The History
It is the 19th Century, 897 years after the Event, a time when magic came to our Earth. Many at the time thought it was the wrath of God or Satan, and persecuted mages. But eventually, with the Renaissance, magic began to be viewed in a better light, and the Catholic Church founded the first of the now-familiar Mage Academies. History as you may recognise it has changed greatly from its course in our world - for just one example, Constantinople still stands, and the United States are still Britain's (or, to be more accurate, the Kingdom of Britannia's) colonies. But things are still more familiar than you might think. After the devastation of the First Mage War in the 1870s, into which all of Europe was joined into, the Kingdom of France and the Prussian Imperium are locked in a course that can only lead to further destruction and suffering.
Perhaps you should take a look at the nations first.
The Players
The nations of this world are multifarous and strange, ranging from the Prussian Imperium to the Egyptian Theocracy and the Kingdom of Britannia. But perhaps it would do to check the big boys on the block. The Kingdom of Britannia is perhaps the world's first superpower, dominating North America and wielding substantial influence over Europe. Vying for its place is the Prussian Imperium, a force that dominates Eastern Europe before fading into the tundra and steppes of the Russian Empire. Considered backwards and primitive by most, the Russians try and make up for this by sheer numbers and determination, and their battles against the Prussians often leave thousands dead on either side. Italy has finally been unified by the New Roman Empire, a colonial power that dominates Italy, Spain, and large parts of South America. To the north of this new Rome lies the Kingdom of France, with a court that seethes with schemes and power plays, ignoring the rebellion that thrives at its core.
In Africa, the ancient Egyptian Theocracy dominates. Claimed to be primitive by most powers, they use magic and rituals to their strange, ancient gods to make up for their lack of technological development, and are still important in this new age of ironclads and steam engines. Further north, along the border with the Middle East, lies the Domination of Stygius, a kingdom based in the sepulchral ruins and catacombs of ancient Jerusalem, ruled by their black emperor, the fallen knight known only as Acheron. They are engaged in a perpetual war with the Empire of the Pheonix, ruled from Constantinople and dominating Greece and Turkey.
In the far east, the Dragon Kingdom reigns, and their rivalry with the Empire of Nippon has led to war more often than not. The two powers now stand poised on the brink of another war, while all the world watches with bated breath to see who wins this time. Finally, the Mughal Empire now fights another bloody war with the Kingdom of Britannia, the world looking anxiously at the seemingly never-ending conflict.
The Magic
Magic has many forms and even more names, but all are alike in one facet. They manipulate the universe, bending but not outright breaking the laws of physics. For example, consider a fireball. The energy needed to create it cannot come from nowhere. Instead, it comes from the basic cosmic energy that created and drives the universe, and when the effect of the spell ends, the energy used to create it is drawn back to that same infinite pool of energy. Manipulating this energy requires incredibly strong willpower and self-control, so focuses, such as wands and staves are used to lessen the effort on the user. These focuses of magical energy can be anything - swords, staves, wands, even words and inscriptions. It is even harder to define what a spell must do mentally, so the caster often speaks words (which can be in any language), imposes his intent on those words, and then releases the magical energy. Rituals are merely more reliable ways to cast spells, often taking a long time to cast, but the energy used often has highly focused results and will probably do its job more reliably than an on the spot spell.
There are many ways that magical energy can be used or gathered - for instance sacrifices, which are used in some highly illegal rituals, are used to release magical energy from the sacrifice's body. Enchantments are merely creating a lasting spell, using inscriptions on the enchanted object to define the magic's purpose.
To perform magic, one requires the Gift, which often erupts spontaneously during puberty, often in times of fear or stress, though later eruptions can happen. After this, most people are sent to magical academies to be trained, unless they live in one of the few places worldwide where magicians are still persecuted. About 10% of the world's population is known to have the Gift, and it seems to be inheritable.
A common misconception of outsiders is that 'schools' of magic exist. That is not true. There are merely a nigh-infinite multitude of ways, most still undiscovered, to harness and wield magical energies, ranging from Astromancy to Necromancy and Technomancy, although these are not rigidly defined as such and fade into each other at the edges.
