Adventures in Edassa Information Thread (RP Ongoing!)

[Seonid]

And, as promised, here is my new thread!

 

Background:

 

Recently, I decided that I need to move forward with developing my fantasy world. It has been a fun diversion, but little more, for the past decade or so, but I want to buckle down and get serious with all sorts of detail-oriented fleshing out of political structures and relationships, economic trends, and culture-stuff. And working on fleshing out the (currently rather sparse) magic system.

 

So I decided to start a forum roleplay set in the world to help flesh out those things.

 

This thread will be a place to post worldbuilding information, character info, roleplay questions, and basically general discussions. When we are ready to get started, I'll post a new thread for the roleplay itself.

 

Currently, I have posted brief overviews of the cosmology and magic systems. This is strictly background information for now, but creates the framework necessary to understand magic as it will play out in the roleplay itself. Feel free to ask any questions you like about it.

 

This weekend, I will begin posting the brief overviews of the cultural, geographical, and religious systems that populate this world. For now, the sections will remain in this post, but labeled as under construction.

 

 

Cosmology

Composition of Reality -

Reality in this universe functionally consists of three different realms or divisions. The first is the Material Realm (also sometimes called the Material Plane, the Mortal Coil, the Waters of the Incarnate, or Primary World). It consists of regular 4D-space as we experience it, and follows the same laws of physics, with the addition of magic. (There are a few more exceptions that are only relevant in a science fiction setting, and tend to be more engineering hacks then actual law of physics breaking, anyways.) Stars, galaxies, planets, black holes; all of these are characteristics of the Material Realm.

 

The second division is the Spiritual Realm (sometimes called the Astral Plane, the Gates of Heaven, the Heaven of Water, the Divine Mist, the Sea of the Unmanifested, the Primeval Waters, or the Traveler’s Realm). This is akin to the primeval Chaos that existed before the creation of the Universe, but is much more benign. It includes a manifold that completely maps onto the Material Plane, with a one-to-one relationship, but is itself of higher dimensionality. It serves as a connective membrane between the Material Plane and the Outer Realms, and between the different Outer Realms. It is hypothesized that at some distant point, it slowly bleeds back into the primeval Chaos, but there are no confirmations of this.
 

The final division is the set of the Outer Realms. These have many names in many different traditions. A small sampling of these names includes: the Divine Planes, the Kingdoms of Glory, the Heaven of Fire, Realm of the Immortals, The Celestial City, the Secondary Realms, but also includes the Circles of Hades, Gehenna, Realms of the Forsaken. Each Realm is different, based upon the whim and worldview of its ruler, and thus conditions vary widely. The connecting thread that leads these wildly disparate worlds to be classed together lies in the nature of their formation. Each of the Outer Realms is formed by the creative action of a class III intelligent entity or higher, which is almost always its ruler.

 

Classes of Intelligent Entities -

Class 0 - This class is difficult to call intelligent. Some level of self-awareness is present, as well as will, but the will is not strong enough to direct a physical form. Class 0 entities non-sentient life, including both plants and animals. However, a higher-level entity may be reduced to class 0 by direct force. Such an entity cannot be bound to an animal or plant, because the damage sustained has made them fundamentally unable to connect in that manner. It can be thought of as having a broken connector. These entities exist in constant pain, and do not recover on their own, but must instead be resuscitated by a higher-level being through investiture of their own power before they can begin to heal.

 

Class I - This is the fundamental unit of intelligent beings. Most mortals (both embodied and disembodied) and familiar spirits fall into the into this class.

Class II - This class mainly consists of mortals who have been granted access to a higher-level entity's power, or who have devoted their time and talents to magical domination. (Sometimes the two are indistinguishable.)

Class III - This is the lowest class of intelligent beings capable of creating and sustaining a mind-world in the Outer Realms. Most do not create their own, however, instead settling for positions in the hierarchies of higher powers to whom they feel aligned. All entities of this class and higher are able to bestow portions of their power on lower beings. Some few mortals attain this class in life, whether through investiture from a higher power or through their own study.
 

Classes IV and V are able to maintain increasingly complex mind-worlds. Although many may be found among the high-ranking servants and stewards of higher powers, some choose to maintain their own domains. These will be populated by life brought from the Material Realm or other of the Outer Planes; entities of this level cannot create new life on their own. Mortals who are aware of these entities will likely view them as minor gods, angels, or demons, as appropriate to their theology.

 

Class VI - Entities of this class are most likely to create and maintain their own domain. Many are capable of creating new, authentic forms of life, and most are interested in organizing a complex and multi-tiered hierarchy. Some few find service in the courts of the Class VII entities, however, where they serve as regents or stewards at times, so the more powerful being can devote his/her attentions to the work of creation. Mortals would often class such beings as archangels or gods.

 

Class VII - The most powerful observed entities fall into this class. These entities are capable of creating and sustaining extensive mind-worlds, with wholly new and independent ecosystems. They rule over the most extensive and intricate of the Outer Realms, and preside over countless thousands of lesser beings. If mortals are aware of beings of this class, they are invariably portrayed as High Gods, ruling over a pantheon of lesser gods, or a court of angelic servants in monotheistic traditions.

 

Class VIII - This is the presumptive class of the All-Creator, who formed the Material Realm and the Spiritual Realm from the existing “quantum foam.”

 

 

Magic:

Magic consists all non-physical interactions between an intelligent entity and the universe, and is defined by the presence of an intelligent being. It is not a force of its own, although it affects the fundamental forces of the universe. It follows the laws of physics, especially the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. The source of energy to power it varies, but can include chemical or atomic bonds in matter, the spiritual bonds that bind a spirit to a physical body, or access to the inherent energy that animates an intelligent entity.

 

Class III intelligent entities or higher exclusively utilize either their own inherent energy or the inherent energy of a higher entity whom they serve. When expended to cause an effect, it slowly returns with rest and recuperation.

 

Embodied mortals are unable to access their own inherent energy in any meaningful way (with exceptions in the cases of magic users, see below), as most of it is tied up in bonding to their physical body. Mortals must be granted inherent power from another source (Type I magic) in order to use magic in this manner. Otherwise, they instead exercise magical power by leveraging their inherent energy, not expending it. They do this in one of two ways (Types IIa and IIb).

 

Type I Magic:

Mortals, like other intelligent beings, can be invested with a small portion of a higher being's power. This ends up playing out exactly as in the case of higher order beings. When they expend all of the power, they have to wait for it to return through resting. A prime example of this is in the cases where priests of a religion actually wield real magical power. (Sometimes they do, sometimes they just claim to. It depends on the religion, the priest, and the time period.)

