- Invitation Status
- Posting Speed
- Speed of Light
- Multiple posts per day
- Writing Levels
- Intermediate
- Adept
- Advanced
- Genres
- Fantasy, Sci-fi,Magical
(IC)
Story
Humanity was not prepared for the day magic died. In the days of lords and castles, dragons and elves, magic was a fact of life. Then, in an event that shocked the world, it disappeared, and within a century everything that depended on it was gone as well. Civilizations fell, races disappeared, and the mages who were left were so often slain, whether by burning, hanging, or drowning, that the knowledge of magic was reduced not to history but to myth.
Now, the year is 2012. The 21st of December, to be exact. Most of the world laughs at those who take the date seriously, especially because they are not sure why they are so sure that the world will end on this day. When midnight passes and there has been no great cataclysm, they are laughed at.
But as the clock chimes the end of the day, the world does change. Thousands, perhaps even millions, of crystal spires shoot from the earth like needles from a cannon, common in places of nature but ever-so-rarely shattering buildings with the force of their eruption. They are of many sizes, some tall as buildings and others barely the height of a shrub, and their colors are as numerous as one can imagine, but they all bring with them a piece of one thing.
Magic.
Within minutes, the governments of the world have declared a state of emergency. There is no reason why given, only whispered rumors as people are forced back into their homes by police and military. This lasts for days, and the ensuing panic is quickly squashed by military and multiple reports that the crystals are radioactive and should be avoided at all costs. Then comes the video.
A shaky camera shows a ring of hazmat-suited scientists standing around one of the crystals, this one a deep purple and both as tall and thick as the ancient oak trees that surround it. An unmanned robot is probing at the crystal, though apparently its drill is not sufficient to penetrate the crystal.
Then the camera shakes around as whoever's holding it dashes forward, approaching the crystal despite the yells from the other observers. The camera steadies as he reaches the crystal and sets his hand against it.
There are shouts from everywhere as the color of the crystal startsflowing, draining towards the hand and disappearing. In seconds, the process is complete, and the camera turns back to face the crowd of scientists that are watching in awe. The cameraperson lifts their hand at the crowd of scientists, this time in a delicate gesture that is no preparation for what happens next.
A trail of inky black smoke flows from the fingertips of the cameraperson, slowly flowing towards the people who are now running in fear. They're not fast enough, though, and as it reaches each one they drop as if shot. No screams from the dead, only the ones who see them drop until there are none of them left.
The video turns to the face behind the camera, and it's revealed to be a boy no older than twenty with a smile on his face, the emerald green of his wide eyes streaked through with black.
The video fades to black, briefly revealing a message before it ends.
"Magic has returned. It is yours. Use it. Be free."
Mechanics
The use of magic is unlocked by absorbing the energy from one of the crystals, which can be found anywhere nature is concentrated. Once you unlock magic, you can use it in almost any form imaginable, though it takes learning and energy. Some people will also have more of an affinity for one type than another, and it is rare to have an affinity for a magic type that is not one of the primal elements (earth, air, water, fire) or secondary elements (any combination of the primal elements). All magics are available to all magic users, though the only magic that will ever be easy to cast is that which you have an affinity for. Using magic of an affinity that is not your own will be more difficult than usual and require extra energy, while using magic of an affinity opposite to yours is nearly impossible and increases energy cost dramatically.
Magical energy can be manipulated to a very small degree without any method of storage, though any magic performed this way will be extremely weak. A storage of energy is necessary for any respectable feats, and this can be achieved through turning an object or living being into a vessel. Turning an object into a vessel is done by focusing the energy into the object. Any object can be made a vessel, though certain objects, such as gems and anything made of a once-living material, will store much more energy than metals or stone. Magic stored within an object or living being will also make it more resistant to damage, in some cases even enhancing its abilities. The magic stored in vessels will also retain traces of the user's affinity, making magics easier to cast for those who do not posses that affinity naturally.
Vessels can be recharged when completely empty or when partially charged, assuming their natural state when completely drained. However, if the vessel is an object that is not possible without magic (EX: Leaf sword) it will fall apart.
Charging a vessel requires two steps that are usually part of the same process but can, in theory, be done separately or independently of eachother. The first step is converting it from natural energy (that of plants and animals) to that of the magic user's affinity. In the case of most mages, this process comes naturally. The second step is forcing the energy into a vessel. The higher quality the vessel, the more easily the magic will flow into it. The entire process of charging a vessel requires a level of concentration similar to a trance.
