Altera Arcana - Blog Dump

[Kagayours]

Magical Beasts (vol 1)​

"Magical beasts" is the term given to any non-humanoid animal that has magical capabilities. They are called "beasts" because they are understood to be animal-like, both in body and mind (which means there won't be mermaids or fairies or anything else too human-like — we already have demi-humans, and I don't want to blur the line between them and "beasts"). Because of this, beasts described as "intelligent" would be more comparable to what we would consider to be intelligent animals (dolphins, apes, etc) than humanoids.

The magic of these beasts comes in two forms — the power that they are able to use (such as magical attacks), and the magic potential stored in their bodies, which can be harvested from their body parts (fur, bones, horns, etc) to be used in artifact-based magic.

Magical beasts are divided into element types. Some beasts, such as dragons, can be one of many element types, with their appearances and abilities varying based on their element. Other beasts, such as phoenixes, are only ever one element and do not come in such variations. Some theorize that magical beasts also have persuasions, as many creatures of a particular element also seem to have personality traits of the corresponding persuasion (for example, earth dragons tend to be hoarders, which can be seen as a love of wealth and physical possessions). However, since persuasions are said to describe the qualities of one's soul, stating that these creatures have persuasions implies that they would also have souls — which is a completely different philosophical debate. For the most part, magical beasts are not generally thought of as having persuasions — but they certainly have element types.



Greater Dragons
Element: All
Greater dragons, particularly wild ones, are the most dangerous and ferocious magical beasts known to exist. Their appearances and abilities typically follow what we would think of as a "European dragon", but, dragons are capable of being any one of the four elements, and greater dragons in particular vary widely based on which element they are — almost appearing to be four completely different species. That being said, here are more detailed descriptions of greater dragons under each of the four elements:

Fire: Greater fire dragons have the most powerful magical ability out of all four types of greater dragons. They are known for their iconic flame breath, as well as other fire-based magical attacks, and the creatures themselves seem to be immune to fire and cannot be burned. In the wild, they live near mountains and especially volcanoes, and generally prefer warmer climates. Although data on wild fire dragons is difficult to gather, they are said to grow upwards of 30 or even 40 feet tall, and usually follow the typical formula of having four legs and wings. Pyrans are known for breeding fire dragons in captivity and using them as mounts, but the creatures they breed are much smaller than their wild counterparts, sometimes not even half the size of wild ones. Some consider the Pyran-tamed dragons to be a different creature entirely from wild fire dragons, and they are often nicknamed "Pyran dragons" or "horse dragons", due to the way that they are ridden like horses.

Earth: These dragons also typically have four legs and wings, but they also tend to be bulkier and fatter than fire dragons, which have a relatively lean and serpentine build. They also tend not to have powerful magic — at least, compared to other dragons — and they rely more on their physical abilities. Earth dragons tend to live low to the ground, in forests and in low-lying caves. This causes them to affect human settlements far more often than fire or air dragons, who typically live in relatively inaccessible locations. Some theorize that earth dragons, due to their heavy bodies, are not well-suited for flying, and that they may be incapable of flying long distances or with much ease — which would explain their abnormally low-lying habitats. Earth dragons are also known for their "hoarding" behaviors, as they often gather massive collections of precious metals and gemstones. This makes their proximity to human settlements all the more concerning, as they often approach villages not only in search of food, but in search of collectable trinkets, as well.

Air: These dragons are the most serpentine in shape of all the greater dragons, with thin, streamlined bodies. They are also known for having small limbs, and often times they only have two legs instead of the more typical four, often resembling the talons of a bird of prey. They are also, of course, known for their large wings and their use of air-based magic. It is said that they can whip up a mighty gale just by flapping their wings, and that humans which threaten their nests can simply be blown away. They are also known for living in mountains and, unlike fire dragons, seem to be more comfortable inhabiting cooler climates. While most dragons have scaly skin, air dragons sometimes also have feathers. Some air dragons are so thickly-feathered that they more closely resemble giant birds than any sort of dragon, especially from a distance, and these feathered dragons were previously considered to be a completely different sort of beast. While many assume that air dragons take on a more bird-like appearance to compliment their element, it is more commonly believed by those who study them that the feathers are intended to keep them warm in colder climates.

Water: Water dragons live in the ocean and, as such, are the most difficult to study. Based on what few accounts of them exist, it seems that they still have legs like other types of dragons. But, it is assumed that they either do not have wings or that their wings would function as fins, as wings in the traditional sense would have no use underwater. They also seem to be the most massive of all dragons, as some accounts claim that they are as large or perhaps even larger than full-grown whales. It is often thought that they may have webbed feet, or fins in places where fins would be commonly found on sharks or other types of fish, but much of this is little more than speculation. The difficulty in studying greater dragons in general is that many who encounter them in the wild do not even live to speak of it, and this is more true of water dragons than any other type. It is unknown whether water dragons have lungs or gills, though some believe that, like Aquans, they actually have both. It is also believed by some that they are capable of conjuring up great waves or even storms. It is speculated that some of the worst storms that sailors encounter at sea are actually the result of a water dragon swimming beneath them.


Lesser Dragons
Element: All
Lesser dragons, unlike greater dragons, are typically very serpentine in nature, don't have any wings, and are usually not nearly as aggressive (think: Asian dragons). The name "lesser dragon" is deceptive, however, in how it implies that these dragons are less powerful or less important. But what lesser dragons lack in aggression and physical strength, they make up for greatly in magical potential. The artifacts gathered from lesser dragons tend to be far more powerful than those of greater dragons. And it is said that, when provoked, lesser dragons are capable of creating magical attacks that far surpass greater dragons. While lesser dragons are known to come in all four element types, they do not vary in appearance and abilities nearly as much as greater dragons do — and are all roughly similar in terms of appearance and habits. They are also known to be more intelligent than greater dragons, and often get along well with humans whenever the two meet. However, because they seem to prefer to keep to themselves and they do not typically attack human settlements, interactions with them are fairly sparse.


Unicorns
Element: All
The magical power that a unicorn wields is not great, but the potency of unicorn artifacts far surpasses that of any other magical creature. Their horns in particular are the most potent in this regard and the most sought-after, but the rest of their bodies are also highly useful. They have proved difficult to raise in captivity which is why most unicorns live in the wild. However, the great value of unicorn artifacts means that many of them are hunted for these artifacts, making them increasingly rare. Most unicorns have lightly-colored fur, and it is widely believed that unicorns of the purest white color have the most potent magic (though this is difficult to measure). While unicorns belong to all four element types, it is difficult to discern a unicorn's element just from appearance alone. While unicorns are very majestic to observe from a distance, they are certainly not pleasant to deal with when provoked. In addition to the natural capabilities of any horse (those things can seriously hurt you, you know), unicorns also have their horns, which, despite being more commonly associated with their magic, still have the same usefulness as any animal's horn, often being dense, hard, and sharpened to a point. Under the right conditions, a stab from a unicorn's horn has the potential to cause serious injury. In response to the dwindling numbers of wild unicorns, more attempts have been made to raise unicorns in captivity — but they are notoriously stubborn and bad-tempered when dealing with humans, which has made this difficult.


