Michael Boyd (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
fluid_dynamics) wrote2016-08-24 11:37 am
fluid_dynamics) wrote2016-08-24 11:37 am
World Information / Vocab
Given that he's an OC, here's a few pieces of info for interested parties:
Everyone in Michael's world has magic; some people have less or more, almost all of their magic is naturally aligned along elemental lines: earth (Stones), air (Breeze), fire (Flame), and water (Wave). The only exception to this are Lanterns, who are considered to be aligned to light, and Shades, who are aligned with the dark. Lanterns and Shades are EXTREMELY rare, one in a ten thousand if that, and their abilities are not nearly as well explored as the other alignments. Shades are especially unexplored as they're considered pariahs to some degree by many.
For most people, magic is a matter of channeling and the more magic that they can channel, the more unbalanced it makes someone. Some people are born more or less 'balanced' than others and that gives them more power but, until trained, less control and it can cause both physical and mental illness depending on the imbalance.
In the modern era, the matter of 'power' isn't really a big issue, as innovations in the processing of magic have ensured that people even with the lowest tiers of ability can power and work the various modern gadgets that have become a part of life. Some machines still require people with greater ability, such as larger vehicles and more extensive machines, but some of this can be accomplished using cooperation by similarly-aligned individuals. As such, the world looks very similar in many respects to our own world what with having an internet and cellphones and the like; they're just powered by an individual's magic as often as they're on the 'grid' serviced by naturally occurring magic.
Channeling, though is for MOST people. For a very select few, probably one in a thousand, they become less of a channel and more of a battery, able to take in and store vast amounts of elemental energy which in turn can be used for truly inhuman levels of ability. These are Cardinals, known by various titles depending on their element: Shields (earth), Wands (air), Swords (fire), and Chalice (water). In times past, some people did not consider Cardinals human as their vast stores of magic physically changed them into people who went beyond what was physically possible. Most Shields are massive and almost impossible to injure; Wands are incredibly brilliant and some can even do something very close to flying; Swords are incredible fighters of unparalleled skill, and Cups have a fluid grace that can literally hypnotize the senses just by walking past someone. Because of their obvious physical differences, Cardinals often require accommodation by the modern world; Shields, for instance, almost always have to get their clothes made especially for them due to their size. Their magical energy also needs accommodation, which has always been another person, called a Companion. They too have individual names for the individual Cardinal they assist: Home (Shield), Hand (Wand), Hearth (Sword), Heart (Cup).
It's generally said that for every Cardinal born, so too is born a Companion for them. Some are romantic partners, while others are the best of friends. Companions can control the energy within a Cardinal, disperse and better regulate it through the bond between them. For a Cardinal who hasn't found his chosen Companion, there are some with a close emotional connection or with the skills that they can act as a surrogate, but generally, a Companion is found within the first 20 years of a Cardinal's life and that life might end if the Companion isn't found. In a few extreme cases, the gods have acted to replace a Companion who died before meeting their Cardinal, but that is extremely rare.
Which brings us to the gods, which are a mishmash of different pantheons you've probably heard of, each one generally aligning with one to two elements and generally calling to those aligned with the same. Most cities have a temple district; more popular gods usually have larger buildings and more facilities. And temples are certainly community centers, complete with art, learning centers, child care centers, and even courtesans who care for the more physical portions of someone's emotional health. Being a courtesan requires an extensive education and vetting process, as well as a Blessing from the god themselves before they can serve in the temple. While sex is one of the things they can provide, as often as not they offer comfort and care and even therapy to some degree for those who come for their aid. All services from temples request an offering but they are not mandatory, though failing to offer to one's god and partaking too often if one has enough is both considered incredibly rude and can sour the god's favor towards the dedicant.
Coming back around to magic, there are generally two kinds which are used: High magic, which powers technology and utilizes various refinement processes both internal and external to 'strip down' one's magic for use in a number of applications... and Low magic, which is the pure, raw elemental powers that people are born with. High magic is the cutting edge of technology whereas Low magic is part of the Old Ways, and the modern mentality is that encouraging the growth and development of Low magic is both unnecessary and even harmful considering the health risks both mentally and physically. There are, however, some people who do.
The military, obviously, isn't about to turn down firepower and many heavily-aligned individuals end up in the armed forces. Sports and physical labor, obviously, is more easily accomplished using the low magics in most cases. But most importantly, there are the Hunters.
Hunters, which are always organized in family groups, are those who take care of wild monsters and rogue humanoids who break the law and need a more extreme answer than the average threat. Generally, a Hunter family will claim an area as theirs to protect as something of an open secret; the government and the local law enforcement will know who they are but most people are blissfully unaware. Hunter families often communicate on larger threats or those that cross jurisdiction borders and more often than not, they'll intermarry for political and power-based needs as strong Low magic users are needed for the kind of pure physical demands of a Hunt. Hunters have two major tools at their disposal: Hunter families almost always have a team of Cardinals at their disposal who, as mentioned, can go beyond human means. They also have what's called the Circle, commanded by the family's Lantern, which allows them to combine their power, one of each element, towards greater works.
The monsters are your typical mythological troublemakers: chimeras, dragons, 'demons' and spirits, etc. The humanoids are a little more complicated, including vampires, banshees, selkies, and shifters as well as the Fae, who live in the Summerlands, apart. Each one (other than the Fae) are former humans who've been transformed by a combination of Shadow and a single element: vampires (earth), banshees (air), selkies (water), and shifters (fire). For the most part, there are systems in place for humanoids to live and interact with the rest of society, some of which are more or less accepted and politically charged than others. Vampires especially have a very strange place in society.
Being that they act as the police for these humanoids, the relationships between them and Hunters can be tense... but there are Hunter families who admit such humanoids. As a matter of fact, until only a hundred years ago, Cardinals were considered to be among them by many countries around the world and some of that stigma remains.
