yoshua171

A Patchwork World [Worldbuilding and Exploration]

Woo, welcome Grange (can I call you Grange?) :D

Glad ot have another interested party!

A Patchwork World [Worldbuilding and Exploration]

I have added some additional lore to the Patchtome. Namely "Haramon," who is one of Bayera's gods. "Haramon's Will," which is an oath/ritual related to the aforementioned god and "Contract Magic," which I haven't gotten up yet. I also have "Karma," up, which is mostly relevant to magic users, though it may come into play for others as well.

A Patchwork Tome

Mana and Magic

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Brought into being by the Primordial Embryo, Mana is a conscious energy, which suffuses reality and acts as the driving force for all living things regardless of their alignment or place in the world. It is this energy, which acts as the medium for all works, be they the mortal practice of mages or the workings of the divine. Alive in its own right, each particle of mana possesses its own simple mind without alignment and thus impressionable in its nature. This makes mana malleable to those of greater will, of which there are many, thus coloring the energy with Karmic “Right,” or “Wrong,” depending on how it is used and to what end.

It is this energy that allows living beings to weave magic by way of aligning their internal mana with the energy which surrounds them and bending it to their will. Thus magic is a working requiring the mastery of self and environment both lest one gain greater sway over the other and bring ruin to the caster, or perhaps those around them.

As an energy of impressionable nature whose essence infuses the world and its inhabitants it holds that workings of magic alter it, often influencing the people and places that dwell in its vicinity. In this way a twofold truth is revealed, as mana is tinged not only by the will and focused intentions of mages, but also from where it is drawn and to what ends it is used. Essentially, when mana is bent to the will of man or mer it is changed taking on the “Right,” or “Wrong,” of the mage's actions. While the mage and those around them may benefit or suffer from this, it is not only the targets who are changed by the workings of magic, but the places it is used in and the inhabitants therein.

Thus it stands to reason that mana, through magic, influences the environments it dwells in, perhaps blessing or cursing places in which it is often used. Greater workings of magic may even alter a place in its very essence, twisting it into a horrible rendition of “Wrong,” or shifting it into a masterpiece of “Right.” The same is true for man, mer, flora, and fauna as magic changes not only the mage, but also those who live in the places they do magic. Conversely many smaller workings of magic may have the same effect.

Hider

Élan and Sway

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The soul, known more often as Élan, meaning “Impetus,” is the life force and consciousness of all living things, though it takes varying forms. Perhaps the most notable trait of Élan aside from its giving of life, is its tendency to bestow upon the living the capacity to harness mana. This capacity, known as Sway, is the size of the mana field created by one's body as they naturally produce internal mana, exuding small amounts of it as a result—though this can differ between races. This Sway, in its natural state, is more often than not a rather small thing, being limited to an inch or so off of a given person's body when at rest. However, this field can nonetheless be utilized to influence other external mana and, over time, can be expanded through the intermingling of such. So it stands that the longer one utilizes magic the greater their Sway becomes.

While the use of conventional magic has the tendency to increase one's Sway, there are other methods through which one's Sway may be broadened, one being of the Karmic sort and the others being more nebulous in nature. Regardless there remains a consequence for stretching one's workings beyond the scope of their Sway, this consequence is known formally as Magical Backlash.

Karma

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A force of balance in the universe, Karma is something that all magic users must be abundantly aware of in their practice of the craft. While the average mortal's luck is influenced by their actions, it is the fate of a magic user to be bound by such, rather than be influenced in a subtle way. While a mortal might suffer a small cut due to a verbal slight or the breaking of a promise, a mage could pay for their actions with a waning of their power and a series of unfortunate events for many days to come.

The way Karma swings has to do with the nebulous ideas of Chaos and Order, Right and Wrong, though these are often confused with Positive and Negative, Good and Evil, which are infrequently related to these ideas in truth. Rather, Right and Wrong refer more to the universe's status and the balance between the forces of creation and destruction, life and death, Substance and the lack thereof.

Essentially, when an individual commits an act reinforcing the Universe's balance and its preference for “Right” they are awarded with good karma, which imparts positive luck and an easier time with most things. Personal pursuits are easier to pursue, opportunities arise more frequently, and people are perhaps more equitable.

However, on the other end of the spectrum, any act reinforcing the “Wrong” in the world begets bad karma, punishing whomever committed the act with bad luck and the universe essentially working against them and their pursuits be they for the world's benefit or not.

