yoshua171

⊰Manifest Anima⊱ [High Casual--Low Advanced]

@Jangel13 glad to have you. Feel free to ask any questions or migrate to the OOC thread.

Sum up your week in roleplaying in just 3 words

Remixing the past!

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

@yoshua171
1. in a symbiotic relationship between human and licenti, could the licenti parasite part enhance the humans physical abilities to some degree e.g. faster reflexes, stronger arms/legs, kinda like a body suit but for different parts of the body at a time, not the whole body at once

2. also hopefully for the last time, a licenti cannot in any form pull energy/consume vis from the enviroment, only from living beings right?

3. as far as gods and deities go, who are they? do humans still believe in god and jessus christ? or older gods like greek/egyptian/a.s.o? what about the other races?

@Kibaro

1.) Well Licenti, aside from their three known stages of development (Growth, Trial, and Eximius) they are very variable in terms of how their form and abilities manifest. If the Licenti is old enough it may have chosen to have a partially malleable form regardless of whether it is in its Growth or Trial stage. It may have even ended up becoming a sort of symbiote, like what you're describing. So yes, it's entirely possible that a Licenti could be worn sort of like a body suit to shift its shape to additional muscle (to amplify strength of the host), armor(in the shape of scales or stone-like formations), or into claws and spikes for weaponry. However, the Licenti would ever be in control of the host, or the host would have to have agreed to being the Licenti's host and so the two work together, sort of sharing a body.

2.) As to this. You are correct, Licentia cannot absorb vis/energy from their environment that isn't biological. Let me clarify this though. So, if a human or another Licentia uses their magic it will leave behind a sort of non-physical/ethereal imprint on the world. Some of the energy used in the spell/effect will linger in the area's air or on surfaces invisibly. Typically, Licentia can sense this invisible energy fairly well and they can absorb it. However, a Licentia can't, say, absorb electrical energy from powerlines, or fire from a furnace or combustion engine in a car. Some Licenti can however sort of merge their bodies with certain materials and absorb them--though doing so does not feed them at all. Hopefully that isn't confusing.

As an example the Eximius Licenti that I'm making, Szayeis, has a form that is in actuality composed of vis(magical energy) and viscous/thick shadows. His subspecies of Licentia are known as "Nightwalkers," and they have the ability to absorb/take control of shadows. However, when Szayeis or any other nightwalker arrests control of these shadows, it doesn't feed their Anima (it doesn't fill them up. They don't consume it as it isn't technically Vis). So yeah. Hopefully that helps clarify what I mean a bit.

Yoshua's Character Storage Mark VII

ℳ a i r y e ll Ҝ a s i o. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .s ᴀ ɴ ɢ ᴜ ι ɴ ᴇ

^{"I'll let you off easy this time, but don't be surprised if next time things don't end so cleanly."
Theme I ♦ Theme II ♦ Theme III}

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^{M A I R Y E L L K A S I O
(Mare-yell Kos-eo)}
Two-hundred-twenty-four.♦ Male. ♦ Licenti-human hybrid. ♦ Greater Vampire.

_{[ ⊰⊱ ] Ⱥppearance}

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Standing at 5'11 and weighing in at roughly 190 lbs, Mairyell has a solid, but lean msuculature with typically purple eyes that emit a subtle glow. His fairly handsome features typically overcast by relatively short brown hair, while the rest of his form is typically garbed in his hunter attire. At his hip he carries one of his three weapons, whilst the others remain hidden within his duster he exudes an air of relaxed confidence, with just the slightest trace of a predatory nature. While not typically out unless required, Mairyell does possess two dark red bat-like wings, composed primarily of blood, with a smattering of grown muscle and bone on rare occasion. When spread, these wings have a rather vast wingspan of roughly twelve or so feet from wing tip to wing tip. Beyond this, the only other notable feature of his body are his teeth, which can mimic those of a normal human, or become reminiscent of canines so as to allow the vampire to feed--not to mention his eyes, which glow more red when his blood manipulation is in use, and more blue when Brisn is in use.

_{[ ⊰⊱ ] ℬ io}

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Personality

A rash and easily angered boy in his youth, Mairyell has matured greatly since those far off times, having become much calmer and analytical than he once was. Having learn to harness his emotions where he cannot keep them in check, the hunter has made a point of making sure that his fits of rage never return to plague him and his loved ones again—let alone the world.

Having long grown used to his rather unique situation, Mairyell has embraced his Licenti side allowing him to be more true to himself than ever before. As a result, the infamous hunter is well known both for his passionate and fiery determination and his calm and almost detached attitude towards most things. He's the sort of person who can't stand being looked down on, and who won't stand by while the innocent are unnecessarily brought into the crossfire. This, and his fiercer side often seems out of place when put alongside his relatively relaxed state of mind as, on most days, he'd much rather spend time with his friends and loved ones than fight the world's battles for it.

Nonetheless, in part due to his fierce loyalty for those who earn it, and in part due to his inability to stand idly by while others are hurt, Mairyell tends to find himself on the battlefield defending others—more often with his fists than with his words. Strangely, despite his tendency to fight for what he believes in, he has been known to occasionally take on jobs that are contrary to his morals. More often than not this is because the job has to be done by someone, and doing it serves a purpose which he's willing to, for a time, sacrifice his personal comfort for the better of the many.

Moral dilemmas aside, Mairyell is a man with an eccentric, and not infrequently dark, sense of humor—which is largely due to the similarly dark experiences in his past, not to mention his own abilities. In direct contrast with his humor is his anger which, while not seen so often as it was in his youth, is something not to be trifled with. A fiery thing, Mairyell when driven into a rage is a force to be reckoned with, who is often willing to go to the extent of hurting himself to make sure that whomever provoked him either learns never to do so again, or never lives to get the chance. Just hope that you never have to be on the receiving end of such rage.

History

Basic summary:

>Prior to birth, his mother, Layna Kasio was infected by the influence of a Nightwalker.
>Born in 1829, his biology altered from the Licentian influence within his mother during her pregnancy.
>Layna remarries, having been courted by a man by the name of Maurice.
>At the age of 5, Mairyell gains a younger sibling, Aeris, and their mother--having caught the scarlett fever, but also still resisting the influence of the Licentian vis within her, gradually declines in health.
>At the age of 7, Mairyell and Aeris lose their mother to the fever.
>In grief, their father lashes out at Mairyell, attempting to harshly groom him to succeed his company.
>Finding his hybrid physiology disgusting and alien, the man attempts to find "cures."
>After continued abuse, Mairyell is eventually sedated and locked in the family basement, where his father attempts to ignore the young hybrid.
>Around Aeris' 19th birthday (a year later) she is kidnapped.
>Neglecting to give his son the sedation treatment, the boy fully wakes, regaining his strength before promptly destroying his restraints and eroding the metal bars of his cage. He escapes.
>Mairyell, certain that his sister is in danger, tracks her down with his prolific sense of smell.
>Mairyell finds her just before the Licentia succeeds in devouring her, killing the creature and devouring its Anima to sate his long ignored hunger.
>Mairyell and Aeris return home to an angry father, Aeris only wakes to see Mairyell and his father arguing, the man threatening to put him down again.
>Aeris puts an end to it by snatching the syringe and breaking it against a wall.
>The two attempt to leave home, but are stopped in their tracks by the appearance of a particular Licentia by the name of Szayeis.
>Aeris is taken from both brother and father once more, trapped within the Nightwalker's body before being whisked away.
>Unsure and distraught, Mairyell goes out into the world, running from his father, and trying to carve a place for himself.
>Constantly trying to find leads to locate his sister, Mairyell grows in strength and experience, taking on the job of a hunter due to the connections it affords him.
>Over the course of the next 150, or so, years, Mairyell gains an international reputation as the hunter "Sanguine."
>Eventually finds himself in Ominar and eventually settles in a small apartment with his human girlfriend, Claire.
>The two are close, but there are some difficulties surrounding his past and occupation.
>Then, in 2043 Aeris, out of the blue, shows up.
>Relieved, happy, but also confused by her return into his life, Mairyell is sent into a storm of confused feelings.
>His relationship with Claire becomes more strained over time until the two have a rather bad argument before Claire heads off to work.
>The woman dies in a car accident on her way there.
>Distraught and feeling guilty, Mairyell finds his sister's shoulder to grieve on and the two grow closer--their past bond rekindled.
>From that day onwards they become closer till their relationship goes beyond family and becomes romantic.
>The two move in together.
>News regarding Szayeis reaches Mairyell, setting him on edge.
>The Prae begin their gradual take over of Ominar.
>Take over is officialized and Mairyell grows more suspicious, noticing the disappearance, but not taking much mind to them. He's seen too much to be too spooked by it all.
>Present day.

Relation

Ａeris: His younger sister, Mairyell and Aeris are not just abnormally close for siblings, but are actually romantically involved due to the circumstances of their past and their general inability--as a result of such--to connect properly with others on as deep a level. As a result the two are happily together in a relatively stable relationship with all that entails.

ℬ ree: Having dealt with the man in the past, Mairyell is tentative friends with the Broker, and the two are on good terms even if those terms are shaken up from time to time by the Broker's chimeric personality.

S zayeis: To be added.

_{[ ⊰⊱ ] ℰ quipment & ℬ elongings}

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Belongings

ℭ ellphone: A rather advanced piece of machinery, Mairyell's cellphone, while appearing fairly normal for the age, is actually significantly more advanced than average. This is a result of his requiring it to be hyper durable--entirely because of his line of work. As a result the phone is fire proof, water proof, and could be rolled over by a fully laden semi without being crushed. Rather than be charged by normal means, the phone absorbs ambient vis, making, which also facilitates its ability to gain Vis readings. The device is exceptionally expensive and thus not something most people would own. Luckily for Mairyell his job rakes in pretty large sums of cash.

ℋ unting Log: While not something he stores on his person, but rather keeps hidden in a secret compartment at home, Mairyell's Hunting log is just that, a book that keeps track of various goals of his in addition to targets he might consider hunting for their bounties or those who want them dead or alive. The log is, contrary to what one might believe upon looking at the seemingly mundane object, capable of transmitting its information to Mairyell's phone wirelessly. Nonetheless, the log cannot be altered unless Mairyell is physically writing on it or dictating to it.

Equipment

523 Ѵitaro "ℛend": A dangerous item that he picked up one-hundred or so years back, the 523 Vitaro, or Rend as he calls it, is a weapon containing only empty bullet casings marked with sigils. These empty bullets are supplied with vis from the user or atmosphere and are designed to penetrate. However, upon piercing a target, the sigils on the casing react and small holes open. This allows the energy within to violently release in spiral patterns through these holes as the bullet spins, typically continuing through its target. This has the effect of leaving lacerating patterns of vis within the target that rend flesh and then remain in place, disallowing normal healing until excised by magical means. The casings, following their exit of a body should they successfulyl pass all the way through them, return via teleportation to the ammo cartridge resulting in effectively infinite shots. Nonetheless, it only has a 6 roung clip and the gun overheats relatively easily, meaning that every twelve shots it must not be fired for a full thirty seconds. Mairyell typically only uses Rend against targets with high regen rates or to cause massive trauma.

Hider

ℳay and Ａble: A pair of twin pistols holding a twenty round magazine with bullet caliber ranging from 25 to 50 depending on the occassion, May and Able are the Hunter's weapons of choice should his prolific abilities not be necessary or should he deem the weapons more useful in a given circumstance.

Hider

Ａmmo: Fairly straightforwards, Mairyell tends to bring along a fair deal of ammo should he be going on an assignment. However, in normal circumstances he carries one clip of 50 cal ammo for May and Able as well as two clips of 30 cal. just in case he needs to fire for an extended period. These amounts do not include the twenty, 30 cal. bullets already housed within each pistol.