Everyone in Michael's world has magic; some people have less or more, almost all of their magic is naturally aligned along elemental lines: earth (Stones), air (Breeze), fire (Flame), and water (Wave). The only exception to this are Lanterns, who are considered to be aligned to light, and Shades, who are aligned with the dark. Lanterns and Shades are EXTREMELY rare, one in a ten thousand if that, and their abilities are not nearly as well explored as the other alignments. Shades are especially unexplored as they're considered pariahs to some degree by many.
For most people, magic is a matter of channeling and the more magic that they can channel, the more unbalanced it makes someone. Some people are born more or less 'balanced' than others and that gives them more power but, until trained, less control and it can cause both physical and mental illness depending on the imbalance.
In the modern era, the matter of 'power' isn't really a big issue, as innovations in the processing of magic have ensured that people even with the lowest tiers of ability can power and work the various modern gadgets that have become a part of life. Some machines still require people with greater ability, such as larger vehicles and more extensive machines, but some of this can be accomplished using cooperation by similarly-aligned individuals. As such, the world looks very similar in many respects to our own world what with having an internet and cellphones and the like; they're just powered by an individual's magic as often as they're on the 'grid' serviced by naturally occurring magic.
Channeling, though is for MOST people. For a very select few, probably one in a thousand, they become less of a channel and more of a battery, able to take in and store vast amounts of elemental energy which in turn can be used for truly inhuman levels of ability. These are Cardinals, known by various titles depending on their element: Shields (earth), Wands (air), Swords (fire), and Chalice (water). In times past, some people did not consider Cardinals human as their vast stores of magic physically changed them into people who went beyond what was physically possible. Most Shields are massive and almost impossible to injure; Wands are incredibly brilliant and some can even do something very close to flying; Swords are incredible fighters of unparalleled skill, and Cups have a fluid grace that can literally hypnotize the senses just by walking past someone. Because of their obvious physical differences, Cardinals often require accommodation by the modern world; Shields, for instance, almost always have to get their clothes made especially for them due to their size. Their magical energy also needs accommodation, which has always been another person, called a Companion. They too have individual names for the individual Cardinal they assist: Home (Shield), Hand (Wand), Hearth (Sword), Heart (Cup).
It's generally said that for every Cardinal born, so too is born a Companion for them. Some are romantic partners, while others are the best of friends. Companions can control the energy within a Cardinal, disperse and better regulate it through the bond between them. For a Cardinal who hasn't found his chosen Companion, there are some with a close emotional connection or with the skills that they can act as a surrogate, but generally, a Companion is found within the first 20 years of a Cardinal's life and that life might end if the Companion isn't found. In a few extreme cases, the gods have acted to replace a Companion who died before meeting their Cardinal, but that is extremely rare.
Which brings us to the gods, which are a mishmash of different pantheons you've probably heard of, each one generally aligning with one to two elements and generally calling to those aligned with the same. Most cities have a temple district; more popular gods usually have larger buildings and more facilities. And temples are certainly community centers, complete with art, learning centers, child care centers, and even courtesans who care for the more physical portions of someone's emotional health. Being a courtesan requires an extensive education and vetting process, as well as a Blessing from the god themselves before they can serve in the temple. While sex is one of the things they can provide, as often as not they offer comfort and care and even therapy to some degree for those who come for their aid. All services from temples request an offering but they are not mandatory, though failing to offer to one's god and partaking too often if one has enough is both considered incredibly rude and can sour the god's favor towards the dedicant.
Coming back around to magic, there are generally two kinds which are used: High magic, which powers technology and utilizes various refinement processes both internal and external to 'strip down' one's magic for use in a number of applications... and Low magic, which is the pure, raw elemental powers that people are born with. High magic is the cutting edge of technology whereas Low magic is part of the Old Ways, and the modern mentality is that encouraging the growth and development of Low magic is both unnecessary and even harmful considering the health risks both mentally and physically. There are, however, some people who do.
The military, obviously, isn't about to turn down firepower and many heavily-aligned individuals end up in the armed forces. Sports and physical labor, obviously, is more easily accomplished using the low magics in most cases. But most importantly, there are the Hunters.
Hunters, which are always organized in family groups, are those who take care of wild monsters and rogue humanoids who break the law and need a more extreme answer than the average threat. Generally, a Hunter family will claim an area as theirs to protect as something of an open secret; the government and the local law enforcement will know who they are but most people are blissfully unaware. Hunter families often communicate on larger threats or those that cross jurisdiction borders and more often than not, they'll intermarry for political and power-based needs as strong Low magic users are needed for the kind of pure physical demands of a Hunt. Hunters have two major tools at their disposal: Hunter families almost always have a team of Cardinals at their disposal who, as mentioned, can go beyond human means. They also have what's called the Circle, commanded by the family's Lantern, which allows them to combine their power, one of each element, towards greater works.
The monsters are your typical mythological troublemakers: chimeras, dragons, 'demons' and spirits, etc. The humanoids are a little more complicated, including vampires, banshees, selkies, and shifters as well as the Fae, who live in the Summerlands, apart. Each one (other than the Fae) are former humans who've been transformed by a combination of Shadow and a single element: vampires (earth), banshees (air), selkies (water), and shifters (fire). For the most part, there are systems in place for humanoids to live and interact with the rest of society, some of which are more or less accepted and politically charged than others. Vampires especially have a very strange place in society.
Being that they act as the police for these humanoids, the relationships between them and Hunters can be tense... but there are Hunter families who admit such humanoids. As a matter of fact, until only a hundred years ago, Cardinals were considered to be among them by many countries around the world and some of that stigma remains.