Pegasai
Element: Air
While unicorns are often thought of as such mysterious creatures, pegasai have much more practical potential. Unlike unicorns, pegasai have a long history of being bred and raised in captivity. In fact, much like ordinary horses, wild pegasai are very rare, and are assumed to be either captive pegasai that escaped or the descendants of escaped pegasai. A pegasus is much more expensive than an ordinary horse, however, not to mention more difficult to train and ride, and so, ownership of pegasai is typically limited to the elite. They are often used in the royal military, as their ability to fly makes them highly useful on the battlefield, enabling magic-users to launch attacks from above. They are also typically used by the royal guard, as they make patrolling city streets easy. Among civilians, pegasai are considered a luxury item for the rich. The magical attacks of a pegasus itself are very limited, often manifesting as little more than simple wind attacks. And while the artifacts gathered from pegasai are not completely useless, they are not nearly as potent as the artifacts gained from most other magical beasts. It is sometimes said that one would need to strip every feather off a pegasus's wings in order to equal the power of a single hair from a unicorn's mane (though it's not an exact science, and that's likely an exaggeration).


Phoenix
Element: Fire
When resting, phoenixes take on the appearance of a very large eagle (4-5' tall when standing straight up) with feathers of a golden or red coloration. When they "flare up", however, their entire bodies become engulfed in flame. Sometimes they appear to be nothing more than a mass of fire, and, when in flight, they often appear to be a giant fireball streaming through the sky, and are sometimes even mistaken for meteors. The flames on their bodies also make them appear to be much larger, sometimes even doubling their apparent size. Phoenix carcasses are extremely rare in the wild, which has led to the belief that old phoenixes are always "reborn" whenever they would otherwise die. More research is needed to determine whether or not this is true, however. The only definite way a phoenix can die is for it to be killed, and some do take up the profession of phoenix-hunting in order to gather artifacts other than feathers, but it is, of course, a very dangerous business. The nature of a phoenix makes it nearly impossible to keep in captivity. In the wild, they live in mountains, cliff sides, and other rocky areas with little vegetation.


Fire Salamanders
Element: ...Figure it out.
Distinctly separate from regular salamanders, fire salamanders are recognizable by their extra pair of legs, and their typical red-orange coloration. Their bodies are burning hot to the touch, but they are fairly easy to handle if you have the right equipment. In fact, fire salamanders are often bred in captivity and sold live at artifact shops. Their own abilities are limited — imperviousness to flame and a boiling hot body temperature — but they are useful as a source of low-level artifacts (or just boiled water), especially due to their abundance. Any water source inhabited by wild salamanders quickly becomes a natural hot spring.

 

[Kagayours]

Magic​

Magic is fairly common-place in Altera. This guide explains how it all works, particularly in the context of the three main forms it comes in — raw magic, spells, and artifacts. It will then explain what sorts of things each type of magic is used for.

It's important to understand, however, that the word "magic-user" does not imply that only specific people are capable of using magic and that others are not. Instead, it makes more sense to think of the word "magic-user" more similarly to words like "artist", "singer", or "athlete". Theoretically, everyone is capable of drawing, singing, etc, but not everyone is talented at these things. Generally, magic-user implies someone who is skilled at magic, though its exact meaning can vary depending on the context of the sentence. The point is, saying something like "I'm not a magic user" means that you feel you aren't skilled at using magic (and likely means that you don't really practice it), but it doesn't make you physically incapable of using magic at all, just like saying "I'm not an artist" means that you don't think you have any artistic skill, not that you're physically incapable of putting pencil to paper and making an attempt at it. In any case, although some people may be seen as having more "natural talent" with magic than others, magic is still seen as something that theoretically anyone can become good at with enough practice — just like any real-life skill, really. The point is, it's not as if people are born with a fixed amount of magical skill.

It's also worth noting that I'm going to be using the word "attack" a lot when I describe how magic is used, and generally describing a lot of things in a very combat-oriented way, but, of course, there are ways to use magic that don't involve fighting. Using combat as an example just makes it easier to describe things.


Raw magic:
"Raw" magic describes the basic elemental ability that everyone has. It involves typically very basic and crude uses of magic — something that you wouldn't need to think very hard about. The easiest thing to compare it to would be basic bending techniques from A:TLA (throw a punch, fire comes out. Whee). Just because everyone is technically capable of using raw magic, though, doesn't mean that everyone is skilled at it or would be able to produce powerful attacks — just like virtually all of us are physically capable of punching, kicking, etc, doesn't mean that all of us would be able to hold our own in a fight. Raw magic works similarly — like a muscle, it grows stronger the more you use it. And it you are inexperienced, it would require a great amount of effort to pull of an attack that a more skilled magic-user would be able to do with ease.

Raw magic is often described as "not requiring any thinking", but, more accurately, it requires about as much thinking as it takes to move your own limbs. If you want to pick up a pen, you don't really have to think about how to move your arm and your hand, you just sort of do it. But, if you're learning how to play a new sport, you'll have to put more thought into how to move your body in order to get the desired effect — until, with enough practice, it becomes natural to you and you don't have to think about it anymore. Hopefully this comparison helps explain how raw magic "feels", and how one would go about learning more precise techniques with it. This is also the reason why less-experienced magic-users will often put a lot of arm or hand movements into their magic despite it technically being unnecessary, because it helps them get a feel for what they're even doing, while more experienced magic-users can use raw magic without really thinking about it.

The type of raw magic that one can use is determined by their element. This is the sort of thing where you really are locked into one type of element that you can use — at least in the case of raw magic — and no amount of practice will make you capable of using the other elements. Obviously, the sort of power that goes along with a particular element is… that element, but there are other abilities that lie within the realm of each element, as well:

• Fire: In addition to attacks focused around literal fire and heat, fire magic also involves power and energy. One can use raw fire magic to give themselves a boost of energy or power, even temporarily enhancing their own physical strength. However, raw fire magic is more closely associated with short, impulsive bursts of energy rather than a dependable and well-managed source of strength (in other words, it tends to "burn out" easily). However, this use of fire magic may only be common because of its correlation with the wands persuasion. In any case, raw fire magic can be thought of as focusing on offense, power, and stamina.
• Air: In addition to wind attacks, raw air magic is also good for evading enemy attacks. It can allow the user to more easily sense incoming attacks, and then carefully maneuver away from them. In a non-combat scenario, air magic can also be used to make travel easier, making its users fast-moving and even allowing non-Avian users to "fly" short distances, under the right conditions. In general, raw air magic focuses on speed, evasiveness, and maneuverability.
• Earth: As stated, this element focuses less on rocks than it does on nature and physical wellness. As such, raw earth magic is most closely associated with healing and defense. Raw earth magic grants the user the ability to heal themselves/others or give themselves/others a boost in defense or stamina (in a way that is much more stable and focused on endurance than the quick-burning nature of fire's stamina). As far as the more literal use of earth is concerned, raw earth magic can aid the growth of plants, and, at higher levels, can even control plant material to use it as a weapon. Raw earth magic can also be used to tame and placate animals, and make them more willing to follow the user's commands (though obviously it would take some very powerful earth magic to easily calm a wild predator and convince it to fight on your side).
• Water: Water magic is known for its versatility. Instead of the other three elements, which focus on attack/defense/speed/etc, water focuses on adaptability. It can be used for nearly anything the situation calls for, but requires the user to be smart enough to know which area to focus on. It also provides a lot of potential in terms of the literal use of water, allowing users to control water that already exists, pull moisture out of the air and "create" water, make use of mist and fog, use ice-based attacks, etc.