_{[ ⊰⊱ ] ℭ apabilities}

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Mental Skills

Given his physiology, Mairyell's mind is capable of faster processing speed than a normal human in addition to allowing him to learn things faster than average. His mind is trained against some psychic intrusion due to his run ins with Szayeis, but he is by no means immune to it, and should someone pierce his defenses he is hard pressed to push them out. Still, he is largely resistant to psychic and emotional manipulation, even if he is vulnerable to psychic intrusion.

Physical Skills

ℋ ybrid ℘ hysiology: A form suffused with the vis of a Licentia while in utero, Mairyell's genetic make-up, and thus physiology, have been altered greatly by this non-human influence. intriguingly some portions of his anatomy are more human than others, while some are just outright alien in nature--though a Licentia would likely consider them normal. Notable is his fluid nervous system--including his brain--as well as his exceptionally durable muscles, but only slightly stronger bones--which must be constantly regenerated and enhanced via his vis--and Brisn--so as not to break under the pressure of his powerful muscles. Within his heart rests a crystalline soul core, which acts as the sole part of his body that will surely kill him should it receive significant damage. This core stores a great amount of vis, which is constantly metabolized by his body, resulting in it being suffused with microscopic fragments of his Anima. As a result of this, Mairyell must feed more often than a normal Licentia, though he can slow and control this hunger by using Brisn to heal his Anima--thus reducing the amount that it is being metabolized.

Due to the dispersed particles of his Anima and the strength of his muscles, Mairyell is capable of lifting a small car(2,979 lbs/1.4 tons) with minor difficulty, and a mid-sized car(3,497 lbs/1.7 tons) with great difficulty--though he has been seen to leverage larger or heavier objects or knock them over. In terms of the force behind his strikes, he has been noted to be capable of easily denting metal no thicker than four inches, though he can only tear through it provided it is less than this. In terms of speed he has been seen to reach around 80 mph on foot, while well exceeding that in flight. His nervous system supplements this speed due to its conductivity allowing for faster reaction time and information processing--not to mention making him less vulnerable to electrical assaults--though something like lightning would still be quite damaging to his person.

As alluded to, Mairyell's most striking physical attribute, aside from his enhanced senses, would likely be his regeneration and durability in general. On one hand, Mairyell's muscles are capable of absorbing a larger amount of force than your average human making him easily capable of surviving a car striking him at roughly 60 mph with only minor scratches and small bruises. To supplement what damage he does take is his regeneration which is a result caused in part by his Brisn, metabolism, and inherent Licenti magics. The final product allows him to heal fractures and breaks in bone in seconds, for muscles to swiftly grow in the space of minutes, and for even complex organs like his eyes, liver, kidneys, and stomach to heal themselves in the space of 10 or so minutes. More impressively, this regeneration makes Mairyell exceptionally difficult to kill unless one strikes his soul core, which is his only true vital area. While the destruction or damaging of other organs will temporarily hinder him, it will not stop him in his tracks. Should one cut off his head they will find that his body goes limp and becomes incapable of movement, but that he will not die. nonetheless, due to the complexities of his neural systems--despite their fluid nature--it will take a week or so before he regenerates something as essential to his head thus making it remain as a weakness.

>All of Mairyell's teeth are capable of injecting or extracting blood and whilst doing so, they become sharp.

ℰ nhanced S enses: An extension of his enhanced physiology, Mairyell possesses excessively enhanced senses, specifically his sense of smell, which is so powerful that he can track a single individual across a country so long as they have not sufficiently disguised their scent or vis. His smell is strong enough to allow him to smell blood through a person's skin as well as pick up on the distinctive smell of their vis. Mairyell also has perfect night vision, which is a sort of inherent magic, meaning that he can see even if there are no light sources. His sense of touch can be dialed up or down to allow him a greater sensitivity to various textures as well as allowing him a better awareness of his surroundings by way of airflow. His hearing is enhanced by way of a passive inherent magic which adjusts it, thus allowing Mairyell to pick out specific voices or sounds in a room at will, but not to be easily overwhelmed by louder noises. However, this does come with an inherent weakness, as Mairyell's hearing will dial down if a sound is dangerously loud, meaning that he can effectively deafen himself temporarily if a loud enough sound is made.

ℒ icenti ℬ lood: His blood, as mentioned, is suffused with particles of his Anima, making it an incredible conductor of vis. This blood is the primary reason for his prolific regenerative abilities, which are in part due to the inherent magic of his Anima and partially due to the strangely prolific amount of stem cells found in his blood--which do in fact reproduce. As a result, Mairyell's body is capable of rapidly reforming lost structures by stimulating the production of his stem cells and the specialization of them into the cells necessary to repair, or reform, that which has been damaged. Still, with this comes some weaknesses, as should Mairyell's body be affected by disruptive magics his healing will be stunted or outright stopped. In his cases, disruptive magics include those with the traits of purity, or with the element/aspects of light or sound. Additionally, while electrical assaults do not cause lasting damage, they can still slow or offset his regeneration for a short time, or indefinitely should an electrical current be run through his body constantly.

Moving onto the nature of his blood, which has taken on acidic properties due to his Licenti-nature. His body, having adapted to these qualities, is largely immune to acids, thus allowing him to be submerged in his own blood without harm. Nonetheless, this blood is capable of searing through flesh with ease in a similar manner to chemical burns, and can even damage and erode metals and stone--though not crystal or silver.

ℬ lackℬ lood: The designation Mairyell has given to refer to his blood at its highest acidity levels, wherein it is capable of dissolving most materials at a steady rate. The existence of this blood also reveals that Mairyell can control the acidity of his blood to a degree.

ℬ lueℬ lood: On the opposite end of the scale from his Black Blood, Blue Blood is the designation used to describe Mairyell's blood when it has been infused with Brisn, giving it a blue sheen and slight glow. This blood is capable of propagating gradually as well as absorbing greater amounts of damage and healing himself--though not much faster than he already can.

ℭ ombat Ҏ roficiency: Having been in the Hunting business for barely less than two-hundred years, Mairyell has picked up an exceptional amount of martial skill. His movements are energy efficient and precise, allowing him to fight hand-to-hand at an adept level. While he has not mastered any particular form of martial arts, he is still well versed in the art of melee combat and understands how to position himself in a variety of combat situations. He is agile, fast, and flexible. Last, but not least, he does possess some arms training, allowing him a fair deal of precision with his two weapons should he deign their use necessary. His enhanced senses and reflexes additionally expand the range and accuracy of his shots making him dangerous both up close and at a range--though more the former than the latter.

Magical Skills

ℬ lood ℳanipulation: Mairyell's chosen magic, this ability allows the vampire to manipulate both his own blood and that of others, provided it is not within a living being. He is capable of manipulating it with great efficiency within a range of 12 meters(40 feet). So long as the blood remains within his control he is capable of crystallizing it, or simply giving it solid traits, as well as dispersing it into a vapor--though not into an outright gas. It should be noted that Mairyell's blood manipulation allows him to telekinetically move it so it is capable of levitating and movement even without physical contact with a surface or his own person.

ℬ risn: A non-elemental energy that's been passed down on their mother's side of the family for generations, Brisn, takes the form of a bright blue vis, which in Mairyell's case flows something like water, though it can defy gravity like most vis. This energy possesses within it the ability to absorb the properties of things which it comes into contact with, though to a somewhat limited degree. Though, unlike some energies of this nature, Brisn can only affect living beings and elemental energies. However, it effects elements and beings very differently, with the former being absorbed, and the latter having their wounds and pain pulled into the energy, before being dispersed—this due to Brisn's ability to transfer the user's vis into the vis of the receiver passively. Brisn has also been seen to be capable of fending off the influence of intruding influences, such as the parasitic children of the Licentia, or to weaken or break a Licenti's hold on a possessed individual. While his sister, Aeris, is exceedingly capable with the magic, Mairyell is considerably less so, using it only to heal himself, alter the effects of his blood, and occasionally to heal or defend others. When utilized, the energy causes Mairyell's typically indigo eyes to turn a bright blue reminiscent of Brisn's own color. Mairyell's most common use of this energy is to diminish the intensity of his hunger.

⊰Manifest Anima⊱ [High Casual--Low Advanced]

⊰ ℳ_Ⱥ_ℕ_ƪ_ℱ_ℇ_S_Ⱦ__Ⱥ_ℕ_ƪ_ℳ_Ⱥ ⊱

_{^Above is depicted the city of Ominar^}

OOC

⊰ Pʀᴇᴍιsᴇ

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The RP will be set in the city of Ominar, a formerly human-run city, which was non-violently taken over by the Prae just a year and a half prior. Now ruled by the regal beings, the Licentia have been driven into the slums, into hiding, or even out of the city entirely. While humans have been largely left to their own devices, they are nonetheless expected to step aside for their new rulers--whether it benefits them or not. With news traveling fast in this age ruled by magic and technology, a wave of unrest has made its way through Medius. With knowledge of the Prae’s unfair treatment to the citizens of Ominar, the murmurs of war have begun. In response, or perhaps preparation for further action, the Prae have, as of 6 months ago, begun releasing propaganda regarding the Licentia, calling them parasites and murderers, whilst using one of their prominent figures, a certain eximius as their scapegoat--though with good reason.

So it is that a small band of dissenters begin to gather, not content to simply protest against the Prae’s imposed order. Many of you will be among them and by and large, you believe it’s high time you do something about the state of affairs, whether the Prae like it or not.

⊰ Ⱦerminology

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Hider

Priscus: Described as a paradise by those humans who have seen it, Priscus is the Prae's realm of origin as well as the place in which the vast majority of their kind reside.

Medius: The realm of man, reminiscent of our own, though its cultures and societies differ. While the Prae and Licentia have appeared prior, their most prominent entrance into human history occurred in 1563. From then onwards the realm of Medius found itself populated by increasing numbers of all three races.

Torqueo: The realm from which the Licentia originate, Torqueo is, in its own way, bountiful--though perhaps not in the same way as its counterpart, Priscus. Instead, Torqueo is a resource-rich location full of exotic, and often dangerous, flora, fauna, and materials.

Pylae: Colloquially known as 'the Rift', Pylae is a pseudo-realm possessing inconsistent space-time, which due to the difficulty of properly exploring it, so far lacks definition . Pylae is located in all space wherein Medius, Priscus and Torqueo are not.

Anima: The common term among the three races for the soul or internal life force. The term is also often used to refer to the pool of internal power utilized for magic.

Vis: A term used to describe both energy in general, as well as to refer to a being's external energy, sometimes called the aura by humans.

Ostium: While few but the most knowledgeable of magical researchers understand it, Ostium is the term used to describe that which connects a being's Vis and Anima. To utilize magic at all, one must learn to control the Ostium, so that the power of their Anima may be released.

Licenti: The term used to refer to an individual Licentia, rather than their kind as a whole.

⊰ Ⱦhe World

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Hider

Ominar: A city recently conquered by the Prae, Ominar is a thoroughly industrialized coastal city, its surroundings largely bereft of nature's touch. While not a capital city, Ominar is a port city and thus a center of trade, making its capture by the Prae a rather important matter to the rest of the world--humanity in particular.

The Races

The Prae: Prae are lithe human-like beings with markings on their back/arms and crystals on their foreheads. Prae are capable imbuing others, themselves, and objects with their vis, by way of contact, thus facilitating telekinesis and healing abilities. The crystals on their foreheads pull in ambient energy of any sort so as to sustain them. Prae are physically weak, but their Vis is densely packed onto their body, defending them from damage to a point. Should they manifest their Vis, it tends to take the form of wings, exuding from their markings. While manifested, a Prae's 'wings' impart them with greater telekinesis, healing, and the possibility of other abilities depending on their chosen path.

