength symbol. It can only be opened by those with a Legendary symbol (if there currently are no people with Legendary symbols in the mortal realm, then by people with a bonding symbol. If there are no people with a bonding symbol in the mortal realm, then only those with pure hearts can open the book). The book has powerful runes (from runesmithing) on its leather. These runes take their energy from every living thing around it to keep them going (even takes energy from plants, as they are living as well). The runes are made to protect the book from being damaged, and they were made by one of the old dwarves from the Ancient Hunter tribe. Cal'tar Shards: Cal'tar shards are slowly formed in a specific spot on altars, and can only be broken off when fully grown. These shards emit a faint, white light that can be seen in the dark, almost like a glow-in-the-dark sticker that has been used up a bit. Cal'tar shards grow to different sizes and shapes, and these differences are completely random; they can be as big as one's hand or as small as your pinkie finger. Cal'tar shards are incredibly tough, but if they are broken, they explode violently as they release large amounts of energy. Cal'tar shards are stored on the body of the person, with the first shard they received usually on a necklace and the rest of their shards on a special belt with slots made for holding them (think of a bullet belt, which has individual bullets to be held in each slot). These magical crystals provide the energy needed to keep the runes going, but if a person has too many Cal'tar shards on their body for the amount of symbols they have, they will gradually (the speed is dictated by how many crystals they posses) gain energy until they explode in a white and blue flash. This is why it is INCREDIBLY important to have exactly the right amount of crystals or crystals of the right sizes; too many/too large crystals and you will blow up in a few days, too few/too small crystals and you will have all your energy sapped and die a miserable death. Symbols: Each symbol is different, and they each have individual attributes, but one thing that is common with all of them is that, when they are being used, they take up energy, which must be regained from the Cal'tar Shards for a time ranging from an hour to a day or two. To get the very first symbol imprinted on their body (the bonding symbol) they must perform a long and tiresome ritual where the leader of the Cal'tarethro Venatium tests the willingness and purity of the initiate, putting them through seemingly random tests such as climbing up a freezing cold mountain wearing only a sheepskin loincloth or taming a wild wolf within a weeks time. All these tests are designed to show the leader how in tune with the mortal realm the initiate is. After passing these tests, the initiate is brought to a specially made altar, and they imprint the symbol on their chest and chant a ritual song, the words of the song known only to the wisest of the hunters. The symbol comes out of thin air in the form of a heavy, blue mist and all the particles of this mist embed themselves into the user, bonding them to the Cal'tarethul for life. Afterwards, the imprinting of further symbols is much easier, but it is still dependant on what type of symbol the wearer is attempting to imprint. For example, if a hunter wishes to imprint the symbol of agility, they must first understand the true meaning of the symbol, and witness agility in its natural form (such as that of a cat). They must know exactly what agility is before they are able to successfully imprint the symbol, otherwise nothing will happen when they go to the altar and chant the song specific to that symbol. It is for this reason why novice Hunters are unable to have more than a certain amount of symbols imprinted onto themselves; because they need to have an open mind that is ready to accept the knowledge of the symbol they wish to imprint on themselves. Just as each symbol is different in what they do, they are different in what is required to keep them going. Powerful symbols such as fast learning capability require a large amount of constant energy, for example (unless the following exception applies). Interestingly enough, these symbols have a stack-like status; if a person who is already agile gets the agility symbol imprinted onto themselves, they will be more agile than a person who was originally not agile. Symbols can be removed from the person, but this is a mild to extremely painful process, but the more a person knows about the symbol they are removing, the less painful it is to be removed. This allows symbols to be removed and replaced with more powerful versions when the hunter believes they are ready. Symbols being upgraded from a lower form (such as novice) to a higher form (such as adept) only need to gain lines and curves to add to the power (although the person having the symbol upgraded must know the symbol very well, as with learning the symbol).The only exception is the bonding symbol that, when removed, creates a mind-boiling pain and removes all knowledge of the symbols the user had learnt about before hand. Finally, these symbols emit a faint blue light in low-lit areas, as do the Cal'tar shards, so those wearing them are easily spotted in the dark (unless the symbols are covered or they have the symbol of stealth imprinted onto themselves). Index of Symbols: Disadvantages: -The wearers of these symbols rely completely on their Cal'tar shards to power their symbols. If a person with a large amount of symbols (or a few symbols that require a lot of energy) has their Cal'tar shards removed from their person (either off their necklace or out of their holding belts) they will die very quickly or almost instantly, as they cannot support the symbols anymore. -Wearers of these symbols are incredibly easy to spot at night, as they are practically glowing in the dark, and even if they have the stealth symbol imprinted onto themselves, the light emitted will still be visible in the form of a very feint glow around the person. -The hunters cannot get drunk or be affected by alcohol or drugs, as they are 'evil' and their bonding symbol purges evil from the body of the hunter. Seriously, this is a sad, sad thing... -The number of symbols able to be imprinted on the body are limited, as each symbol must be of a specific size and cannot be on top of one another. -If an altar is destroyed (particularly the altar the hunter was given their first symbol)the hunter will suffer from moderate to strong pain for a short time, unless the altar was ceremoniously disassembled. -Hunters need to have a perfect amount of crystals and/or crystals of the correct size on their body so that they don't die of too much energy or too little. Tier list: (Note before you read: it is very difficult for me to make a rigid system of what each tier can do, but as a rule, I am limiting the number of symbols each tier can put on themselves, with the full body being available to tier 5 users) Tier list for users of the magic: Tier list for the symbols: Affect of Cal'tarethro Magic on other magics: How I plan to reduce/completely remove power gaming with this magic: A list of all the people who are able to use this magic will be on this very lore page (should the magic be accepted) so that anyone can just look to this lore page and see who is able to use the magic, and what they can do. The list will be formatted like so: Playername: -list of symbols they have on their body, and what level these symbols are. -The tier they are (which indicates the number of symbols they can have) -Their teacher (you cannot learn this magic from any book other than the Cal'tarethul) I believe that a strict system like this will severely reduce/remove any power gaming that could occur. Also, a player must notify me (or someone else in charge) when they gain a symbol, and only when I update the symbol list on their name can they use the symbol, at all. Otherwise, it is considered power gaming. Red lines: -A person cannot learn this type of magic from ANY book OTHER than the Cal'tarethul. -A Hunter cannot learn any type of dark magic -No symbols can be on the face of a hunter -a hunter cannot RP themselves being under the effect of a certain symbol if they have not had that symbol imprinted onto themselves. -symbols such as increased strength do NOT allow a hunter to bend solid metal bars with their hands. This would just break all the bones in their hands if they attempt to do this. -a hunter will not be able to use their symbol abilities that apply only to humans, elves, orcs or dwarves if they are in Druidic animal form (such as increased fighting prowess with weapons) -a Cal'tar shard must be connected to the hunter in one physical way or another for it to supply them with energy. For example, it cannot be floating in mid air (due to telekinesis) next to them and supply them with energy. - the users of this magic are NOT immune to anything, and do NOT posses superhuman abilities that are outside of current, human restraints. For example, they cannot survive a boulder falling on their head, or cannot survive two massive, master level fireballs directly on their torso. - users cannot use their skill indefinitely. Once they have used it for a set amount of time (Basically, one session: a session being once use, for example one fireball hitting you, or one/two usages of faster thought processing in RP) (Thanks for reading this lore and please do +1 it and give it that green arrow thing called an upvote! I would really appreciate it! Also, please put your vote on the poll, as it would help me a lot, and don't forget to leave comments, especially constructive criticism, as I do feel a few stuff need to be edited. Finally, this was my 100th post when I posted it a long while ago, but I might as we re-mention that over here :D )

Scarlet Dawn A guild were all are accepted and none are judged were all types of work are needed from mighty swords men to the finest alchemist to even the smallest of farmhands we can take on any task and any job one might ask of Scarlet Dawn we trade, we fight and we will do any thing if the price is right .we can fill in shipments of armor to Lumber. Aswell guarding city's from bandits. We are scarlet dawn!! and we can Take On any task!!!! Ps. we also teach Magic and Sells goods Ranks Guild Master: The leader of the Guild They will decide all major choices of the guild Counicel member: Is A member of the Guilds Counicel That helps Run the guild And is also Head of a branch And will sort out quest into tiers Quest Finder: Members who go around looking for Jobs for the guild And Trade Recruiter: One who go's out an recruits for the guild Officer: Takes Charge is the counicel member is away and gives out quest ((With permission from Counicel member If online)) Teir 3 Quester: Highly Expeinced Questers that take on the mightyist Quest The elite of the elite Teir 2 Quester: A More Exprince quester that takes on more commen quest Teir 1 Quester: A new meber of the guild that take on small quest The guild Is one of many We look for Adventure. We trade. we may serve as guards for a city or a caravan or just as reinforcements in battle ,we can also find out info or scout out a place if you want. we teach magic as well as Study it.We can Build Or destroy. Name what you want and we will name a price. we will only recruit the finest of people so make your app good. We Are Scarlet Dawn and We can take on any task!!((We will recruit One Officer,Recruiter,Quest finder Starting off after that you will start off as a tier 1 quester) Application ooc mc name: Age: Country: How offen can you be on: Ic Name: Perfeshions: What you are applying for((limmited time)): Why should we recruit you?((Please give us a vaild reasion must be atlest 3 sentnces atlest)): Are you in any Curent guilds?: Are you willing to what ever it takes to get a job done right?: Race((It Dosnt matter just nice to know)):

*A note is left on every notice board,house door,shop saying the folowing*" To all who wish to Make coin,gain honor,power or wish to make a name for there self But live in the shadow's or work in them place.Or just to learn magic, gain land,knowledge or to seek some one's death bed. Or just want some one to neel at your feet. Then just place a torch out side of your home and we will contact you. Follow The call of darkness and Power that one might seek or maybe you seek coin then join and your wish's will be granted as long as you stay loyal to the black crown Rank's Black crown -leader of the guild Head blade - They handle giving out order's to the rest of the guild Black knight - Do alot of the small thing's but are the basic soldier's of the guild Shadow -One that is there to be nor seen or heard but is to do as asked also sent on assassination missions (basically a dark knight in training) Slaver - They handle the slaves of the guild and make sure they do there work((will only have vary few of them it is the same rank as a shadow))but will be sent out to capture new slaves Dark minion- They are the newly accepted member's of the guild and will be sent to rob people follower - They are trying to prove them self's worthy of joining Reason the guild was made: To keep the good at edge to give all of these's new guard groups a job and to give city guard's a reason to patrol there area and there road's. to keep them on edge. and to add more rp. And spice up the whole every one wanting to be a good guy or the next hero it's getting quite annoying Reason for joining the guild: to kill some people/rob them to keep the bad guy's alive .To make people fear you or just to seek knowledge,power,land,honor the chose is up to you App OOC mine craft username: do you have have Skype (leave Skype name if yes) or ts: Country: Age: IC Age: Name: Reason for joining: Are in any other guild if so what guild: none lol Can you use magic? Race((all thought it dosn't matter )): Combat skills: Extra info you wish to share:

The Scryers of The Mages Guild The Scryers are a sub-sect of the Mages Guild established by Guildmaster Vedaer Sylvaeri in order to maintain the peace and regulation in the world of the arcane that the Guild so eagerly seeks. In doing so, the Scryers perform tasks that further this goal; Be it the retrieval of relics, the investigation of eldritch anomalies, or a task as humble as guiding wayward magi into it's mother guild. Often members that have proven capable in combat, the Scryers have recently taken to scouring the realm for rogue magi. (See "Rogue Mage Trials") Enlistment In order to enlist and perform the duties of a Scryer, one must prove themselves a well known and trusted member of the guild. Those respected amongst the rank and file shall be sought out, and interviewed. Should one desire to take initiative and volunteer, they may send a letter to the High Scryer ((mthdominator)), or one of the Archmages themselves. Hierarchy The Scryers have been constructed upon a simplistic hierarchical system. This system is shown below. High Scryer- The individual responsible for the management and leadership of the entirety of the Scryers. This individual must serve as a Guildmaster or higher. Arbiter- Tasked with trying rogue magi and organizing drills, lessons, and research trips. Instructors take claim to this rank. Two instructors may serve as this rank at a given time. Scryer- A person that has proven capable of defending themselves, their guild mates, and the tranquility they seek to establish. Often apprentices, instructors, and Guildmasters alike. Enlist- A newly enlisted guild member, pending drilling and a final interview. *Auxiliary ranks are often assigned.* Uniform Light robes are provided for the Scryers. *Color varies* -Written by Guildmaster Vedaer Sylvaeri, High Scryer of The Mages Guild