It should be noted that Karma of either persuasion can be rescinded or negated by its opposite, essentially dragging someone into karmic debt or out of it depending on the situation.

Nonetheless it is prudent of any man, be they mage or otherwise to be thoughtful and cautious of their actions lest they suffer for them.

Backlash and Fallout

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The workings of magic have two well known and pervasive repercussions, one which affects only the caster, and another which affects the world in earnest. The former of these two is referred to as Magical Backlash, a phenomenon which occurs upon a spellcaster overextending the reach of their Sway, the result of which has three stages. The stages are as follows:

Spoiler

First among these stages is Magical Exhaustion, which is characterized by a feeling of mild lethargy and a reduced attention span, resulting in diminished focus and rational decision making. This stage is the least dangerous form of Magical Backlash and is even used as a tool to assist in the expansion of one's Sway, which is accomplished by reaching this stage repeatedly, though not before allowing one's body to regenerate the minuscule amount of Élan that is taken due to one's Sway having been diminished considerably—though only temporarily. This stage is easily recovered from and is fairly common, as mages often do not know their limits when first learning the intricacies of magic. Recovery time varies depending on the size of a given mage's Sway, but for most it does not last more than three(3) or four(4) days.

Second among the stages of Magical Backlash is what is known as Hollowness, which is characterized by a distinct lack of motivation or drive, a lethargy of body and mind, and a sensation of emptiness. This stage, while not overtly painful, has a malign effect on mind and body both, causing one to feel without purpose. Particularly severe cases of Hollowness can result in a mage's Élan and Sway never fully recovering, wherein their Sway's capacity is reduced, and the time that they require to replenish their Sway is doubled. Perhaps more detrimental are the possibly permanent effects on the mind, as one can become aimless in purpose, possessing little will to do much of anything aside from the essentials.

The most severe cases of Hollowing have resulted in mages with living bodies, but dead minds, incapable of taking care of themselves. Hollowing is sometimes considered a state worse than death and is so severe that even the crass and tactless would think twice before using it as, or in, a threat. Recovery from the mental effects Hollowness often requires either a tremendous will, an acute understanding of one's Self, or the assistance of others to remind one of their place in the world. The physical and metaphysical aspects of Hollowness require one to abstain from the use of magic for at least twice the time that they would take to recover from Magical Exhaustion. After roughly half of the time has elapsed, the use of simple spells is safe and advised to remind the body to keep healing.

The third and only fatal stage of Magical Backlash is known simply as Dissolution, and is characterized by an overexertion of one's Élan in addition to their Sway. Essentially, when one passes beyond the point of third degree Hollowness, Dissolution becomes the likely consequence of their actions, which will result in the magical energy, upon it completing the given spell—provided there was sufficient mana for it to do so—to outright collapse back into the empty space within a mage's body. The result is the individual becoming so suffused with mana that instead of merely occupying space and holding them together, it upsets whatever flicker of Élan that remains, causing their essence and body to disintegrate completely.

For the unlucky this process is slow enough for them to realize their mistake as they gradually come apart at the seams, the mana within them tearing them apart. What consciousness they retain writhes in agony until they finally disappear entirely. On the other hand one can simply go out in a brilliant spike of mana wherein the body is seen as if illuminated from within, following by every atom of their being bursting outwards and upwards like hundreds of tiny lights, before flickering out of existence. While obviously the result of creating a space devoid of mana, which the mana then overcompensates to fill, Dissolution is also the result of the Primordial Embryo defending itself from an individual's misuse of the energies imparted to them by it. While only a theory, some mages believe that a sufficiently large Dissolution could cause actual damage to Embryo. Their theory is flawed as Dissolution itself is a result of Embryo's consciousness taking hold of one's mana upon them spending the entirety of their Élan. Nonetheless, a sufficiently large Dissolution or a cluster of moderate Dissolutions is nonetheless a dangerous thing—though less so for Embryo than those individuals who remain near the phenomenon.