 

Type II Magic:

In addition, some mortals have a genetic tendency toward higher awareness of and control over the small portion of inherent power they have left over from their bonds to their body. Development of this ability can occur in one of two ways:

 

Type IIa Magic:

One option is to use this ability to influence or compel other (low-level) beings to use their inherent power. This generally manifests itself as shamanism, although some higher-order beings will grant a mortal servant access to one of their low-level minions instead of endowing them with their personal power.

 

Type IIb Magic:

The other option is to use the small leftover portion of their inherent energy to become a sort of bridge. In essence, they draw energy from somewhere and move it somewhere else, creating a magical effect in the process. It is an almost zero-sum game, and none of the magic-user's inherent energy is expended in the process. The energy that they draw on can come from material substances, like breaking down the chemical bonds in a rock, or from other living creatures. The death of a mortal creature results in the release of a large amount of energy, which can be captured and harnessed. Energy that comes from the physical world, like these forms, can only be accessed by a mortal magic user, although it may be made available to a non-mortal intelligent being.

 

 

Geography - Landscape and Culture

 

Updated with Map!

The Northlands

In the mountain valleys and fjords of the northern coast live the Svalding tribesmen. They are fierce sea raiders, and their distinctive warships are feared up and down both the eastern and western coasts of the continent. Their warriors dress in the skins of animals, and some are reported to fly into fearsome battle rages that make them nearly unstoppable. They fight with axe, sword, and spear in a rough battle line, and their lightly armored soldiers are quick on their feet, able to devastate a town and fall back with the plunder and slaves before help arrives.

Svaldings often hire out as mercenaries, especially in the South, where their skill with thrown axes and brutal ferocity are much prized. The famed Whitesword companies are the most commonly seen in the landlocked south, and are easily identifiable by their distinctive white-lacquered armor and long swords.

In the valleys between the coastal Bearclaw mountains and the inland Skiefyr range, as well as along the flatter northwestern coasts, lie the Varand kingdoms. They are cousins to the Svalding peoples, but they have a far more stratified social structure. Centuries of contact, including sometime domination, by the Kaloneri Empire have changed them, and many of the kingdoms have a modern feudal form, with local lords bearing allegiance to a king or duke. Their footmen tend to fight with halberd or atgeir - the traditional hewing spear - although some still favor the throwing axe and longsword.

East, across a jutting spur of the Bearclaw Mountains, lies the great northern steppes, home to the Nessei tribes. Expert horsemen and mounted archers, they have a long and distinguished history. However, the years of their glory and terror are largely in the distant past, and the modern descendants of the great horselords live in squalor in city slums or shanty towns. Only a fraction of their ancient numbers still roam free across the steppes. These often take service with a local city-state, to protect against bandits, or else take to the life of banditry themselves (or both together). Others hire out as mercenaries in the great wars in the south, and many serve with great distinction.

In the rolling river valleys that form the southern fringe of the northern steppes lie the S'voran nations. These have had a turbulent history, alternately dominated by Nessei horselords and the emperors of Kanraed or Osan. The past centuries, however, have been dictated by their own power. The most powerful of these nations is Alphurin, whose capital at Corento is the center and holy place of the Church of the Martyr.

These nations have been ruled by the whim of the Inquisition of the Holy Church for nearly half a century, which is doing its best to erase the borders between the kingdoms in its dominion. But long-seated cultural differences are hard to eliminate. The northern kingdoms are ruled by descendants of the Nessei horselords, and many of their towns are mere epicenters for streams of nomads who settle down for a few years before moving on to other pastures. The southern kingdoms are ruled by lines that trace back to the earliest S'voran nobility, before any imperial influences exerted dominion over their lands. These stubborn rulers have a veneer of compliance, but the Inquisition exerts constant vigilance to see that their rule is uncontested.

Eastern Seaboard

On the most northern bay of the great east sea is the ancient city of Osan. It is the oldest continually inhabited city on the continent, and home to the God-Emperors of the House of Senlos. Although they are now at the nadir of their power, their history is long and glorious. For centuries, they ruled unchallenged over the entire North, subduing the horselords of the Nessei, the Svalding barbarians, and the pitiful S'voran nations.

Today, the empire is fractured into warring city-states, save for the area near Osan itself. These states live by a strict warrior code of honor, and many will commit ritual suicide rather than shame themselves by breaking it. The strict tenets of the code mandate a formal caste system (although it is not so strict nor so culturally entrenched as that of the Chaod Leu). The nobility must excel in every art, from calligraphy and painting to poetry and war. As a consequence, their schools are the most renowned in the continent, and many nobles from southern kingdoms find themselves sent to study there.

To the south, across the Mountains of the Encircling Sky, live the Sencalonish peoples. They have long been tributaries of the Senlii emperors, and still furnish light cavalry as auxiliary soldiers to this day. They remain perhaps the only place where the old Imperial authority and structure remains, although they ironically are independent from the God-Emperor is Osan, and refuse to recognize his sovereignty. They are ruled by stewards in trust for a more ancient line of Emperors (thought to have been eradicated in a coup over four centuries ago). The hope of a new heir of the royal line has only grown as the years have lengthened.

Further south is the Rakalli Peninsula, named after its eponymous inhabitants. The kingdoms of those desert valleys are renowned horsemen and raiders. Their curved blades have been the end of many invaders, and they have never been under the rule of any foreigner. The Rakalli are also expert sailors (though not the unchallenged rulers of the seas). They have established colonies and kingdoms in the Great Desert across the Middle Sea for almost a millennium, and a third son who finds himself down on his luck will still often essay the crossing to seek his fortune in the desert kingdoms.

Central Plains

The southern end of the Skiefyr mountains opens into a broad and fertile valley. The inhabitants refer to themselves as the Finodhi, from an ancient name for the valley. While the northern kingdoms of the Finodhi have a long tradition of independence, many of the southern kingdoms have only recently become independent from the Kaloneri Empire. The southern nobility are still weak, and their military strength consists of former Imperial garrisons and Volkskreig mercenaries. These mercenary companies are loci of political and military power. Where they are not paid, they ravage and plunder, often holding entire small kingdoms hostage to their exorbitant payrolls. They are skilled fighters, however. They fight on foot, with pike, halberd, and zweihander and supported by crossbowmen. All of their soldiers are more heavily armored than their drafted counterparts (although they tend to eschew the full suits of plate favored by the nobility), which makes them a justly fearsome foe.

West and south of the valley of Finodh, the land opens up into a broad plain. Bordered by the river valleys of the S'vorans to the north and the great Cloudshield mountain range to the south, the area is watered by the tributaries of the great Minhara river. Here the Atani princedoms rule. In the south is the great city of Al'Lidne, home of the Court of the Gods, and center of the worship of the Tribunal. Since the great Unification nearly 600 years ago, the High Priests of the Tribunal have been the de facto rulers of a large portion of the known world. The emperor of Alcorazim was recently annointed by the High Priest, and his armies occupy Al'Lidne, and many of the southern Atani kingdoms recognize his rule.