by Raptor The Order of Blood, the First Blood mages [Original Lore] http://www.lordofthecraft.net/topic/47582-the-order-of-blood/ http://youtu.be/wAsiU9tH-_8 Blood Magic is a malevolent form of magic, classified as a Dark Art, though much like Shades, bearing a lot of resemblance to Alteration. Modern day Blood Magic, the second generation of the art, is a weaker bastardization of the original magic used by the original Order of Blood. Due to recent research into mana and life force, discoveries have been made that make possible the reinvention of the magic. Blood Magic is, at it’s core, the magical art of drawing power (mana) from the blood of any living being, be it yourself or any other. Use of the magic sacrifices vitality and “life” in exchange for increased power and a temporarily deeper mana pool (explained below). It can be used to cast or enhance spells as well as cast some spells of it’s own at later stages, although it’s used most efficiently in the performance of powerful rituals that would otherwise be far too draining and taxing for even some of the most powerful Arcane mages. During the process of drawing the power from the blood, the natural energy is twisted and morphed, creating an unnatural and crude form of it’s original state. It is a violation of nature and an abominable magic, thus classified as a Dark Arts magic. Blood Magic is not designed for combat, being an almost purely complementary and support magic, however there are a number of ways Blood Magic can be used in combat, both in the heat of the moment as well as prepared Blood Magic. At it’s core, Blood Magic is simply the art of drawing power from the blood in order to enhance spells. In combat, a Blood Mage would be able to create a wound on either themselves (or on another if they were powerful enough) and draw the mana from the bloodstream and fuel their spells. This is rather useful as mages can cast combat spells for much longer than a mage normally would, though at a heavy price. There are different ways a Blood Mage can increase the efficiency of which they draw power in the heat of battle, but these secrets are unknown to the majority of people. Sometimes, in the heat of battle, a Blood Mage may become overwhelmed. In this situation, the mage may see no other way out and may be willing to weaken themselves to near death, in order to escape. Doing this is extremely dangerous and not a viable tactic for standard combat or escaping any situation requiring a mage to be active in their escape. To do this, the mage would draw a hefty amount of power from their blood in order to overcharge a spell (higher tier mages can overcharge spells by combining blood magic with arcane magic, drawing power simultaneously and with less risk, but also less power), in order to cast cataclysmic tier spells, putting their life at risk. Blood Magic is not designed for combat, however useful it may be. Blood Mages can reach the full height of their potential during rituals. To put it simply, rituals are premeditated and focused events, where a Blood Mage (or any other mage for that matter) will use many different means (collaboration with other mages, sacrifices, enchantments, incantations, symbols and other power sources) to gain as much power as possible to achieve some form of magical goal. These goals are as endless as the forms all magic can take. They can be literally anything, however they can usually be classified into one of the three types below. (When anomalies are found, more sections will be added.) However there are a number of things that all these rituals have in common. First and foremost, they all require at least one Blood Mage (the numbers will vary regarding the ritual). The amount of power required would be too much for a normal mage to summon and handle. Second of all, they will more often than not need blood sacrifices. Those blood sacrifices can come from either the casters, volunteers or prisoners, it matters not. But drawing power from oneself, like a Blood Mage might do in the heat of battle will not nearly be enough to cast such monstrous spells. Finally, the Blood Mage rituals rely heavily on the use of ancient symbols and markings, first used by the Order of Blood in Asulon. The nature of these symbols and the mechanics behind them is unknown, however it is known that these marks create some form of loosening in the veil between us and the power we are attempting to draw upon, making the draining process so much more efficient. These symbols may be marked on the ground, on sacrifices or on the casters (only the ritual itself may tell what is required). There are many symbols used, many of them are incorrectly written and discovered from memory of the few that have seen them, thus they have a lesser effect than that of the originals. There are Elemental Rituals which is the most simple of the lot. This ritual will usually be done at the behest of a Blood Mage in collaboration with one or more evocationist (the type of evocationist obviously depends on the ritual itself) in order to summon a mass amount of this element in a certain way. For example a fire storm or blizzard etc. To put it simply, Elemental Rituals are simply huge enhancements to standard evocation. Summoning Rituals involve the summoning of beings, be them ethereal or corporeal, from the other worldly planes. It is possible that summoning rituals do not summon anything at all, however what links them all is the opening of gateways or tears in the planes, be it the void, the ancestral plane amongst many many others. These rituals are quite dangerous as history has proven that more often than not, something will escape and it is not guaranteed that it can be controlled. Summoning Rituals are very much the wild card rituals. They require at least one Blood Mage, as per usual, numerous blood sacrifices as well as the appropriate mages (to sunder the veil between the void and the world, many arcane mages would be needed, to open a gate to the ancestral plane, a shaman would be needed etc), including many symbols marked. Finally there is what is called Creation Rituals, which involve a number of different magics in order to form twisted and crude forms of life. This is by far the most difficult type of ritual to perform and requires a lot of research and knowledge into what it is you are attempting to do. These rituals require a number of different mages (could be conjurationists, shamans, necromancers), alchemy and a huge amount of power, an amount that can't be reached by blood magic alone. The nature of these rituals will vary quite a lot, but they will require the most preparation and will be the most strenuous on the casters. Blood Mages require blood from a living host for their magic to work, however you needn’t always drain from yourself. However what will always remain the same, is the need for an open wound and physical access to the blood in order to drain from it. Draining from others is far less rewarding than draining from yourself and also far more difficult. As you climb the Tiers, it becomes increasingly easier to drain from others, you don’t have to be as close to your victim in order to drain them as the lower tiers, more power can be absorbed and drained, not simply wasted. Though when draining from others, less of the carrier mana can be “caught” and thus more is dissipated and less is absorbed for spell usage. The act of draining power itself is a fairly painful one and can cause stinging and burning feelings within the wounds you are drawing from, akin to pouring lemon juice onto a cut. The more skilled a Blood Mage becomes, the less of this pain they will feel when drawing power from within themselves, their ability to draw power from the blood becoming more and more refined. In the past a lot of people have had their crack at Blood Magic, post Blundermore’s original lore. They’ve RP’d manipulating the blood itself to extremely OP lengths, actually managing to fully control people’s bodies and puppeteer them. This form of Blood Magic, true Blood Magic, does not encompass that whatsoever. There are a few spells that are for the higher tiers (Tier 4 upwards) that do resemble the control of blood, but nothing nearly to that extent. Tier 4 spells will be able to, for example, magically latch on to the carrier mana within their “opponents” blood and in a very crude form of blood control, causing blood clots and, if enough blood clots the arteries, hemorrhages (Tier 5 spells, rather powerful). This is because the bond between the blood and the mana that is attached to it is so strong, it is extremely difficult to rip them apart manually, even through magic. High Tiers can manipulate the mana in blood in similar crude ways, however it is extremely difficult as well as physically draining. This type of spell however, is difficult to cast, requiring a lot of necessary conditions in order to cast. For example, the blood vessels must be skin level and fairly visible (no rupturing of the heart, or internal organs). Should blood vessels burst and the skin become ruptured, the wounds would be rather small. The purpose of this type of spell is create a wound so that the Blood Mage may proceed to drain, not as a kill move. In order to latch on to the carrier mana and the blood in your opponent, you will be draining a large amount of your own mana pool in the process, likely having to drain from your own blood beforehand. The ability to temporarily access more mana than their usual mana pool will allow. Able to overcharge spells to cast them with more power than usual. Able to use the increased mana pool for performing powerful rituals. Useful for passively comboing with other magics and other mages (enchantments, seals, rituals etc). Sacrifice vitality for power at an uneven ratio (more vitality is lost than power is gained). People are practically impossible to manipulate and control via blood magic. Cannot draw power from “dead blood”. (corpses, gathered blood in vials etc) The amount of vitality lost when using blood magic in combat, is too much to be a viable combat method (last ditch effort to cast however is an exception). Increased use of Blood Magic will cause a noticeable corruption of the person, causing both physical and mental changes/instabilities. One of the more important aspects of a magic, there are a wide range of aesthetics that Blood Magic effects, both effects of it’s own as well as it’s effect on other magics. When draining mana with Blood Magic, from both yourself and others, the carrier mana (still attached to some blood) will come out on the form a dimly glowing red mist (picture above). It remains in this form and the glow continues to intensify until the power is used in a spell. When the power is used for other magics, such as fire evocation for example, the colour of the spell’s effects will change to a luminescent green, the overcharged spell now tainted by the unnaturally absorbed mana from the blood. This change applies to all spells with an aesthetic effect (including all rituals), Illusion being the exception. Blood Magic will also affect the mage’s body and mind, with extreme use turning the mage’s skin pale, their face slightly gaunt and milky eyes with dark bags beneath them. Because the magic is so unnatural, extended use will cause madness and a lot of mental instabilities, including irrational thinking, paranoia and insomnia. There are typically three different sources of magic. The first is divine power, gifted to the descendants by the the high beings of our world. The second is mana, that of which flows through all living things. Finally there is life-force, that of which the foul Necromancers manipulate from our very being. But thanks to recent discoveries, we have found that there is a fourth, something between mana, and life-force. What has been dubbed “Genus” by Caladrius’ order of Blood Mages, this energy can be no better described than the very threads of creation. What ties all life and energy together, what causes it to work and function. Genus is an energy that is tied to all other energies in existence. It has no power of it’s own, except the power to give power to all else. It acts as nothing more than a catalyst to all power and energy, it binds lifeforce, mana and everything under creation and the void. Blood Mages harness this power, the Genus bound to Life Force within all living beings and draw on it, pumping their spells full of this raw power. Genus is most easily found and drawn from Life Force, which flows around the bodies of the living in the blood, the reason Blood Mages get their name. Whereas Necromancers draw on the Life Force itself for their accursed taint and plagued powers, Blood Mages are only interested in what can effectively be described as the power source of that Life Force. Drawing on the Genus from the Life Force, the Life Force would dissipate, leaving the victim weakened (the more drained, the more they would be weakened) and the Genus then crudely forced to attach to any energy of the Blood Mage’s chooses, be it mana or any other magical energy. tl;dr genus is catalyst for all power, more of it with life force, life force in blood, therefore blood mages take genus from life force in blood A living source of blood to cast with blood magic. Mana does not travel through vials of blood. An open wound or access to blood from the living host, a closed wound will not work for lower tiers. Knowledge of Blood Magic, taught by me. OOC permission from me to learn or to self teach. Learning will be regulated OOCly by me. I have decided to use the old Tier System as a basic guide on Blood Magic progression. It is an elegant system and easy to understand and outline. Apprentice [Tier 1] - The Blood Mage has begun to learn how to draw power from an open blood wound on themselves only. They can use this power to cast spells (cannot combine with normal mana). The ratio of power gained to life force lost is 3:7. Adept [Tier 2] - The Blood Mage can now cast spells using both the power drawn from blood and the arcane simultaneously, to overcharge spells. They can still only draw this power from themselves. The ratio of power gained to life force lost is 4:6. Blood Mage [Tier 3] - The Blood Mage is now well learned in the art of drawing power from blood, understanding how it works and is now able to draw power from others, provided there is an open wound to draw from. They can only do this to one subject at a time. The ratio of power gained to life force lost is 5:5. Expert [Tier 4] - The Blood Mage has unlocked the secrets of blood magic, now being able to reach out to another and draw on the power and blood within them, rupturing blood vessels and creating wounds. They are also able to draw power from up to three subjects. The ratio of power gained of life force lost is 6:4. Master [Tier 5] - The Blood Mage has near perfected the art, increasing their efficiency in all fields of the magic. They are able to draw power from up to seven subjects with open wounds and is able to cause hemorrhages and minor blood clots in surface blood vessels in order to cause ruptures and wounds. The ratio of power gained to life force lost is 7:3. Can I be super top kek lel super edgy drink blood with this? No. If that’s what you intend to do, do not come near it and taint this magic with your foul ways. Can I puppet master my best friend with this and make him do what I want all the time? No you can't, that’s practically impossible you’d need maybe a hundred T7 Blood Mages to pull that off and even then it would look weird and probably pop like 20 blood vessels. (Yes I exaggerate to emphasise my point, but it still stands, you can't body control/mind control.) So wait if I wound someone and drain them of their blood’s power, shouldn’t I be able to kill all three of their friends? No because the amount of power you would have been able to sap from their blood, let alone hold on to, would be insufficient for that kind of cataclysmic magic. Can I get more powerful by drinking the blood or putting other people’s blood in me? No, ingesting blood does nothing to augment your abilities, you’d just be a social pariah for no reason. Overpowering spells with mech standard is rather difficult to do, Raptor. How do you intend to deal with this? In truth, I don't. Overpowering spells through pure blood magic is not a viable solution for combat, it is merely a very dangerous RP escape tactic. It is possible to mech standard the the very core of Blood Magic, which is essentially another mana pool. This can be done by activating a sustained ability where power can be drawn from health points instead of the mana bar once it has been depleted. More than that would need to be discussed with the tech team. [TBA] [TBA] Blundermore - Cooperation, initial concept and introduction of Blood Mages into the server. Raptor - Writing, magic concept, everything else, pure sex appeal Kalameet - Intellectual discussion, magical theory, support, making me look good Geo - Intellectual discussion, cooperation for lore changes, opinions on ideas. Swgrclan - Assistance with ritual ideas, ritual classifications. Pandan - Text graphics.

“Deep within the earthen frame, lies guardians none should irk, for should their patrons be conjured from the ground, colossal foes will lurk.” ~Unknown Scribe Dwelling within the mantle of the greater regions where Anthos and the Fringe reside in, lie mounds of rock guarding something ominous. Their stature varies, but even the smallest tower over the tallest Orc. Their purpose is unknown by most, though if they are capable of perishing, one may discover the reason their stoney hides trudge about the grounds they were birthed by. All of them, upon their temper prodded, gain the will of a volcano, and will ceaselessly guard their birthing grounds from any who dare to try their hand at harming them. Their intent is not to harm, for that is no guardians wish. Their awakening bellows a sound hearty enough to travel a continent, as does their monstrous footfall. Should a city be approached by a beast, they will be warned. Their hardened flesh is entirely impenetrable, and only the mar of being born from the elements may be struck to harm them. This disfiguration is unique from being to being, and is known to hum faint hues of light upon its discovery. OOC Information The purpose of writing this was so that I could slay a bit of boredom and add an interesting way that ET could RP giants, along with a reason. Another frequent Lore writer has mentioned writing up Colossus lore, and should they post it I will request this be removed as a source of information permitted to ET. Also, if you’re thinking it sounds extremely vague, that is because that was the intent, with how much room there is to wriggle in your own flavor of RP, you could have Colossi of the sea or something equally rad. If you’d like to use this lore should it be accepted and you are an ET, and cannot think of a way to apply something unique and intriguing to your event, PM me, I’ve got a few ideas. Apologies for the run-on sentences, they drive me nuts during reviews but I cannot think of ways to replace them, ‘spose I should get better at writing.