Moving on from Magical Backlash there is the aforementioned second repercussion to the use of magic, which is admittedly more pervasive than Backlash. In fact, this second repercussion, known as Magical Fallout, is so pervasive as to occur every single time magic is utilized in any capacity. Essentially, Magical Fallout is the result of mana being influenced by magic, as the weaving of a spell, or otherwise use of magic, alters the base state of the mana in question. Thus, with every use of magic in the same area, mana is altered and gradually, over time, these alterations can cause changes in environment and subsequently the flora and fauna that dwell therein. A mundane forest, if commonly exposed to magic of a defensive sort might become a forest that bars the entrance of those with malign intent; an arena affected by psychic magic and elemental magic might begin to create obstacles and golems, perhaps with minds of their own, etc etc. While this Fallout is more often caused by the build up of many uses of magic in an area, it can be caused to such an extent by workings of magic that are vast in scope, either by the hand of an adept and truly terrifying mage, or by the workings of a group of mages.

Lastly among the effects of Magical Fallout are those effects that take root in the mage or mages in question as their Élan is too influenced by their workings. With practice and the proper knowledge mutations or departures from their natural state, be it mental or physical, can be stopped, but without a certain mindfulness one is more likely to, on some level, be altered by what sorts of magic they deal in. This is, perhaps, the most dangerous aspect of magic, if only due to its subtle nature causing a great many to overlook the future consequences of their actions. Nonetheless, magic is wrought and the world at large takes this consequence as a necessary evil.

One wonders if they are right.

A Patchwork Tome

The Divine Equation

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Bayera's Conception

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The Primordials

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Spoiler

Ahlvaerian

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Estari

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Embryo

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Laerana

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The Gods

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The result of the Great Fracture, Gods are Divine entities with truly vast souls, and thus existences, beyond the scope of any mortal. They are the beings aligned with the creative forces of existence, with the “Right,” end of karma, though they may err as a mortal might. Possessing an inherently vast Sway, Gods are capable of reaching through the ether to influence the world to varied degrees, though their doing so without anchors weakens them. While thought by many to be largely benevolent and good entities, this is not necessarily the case, as Gods are focused more on furthering the expansion of the universe and the creation of new ideas and concepts. While Gods do interact with the world at large, they tend to do so through their followers or by way of their progeny, angels preferring to interact in a way that gains them much, but costs them little. Despite their interactions with the world being a regular thing, their actions are noticed infrequently as they work on a subtle level, only acting overtly when necessary.

All gods, as with their counterparts, the Archdemons, can be replaced or joined by their Angelic progeny. Regardless, scholars of Bayera have largely come to the conclusion that there are eight gods that persist in aspect, if not in spirit.

Last to note is the fact that, as with Archdemons, Gods are capable of bestowing gifts of power upon their favored followers, which can grant a small portion of their power to the mortal in question. However, the method of gaining a given God's favor differs between individuals, not to mention that most gods will not grant gifts to an individual who another god has laid claim over already, at least so long as that individual remains under their sway. Such is the way of their kind, flawed in nature, sympathetic in spirit—oft times—and vast in nature.

Spoiler

Name

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The Four Neutralities

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Their karmic nature falling somewhere between that of Archdemons and Gods, the Four Neutralities are a small group of gods of far more ancient nature, though the same origins, who work as the balancing force of existence. While Gods seek to create and Archdemons destroy or corrupt, the Neutralities are the middle men or third parties among divines, acting as mediators, brokers of deals, and Divines with the purpose of dictating forces which have no true alignment.

Time, Knowledge, Balance, and Connection are these aspects and they have been as such since the conception of these Neutral Beings. It is thought that, unlike Gods and Archdemons, the Neutralities do not change and have been the same, perhaps with one exception, since time immemorial.

Also unlike their kin, the Neutralities tend not to directly interact with the mortal realm, but instead watch over their individual aspects so as to maintain a sort of balance through dealing directly with the divine forces at play in the world at their sources. Strangely, the Neutralities nonetheless have agents among mortal-kind, as they prefer to cover every possible angle, should it ever be necessary for them to act from such. Perhaps most embroiled in the interactions of mortal-kind are Haramon and Vurin'al.

Spoiler

Haramon

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A being associated closely with magic, Haramon is the Arbitrator, the ruler of contracts, deals, oaths, and exchanges. He is the god of trade and promises, of karma both good and bad. While not technically a god of magic, Haramon is strongly tied to those who utilize magic, particularly summoners and contract magus. Haramon is neither benevolent nor malevolent in nature, instead swinging between a series of morals that are hardly human or mortal at all. While Haramon presides over those of a mundane persuasion insofar as their use of deals and the practice of trade, he is far more important to contract mages in that one such individual must bind themselves by the deity's will before beginning their practice.