In the north, however, many of the kingdoms chose to convert to the Church of the Martyr to avoid the dominion of the lords of Alcorazim. They now find themselves caught between the Empire and the Inquisition, and many are thinking twice about their decision. Foremost among these is the kingdom of Menkor, the current heaviest target of the Inquisition.

West lie the remnants of the Kaloneri empire, and the kingdoms that formed in its fall. Chief among these is the kingdom of Gaelet, named after Gaelet of the house of Wyst, duke of the Atani princedom of Caedros. He instigated the fateful rebellion that led to the empire's fall, and founded a kingdom in the ashes. Although the House of Wyst no longer rules, and the palace of the king lies empty in Lushbeck, their kingdom remains a powerful force in regional politics, and has spearheaded the military resistance to the Alcorazimai advance. The elite High Guard lance companies are the terror of their foes, and the current king of the house of Samane is the first to have succeeded against the Empire in an offensive campaign in over a century, due in large part to his young general.

In the far west, the remnants of the Kaloneri empire are shattered by a century of contest over the imperial rule. Kingdoms seldom last beyond the rule of their founder, and most see a violent end. The imperial city of Kanraed is ruled by a governor who recognized the authority of none of the claimants, and is the only marginally stable place in the region.

Minharan Valley and Hill Country

The Oaksridge Mountains jut prominently up from the central plain, bisecting the kingdom of Gaelet. These are ancient peaks, worn down by millions of years of wind and water. The chain winds down into the Ernhardt Gap on the west, which opens into the valleys of the Finodhi to the north. Through this gap flows the turbulent Mirrorglass river. Just south of the Gaeletii borders, it runs into the placid Minhara river. From this Confluence, it flows south, becoming the largest river in the known world, and is over a mile wide when it meets the Jade Sea. In the deep valleys and ravines watered by this river lie countless city-states. Some of these remain under the dominion of the Empire of Alcorazim, but many have thrown off the imperial yoke while the Emperor's attention has been focused on the troublesome Atani kingdoms. These serve as exporters of mercenaries, especially their famed mounted crossbowmen, who are able to rapidly deploy and change the course of a battle.

West of the river, the land rises quickly into sharp, broken hills that stretch for leagues before they finally level out into the coastal western plain.  In these hills and valleys live the Hamadh folk, simple herdsmen and farmers. They live in thatched huts for the most part, and build no grand buildings. They fight on foot, preferring the spear and javelin, and they excel at guerilla warfare. Their broken lands have allowed them to resist the armored cavalry of their more powerful southern neighbors. The northern hills are heavily forested, and in the Nilari river valley, the tribesmen prefer heavy longbows that can pierce all but the heaviest armor. Since the fall of the Kaloneri Empire, these tribesmen have again enjoyed the independence that their relatives to the south still maintain. Their long period under the domination of the empire, however, has left them living in cities and towns more often than in the smaller tribal units of the south.

Ystrad and the Western Coast

Under Construction

Jade Sea and the Malidin Basin

The Minhara River meets the Jade Sea in a wide delta. Much of the land, especially on the eastern side, is marshy and unsuited for building, but the western banks and many of the interior islands are home to the Berydian city states. Named after the native word for the delta, their culture is related to the river states to the north, but they have been dominated by the Alcorazimai Empire for far longer. Even so, they still serve as some of the largest exporters of mercenary companies in the world, hiring out pikemen and soldiers armed with the newest gunpowder weapons to all and sundry.

The western coast of the Jade sea is rocky and unappealing. It is largely uninhabited south of the short Killipeck river, which flows down from the western slopes of the Cloudshield range to meet the sea south of Anlos, the most eastern of the Berydian states. From there, the rocky land stretches empty from the mountains to the Strait of Cormain, which connects the Jade Sea to the Middle Sea.

The fertile southern shores of the Jade Sea ries quickly into scattered mountain ridges and rolling hills, broken by broad, well-watered valleys. Here, on the river Syrich, is the city of Alcorazim, center of the most powerful empire in the world and home to the Denvali Emperors, the most powerful family on the continent. The Alcorazimai Raven Guard have extended the power of the empire all the way to the walls of Al'Lidne to the north, and to the northern slopes of the Dragonspine mountains to the south, which bar further travel southwards. The Imperial culture is highly militaristic, and the quickest path to political power is successful conquest for the Empire.

The eastern coast sees the mouth of the Malidin river, which waters a broad, gently rolling basin that stretches to the hill country, which borders it on three sides. This is the home of the once glorious empire of Navar, now  wholly under Alcorazimai dominion. In the north, several of the Hamadh tribal peoples now find themselves ruling client states on behalf of Alcorazim, and they have wasted no time in turning the tables on their former oppressors. The city of Navar is a burned out shell, still uninhabited fifty years after the siege in which it fell. Still, the Navarans are a proud people, and rebellion against Alcorazim or its client states happen at least twice a decade. Although no kingdom has maintained independence, rebel groups still dot the countryside, burning Imperial storehouses and raiding their garrisons as acts of defiance.

The Middle Sea and the Taravoy Islands

Under Construction

The Jyid

The great southern jungle covers half of the continent, stretching from the Dragonspine mountains, which bisect the continent, in the north to the southern ocean. This jungle, its river, and its inhabitants are both called the Jyid by outsiders, though those living there have their own names for each other. The great Jyid river (wider even than the Minhara of the north when it meets the sea) empties into a large, marshy delta. The plants on the shore grow too thick for anything to be built or for anyone to live, but some of the islands are inhabited. The largest, and farthest out into the ocean, holds the city of Leoned, founded by Taravoy slave traders. It has grown to be the center of the slave trade for the whole continent. From its walled enclosure, merchants from many kingdoms mount expeditions into the jungle to bring back the valuable natives as slaves.

To the south is the vast empire of Sorniss. It compels the obedience of a vast coalition of tribes, and has built massive stone cities that tower over the jungle like vengeful sentinels. From theses towering temple-cities, hundreds of prisoners are sacrificed daily to the great Jaguar God, Lord of the Underworld. They are constantly at war, bringing home captives to sate the lust of the Jaguar.

 

 

Geography - Politics and Religion

Under construction!

 

 

Summer, 1375 S. E., City of Menkor

RP Thread

Players currently participating:

 

Voidus

BreathTaker

Mailliw73

Lightsworn Panda

Unodus

The Only Joe

Kobold King

Edited January 29, 2015 by Seonid

[Mailliw73]

Do each of the Outer Realms have their own Material Realm or are they completely cognitive places?