Spellcasting:
If raw magic is comparable to brute strength, then spellcasting is more like martial arts — it requires a whole different kind of training and discipline, but it has far more finesse to it than raw magic, and can be used to create more complex and diverse techniques. Spellcasting also requires a much greater mental effort than the more "natural" feeling of raw magic.

At introductory levels, spellcasting is just about following instructions. One can compare it to learning to cook, and starting off by simply following instructions from a recipe book. In this way, theoretically anyone can cast a spell if they know the required steps. Many spells have some sort of verbal or written element to them — "magic words", if you will — and also typically require a specific action or set of actions to be done, often in conjunction with the written/verbal elements, ie: "write these words on a piece of paper and then burn it", etc. However, spells always have some element of concentration about them. They require you to be actively thinking about something (usually the desired result) as you cast the spell in order for it to have any effect. Because of this, even in cases where a spell has very few steps and requires almost nothing but the words, it is nearly impossible to cast a spell accidentally. Even if you technically followed all the other steps, it won't work if your mind wasn't in the right place while you were doing it. The words of these spells, by the way, don't follow any particular pattern. Some are fancy-sounding gibberish, some are plain English — many of them rhyme, but not all of them. In general, though, most of them have a sort of rhythmic, poem-like quality to them.

Once you achieve a certain level of skill in spellcasting, you would be able to tweak the instructions of a spell in order to achieve different ends, or you would be able to come up with your own spells — just like how a professional cook doesn't need to follow instructions from a recipe. You just sort of gain a feel for how all the different elements come together and then you go from there. Of course, creating new spells out of nothing is still a very tricky thing to do, even for skilled spellcasters. Writing new spells in the comfort of your own home is one thing, but coming up with new spells in the heat of battle is something only the most superb spellcasters can pull off.

Spellcasting and raw magic are also not completely separate, just like how martial arts training is not completely separate from general physical strength. A martial artist with more physical strength and endurance is at an advantage over one who isn't, and simply training in martial arts to begin with, being a form of exercise, will improve your overall physical fitness and strength. In the same way, spells tend to be more powerful and/or easier to perform when cast by someone who is already skilled in raw magic, and practicing spells can improve your capacity for raw magic. The two reinforce each other, and, in a skilled magic-user, the line between the two can become rather blurred.

While raw magic provides its users with a list of general abilities that are available to their element, though, spells are used to achieve specific ends. Technically, no spells are "element-locked" (for lack of a better term), but it's obvious that a spell which relates to a particular element will be more powerful and/or easier to perform when used by someone who already matches that element. However, if one is highly skilled, spellcasting is one way that some magic-users are able to get past the limitations of their own element, as some spells can emulate certain attacks and powers can also be achieved through the raw magic of a particular element. That being said, attempting to learn spells that heavily emulate an element that is not yours requires an immense amount of discipline — akin to teaching yourself to write with your non-dominant hand to the point of becoming perfectly ambidextrous. In any case, there's still the fact that one would need to memorize spells of that other element, and would never have access to the true raw magic of that element.

Regardless, most spells are neutral and do not heavily lean towards any particular element, meaning they are accessible to anyone. In fact, technically no spells directly fall under a specific element, although some of them lean heavily towards a specific element depending on their intended effect — with spells that relate to the literal nature of a particular element being the most obvious in this regard. Most spellcasters will use a combination of neutral spells along with spells that compliment their own element, as those are the spells that would come easiest to them.


Artifacts:
The term "artifact" refers simply to magical items. Most artifacts come from either the remains of magical creatures (horn of a dragon, down of a phoenix, etc), or come from ordinary objects that have been enchanted through the use of a spell. Artifacts can be seen as "ingredients" to create more complex forms of magic. At basic levels, they can be used to create simple protection charms or healing potions. In more complex forms, many different compounds can be combined to create a much more intricate brew. In addition to literally mixing artifacts together, artifact-based magic is also typically combined with spellcasting. In fact, many spells will even require the use of certain artifacts in order to work properly. In the end, the possible uses for artifacts are nearly limitless — allowing one to create all sorts of charms, potions, and magical weapons, and still having the potential to become a component of something even more complex.

The use of artifacts is something that theoretically everyone would have equal skill in, since, unlike with raw magic or spellcasting, the power is all in the object, not the user. Of course, what does require skill is the ability to make your own powerful artifacts — as well as using artifacts in conjunction with spells or raw magic. Pre-made artifacts can be purchased, but they can often be fairly expensive, especially depending on their intended purpose. And while the "ingredient" artifacts are cheaper, they obviously won't do you much good if you don't know how to use them.

Natural artifacts (artifacts obtained from magical creatures) are all element-based, but, by combining them the right way (or by using neutralizing spells), one can make them neutral, which then changes how they would be used. Different "recipes" will call for artifacts of different elements (or may ask for neutral ones). A person can use artifacts that match their own element type in order to compliment their strengths, or one can use artifacts of a differing element type in order to cover their weaknesses.


"Dark Magic":
Dark magic is not an entirely separate branch of magic. It simply refers to the unethical use of magic (in any other form). It is referred to as "dark" or "forbidden" because most morally decent people wouldn't even think to use it. In the most extreme cases, it can be just as morally cringe-worthy as something like cannibalism, pedophilia, or rape. It is simply taboo in most people's minds. Common examples of dark magic would be hypnosis, love potions/spells (which, let's face it, are basically the magical equivalent of a date rape drug), and hexing (meaning, placing a curse on someone). But, in addition to these specific forms, any use of magic that would be considered unethical can be grouped under the broad category of "dark magic".

Of course, as with all moral issues, there is room for gray areas. Hypnosis, for example, typically falls under the category of dark magic because it implies controlling one's mind and forcing them to do something against their will, or even making someone believe that they want to do something that they would otherwise be firmly against. That being said, if you hypnotize someone to cluck like a chicken, well, some people might find the use of hypnosis itself to be a bit unsettling, but, in the end, no one was really hurt by it, so it would be ok, right…? It's a morally gray area with plenty of room for debate. However, this sort of scenario is along the lines of a philosophy classroom example like, "is pedophilia ok so long as the child consents to it and isn't physically or psychologically harmed by it?" — it's a theoretical example, and probably very far off from most real-world cases of pedophilia. In the same way, if you were to use hypnosis for anything more than a silly, harmless prank — odds are most sane people would agree that your actions were morally wrong. (And, practically speaking, the fact that you even know how to perform hypnosis at all would likely raise some eyebrows.)

Dark magic also comes with its own dark form of artifact use. As mentioned, artifacts come from the remains of magical creatures — but since humans and demi-humans are also capable of using magic, wouldn't they also count as "magical creatures", meaning that their own body parts can also be used as artifacts? Technically, yes, but the use of (demi-)human artifacts is considered a form of dark magic for two reasons:

• Acquiring (demi-)human artifacts typically implies either grave-robbing or, in extreme cases, murder — unless you plan on using something like a lock of someone's hair, but, even then…
• The only spells and uses that exist for human artifacts already fall under the category of dark magic. And the most common use for a (demi-)human artifact is to hex either the source of the artifact(s) or people connected to them. (So, using someone's hair isn't as bad as digging up their bones, but it still means that you're probably doing something you shouldn't.)