The Licentia: The Licentia are a physically and magically diverse race. They are predators who consume the Anima, both internal and external to sustain themselves. Licentia possess a 'solid soul,' which takes the form of a crystalline formation within their body. While Licentia can have vital organs, all will be crippled, injured, or killed by damaging or destroying their soul core. The Licentia cycle between two stages till the end of their life, these being known as the growth and trial stages. The former is typified by fluctuating physical form and weakened magical abilities excluding shapeshifting while the latter is typified by a more permanent form, and expansive magical abilities. A Licenti who has reached this third stage is known as an Eximius.

Humankind: Humans are the race with the greatest population, shortest lifespan, and most expansive potential. While they tend to live only to 100 or so unaided, humans possess the ability to increase the strength of their Anima over time as well as the scope of their Vis. Additionally their Anima is uniquely impressionable, making them both more easily corrupted by internal magics or fooled by illusions. Yet, this acts as one of their greatest strengths, allowing them to harness the energy around them regardless of type and manipulate it in ways that only they are capable of.

Optional Reading

The Realms Expanded

_Priscus:

The realm in which the vast majority of the Prae population resides, not to mention their plane of origin, Priscus can be described as a plane suffused with a tremendous amount of ambient energies, lush with life of all kinds some humans might even call it a paradise. However, as with all things, Priscus is not quite as innocuous as it first appears. Under the surface of the alleged paradise that the Prae present to visitors is a place so rich with Vis that one might say that the realm itself is almost aware.

While its landmasses are constant over a shorter period of time, their orientation and location shift much more rapidly than the continents of Medius. Furthermore, while many creatures of Priscus have little to no need to hunt other beings due to the energy rich atmosphere, it cannot be said that they will not overzealously defend themselves from outside threats. Perhaps most frightening about the flora and fauna of Priscus is the fact that most of it is either capable of magic or magical in some way, shape, or form.

The Prae are very protective of their realm, allowing only trusted friends, or those whom the God-Queen or the Exeo approve of to enter. This in part because of their fierce instinct to defend their nigh-defenseless God-Queen, and also because should the unworthy discover the true bounty of their realm and come to covet it, it would put their kind at great risk. Yet, despite their efforts, rumors of a secret treasure have slipped into Medius. So it is that many begin to wonder what the Prae are hording to themselves. So are born the greatest adversaries that they may ever face: Greed and curiosity.

_Medius:

A realm of slow and steady development in regards to its make-up, Medius is possessed of more vis than Torqueo, but far less than Priscus. Inhabited by all three races, though Humans are the one who truly call it home, Medius is sometimes thought of as the melting pot realm, wherein all manner of things mix. Its development, once slow, was rather suddenly sent into overdrive with the introduction to the more magically adept Licentia, and the technologically adept, Prae. As a result of their introduction, Human society first went through a period of intense conflict wherein they expanded over the surface of the world, before the introduction of greater magical and technological knowledge was truly accepted and began to rapidly speed up the development of society at large. So it is that the world reaches its current state, where rather than smog and oil spills, vis eruptions and quantum instabilities can occur, affecting large regions before they are cleaned up--if such is possible.

Humans, while they have not colonized other planets, have managed to expand into Torqueo some, with several small populations of humans having been allowed to take up permanent residence in Priscus, them and their descendants slated to never return. While humans are by and large the most plentiful race inhabiting Medius, this is not to say that there are a small amount of Licentia or Prae, the latter of which account for at least 20% of the sentient population, with the former being about 5% of the total population.

_Torqueo:

A resource rich realm inhabited by all manner of strange, and often dangerous, beings--not the least of which are the Licentia themselves. Known as the harsh homerealm of the Licentia, this realm despite some humans having come to call it home, yet remains the domain of the the latter race. While not overly tumultuous in its geography, the weather and social climate could certainly be described as such. With many of the Licentia's rulers, the Eximius, dwelling herein, it is no wonder that the place would be filled to the brim with conflict of a varied sort.

Most intriguing is the environment of Torqueo, which rather than have its atmosphere be suffused with vis, finds that the soil, flora, and fauna themselves have absorbed much of it. So it is that in some places vast deserts or craggy plains form, while in others flora and fauna alike pull the precious energy from the ground, twisting it to their own ends. In this way, the Licentia are no different, with much of their infrastructure relying on the energy of the land itself to function properly. Like Medius, Torqueo is home to a vast assortment of cultures, despite being largely populated by the same race.

With the continued mixing of races within Medius, some Eximius have begun to turn their eyes to the realm, while others turn their attention to the realms of their kind's absent leaders. Going forwards, conflict is sure to break out in one realm or another. The question is; which will be first?

_{Pylae; The Rift:}

Pylae is widely thought to be the source of all energy, and so far both scientific and magical research has made clear a correlation between vis and this strange realm between realms. The leading theory is that energy is constantly exchanged between Pylae and the three realms, likely entering via quantum methods not yet understood by scientists or mages of any race. Yet, there are those who have found ways, if dangerous, to harness its power in fits and bursts.

Perhaps the most studied correlation are the points from which an individual may travel between realms. These locations are typically surrounded by unexplainable phenomena, be they magical or otherwise. Due to it being thought, despite there being no evidence of such, to be a realm torn between realities, Pylae is often called 'the Rift.' While rare, every so often, the gateways between realms, colloquially known as 'Bridges,' shift location in a seemingly random fashion for no apparent reason.

Additionally, there are the known, but exceedingly rare occurrence, known as 'rift storms,' which may take place around these 'Bridges,' making them impassable and spawning a temporary field wherein any manner of dangerous and unpredictable phenomena take place. These storms typically involve fluctuating fields of ambient vis as well as warped space-time within their confines. Luckily, these storms do not travel far from their sources, nor do they typically last any longer than a few hours, if that. Nonetheless, they are a dangerous occurrence, if one which allows great opportunity for those few who would dare study something so dangerous and unpredictable as the Rift. However, with the efforts of these brave souls, perhaps one day the world will have no reason to fear Pylae and its mysterious nature. Perhaps one day it will not be a mystery at all.

Perhaps.

The Races Expanded

_Prae:

Appearing as lithe humanoids with markings adorning them, this proud race hails from the realm of Priscus. When in their normal guise these lithe beings are graceful, light, and acrobatic, typically giving off an aura of purity and calm, though they can control this. While incapable of any truly impressive magic whilst in this state, Prae are capable of healing minor wounds, energizing others or themselves, moving smaller objects through the manipulation of their Vis. However, perhaps their most distinguishing features in comparison to Humans or even the Licentia, are the small crystals located somewhere on their foreheads in addition to their ability to condense their internal energy and exude it into the form of wings, or otherwise formations of energy, which manifest from the markings on their back and/or arms. The crystals located on a Prae's forehead are effectively invulnerable to all physical damage and a great deal of magical damage as well. A Prae pulls in energy through these crystals, using it as sustenance, this process only works if there is energy within the surrounding area. However, almost any form of energy works, as long as it is not held within a living thing.

In addition to these crystals, as mentioned, is a Prae's ability to manifest constructs of pure energy, which are a direct extension of their being—typically in the form of wings. When manifested a Prae's magical ability is greatly amplified, making them capable of greater telekinetic feats, either to manipulate their own person, those around them, or objects, depending on the specialty of the individual. However, while the abilities of a given Prae can vary somewhat, all of them stem from their inherent power, which has come to be known as “Imbuing.” This ability must be activated by contact between the Prae and that which they wish to manipulate.

Perhaps the most notable and intriguing use of a Prae's imbuing, is that which is performed upon their death. Essentially, when a Prae is near death they will, either consciously or subconsciously choose an individual who they have made contact with in the past—typically another Prae—and upon their death the entirety of their energy will be imparted to the chosen subject or subjects. The Prae may choose as to whether their consciousness is merged with that of the subject or not. When this is done the receiving individual's Anima is permanently empowered, allowing them a greater pool of energy to draw from. This is the only natural circumstance in which a Prae's Anima may significantly grow.

The Prae are ruled by several Queens, some of which are known as the Exeo. The Exeo have been imparted with sufficient power so as to facilitate the birth of true Prae. This is notable due to the fact that the children of Prae are born without the pure Anima of their kind—though they possess their crystals and markings. As such, by imparting Prae children with a small portion of pure Anima, the Exeo, or their greater counterpart, the God-Queen, allows the child to develop into a fully mature Prae later in life, rather than simply allow the equivalent of a half-breed, which would do nothing to further increase their numbers.

As mentioned, all Exeo are dwarfed by the God-Queen, who imparts them with the necessary energy to perform their function in the first place. The God-Queen is the single most important member of Prae society, being the only Prae capable of nigh infinitely absorbing ambient energy. This God-Queen comes to be when several hundred or a thousand Prae choose a member of their own whom they consider worthy of leading them. Once chosen, the Prae who have chosen her all simultaneously sacrifice their Anima, imparting their chosen Queen with such a tremendous amount of magical energy that her body's limits are exceeded, effectively rendering her incapable of any magic aside from giving her energy to others. The minds of the thousand Prae reach a state of cohesion with that of the God-Queen's allowing her a tremendous understanding of her kind and what is likely to be best for their continued wellbeing.

Due to her tremendous magical power and importance to their culture and social structure, not to mention her safety, the God-Queen remains in Priscus so that her tremendous soul and the vis that extends around it does not crush her subjects, and so that she remains far away from potential threats to her health.

_Licentia:

Beings of diverse physical appearance and magical ability, the Licentia are considered 'shapeshifters,' borne of Torqueo. However, the truth to their sometimes shifting forms is somewhat different in most cases. Rather than all Licentia being true shapeshifters, they instead remain in an impressionable state for a portion of their lengthy lives, during which they decide on their form and abilities going forwards. While a Licentia's growth period has a great amount of influence on what their abilities and appearance will be, it is their lineage that decides the pool of magical abilities they have to choose from. In this growth period a Licentia's Vis is rather small so long as their form is in flux, allowing them to manipulate their physical form to a great degree, though weakening any other magical abilities they might later develop. When a Licenti is not within a growth period, their true magical abilities manifest, and they are typically as impressive as they are diverse. Yet, while Licentia are indeed very individualistic in both culture and physical appearance, they share several notable traits, both magical and physical. The most notable of these are their 'solid souls,' in addition to their expansive Vis, and largely predatory and/or parasitic nature. Licentia reproduce parasitically, by in some form splitting their Anima once it has reached a certain density and placing it within another being—though the method can vary between subspecies.

While Licentia do technically regenerate their energy, the process is so slow that the energy generated would always be far less than that used in any notable physical activity, let alone magic. The energy is essentially only enough so as to give them just enough to survive should their Anima be depleted for whatever reason. Licentia, should they feed often enough, do not age, instead continually alternating between their growth and trial stages till they reach a certain level of self-awareness and understanding. Largely due to their longevity and parasitic reproduction, the Licentia are often demonized because of their nature, leading to many of their young being killed off, thus ensuring that their population never explodes.

While an exceptionally rare occurrence, Licentia can attain a third stage and even fourth stage of development, though the fourth's nature has long been considered a myth by both their kind and others. Nonetheless the third, and allegedly final, stage of Licentia development is characterized by the further stabilization of a Licenti's individual form and magical abilities. Only Licentia who have attained a sufficient level of personal understanding can attain this stage, which—should they reach it—affords them the title of Eximius. Aside from their form stabilizing in a more permanent manner—with few exceptions—an Eximius Licentia gains enhanced magical power as well as an effectively limitless lifespan so long as they keep themselves well fed.