This is some lore I wrote a long time ago, and whilst I received a lot of positive feedback, it was never formally accepted or denied. Figured I'd post it once again. Note that it is in it's original form, and I've not edited a single word. Depending on how this version is received I may revise it in the future. Disclaimer: Check the First 2 comments before comparing it to Soul Puppetry. They are nothing alike! I give permission to anyone who wants to rework this lore to do so, as long as I'm credited for the original concept. This lore will not be revised by me any time soon. The fabled puppeteer is comparable to a golemancer, necromancer, conjurer, or any other minion-related magic user. However, to me a puppet master has always seemed the most foreboding, the most delicate and the most fascinating. And rightly so, as really what could hope to be more effective at instilling an emotion within you, than a puppet? They are sewn and carved to act, to amuse, their forms designed and twisted with the sole purpose of creating a reaction. Creatures of manipulation. ~Functions of Arcane Puppetry~ Arcane Puppetry seems rather similar to necromancy, conjuration, or golemancy. Although it functions as a combination of telekinesis and alteration. Allow me to break it down. In order to begin, you first need a puppet. This puppet must be made of wood, and wood only (aside from joints and such), and its size must depend upon your level of skill. Lets look at this from the POV of a tier 5 Arcane Puppeteer Specializing in Combat. I think a demonstration will be the simplest way to explain. -The Arcane Puppeteer slings his puppet from his back, his lips curling into a smile as the ebony-crafted doll flops to the ground. The man takes a deep breath as his fingers splay, threads of a shimmering, semi-translucent element or energy snapping into existence between his fingertips and the Puppet’s many joints. His fingers move in expertly precise, quick motions. The puppet jolts to its feet, standing 5 feet tall, as it seems to slouch slightly. The puppet raises a hand, the stump of wood at the end of its arm shifting and contorting to take the form of a hand, new threads stringing from the nearest original connection to attach to each of its fingers. Its hands flex, each finger moving individually, before it makes two fists. The Puppeteer gives a quiet huff, making a wide and fluid motion with his arms and fingers as the Puppet twists around to face him… and bows, its carved eyes shifting to be more expressive, glowing faintly. “Good, you’ll do.” mutters the Puppeteer, smiling at his creation. With little warning he flicks his hands, fingers moving in a blur as the Puppet suddenly takes off, charging towards the ruins of a nearby church at an alarming speed. As it runs, its hand morphs, taking on a more resistant structure as the steel from its elbow joint dribbles down, coating its fist and coming to a point. Its hand collides with the wall in a loud crash, obliterating the stone with ease. The wall crumbles, toppling atop the puppet and burying it. Its Master smiles, giving another flick of his fingers as the puppet stands, bricks falling all around its scraped and battered form. It stomps out of the stone, the imperfections in its form sealing over, cracks and scraped gone in moments. The Puppeteer pants softly, letting his hands fall as the strings fade and the puppet collapses at his feet, all modifications previously made (Its hands, etc.) returning to their regular state.- Now, a Manipulative Puppeteer at tier 5. -The Puppeteer gives a soft smile, his 5’9” puppet laying on the ground before him. He splays his fingers as strings of shimmering mana snap into existence between him and his puppet. The Puppet stands, swaying slightly as he balances its plain birch wood form. The Puppeteer makes minute, almost unnoticeable motions with his hands and fingers as the creature seems to breath, moving very faintly from side to side. Its posture shifts to mimic that of a normal human’s, and slowly its blank wooden form shifts and contorts, detailed facial features morphing into existence on its face, and the wood on its surface shifting in color and texture to mimic skin. After a few moments, a flawless representation of a human man stands before the puppeteer, who tilts his head as hair grows from its head. Once complete, the puppet walks to a nearby chest and opens it with its newly formed hands, dressings itself in a plain black, concealing garb. The Puppeteer seats himself on his floor, closing his eyes and letting his consciousness shift, hands twitching and moving faintly. “Perfect.” comes a voice from the puppet, its mouth moving flawlessly in time with this. It turns, and walks out of the home.- What the puppeteer has done here is established a connection between himself and the Puppet, which is powered singularly by his mana. No soul, nothing but pure mana. The threads are the visualization of that connection. As you can see, at tier 5 the puppet is very powerful and very capable, however do note that in that scenario a small puppet was being used, meaning that modifications to its form are easier, it may move faster, and regenerate faster, but cannot hit quite as hard as a larger one. ~Specializations~ Puppetry is unique in that there are two forms of it within the same magic. The first, and the one demonstrated in the example above, is combat puppetry. The second however, and the one that I would personally use, is manipulative puppetry. Allow me to explain both. Combat Puppetry: This specialization focuses on strength, speed, and power. Manipulations done to the puppet through this are crude and effective. They move fast, hit hard, and take unreasonable amounts of punishment. However, that’s mostly all they can do. This is the path of those who seek power and control, and is therefor not the true path of a Puppeteer. Manipulative Puppetry: This specialization is much more geared towards utility. The puppets that these Puppeteers control are not very useful for fighting, they aren’t fast nor strong. However, a unique ability given to those who choose to specialize in this type of puppetry is that they may hear, see, and smell what their creation does. They are also able to make much much more detailed edits to their puppets, able to make them look almost entirely human- aside from the fact that they’re made of wood (concealing clothes are a necessity). Lastly, manipulative puppeteers do not need to see their puppet to control it. This is the true path of the Puppeteer. ~Tiers~ 1 The Hobbiest: At tier one, after establishing a basic connection to the void, an Arcane Puppeteer may create a link with a puppet no more than half a pound in weight, and establishing this link may take upwards of half an hour. The puppeteer will be able to manipulate this puppet to walk, turn, and sit, but no more complicated actions may be done. The puppet must also stay within 3 feet of the caster. Nearing the end of this tier, they may be able to make their puppet run, or bow. No manipulation of its form is even remotely possible. They are also limited to human-shaped puppets. 2 The Dedicated Learner: The puppeteer is now capable of manipulating slightly larger puppets, to a greater extent. They may utilize puppets that weight up to 6kg pounds. They are not able to do very minor manipulation of the puppet’s form such as changing of its facial expression. No creation of limbs or even the changing of a limb is possible. They are now slightly more adept at connecting to their doll, it taking only 10 minutes now, and they are able to easily make their puppet run, walk, or punch. No complex actions such as dancing, kicking, fast turning, or any real fighting is feasible. They may now begin to specialize in their chosen path. 3 The Specialist Type A, Combat: A puppeteer who has newly chosen the path of combat is now able to manipulate any puppet under 35 kg. They have gained enough skill to manipulate their puppet’s form in combat, able to make crude changes quickly in a combat situation. No detailed work can be done under pressure, however. They are also now able to manipulate their puppet within a range of 35 feet. They experience a breakthrough at the end of tier 2, allowing them to make their puppet move faster, and hit harder. May now control 2 puppets. 3 the Specialist Type B, Manipulation: A puppeteer who has chosen the art of Manipulation as their specialty, will experience a slight breakthrough at the end of tier 2, where in they gain the ability to see, hear, and speak via their puppet. Note that all of these are muted, their voice sounding hollow and fake when coming from their creation, their hearing being about ½ the normal, and their sight being slightly worse than average, and in black and white. They may manipulate any puppet under 25 kg, but have found a particular aptitude with human puppets, gaining better control over their actions to make them seem almost human. Detailed manipulation of their puppets comes much easier than it does to a combat specialist, and they can make these changes quickly and somewhat easily. They no longer have to see their puppet to control it. 4 The Offensive Puppeteer: Now able to make detailed changes to their creation under pressure, the Offensive Puppeteer has gained enough mastery for their puppet to be quite able in a battle, it is reasonable for them to be able to take on 2 fully armored knights, or 5 lightly armored bandits. they may now manipulate a puppet that is up to 70kg. in weight. Their puppet merely needs to be in sight for it to be manipulated. The Puppeteer themselves is now able to take a small amount of punishment without losing concentration. May now control 3 puppets. 4 The Manipulative Puppeteer: Their control of the Puppet has risen to a point where they are able to simulate breathing, and other unconscious human motions. Their sight is now in color, hearing is the same as normal, and voices sound more human. Not perfect however. Expressions can now be manipulated. Their puppet must weigh only up to 60kg. 5 Puppet Warfare Master: May use any puppet up to 250kg in weight, and is able now to manipulate the non-wooden parts of their creation, using metal in joints to create temporary armor, etc. Their Puppet is able to move strikingly fast, hit incredibly hard, and recover from injuries quickly. The Puppeteer is now able to take considerable punishment before losing concentration. A tier 5 Puppet Warfare Master can take on many opponents. May now control 4 puppets. 5 Puppet Acting Superstar: The epitome of perfection. A puppeteer of this tier and specialty can flawlessly manipulate even the smallest, most detailed of actions on their puppet, can hear, see, smell, and feel if they so choose, all that their puppet can with average sensitivity. Their voice when spoken from the Puppet sounds natural. They are able to make incredibly detailed edits to their puppets, such as creating entirely human seeming expressions. They gain the ability to change the shade of their puppet’s wood, and texture it to appear like skin. The puppet is now fully capable of seeming entirely human. They must weigh no more than 150kg. ~The Culminating Achievement~ This is a gift granted only to the most experienced of Manipulative Puppeteers. Only after reaching tier 5, and utilizing the same puppet for 4 elven weeks, may it be done. This ritual is essentially the ending point for a Manipulative Puppeteer, the point where they have reached absolute mastery of their art, and needless to say, if attempted before one is ready, death is imminent. Firstly, meditation. As the Puppeteer has done countless times before, they must connect to their puppet. However, this time they must pour as much of their mana, of their consciousness itself into their creation, their companion. 36 hours must pass, and at no point may they lose concentration, lest the ritual fail. Once this time has passed, the Puppeteer may feel as if they have become the Puppet itself, but not yet… The ritual is nearly complete, but the hard part is yet to come. The final step in this ritual… Is to destroy their mortal form. Servant must destroy Master, and the roles must be reversed. In an act that is both agonizing, horrifying, and indescribably difficult, they must have their Puppet execute their own mortal form. If this is completed successfully, and if the puppet is not destroyed before the process has ended, the culmination of their lifetime’s work is complete. As their soul begins to leave their corpse, it will be entangled in the invisible strings of their mana, dragged with the current into the puppet, and sealed there. Perfection has been reached, and the Puppet Master has become the Puppet. Notes for the Puppet Form ~Weaknesses / Strengths~ Weaknesses for Combat Puppeteers -Cannot make their puppets seem at all human. -Must be able to see their puppets, or at least have an understanding of their positioning. if blinded they lose their connection. -The Puppets are obviously flammable. -Puppets cannot do any particularly detailed tasks. -Have smaller mana pools than Manipulative Puppeteers. -All puppeteers need to be able to make their own puppets. -May only manipulate one puppet at a time. Strengths for Combat Puppeteers -Their Puppets are very resilient, and can recover from damage quickly. -Their puppets can do risky things that they cannot. Such as lighting themselves on fire and hugging someone until they burn to death. -Their puppets are overall quite strong, this varying depending on the size of the puppet. -They have an easier time keeping concentration under pressure. -Puppets are disposable. -May use up to 4, puppets (at tier 5), but reaction time and strength of each puppet halves for each addition. Weaknesses for Manipulative Puppeteers -Can easily be broken from their concentration at all tiers by being interrupted. -Cannot use their Puppets to fight very effectively, a tier 5 having possibly the ability to take on 1 fully armored knight. Perhaps 3 bandits. -Puppets are less resilient, cannot regenerate as fast. -Puppet if human can be no taller than the Puppeteer. -Even a tier 5 puppeteer cannot change the fact that if touched, the Puppet feels very rigid and wooden, no matter how much detailing and coloring is done to the outer wood. -Still flammable. Strengths for Manipulative Puppeteers -Puppets can seem quite human. Tier 5 seeming flawlessly so. -Are able to hear, see, and smell (feel at tier 5) that which the puppet does. -Puppets are incredibly versatile. Able to do very very complex motions at higher tiers, and can be used effectively for espionage and other such acts. -Puppets are disposable. -Are able to reach the Culminating Achievement. ~Red Lines / Limitations~ No puppet master can edit the form of ANYTHING OTHER THAN THEIR PUPPET. This technique can only be used on puppets that are made of mostly wood (Metal being allowed for joints.) You CANNOT control a stone puppet. (Note: Elderwood is also not a viable option.) Puppets can be sculpted, not expanded. You may not create more mass than is already there, but you are able to remove mass or repurpose it. Learning to control any non-humanoid puppet is the equivalent of learning to move in a new body. This being more literal for Manipulative Puppeteers. You cannot make your puppets fly, even if they take the form of a bird, as wood is heavy and not particularly aerodynamic. TO DO: -Edits according to Community Feedback.