In addition to being seen as immoral and frowned upon, dark magic is even illegal in the kingdom of Altera. Charging someone with the use of dark magic implies that they used either a form of magic that is definitely considered to be dark magic (such as hexing or hypnosis — which technically even includes cases like the philosophy class example from earlier), or any other use of magic that would easily be considered immoral and unethical. A person found guilty of using dark magic can be fined, imprisoned, or even executed, depending on the severity of the crime. Of course, just like in the real world, the fact that something is illegal doesn't mean that no one ever does it. And the fact that people do it doesn't mean that every perpetrator is brought to justice. Just as murderers and rapists exist in the world, so too do dark magic users.

 

[Kagayours]

Pantheon​

This blog post details the seven gods and goddesses of Altera. (I had originally planned for there to be more, but, I decided to simplify things — and in the end, I'm happy with how it all turned out.)

Some things I should note:

• Yes, there is some deviation in regards to how each god is most often "portrayed". This is not because there's any intense debate regarding what each of these gods actually look like, but simply because all of these appearances are intended to be largely symbolic. Yes, many people do believe that these gods would have appearances similar to those outlined here if they were ever to present themselves to humankind, but, in the end, it's understood that these gods could take on any one of these forms, or really any form they wanted at all.
• Most uses of the word "human" in this blog post refers to demi-humans, as well. Yes, it's another example of how human-centric the overall culture is, but demi-humans are still considered "human" in the sense that they still have souls and all that. Think of it like how the word "man" is often used to mean "human", even though you could argue that such word choice technically excludes women. This works the same way.
• Speaking of demi-humans, some races may have slightly different interpretations of certain gods or place differing levels of importance on each one. However, their understanding of the gods is still basically the same as everything listed here. Think of it like different sects of the same religion as opposed to different religions entirely. Each demi-human race's religious views will be further expanded upon at a later time. For now, this human perspective is still mostly accurate for all races.

Apollo: God of the sun, masculinity, light, order, leadership, control, rationality, fatherhood

Human-like depictions of Apollo portray him as a tan-skinned man with a muscular build and dark eyes. He has long, wild hair of a fiery orange color, resembling a lion's mane. He is often shown sitting atop the thrown of the gods, and/or holding a golden scepter with a red-orange orb at the top (sometimes featuring wings coming out of the sides of the orb). Apollo himself is sometimes depicted with hawk-like wings, and horns like a ram. More beast-like depictions of him often portray him as a lion — sometimes with a mane of fire, sometimes holding his scepter in his mouth, and sometimes with the hawk wings and/or ram horns.

Apollo and Diana are considered the two most important gods of the pantheon, as well as the gods that existed before all else. In some ways, they serve as a sort of yin-yang-esque dichotomy. But, that does not make them equal, as it is Apollo who is typically considered to be greater in both power and dignity. Apollo is the king of the gods, and while this may make Diana the queen of the gods, it is Apollo who has the highest ruling authority. Apollo was the one who placed a sun in the sky and gave the world warmth. He is said to be the source of strength and willpower in the universe, as well as rationality, order, and self-control. He sits on a throne within the aptly-named Apollo Tower, watching over the heavenly and physical realms. As a leader, he emphasizes the importance of self-control and discipline, and rarely shows emotion — keeping a level head when he is angry. He is strict, but well-intentioned. The monarchy in Altera is modeled after that of Apollo, as he is considered an example of how one should rule. It is said that authority figures and monarchs especially should strive to act like Apollo — and, as such, lions are a symbol of royalty and leadership as well as a symbol of Apollo himself.

Apollo is associated with the element of fire, the persuasion of wands, and the astrological signs of Aries and Leo. His power is said to fluctuate based on the time of year (strongest during the summer, weakest during the winter). Because of this, he is also associated with the season of summer.


Diana: Goddess of the moon, femininity, darkness, emotion, creativity, beauty, motherhood, irrationality, madness

In human depictions, she is a gorgeous woman with soft, fair skin, long, silvery hair, and eyes that shine like the moon itself. Her appearance is said to change with the phases of the moon — going from dazzling white under a full moon to a more modest black under a new moon — however, by default, she is usually portrayed in her full moon form — with her striking looks and shimmering white gown. She is also often portrayed as a wolf (with the same white fur under a full moon and dark fur under a new moon) and sometimes is shown with the astrological sign for Cancer on her side. She is often portrayed either surrounded by water, or holding a cup of water in her hands (or with a cup of water sitting at her feet, if she is portrayed as a wolf).

Diana by PurpleDemon

Diana is the shadow cast by the light of Apollo. She placed the moon in the sky to serve as a thing of beauty as well as a source of divine inspiration. She is also strongly associated with the ocean, due to the moon's control over the tides. Where Apollo emphasizes control and order, Diana emphasizes emotion and creativity. This can make her much more tender and loving than Apollo, but also more irrational. It is said that she provides the creative spark for artists and poets, but, at the same time, she is also the source of madness, making lunatics out of those who fall too far under her influence. Wolves and dogs alike are drawn to her, and, when depicted as a human, she is often seen with such canines at her side. This is because both the wild and the so-called "tame" are still swayed by her beauty and pulled into her madness. In Diana's eyes, there is little difference between dogs and wolves — humans may have dulled their teeth and claws and made them subservient, but the wild nature of a wolf not absent within dogs, merely suppressed.

Diana's power waxes and wanes in a monthly cycle — making her, of course, most powerful during a full moon, and least powerful during a new moon. This also means that her ability to inspire creativity along with madness is strongest during a full moon — and that Diana herself is said to be most mad during this time, as well.

Diana is associated with the element of water, the persuasion of cups, the astrological signs Cancer and Gemini, and the season of winter.


Tenius: God of the Earth, good health, good harvests, nature, wealth and prosperity

Tenius' appearance is best described as a "deer-centaur" — his overall body shape is similar to what you would expect of a centaur, except that the lower half of his body is meant to resemble a deer, not a horse. He also has large, impressive antlers on his head. His body is a motley mess of brown and green — brown from his fur and green from the moss and vegetation that grows on him. He is often depicted holding either a sphere or disc with a pentacle carved onto it.

He came into being as Apollo and Diana started to create the land. Because of this, he was made the guardian of said land, and eventually became the keeper of the physical world. He filled the land with many plants and animals and vowed to take care of them all. He is sometimes thought of as being the most un-god-like of the gods, at least in regards to his quiet and humble personality. He promotes good work ethic, good physical health, and a respect for nature, but, he is very rarely thought of as being angry or vengeful. Even natural disasters are not normally attributed to him, as most of them fall under the jurisdiction of other gods (ie: flooding would be associated with Diana, drought would be associated with Apollo). The only time he is ever thought of as a sign of the "wrath of nature" is with incidents that are specifically related to plants or animals — such as out-of-control pests or, more likely, plants becoming overgrown and reclaiming a now-abandoned tract of land, as such a slow and peaceful revolution of nature over man is much more fitting for his personality. He is the god that humans pray to for good harvests, for good health, for safety in the face of dangerous wild animals, and for general wealth and prosperity.