Intriguingly enough, the rarity of Eximius licenti has led to the vast majority of their kind raising them to a deific status. As a result many consider Eximius to be more powerful than they truly are, resulting in them being feared and respected by both their own kind and others—if grudgingly at times. While Licentia tend not to choose defining leaders, but rather form small communities due to their individualistic nature, if there were any that they would consider their leaders, it would be those few Eximius.

_Humans:

Possessing the greatest population density of the three races, but the shortest average lifespans, humans tend to find themselves in positions of diplomacy with other races and situations of conflict among their own. They are not physically very impressive, though they tend to be hardier than the lithe Prae as well as naturally stronger. While the average human is of little consequence, all humans have within them inherent potential, which is far reaching in its scope. This on its own has allowed them to make incredible technological discoveries, as well as to learn to wield magic and of course to have expanded over the vast majority of their home realm, Medius.

While the Vis of Prae is limited to the surface of their form, and that of most Licenti is expansive in size, the human Vis is typically only a meter or two in radius, making it relatively small. However, true to their potential, this Vis can be expanded with practice and as an individual's Anima grows as, unlike Prae, humans can naturally increase their capacity magic over time and with due diligence. More interestingly, humans are capable of harnessing the energy of the world around them almost regardless of its nature. This is achieved by way of their uniquely impressionable Anima, which can easily meld with foreign energies. This ability is however a double edged sword as while it allows them to bend the world to their will, it also makes them more vulnerable to outside influence to a much greater degree than the Prae or Licentia. It is this and their short lifespans, which tend to be no longer than 100 or so years on average that act as their greatest limitations. However, with the advent of more advanced technology, and the continued development of magic, perhaps this too will fade into obscurity.

⊰ Magic

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So far as any of the races are aware, no being is capable of the manipulation of time, and while space can be manipulated to some degree, it is not something that is typically done easily by any race. However, aside from this, magic is capable of a great deal, its limits not being fully understood or known by any of the races as of yet. Still, as with most things, the more complex and more grandiose the scale or purpose of a given spell, the more difficult it is to preform.

In short, don't expect to throw a magical nuke without a whole team of several powerful magi and don't expect to actually bring back the Anima of those who have passed on entirely intact, if at all. If a simple term need be applied to describe magic, it is that the magic of Manifest Anima is of the 'High Fantasy,' sort. Just know, that the greater the power, the greater the responsibility required to wield it.

Examples of 'medium level power,' include shapeshifting into things of equivalent size, high speed movement, punching a person and breaking bones (maybe making a small mark on concrete). Perhaps you can manipulate fire hot enough to severely burn someone (2nd degree, and with continued exposure, third degree). Making golems of equivalent size and strength to what I described above or to your character's body.

⊰ Tech

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In terms of tech, the world of Manifest Anima does have things such as nanomachines, minor gravity manip tech, and what is becoming the true advent of body modification (yo cyborgs). While there are global teleportation networks, which are an incredible feat even in this day and age, people do not have personal teleportation devices or the like--in fact none such devices exist, or rather no non-prototype versions exist and trust me, I wouldn't suggest trying those prototypes...that is unless you want to end up merged with a brick wall on a quantum level.

As for weaponry things such as railguns exist, though devices such as laser rifles do not--at least not those that are fueled by entirely scientific/technological means. So don't expect light sabers or plasma weaponry for the most part. Even if they do exist, it's unlikely that most people would be allowed to carry around such dangerous devices. For further clarification, feel free to suggest your idea(s) to your local GM(s) and we'll see what we can do.

Oh yeah and magitech is a thing.

⊰ What to Expect

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• If a problem arises for a player in regards to the GM and they feel uncomfortable bringing it up. Go to the other GM for advice. Don't worry, we're perfectly reasonable people and nine times out of ten we'll work through it with you.
• Should you lack inspiration or enough material to post, tell someone. Communicate. Talk to your GMs. Worst comes to worst, we'll just move your character aside till you can post again.
• Interactions with at least semi-realistic cause and effect. If you kill someone, expect there to be an investigation or at least it be on the news.
• Burning house rule--if you're gone too long and holding things up, expect your character to either be moved aside quietly, or killed to further plot.
• To avoid the burning house rule, let us know you're going to be busy. If you need a hiatus, tell us, it can be arranged.
• Medium scale in terms of character power, unless you've got good reasons/you prove you can be trusted with more.
• Posts of a paragraph or more; quality over quantity. If you're drawing a blank, don't worry so much.
• Posting expectations of once, at the very least, every two weeks barring extenuating circumstances.
• A GM who is willing to work with you, hear you out, but not break his back to suit your every need.
• No OOC drama. Keep it to PMs, and hopefully keep it non-existent, or resolve it.
• Good communication be it player to player, GM to GM, or GM to player.
• Some measure of political intrigue.
• Multiple plotlines if possible.
• Group world building!
• Collaboration posts.
• Some dark themes.
• Some slice of life.
• Some combat.

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

1.) No, when a Licenti separates a part of itself, with very few exceptions (so few I'm not going to explain otherwise for now) it loses control of the part it separated. If the part is large enough to create a parasitic offspring, then the host may eventually hear the Licentia, but if they do it's probably slowly killing them.

2.) Even if it did hold control, they wouldn't share a consciousness. A Licenti cannot impart knowledge of its language to another.

3.) If you wanted to become the "symbiotic," thing, you could be a Licenti in their Growth stage who has latched onto a human, and they willingly allow it. The Licenti could have telepathy and so the two would work together by communicating telepathically.

4.) A single Licenti tends to modify its structure many times in its life, and quite frequently while it is in one of its Growth Stages. The younger it is, the more the form is likely to vary during a Growth stage. So yes, it could do what you suggest.

5.) Resistance against weaponry depends on what sort of form the Licenti take. Some will be more vulnerable, others will be less.

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

More Questions:
1. for other future questions do we put them here on in the interest thread?

2. what are the chances of a human having a relationship with a Licenti, they having exchanged a member (let's say an arm) as a sign of their bond (aka they chose to do it), so in other words, the human would have a Licenti arm, and the Licenti would have a human arm
~ OR ~
if this is not possible by natural ways (more or less), from what i understood, when a Licenti reaches a certain growth, they can detach of part of themselves and give it to others via some sort of symbiosis, can a Licenti give a part of themselves and attach them to a human? as far as sharing a conscience or not, i'll let you decide that (if you allow anything i've said thus far), ofc having a Licenti arm, i'd expect to be able to manipulate it's form and create desired forms for example a shield like thingy, a blade of some description and so on
~ OR ~
if the upper options are still no possible, how about an experiment where a human was subjected to Licenti "matter", thus having the same result => human with a Licent body part (still thinking of member)

please let me know if any of these are plausible, because i'd like to give such a character a try, also let me know if i am going way to SF than you guys intended :))

3. it was mentioned that Licenti have a more or less monstrous aspect, but by what description? are they rocky/crystaline creatures? fleshy/zerg like creatures? not sure about their aspect, even if it was mentioned that they are almost all different aspect wise, but structure wise what would they be made of from a humans perspective?

i'll do my best to make the CS tomorrow, i'm from Romania, and it's midnight here so won't be on for too long :)

EDIT:
4. what is the language each species speaks, also what is the common language/intergalactic language or what have you?

@Kibaro

1.) Future questions go in the OOC or you may send them in PM or in the Discord channel :) Discord and OOC are preferred unless it's something you'd like to keep on the low :P

2.) Human x Licenti pairings have and do occur, but they're not super common--though I wouldn't call them altogether uncommon either. somewhere between. A Licenti could give a portion of their Soul core, once it had grown to a sufficient size. However, it 's more likely that the person would wear it in a piece of jewelry or something, and that would make sure that it didn't try to infect them and parasitically feed on the human to mature. Conversely they could break off a small enough portion that integrating it with the human would allow them to overtake it and so it would merge with them. However, the result of this is a weird sort of symbiotic relationship between the integrated Licenti soul core and the Human, which could result in something similar to what you're suggesting. Mind you, it's more likely that it would drastically alter their entire body, be it magically or physically depends on the case (aka you can decide how it changed them).

3.) Licenti, as Celaira explained are varied in appearance and ability. You could have one that's effectively made of "shadows," and another who looks almost completely human, but has horns and scales, or fur all over their body. The amount of variation is so great that I'm more or less willing for people to make Licenti that look like practically anything. Not all Licenti are monstrous, but there are enough that are that people have that impression of them. Oh and as a note, there are Licenti who never lose their ability to shapeshift, it becoming one of their prominent magical traits. They're again, not common, but they do exist.

4.) Well, I'll put it this way, the languages that we have on Earth exist in Medius as human languages by and large--with the exclusion of latin, which I'm using as a sort of...greater language. It's going to have more significance than just "a language you can speak." Licentia and Prae do have their own languages, but they don't generally speak it around humans. In fact, if you hear either speaking their native tongue, you're likely overhearing it and they don't know you're listening, or you live in Priscus or Torqueo and you've become ridiculously trusted by the race who calls the realm home and so they might be willing to tell you about it or teach it to you. However, this sort of occurrence isn't just uncommon, it's pretty much unheard of. The OOC reason for this is the Prae and Licenti languages are not like any of the human languages we could use google translate for so yeah. The IC reason is that there is something unique about how both races communicate that isn't something they want to share with Humans or with others outside of their own race. For humans, latin is the same. Any mage who knows it--and many should--will likely not use it around Prae or Licentia unless they have to in combat to amplify their magic.

⊰Manifest Anima⊱

Right on the fifteen minute mark I've got the OOC up!

Manifest Anima OOC

@Ganryu, @Celaira, @icmasticc, and @Kibaro go forth and prosper!

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

⊰ℒ icentia⊱

Licentia – A History

Diversity, an ideal that has defined the licentia for much of their existence as a species, it is still not one that has always existed, as the annals hidden deep in Edravhen's Archives tells of a very different origin. It tells of two races of licentia whose names have been forgotten, or erased. Now known only as the precursors by those few scholars and historians among their kind, these two species were different from their descendants, they were united. While the licentia of today and even thousands of years hence, are a group of disparate beings, forming factions that often war amongst one another, with no real stability or unification to be found throughout their species as a whole their ancestors were different. The Precursors were two species, each different from the other, but whom nonetheless acted almost as a single governing body, warring and creating conflict only for the purpose of their development, rather than out of any real joy in the act.

However, there came a time where they felt the world wearing on them and knew it was time for them to pass on the torch, or at least to try and make something...better. So began the great task, given to them by the Will, the mysterious and powerful guiding force that, even to this day, acts as the force which moves the licentia forwards—unbeknownst to them. By the power of the Will, the Precursors designed and then birthed their first true offspring, who were known as the TRISTARI. These children were magically adept, and their creators taught them the ways that they follow to this day, they taught them to adhere to and spread the Will where they could; the taught them to gather knowledge and catalogue it, and most importantly, they taught them to utilize their natural talents. So was born the magical masters among the licentia. The TRISTARI rose in prominence, bringing wealth, happiness, and great progress to their kind's civilization...but as time passed something came to the attention of the Precursors. Their bodies had begun to shrivel and weaken, and each child they birthed was weaker than the last.

Out of fear and in their wisdom and newly elevated state, the Precursors bore a new species, and named them the Nightwalkers. In them they instilled the powers of their body, and the ideology of chaos, driving them to spread the Will through it and to make certain that licentia of the future never lost sight of their physical vessels.

The species succeeded and in their success they brought great health and evolution to their kind, driving the licentia further upwards. The sciences of the physical world began to reveal themselves to their kind, and merged with the magical knowledge of the TRISTARI it allowed them, for the first time, to erect cities and nations that spanned entire levels of Torqueo. Yet, it was not to last as the nations became divided, with the ideologies of the two child species clashing, it brought their kind into a war that seemed never to end.