[Kobold King]

Are there sapient beings besides humans in this setting?

Edited October 22, 2014 by Kobold King

[Seonid]

Do each of the Outer Realms have their own Material Realm or are they completely cognitive places?

 

That's a good question. All of the Outer Realms are Material places, they aren't solely spiritual. But there are important distinctions between them and the Material Realm. For one thing, almost none of the Outer Realms actually has stars or suns or planets. Oh, most of them, if you go there, will have a night sky that you can look up at, and it won't be empty, but if you built a rocket and tried to get to a star, you'd leave the bounds of the Realm very quickly. A telescope wouldn't be able to magnify the stars or moon, either, because they are projections, not solid things.

 

This brings up another point of difference. The Material Realm is far more elegantly and efficiently designed. Although some of the Outer Realms are fantastically beautiful, especially to mortal eyes, on closer examination they seem to be more brute-force things. This has much to do with the differences between creators. The All-Father waved his hand and - POOF - a singularity that rapidly expanded to become a universe, matter condensing into galaxies and stars and planets. Another intervention, and life is evolving anywhere it can get a foot in the door. Lesser beings can't manage the level of fine-tuned control over astrophysics or evolution, so they settle for mockups and special creation.

 

In addition, the Material Realm has much more...permanence...to it. A mind-world will fade away, back into the spiritual realm if it is not maintained by its creator. The more powerful the creator, the longer it takes to fade, but leave it long enough and it will be gone. In contrast, the Material Realm was created in such a manner that it sticks around. The matter inside may one day die an entropy death, but the space and time are permanent, and show no signs of reverting back to the spiritual realm.

 

Another way of looking at these points: The Material Realm can accurately be thought of as the All-Creator's mind-world.

 

The last major difference is that mortals can only live in the Material Realm. Mortal travelers can visit the Outer Realms, sometimes for extended periods of time, but their bodies start to feel the strain of living in a world that they weren't made for. Some of them are explicitly life-threatening, either too glorious or too inimical for mortal life to withstand, but even the congenial ones eventually put a strain on organs and muscles, and even more on the impermanent bonds between body and spirit that typify mortal beings.

 

 

Are their sapient beings besides humans in this setting?

 

I'm wavering back and forth on that one.

 

Well, the strict answer is yes. Definitely. A powerful entity can create a biological (or non-biological!) body and bond a disembodied spirit to it, and that spirit/entity will be a sapient being. These are definitely non-human sapients.

 

But are there other non-human but mortal sapient races, capable of independent reproduction? That's what I'm still trying to decide. If there were, they would all be humanoid.

 

I think, at this point, that the safest answer is "If there are, they have not yet featured into any of the stories I have tried to tell."

[Tulir]

I am in, sometime today I will look at everything in depth.

[Seonid]

Sweet! I have updated the OP

[Kobold King]

I'm wavering back and forth on that one.

 

Well, the strict answer is yes. Definitely. A powerful entity can create a biological (or non-biological!) body and bond a disembodied spirit to it, and that spirit/entity will be a sapient being. These are definitely non-human sapients.

 

But are there other non-human but mortal sapient races, capable of independent reproduction? That's what I'm still trying to decide. If there were, they would all be humanoid.

 

I think, at this point, that the safest answer is "If there are, they have not yet featured into any of the stories I have tried to tell."

 

Neat--and in general, this is a pretty awesome setting.

 

Two more questions, for now at least.

 

Is there a solid afterlife present within this cosmology, or is the existence of such left to the imagination of the reader?

 

Also, what role will the players occupy in this RP; will they play as lesser mortals, or will they be allowed to play as powerful entities with access to their own mind-worlds?

[Mailliw73]

That's a good question. All of the Outer Realms are Material places, they aren't solely spiritual. But there are important distinctions between them and the Material Realm. For one thing, almost none of the Outer Realms actually has stars or suns or planets. Oh, most of them, if you go there, will have a night sky that you can look up at, and it won't be empty, but if you built a rocket and tried to get to a star, you'd leave the bounds of the Realm very quickly. A telescope wouldn't be able to magnify the stars or moon, either, because they are projections, not solid things.

 

This brings up another point of difference. The Material Realm is far more elegantly and efficiently designed. Although some of the Outer Realms are fantastically beautiful, especially to mortal eyes, on closer examination they seem to be more brute-force things. This has much to do with the differences between creators. The All-Father waved his hand and - POOF - a singularity that rapidly expanded to become a universe, matter condensing into galaxies and stars and planets. Another intervention, and life is evolving anywhere it can get a foot in the door. Lesser beings can't manage the level of fine-tuned control over astrophysics or evolution, so they settle for mockups and special creation.

 

In addition, the Material Realm has much more...permanence...to it. A mind-world will fade away, back into the spiritual realm if it is not maintained by its creator. The more powerful the creator, the longer it takes to fade, but leave it long enough and it will be gone. In contrast, the Material Realm was created in such a manner that it sticks around. The matter inside may one day die an entropy death, but the space and time are permanent, and show no signs of reverting back to the spiritual realm.

 

Another way of looking at these points: The Material Realm can accurately be thought of as the All-Creator's mind-world.

 

The last major difference is that mortals can only live in the Material Realm. Mortal travelers can visit the Outer Realms, sometimes for extended periods of time, but their bodies start to feel the strain of living in a world that they weren't made for. Some of them are explicitly life-threatening, either too glorious or too inimical for mortal life to withstand, but even the congenial ones eventually put a strain on organs and muscles, and even more on the impermanent bonds between body and spirit that typify mortal beings.

 

 

 

I'm wavering back and forth on that one.

 

Well, the strict answer is yes. Definitely. A powerful entity can create a biological (or non-biological!) body and bond a disembodied spirit to it, and that spirit/entity will be a sapient being. These are definitely non-human sapients.

 

But are there other non-human but mortal sapient races, capable of independent reproduction? That's what I'm still trying to decide. If there were, they would all be humanoid.

 

I think, at this point, that the safest answer is "If there are, they have not yet featured into any of the stories I have tried to tell."

 

Okay. So, The Material Realm is like the perfect one and the other mind-worlds are imperfect copies of it made by lesser beings?

 

How do the other realms become populated if mortals can't travel there?

 

Sweet! I have updated the OP

 

What did you update, if i may ask? Also, I want to join, I just don't know about time yet. I'll definitely be keeping tabs on it for sure.

 

Neat--and in general, this is a pretty awesome setting.

 

Two more questions, for now at least.

 

Is there a solid afterlife present within this cosmology, or is the existence of such left to the imagination of the reader?