Objects being used as vessels are usually still just as fragile as the material they are made of, and so can be destroyed. In the case of most vessels, the magic will either disperse or react violently. This'll depend both on the affinity and amount of magic. However, with the right runes, a vessel can be indestructible until all magic is drained from it, though it will also lose energy whenever it is hit in a way that will normally damage it. If the vessel is destroyed at this point, the fragments would only contain traces of magic if the runes were made with that in mind.
Using multiple vessels can either prolong or amplify magic as the user wishes. There are no benefits energy-wise to using multiple vessels over one vessel that stores the same total energy.
Turning any living being, including yourself, into a vessel will link their life force to the magic. A living vessel will store more energy than any object, but if their stores are ever drained completely, they will die.
Magic always carries with it some degree of the ability to detect magic, though very few people can use this at will and it usually only serves to warn when magic is being used to great effect in a nearby area.
Runic magic is also possible, though only a small portion of those with a physical affinity will be able to use it to any great effect. Runes can be either carved into the object or written on it, though in either situation the runes will be visible. Runes also glow when active. Runes also increase the magical capacity of any object being used as a vessel, though they will burn most living tissue they come in contact with. This makes using runed weapons extremely effective.
In an environment dominated by magic, guns are nearly useless, as the energy required to imbue each bullet with power is too costly to be worth it. While at first glance more powerful weapons appear to make it far easier to kill, the strengthening effect of magic when using one's self as a vessel counteracts this effect almost perfectly. This means that magic weapons are about as deadly as normal weapons were before, while mundane weapons are now much less harmful to the point of barely piercing the skin where previously they would have severed a limb.
Character Sheet
Name:
Age:
Magical Affinity:
Appearance:
Personality Traits:
History:
Rules:
1) Follow Iwaku rules.
2) Swearing is okay, but don't get too excessive with it.
3) Before you go crazy with a new form of magic, check with me. Certain things can't be allowed for fairly obvious reasons.
4) Limit of 2 Characters.
5) If things get too sexy, fade to black or go to a private place.
6) Please try to avoid one-liners or posts that do nothing to move the plot along. It only takes one to kill the action just as it's getting started.
7) Ask me questions! I get them within 30 minutes of you sending me a conversation or posting on the thread (unless I'm asleep) and I don't bite!
Accepted Characters
These are also links to those character's original post because I know how hard it can be to find these sometimes.
@Kathrine's Fern
@Ryder's Alex and Catherine
@Quiet Souris's Leto and Amos
@Lepixi's Taylor
@WanderingSpirit's Markus and Dante
@Spirit Raven's Luke
Story
Humanity was not prepared for the day magic died. In the days of lords and castles, dragons and elves, magic was a fact of life. Then, in an event that shocked the world, it disappeared, and within a century everything that depended on it was gone as well. Civilizations fell, races disappeared, and the mages who were left were so often slain, whether by burning, hanging, or drowning, that the knowledge of magic was reduced not to history but to myth.
Now, the year is 2012. The 21st of December, to be exact. Most of the world laughs at those who take the date seriously, especially because they are not sure why they are so sure that the world will end on this day. When midnight passes and there has been no great cataclysm, they are laughed at.
But as the clock chimes the end of the day, the world does change. Thousands, perhaps even millions, of crystal spires shoot from the earth like needles from a cannon, common in places of nature but ever-so-rarely shattering buildings with the force of their eruption. They are of many sizes, some tall as buildings and others barely the height of a shrub, and their colors are as numerous as one can imagine, but they all bring with them a piece of one thing.
Magic.
Within minutes, the governments of the world have declared a state of emergency. There is no reason why given, only whispered rumors as people are forced back into their homes by police and military. This lasts for days, and the ensuing panic is quickly squashed by military and multiple reports that the crystals are radioactive and should be avoided at all costs. Then comes the video.
A shaky camera shows a ring of hazmat-suited scientists standing around one of the crystals, this one a deep purple and both as tall and thick as the ancient oak trees that surround it. An unmanned robot is probing at the crystal, though apparently its drill is not sufficient to penetrate the crystal.
Then the camera shakes around as whoever's holding it dashes forward, approaching the crystal despite the yells from the other observers. The camera steadies as he reaches the crystal and sets his hand against it.
There are shouts from everywhere as the color of the crystal startsflowing, draining towards the hand and disappearing. In seconds, the process is complete, and the camera turns back to face the crowd of scientists that are watching in awe. The cameraperson lifts their hand at the crowd of scientists, this time in a delicate gesture that is no preparation for what happens next.
A trail of inky black smoke flows from the fingertips of the cameraperson, slowly flowing towards the people who are now running in fear. They're not fast enough, though, and as it reaches each one they drop as if shot. No screams from the dead, only the ones who see them drop until there are none of them left.