At first nothing seemed amiss as the Precursors watched their children with smiles, pleased that the conflict bred stronger licentia, that was...until they noticed that less of their kind were born, or survived to adulthood as the wars raged on. A noticeable strain was being put on their species and the Precursors took it upon themselves to fix it. Spurred on by this knowledge and a vision from one of their elders, telling of a threat that would wipe them out in earnest, the Precursor races looked to one another and this time, instead of each of their kind birthing a species, they merged and turned themselves from two races...into one and from this species were born the Ahldreian.

They were unlike their siblings, bearing not the intent to spread the Will, to ensure development, or to incite the gathering of knowledge and the advancement of culture. Instead, the Ahldreian harnessed the Will and the power of their tremendous minds, calling upon the very fabric of their world they emerged from the shadows, appearing exactly when and where they were needed.

In a single century, which was no time at all for their kind, the wars that had lasted for thousands of years, came to a swift and decisive end. There were no winners and no losers, there were only licentia, and they had been united under the banner of the Ahldreian and their sibling species. While the three sibling races did not like one another, it was their purpose—imparted to them by their creators—to ensure the survival and continued development of their kind, and so they did their duty.

Again licentian civilization entered a golden age, this time one far more pronounced than the last two. Cities and countries were founded, trade abounded, and while wars were fought, they were brief and decisive, driving their evolution ever forwards and stimulating their minds. This lasted for three thousand years before tragedy struck, a tragedy which the licentia of today have all but forgotten.

Millions of their kind were devoured and while the licentia tried to stop it, they could do nothing against the being that had once been kin. The ascended TRISTARI wrecked havoc among their people, devouring thousands of its own kind, the Nightwalkers, and most of all the Ahldreian before it turned its attention to other realms. Licentian society was left in shambles and a distrust had been driven into their species as a whole. A distrust of one another.

They split into smaller countries and factions, fighting over land, resources, and even simply due to differences in ideology. The three guardian species that the now largely extinct Precursors had birthed watched in abject horror, their numbers too few to do anything, as the unity their kind had once had...dissolved. Hit most hard were the Ahldreian, the very species that would best be able to avert the disaster.

Instead, unable to affect change as they typically would, the Ahldreian secluded themselves, hiding and spreading out so that what had crippled their population before could not happen again. They bid their siblings stay in contact, but withdraw from leadership and while they did not like it, they acquiesced. For millenia this has continued, though as time went on the TRISTARI, now known as the Hystal, as well as the Nightwalkers, began reintegrating themselves into Licentia society. This has continued till the present, with the Ahldreian remaining largely in seclusion, only gracing their peers in times of great crisis while they fill their ranks once more. So brings us to the current state of affairs, where Nightwalkers have not ruled a true empire for thousands of years, the TRISTARI have hidden their true name and acted only subtly, and the Ahldreian have all but obscured their true nature from the rest of their kind. It is a dire state that their kind are in indeed, and yet...few licentia know it. Change must come soon, for if it does not...surely their kind are doomed.

After all, what threatened them once still lives...and it cannot sleep forever.

Sub-species

_____________Nightwalkers_____________

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_{Art by ChrisCold}

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Physiology

One of the elder sub-species of Licentia, Nightwalkers are often beings of manipulation and deceit, tending to be tricksters of a sort. Their kind idealizing cunning and intellect, Nightwalkers are well known for their ability to enchant others with their charm, or wrap them around their metaphorical finger with their tact and wit. So focused on manipulation, cunning, and awareness are they, that these Licentia have developed a physiology to match their nature.

Notable first and foremost is their appearance, which when not shifted to their will, is that of a viscous black vis, similar in appearance to thick smoke or dark shadows; this form often broken by glowing eyes of varied coloration—though with no pupils. This amorphous form is one they have distinct control over, allowing them to shift it into a variety of shapes, alter its texture, smell, and even taste. In this it is revealed that they are adept shapeshifters, capable of taking on almost any form provided they have the necessary vis to fuel the transformation. Unlike many Licentia shapeshifters, though more similar to licentia of the growth stage in this, Nightwalkers can actually do more than take on the mere appearance of something. In fact, so adept in their transformative abilities are they that they can create entire biological systems including organs and otherwise viscera to make their forms as realistic as possible. However, while a Nightwalker can suppress its true Licentian nature and even take in the vis of other beings to mimic them, they can never entirely hide their true nature.

Notable too are the soul cores that dwell within a Nightwalker's form, as these are its only true vital points. These cores, typically numbering anywhere between three and nine, can be moved around the Nightwalker's body, and often take on the same color as the rest of them, disguising themselves with the rest of their current form so as to not be made easy targets. Nonetheless, these cores always remain solid no matter the nightwalker's form. Additionally, nightwalkers, even when in a more ethereal state, are known to be damaged by magics centering around purification and/or light. As to more physical means of damaging their ilk, there comes to mind vis-infused platinum, which can harm the beings as a normal weapon harms a human—doing damage that cannot be immediately repaired even if the Licentia takes on a new form. Beyond this, there are various sorts of magic that deal in putting vis into stasis or dispersing it. These magics, when used against a nightwalker, are quite effective, forcing them either to maintain whatever form they had taken until the restrictions are removed, or forcing them into their truest shape.

Abilities

Aside from their inherent talent for shapeshifting, nightwalkers possess several other rather notable skills, the most universal of those being their shadow magic. While there are mages of note who manipulate shadows, nightwalkers are surely the most prolific. Due to their bodies being composed in part of the very essence of shadows, these licentia have developed the ability to both possess and manipulate shadows, which has allowed them a variety of abilities. First it allows any nightwalker to make shadows a physical construct, allowing them to take hold of any nearby darkness and use it as an extension of their body or outright make it a part of them. This reveals their ability to not only attain more physical mass, but also to connect themselves through said shadows. The latter of these abilities allows them to perform what has been coined 'Shadow Walking' which is a traversal ability that allows nightwalkers to step into one shadow and emerge from another, the process originating from their their nature, their connection to shadows, and of course their senses.

This brings us to what a nightwalker's senses really are, which while it can vary somewhat as one develops, always include a shadow sense, a vis sense, as well as the five normal senses. While a nightwalker can focus on the five senses and/or their vis sense to increase the strength of them, their shadow sense is inherent and essentially allows them to detect things better in darkness or to detect darkness and shadows themselves. Over the centuries this has given nightwalkers a reputation and has led the other races to adopt a particular methodology for dealing with their kind. This methodology is more often than not summed up quite well by a world renowned hunter of old.

“If dusk has fallen, and a nightwalker comes callin', there's naught left to do, but pray.”

Prof. Hale Aldbright(1782-1864)

Culture & History

As one might think, nightwalkers are a mysterious lot shrouded in darkness and obscurity and so where they truly originated in their home plane of Torqueo is largely forgotten. However, from what human historians have gathered over the ages, and what little licentian scholars have revealed, nightwalkers developed tens of thousands of years ago, at first dwelling in the shadows, hiding themselves due to the rarity of their kind back then. Yet, in the ensuing years they rose from the darkness, bringing it with them, and swallowed whole portions of Torqueo in dark shrouds. From that time onwards, nightwalkers have taken sanctuary or emerged from these pockets of pure darkness, but they are not a united people, instead scheming against one another more often than not. As to humanity's relation to the species, well they have preyed upon mankind since time memorial, with legends of them including insidious nightmare creatures and beings dragging children off in the night, whisking them away to who knows where.

As to their culture, it tends to vary a great deal, but the majority of nightwalkers learn quickly that intelligence and wit is the only way for them to survive amongst their own, and later in the world at large. As such, their kind values these things greatly and are understandably proud of themselves for having attained such cunning. Still, while their kind are respected among licentia, the individuals are often not, as they have the nasty tendency of making far more enemies than friends with their manipulative and, sometimes cruel, ways.

They are seen as saboteurs, and architects of grand schemes. They are tacticians, if not warriors, scholars, if not explorers, but most of all...they are tricksters and this every race knows. To deal with a nightwalker, is to tempt fate.

Yet there are those records that tell a different story, a story dating back almost to the very conception of licentia as a species. These records, hidden away in secretive locations and buried deep within Edravhen's Archives paint nightwalkers not as devious beings bent upon controlling others and driving wedges in society, but tell of a species that were created to serve a distinct purpose. The stories speak of nightwalkers with reverence, not hatred; with respect, and maybe just a hint of fear, for nightwalkers were brought into this world by the Precursors. In essence, nightwalkers were brought into the world to prevent the withering of their species' bodies, with their purpose to incite conflict, be it of a physical or cerebral sort to drive their kind forever forwards. Yet, over the vast millenia that they have existed, many of their kind have forgotten the truth of their purpose, yet, so ingrained in their culture and instincts is it that they uphold it even to this day--though perhaps not to the letter.

After all, nightwalkers are an adaptive sort, refusing to be held down by any expectation or limitation placed upon them.

_____________The_Ahldreian_____________

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_{Art by petemohrbacher}

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[+]

Physiology

The most cerebral of the three sibling races of licentia, the Ahldreian possess both an intensely powerful mind as well as an intrinsic connection to the Will, a force that existence cannot go without. It is this connection that gives the Ahldreian their understanding of the world, any knowledge they should need, and of course...clairvoyance. While both the Nightwalkers and TRISTARI possess each their own powerful intuition, the Ahldreian, while youngest among the three, are capable of actually observing the flow of fate and ascertaining how to pull possibilities from the Rift and into reality. Of course, this enigmatic race possess other boons, such as their adaptable bodies, which they can tune, along with their vis, so as to channel energy in differing ways. While not so strong as their siblings in these ways, the Ahldreian are nonetheless formidable adversaries, often standing anywhere between six and ten feet, though their imposing height is not matched with much bulk.

Slender and frail looking, Ahldreian are nonetheless much more dangerous than they appear, as they possess a fine tuned understanding of the world around them which surpasses that of most. Joining their unique mind and clairvoyance are their astounding senses, which are less physical in nature than most as instead of eyes, ears, mouths, and noses, every Ahldreian merely possess a series of highly sensitive organ-like constructs within their bodies. These crystalline formations are connected directly to their soul core, which, rather fittingly, resides in their head. Essentially, these 'organs' function by way of detecting the interactions between vis of all sorts and their environment on a fundamental level. This makes them capable of all five normal senses, but ramped up hundreds of times in sensitivity and accuracy, without any avenue for normal overexposure, making it impossible to 'blind' or 'deafen' them in the traditional sense. However, this powerful sense comes at a cost and that cost is a weakness to the manipulation of vast amounts of vis within their direct vicinity causing an overpowering nausea-like sickness. Beyond this, Ahldreian are not particularly durable and as with their siblings, they are uniquely weak to vis-infused platinum.

Abilities

While Nightwalkers have their shadow magic and TRISTARI their magical mastery, the Ahldreian hold dominion over the powers of clairvoyance, illusion, and frequency-based magic. While clairvoyance and illusion are rather common, frequency-based magic is something that merits explanation. This discipline was developed to allow the Ahldreian to practice magic despite the weaknesses associated with their unique senses. By using their connection and understanding of the Will, the Ahldreian can extend both their vis beyond physical space and over vast distances allowing them to perform magic without directly disturbing their surroundings. While some magics achieve this by merely stretching the caster's energy over vast distances, the Ahldreian do so by resonating their vis with that of another location, and then connected it to their will for a time. This makes them adept at casting spells with vast scope and range, while reducing their skill for spells requiring precision. Of course, an Ahldreian can be precise, it simply takes more effort or a different methodology than a normal mage would require.

As to their talents for illusion magics, the Ahldreian can be said to be so skilled that none aside from their siblings and the most dedicated, or trusted, of scholars has any inkling of the ability. This is, in part, due to their tendency to use illusions on an incredibly minute level to suggest ideas or slightly alter the impression they give to others. It is this ability coupled with their mind and foresight that gives them the ability to unite their kind, and perhaps others as well. After all, how could we know, we're only human.