 

Also, what role will the players occupy in this RP; will they play as lesser mortals, or will they be allowed to play as powerful entities with access to their own mind-worlds?

THIS. 

 

Kobold, are you joining?

[Tulir]

What did you update, if i may ask? Also, I want to join, I just don't know about time yet. I'll definitely be keeping tabs on it for sure.

 

THIS. 

 

Kobold, are you joining?

I think the update was just moving me from the Maybe realm to the Yes Realm.

[Seonid]

Neat--and in general, this is a pretty awesome setting.

 

Thanks!

 

Is there a solid afterlife present within this cosmology, or is the existence of such left to the imagination of the reader?

 

Yes. There is definitely a solid afterlife. The souls of a mortal being are intelligent entities of the same kind as even the most powerful Class VII potentate. When a mortal dies, its soul is liberated from the body at the place of death. After a period of disorientation, which varies from person to person, the soul becomes again fully aware. They are an incorporeal being in the Material Realm, but can easily pass into the Spiritual Realm and thence into the Outer Realms due to this nature [embodied (and therefore presumably still living - although I haven't ruled out the undead) mortals require rather special conditions to be able to transition; it happens, but it is rare].

 

In the vast majority of cases, the recently departed soul is met by a representative of one of the Outer Realms and guided there to reside. I have not fully worked out the criteria that determines which of the Outer Realms sends a representative, but a hefty consideration involves the character, personality, and life choices. An analogy might be drawn with Radiantspren - the character of the potential Knight Radiant draws a particular type of spren to them; in the same manner, the Outer Realm most like the deceased is drawn to their passing.

 

A deceased soul can undergo a sort of resurrection - more akin to the Christian version than the traditional fantasy trope of simply being recalled back to life in a mortal body - and become again bound with a corporeal form, but this time as an immortal being. This process generally occurs simultaneously with their being invested with a higher being's power. Rarely, a high-level entity may transport a mortal directly to their Realm, bypassing the whole death thing, and alter their makeup so that they can endure and even thrive in the Outer Realms. Even more rarely, a mortal arrives upon the knowledge and has the power to ascend to such a level on their own.

 

Tangential point - intelligent entities can go up and down in power levels as they increase their capacity/have power invested in them or have it stripped from them. A mortal ascending to the point where they can survive in the Outer Planes must rise to a Class III being as well as go through a process that renders them fit for the Outer Realms. Hence why it is so rare. Those few that do tend to carve out their own planes, accepting the overlordship of no one.

 

 

Okay. So, The Material Realm is like the perfect one and the other mind-worlds are imperfect copies of it made by lesser beings?

 

Yes. The word copies might be a little bit misplaced, as the rulers of the other mind-worlds are not really attempting to duplicate any specific portion of the Material Realm. Actually, most of them are striving for some sort of originality or at least their own individual mark. However, while they are not attempting to mimic the content of the Material Realm (in fact, in the most beautiful of the Outer Realms, the content compares quite favorably), they are consciously attempting to duplicate its structure, and this they do imperfectly.

 

 

How do the other realms become populated if mortals can't travel there?

 

See my answer to Kobold King's question above.

 

 

What did you update, if i may ask? Also, I want to join, I just don't know about time yet. I'll definitely be keeping tabs on it for sure.

 

I just switched his name to the participating list rather than the maybe list. I'll swap yours right after this post.

 

 

Also, what role will the players occupy in this RP; will they play as lesser mortals, or will they be allowed to play as powerful entities with access to their own mind-worlds?

 

THIS. 

 

 

I'm open to votes on both counts. Both areas need fleshing out. But, I have the most material already prepared for the lesser mortals. My actual preferred course would be to start with an RP about lesser mortals, some of whom were magic users, and maybe do a spin-off later with a mixed cast of mortal Realm Travelers and higher powered entities. Kind of like what has happened with the Portland RP spinning off into The Dalles.

 

Of course, like I said, I'm open to suggestions about which sounds more fun to you guys. There's enough room for fleshing out that it would all be a valuable exercise to me.

Edited October 23, 2014 by Seonid

[Lightsworn Panda]

Hmm... Looks interesting. I'm in! 

 

(If I ever happen to become a VI+ being, be assured that I will create a world and ecosystem populated by pandas. )

[Seonid]

Hmm... Looks interesting. I'm in! 

 

Sounds great! Happy to have you!

 

 

(If I ever happen to become a VI+ being, be assured that I will create a world and ecosystem populated by pandas. )

 

I would expect nothing less.

Edited October 23, 2014 by Seonid

[Kobold King]

I'm open to votes on both counts. Both areas need fleshing out. But, I have the most material already prepared for the lesser mortals. My actual preferred course would be to start with an RP about lesser mortals, some of whom were magic users, and maybe do a spin-off later with a mixed cast of mortal Realm Travelers and higher powered entities. Kind of like what has happened with the Portland RP spinning off into The Dalles.

 

Of course, like I said, I'm open to suggestions about which sounds more fun to you guys. There's enough room for fleshing out that it would all be a valuable exercise to me.

 

I think it would be immensely fascinating to see an RP where players govern their own pocket universes, essentially being the gods and GMs of their own settings while crossing into other realms.

 

That said, I don't know if that fits with the overall theme and concept you have for this setting. If the option to play as an eldritch demigod of Lovecraftian proportions were given, the RP would likely wind up solely concentrated on beings of that scale. It might be hard to give mere mortals a fair shake at heroism in such an environment.

 

Don't get me wrong, this would be amazing to see on its own merit. But if you envision this as a "characters meet up in a tavern and have an adventure" sort of thing, than putting matters of such a cosmological scale in the hands of players could derail the story line in unpredictable directions.

 

Overall it's up to you. It's your wonderful idea, after all--those are just some random thoughts of mine.

 

 

Kobold, are you joining?

 

Maybe. Right now I'm trying to get a feel for what sort of game this is intended to be, and if I have a cool idea for a character that fits with the theme, then I'll sign up in a heartbeat.  

[Seonid]

I think it would be immensely fascinating to see an RP where players govern their own pocket universes, essentially being the gods and GMs of their own settings while crossing into other realms.

 

That said, I don't know if that fits with the overall theme and concept you have for this setting. If the option to play as an eldritch demigod of Lovecraftian proportions were given, the RP would likely wind up solely concentrated on beings of that scale. It might be hard to give mere mortals a fair shake at heroism in such an environment.

 

Don't get me wrong, this would be amazing to see on its own merit. But if you envision this as a "characters meet up in a tavern and have an adventure" sort of thing, than putting matters of such a cosmological scale in the hands of players could derail the story line in unpredictable directions.

 

Overall it's up to you. It's your wonderful idea, after all--those are just some random thoughts of mine.