Tenius is associated with the element of earth, the persuasion of pentacles, the astrological signs Taurus and Capricorn, and the season of spring.


Corvenus: God of knowledge, communication, record-keeping, death, travel

Corvenus' appearance is generally similar to that of an avian, with a dark cloak concealing raven-like wings. He also looks somewhat like a knight without armor, as he is often seen with a sword at his side. As he is the god of knowledge and communication, he is also often depicted holding books, scrolls, or letters. Sometimes he is depicted simply as a crow or a raven, holding any one of these objects. And sometimes he is depicted mainly as a human, but with a more bird-like face.

He was created out of the words and ideas that traveled between the three existing gods, Apollo, Diana, and Tenius. He served as a messenger and knight of the gods, often being the one who organized affairs not just between the gods themselves, but also between the physical and heavenly realms. While Tenius was the one who created life on earth, Corvenus was the one who granted intelligence to that life, creating sapient minds. When the need for it arose, and the physical and heavenly realms separated, he also became the god of death, guiding souls into the afterlife. For this task, he created the agents that are now known as the Gatherers. To this day, he is still the organizer and record-keeper of godly affairs, maintaining the wealth of knowledge of all things there is to know, and delivering information wherever it may be needed.

As the messenger god, he is also the god of travel, and so humans pray to him for safety on their journeys.

He is associated with the element of air, the persuasion of swords, the astrological signs Virgo and Libra, and the season of autumn.


Celest: Goddess of the stars, wishes and wish-making, hope, luck, dreams, the future, and divination

Celest is typically portrayed as a young woman, sometimes even a child or teenager. She is often portrayed with very light, pastel colors — whites and light pinks and blues — to emanate the glow of the stars. She has white hair that is similar to Diana's, but usually shorter. She is typically portrayed wearing either a skirt or a dress, and, in either case, the fabric of it has a shimmering, sparkling look to it — again, much like the stars.

Celest was created by Diana (and sometimes considered the "daughter" of Diana), made to accompany her in the night sky and add even more beauty to it — which she did. She created shimmering stars and arranged them into beautiful constellations. And at night, when the humans slept, she gave them dreams — primarily for the purpose of giving them a fantasy to live out while they slept, but also, sometimes, to deliver important messages. When the humans looked up at the night sky to admire her stars, they sometimes made wishes upon them. Celest therefore became the keeper of these wishes, and the goddess of wishes and wish-making. Invested in humans' wishes and aspirations, she also became the goddess of hope and of the future.

She is also known for establishing the system of the Zodiac, as she gave every human a special connection with one of the gods depending on which stars they were born under. Celest specifically is connected to the Pisces and Aquarius signs, although she still oversees the activity of the Zodiac as a whole.


Daius: God of sin, lust, greed, sex, intoxication, and physical pleasure.

His humanoid form is that of a satyr — with the horns and legs of a goat — but, in addition, he is often given all sorts of other monstrous body parts, such as claws, fangs, and a gaping, carnivorous mouth. His beast-like depictions are even more ghastly, typically with a massive, dragon-like head that seems to take up his entire body (think: the proportions of a warthog). He varies most widely in terms of how he is depicted, and, paradoxically, whenever he is not shown as monstrous, he is shown as being handsome, athletic, and gorgeously attractive. His symbol is an inverted pentacle.

Pretty Boy Daius

(Special thanks to Sinopa for this illustration!)

He was originally created as a servant of Tenius (and sometimes considered the "son" of Tenius), but, Daius did not compliment Tenius' personality very well. He was power-hungry and lustful, and said to embody all of the worst qualities of the normally modest pentacles. When the worlds separated, he was sent to the heavenly realm, where the other gods intended to use him as pest control — allowing him to devour the souls of the wicked, so that the heavenly realm would not become flooded with evil minds. Soon, however, he went rogue, and began to devour good souls as well as evil. To limit his power, the other gods cursed him so that he would not be able to eat any souls unless they willingly gave themselves up to him. The idea was that a worthy soul would be able to resist him, while a sinful soul would be weak and fall to his temptations and trickery.

Daius made a palace for himself in a dark cavern in the heavenly realm. There, he lures in souls who have led sinful lives, tempting them with physical pleasures, bringing out the most indulgent nature of the physical which he inherited from Tenius. He is also known for using contracts to trick people into giving up their souls, so that he can maintain control over them and so that they cannot change their minds and escape him later. Many, however, do not even need to be tricked. Daius maintains a steady stream of followers who give themselves up willingly to soak in a life of indulgence, even if they know it means being devoured by him eventually.

If a human angers a particular god, that god can damn them to Daius' lair, leaving an invisible mark on them that only the gods and their agents can see. This way, when they die, the Gatherers will know to bring them straight to Daius, as their souls will already be considered his property.

Daius is associated with the astrological signs of Scorpio and Sagittarius.


Eterna: The lore surrounding Eterna is somewhat disconnected from that of the other gods. Some say that, like Apollo and Diana, he existed "before everything", and others say that he was created by Apollo and Diana in order to maintain the flow of time (in fact, it's quite the subject of philosophical debate). Eterna is not associated with any particular persuasion, element, astrological sign, or really any other attributes — he is known to be neutral in all regards. In fact, despite typically being referred to as "he" by default, it is understood that Eterna is technically neither male nor female.

He spends eternity turning the Wheel of Fates, which controls the flow of time as well as luck, and the ebb and flow of all forces in the universe. The layers of the wheel turn independently of each other, showing the many different combinations of possible dominant forces at any given time. It is said that he can see into the future and he knows where the different parts of the wheel will land, but he does not speak of it. In fact, he is not very talkative in general. He has no stakes in who wins and who loses — his only job is to keep the wheel turning.

 

[Kagayours]

Geography and Politics​

This blog post includes a map of Altera, as well as some important general notes about Altera's government and politics, and basic descriptions of all the cities shown on the map.

General background:

This map here represents essentially all the known land that exists in Altera. Altera does not have any distinct borders, mainly as there are hardly any states to border it. There are no other human-run sovereign states besides Altera, and the only demi-humans that have anything even resembling a sovereign state are the Pyrans, who call their land Pyros. Other than them, there are no other political entities that Altera interacts with — and even then, the exact "borders" between Altera and Pyros are rather indistinct.

Expansion into the North and East has been attempted, but it has been largely stunted by the wastelands that exist there, as well as the rat hordes that inhabit those wastelands and make it very difficult for any travelers to make it through them (expect them to show up in a future 'Magical Beasts' blog post *wink*). The sometimes-hostile Pyrans have also made Alterans a bit less eager to push forward into the Northwest. Most recently, exploration efforts have shifted to the southern continent of Heiana, which was originally believed to be an island, until further exploration showed that the land stretched on much further than originally believed.

Politics:

Altera is a monarchy, currently ruled by King Heian. The biggest thing that King Heian is associated with is the recent exploration of the southern continent, Heiana, as he took interest in it and encouraged further exploration upon hearing news that the land mass was not the small island that it was previously believed to be (and, he also named the continent after himself). The biggest thing King Heian is criticized for is his reluctance to deal with the growing threat of Pyran hostility.