“When the world is in ruins and hope seems lost, they will come, and with the world darkened from their absence, their presence will blind and confound. Though when their work is done and our senses adjusted, we will stand in a new world...uplifted yet none-the-wiser.”

Dharvae'kari Morain(25 BC to Present)

Culture & History

Dating back to the advent of the licentian race, the Ahldreian have existed almost since the birth of their species. They possess a rich history and while they have always been fewer in numbers than their two sibling races, the Nightwalkers and TRISTARI, the Ahldreian have nonetheless taken up the position of leadership when it was needed most, with their kind having led licenti throughout the ages into periods of prosperity unseen in the current era. Nonetheless, information regarding their exact personal is something that would be highly valued, but has nonetheless been hiden by what remains of the Ahldreian race today.

Their culture on the other hand has, in part, been uncovered. First and foremost, the Ahldreian value the mind and the guiding powers of fate's numerous threads. They are beings who do not look back, but instead always plan for the future, taking in their present circumstances, and pushing themselves, and their kind, into a newer and brighter tomorrow. This is their chief purpose in the world, and it follows that they believe it a righteous and all important one. However, this sense of importance can make their kind rather overconfident, which is perhaps one of the reasons that they have shrouded themselves in myth and mystery.

Beyond this, the Ahldreian are known to be a reclusive people, keeping to themselves and protecting their own with an admirable ferocity. Similarly they do not often venture outside of those places wherein they lurk, but when they do, my do they stir up the waters.

Perhaps one day they will emerge from the shadows and reveal to the world the reason for their actions.

Perhaps.

_____________Kitsune_____________

<sub>Art work belongs to the respective artist, not myself, and I’m only using for representation

Written by: @Fallenreaper</sub>

Physiology

Breeding

Kitsune breeding methods slightly differ depending on their genders.

Males tend to seek out pregnant females either by shape shifting into their lovers, husbands or desirable male the target finds sexually attractive. Females follow a similar route by shape shifting into a suitable form to become pregnant and seducing a male into bed where she drains him of a notable amount of vis, DNA, and produces a fetus within herself.

While the infant, in either form, is developing the Kitsune splits off half their soul core and infuse it into the growing life. The core eventually infects and overcomes the fetus’ life over the next nine months, the newborn Kitsune finally formed and busting out from its mother into the world. With a human woman this process usually kills her since their system isn’t use to the shock, but a Kitsune mother will simply shudder and apply her shape shifting ability to recover from the damage. The latter will often move on with their lives, not staying to raise the helpless kit.

Pact

Kitsune has developed the ability to cheat death in a unique way: though a pact created by another being and creating a shard. This tends to be either Licenti or human (usually a mage) as Prae tend to have racial tenancies against Licentia in general, but it is possible.

When a Kitsune creates a pact, they choose a being to become a keeper of sorts for their shard and also to help supply vis into the ritual. Using the supplied Vis from the would be pact holder, they split about 1/4th of their Soul Core off. It condenses down into a shard like item and holds the genetic blueprint to reconstruct them later. The pact holder, in order to retain the current contract, must protect and keep it safe or risk breaking the link between them.

Growth/Development

Birth to Childhood

After being born, Kitsune’s development is very unusual compared to most Licentia. Instead of going to and forth from a growth to trial stage, they are set within an extended growth stage until about 2 decades of their lives. They seem to grow much like human with occasional brief burst of rapid changes that cover numerous years and vary between individual Kitsune before falling back to a steady rate. It’s very similar to humans’ growth ‘spurts’ in theory. Usually 2-3 changes are the normal while beyond 3 are exceptionally rare. Since they gain no magical strength or additions during the first 20 years of their lives, they remain solid and able to interact with the world. This also makes them more likely to be killed and consumed by other Licentia or humans (mistaking them for normal foxes- see paragraph below).

When they bust from their mothers, the infant Kitsune’s shape is that of a fox with a single tail and one magic ability. This ability is to help them survive as they are most vulnerable during this time in their lives. Within the first two years, they develop like a normal fox would physically and their growing mentality would reach that of an eight year old.

At hitting this milestone, they tend to gain their first growth ‘spurt’ causing them to take on the appearance of a humanoid fox around eight years old. They return to a steady growing rate with a few ‘spurts’ here or there depending on the Kitsune’s individual growth until they reach the adult stage at age 20.

Adulthood

After age of twenty, their growth and trial stages alters again. Instead of an extended growth period, there’s two trial stages and one prolonged growth period in the middle. Most humans believed, even to this day, that a Kitsune gains magic based on their tail number but this is incorrect thinking and knowledge. In their first trial stage (tail 1 to 3) they gain a new spell for each new tail they grow, not counting the one they originally started off with.

When they hit the fourth tail, they enter a growth stage. It’s a lot like their extended growth stage in their youth where it last up to a few centuries but without the ‘spurts’. They remain solid, their bodies able to collect Vis from their environment and building it up over time to strengthen their magic.

During this time, they gain no more magic spells, but they will still continue to grow tails. This is believed to be a biological way for them to keep track of time until their growth stage is complete. Another thing to notice is that due their bodies hoarding Vis, all their magic is slightly weaker than prior stages and while this makes them more cautious, this doesn’t make them helpless. If a Kitsune reaches the required Vis amounts before they reach the seventh tail, they will gain full potential in magical power but will not gain another ability until they reach the seventh tail.

When they hit the seventh tail, another trial stage begins repeating the process with tails seven through nine. When hitting nineth tail, the Kitsune begins to edge into the Eximius stage and undergoes one final change to their physical form: enhanced physical traits. This means their speed, strength, durability and more reaches into notable levels making them formidable close combat fighters.

They are also no longer in need of their ability to create a pact with another being, but can retain one if they desire. The main difference between this stage and the ones before it is the fact the Eximius can break it without the holder’s permission at any time and without ever harming the individual. Allowing them to recreate a new one or not.

Nature

While each Kitsune is different in personality, their up bring being a primary fact in developing various traits, there’s always an under laying instinct to create a pact. It is how they survive and outwit death which means until it is fullfilled, they will feel that nagging for it in the back of their minds. Most who completely ignore this have been killed and unable to return to a shard, their fate sealed in death.

Abilities

Shard Pact

*See Darius’ Shard ability for more details.

Tails

List of abilities and when they show up. Each tail appears within a range of ten years of the century mark, either five years before or after, depending on the Kitsune's development curve. Right after the tail’s appearance -unless it’s four to six- another magical ability will be gained and usable for the Kitsune’s lifetime.

   
• Tail 0 : Camouflage
• Tail 1 : Elemental Manipulation (pact related, fire by default)
• Tail 2 : Shape shifting
• Tail 3 : Barrier
• Tail 4-6 : Strengthen magic instead of gain new magic
• Tail 7 : Levitation/Flight
• Tail 8 : Illusions
• Tail 9 : Eximius

Culture & History

Kitsune are often considered tools by most Licentia that actually know about their true nature. They have evolved into Licentia that have adapted to depend on other Licentia in the form of a pact. Any independent culture of their own was long ago wiped out due to their ability to pact creating numerous Kitsune with various backgrounds, personalities, etc.

Dwindling Existence

In recent years, Kitsune have become more rare with the passing years. Their numbers now currently less than a hundred within Torqueo and still falling. The reason is unknown as most the surviving Kitsune are too young to realize this and any that have looked into it have simply vanished. Some believe it might be because their ability to cheat death is flawed or too old to continue the Kitsune’s existence into the future. It’s hard to tell which is true without additional information.

Nogitsune

While they look alike, it's commonly believed to be a variety of Kitsune or a completely different creature altogether. It is also called by numerous names: Void Fox, Dark Fox and much worse. So far, many Licentia believe them to be extinct and mere stories due to the lack of interaction with their kind for centuries. However there is a dark history to the reason of why…

_____________Succubi & Incubi_____________

<sub>Art work belongs to the respective artist, not myself, and I’m only using for representation

Written by: @Fallenreaper</sub>

Physiology

For those that aren’t familiar with the words Succubus and Incubus (plural forms Succubi and Incubi respectively), these licentia were often portrayed as Lilin-demons in female or male form before they officially emerged into the light. They appeared in dreams, often in the form of an attractive human in order to seduce their victims, and gradually lead to sexual relationships. This isn’t fully true as Succubi and Incubi can absorb a sizable chunk of Vis from not just humans, but other Licentia and even Prae upon contact lasting much longer than a few moments. This is usually done in a gesture ranging from a handshake to a deep kiss. However, thanks to a few mischievous Licentia it is usually assumed by most humans that they require sexual activities to fed. Upon being asked this, it might draw a few baneful looks from the more conservative Succubi or Incubi that prefer some degrees of abstinence.

Succubi and Incubi are considered the beginning stages of Sirens and Cambions, often created after either one of these have procreated. Though they aren’t technically suppose to, they are able to procreate new Succubi and Incubi when they delay their ascension into their higher forms. There are even rare cases of some Succubi and Incubi reaching the Eximius stage though once they reach such a level their ability to become Sirens or Cambions is impossible and has its own pros and cons.

Breeding

Should a Succubi and Incubi reach the stage where they can breed, they use similar methods with only a slight variation based on gender. Succubi possess a unwitting human woman casting an illusion spell, twisting her features into something attractive and considered alluring for the type of male she’s intending to attract. Casually she proceeds to lure then seduce the male into bed where she steals a heavy amount of Vis over time and becomes pregnant. Over her existence in the human host, who is completely aware, the Succubus gradually begins to imbue the fetus with small shards of their soul core. Unlike Sirens or Cambions, they can only do this once in their lifetime.

After a month, the Succubus departs the host leaving the human to bear the offspring. Naturally this has created ‘demonic’ offspring in several myths and rarer still, hybrids of their kind. Unless the trait runs in the Licentia (much like humans), most births are single but there are exceptions.

On the other side of the spectrum, an Incubus would physical shift into an appealing form where they impregnate a female of their choice, adding shards of their soul core and Vis to the mix. When the child takes hold and settled in after a month, they seem to simply vanish.

Birth to Childhood

While going through their first official growth stage within the womb, these licentia store and consume vast amounts of Vis over a nine month period. Despite what the mother tries, she can’t abort, damage or get rid of the infected fetus without causing her own death. Based on the Succubus’ and Incubus’ choice of victim, this rarely happens. Whenever it has, the child’s own Vis has created ‘miracles’ through various methods: the rope snapped, someone was summoned, etc. This prevented its demise, most the time, and allowed it to develop into the world.

Upon birth, Succubi and Incubi are coated in the Vis they collected from their mothers. This coat creates a very realistic illusion purely as a defensive mechanism to prevent the infant from being killed on sight. Over the course of the Licentia’s growth, this coat wouldn’t be required and fades gradually. To anyone trained to look past illusion magic or the mother herself, the illusion doesn’t work. Instead of a crying, healthy infant, there’s a very ‘young’ succubus or incubus infant with horns, fragile wings and a prehensile tail.

In these cases, the child was often killed out of fear ending the Succubus’ or Incubus’ lineage.

Should the child live past their mother’s attempt to discard or kill them, these licentia grow at a steady rate within the environment they are given to. Most tend to be taken in by relatives of the ‘manic’ mother or placed into the orphanage until puberty when the Vis layer completely fades to relieve their actual nature. In a few cases, the parent might seek out and snatch them away to be raised in Torqueo among their own kind.