 

After further thought, I think that my preferred course is the best way to go.

 

So: We will be playing as mortals on a planet called Nycten IV (the fourth planet around the star Nycten). The locals don't call it that, of course. Most of them aren't aware of star systems or much of modern astronomy. (Or ancient astronomy, for that matter). In fact, they aren't even aware of the existence of other continents. Their own continent is all that they know, and they call it Edassa.

 

At some future time, if there is interest, we can do a spin-off as a mix of mortal worldhoppers and level III-V immortals, but let's get this setting down first. As the OP says, I'll get the geography, culture, and politics updated this weekend, and then we can get some characters started!

[Tulir]

After further thought, I think that my preferred course is the best way to go.

 

So: We will be playing as mortals on a planet called Nycten IV (the fourth planet around the star Nycten). The locals don't call it that, of course. Most of them aren't aware of star systems or much of modern astronomy. (Or ancient astronomy, for that matter). In fact, they aren't even aware of the existence of other continents. Their own continent is all that they know, and they call it Edassa.

 

At some future time, if there is interest, we can do a spin-off as a mix of mortal worldhoppers and level III-V immortals, but let's get this setting down first. As the OP says, I'll get the geography, culture, and politics updated this weekend, and then we can get some characters started!

Sweet, looking forward to reading all of it.

[Voidus]

All looks great, how common is the third type of magic? And I'd appreciate some more clarification on the second type too, is it something anyone can do? How exactly do they influence or compel other lower levelled beings?

[BreathTaker]

Are all of the other continents going to be basically cave men too or are there current level of technology continents? I'm thinking of a character that can fit here and not be my usual, Red/Green (MTG reference) hulkamania destructobot. And make him more of a spiritual bounty hunter. Spiritual in the sense that either he can tap himself or he's invested with a low order being. Would that work for your story line?

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

 

Stupid professors. 

 

But seriously, if I had more time on my hands, I would sign up for this in a heartbeat. 

[Mailliw73]

Can a human only use one of the three types of magic or is it possible to use all of them? Can you expound on the second and third types?

[Seonid]

 

Stupid professors. 

 

But seriously, if I had more time on my hands, I would sign up for this in a heartbeat. 

 

I understand the feeling. If you find yourself in a position to have more time on your hands, jump on in!

 

And of course, don't let the fact that you're not actively playing stop you from giving suggestions or feedback or worldbuilding advice or whatever.

 

 

All looks great, how common is the third type of magic? And I'd appreciate some more clarification on the second type too, is it something anyone can do? How exactly do they influence or compel other lower levelled beings?

 

Can a human only use one of the three types of magic or is it possible to use all of them? Can you expound on the second and third types?

 

My posts are getting rather long, so I'll put the long detailed answers (and any tangents) in spoilers to keep the length manageable.

 

NOTE: I have updated the OP, indicating that the second and third kind of magics are now both genetic, and are different ways of using the inherent power leftover in a class I mortal. Therefore, I have decided to call them different uses of the same type of magic. More detail is in the OP, or below.

 

Here we go. Clarification on the two different forms of Type II magic. Wall of text incoming! You have been warned.

 

Type IIa Magic

The first way of using type II magic (as defined in the OP) we will refer to as either sorcery or shamanism, until I come up with a good in-world use for it. (For completeness, Type I magic we will call Art) These are two sub-groups of this broad type, we will consider shamanism first. Practitioners of shamanism are aware that the world is teeming with spirits of all shapes and sizes (but mostly just Class I beings. There are a few class II's and even fewer class III's, but anything higher than that is interacting in the Outer Realms), and are interested in persuading these spirits to affect the world on their behalf. They start at a young age learning how to recognize whether a spirit is present, how to put themselves in a state of mind such that they can see and interact with them, the proper ways of appeasing them and approaching them, how to be respectful and avoid antagonizing them, and so on. A whole lot of what they learn is actually superstition instead of truth mapping to reality (although there may be accurate things hidden in the superstition), but the end result does work. The mechanics basically involve harnessing their leftover energy and channeling it into awareness of the world.

 

Shamans generally have to get to know the spirits in the area to have a hope of offering persuasion. That's another reason that they start so young. By the time that they are older, they can go into new areas and learn the spirits there, too, but it's not as effective. For this reason, even nomadic peoples tend to remain in the same areas. If they move around a lot, they follow a specific and predictable pattern so that their shamans are interacting with spirits they've met everywhere they go. Some shamans may pick up a wild spirit that follows them around, eventually becoming a constant, if sometimes fickle and unpredictable, companion. This spirit is far more likely to interact with the world on the shaman's behalf.

 

Sorcery is different. A sorcerer, first, must be a person of exceptional charisma and mental fortitude, as they choose to channel their energy into dominating lesser entities (still class I, but power levels do vary among members of the same class). A few points to notice here - no intelligent entity can be forced against their will to do something (although an embodied entity can have the links between their will and their body hijacked - this would be the explanation of possession and similar processes). They can, however, be bound by promises - covenants, and if enough power is present in the covenant-making ritual, they are not capable of breaking it. It should be noted that there must be more power sunk into the bonds than the entity has at their disposal. If the entity gains more power, they might have the ability to expend it and break the bonds. These covenants must be freely entered into (although being tricked into accepting the bond still counts as freely entering it). The power in the bonds enforces the covenant by the infliction of mental anguish. The spirit freely chooses to act inline with the covenant (which usually includes exact obedience) because they do not wish to face the pain.

 

Some spirits choose to willingly serve, either to jointly work towards accomplishing some goal, or because they have some emotional connection to the person that they are covenanting with. These covenants tend to include requirements of behavior on the part of the practitioner as well as the spirit - these are well suited to certain religious orders. Also, some higher powers may choose to bond one of their low-level minions to a servant in lieu of investing them with power (note that the recipient did NOT have to have the gene to make this happen, the higher power is able to facilitate it without the genetic heritage). Although this is technically different, the end result plays out the same as if the person had created the bond to begin with.

 

Either way, the practical effect is that the sorcerer has a servant to do his bidding. The servant, being unembodied, has full access to their inherent power and can use it to affect the world. Because of different ways of perceiving the world between embodied and unembodied entities, the sorcerer must give extremely detailed commands to get the desired effect. Also, all commands must be given at once, with the end result that even simple tasks require complicated thinking through. The practical upshot of this is that the sorcerer ends up studying. A lot. Their predecessors have left books full of the best ways to accomplish tasks, and so the sorcerer tries to acquire these books and to study them. To aid the memory, these complexes of commands - let's call them spells - are often associated with ritual phrases and incantations, movements, and sometimes even material focuses. Since they take so long to accomplish, the sorcerer tends go through all of the preliminary preparations early in the day, holding the spell nearly-complete in his or her mind until they are ready to cast it. The more experienced they are, the more spells they can hold like that in their mind, but the more complex the spell, the more concentration it requires to hold it in their mind.