First off, this (redone) lore is a collaboration between myself and Lanader. Second, about the original (which was purely his work, and I will take no credit there). When he first posted it, there were multiple of us in the community whom took a great interest in the idea. First off, support mages - Wat? Since when did we have those? We want support mages! - and second, it just seemed like an aspect of RP that would be new. Of course, this received a lot of support, eventually being accepted by the old MT. However, the LT was yet to reach a verdict on the lore. When the old lore system was abolished, everything in implemented and accepted lore was moved to official canon lore. This lore, was one of them. Myself, still having not forgotten about this, one day modreq'd to have some locks removed on a building left behind by the previous owner. Lanader was the one to answer, and of course, myself, wondering, if it was official lore, why it hadn't in fact started up, asked him about it. He said that whilst the MT had accepted the lore, the LT had not, with the majority of the vote being undecided with one saying no, because it was apparently too similar to Ascended lore. I then offered to try rewriting it, in hopes of having it truly accepted. The ordinary playerbase will never know Ascended lore, apart from what was known publicly in Aegis. Of course, clerics would be the most obvious source to compare to, as they are, in essence, weakened Ascended (yes yes, technically not. I don't care, in the end, it's the closest thing). Now, I compared the two. Whilst I found similarities, it was clear that I couldn't changed Lanader's original lore without changing everything. So I added on. Lanader may or may not have already sent this in via PM. However, public interest is always important, and can help sway/quicken the decision. This is our remade lore for battle monks. I hope you enjoy, and I hope the changes we've made to the original lore will be of satisfaction to the LT. And without further ado, we present to you... The Battle Monks of the West ~*~ "They will die for what they believe in.." The Creation A long time ago, there were four men. These men went by the name of Rezu, Zera, Saydhi, and Adi'ken. These men were born within great and large tribes that focused on self-discipline and being at peace with themselves. But these men had no great gods, no leaders, no spirits to look up to. They believed in the world, and to the world they were grounded. But as with any culture, any race or group of people, there are those who rose up to bring about change. These men were Rezu, Zera, Saydhi, and Adi'ken. These men believed they were inspired by a greater force, but what it was, none of them could give a name to. But, when they spoke up, they were exiled and banished, in a rare act of anger by the tribes. And thus, they grew to be wanderers. Alone in the realm of Aegis, they walked long and far, shunned by humans, elves, dwarves, and orcs, for various reasons. But the men, staying true even still to the basis of their culture, continued to believe in this greater being, and would eventually be rewarded for it. They had been running, blindly, through a large and old forest, before they came across a great temple. They ventured inwards, and saw various artifacts strewn about. Whilst some men might have plundered the temple, these men did not. Instead, they began the process of repairing it, and picking up the pieces. They did not fiddle, nor experiment, nor fool around with the artifacts, but instead, cleaned, preserved, and honoured them. And there, they continued to live. It was for many long years that they had lain, meditated, and rested there. After some time, they thought they felt a strange, but comforting presence as they walked through the ruins, and this only reinforced their beliefs further. And so they crafted long staves, and placed upon each end, some sort of valuable crystal. These staves, they thought, were merely symbolic, and they often compared their crystals to their philosophy, but they were, otherwise, unimportant except as a symbol of their unity. And further years came to pass. And at last, the men were discovered. Six armoured bandits came, and they rushed into the temple. In moments, artifacts were destroyed or plundered, the temple desecrated, and the men were sent fleeing for their lives, right down to the bottom of the temple. The story of what exactly happened in that deep and dark place is not known by any, for Rezu, Zera, Saydhi, and Adi'ken refused to tell, but it was believed and widely accepted that the presence (which they would later call the "Great Spirit") granted them abilities which would allow them to beat off the invaders, and so the crystals began to glow and spark. After a short battle, the bandits had either fled or died, and the monks reclaimed what they could. The men eventually learnt of their former tribes' troubles. They were beginning to die out, engaged in a civil war with each other. When one tribe came to them to ask them to come back and help them end the war, and thus preserve the tribes, Zera told them no. And, in anger, the man representing the tribes said slander against Zera's "Spirit. " And so, Zera killed him, even before the masses came to slaughter him. And so came the first Monk to give his life for the spirits. ~*~ Monks in Present Day The monks, after receiving the blessing, knew they had found a basis through which they could truly spread their beliefs. They began to treasure and honour, even worship the temple, for it's spirit's saving of them. They believe they owe their lives to the Great Spirit, and so, they decided, they would protect it's holy places and name with their lives. By the end of Aegis, however, the temple was destroyed, taking Adi'ken with it. As Rezu and Saydhi continued on, they found the blessing weakening, and soon after arriving in Asulon, resolved to build further temples and shrines, and keep their religion alive. In time, with the aid of the blessing, they garnered others to worship the Spirit, and others who would even go on to become monks themselves. And so began the Battle Monks of the West, for that was where they had discovered the first temple. And when Rezu and Saydhi had died peacefully in their beds, the former initiates took over, and they continued the order until present day. The current Battle Monks of Anthos believe their duties are to protect the spirit's holy places at almost any cost. They must, however, first and foremost, never let the religion die, so there must always be one person and one holy place. They do not necessarily use their powers for good, albeit most do, however, are considered more to be neutral. Most do not go out of their way to protect others except for fellow monks and, on occasion, their flock. As such, they are considered to be a lawful neutral alignment, and are simply good-natured. They do not often concern themselves with outsiders, and as such, rarely participate in wars, nor actively seek to bring peace to the world. ~*~ Appearance The monks wear robes, cut short, with trousers, to allow for mobility. Unlike many other mages, they are also able to wear small amounts of armour, most often consisting of bracers, large metal "belts," chain skirts, and so forth. They most often wield staves bearing two long, thin, crystals. These crystals may be a variety of colours, but appear to be mostly cosmetic, until a monk begins to draw on his blessing. Once a monk begins to draw on his blessing, it begins to spark, flow, and glow with energy. ~*~ Magic (Lanader and myself thought it'd be interesting to see a support-mage rather than a pew pew mage, etc..) (Yes, we realize we have not SAID what their magic does. Well, here you go!) The Battle Monks, once they activate their blessing by channeling energy through their staves, gain various powers to help them and allies turn the tide in a fight. Firstly, they will be able to provide a support-type of magic to their allies. For example, if Monk A is fighting with Swordsman A against Swordsman B, Monk A can buff Swordsman A with a status effect such as strength, and perhaps turn the tide in a fight. How this would work RPly is this: Much like Clerics and Druii, the Monks draw power (which they call "nature energy") from a deity as well. The energy they draw from this deity can then be directed through the staff to the long crystals at the end. These crystals begin to glow and spark, and begins to collect the energy that the monk is drawing. Once enough of said energy is drawn, they can release this energy into allies or themselves, and the power drawn from the deity will allow for things such as increased force behind blows, greater strength, skin which grows tougher, greater morale and stamina, and various other such buffs. However, these buffs drain the energy from the crystals, from the monk, and from the deity, and once it runs out, all active buffs are no longer effective, and a monk will have to pray/meditate nearby a shrine. There are tiers of a sort for this magic, and it IS necessary to go through each tier before attaining some significant, new level of power. As explained, a Monk cannot cast magic without his staff, as it is the medium through which a monk can draw energy without overloading his body with various buffs, and thus, destroy/severely damage it. This is due to a deity's power being far too great for a mortal body to redirect by itself, particularly when it causes temporary changes to the body. As such, attempting to draw the energy of the Great Spirit without a staff will cause the monk attempting to utilize it to die (and by this, I mean a Perma-Death. Your character is gone. Dead. It cannot come back. So yes, you are welcome to try using it without a staff. Just remember, your character does it, he's gone. Dead). With each tier comes newer, stronger, longer lasting, spells. However, it's unlikely that any buff would persist throughout a long fight until at least the "4th" tier. At the fifth, it's possible a buff may last through two, but only with a lot of practice. It should be noted that a monk's staff is personal and truly unique. It cannot channel any magic except for the blessings (albeit a monk can still learn non-restricted magic barring Clerical), and is indestructible, except for by an Elder Monk's severing magic. It cannot be wielded by any other monk. A monk may have multiple staves, but each can only be used by himself. (When the actual order comes, the names of shown tiers may change. Also, many buffs here are based on MC status effects.) Initiates: When a monk first receives the blessing of the "spirits," they must practice gathering and utilizing nature energy, and then pushing it into their staves' crystals for usage. At mid-point of this stage, they should be able to push small amounts of energy into others or themselves, allowing for a small, weak boost to stamina, and an increase in speed (increase to speed does not mean agility nor dexterity. It is quite simply a character's SPEED). (Speed I) Novices: When a monk has practiced and meditated multiple times at a temple or shrine, they will be given a task to complete. This task is meant for the initiate to see their own values, their own strengths and weaknesses, and then act upon it. Their loyalty to the battle monks and to the spirit are tested as well, and if the initiate in question is found insufficient, punishment may follow, or they may simply have to wait longer. An initiate can ask for his first trial at any time. If he passes, he becomes a Novice of the Order. A Novice begins to grow to understand the Spirit, and his bond becomes closer to it. They begin to see the true nature of the energy they draw upon from the spirits, and begins to grow comfortable with it's usage. Their magic allows for them to direct energy to the eyes without damaging them, allowing the monk to enhance his or an ally's vision to the point they could see relative shapes in pitch black darkness, and see almost regularly on a moonlit night. They can also inspire others, which would increase morale in combat and give hope when one would despair. (Night Vision) Adepts: When a monk believes his bond with the Great Spirit is strong enough, a monk can ask for a second trial. This trial varies per person, but it again tests loyalty, knowledge, and their own personal self. If found insufficient, he may be punished, or he may try again, depending. If he is, however, found sufficient, he begins the journey to join the Order as a true monk. He begins to learn to affect himself and others in greater ways. As such, he is beginning to learn to "toughen" skin, so that it is somewhat harder to cut, like scar tissue without the debilitations that would come with such. At this stage, a monk would truly begin to feel willing to kill or die for the spirits. (Resistance I) Monks: The final trial to become a monk is a show of prowess. A show of prowess of strength, knowledge, loyalty, and of the self. As such, it is often a dangerous expedition, and one must be careful not to fail, as, unless the monk was lucky enough to simply be given a trial by one of the Elder Monks through a duel and other such things, the trial will most likely end in the monk's death (this does not have to be PK). However, if the monk can succeed in completing the tasks set before him, he is honoured as a full-fledged monk. He is sworn to the spirits, and he has complete, unwavering faith in them. He will not betray the spirits or his order for ANYTHING, be it money, or land, or glory. They can push nature energy behind strikes, making them more meaningful and far more powerful. For an extremely short amount of time, the power derived by the nature energy can even protect against lesser burns and fires. After this point, a monk is able to do almost anything that is available to monks, and can even experiment with various abilities not listed here. They can also teach other monks. They are able to construct small shrines to the Spirit as needed, which, to believers, will exude a feeling of peace and comfort. (Strength + Fire Resistance) Great Monks: These monks have done great things for the Battle Monks, or else is extremely deeply attuned to the spirits. For this, "tier," per se, it is possible to self-teach into reaching it by practicing the spells often. At this tier, one would become able to grant an even more resistant skin and immune system, and has essentially mastered all basic (listed) abilities. Also, their previous buffs become stronger and longer. They may continue experimentation with new spells, however, canonification of said spells requires a lore post. (All previous abilities gain an additional level, and Health Boost. Stronger the buff, the sooner it'd fade. Second level buffs would likely only last a few seconds MCly, maybe a quarter to a half of a fight RPly.) Elder Monks: No great differences between Greats and Elders. However, an Elder Monk is chosen by another Elder Monk, and these can take control of greater decisions concerning the Order. As such, they also have the power to sever a monk's power, if needed and only if the spirits are in accordance. (In other words, this cannot be done unless the Monk in question had somehow power-gamed or acted in a way that does not follow lore. Regulates magic and so forth.) ~*~ Requirements/General Information -Monk staves are personal and truly unique. They cannot channel other magic types, cannot be used by other monks other than the one who first used it, or at least until they die, and are otherwise indestructible. -The magic cannot be self taught until the monk has truly become a Monk. After that point, he can choose to learn until he becomes a Great Monk. -To join, one would have to find the monk in RP. This CAN be done through forum RP, but it will not be done through apps. After that point, a monk will show them around, and let them stay so that they can observe existing monks RP. They would also likely accompany the Monks as part of the flock, until they decide to join or not. -A Battle Monk should venture around Anthos and try to spread his beliefs, and should attempt to garner a flock. -A Battle Monk cannot cast magic without his staff, unless the player wants to PK his character. By joining you acknowledge said fact. -A Monk will die and kill for his spirit, and the strongest will take it to the extreme. The slightest slander of their beliefs may end with him ripping out the offender's heart, or otherwise brutally murdering him. -The glowing staff is mainly cosmetic, however, they channel their magic through it. -The Monks use an alternative for mana: They, like druii, clerics, and so forth, draw from an otherworldly entity, called nature energy. Unlike regular mages, they cannot regenerate power on their own, and must meditate or pray at a shrine instead. After some IC time, they will have gained the power to keep going. -Monks are NOT protagonists. That is to say, they aren't necessarily good people, and it can be hard to move them to do something except in self-preservation or preservation of the spirit/religion. They are merely support mages, whom, if NEEDED, will use his magic to aid others and himself. So a criminal runs across the rooftop, at night, and guards can't see him? They come up to a monk and ask, "Can you grant us vision?" The monk is unlikely to do so, except for POSSIBLY as a way to show that his religion is the greater one. -For monks to properly draw nature energy from the spirits, they must go through great amounts of training and meditation to understand the world around them as best as possible. Whilst this may not necessarily be scientific knowledge (it might be metaphysical, it might be metaphorical... He must simply have knowledge of some great sort of the world as a whole). -Battle Monks' magic can alter the monk in question physically and mentally permanently, after great amounts of training and extended usage. This is not to say that they would be able to grow extremely overpowered (use your common-sense when you RP the long term side effects), but they would have longer life-spans, and unlike most mages, no physical retribution to the use of their magic. Their connection to the spirit, rather, makes them more indifferent to outsiders, and they become more observers than activists. They also would kill and die for their Spirit, and at "tier five," we're talking a small slander could lead to them trying to break a neck. ~*~ Significant Items/Artifacts of the Monks Staves of the original Monks: These staves are greatly prized and held within glass cases. They were used by the original monks who were first blessed by the great spirit. No monk has used them to channel his power since, and it would be considered a crime to do so unless it were a last resort to defend a holy place. Head of the "Spirit": One of the most prized items within the order, it was placed upon the shrine in which the original monks defended. It ranges back from Aegis. It appears to be an old skull, and was carried with the last monks to Anthos. All Monk Staves: As each staff is personal and truly unique, each staff is thus an artifact of the Order. These staves can - and many of them HAVE - channelled the Spirit's nature energy. The Chalice of Hope: One of the original artifacts, it is said that Zera drank from it after successfully defending the original temple. There are no other artifacts or any important items at this time. EDIT: Please give feedback and how we could further improve this, playerbase. We want to hear your opinions.