The video turns to the face behind the camera, and it's revealed to be a boy no older than twenty with a smile on his face, the emerald green of his wide eyes streaked through with black.
The video fades to black, briefly revealing a message before it ends.
"Magic has returned. It is yours. Use it. Be free."
Mechanics
The use of magic is unlocked by absorbing the energy from one of the crystals, which can be found anywhere nature is concentrated. Once you unlock magic, you can use it in almost any form imaginable, though it takes learning and energy. Some people will also have more of an affinity for one type than another, and it is rare to have an affinity for a magic type that is not one of the primal elements (earth, air, water, fire) or secondary elements (any combination of the primal elements). All magics are available to all magic users, though the only magic that will ever be easy to cast is that which you have an affinity for. Using magic of an affinity that is not your own will be more difficult than usual and require extra energy, while using magic of an affinity opposite to yours is nearly impossible and increases energy cost dramatically.
Magical energy can be manipulated to a very small degree without any method of storage, though any magic performed this way will be extremely weak. A storage of energy is necessary for any respectable feats, and this can be achieved through turning an object or living being into a vessel. Turning an object into a vessel is done by focusing the energy into the object. Any object can be made a vessel, though certain objects, such as gems and anything made of a once-living material, will store much more energy than metals or stone. Magic stored within an object or living being will also make it more resistant to damage, in some cases even enhancing its abilities. The magic stored in vessels will also retain traces of the user's affinity, making magics easier to cast for those who do not posses that affinity naturally.
Vessels can be recharged when completely empty or when partially charged, assuming their natural state when completely drained. However, if the vessel is an object that is not possible without magic (EX: Leaf sword) it will fall apart.
Charging a vessel requires two steps that are usually part of the same process but can, in theory, be done separately or independently of eachother. The first step is converting it from natural energy (that of plants and animals) to that of the magic user's affinity. In the case of most mages, this process comes naturally. The second step is forcing the energy into a vessel. The higher quality the vessel, the more easily the magic will flow into it. The entire process of charging a vessel requires a level of concentration similar to a trance.
Objects being used as vessels are usually still just as fragile as the material they are made of, and so can be destroyed. In the case of most vessels, the magic will either disperse or react violently. This'll depend both on the affinity and amount of magic. However, with the right runes, a vessel can be indestructible until all magic is drained from it, though it will also lose energy whenever it is hit in a way that will normally damage it. If the vessel is destroyed at this point, the fragments would only contain traces of magic if the runes were made with that in mind.
Using multiple vessels can either prolong or amplify magic as the user wishes. There are no benefits energy-wise to using multiple vessels over one vessel that stores the same total energy.
Turning any living being, including yourself, into a vessel will link their life force to the magic. A living vessel will store more energy than any object, but if their stores are ever drained completely, they will die.
Magic always carries with it some degree of the ability to detect magic, though very few people can use this at will and it usually only serves to warn when magic is being used to great effect in a nearby area.
Runic magic is also possible, though only a small portion of those with a physical affinity will be able to use it to any great effect. Runes can be either carved into the object or written on it, though in either situation the runes will be visible. Runes also glow when active. Runes also increase the magical capacity of any object being used as a vessel, though they will burn most living tissue they come in contact with. This makes using runed weapons extremely effective.
In an environment dominated by magic, guns are nearly useless, as the energy required to imbue each bullet with power is too costly to be worth it. While at first glance more powerful weapons appear to make it far easier to kill, the strengthening effect of magic when using one's self as a vessel counteracts this effect almost perfectly. This means that magic weapons are about as deadly as normal weapons were before, while mundane weapons are now much less harmful to the point of barely piercing the skin where previously they would have severed a limb.
Character Sheet
Name:
Age:
Magical Affinity:
Appearance:
Personality Traits:
History:
Rules:
1) Follow Iwaku rules.
2) Swearing is okay, but don't get too excessive with it.
3) Before you go crazy with a new form of magic, check with me. Certain things can't be allowed for fairly obvious reasons.
4) Limit of 2 Characters.
5) If things get too sexy, fade to black or go to a private place.
6) Please try to avoid one-liners or posts that do nothing to move the plot along. It only takes one to kill the action just as it's getting started.
7) Ask me questions! I get them within 30 minutes of you sending me a conversation or posting on the thread (unless I'm asleep) and I don't bite!
Accepted Characters
These are also links to those character's original post because I know how hard it can be to find these sometimes.
@Kathrine's Fern
@Ryder's Alex and Catherine
@Quiet Souris's Leto and Amos
@Lepixi's Taylor
@WanderingSpirit's Markus and Dante
@Spirit Raven's Luke
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