 

Of course, the sorcerer is not limited to using spells this way. They can always do magic the long way around. The downshot is that holding spells in the mind like that is mentally taxing enough that they generally can't do them the long way. It's a choice between ease of use and being limited to what you have prepared for the day, I'm afraid. Of course, an experienced sorcerer could hold a variety of simple spells in his mind while he worked through his powerful and complex magics the long, hard way. This approach is valuable because there are some (many?) spells that are just too complex to hold in the mind at all. The standard practice is to prepare the simple spells while you are at home, leaving the majority of your stamina for working magics the long way, but to exhaustively prepare all the way up to your mental limit while traveling, because taking half an hour to cast a fireball because you were ambushed sucks.

 

(Astute readers may notice influence from the D&D Wizard class on the practical ways sorcerers end up doing magic. This may or may not have been deliberate.)

 

The bound entity - let's call it a familiar for now, until I come up with a better in-world term - generally uses its own inherent power. Even though it's just class I, the fact that it's unembodied means that it has huge amounts of energy available to it that mortals do not. A sorcerer could use Type IIb magic (even without training) to provide extra power to a familiar, but the amount of energy in the bonds in a rock is 100 or 1000 times smaller than the energy that the familiar already has. On the other hand, the energy released by a mortal's death is on the same order as the familiar's own energy, and some unprincipled sorcerers have been known to power up their familiars via that method (see below).

 

Type IIb Magic

NOTE: I have updated the Cosmology section with a section on Class 0 Intelligent Entities. The concepts are referenced here.

 

Type IIb magic relies on the practitioner using their own inherent power to form a "bridge" between some source of energy and a desired effect that requires it. Let's call it "magery" for now, until I find an appropriate in-world term. The sources of energy most commonly used in magery are chemical bonds, such as those between the molecules of a rock. The energy inherent in the bonds that connect intelligent entities to living things can also be used, but only by severing the bonds: i.e. killing the living thing.

 

It should be noted that the so-called "death energy" of a class 0 intelligence is several orders of magnitude smaller than that of a class I (the same does not hold for class II or III entities bound in mortal form, or in any entities bound into immortal form - the "death energy," or the energy stored in the bonds that hold the spirit to the form is a function of the form. A mortal form requires x energy, regardless of the class of the entity being bound. An immortal form of some sort requires some other amount of energy, again, form-dependent), and that the yield gained from killing plants/animals is roughly equivalent to the yield gained by breaking bonds in rock or soil or dead organic matter or metal or what have you. But getting 100 or 1000 times more energy from killing a mortal...that can be tempting. Most of the people who practice this kind of magic consider killing to gain energy unethical, even for plants and animals. Even those who don't consider killing plants/animals for energy to be unethical generally don't because other materials are equally capable. The few who think it's ok to kill mortals for energy though, they are the really dangerous ones. And they are made even more so by the larger amounts of energy they have available to use.

 

The reason that mortals are so much more powerful sources is also because it is so easy to sever the bonds. With rocks, you have to break the bonds mentally, which takes energy. You could get just as much energy out of a rock as a person, but it takes much more energy, and much more time. With a person, of course, there are just as many bonds, and those are even harder to break mentally (almost impossible without taking energy from another source). But why do it that way when an old-fashioned sword-swing will do the trick?

 

Once the energy is obtained, no matter the source, it must be quickly transitioned (on the order of milliseconds) to the desired effect in order to avoid damaging either the body or the connection between body and spirit (it won't actually damage the spirit, though. It takes much, much more force to actually do something like that. Like, say the power available to a class V). It is probably more helpful to illustrate by example:

 

Kedonai, a battlemage (who uses type IIb magic) enjoys fire, and would like to create a fireball. (The fact that he's being charged by a horde of cultists intent on bringing him back to kill for his energy has little to do with it.) He therefore reaches into the ground nearby, breaking a few chemical bonds, enough to supply the energy he needs. He then pushes that energy into a ball of flames and sends it hurtling towards his intended destination. Some of the energy is expended in keeping the ball of flames together, some is expended in pushing it towards its destination, the rest is put into keeping the flames burning without fuel. It reaches its destination, explodes, and everything is happy.

 

It should be noted that causing effects at a distance takes much more energy (it follows an inverse r-squared law, like gravity - to the first-order approximation - or electromagnetism). This is universal to all forms of magic, but applies mainly to mages because sorcerers can just have their familiars go right up to the spot they are going to affect.

 

Magic and Genetics

Both Type IIa and Type IIb magic are genetically inherited (and in fact are based on the same gene). The genetics means that you have enough awareness and control over your class I soul that you can use the tiny amount of energy to create the bridge or to interact with the spirits. A mortal with excess energy available to them, like a class II or class III, would be able to do this regardless of genetics, if they ever bothered to learn. Technically, due to interbreeding, most people nowadays have the gene in their makeup, but it isn't expressed strongly enough to manifest. Even among those who could be trained to use it, many grow up never knowing it, because . Some few prodigies stumble across the effects on their own, and a few religions teach the methods to their adherents (one is made up of a whole community of strong bloodlines. They are highly xenophobic, but train powerful magic users. Pity everyone else views them with suspicion too), but it is quite rare. Maybe 1 in 10,000 in the general population. If the community with strong bloodlines sticks together (and can avoid being mobbed out of house and home), they can get 1 in 10 or potentially even higher.

 

A person using Type IIa magic can use Type IIb, or vice versa, but it is tough to do them both at the same time. Storing spells in your mind takes up the mental energy that you have available to be a bridge, and vice versa. Also, both types take significant amounts of practice and specialized routines - just because you have expanded your mind enough to hold a lot of spells doesn't mean that you've expanded it in the ways that let you be a good bridge. In fact, it would be like the difference between a soccer player and a shot-putter. Both work out their physical bodies, but with significantly different focuses, and so a good shot-putter is probably also not a good soccer player. Most practitioners tend to specialize in one or the other, due to these factors. If the practitioner grows up in a community, they tend to specialize in one or the other, with strict social taboos against experimentation outside cultural norms.

 

A quick tangential aside on magical objects. As you might be able to guess so far, no objects are truly magical. However, they can become imbued with power in one of two ways.

 

1 - A sorcerer may choose to permanently bind a spirit to an object, generally giving them a particular order. One could be bonded to a sword, for example, with the instructions to appear as a burst of fire every time it strikes, enhancing the blow. The potential uses are as limitless as your imagination and your supply of spirits. Such items could easily be made operable by almost anyone.