Adulthood

On reaching puberty, they are considered adults and the collected Vis layer has completely vanished now. Succubi and Incubi are very different from each other, much like how humans vary themselves, creating no fixed appearance to represent them all ideally. However, they all do have a set collection of traits that make identifying their race easy. Most Incubi and Succubi have horn growths upon their heads (often budded from the head sides or forehead), two bat like wings sprouted from their backs, a prehensile tail extended from their tailbone and often an allure that causes them to become appealing to multiple races. Including other Licentia. Don’t mistake this for flat out perfection or being irresistible to any individual, but rather an unmistakable draw and finding something attractive about the Succubi or Incubi. *See Irresistible Charm in Abilities

The Succubi and Incubi have the ability to gain Vis though subtle and steady touch, draining Vis over time though interaction with the individuals involved in their lives. However, upon reaching adulthood the instinctive desire to become a Siren or Cambion has grown notably. So much in fact that they will seek out ways to gain additional Vis over the course of their life time and when they finally collected enough, they will enter another growth stage before becoming a Siren or Cambion.

Abilities

Irresistible Charm

While Succubi and Incubi have admirable traits naturally, they also posses a passive magic called Irresistible Charm. It combines both Vis and use of pheromones in order to create an appeal to almost any creature, ranging from an enjoyable personality to outright sexual appeal and completely dependent on the influenced party. This magical ability, while unable to affect everyone the same way, does try to aid in making the Succubi/Incubi more likable in order to obtain more Vis for its growing collection into a Siren.

However, this doesn’t prevent back lash should the Licenti become reckless or stupid. It isn’t mind control after all, but a method to create likability or attraction depending on the target.

Flight

A few things to note about Succubi and Incubi wings. Most are leathery and dragon like in appearance, giving them ability to control their movements in the middle of flight similar to how a bat might. Their range of flight, maneuverability, and more depends on the wing span and design over all. Larger wings tend to cover larger distances without continually flapping to rise higher while the smaller wings focus more on maneuverability and make navigating tight spaces easier.

Vis Drain

All Succubi and Incubi are able to gain Vis from humans, Licentia and even Prae if given the chance. They primarily do it through either touch or sexual activities, their unique biology making them nearly compatible with any sub race. However, they tend to prefer humans more because most are easily manipulated and have greater odds of not possibly being able to fight back.

It’s little surprise that the most Vis comes from more intimidate acts of lust which might explain their association and physical appeal. With touch, it varies mainly on how long the Succubi or Incubi can retain the contact with the target. However this comes with a notable and unwritten risk: Succubi and Incubi are known to become greedy and there are cases a few are known to drain more than their fair share. This is often driven by the primal need to evolve into the next stage.

Most well aged Succubi and Incubi know to avoid this… unless there’s little way to get caught or suffer back lash. They know killing the individual will result in only a fixed amount of Vis gain, instead of a steady source, and the word would spread lowering their chances to gain additional Vis from agreeable Licentia that might not kill them on sight.

Above Human Speed and Reaction Time

Succubi and Incubi aren’t known for being highly durable or offensive in a fight, but it doesn’t mean they don’t have other means to protect themselves. High speed and reaction time are a Succubi’s and Incubi’s forte as only a few Licentia are able to match and surpass it. This is because an attack is useless if it can’t hit and since the it won't take much to bring this sub race of Licentia crumbling to their knees, avoiding being damaged is rather important.

Dream Walking/Dream Manipulation

In most myths, Succubi and Incubi are known to be most dangerous in your dreams. They appear to be shapeshifters purely because they take on the appearance of what the dreamer most desires in another individual and shapes the dream into their favor. (see Lily’s CS)

Culture & History

Business like Practices

Due to a Succubi/Incubi’s need for large amounts of Vis, they often take up a trade or skill that some Licentia or Humans would find valuable. This often causes them to create a bartering system in order to obtain the required Vis levels for evolution in a shorter time than merely ‘stealing’ it from others. Many end up living in Medius, where they are often born, joining brothels or some other sexualized profession that allows them to get up close and personal with their targets. Others are more conservative and will become information brokers or wealthy individuals through subtle blackmailing means. Wherever their lives lead, one thing is certain: they will always have that need to evolve into the next stage and that’s the primary motivation.

Shapeshifting

Among humans, it’s commonly mistaken that Succubi and Incubi are able to shift and alter their shape like many other Licentia. This ability only achieved through dreams which is likely how this rumor and belief came into existence.

____________Descendants____________

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[+]

A race long since died out so many hundreds of thousands of years ago, precursor humans—as paleontologists put it—were an advanced species that only hold minor resemblance to humanity of the modern era. However, while much of the raw power and adaptability of the precursors have been lost, diluted over time through the process of natural selection, those few exist whose genes still contain a number of activated sequences from these ancient, and bizarrely advanced, ancestors of man. So it goes that you must be taught of their nature in case you one day may have the misfortune of facing against them.

Good hunting you lot, and be careful.

Physiology

With surprisingly similar physiology found among those with active precursor DNA than one might expect, descendants are almost indistinguishable from modern humans with a few notable cosmetic exceptions. The first among these are their eyes which always glow with the use of magic, with the second being their faintly pointed ears, and the third being their tendency to be attractive in one manner or another. Additionally all descendants have one unique trait which distinguishes them from modern humanity, a portion of their body is always somehow visibly magical. For some there eyes are constantly a flame, for others markings run along heir skin, glowing and pulsating with the flow of their vis, and others still may have limbs not wholly solid or connected to their form, with vis filling in the gaps. For every descendant this trait is different and from parent to child there is often little to no correlation, strangely enough.

With lineage in mind, it is notable that descendants are rare, but even should both parents be descendants, their child still only has a 30% chance of being one. This seems to be caused by a strange mixture of the parent's magical strength influencing the child, and most of the precursor genes having become naturally inactive or recessive over time. As a result, descendants are rare, making up only 0.0005% of the total human population, or in other terms, one person in every two-hundred-thousand is sure to be a descendant.

Perhaps last among the biological traits that differentiates descendants from modern humans is their longevity, as unlike modern humans, descendants can live anywhere between 850 to 1500 years. Of course, they also do not mature quite as fast, tending to reach sexual maturity at the age of 18, and to reach physical maturity at the age of 42. Beyond this point, descendants age slowly, though the rate at which they age varies somewhat depending on stress, magic use, the magical climate, and other environmental factors. Though, on average, a descendant dying of old age only lives around 700-900 years before expiring. It should be noted that descendants are more susceptible to magical, or vis-effecting illness than normal humans.

Spiritual Make-up

While descendants are not that different in appearance from modern humans, the structure of their spiritual being is something else entirely, as unlike a modern human, descendants have an impressionable anima, an internal and external ostium, and of course an aura composed of vis. Essentially, a descendant's anima has a wall that can be made permeable to vis per an individual's will, which acts much like the ostium does for modern humans, but instead is called the velo. Outside of the velo, are the vis pathways that run through the body in all living things, and at the outer edge of that is their ostium, which acts as a barrier, or gateway, to their external vis, allowing them to release and manipulate vis outside of their body.

While the velo does not seem terribly important at first, this is far from the truth as descendants require it to protect their anima from external influence. Their body being so open to vis in comparison to modern humans, in addition to their velo, allows them two notable traits. The former gives them uncanny precision in terms of their vis manipulation and makes magic far more intuitive for them as well as making all of their physical attributes—senses included—slightly amplified compared to a modern human's. Beyond this, the former trait allows them to imprint abilities they have mastered onto their anima directly, amplifying the strength of the ability, skill, or spell and expanding the scope of it as well.

A good example of this would be the traditional fireball spell. Essentially before imprinting it onto their anima by opening their velo, a descendant might be able to merely conjure a fireball of various size depending on the amount of vis utilized, but afterwards the spell becomes more efficient, requiring less energy and its trajectory can be guided. Furthermore, once an ability is imprinted onto their anima, their children will inherit it, even if there are more than one. Of course...only mastered abilities can be imprinted.

⊰ℒ ocations⊱

TBA

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

⊰ Set in ℳotion are the Шheels of ℭhange ⊱

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Ⱥ ismael Ѵ ea-vartari. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ⱦ ʜ ᴇ ℚ ᴜ ᴇ ᴇ ɴ ' s s ᴘ ᴇ ᴀ ʀ

^{Ominar – Prae Headquarters 'The Spire' – Highest Office
Theme I}

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The clouds were white today, Ais observed from the window in the high office of what she'd learned the inhabitants of the city had come to call 'the Spire.' She found the term as strange as she did the humans who had likely coined it. After all, a spire thinned at the top, and the building in which she stood did no such thing. It was tall, surely, but it was not the tallest building in Ominar, no it was perhaps the fifth tallest—though that was not to say that it wasn't still a monolithic structure in its own right.

Her gaze looking down from the cloudy upper reaches of Ominar, Aismael's attention shifted, and so her thoughts followed suit, abandoning their former ponderings entirely.

“Madam, Exeo,” sounded a small voice from across the room. The Exeo judged that the voice came from the same location that the entrance resided within. Someone had entered her office unbidden. Her body turning a quarter of the way around so that her head could turn to see the small Prae who stood in the doorway, the Exeo found a small smile slipping over her lips.

“Maedriel, I presume you've returned with the reports?” Her question was accompanied by her body gracefully completing its turn, before approaching the small, 4'10 Prae. She was still young.

“Yes, Exe--,” she begun, only to be interrupted by her blue and gold haired elder, who had closed the distance with deceptive swiftness to place her hand on the young woman's shoulder, “Please, it's Ais while we're alone, alright Maedri?” The young Prae nodded meekly, her eyes, with hesitation, turning up to meet her superior's own.

As she did, a shiver went through her, causing Aismael to smile, a glint in her eyes. “The report, dear,” she requested gently, causing the girl to sputter briefly before hurriedly handing over the folder of documents. Smiling as she took hold of it before, to the girl's relief and dismay both, she turned away and walked to her desk. Once there she splayed the files out over the surface before feeding her vis into it.

Swiftly the documents were scanned by a golden light, before being displayed holographically several feet above the surface of the desk. “Hmm, troubling,” Ais murmured after several minutes of silence.

Maedriel shifted uncomfortably as Ais spoke.

“So our little friend is likely in town then?” As she said it, she glanced over her shoulder to see Maedriel nod, her eyes averted all the while.
“Yes, very troubling. However, perhaps we can use this to our advantage,” she said, trailing off, a smile forming on her full lips. “Yes, I think we will make use of his presence. Let's send a message to him, shall we?”

In confusion, Maedriel opened her mouth to speak up, but she found that only a squeak came out. It seemed that the girl was quite literally choked up by the sheer presence of the Exeo before her. Ais chuckled, “Don't worry Maedri, I won't make you deliver it. Why don't you go take a break, mmm? You've done well in bringing this straight to me. Come back when you've relaxed some, we'll talk.” Dutifully the girl, bowed, and turned away in a whirl—her actions swift not because she disliked being in the presence of the Exeo, but because of the bright red blush on her cheeks as she fled the room.

As the door shut, Aismael couldn't help, but laugh again to herself. She knew she ought to stop teasing the poor girl, but she simply couldn't help it—she was far too cute for her not to after all.

Nonetheless, there were unfortunately less pleasant things she had to attend to, and so it was that Ais circled her desk, seated herself behind it—legs crossed—and lightly tapped its surface. There was a brief pause, before a male voice came through, “Yes Exeo Aismael, how may I assist you,” the voice queried. In response, Ais smiled and said, “Connect me to the offices of an individual known as The Broker.”

“What shall I tell them,” the voice replied.

“Tell him we're looking for Dranai, and tell him I'll personally bring his favorite--if he plays nicely.”

“So it shall be Exeo Aismael. I will get back to you with his reply within the hour.”

“Thank you Haesari.”

“With pleasure, Exeo.”