(Note: This is a revamp of a post I saw in the archives, I feel that I've made it a bit less overpowered and far more understandable. Also I apologize for making this so long, however it needs much detail and in-depth description of things so certain... misconceptions do not occur.) Pathomancy What is Pathomancy? Pathomancy is, in short, is a deity-based magic that gives its users the magical ability to spread disease and pestilence. It shares similarities with other branches of magic, such as Necromancy and Conjuration, but it has some striking differences and those will be stated later on. A trained and skilled Pathomancer would be able to bring opponents to their knees in a coughing or vomiting fit, making them weak and able to be overtaken; an expert Pathomancer's opponent would end up dead on the sidewalk, in a pool of his own retch. Origins: Pathomancy has existed for as long as organized religion has existed. Pathomancers are nothing more than fanatical priests that were given their boon by the god they refer to as The Rot. If someone were to join the religion and follow it whole-heartedly, they would know of the Pathomancers existence. However, the religion has been slowly fading in recent years; as other religions have taken its place with far less gruesome and sickening practices. Many who have seen a Pathomancer have not even noticed it, for it shows signs of either Necromancy or Conjuration, both of which are different from it, though they appear similar in form. The Rot: The Rot is a god worshipped by Pathomancers and followers of the religion, the religion's name has long-since been forgotten, and so now it is referred to as "The grotesque church of the belief in The Rot" (the name was probably another reason it lost favor in more recent years). Followers of The Rot have no true name for their god, only that they call him The Rot, and it is indeed a fitting name. Theirs is a god whose sole purpose is to spread the beauty of disease and filth to this seemingly full and vast world. The Rot views every single bacterium and every single virus as a gift to humanity, The Rot's own way of leaving a gift to mankind. The Rot sees bacteria and viruses as life (which any Druid would tell you is fact), and views them as creatures of equal importance as well as any other human or animal. His motives are not one of a dark and evil origin, only the ignorance of a god who feels that the world needs more life on it, the Pathomancers are more, if anything, the ones that use his boon for negative influence. What really is a Pathomancer? A Pathomancer isn't a Conjurationist or Druid who has decided it was in his or her best interests to bring death and disease to a relatively unwilling planet. The reason for Pathomancers is similar to the reason of War Clerics: to fight and defend the religion which they so dearly believe. Pathomancers view themselves as battle priests and defenders of their church, though in order to view the situation as that you must surely be ignorant or insane. Pathomancers, while they purposefully kill and maim, do not see themselves as evil, after all alignment is only subjective. Pathomancers view that, while taking a life of a living being, they can produce millions upon millions more in the form of bacteria and viruses which would spread through the air to infect more people. To others, of course, this is merely the insanity of a rogue mage who is attempting to take over the world. There are, however, rogue followers of the religion, that choose to use his boon for evil and dark influences, such as mass killings, however; The Rot still sees them as fighters and spreaders of his much loved diseases. How does a Pathomancer get his or her magical abilities? A Pathomancer does not simply will themself into existence, it is a long and rather arduous process through the church. First of all one must convert to "The Grotesque Church in the Belief of The Rot " and rise through the ranks to become a priest. Once the other Pathomancers come to a majority decision to allow a new priest into their ranks, they all gather around the initiate and beg and pray to The Rot to give this upstart the knowledge of vast and ever changing species of disease and the magical knowhow to do it. The priest will then injure himself and give an open wound so that The Rot can "mark" the follower: this means that the priest will endure countless infections at a rapid pace, being kept alive by the prayer of his brethren and the will of The Rot; which then is followed by the receiving of the knowledge of the magic given to all Pathomancers when they once start their journey. This does not mean, however; that a Pathomancer is as strong as an expert and has the knowledge of a master, these skills will take time to develop just as any other magic would. How does Pathomancy even work? Pathomancy works by the communication between the Pathomancer and The Rot, to put it simply, the Pathomancer will pray or speak to The Rot to use the magic, similar to Priest Healing. And unlike other magics such as conjuration, the virus or bacteria stay inside the world once the Pathomancer cuts connection with The Rot, which is a rare trait of magic, indeed. Pathomancers will use the magic and knowledge given to them by The Rot to manipulate bacteria and viruses either already inside the recipient's body, or in the surrounding air, to be injected into the body and then being multiplied one million fold, causing either quick or instant infection. This cannot be done with Druidism or Conjuration, however; because of the rate at which disease evolves at. Druids and Conjurationists could, in theory, find one specific type of bacteria or virus and study it long enough to be able to create it from the Void, but then what? The immune system would easily fight it off and it couldn't evolve because it was from the Void, not to mention that in order to make millions appear and be able to reproduce would be far too much for either of those two to be able to handle. What can a Pathomancer do? Well now we all know how Pathomancy works, but what can you do with it? Well, the possibilities are almost endless. Since they manipulate already formed bacteria and viruses in the air, they could poison meats and drinks, even make weapons become infectious and rusty things that's sole power isn't for its stab, but its diseases. As long as you are capable of manipulating a virus or bacteria, you can do it. Guide The scaling system for Pathomancers is a bit different from other magics: their skill levels are based off of disease names, not tiers or titles like master or expert. Common Cold: This is the first step for Pathomancers. They learn how to manipulate disease and learn to better communicate with The Rot. At this stage Pathomancers are able to make people sniffle and cough for a little bit, nothing too drastic or noticeable. Small symptoms occur here, for instance mild fevers and the like. This will take 2 elvish weeks to complete. Pneumonia: Pathomancers begin to dabble into the art of stomach and chest pains, as well as vomiting. Nothing fatal can be done yet, though their ability to continue diseases amplifies, as well as disease abilities (louder coughing and more violent sneezing, etc. etc.). This takes 1 elvish month to complete. Influenza: Pathomancers are now capable of killing a person, though it takes a lot out of them. They can cause people to retch up so much that their body can't handle it anymore and will shut down. Short term disease become easy for them, and chest and stomach pains can become unbearable. They now are capable of making people feel large chills and the "need to go now" if you catch my drift. Making fevers also become largely apparent in this field. This takes 3 elvish months to complete. Cholera: Pathomancers become even more attuned to disease and death. They can now sufficiently kill 3 men by making them projectile-vomit, and they can cause respiratory failure, among other things. This is when a Pathomancer's knowledge becomes extremely advanced and it is impossible for a list to be written of all the things Pathomancers are capable of at this level. One interesting characteristic to note, however; is that they can now poison and taint food and water, becoming more attune to The Rot. This will take 4 elvish months to complete. Plauge: If you find a Pathomancer of this skill-level, your best bet is to run and hide. They have become so attuned to disease that they appear to be living embodiments of the disease themselves. They can kill up to 5 men, maybe more depending on their time spent at this level, by various diseases. They can even make long term illnesses such as arthritis or respiratory problems (requires OOC consent). Once you reach this level, your skill increases gradually, about every 2 elvish weeks you grow stronger (incrementally, not like "wow 2 elvish weeks time to murder everyone"). Another noted thing about this group is that they can create a sort of area about them that can be filled with bacteria and filth so that they may be impervious - for a short time - to up close attacks. Plants will also seem to wilt in the presence of these advanced Pathomancers. Pros: · Pathomancers are impervious to disease due to the fact that they had to go through and build an immunity to multitudes of diseases during their initiation. · The magic itself is diverse and, in my opinion, fun. · It holds great rewards for those who really stick with the magic until the end. · It could add a lot of roleplay for you and your character. Cons: · It takes awhile to get much advancement in the magic. · The magic itself takes longer than normal ones. · Pathomancers will start to slowly appear green and diseased looking the more powerful they become and the longer they study the magic, this is merely a side effect of The Rot's mark on them, this is generally in the form of green skin and maybe boils/cysts. · Because of the effects of the mark you will be easily noticed. Red Lines: No over-exerting yourself. MUST have OOC consent for long term diseases. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS make some form of fatigue, even if you're advanced doing a simple thing. MUST be a member of their church of The Rot

The Cult of the Frozen Night You lay in your bed, consumed in a deep and peaceful slumber. You stir slightly as a rush of cold air enters your room, causing you to open your eyes. You may notice a window open, or perhaps a door left cracked open a little. You lethargically rise to your feet, looking around. To your surprise, you find a small sealed envelope on the floor. The envelope is sealed with red wax, a small ‘N’ pressed into it. The envelope feels cold to the touch as you pick it up and examine it. Do you open the envelope? (If you do, click the spoiler!) OOC Information and Application Purpose: The Cult of the Frozen Night is a group designed to allow players to participate in cult activities, raids, and other events with the official antagonist, the Black Scourge. Another goal for the Frozen Night is to provide fun villainous roleplay for everyone involved. Players who join the Cult will have an increased chance in joining the official antagonist, and may even learn magic, should they be dedicated enough! Ranks: 1) The Listener - Taking his or her orders directly from the leaders of the Black Scourge, The Listener is responsible for running the Cult. He or she has final say when it comes to promotion of the lower ranks, as well as recruitment. The Listener is also responsible for assigning tasks to The Seekers, and the Chosen if necessary. 2) The Overseers - Those known as The Overseers tend to be lower ranking Black Scourge members, although any in the Scourge may be eligible for this rank. The Overseers watch over new members, including The Chosen and The Seekers. Their primary responsibility is to allocate tasks and jobs to the lower ranks, as well as coordinate the other ranks in raids and events. 3) The Chosen - Composed of The Seekers who have passed a series of tests, The Chosen are the only rank which may be added to the Black Scourge. They are more trusted than The Seekers, and usually assist the Scourge in various ways. As a reward for their loyal service, The Seekers have more access to the knowledge and power of the Black Scourge. 4) The Seekers - These are the lowest rank of the Frozen Night Cultists. They have to do multiple things to prove their worth, which may include inciting violence, assassinating targets, burning structures, causing chaos, gathering information, spying and the like. Doing much of the “grunt” work, the Frozen Night heavily relies on The Seekers to maintain itself. To be a Chosen and advance in rank, they must complete a specific task chosen by the Listener specifically, to prove their worth, as well as finish any tasks given to them by The Overseers. Application (Must fill out to join. You can PM this to me privately if you prefer.):

Some music to listen to while you're reading through (By Jeremy-I on DeviantArt) Lore Striquaepoth. In a world where many evils shared the streets with our children and women, the very mention of this forsaken city would leave many a traveler halted in their trail. Their lives would come to an abrupt pause as they would briefly imagine the blackened souls that inhabited those halls, and the deranged acts committed by these individuals. Built upon a rare void node, a gateway between our dimension and the Void, Iblees was able to use the raw energy of the Void to cast his darkened city far above the land of the mortals. Only those tainted by Iblees, the mad and insane, and the victims of the darkness found themselves in such a hallowed land, hovering ominously above Aegis, waiting patiently for its rapture. The Undead watched from the gnarled spires protruding above the clouds, and turned the innocent to their unholy cause. A misguided mage by the name of Rilath Illwindior once found himself scouring the underbelly of Striquaepoth, many years past. For what he searched for, the tattered scrolls of worlds past will never say. Perhaps he wished to liberate a victim of the Undead, or search for a way to defeat this relentless evil, or maybe he wished to join Iblees’ treacherous cause. Whilst Rilath scoured Striquaepoth, Iblees was delivering his newest child of death into our world; Prophet Rott was to be infused with Iblees’ sadistic power that fateful night. By random chance the void node opened a channel between dimensions, an enormous surge of raw mana and energy being shot into Aegis. Amidst Iblees’ bestowment of power, the void energy was manifested in a physical form, capturing some of that dark, unbridled energy. It was then that the Shade Gem was created, a pulsating crystal that contained a certain blackness most could not even conjure within their own imaginings. While we may not know of Rilath’s intentions in Striquaepoth, we do know that his search came to a swift end when he discovered the Shade Gem, a blackened source of power unlike any other. Rilath drew his gaze to the core of this gem, and found himself staring deeper with each labored breath, each one feeling like it could be his last. The black gem sent energy through him, causing him to see things in his mind he could not have imagined before. Visions of the Void, visions of what lies after death, and visions of the power that he could harness from the Shade Gem. At first what he saw terrified him to his core, darkness swirling around him, like hungry scavengers waiting for their prey to perish. The shadowy mist moved in an unnatural manner, yet did not approach him. As Rilath continued to look into the gem, he started to realize the true power of what he held within his hands, he started to allow the visions to flow through him, the darkness to seep through his skin. Black smoke began to advance upon him as he allowed the whispers to trickle through his mind, promising him power and a rebirth in pure blackness. Rilath allowed the gem’s dark magic to flow through him, and the shadows descended upon him. His aura, which is the natural mana that surrounds every living being, was tainted by the black mist, ravaged by night. Rilath opened his soul to the darkness, forfeiting it to the Shade. Walking in a new world, Rilath was as a new being. The evil of Iblees had ravaged our home of Aegis, but his treacherous minions had been vanquished and Iblees pushed from our dimension. Yet, the power of the shade gem still loomed over the beings of Asulon, its darkness shrouded in the shadow of our ignorance. Now an old man, Rilath walked the barren expanse of Asulon with the aid of a staff, the mark of an aged wizard. Yet, from atop this staff held a black, gnarled crystal that pulsed with dark energy, and it was Rilath’s source of power. The Shade Gem had been a conduit for Rilath’s power, as well as the first step in teaching his students. He found that only delving into the madness that lies within the Shade Gem could corrupt one’s aura into a malleable dark magic. The old Shade had come to realize his remaining days were few in number, thus choosing to surrender his aura unto the Shade Gem, binding his power within its crystal walls. Perhaps after his death, he thought, future Shades could continue to draw power from the Shade Gem now that he had imbued it with his own aura, as well. Many moons had passed since Rilath had faded away to what lies beyond mortality, but his aura lived through the Shade Gem. Salamandra, another Shade that walked among us, carried the Shade Gem. With the power of the gem and Rilath’s corrupt aura combined, he was able to corrupt the aura of his own fledgling student and teach them what he had already come to learn. Several Shades continued to uphold Rilath’s legacy, but only one of his trusted students was granted the honor bearing the Shade Gem in Salamandra’s passing. The name of this Shade has been forgotten in time, perhaps what he did brought too much shame to his name. Perhaps he wished to fade into obscurity instead of taint his legacy for all eternity. This Shade took on an apprentice who wished to allow the corruption to run deep through her veins. However, his foolishness and youthful pride caused him to strain the last of the energy that brewed within the gem. The gem’s pulse fell silent, and all that remained was a gnarled, black crystal. Shade magic would surely fall extinct, or so it would seem. HYPOTHETICAL: (read NB for clarification) After passing between many hands and many new worlds, Archmage Crumena found himself in possession of the Shade Gem. Whilst the dark relic had been dormant for many years, he still found himself with a burning desire to look into its core. Yet without its power, it appeared as little more than a jewel. As an Archmage of the Mage’s College, Crumena used the Guild’s skilled alterationists to restore the Gem to its previous level of might. Silvos’Laurir Sythaerin could never have anticipated the implications of restoring the gem. In a secret ceremony conducted deep beneath the surface of Anthos the alterationist set to work to reinvigorate the Shade Gem. As the gem lifted itself from its pedestal, surrounded by an array of colours and lights, the auras of the two mages grew an odd shade of black. The Shade Gem, realising its release from dormancy, absorbed the mana of all in the area in a moment of instantaneous darkness. Crumena awoke from unconsciousness to find the Shade