In this way it is seen that Haramon, rather than favor particular people, favors the idea of balance, allotting negative or positive karma to those who would maintain it. This reveals that Haramon prefers deal with mundane humans rather than practitioners as the latter are much more liable to offset the natural balance than the former. Ultimately, regardless of one's persuasion, Haramon enforces the words of man, and for practitioners, binds them to it. Should their word be broken Haramon is the one who deals the karma which acts as their payment for the slight.

While possessing no particular form, Haramon sometimes, in dreams or the infrequent manifestation, takes the shape of a judge, garbed in blacks, whites, greys, blues, and reds, one half of his form in contrast with the other. He is often depicted with a crown of metal flowers, thorns on their stems and an imperious stare. He is said to hold a scale in one hand and a hammer in the other.

_{Haramon's Will}

An oath sworn either upon one's entrance into the practice of contract magic, or as a result of tampering with such and thus being forced to follow through, Haramon's Will is a binding ritual which holds all contract mages to their words and actions. It is such that practitioners of the magic cannot lie, or rather should not, as doing so may endow one with karmic debt or render them forsworn. It should be known that to be forsworn is to be unable to cast all magics, but the darkest sort, leading one to either destroy themselves with such or lead a 'mundane' life.

However, while the Oath has steep consequences for being broken or marred it too has its boons. The most notable of these benefits is the Oath's reward for upholding promises and bargains as the continued act of fulfilling such things empower those who do so. It should be noted that while those bound by the Oath are penalized for dishonesty and lying, they are not punished for omitting details or using statements from former contexts. All that matters in truth is that their words are true in a given context. Thus, the narrower the context and questions asked, the more difficult it is for one who is bound by such to evade the truth without consequence.

Chronosia

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Goddess of Time.

Akasha

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Goddess of Knowledge

Vurin'al

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God of Connections.

Archdemons

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Beings inherently of “Wrong,” Archdemons serve as the antithesis to the Gods, existing as sentient manifestations of entropy, in some form or another. While not inherently evil, or even malevolent in the purest sense, Archdemons are entities which seek to gain footholds in the world, expanding their disruptive influence so as to sway the world towards its eventual destruction. With their souls just as vast as their counterparts, Archdemons exist to spread, corrupt, and make deviate the world from the intended path of the Gods.

While not entirely reviled by mortals, Archdemons, unlike their counterparts, are seen as beings who ought be avoided, though never left to their own devices. They are not to be trusted unless one trusts them only to ruin them, in one way or another. Additionally, unlike the Gods, Archdemons have the tendency of working against eachother in the interest of individually gaining a greater sway over the world and its destruction as a result. It is in this that hints of their own entropic nature are revealed as they work to destroy even eachother, subsuming one another for power and influence when the opportunity arises. Additionally, while gods merely work through their progeny, the Angels, Archdemons outright use their progeny as puppets of their will till they become strong enough that such is no longer possible.

While some of their ilk are worshiped by mortals, it is more often than not that this is only in the interest of placating their terrible wraths and protecting oneself from such for a time. Most, rather than worship them, seek to understand them and document the individuals of particular note and how to deal with them. These brave scholars and mages have revealed to the world that, at least at present, there appear to be at least twelve significantly powerful Archdemons. Yet despite the best efforts of such people, all measures eventually fail, as they are only temporary stop-gaps for the tremendous force of entropy that drives these colossally “Wrong,” beings. As no matter your nature, your time can only last so long, and when it runs out, most discover, too late, that their enemy has merely bidden its time. Such is the nature of entropy's encroaching destruction, as no one can escape it forever, not even the Gods.

Spoiler

Urthyr, Archdemon of Fate

_{Credit goes to @Tuujaimaa}

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Of the Archdemons, Urthyr is considered by and large to be the most favourable to interact with as a mortal. Presiding over the domain of Fate, Urthyr’s goal is to draw mortals away from their intended paths and disrupt the natural order in doing so – which, by the standards of its brethren, is significantly less barbaric and far more palatable.

Urthyr is among the most powerful of the Archdemons for many reasons, one of which being that many mortals inevitably act upon impulse and desire if nudged in the correct direction – they do not require a specific propensity towards the karmic concept of “wrongness” – any act committed in Urthyr’s name is wrong by virtue of the karmic intent of the mana that Urthyr writes its contracts in.