It was then that the transmission ended and as it did, Ais turned in her chair and looked out onto the city once more, her thoughts returning to what their God-Queen had laid out for them. This would only be the first step of many.

The first step to purge the Licentia from Medius. The first step to ascertain the prosperity of their race for ages to come. Queen willing, it would not fall short of expectations and things would progress swiftly.

'Queen willing,' the Exeo thought with an absent chuckle...

'Queen willing.'

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D ranai L lamant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ᴛ ʜ ᴇ ᴘ ʀ ᴏ ғ ᴇ s s ᴏ ʀ

^{The Streets of Ominar
Theme I}

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The streets were dangerous, the human knew this and while people had once convinced him otherwise, the world had come to prove them fools and he the fooled. When this had become fully and truly apparent to him, he had cast aside the veil of other's perceptions, and taken to believing only what others could prove to him.

Yet he was a mage.

“Yes, the greatest irony that someone who so believes in empiricism would find themselves practicing a thing that doesn't even seem to follow the laws of physics,” he said, talking to himself, something he often did. “One of these days I'll find a way to stop everyone, myself included, from thinking it ironic,” he muttered to himself, hoping that one day he could put an end to the phenomena, as, for whatever godawful reason, people simply loved to point out that bit of irony to him, even when they hardly knew him.

It was both pitiable and annoying, the first because each one of them thought themselves the first to point it out, and the second because practically everyone did so. It was tiring.

Turning down an alley, Dranai barely stopped himself from running head first into what he first thought a rather tall man, only for a less cursory look to reveal a massive Licenti. “Ah, my apologies,” he said, nodding to the much taller being, before stepping to the side and walking past. He was relieved when the Licenti didn't turn and throw fire upon him, or attempt to strangle or crush him to death—he hated it when they tried that.

Going on his merry way, Dranai shoved his hands deeper into the pockets of his sweater, shielding them from the cold coastal air of Ominar. Why couldn't the place be a bit more like Florida or something, he wondered—knowing all the while the scientific reason as to why. Exiting the alley, Dranai's gaze fell upon the street, where cars didn't whizz by in blurs of movement—wait.

Fullstop.

Pause.

Back up.

Dranai's eyebrows rose, before his eyes narrowed as he realized that the cars on the street weren't moving when he wasn't. When he moved, the cars appeared to move as usual, but when he stopped....

“Well isn't that some trippy, fishy, sketchy nonsense,” he exclaimed aloud in irritation. “You know, it's rather irritating when you amateur mages try to enscorcel me with subpar illusions. This isn't even good,” said the mage as he extracted his left hand from the pocket of his sweater. In its grasp was what could have been either a timepiece or a locket—it was hard to say.

As if to punctuate the appearance of the object, Dranai noted a flash of light pierce through the side of a building, making no sound, to strike at his person.

Needless to say, it didn't find its mark, instead the mage's arm rose in one swift arcing movement, intercepting the shock of light, before completing the arc. As his arm came to rest, a burst of warm white light spread from the item in his grasp, which had revealed itself to be not a locket or an antique timepiece, but instead to be both and more. It was his Focus.

Gaze narrowing further, Dranai's silver eyes began to glow faintly as his breathing steadied. Gradually he opened his Ostium, accessing his inner power. “Very well,” he said as he drew a small circle with his Focus. “Let me teach you a thing or two about illusions,” he said, and so it was that the false world around him formed ripples, as if it were all a reflection on a pond.

Then, while their attention was on trying to maintain their little illusion, Dranai, in oddly silent fashion, snapped the fingers of his unoccupied right hand.

Instantly a wave of invisible vis spread from his form. A moment passed without incident, then another, and another, and finally with a faint pop the illusion ceased to be, replaced by the reality of five young men, none of them older than twenty, either lying unconscious against buildings, or with their heads between their hands upon the ground between where Dranai stood and several buildings as if they'd been trying to close the distance between them.

Around them gawked several naive strangers, none of which knew anything about what had just transpired. However, perhaps more naive than they were the young men who had chosen him as their target as while everyone else saw things as they were, the young men thought the Dranai had unleashed a choice piece of fire magic on them.

The reality was clear, they were all enscorcelled. Perhaps more amusing than this fact, was that the illusion was sustaining itself by way of its victims' ambient vis. Surely it would be a confusing situation for the authorities to deal with when they arrived.

Speaking of which.

“Say, you there, would you mind calling the authorities? I think these young men have been using illusion magic to mug poor unsuspecting passersby. Oh, and if you would, tell them that Dranai Llamant sends his regards, mmm?” The confused woman nodded before extracting her cellphone and dialing nine-one-one. Waiting till she started explaining, Dranai left only after he was satisfied, heading down the street with more than a few eyes glued to his back.

When he'd made his way several blocks from the incident, the human stopped, waiting for a light to change. After a minute it did so and he crossed the street among a small group of other people. Reaching the other side of the road and continuing on his way, Dranai frowned slightly and brought his Focus up where he could see it, and flipped it open to see the timepiece.

3:45 PM

His frown faded slightly, he still had plenty of time before his lecture. Pocketing the Focus, Dranai took to running the lesson through his head, making sure he still remembered it all. However, before he'd gotten even halfway through he felt a buzzing vibration against his leg. “Hmm,” he uttered as he extracted his phone, finding that he was apparently receiving a call. Answering it before pocketing it once more, he spoke, “Yes, this is Dranai of the Institute, whose number is this?” There was a slight edge of curiosity and irritation in his voice.

The irritation only grew as the caller answered, “Why, Dranai, it's me a'course. Good ole Bree givin' ya a check in.” Dranai extracted his focus in swift fashion and a shield of vis instantly erected itself around him as he twisted his wrist clockwise. “Bree, what are you up to, and who hired you,” asked the illusionist, a fierce and serious cadence to his words.

"Oh, just an old friend who I happen to owe a favor," responded the voice. Dranai grit his teeth.

“I will give you more to shut down this little operation and leave me alone,” responded the mage in a level tone. There was a dangerous edge to his words as he added, “This doesn't need to get nasty, Bree.”

In the same moment, Dranai felt his shield fluctuate, a portion of it flickering briefly. 'Not good, he's already nearby. How long has he been following me...?'

“No can do bud, I've got quite the pay in on this one, plus I owe her.”

With his shield flickering again, Dranai found himself fed up with playing nice. “Very well, I warned you, Bree. Remember that,” he said, his tone low as his shield dispersed and a wave of shimmering silver light spread outwards from his form, blanketing a radius of eighty meters.

The illusionist hung up the phone and pocketed it, but as he did so he shock went through his entire body and he found that his muscles had ceased to respond to his commands as he crumpled to the ground. He noticed only belatedly that he had been tazed from behind. The last words he heard before losing consciousness, were uttered by the same voice that he'd heard over the phone.

“Ain't no escapin' one's responsibilities, ol' Drai. When I keep my word, I do it well. Sorry bud,” the man said, his voice possessing a distinctive—if jazzy—New Orleans accent. It seemed that for once the Dealbreaker had decided to act in accordance to his other title: The Dealbroker. As he drifted into unconsciousness, Dranai had only one question: Why did it always have to be when he was involved?

---

ᴛ ʜ ᴇ ɢ ᴀ ᴛ ʜ ᴇ ʀ ι ɴ ɢ

Ominar - Outskirts
^Mood

---

Sky cast with clouds drifting through the city-scape, with roads and plains stretching away from the great city that was Ominar. While the rest of the city went about its daily business, some in the grind of survival, others in hiding, and others yet living the high life—some few who had in the past few weeks held protests and rallies advocating for the oppressed Licentia, and against the oppressive presence of the still fairly new Prae leadership. While there had been some arrests, by and large the protesters had been allowed their little rallies and meetings in the streets.

However, with their message meeting the deaf ears of the Prae, they had grown dissatisfied and further disenchanted with their progress and so with just the slightest push and assistance from a certain local business owner, a gathering had been arranged.

Taking place in the outskirts of Ominar where fewer people existed to bear witness to it, a gathering of like-minded, angry, and disenchanted individuals was taking place. Arriving at random intervals as the sun neared the horizon, the small abandoned warehouse gradually filled with bodies and the sound of conversation.

Within were the beginnings of something bigger than any one individual, as now the Resistance was forming in the minds of those who had made up their minds about the ruling Prae.

Among those gathering were some of the cities more prominent figures, some former politicians even, as well as a particular Hunter.

Perched on a nearby building, his silhouette apparent against the backdrop of the sunset on Ominar's coast, Mairyell Kasio watched, intrigued.

People from all walks of life, including even the rare Prae, flocked towards the building in small groups, though many gave the Prae who had gathered a wide berth. He noticed that most appeared to be Licentia....

Or rather, as he sniffed the air, they were surely Licentia. It made sense, he thought, that the race would be willing to gather when they were, as a whole threatened. However, for the sake of his and those whom he cared for, he felt that he too ought to follow.

This in mind, the hybrid casually stepped off the edge of the building, falling two stories, before landing with his knees bent. He felt several muscles tear briefly within his legs, before swiftly mending himself—his soul core pulsed within his chest and he smiled slightly, before the expression dropped and he casually joined a forming group of Licentia and humans who were entering the building.

Pointedly, Mairyell left behind small droplets of blood as he walked, exuding it from his pores, and manipulating it with his mind. He dispersed the droplets into a fine essentially imperceptible mist as he noticed the number of people entering the warehouse thin out.

If Prae authorities were dispersed to deal with the budding uprising, he'd know first.

Attention turning towards the inside of the building, the vampire noted that someone had brought in a raised podium and some chairs. It appeared they had not expected such a turnout. However, the hunter surmised that many of these people wouldn't stay. People were often creatures of convenience, and to rebel and possibly put ones life or livelihood at risk for the sake of an uncertain cause was far from convenient.

Wandering among the gathered parties, Mairyell noted some recurring subjects that stood out among the hum of noise. Among those topics were unfairness, governmental corruption, and most strikingly: Disappearances. Frowning slightly he found a wall and leaned against it, closing his eyes. Focusing his senses, the vampire sifted through the conversations he could hear--which were a great many, trying to find out more about the situation as according to this gathering resistance.

"I'm telling you, they took him! He didn't answer his phone for three days! He told me the week prior he was afraid he was being followed, but I didn't believe him. I should have... I should have listened... When I went to the police station, it was nothing but the Prae. I tried to ask what happened, but all they would tell me was that a man fitting his description was cited as being a Licentia! He wasn't! He was my brother!" The frail voice of a broken woman hung in the air. It was evident from her voice that she was shaking, and holding back sobs to the best of her ability.

"Katherine, you need to calm down." Another voice, this one slightly more androgynous cooed in an attempt to calm the woman.

"I can't! What if they hurt him?! What am I supposed to do?!" After her outburst, the woman's voice fell away in place of gentle, quiet sobbing.

His frown deepening as the scene played out--even if he could only hear it--Mairyell couldn't help but sympathize with the woman, having gone through something at least somewhat similar in the past. Remembering that long lonely and hopeless time was hard though, even now, so he swiftly put it out of mind by shifting his focus once more.

In another area of the room he heard another group talking about a similar occurrence, so he searched again and found the same thing. It was disturbing to know that so many people were losing those they cared for merely because they had expressed their concern for the status of the city and its policies--which had been changing a lot since a year or two ago. While he had thought it somewhat suspicious then, it hadn't been enough for him to look into personally...but this. This sort of thing made him wish he had taken notice sooner.

Opening his eyes, Mairyell glanced over the crowd, noting that even some Licentia--who were not widely known to get overly upset or broken up about even tragic events--were noticeably upset.

This disturbed him further. He needed to tell Aeris about this, but he had decided to stay, at least to see what sort of direction this Resistance was going. If he agreed with them, then he might even give them a hand.

Still, that was a decision for later.