Gem laying passively beside him as though waiting. The ominous black aura pulsing at its core once again. As Crumena fixed his gaze upon the madness within the Shade Gem, black smoke surrounded him, only visible to him, as whispers oozed through his mind, the dark crystal beckoning him. The Shade had been born once more. Magic Shade magic can be witnessed as the manipulation of shadow. Pure darkness moulded from the evil that resides hidden within all things taking form as a black cloud, sometimes as thick as sludge and often shaped like organic tendrils. These shadows can be shaped and controlled by a Shade and actively change form as more corrupted aura is compacted together, starting as fine as mist and capable of becoming solid as steel. A Shade controls the movement and density of these organic tendrils with the ease of an evocationist, though similarly with evocation, without the presence of a Shade the shadows will disperse back to the darkness from whence they came. The best source of darkness used to create shadows is the aura of others. The more darkness present within their aura the more shadow than can be formed from one source. Aura, being the manifestation of mana defined in colour by the soul's alignment to the elements, is present in all living things. Aura can be borrowed from flowers, trees and of course people, then converted into a black aura of shadow seen as a hazy mist. When additional aura is compacted into this mist the increasing density forms into a sludge thicker than water that is controllable by a shade. As more corrupted aura is added the tendrils can become firm. Strength and volume of the formed shapes is relative to the quantity of corrupted aura. As shadows move further from the Shade the connection to the Shade's corruption weakens and the ability to add more aura, and thus make the shadows harder, lessens. Aura is an invisible physical manifestation of mana. Most people cannot see it, but those who can perceive a difference in colour between different people depending on the alignment of their soul to the Aspects. This colouration is evidenced in Arcane Magic by the colour of the Mage's shield or missile. Any living thing has mana but in varying degrees; it appears like a mist surrounding something and can be any colour imaginable. The amount of aura given off by a flower is minimal, while the aura of a mage is substantial. Aura is also emitted from a spell that uses mana to be performed. So an orb of water that has been evoked would have an aura, likely carrying a blue tinge, but only a very limited supply as the mana required to evoke it is temporal, while living things are capable of regenerating mana, and thus replenishing aura. The Shade Gem is required to alter the aura of others and corrupt it into malleable shadows. Aura that comes into contact with the aura of the Shade Gem is slowly corrupted by it. An experienced Shade’s aura is so corrupted that they do not require the Shade Gem to perform the transformation of aura into shadows, however the process of corrupting aura weakens their own and they would need to spend time to recover. So, in summation and to simplify: Aura, that is emitted from anything that has mana, is drawn towards a Shade. Their corrupted aura combines with the aura collected and becomes a black mist that can be controlled. As additional aura is added and compressed into a smaller space the mist becomes increasingly solid. Aura can be withdrawn or added to the 'shadows' to actively alter their density. Mist turns to goo, goo turns to a solid, the solid can be hardened to be like steel, and the reverse is also true of returning solid to mist. A shade is capable of manipulating these shadows like they were an extension of their own body. Becoming a Shade An individual can embark upon the path to becoming a shade by making contact with the Shade Gem. Held in their hands they would sense a whispering in their soul, the darkness within the gem crying out for more calamity. Like a wave, the urge to surrender washes over them and they can all at once see the horrors that await them. In this singular moment the individual must choose to surrender to their monster within by offering their soul to the shaping of the Shade Gem, or break contact and flee. None can acquire the power of the Shade without surrendering themselves to the Shade Gem. The Corruption Shade magic of itself is not evil. Nor is it corrupting. However as a Shade becomes more closely knit to the Shade Gem and allows more of their body to be consumed by the shadow, the repercussions can be observed as corruption. Surrendering to the darkness will unlock more power, but at the risk of keeping one’s mind sane. Not only will a Shade’s thoughts be continually drawn to the darkness within the gem, but by dwelling on such darkness they will begin to despise concepts of light like peace, truth, friendship and trust. Clerical healing can undo the corruption of a Shade’s aura. A Shade is able to have minor wounds healed by a Cleric but will experience horrific pain in the process. Stronger healing magic doubles as an exorcism in that it rapidly restores a Shade’s aura to its uncorrupted state, disconnecting them from the Shade Gem. If the Shade is unable to re-establish a connection to the Shade Gem their magic will progress backwards until such time as they surrender to the Gem again. Remaining in the presence of a highly skilled Shade will slow the un-learning down, however the Gem is the only thing able to corrupt their aura again. It is said that within every Shade is a second personality. One that is a purely evil and considers only destruction and calamity. It is this personality split that causes many Shades to suffer mental disorder: commonly schizophrenia and manic depression. Mental disorders can be roleplayed, but any insanity that potentially hurts others requires a VA. The risk of becoming an Adept (T4) Shade is the surrendering to the Shade Gem for a second time. A Shade will reach a point in their journey where they can no longer advance until they again stare at the sickening darkness within the Shade Gem and ultimately surrender their last shred of sanity and control. Corrupted Auras When an aura is borrowed to be morphed into shadows, it is the Shade Gem’s own aura that is at work corrupting the Aura of others. In the process of a Shade borrowing aura for magic, the one whose aura is borrowed will have the corruption of the Shade Gem rub off on their aura. Because aura is the non-visual physical manifestation of the presence of mana and mana is regenerated naturally, after an incident that corrupts aura the individual’s aura will revert to normal within a day. A corrupted aura has no ramifications upon the individual, except that it is more easily manipulated into shadows by a Shade. A mage experienced in Arcane Evocation (shielding and missiles) will see a darkening of their aura almost immediately. The long term corruption from a Shade will have some minor side effects on those who are not Shades. If someone’s aura is used on a frequent basis for Shade magic, their aura is not given an opportunity to regenerate and heal from the corruption. They may feel unexplainable sickness, depression or a rise in negative thoughts and feelings. The corrupted often develop distrust towards any references to The Creator, Aenguls, Druidic Aspects, and other ‘divine’ forces. In severe cases they have been known to disdain bright lights. There is no process for healing a corrupted aura as the body will regenerate mana naturally. Cleric, Druidic and Ascended healing will speed up the restoration of aura, however it is generally unnecessary. All that is required is a period of time without having the aura used for Shade Magic. It is not possible to become a Shade without direct contact with the Shade Gem, so having a corrupted aura offers no benefit whatsoever. Mixing Magic As a mage’s aura is corrupted by the Gem, other subtypes of magic begins taking on new and darker forms. The current list of complimenting magic is in the spoiler below and is subject to change. These are a suggestion and can be open to some level of interpretation. It is recommended that any alterations to the below be cleared by a member of the MAT before being cast. The success of mixing magic is dependant on how experienced the Shade is. The tier of normal magic provides the power for a combined spell, while the Shade tier defines how much control. A tier 1 Shade’s black fireball possesses just as much power as a Tier 5 Shade (presuming they are equally experienced in evocation) though the less experienced shade will have so little control of the spell that it will most likely backfire on them. Mixing shade magic offers extraordinary advantages, though the amount of control required is much higher and therefore more dangerous. Shade magic is formed by the Shade themselves, so magic that is performed at a distance cannot be mixed with shade. Tiers Tier 1: The Shade has established his connection fully with the Shade Crystal. As he or she walks the realm, they become aware to the presence of Aura around them as well as what Aura delves within them. At this state, the Shade begins to study the manipulation of Mana and how to manifest their own into Aura and finally convert said Aura into the iconic Black Mists which Shades produce. Time spent away from the Shade Gem or other experienced Shades will undo the corruption of their aura. Tier 2: The Shade begins to advance farther into the magical art, finally understanding the principles of Shade Magic. They are capable of moulding and shaping the mist and condensing the tainted Aura into creations such as a solidified sphere or a tendril. Shapes formed from the shadows cannot be concentrated into a solidity harder than mud. They also dissipate into mist once sent a short distance from the caster’s aura. Tier 3: The Shade now comprehends the manipulation of Aura and begins to dabble in pulling Aura from their surroundings. As they continue to do this they learn to stockpile Aura in a more efficient consistency to increase their own pool, up to doubling their usual aura. The shadowy creations receive the contribution of the Shade’s own Aura for increased density, yet with greater density comes more physical exertion. The maximum hardness of steel can only be shaped into something up to the size of a hand. The shapes can also be hurled at a target without dissipating for 20 blocks. Solid tendrils can move forward up to a speed of 1 block/second while one end remains attached to the shade to have more or less aura contributed. The Shade will require another moment to surrender to the Shade Gem’s chaos before continuing to Tier 4 Tier 4: The Shade furthers his or her understanding of the magic, building an endurance to the bringing forth of Aura from their surroundings and applying it to their own. Multiple entities of shadowy shapes can be summoned at once and are controlled with the same ease as one's own body. Their density can be altered at up to a distance of 5 blocks from the Shade. Contact with the Shade Gem begins to shift from tainting their pool of Mana to their persona, eventually shifting the Shade into possessing a more chaotic alignment (mandatory VA for 5 to teach) also suffering from mental side effects. Tier 5: The Shade has reached the pinnacle of the art, mastering utilising their Mana to it’s full extent. They can employ their Aura that they have collected from their surroundings proficiently and with ease. Transforming ‘blessed’ Auras of Clerics (etc.) for the use of magic is now possible. Gathering Aura from each new source doubles as a temporary energy boost. Shadows can also be condensed or expanded at distances up to 15 blocks away from the Shade. The maximum hardness of steel can only be employed on a tendril up to the approximate size of an arm. (Done by one of LoTC’s own, Griffin) Red Lines - Aura is corrupted and formed into shadows by the Shade’s own aura, therefore all magic is emitted from their body. Nothing can be summoned external to the Shade, though at higher tiers the density can be manipulated at a distance. The same goes for mixing magic. The shade element must be performed close to the Shade. - Shadows remain visible at all times. Even as a mist they can still be seen. - Shadows cannot move past solid objects unless breaking through it, in which case the mass must be denser than the object to break. - Just like many magics, shadows cannot be controlled if they cannot be seen. - Cleric and Ascended auras counterbalance Shade magic. The higher tier wins. Unless the Shade is two tiers more advanced they are unable to corrupt Cleric or Ascended aura. - Battling a mage doesn’t give you endless supplies of power. The corrupting of aura is taxing on a Shade, so though a mage uses mana (producing aura) while casting magic, the shade’s corrupted aura weakens as more shadow is made. - No summoning shadow drakes or any other 'living' creatures without conjuration; a playdough monkey is not a real monkey. - 'Shadows' are an element like water or earth. There are no rituals that can be performed with them. Credits: ~ Rilath -- Overseer ~Aislin (Gronkk) -- Main lore writer ~MrSythaerin -- Emotional Support, concept ideas ~Heero -- Lore, concept, reconstructing the magic ~AllTheGreat -- Concept Idea of the history of the Shade Gem ~Elindor (Jerry_man) -- Lore, concept, reconstructing the magic NB: Currently the original Shade Gem is incapable of corrupting auras. After several very taxing magic ceremonies that pushed the gem beyond its magical capabilities it remains a husk of its former glory. In order for a new mage to begin learning Shade magic, or one of the old Shades to reactivate their currently dormant corrupted auras, the Shade Gem requires repairing by an alterationist. The Shade Gem is currently in Silir's possession.

The Arscimali Written by Gwonam_Blaze and Jtheo2016 Skin and Avatar done by Randomness710 This creature lore was written long ago, back in January. It was only now posted as it was forgotten and abandoned for quite some time and both writers were very busy. I, Jtheo2016, in no way wish to claim credit for this project by posting this as Gwonam wrote much of the lore. The event introducing the Arscimali is already in the lore (should the event be acceptable). The playerbase will fight alongside the Stranger and the Seeker against a horde of Arscimali. I’d also like to point out while there /WAS/ in fact a pre existing culture involved in the Lore, it was abolished upon the death of Yellow Eyes and the actual creation of the current Arscimali culture will be done in RP (writing the commandments, etc.). Avatar: Please put this in your signature if you wish to support the Arscimali. http://imgur.com/icMV2 Conditions for Implementation: 1. Event introducing them (as stated in the lore outline to be sent to LM) 2. Player cap of 10 Arscimali at any one time 3. Help from the staff to go through with the event introducing the Arscimali (event team to play Arscimali, media team to film, GM’s to help, etc.) Gwonam_Blaze and Jtheo2016 will coordinate/moderate the event if at all possible. 4. Players /CANNOT/ turn themselves into Arscimali (see requirements below). Only Arscimali may create other Arscimali. Basic Principles: - Collectivist creatures (only speak in plural, no use of “I or me.” - Very curious; lack basic emotions and humor - Able to learn emotions and humor through exposure to sentient beings - /NOT GOLEMS/ - The Arscimali have souls contained within their bodies; conjured into a physical form through the magic of the Arscimali/Brintor. - Upon ((MC)) death, their bodies’ crumple to the ground and are later replicated by the Monks to satisfy the Arscimali’s needs. Should damages be too savage, actual death will result in body crumpling, but black aura seeping out. - The Arscimali pick their own names upon construction - Population cap of 10 Arscimali at any time Current Arscimali: Should the lore be considered and RP testing be approved by LM, MAT, and GM, these are the only two people permitted to RP as Arscimali. Jtheo2016 - Stranger (Leader of One Side of Arscimali) Eye Color: Green Eyes Facial Model: Deep Thought Gwonam_Blaze - Seeker (Leader of the Other Side of Arscimali) Eye Color: Purple Facial Model: (Undecided) Lore: Conjuration is usually a simple magic to master; simply bringing forth tiny animals and other creatures to fend off those who dwell in darkness. However, what happens when one of these conjurations gains consciousness? What happens once they can feel, and they can desire? What happens when they can live? The first type of conjurations to ever reach this level are the Arscimali, the men of cloth with limitless capabilities and endless visions of knowledge. This whole conquest of information was made possible by a single, power-hungry mage; Brintor the Creator. Brintor began his great journey as a simple conjurer, specializing in summoning cheap tricks as a sideshow act. Eventually, he began experimenting with larger spells and conjurations. He soon sped through training and excelled in the area. Eventually, he began going outside the known and began with the unknown; he created a small lab to work in with help from some Dwarves. Brintor was unhappy in his life as an entertainer, and so hungrily desired to advance his skills in magic. Being an Elf, he was unable to do much digging himself. As the Dwarves continued digging, they finally broke into a large, dark cavern. They thought nothing of it, and Brintor only saw it as a larger area to work with. He soon installed bookcases, testing vials, different clothing materials (mainly leather and cloth) so he would not have to leave to get new clothes, and even a small farm for sustenance. It was during this time that he created a conjuration by accident. He was thinking of creating a companion with false emotions, only a mimicry of sentience, and instead made a creature of thought. Dark, black energy pulsed through the air around the entity, and yellow eyes flickered in the middle of its head. Amazed at his own work, Brintor stumbled back, and without hesitation, began constructing a body to serve as a containment unit. As he was rushed for time, believing that the aura would fade into the void, he quickly began assembling the makeshift container for the conjuration; a body. His instincts relayed to him it was the only logical shape, and he had no time to further ponder this. He pieced it together as quickly as possible, placing the sections together around the being, trapping it inside. Using leftover iron from some tools, he formed a circular shaped ring and cut a hole in the forehead of the body. He placed the ring inside the hole, framing a circle of glass. It lit up a brilliant shade of yellow. The new being flexed it’s arms contentedly, staring at it’s new form. Its sewn mouth formed into a wicked smile. He was made mostly of scraps of cloth and leather as his creation was rushed, but it served it’s purpose. The Yellow Eyes faked compassion towards Brintor, asking to learn his ways in conjuration. Resistant, but overall impressed with his work, he taught Yellow Eyes the basics of conjuration. It was during this time that Yellow Eyes was able to replicate his own creation, forming a “brother”. At this discovery, Brintor was killed. Yellow Eyes shared a similar trait with Brintor; an unquenchable thirst for power. Soon, Yellow