The Empire of Arcana (WiP)

Co-authored by Thermidor
Format by Artless-Artist

Overview


Planets


Species


Society


Technology


Magic: In this dimension, their is no natural standard for magic. Instead, magic is closely tied to intelligence and creativity needing to be taught, studied, and practiced versus fighting talent which can be tied to practice alone. Magical auras are all related to the same general energy that can be manifested into different elemental forms, and these auras can be seen with those strong with magic as blue, flowing energies that waft off their forms. The size of the aura, seen only by those trained to look for it, dictates how strong a person is with magic.

Currently, the most intelligent and creative being in the universe is a being known only as the leader, called by his underlings The World. Not only is his aura the greatest out of all the auras, but his knowledge and skill with magic enables him to directly influence the magical potency of other beings.With little effort he can do things other entities need preparation or exertion to do, even making dreams and illusions real with but a wish.

Above this, there is an extreme amount of Sin and Virtue energy present in this world as well. Both forces are, curiously enough, in a precarious balance with one another. Both the beings of Arcana and those of the Republic can utilize these forces to circumvent the control that the World exercises over magic but only to a limited degree, as the World also has awareness of these forces and how to control them. People who completely succumb to one side or the other have been known to go mad to the point of being considered violent or ax-crazy, and while it is not impossible to resist the change of personality it is incredibly difficult.

Beings with Sin Energy typical have a red or black aura depending on their contamination (black being the strongest) with a similar tell for those contaminated with Virtue Energy who posses either a yellow or white aura (white being the strongest). Usually when the more extreme points are reached is when a person or people are actually susceptible to the concept of polarity shift. People with no skill or access to this power have nothing to worry about inherently because of it. Polarity shifts don't affect those whose sparks are still in order.

Supposedly, the great star Arcana is itself composed of an equal amount of Sin, Virtue, and Dimensional magic. It is said that attaining Arcana would bring about great magical strength, but it could potentially bring great madness as well.

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History: In this dimension there once was a being who was able claim mastery over all the magic that existed. He was the single, most powerful magic user the dimension had ever seen and many people feared and were jealous of his power. They wanted to claim such great power for themselves, and these individuals were drawn to his side to gain more strength. This being lived in a lonely castle where he pursued his own might, granting power to those that came and asked for it if they were judged worthy in his eyes.

These servants of the being who laid claim to oblivion itself set out to conquer and gain their own rank, deferring to their powerful master. As their own following grew so to did their master's, and almost overnight did the being have an empire at his disposal. He seemed indifferent towards the bodies now in line behind him, focused on obtaining his only goal: a planet, maybe a star composed not of hydrogen but pure, magical force. A kingdom by it's own right hidden within the Galaxy. They called this star Arcana, and it became a legend among the worlds underneath the Empire's iron grip.

Calling themselves the Empire of Arcana after this legend, the servants of the being grew corrupt and greedy. They too sought this power for themselves, seeking the one thing more powerful than their master. They grew more ferocious and wicked with each passing day, their master absent and apathetic towards their activities while he continuously sought his own ends. Quests for strength and power eventually became more petty and the Empire of Arcana were soon opposed by another side: the Republic. Lead by a heroic figure who inspired other planets to fight back, the leader of the empire was finally roused from apathy.

On request from Riley.

On Sin and Virtue Energy in the Empire of Arcana.

In ancient times, now legend, this world was not given strongly to Sin or Virtue, as is the case with many worlds.

Idealists changed this. They possessed a belief in the powers of Virtue so vast, they brought into existence an entity. This entity constantly flooded the world with Virtue Energy. For a time, all was well, and perfect good ruled the land. But as with all things, an excess is never good, and the people were driven mad by the Light.

As the very nature of the Omniverse cannot stand such homogeny in a single place, fissures to the Void opened, as a matter of course. The Belief of the people quickly villified this influx of Sin, causing yet another entity to form, whose presence was enough to suffuse the world with Sin.

These two entities, as you might expect, came into conflict. Their battleground became a void in space, where Sin and Virtue constantly flow from. This battleground is what the people have come to call "Arcana".

The world, now, is MOSTLY in balance. However, a single person, groups of people, or even whole nations are known to undergo "Polar Shifts", wherein the balance is strongly upset to one side or the other. Those who undergo a Polar Shift are gifted with immense power. ...And cursed with boundless, hateful madness.

As a result of the highly damaging environment, the Sparks of people, here, are different. They, instead, have two Half-Sparks. One of near-total Virtue, the other of near-total Sin. The constant conflict within them leaves people comparatively normal... Although prone to unexpected, jarring mood swings.

Individuals from this world who travel beyond find themselves deadened, due to the, comparatively, astonishingly WEAK levels of Sin/Virtue in other worlds. Alternatively, outsiders who come to this world find their every sensation and emotion elevated to the absolute maximum. However, extended exposure to this world can cause the Spark Fragmentation the natives exhibit.

Due to the nature of their Sparks, those under the Power of Arcana CANNOT be Voidrunners.

Voidrunners entering this world face a double-edged sword. Because of the near-perfect balance of Sin and Virtue Energies, they may draw both in equal measure. As a result, they may use their powers more freely, here, and to much more spectacular effect. 

On the other hand, Voidrunners can sense when a Polar Shift is going to occur. If a Voidrunner has no special defense against it, and is caught in the area of effect of a Polar Shift, the massive energy influx is incredibly damaging. Those Voidrunners unlucky enough to survive such events immediately suffer the effects of overexposure to Sin or Virtue.

Still looking for suggestions for this world, round them up and spit them out guys.

Tezuno: This strange, vibrant world is tidally-locked, bearing an incredibly thick, dense atmosphere, staving off the effects of the extreme solar conditions. 

(More information soon)

Morilia: A dead, blasted wasteland of a planet, surrounded by the shattered remains of a massive arcane battlestation. With the exception of a massive green plain surrounding the Castle of the World, and a eerily quiet metropolis, the landscape is dry, barren, and lifeless.

Aysterion: A world not unlike our own, though with much greater heat and water. Aysterion is a world dominated largely by a planet-wide ocean, civilization existing on a series of very large landmasses, mostly located near the poles.

Egrillon: Egrillon is a world of great heat. In spite of there being large amounts of precipitation, the world is mostly dry. Something strange about Egrillon is its more present power of magic. As a result, there are more creatures which possess intelligence.

Spairilia: Spairilia is utterly and completely suffused with the power of magic. This has many effects, the most prominent of which is the fact that the entire planet is composed of temperate plains and woodlands. Fairies, magic, intelligent anthropomorphic animals, inanimate objects given souls and power, this world is very nearly a fairy tale come to life.

Evcrurn: If Spairilia is a world shaped by magic, Evcrurn is a world MADE of magic. A world of pure and complete chaos and fantasy, the impossible becomes possible here, in both the citizenry, events, and the world as a whole.