There is also Queen Nelana, who is a fairly popular personality amongst the masses, but she doesn't really have the same ruling power as the king. In fact, she doesn't have much of any power at all, save for potentially being able to influence Heian's opinions on things. Still, she has very little official authority, thus making her popularity more akin to that of a high-profile celebrity than anything else.

The king and queen also have a daughter — the young Princess Raia, who is currently 14 years old. Though she is young, Heian and all his staff are already hard at work procuring a suitor for her. The man that she marries will become heir to the throne, so, of course, this is a very important decision, and it's been much of the talk of the kingdom lately. The process of finding a potential prince has been a largely bureaucratic one so far, with suitors being picked out largely by Heian himself, and with the boys themselves being largely from families of nobility, especially friends of the royal family. But, that hasn't stopped families around Altera from wanting to turn their sons into princes. There's been a lot of travel to Tarocchi lately as countless young men and boys (and/or their parents) have been hoping for an audience with the king's council. And while this race to the throne is still something that primarily families of nobility have been involved in, that hasn't stopped numerous lower-class families and individuals from giving it their best shot, as well. Some of these folks are politically motivated, some of them are doing it for the money, and some just think that Princess Raia seems like a really nice lady. In any case, this search for a prince has certainly garnered a lot of attention from Altera at large.

Color key:
Brown = Mountains
Tan = Desert/savannah
Light green = Lush grasslands and plains, possibly light forestation
Dark green = Denser forestation
Blue = Water (what a twist!)

The star represents Altera's capital city. The numbered dots are other important cities, which will be further described below. The blue lines that run across the land are major rivers. The volcanoes are… volcanoes.

It is important to note that this map is very vague, and the information here is not meant to be an exhaustive resource. There are surely plenty of other cities, rivers, and other noteworthy landmarks that exist in Altera — the ones shown on the map are just the major ones. Additionally, the color-coding of land types (grassland, forest, etc) are only vague divisions of things. If this map were more detailed, we would certainly see a much more complex landscape than the mostly flat expanses of color here. This map exists for worldbuilding and to provide general background info on Altera — not to limit IC possibilities. In other words, the big mass of dark green that you see on the map does not mean that there is a massive and completely uniform forest stretching across that entire area. It only means that large, dense forests are common throughout that area.

And with that out of the way…

Notable cities:

Tarocchi — The capital city of Altera. It is of course a large city, being the governmental center and the home of the royal family. The inner city is a very luxurious place, dominated by the nobility, with the royal family's castle in the center. The outskirts of the city, meanwhile, although significantly poorer than the luxurious city center, aren't simply "slums" (although Tarocchi still has its fair share of those, much like any large city). Even on the outer edges, Tarocchi is still a bustling center of commerce, and there are still plenty of opportunities to make a living in the city. Tarocchi is a highly diverse city with a significant presence of all five races.

1) Agnai — This marks the capital of Pyros. While there are no distinct boundaries between this Pyran land and the state of Altera, it is still clear that this city is the center of Pyran activity, as well as the home of the Pyran emperor, Agni. Roughly speaking, Pyran territory extends through the surrounding mountain range and the desert-land. Agnai is also the only city on this list in which the most populous race is anything other than humans -- as Agnai (and most other cities deep in the heart of Pyros) are almost entirely made up of Pyrans.

2) Utany — This city exists not too far from the chain of volcanoes that extends into the Northern Islands. It is best known for its mining industry, and it is the main source of diamonds, as well as metals such as gold, copper, nickel, zinc, and aluminum in Altera. It is also known for having a significant Pyran population — perhaps the descendants of emigrants from Pyros who eventually made their way East. It is also theorized that many Pyrans flocked to the mining industry as their tough bodies were more well-suited to the strenuous work than that of most humans — as there are currently far more Pyrans working in the mines today than humans.

3) Lastrany — Another large city that exists among the Northern Island volcanoes. Due to its location along the seashore, however, Lastrany is more well-known for its coral reefs, and its significant Aquan population. These features are true of all the cities along the Northern Islands, actually, but since Lastrany is one of the largest, it follows that it would be one of the most well-known.

4) Vuchala — This city exists on what is essentially the "border" between Altera and Pyros — although, as stated, no distinct border exists. Historians claim that this city was founded by humans and that its population was originally almost entirely human, but, over time, Vuchala's Pyran population increased as Pyrans expanded their reach. Many humans are fearful of this Pyran presence, claiming that the Pyrans that exist in the city are largely criminals or, at worst, even terrorists. Many Pyrans in Vuchala, on the other hand, will argue that they don't even have very strong ties to Pyros and consider themselves Alteran. Vuchala is one of the few cities other than Tarocchi that has a significant presence from the Royal Guard, intended to keep the peace — although the Royal Guard is largely biased against Pyrans, and some would argue that it is excessively hostile against them.

5) Patrance — This large, predominantly human city is located to the East of the Iwance river. It was once a bustling site of commerce, and now, although that has since died down a bit, it is still a highly gentrified city that is largely dominated by the rich. As stated, there are very few demi-humans in Patrance, and, overall, the inhabitants of the city are borderline-xenophobic towards demi-humans (with the most extreme of them being outwardly xenophobic).

6) Elgia — This city is of comparable size to Patrance, and is also largely controlled by the rich. But, the main difference between the two is that the human majority in Elgia is not quite as strong, and the city as a whole is more open to demi-humans. Terrans in particular are very common here, with some of them being highly successful business owners. Its location between the Sheocrancy and Udria rivers are also a significant factor in the city's commercial success.

7) Ottan — A very rustic sort of city, known for its ranches and farms. The population here is also largely human, but the most common demi-humans here are Pyrans. And while there is some friction between humans and Pyrans here, it is not nearly as extreme as it is in Vuchala.

8) Omviway — A rather scenic, tourist-y sort of town, best known for its recreational fishing spots along the Sheocrany river. It used to have a significant Aquan population, but many of them were driven away due to conflicts with the humans that settled there. In general, humans here are known for being not the most friendly towards demi-humans.

9) Era — Another bustling economic center, this one with significant Terran and Avian populations. It is also known for its sacred sites, as many elaborate and well-known shrines exist here. The religious pilgrimages made to Era because of this are likely at least one of the factors responsible for Era's commercial success. Another factor is its strategic location, nestled between the Ostra and Etzia rivers.

10) Ennance — Ennance exists where the Sheocrany river empties into the sea. Due to its strategic location near water, the city is known mainly for its commercial fishing industry. This city also has a significant Aquan population — one that is still very prevalent to this day — and it is said that the city's commercial success originates from businesses started by pentacle-minded Aquans.

11) Iblea — A city most well-known for its massive library, and for the prestigious Iblea School of Magic located here. Many skilled spellcasters studied here, and many more of them live in Iblea to this day. Iblea also has a significant Avian population.

12) Atvance — This will be the "starting town" for the RP. Unlike most of the other cities on this map, it is not very large or well-known in the eyes of Altera as a whole — and it's really only here because it makes sense for the starting town to be on this map. So, here it is. It is a relatively small seashore town. It has a decently-sized commercial fishing industry, but nothing too noteworthy, especially since there are many other fishing towns like it along the nearby coast. Like most cities in Altera, all five races exist in Atvance, but only humans stand out as a majority. Of course, even that is not very noteworthy, as that is also the norm for Alteran cities. [More info to come with the OOC.]