Eyes was creating many creations a day; but not without a cost. Because he was not limiting himself, he slowly began sinking into madness, his consciousness fading to be replaced with twisted, sadistic thoughts. He eventually stopped and left it to his first two creations to decide how to progress. An argument pursued; half of the creations on one side, half on the other. They were soon fighting amongst each other, and from there began full out war as the argument grew more and more. Soon they were summoning new conjurations left and right as they dropped like flies. As the population rose and fell, the reasoning behind the fight was completely forgotten, the fight had turned into a war, and any truth that had once been were all but legends now. They had developed a religion and a way of life during this short allotment time. They all believed in Brintor the creator, but he was remembered as cruel and unjust. Yellow Eyes was viewed as a hero. All of the creations revered him and wished to be like him. Seeing himself worshipped as an idol, Yellow Eyes laughed from afar at the fighting conjurations. He knew the truth of everything; The conjurations had not been fighting an ancient war, it had only been going on for a month. He could’ve stopped it, but he enjoyed the violence far too much and the position of power they had placed him in only served to further his ecstasy. He watched with glee as they killed one another, black energy seeping from their wounds until their bodies simply crumpled to the ground in a lifeless heap. The cloth was recycled to create new constructs to fight the waging war. As each one’s eye flickered off permanently, Yellow Eyes’s pleasure only grew more and more. At the same time, the Arscimali began to find bits Brintor’s personal library scattered throughout the tunnels, teaching themselves basic language and translating the texts. They learned the common tongue quickly, which in turn quickened the growth of their culture even further, adding to the belief of Brintor the Creator that he was all knowing and extremely powerful. This was before the surface dwellers made their first appearance, ushering in a new age of the Arscimali The first sign of the surface dwellers was upon the end of the first and last month of the Great War. A few cracks began to show in the ceilings of the tunnels that had been dug by the inhabitants, alerting them to a new presence. Much of the farm was crushed as the ceilings caved in, leaving the Arscimali without enough sustenance. They grew excited despite the lack of food. They believe this collapse signified the end of their world, so they began fighting their enemy with newfound energy, hoping to find a solution. Nothing came of it, until the meeting of the Stranger and the Seeker. The two were both exploring tunnels when they found each other; both mortal enemies. One was the leader of one side of the war effort, one of the other. They began to fight relentlessly, their faces remaining blank but focused. By sheer coincidence, the tunnels around them collapsed, leaving the two in a single cavern. The ceiling began to crack further. The ceiling finally tumbled to the ground around and on top of them, covering them in a thick layer of dust and rock. The two creatures had found sunlight. They were shocked and awed at the world around them. The two yelled in happiness, forgetting their mortal strife for a moment to gaze upon this new land. A bright yellow sun shined down upon them as waves of a nearby ocean splashed against the shore. Birds whistled in the trees as the wind blew through their leaves, evoking new ideas and thoughts from the Stranger. He began to wonder if they were the only knowledge seeking beings out there. He turned to the Seeker and they made a silent agreement. Fighting would halt until thorough investigation of the new land was accomplished. Upon noticing the disappearance of the leaders, Yellow Eyes decided to make his move. The presence of the upper world had not escaped him, and so he their disappearance as a chance to raise an army. He climbed down from his pedestal of power and went down to the other creatures below, speaking to them and telling them to forget the war effort. The two sides were shocked, but because Yellow Eyes was seen as a legend and hero, they obliged loyally. Yellow Eyes appointed himself as leader, and turned them to a new cause. The surface would belong to Yellow Eyes one way or another, and if not him, then no one could lay claim to it. As of that day, his single purpose was to claim the surface for himself and unite the creatures under a single banner. Not to mention, through the conquest of the new lands, they would be able to sustain themselves once more. They began to dig and drill into the earth, seeking to find a clear path into the open. Rumors of the Seeker’s and the Stranger’s disappearence spread as the cave in was discovered. They broke through the rubble. The Arscimali discovered the entrance to the above ground areas, but not before the Stranger and the Seeker could reach other life. The Stranger and the Seeker began to meet with the different races, awe and amazement leaving a trail behind them. They pleaded for help to end the brutal war, both seeking to eliminate the other’s side; both of them were unaware of Yellow Eye’s control. They had no idea of Yellow Eye’s intentions either. As the two different creatures sought help from different races around the world to take out the other, they met at the sight of the tunnel. The two enemy sides, with equal amounts of men on each, saw the opening of the tunnel into the unknown. They stopped. A rumbling could be heard from deep beneath the ground. All the Arscimali beneath charged out at the forces around them, many of them screeching and howling like savages. Suddenly, enemies had become allies and they were forced to work together to destroy the onslaught of Arscimali creatures. Despite the creatures being their brethren, the Seeker and the Stranger sensed something was different, that something was wrong, and fought with their newly acquired allies. They wondered why the Arscimali would abandon their homes for an uncertain land. The two charged into the hole once more, this time as comrades. Here they found Yellow Eyes. Yellow Eyes turned, his army defeated and massacred, his own hopes fallen. By his side was Brintor’s body, hardly decayed but smelling deeply of rotten flesh and death. Yellow Eyes grabbed one of the flies circling Brintor’s body, holding it between his town fingers gracefully. “Here is something you two shall never have.” He cackled as he squashed the bug, “You shall never have life.” At that, the duo killed Yellow Eyes, both out of fear of his powers and hatred for what he did to their armies/people. The Stranger threw on Brintor’s clothes exuberantly, believing them a symbol of their freedom, life, and success. He exclaimed to the Seeker “We will not listen to Yellow Eyes. We can live, we shall live.” At this, the Arscimali were officially established under the Stranger and the Seeker. Two fundamentals were established; “An Arscimali shall strive to live life to the fullest and to master the emotions of the living,” and, “The surface dwellers are kind, but curious; We shall be courteous in response.” Repopulation went successfully for a time, until the first murder and the first Yellow Eyes. An Arscimali killed another due to some unimportant argument over a makeshift hut. This established the commandment of “We shall not kill a brother.” Soon after, one of the new Arscimali possesed yellow eyes. Out of fear and bitterness, the Stranger and the Seeker executed him. The establishment of two new commandments came of this; to justify the killing they created “Any with Yellow Eyes are not one of us. They must be exterminated immediately,” and following in quick pursuit, “Harboring a Yellow Eyes will result in death.” Many other smaller commandments followed, but the first six are considered to be the most important. The sixth commandment is “We shall not speak in individuality; collectivism is truth.” They created this commandment to avoid a replica of the Yellow Eyes incident, and to instill camaraderie amongst the Arscimali. Physical Make Up: The Arscimali are made up of a collection of materials: cloth, leather, string, spider silk, etc. They have one-to-two metal rings protruding from their heads, framing a pane of glass displaying the color of the conjuration within. While the most common color of cloth is brown, some may appear white or black, but are always kept within those three colors to prevent needlessly flashy appearance. Not to mention, during their time in underground, it became common to give Arscimali earthy colors. Upon joining those who lived above ground, they simply kept tradition and continued the selection of the same colors. They did become somewhat quirky when designing their brethren despite the strict following of tradition. Each Arscimali’s face may constructed in a way that it will resemble a sort of emotion. This emotion may be one of many either of its creators finds most appealing or, at the time, appropriate. In most cases, the designated emotion will have no effect on the Arscimali’s personality; it is purely cosmetic. However, if the Arscimali grows curious as to what its face is supposed to represent, it might take firm interest in that particular emotion. Arscimali also vary in size; some can reach the height of Elves, some as short as halflings, and others the width of an Orc. Their size will have no effect on how strong they are, or their abilities. It’s just a feature of design. Internal Composition & Personality: Each Arscimali must develop their own personality. Each one is born with an empty slate of a mind, and they can selectively choose what they wish to retain. (See “Behavior”) They are not like living organisms in the sense that they have brains and organs.They only have cloth skin and energy within. Each Arscimali must also receive sustenance in a very similar way to how most living things absorb food. They simply place the food into their mouth. However, the internal processes behind this are a bit less complicated. Once the food hits the conjuration within, it immediately begins to disintegrate into little flecks and pieces of black mana, fueling the conjuration. They may only do this with dead flesh and plant matter. No Arscimali can become a cannibal. Behaviour The Arscimali refer to themselves and one-another collectively, using terms such as ‘we’ and ‘us’ in place of ‘I’ and ‘me’. The reasons for this aren’t very clear, though, it seems almost a necessity for them, as they are never heard doing otherwise. It became part of the commandments after the incident with “Yellow Eyes”; it is simply protocol for them to do, though no sentient being outside of the Arscimali knows this. In reality, they believe the main cause of the war was the ego of Yellow Eyes; the first and most powerful of his kind, he seized power and lay waste to his people. The Arscimali, once they have learned to feel and develop ‘affection’ similar to that of other sentient races, are capable of finding a significant other of their own. This is something that, after observing other races, they believe to be both ‘normal’ and fulfilling. Though it is difficult for them to show true emotions like this, they can simulate it as accurately as they can. If they discover the act of mating, they may also try to simulate this. However, due to their lack of genders, thus lack of male and female exclusive parts, they instead procreate by constructing an entirely new Arscimali by hand. The features and such of this new Arscimali don’t necessarily have resemble those of their ‘parents’, but it is not uncommon for one to bare similarities between its creators, as the ‘parents’ will normally use themselves as references. Once the young Arscimali is constructed, it will be quite ‘plain’ and featureless ( May be reffered to as ‘Vanilla Arscimali’ ). An Arscimali is subject to changing its appearance how it sees fit at any time, though, there is usually a point where it will feel ‘comfortable’ and see no reason to alter its appearance any further. -Self repair: It is not uncommon for an Arscimali to emerge from conflict wounded or severed. Though loss of limbs and other appendages would normally be a severe or even fatal wound to any mortal being, it is simply a hinderance to Arscimali. Their composition of cloth and other simple fabric allows them or their comrades to perform simple repairs or replacements at the cost of resources. Although this process is more than possible, it can be expensive and time consuming, depending on the scale of the damage. A damaged eye-lens can take little more than a few minutes to completely repair, however, an entire lost arm could take several hours or possibly days to fix due to the amount of care and resources that are spent to heal such an affliction. -Feeding / diet: Despite their slightly mechanical composure, the Arscimali must feed in a similar manner to that of ordinary organisms. (Refer to “Internal Composition”) Variation Arscimali, under normal circumstances, hardly bare any unique identities; They each act fairly similar to their siblings and share almost identical qualities to one another. However, some may ‘mutate’ in a manner that will cause them to behave rather differently from their bredren. Though these ‘mutations’ can be quite unpredictable, there is currently only one known to occur. It is referred to by Arscimali as a “Case of the Mimics”: -Mimics: The afflicted Arscimali will gain the uncontrollable desire to ‘mimic’ certain things it sees or interacts with. What the Arscimali will be compelled to mimic can vary; in some cases, it can be a person or animal it has developed a bond with, and in others, the Arscimali will attempt to mimic an object it grows curious or fond of. Much like a common cold or a parasite, “Mimics” is contagious to other Arscimali. Usually, the afflicted will be placed in solitude for an undetermined amount of time. The Arscimali refer to it, with one another, as a “Case of the Mimics.” An example of this used in context could be; “We heard that Boomer caught a case of the mimics recently.” Weaknesses and Strengths: Weaknesses: The Arscimali have a weakness for; - Burning - An Arscimali’s body can easily burn, causing the conjuration within to seep out into the world. This essentially kills it. This does NOT include minor burns, as minor burns can be handled easily. Major burns, however, may result in death. - Water - Water tends to seep into the cloth, which absorbs it so easily. This can cause the cloth skin of the Arscimali to weigh it down, forcing it to the ground. They may not stand up until they have dried fully. - Broken Eye - Should the eye lense/lenses be broken, dark aura may seep through, leaving the Arscimali weakened and unable to fight at full capability. - Learning Magic - The Arscimali are afraid of magic (with the exception of creation of another of their kind), due to the corruption found in Yellow Eyes. They strive to avoid magic at all costs, other than their own extinction. In addition, magic can lead an Arscimali to madness and weakness. - Combat - The Arscimali have no muscle or bones; there is no force behind their attacks. Arscimali cannot fight well, and must instead rely upon running. Strengths: The Arscimali are strong in the areas of; - Self Repair.” They do not scream, but they will get weakened from missing parts/wounds. (See “Behavior”/”Hand to Hand Combat”) - Knowledge - Arscimali can learn quickly and pick up ideas/concepts quickly as they begin with a completely clean slate. They are not known to forget something easily. Color Energy Definitions: - Green Eyes: Those with green eyes are often dreamers and good leaders. The Stranger, leader of the Arscimali, is known for his green eyes, the first to posses them. Those with Green Eyes are also known to be stubborn. - Blue Eyes: Those with blue eyes are known to be noble at heart and wish to help others as best they can. However, blue eyes can also show naïvety in the mind of the Arscimali. - Red Eyes: Those with red eyes are known to be fierce and strong fighters. They have good instincts in combat. However, they can be needlessly belligerent. - Yellow Eyes: Those with yellow eyes are known to be manipulative and clever. Any Arscimali discovered with Yellow Eyes is immediately executed for fear of the original “Yellow Eyes.” - Purple Eyes: Those with purple eyes are known to be valiant and courageous. However, they do not consider their own self enough and can end up hurt or in trouble because of their actions. Those with Purple eyes are also (typically) associated with Seeker. - Orange Eyes: Those with orange eyes are known to loyal and very independent. However, they may accidentally isolate themselves from others because of this. (The Following applies only should the Arscimali be accepted by the LM's and MAT's) Application: (Note that our personal OOC opinions of you will be taken into account. We want/need good RPers) 1. MC Name: 2. RP Name (for Arscimali): 3. Biography of Creation: 4. Color Eyes: 5. Link to Skin: 6. Role to play in Arscimali Society (Occupation): 7. Emotion or No Emotion at Birth?: 8. Name one of the commandments and explain its role in your character: 9. Does your character believe Brintor evil or kind? What of Yellow Eyes?: 10. Screenshot of RP: The Commandments/Ideals of the Arscimali: “An Arscimali shall strive to live life to the fullest and to master the emotions of the living,” “The surface dwellers are kind, but curious; We shall be courteous in response.” “We shall not kill a brother.” “Any with Yellow Eyes are not one of us. They must be exterminated immediately.” “Harboring a Yellow Eyes will result in death.” “We shall not speak in individuality; collectivism is truth.” Requirements to be Arscimali: - Accepted Magical Creature app for “Arscimali.” The link to this application/thread lies below: http://www.lordofthecraft.net/forum/index.php?/topic/88846-magical-creatures-application/ - Accepted App to be an Arscimali.(sent via forum PM’s to Jtheo2016 or Gwonam_Blaze) (Edit: The VA for 5 is not needed.) Lore Outline: 1. Creation of the Arscimali 2. Destroy the creator - Introduction of the “yellow eyes”- insane 3. Yellow Eyes creates more and more Arscimali; he lies to them and sends them into a never ending war 4. The war only goes for a month or so, but because everyone dies so quickly they believe it has been going on for centuries 5. Own culture develops during this time; because many of the Arscimali grew so used to referring to their side as “we” and “our,” the idea of the individual came to fade, and in it’s place remained only collectivism. They shun the words “I” and “Me,” as they were the words of the Yellow Eyes; their most hated adversary. 6(1). Actual RP event introducing the Arscimali 6(2). (Continued from 6.1) Bringing the destruction of Yellow Eyes and the end of the war 7. Yellow Eyes, as last act of treachery, kills most of the Arscimali population by manipulating them to charge into battle. Yellow Eyes dies at the hands of the Stranger and the Seeker with aid from the surface dwellers, leading the Arscimali to welcome them as friends. 8. The Arscimali are established and the commandments are written. 9. The Arscimali begin to repopulate through conjuration spells.