 

2 - A mage might sink energy obtained from some other source into some material with a large capacity to absorb and retain it. The benefit of this energy supply is that he would be able to pull out much more energy than normal with a lot less effort. He'd have to make sure that his mind was up to it, though. Such an energy supply could also be used to power a long-lasting effect, such as a magical shield, draining the excess energy away slowly. A mage could also create a more conventional magical item, but it would require a mage to operate. For example, a mage could take a sword, sink extra power into it, and call that power out as a burst of fire, electricity, a force amplifier, etc whenever he struck, but a non-mage couldn't access that power. And really, it would just be an energy supply that another mage could do whatever he wanted with. So it isn't a magic sword, per se, just an energy supply used to power a certain kind of trick.

 

 

Are all of the other continents going to be basically cave men too or are there current level of technology continents? I'm thinking of a character that can fit here and not be my usual, Red/Green (MTG reference) hulkamania destructobot. And make him more of a spiritual bounty hunter. Spiritual in the sense that either he can tap himself or he's invested with a low order being. Would that work for your story line?

 

No modern tech on this planet right now. Depending on the time period I end up choosing, this continent could range from a mix of late dark ages/early medieval tech and military usage all the way up to late medieval mixing with early to middle Renaissance (although some areas, particularly the north-northwest areas will remain early medieval all the way through the end of the period we're considering - they still retain a tribal way of life). I really need to get a map up.* At about the same time I get the culture posts up.

 

As far as your character, he would certainly work. Magic during this period is dominated by religion, but is not exclusively religious. So your character could be a bounty hunter in the service of, say, the Court of the Gods, or an Inquisitor of the Church of the Martyr (or one of the other religions, though those two would be the most likely to actively train that skillset). Or you could have left a religious order or gotten powers outside of one and work in the service of a government or as a mercenary. Any of these would be consistent with the world.

 

One word of caution - the general populace does not especially like magic. They don't understand it. They don't realize that it's the same things that the priests do, and so they are very suspicious. In all fairness, they don't much like priestly magic either. They accept what little of it shows up in their regular ritual practices, and are content to let the priests do their thing up in the temple as long as it doesn't come out of there. This suspicion just grows the later into the period we get.

 

 

*Tangential map information

Technically, I have a map, but it is hand drawn in light pencil - very bad for computer scanning. I'm experimenting with Hexographer to get a digital version. If that doesn't work out well, then I'll switch to one of the Civilization-series map editors; either 5 for the nifty features and cool graphics, or 2 because I'm familiar with it.

 

 

 

Actually, this brings up a good question. Since it seems like all y'all are brainstorming characters fast and furious, we need to nail down the time period in question rather quickly. Physical area is less important, as there is enough travel to get pretty much anybody from any of the cultures to wherever we choose to set it. But the time period will be a significant factor. It determines cultural relationships and extents, determines which political regimes are in power, and is relevant to the development of the specific religions, as well. There are even one or two that disappear during this time period.

 

So, for this continent, there is about a 400 year span that I'm particularly interested in, ranging from about 1000-1400 in the Second Era.** Hmm...now to figure out how to assess this...

 

Gaah! It's all interrelated. The differences in historical data won't make any sense until I get the cultural/political stuff up, and so on. I'll throw in some historical information in those posts, too.

 

Better way of addressing the question. I'll post six years (in the next post) as potential settings, complete with in-world references to cultural, political, religious, and technological happenings. You guys give me feedback on which ones sound most awesome.

 

 

**Tangential calendrical information:

Dating schema varied widely during this time, and were not standardized until much later. The Era classifications are a standardized dating system of an early modern culture, about 400 years ahead of the time we're considering, but the dates for this period are modeled off of the dominant Imperial Kaloneri calendar, which was a major cultural force across the whole region until about 1350 or so.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Seonid

[Voidus]

Loving how much worldbuilding you've put into this, I have a couple of character ideas, will post when I've fleshed them out a bit with the culture info. when it comes out.

[Mailliw73]

I think I understand the magic a lot better now. Thanks! I do have a few clarifying questions though: 

 

So, Type IIa magic is used by Shamans and Sorcerers. Shamans learn about spirits and persuade them to do their will. Sorcerer's dominate spirits and force them. Correct?

 

Type IIb is used by Mages. They have to(?) touch a source to draw energy from it. Correct?

 

Shamans and Sorcerers have to memorize spells to use magic, while Mages just harness energy from spirits?

[Seonid]

Loving how much worldbuilding you've put into this, I have a couple of character ideas, will post when I've fleshed them out a bit with the culture info. when it comes out.

 

Thanks! I look forward to seeing them.

 

I think I understand the magic a lot better now. Thanks! I do have a few clarifying questions though: 

 

So, Type IIa magic is used by Shamans and Sorcerers. Shamans learn about spirits and persuade them to do their will. Sorcerer's dominate spirits and force them. Correct?

 

Type IIb is used by Mages. They have to(?) touch a source to draw energy from it. Correct?

 

Shamans and Sorcerers have to memorize spells to use magic, while Mages just harness energy from spirits?

 

The summary is almost 100% correct. Mages draw their power from physical objects (or severed bonds between spirits and bodies), not spirits. But other than that, you're right on.

 

I might make a few adjustments to whether sorcerers use their own familiars exclusively, or whether the bulk of their magic is performed by other spirits bullied into serving them for the duration of one spell, while the familiars are bound to long-term service. I'm leaning toward the second option, but I need to think it through a little further.

 

And yes, most mages do have to touch a source to draw energy from it, at least initially, though the most powerful can do this remotely.

 

And thanks with the clarifying questions. Keep asking away if you think of more! I didn't have half of this stuff worked out until you folks started asking these detailed sorts of questions. It's really useful so far.

 

It's late tonight, and I have an early morning, so I won't get the time periods post up, but I'll do that tomorrow sometime. Look forward to it!

[Lightsworn Panda]

Voidus is quite right. You put Roshar-levels of world-building into this world. The Magic system reminds me of a cross etween Investiture and Sympathy from the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothuss. 

 

Can you only Ascend to another Class by being invested in by a higher being?

[BreathTaker]

I'm freaking stoked for this to get off the ground.

 

One little thing has been bothering me but I might have misunderstood it. When you said that they had basically NO knowledge of star movements, what did you mean by that? I'm curious because every culture has some knowledge of the stars, no matter how old they were. In most cases, the stars are a very significant part of the local religion and creation beliefs. Also, ancients had relied on the movements of the stars to determine when it was time to plant and harvest as well as a way to navigate at night whether at sea or on land.

 

I know it's something small and in all probability, pointless, but you seem to be keen for details and I thought that this would help a little bit.