13) Islios — This southern continent, Heiana, has recently been a significant area of exploration, and this city here at the tip, Islios, is the biggest and most noteworthy settlement on this continent. This city was founded back when the landmass that was later named Heiana was first discovered. In fact, Islios was originally the name for the "island" that Heiana was believed to be, before it was renamed. Still, Islios remains the largest settlement on Heiana by far, especially due to its proximity to the mainland.

14) Tralviland — A town that used to be small and not particularly noteworthy, until the recent boom of southern expansion. It is now known for its close ties with Islios, and it is the port from which most ships set out when traveling to Heiana.

 

[Kagayours]

Magical Beasts (vol 2)​

This is volume 2 of the "Magical Beasts" blog posts. I recommend starting with volume 1, if you haven't done so already, as it provides the general introduction as to what magical beasts are.

Special thanks to @FluffleButter for his help in planning this particular batch of monsters!


Sky Turtles
Element: Air
Sky turtles resemble massive sea turtles, which glide through the air as if they are swimming. These enormous creatures have shells that easily grow to be over a dozen meters across. They are docile in nature, and have long been bred in captivity for transporting goods and people. However, their low birth rates and the expensive cost of raising such a creature ensures that generally no more than 20 exist at a time throughout all of Altera. Unlike pegasai, however, they are typically not used for combat, as they are slow-moving and make for easy targets — not to mention the fact that they are simply too rare and valuable to risk losing in battle. Instead, they are often used as a luxurious form of transport for the royal family and other very important parties (often flanked by a fleet of pegasai-mounted guards for protection), and are sometimes used to transport large quantities of goods in bulk. Apart from their ability to fly, they do not exhibit any known types of magic. Even their artifacts — which are quite rare — are far from the most powerful.


Levias
Element: Air
The Levias can be most easily described as a "sky whale". And, as that name implies, it is a whale that flies through the air as if it were swimming, similarly to the sky turtles. They are elusive beasts, and sightings of them are very rare and spread-apart, to say nothing of well-documented sightings. Still, based on what little information exists, it is generally assumed that a Levias can easily grow to a length of more than 100 meters, and perhaps even much larger than that. It is said that their bodies are filled with magical power that continuously leaks out, therefore enhancing the magical abilities of anyone who gets near them — but much of this is purely speculation and myth, as no one has ever gotten near enough to a Levias to test such a theory. Even Avians cannot approach them, as Leviases fly far higher up in the sky than a typical Avian is capable of. Moreover, there are no reputable records of Levias artifacts having ever been found. Because of this, a growing number of people suspect that the Levias doesn't even exist — and that all past sightings were just misidentifications of other beasts, such as sky turtles, or perhaps slow-moving dragons.


Griffins
Element: Earth
Much like pegasai, griffins are another difficult-to-maintain beast that is often seen as a symbol of nobility. The biggest difference between their uses, however, is that griffins are extremely difficult creatures to tame, as they are quick to rebel and they can become very violent when they feel angered or threatened. And while pegasai have very clear uses as mounts, griffins are rarely used as such, as their temperamental natures make them nearly impossible to ride. Instead, their continued use exists really only for one main reason — as a symbol of royal status and power. After all, having the attributes of an eagle and a lion, they are essentially a combination of two of the most regal animals. They are associated not just with the royal family and high nobles — but also with the royal guard. The castle in Tarocchi — as well as a few other large houses — maintain griffin stables simply for the sake of owning such a symbol of status.

That being said, it is never the nobles themselves or even ordinary servants who tame these beasts. Instead, tamers who specialize in griffins are called in, as gaining the trust of such a creature is a lifetime's work, and it is nearly impossible to forge a bond unless the tamer begins their work while the griffin is still at a very young age. The tamer is also typically kept at the griffin's side whenever the beast is supposed to make a public appearance, as the tamer's presence is necessary to keep the griffin calm and controlled. Still, griffins taken out into public like this often have shackles and chains placed on their limbs, in order to keep their claws at bay and to prevent them from escaping. And while many tamers and other experts insist that these restraints only make griffins more nervous and more likely to act out, it is understandable why these measures have remained a common practice. Similarly, many young griffins have their wings clipped early in life, thus preventing them from flying when they grow older — again, to maintain better control of them. And while the commonly-held belief is that the wild and rebellious personality of a griffin is just part of their nature, some experts point out that wild griffins — which typically live far away from humans — are often very docile and only dangerous when provoked, suggesting that it is really a life of being cooped-up that puts a griffin on-edge.


Island Tortoise
Element: Earth
Island tortoises are named for the way that the largest of them can easily be mistaken for small islands, growing plants and supporting entire ecosystems on their backs. Despite this, it seems that only the largest of them live in water, and that many of them live on dry land, particularly in forests. When they tuck inside their shells, these land-dwelling tortoises can sometimes completely blend in with the surrounding land, appearing to be nothing more than a mound of land. They are also not all completely massive, as many of them are only about the size of elephants. There is no known limit to how large they can grow, however, and the largest of them often set out to sea and become the massive islands that inspired their name. Even when they are small, however, their shells are always growing some sort of moss or vegetation, being able to support larger plants (and, over time, animals) as they too grow in size. That being said, some island tortoises have found to be home to all sorts of pests, and some are concerned about what things they can spread. However, they are so slow-moving that this rarely becomes an actual problem.


Rat Hordes
Element: Earth
These terrifying creatures typically inhabit desert-lands and flat plains. Detailed accounts of them are rare, mostly due to their ferocity. These small creatures may not be very threatening individually, but they are never alone. They appear hundreds, if not thousands at a time, and are capable of fully enveloping and devouring a human in under a minute. They live underground, and the discovery of abandoned nests has been one of the only ways of studying them. Based on this, it seems that these rats live in huge colonies, similarly to ants or bees. In fact, some theorize that these "rats" are actually more like insects than mammals, and that they are mistaken for rodents because of their size, their hairy bodies, and their shrill, rodent-like cries. The theory that the rat hordes are actually insects living in ant-like colonies would suggest that each horde is led by a queen that births all of the colony's members. Such a queen has never been discovered, but many imagine that she must be monstrously large.


Fire Foxes
Element: Fire
When they are born, these creatures resemble foxes whose fur is a brilliant fiery red color. Their magical ability — when young — is fairly middle-of-the-road, and not very remarkable. Fire foxes are most well-known for their incredible longevity, as these foxes are capable of living for hundreds, possibly even thousands of years. As a fire fox ages, its single tail splits into multiple tails. For each hundred years that a fox lives, they acquire another tail. Not only that, but their magical ability increases drastically with each new tail. A single-tailed fox may not be too intimidating, but a three or four-tailed fox can be a rather formidable foe, and anything beyond that would require several skilled warriors in order to even stand a chance at taking one down. The most powerful of all fire foxes is the incredibly mighty and rare nine-tailed fox. The image of fire foxes as being regal and majestic is sometimes applied to all fire foxes, but, in particular, it especially applies to foxes with the most tails, with nine-tailed foxes of course being the most regal. In addition to increasing in magical ability, fire foxes also increase slightly in size with each new tail. Single-tailed fire foxes are the same size as ordinary foxes, but a nine-tailed fox can be as large as a horse, not even counting the tails themselves.