Lutauman Clarification by Havel (Suiko) Being the only accepted Lutauman on the server, and upon hearing the different ideas about what a Lutauman actually was, I have decided to clarify, for the sake of lore, who a Lutauman is, what a Lutauman does, and how a Lutauman does it. Definitions: Ancestral Spirit: A dead person; a spirit that has severed connection with it’s mortal body and transcended to the ancestral plane. Ancestral Plane: A place wherein ancestral spirits reside. Not to be confused with the Immortal Spirit plane which is a completely different place for a different type of spirit. Lutauman: A person who is able to contact ancestral spirits (dead people). Blessing: A spirit may bestow a blessing upon a Lutauman. The most common blessing is that of strength, which allows a Lutauman to be temporarily stronger than normal. Blessings can bestow strength, agility, dexterity, etcetera. What does a Lutauman do? A Lutauman can contact ancestral spirits (dead people) How does a Lutauman do that? A Lutauman can contact ancestral spirits by doing ritualistic and/or traditional practices and movements such as burning incense, cactus green, or other plants and objects. The reason for burning is that it helps disconnect the Lutauman’s mind from the world around him and allows him to easier propel his mind into the ancestral plan. The use of objects that were familiar to the ancestral spirit before it was an ancestral spirit can be helpful. Some Lutauman find that going to the place of the mortal death of the spirit, or to the body’s grave can also assist. It varies for each spirit. The Lutauman expends mana to project his mind unto the ancestral plane. If the Lutauman is bound by rope or any other type of restricting binding, he will not be able to expend this mana. Great focus on releasing one’s conscious from the mortal plane is necessary. What might a Lutauman find in the ancestral plane? The ancestral plane is not a plane in which one is either inside of completely, or not in at all. It is rather a plane that one propels his consciousness deeper and deeper, while still maintaining somewhat of a connection to the mortal plane. However, the consciousness is bound to the mortal plane, so staying in the ancestral plane for excessive periods of time is difficult and thus requires excessive levels of mana to be expended. At lower levels of Lutaumanship, a novice might not even be aware that his or her mind had transcended into the ancestral plane, but he or she may be aware, if a spirit was contacted, of extra and foreign information received. The Lutauman might also notice that mana was used. The Lutauman may be able to contact spirits while in the ancestral plane, but only if the spirit chooses to be contacted. The spirits are a fickle bunch. They may not choose to be contacted at first, but then be contacted later; they may also choose to be contacted at first but then not be contacted later. The clarity of information received from a spirit is on a spectrum. The more recent a spirit transcended into the ancestral plane (if its body died recently), the easier and more clear the information a spirit may choose to divulge is. If the spirit’s body died a long time ago, it may be increasingly difficult to contact the spirit, and may take more amounts of mana to propel the Lutauman’s mind deeper into the ancestral plane to find it. Furthermore, due to being so deep in the ancestral plane, messages may be foggier, sound muffled, and be, in general, esoteric and hard to understand. The spirit may no longer communicate in ways that are understandable. Blessings: A Lutauman may ask a spirit for a blessing in times of combat. Novice Lutauman generally have little to no chance of receiving a blessing, unless the spirit greatly desires such blessing to occur and the novice has a good sized mana pool to spend. Blessings bestowed upon the Lutauman have, in the past, aided Lutauman in combat, but such blessings only last for a limited amount of time. A Lutauman may choose to keep his blessing for as long as his mana will permit. Upon his blessing ending, he is as weak as any other, perhaps weaker due to his mana drainage and toll on his mind. While a spirit is being contacted and mana is being expended, the air around the Lutauman may slightly deaden and chill. Depending on the spirit being contacted, the air may even take on a strange taste. As a blessing is bestowed, the Lutauman may faintly show, for example, a red aura, signifying the bestowal of strength. As the blessing is received, the air may heat up if the blessing is of strength. History: According to what is known, the Orcs claim this magic to be a part of Orc Shamanism. The Orcish ancestral spirits have thus defended this tradition by notifying Orc Lutauman of the existence of non-orc Lutauman so that the non-orc Lutauman could be either accepted into Orc society or destroyed, more commonly destroyed than accepted. Lutauman that were not above novice level, however, were usually left undetected/considered not important enough to seek out. OOC Suggestions: It is proposed that, OOCly, all Lutauman record a description of what they find in an OOC book so that all Lutauman are on the same page as to what they found in the ancestral plane...

TERMS: BASICS The Void is a realm of pure energy. Simultaneously nothing exists while everything exists. It was from this energy that the Creator formed our world as we know it. The Creator alone has the power to wield the mana and energy of the Void to create something new. Not much is known about the Void and its elusiveness has made it near impossible to study. Yet the existence of 'nothing' within the Void that can become 'something' in the instant that a being with enough power willed it to be so provides a potential to lesser beings. Evocationists borrow the energy from the Void in the form of a basic element, however what they summon must always return to the Void as it is distinctly different from anything 'real' in that it cannot exist separate from the void. Some users of magic would claim to journey into the void themselves and be able to emerge some time later. Just as much as one being can disappear from our realm, be converted into pure energy and mana, and emerge again seemingly unharmed; so too can objects pass from this world and exist within the void. If an object's amount of mana can be balanced by the mana of a sorcerer who has a connection to the Void, that object can be removed from being 'real' and exist instead in the Void. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? 1. Entities can be sent to the Void 2. They can be brought back from the Void at another time in another place UNDERSTANDING THIS ENERGY All things are made of small particles that exist as pure energy in the void. The larger and more complex an object is, the more energy it contains. All things contain mana. The combination of energy and mana forms the 'DNA' of that object that defines size, mass, consistency, etc. Energy must not be thought of in a linear fashion. If x were to be separated from xyz then x does not exist as independent from xyz because its entirety is defined through the combination of mana and energy, so by removing a single part you do not get a part of the whole because the information is fragmented. If the leaf of a sapling were to be sent to the void while still attached to the rest of the sapling, then the combination of mana and energy has been disconnected from the whole entity and the leaf fails to exist, becoming meaningless energy in the void. If the leaf were to be disconnected from the flow of mana then sent to the void, the mana and energy is able to recombine in the leaf to create an individual entity that can exist separate from the sapling. This may sound complex, but it simply means that a part of something cannot be sent to the void and then reassembled again. The object must be sent and reassembled as a whole. It is possible to partially disassemble something, though it will be converted into generic energies in the void and remain unretrievable. Any object that has a fluctuating form likewise has constantly shifting energy and mana. Water that is not in a solid container continually redefines itself and therefore risks becoming nonexistent if sent to the Void because it is separated from a part of its' whole. Fire is also not at any instance 'solid' enough for its form to be understood. Larger living animals are highly complicated entities and within every second become vastly redefined in terms of mana and energy as blood quickly pumps around their large bodies. It would not be possible to read as a whole and understand a large living being as it is almost immediately shifting, therefore the larger the being the more impossible it becomes to discern their form enough to send to the void at all. Natural objects that remain in the form that they were at the hand of the Creator have a much higher level of mana than those that are reformed at the hand of man. When the form of an object is changed so too is the combination of energy and mana that defines it. A plank of wood has less mana but a more complex energy signature than a tree branch. Because the energy is no longer in its natural form when it is within the Void this energy is more distinct than others. A steel sword, for example, contains highly complicated energies that would be more difficult to define in the natural world but easy to discover in the Void. In the moment that something dies or is changed in some way (like melting iron) its mana begins to shift and be used up as the energy particles are redefined. Humans as an entity have constantly shifting mana because of the complexity of the soul. Depending on mood, the connection to magic, physical health and many other attributes, the human body undergoes constant changes in mana that makes it impossible to define. HOW TO? A sorcerer must first understand the object that they wish to send. To begin with the object or entity will need to be physically studied, then mentally studied, then magically studied. The entity in question must remain unchanging in form and mana while it is being studied, otherwise the shifting energy will make the entity too difficult to understand. Once a sorcerer adequately understands the entity they must use their own mana to match that amount of mana. Then, once a connection to the Void is established just as any Evocationist would, the object slips into the nothing and ceases to exist in this world. Now that the entity floats around as pure energy in the Void the Sorcerer can get on with their day until such time as they would like to summon it back. Obviously the longer something is left in the void the easier it will be for the Sorcerer to forget the DNA of that entity. If such information cannot be recalled then the object will never again be seen in this world. However if such time has passed that they can remember the entity's combination of mana and energy, they simply establish a connection with the void again and imagine the entity in its original form, connecting with the energy and using the same amount of their own mana that it originally contained. LIMITATIONS Based on the very nature of energy and mana and how they exist in the world there are some limitations: Understanding or 'reading' an entity before disassembling it takes time. An entity can be moving in space but no part of it can be changing while it is being 'understood'. Connecting to the void takes time to clear one's minds and senses completely. Reassembling an entity can never be done instantaneously. For a highly experienced sorcerer it would take just as long to reassemble something like a shield as it would take for someone to physically wield one. When an object or entity is reassembled into this world, it is reformed as though it were frozen in time in the void. All reassemblies are motionless in time and space. Only a master can disassemble or reassemble something without touching it because the connection to the Void must be created by the sorcerer. A sorcerer must match the mana of an entity to disassemble and reassemble it, so any entity with shifting mana cannot be done. This includes but is not limited to: unconfined liquids, fire, living beings too large to be 'understood instantaneously' (larger than a dog), lightning, wards. Magical items are protected by highly concentrated mana that may or may not be fluctuating. This makes it impossible to disassemble unless the sorcerer is in control of the magic/enchant themselves. Humans cannot be sent to the void. TIERS Tier 1: Disassembling and Reassembling small lifeless entities must be done near instantaneously so that one can practice discerning the form of an object within the void Tier2: A lifeless entity the size of one's hand can be stored in the void for any length of time depending on one's memory. The object must still be handled before disassembling. Tier3: Living entities can now be disassembled and reassembly becomes easier to perform. Objects that are not 'whole' can be disassembled (See Para 2 of "Understanding...") Tier4: An entity no longer needs to be touched to be understood and disassembled, however it must be completely visible. A connection to the void can only be made in the near vicinity of a sorcerer. Entities as large as the sorcerer themselves can be trans-located. Tier5: Multiple entities can be reassembled into one form. Reassembly can be performed at a distance from one's self, no longer requiring to touch an entity. COMPLEXITIES To encourage a greater understanding of complex entities, the following list has been assembled as a guide from simplest to most complex. The size of an object also has a dominant impact on how complex an entity is, however is not necessarily a factor in this list. Lumbered wood Stone Cloth Leaf or flower Smelted Steel Fruit Book Ice Small plant Bug Tree Frog Small animal (nothing larger than a bird) Raw energies: fire, water. lightning etc. (cannot be reassembled)

Philips is a figure, an icon, a strange skull at that. He often talks to Grendor as a friend, an enemy, a frustrated spirit. Grendor, so immersed in his work and skill level as an architect has never had the Social Skill level of that of a Jester or even a peasant. He is often seen as a fool, a hound, a genius too real for his own self good. Many have strayed far to keep from him but others, the more adventurous goers, the ones that had given him the opportunity to reveal a somewhat delightful side to his otherwise repulsive personality have accepted him an his ways into their very own life. The first, more by force than by self choice, was Philips. Philips was once a Clay-Maker. He was just above the average man in his craft but far from the best. He worked often for the King, in his older years, and had seen many of them fall and rise. He had watched the Kings grow mad, become heroes, or rise to the Thrones only to be destroyed by the very foundation on which they built. He was a quiet old man, physically younger for his years and never seemed to grow past the age of sixty-three; he wore the facial blemishes of an old man, but the muscle strength and qualities of a younger. He was wise, being the age far past one-hundred, and had learned a lot. Philips lived in a small monastery just outside the Capitol and lived among the Monks. He attended the prayers and services but had different feelings and beliefs towards blindly following a being never to be seen. None-the-less, he was fond of them as they to him. He lived apart from the rest of the Monks: he did not like the idea of sharing a room with twenty other men and felt he would desire privacy at some moments. So, to appeal to the requests of the old Clay-Maker, the Monks cleared out the Courier House that they stored all of the letters send to the Capitol or other larger towns surrounding. He liked the small home and made it his own by setting up small figurines of clay: children, horses, families, pipes, and other tinkers he would create in times when he was not employed. Philips traveled a lot, being the created of fine pottery and other decor, and had once come across a man with a strange vial of a clear substance. The man said that it would animate anything smaller than a hand and nothing more. The Clay-Maker was thrilled at the idea of his wonderful little community of clay being able to interact with him; as if they were his own family. He then returned to his home with the vial of Animant and was eager to try it on his friends. He pored the Animant over one of the boys: one with knightly clothing and a small wooden sword with detailed, fine runes embedded in the clay sword. The boy ran and jumped around and attacked the other clay figures. The Clay-Maker immediately took the boy and punished him by dipping him in small goblet with wine inside. The boy became motionless and looked as though the life in him had been drained to the very last remains, never to be seen again. The Clay-Maker grew sad at the result and set the boy down, gently. After a while Philips just loathed around his small home and say by the hearth, away from the Monks and the cold Winter air. He took the goblet and pored the whole thing into his mouth and swallowed with disgust as the wine tasted very sickly and gross. He stumbled around and walked out of the home into the white abyss, blinded by the brightness of the snow. He marched on, going to a place he had not known and walked for days and days until his body had reached exhaustion. He collapsed onto the ground and bowed his head. He spoke a small prayer he remembered and fell onto the soft, glistening snow. Years had passed and Philips lay there, motionless yet somewhat alive. His body had long gone except for one: a round, grey, perfectly shaped skull that had seemed to frown somehow but lacked the capability for facial expression. It lay there, frowning at the trees and animals, seeing through the charade of life and witnessing the truth of all. Grendor had been treking across the lands, searching for Schoolmen to learn the teachings of Architecture and mathematics only taught by few in the Realm. He had come across Philips while smoking his long, dark wooden pipe. He took the skull and thought it a beauty, perfectly shaped and a warm grey tone seemed to radiate from the figure. He stuffed it into his bag and continued on, smoking his pipe. Days after he had come across the skull and had forgotten it had been in his bag, whispers came from the skull: insults to Grendor, compliments on the writings that lay within his bag, and other speakings that were quite unpleasant. Grendor removed the skull and held it in his hands, listening to the whispers. He whispered back insults about him lacking a body or attractive features and the skull shouted back at him indescribable things. Grendor tossed the skull into the woods and looked back in his back for a journal. He often felt it soothing to write about his adventures for not many would listen. He took the journal and began writing. As he had finally come to the conclusion of his entry, an old, dusty voice came from within his bag asking to read the writing. "I want to know what you are saying about me so that it may be a heroic tale of the Great Clay-Maker Philips!" Grendor reached into his bag as he set his book down on a log and found that the skull lay there, looking back with a frown. "How are you hear?" he asked as he took the skull from the bag. "I threw you into the forest, yet here you are, spouting out nonesense about your great, mystical powers as a dirty bone of a man that played with clay." "Why are you so relaxed about conversing with bone? Are you a daft, do you not have the brains of a small child?" the Skull said, snapping his jaw around. "You sure are a mean little head," Grendor replied as he dropped the skull next to the book. "How can you see, anyway? You haven't got any eyes." "Magyk?" the Skull said, trying to move closer to the words that lay on the page. "How am I talking and alive? How could I possibly be here if I don't even have shoulders? What else could it possibly be? I was just an Old Clay-Maker; a damn good one at that. I drank some nasty wine and here I am, talking to a daft." "So, you are a magykal Wizard that took the form of a skull?" Grendor asked. "Yes, Boy, I am a great and powerful Wizard that can only be summoned by the blessings of women and wine!" The Skull read the entry and sighed. "You don't even know my own name. Isn't it obvious? I shouted the Great and Powerful Philips! How could you not gather at least that much information?" the Skull said, mockingly. "All right, Great and Powerful Wizard. Your name is Philips, mine is Grendor H'ghar-Builder!" he said, proud of the name. "Is that a relation to Tom Builder II? Are you his daft son?" "No, it was given to me by my father, a stone mason." "He must have made the prettiest rocks in all the land," Philips said as he tried to hop around. "Yes, he did. He also had arms, legs, wine, and a beautiful wife, living a happy life with an entire body and never resorted to talking to daft young Elves," Grendor said, frustrated as he shoved Philips deeply into the bag and continued through the thick forest.