Another contributing factor to Urthyr’s success and persistence is that they have existed in their current capacity for 1,700,000,000 years – they are the second oldest Archdemon, and by a long stretch at that. Age has given Urthyr the wisdom to fight only when absolutely necessary, and never to peddle so much influence or hoard too much power in order to maintain the delicate balance.

Among the most cunning of its brethren, Urthyr delights in the grand game of influence peddling with its spawn, and though many seek to supplant the Archdemon of Fate, few are able to gain enough following to do so – and many remain loyal, at least on a surface level, in order to gain from Urthyr’s victories but not to suffer from their losses.

Traelyn, Archdemon of Absolution

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The sire to many, though most only know of his misbegotten son, Dichónoia, a demon of Discord, Traelyn is a waning Archdemon of great age. Perhaps the oldest of the currently reigning Archdemons, Traelyn is a lofty 2.6 billion. This Archdemon, despite its flagging power, is no being to trifle with, as it is yet to lose its capability to obliterate those who stand in its way be it through subtlety or outright brute force—though he prefers the former.

Responsible for the downfall of many a mortal and a great deal of damage to the scales of “Right,” and “Wrong,” Traelyn is known throughout Bayera as a false god by some and a savior by others—though both are wrong in their own capacity. For those who know his aspect these titles hold far more meaning, as Traelyn holds dominion over the aspect of Absolution, allowing the Archdemon to, in some capacity, absolve others of their karmic burdens—at least for a time or a price. This ability is an empty promise of sorts as no one can avoid the consequences of their actions forever, and so it is that Traelyn plays the long game, preying on the comparatively short memories and lifespans of mortals and making deals that appear not to benefit him, but in reality are one-sided, only truly benefiting the Archdemon when all is said and done.

Perhaps more dangerous than just Traelyn's age, wit, and raw might is his alliance with the Archdemon of Fate, Urthyr. It is largely due to this alliance that Traelyn persists despite the vampiric influence of his own son's machinations as he has taken to making joint contracts with Urthyr's “clients” rather than only make his own bargains, this way their gains far outweight their collective losses. However, the question is will it be enough?

Name

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Minor Deities and Demigods

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Spoiler

Name

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Naruto: Consequences

Yes, that's perfectly viable and welcome :)

A Patchwork World [Worldbuilding and Exploration]

Velcome :)

Naruto: Consequences

You sure can :)

Naruto: Consequences

Sure is Ruin :)

Welcome!

A Patchwork World [Worldbuilding/Roleplaying in a Void]

Bloop

Worm - Chicago (High casual) (Superheroes and villains)

Gael, Verens Estrada

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"My angle?" The man said, followed by a lengthy pause. In response, Gael's eyes narrowed and things began clicking into place.

his mind shifted focus, Seth's noted lack of response to his initial question was one he found quite telling. He had locked several of his tendrils of influence onto the precog and while he wasn't drilling into his mind or applying noticeable pressure, he was watching very closely for responses. From what he could tell, the Precog didn't even realize just how much he had given away by not answering him outright.

After all, sometimes it was what people didn't say which clued one in on what was important.

One of those details amused Gael, as it appeared that this Seth character was hardly as smart as his ability might have one believe as a sharper person would have deduced a good deal from the nature of the question itself. Yet, it appeared Seth had not done so at all, instead he proceeded to, well, not truly answer his second question either. At this Gael rolled his eyes, deciding he'd meet up with the group anyways. The Precog was right on one account, he was at least slightly interested. However, it was more that he'd have a better chance in a group than he would alone...at least at first.

Of course, this Seth had given him some other useful data as well. There was in fact someone pulling the strings. Perhaps being allowed to speak with this Boss could assuage some of his concerns, not to mention allow him a better grasp of the group dynamic thus affording him more context to work within. After all information was power and the more he knew, the better he could slither his way into the hearts and, more importantly, minds of those around them, applying a choke hold on their will and subjugating them in the end.

"Very well, Seth, I'll meet everyone at the address you gave. Hopefully your employer won't mind if I decline this invitation should it seem too...well, unsafe." his voice level and calm, though possessing the tiniest of suspicion, Gael responded to Seth, then set his GPS to the location, mostly to put up airs rather than because he actually needed it to find the place. The less people understood about his abilities, the better.

As he made his way for their hideout, he began looking over what he knew about his potential "team". He also decided not to say he'd join during this first meeting. He'd use this encounter to gather data first and once he had some time to think it over, provided nothing changed his mind during, he would give his response.

It was a nice feeling to have a plan.