In ancient times, noble families would keep these foxes as pets. As the fox would outlive individual family members, it would be passed down through the generations, intended to serve not only as a protector of the family, but also as a symbol of its enduring legacy. In modern times, this tradition is rarely upheld in its original form, as the symbolic significance of it has mostly fallen to the wayside. However, young fire foxes are still often made into pets, and are bred for an increasingly large market of fox owners. Recently, however, there has been some concern about the growing numbers of these pet foxes, and what will happen to them centuries down the line, after their owners have died without having anyone else to go to — or even if the foxes are abandoned for other reasons. Many speculate that, if this careless pet-breeding keeps up, wild multi-tailed foxes living in and around cities could become a serious problem hundreds of years later. However, because this is perceived as such a distant threat, not much serious action has yet been taken to deal with it.


Hydras
Element: Earth
Massive creatures known for their great numbers of heads. They live in the sea and devour anything they come across, making them something that would most certainly be feared by sailing ships. They are most well-known for their regenerative abilities — if one head is chopped off, two more grow in its place. Aside from this, however, the hydra doesn't seem to have any other magical abilities. And, for much of its history, it was assumed to be of the water element. After researching hydra artifacts, however, it turned out that they contained powerful earth magic, and were especially useful for healing purposes. In hindsight, this made perfect sense, given the hydra's regenerative abilities. In any case, although these discoveries sparked further interest in hydra artifacts, it would be foolish to go out of one's way to hunt down a hydra for such purposes.

 

[Kagayours]

Religion (Misc)​

This blog post covers a few miscellaneous but still important areas of religion that I don't see myself being able to organize anywhere else on the OOC or as part of any other blog post. This blog post covers what the religion has to say about the creation of the world and death/the afterlife, and it also includes a few bits about how the humans modeled their society after the gods.

It seemed like it would be weird to organize these into different subsections — given how unrelated they are and all that — so I just tried to make it all flow together as one, long, interesting read about some of Altera's lore.

——

When the world was in its infancy, it was cold, rocky, and dark. There was no life of any kind. Apollo wanted to bring light and warmth into the world, so he created fire, and with that fire he placed a sun in the sky to warm the whole earth.

Then Diana wanted to create beauty for the world, so she created the moon — but the moon was outshone by the sun. And when both were in the sky, the moon's beauty could not be seen. So Diana proposed that the sun and the moon could shine at different times — so the sun could have "day" and the moon could have "night". And so they did this, and Diana was pleased at the beauty of her moon as it shone during the night.

But Apollo did not approve of her moon, or her night. For the night was pretty, but it was cold and dark. The moon did not provide the same usefulness as the sun. In response to this, Diana created water, and she poured it out onto the land to create the oceans. She then let the moon control the movement of the oceans, so that the moon could serve a purpose, even during the day.

From the warmth and water that existed on earth, Tenius arose from the land, and he brought life to earth, filling the land with plants and animals. Apollo and Diana were pleased with this life.

From the words and ideas exchanged by the three gods, Corvenus was born. He created the Avians, with thinking minds that could admire knowledge as much as he did. He then created the wind for both his Avians and ideas to soar upon.

The other gods were very pleased with the Avians. With Corvenus' help, they all created their own sapient races. Tenius created Terrans, to care for the earth and to create great things with it like he did. Apollo created Pyrans, proud creatures that could become powerful leaders like he was. And Diana created Aquans — gentle, loving creatures that could live in her oceans. And they all granted magic to their respective races, giving them power over the elements that their masters had created.

The gods were all very pleased with their creations, but they soon realized how different they all were. The four races all had very different minds, and very different concepts of what was good and ideal. The gods wanted to create a new race — one that would balance out the strengths and weaknesses of the existing races, and for that, they created humans.

The humans established the kingdom of Altera at the center of the land. Instead of living mainly isolated from each other as the four races did previously, the humans allowed all five to come together in a grand kingdom.

The humans, divinely inspired by all four main gods, molded their society after them. Apollo was seen as the ideal leader, and so Altera was ruled by a king, in his image. Women were considered to be made in Diana's image — they were not leaders or rulers, as men were, but they were more kind and nurturing, and they understood emotion. This is what allowed them to be good mothers, and an important moral compass for mankind. Corvenus became a model for the knights, the educated, and the elite — swift, intelligent, and noble. And Tenius became a model for artisans, farmers, and all common people — hard-working and productive, but humble.

Humans understood that all of them were born with a mind that matched the sensibilities of one of the four main gods, and they named these different minds "persuasions" — and called them: wands, after Apollo's scepter; cups, after the water that Diana poured out for the world; swords, after Corvenus' sword; and pentacles, after the symbol of Tenius.


In the early days, there was only one realm, and it was inhabited by gods and (demi-)humans alike. It was also full of magic, and full of life — and the life that inhabited the planet could live forever. Over time, though, this world became too complicated, and too chaotic. There was too much magic, and the humans and demi-humans were becoming too densely populated. Seeking a solution, the gods decided to divide the world into the heavenly and physical realms. The heavenly realm would exist for gods and spirits, while the physical realm would exist for physical life on earth. At the time of the split, most gods retreated to the heavenly realm — with the exception of Tenius, as he wanted to stay connected to his earth. It was understood, though, that all the gods would still be able to keep watch on the physical realm and to influence its happenings as needed — and that they could visit the physical realm by taking on physical form.

This was also the time when the gods created death, so that humans and demi-humans could live on earth and procreate, but then die and be sent to the heavenly realm as spirits. This, the gods decided, would keep their numbers stable in the more delicate physical realm.

Corvenus became the overseer of death. For this job, he created the Gatherers. The Gatherers, in humanoid form, are often depicted wearing long black cloaks that cover nearly their entire bodies — save for their faces, which resemble the skulls of birds (think: plague doctor masks). The Gatherers are also often depicted as black-feathered birds, with heads that once again resemble bird skulls poking out of hoods. It is the Gatherers' job to retrieve souls from earth and carry them back to the heavenly realm. The Gatherers also collect information on the souls they retrieve — such as the person's age, cause of death, etc — and they bring this data back to Corvenus, so that it can be added to his wealth of knowledge. It is often said that there are plenty of Gatherers existing on earth all the time, but that they are usually invisible -- and only those on death's door are capable of seeing them.

There is no concrete lore on what happens to humans once they reach this "heaven", though some believe that — assuming they are not sent off to Daius — they could potentially become angels. "Angels", in this case, simply refers to servants of the gods. It is sometimes said that each god has their own set of angels, or that the angels serve all the gods collectively, or some combination of the two. Even the Gatherers are typically considered to be a special sort of angel that works for Corvenus, and it is also said that angels can take on many different forms depending on the god they work for. And while many believe that human souls can eventually become angels (or even Gatherers), there is no concrete doctrine on this sort of thing. It would be like trying to describe what exactly Christianity's heaven looks like, or where exactly Christian angels come from. There can be many interpretations, but even the church doesn't seem to be too concerned with pinning down these kinds of details.

The religion of Altera also understands that "demons" can exist, but this term generally applies more specifically to the servants of Daius, and, given what Daius stands for, demons usually come with a much more evil and wicked connotation than the typically good and noble angels. Still, though, a demon is technically only an angel of Daius.