Gods are not known to exist, although the Egyptian Theocracy claims that its gods provide the power of the mages, a thing most of the other powers are sceptical about.
(Work in Progress)
Colliding Empires: A fantasy universe idea
Moderators: Invictus, speaker-to-trolls
Colliding Empires: A fantasy universe idea
Last edited by Czernobog on Thu Apr 16, 2009 5:26 pm, edited 5 times in total.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
Re: A new fantasy universe idea (currently unnamed)
THE DOMINATION OF STYGIUS
HISTORY
Leonard was once a knight of England who rode with the First Crusade, and was an important man in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. But one day, as the city was under attack by a vast horde of Saracens, Leonard's magical abilities erupted, annihilating the Saracen army in blasts of gaping fire. Leonard would have been burned alive by the Church if not for his importance, and was thus banished from the city, to die alone in the desert. If only that had been the case, but Leonard was drawn towards a great mountain, and found within it a tomb. Inside the tomb was a grimoire of black magic. Leonard eagerly read it, studying the tome for seven days and nights, before he vowed to return to Jerusalem and raze it to the ground. Behind him marched a great horde of undead and beings summoned by his diabolical powers, the light of the sun blocked out over the land that it marched over.
The defenders of Jerusalem fled in terror, and the civilians were offered the chance to repent, those that refused being slaughtered en masse. Leonard's brother Rufus repented of his 'sins' and became Lord Stygius, while Leonard declared himself the Black Emperor of Jerusalem and renamed himself Acheron the Undying, for he had taught himself the art of immortality. After conquering Arabia and great swathes of the Middle East, reaching all the way to Persia, all Acheron the Undying has done is scheme and plot and wait, recovering after a near-fatal wound inflicted upon him by the King of France 600 years ago, worshipped as a god by millions of citizens labouring in ignorance. Lord Stygius has become his hand in the world, and when he is seen in battle, he is terrifying to behold.
JERUSALEM
Jerusalem, the City of Acheron, deserves a section all of its own. The once-thriving city is now dead, populated mostly by the spirits of crusader knights, bound to serve the Domination while Acheron yet lives. The sky over it is in perpetual eclipse, the sun high in the sky yet its light impotent against the shadows Acheron calls forth. Thousands of pilgrims and supplucators trail to vast obsidian temples, avoiding the jerking puppet-movements of roaming bands of undead. At the city's centre lies the Palace of Acheron, a great citadel of undeath, made out of black stone and dark iron, towering high over the accursed city, Acheron's throne at its very pinnacle. It is guarded by the 10,000 strong Black Legion, the personal guard of Lord Stygius, regent of the Domination. The 1000 strong Immortals guard Acheron himself, beings existing in an accursed halfway state between life and death.
The Temple of Ages also lies here, training the mage-soldiers that lead the Domination's armies, marshalling the rabble and controlling the undead to smash the enemy. Each of these mages are immortal, having placed their beating hearts in boxes of obsidian, the one link between them and the mortal world. They are collectively known as the Heartless, in recognition of their cold-hearted psychopathy and their method of immortality.
MILITARY
The feudal structure still exists in the Domination, and as such most of its living soldiers are conscripted from the peasants, barely trained to use guns and artillery. The nobles lead the fray, armed with accursed weapons and armoured with enchanted steel. They are said to be able to take cannon shots and still keep going, as terrible as they are on foot when they are on horseback. In addition to this are the multitude of enslaved spirits of crusader knights, hordes of fell beasts, seething tides of undead minions, masses of insane cultists, and the Black Legion itself, composed of people who have sold their souls for immortality. The veil of night advances with them, and it is said that by the time they reach the enemy, they are already terrified.
HISTORY
Leonard was once a knight of England who rode with the First Crusade, and was an important man in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. But one day, as the city was under attack by a vast horde of Saracens, Leonard's magical abilities erupted, annihilating the Saracen army in blasts of gaping fire. Leonard would have been burned alive by the Church if not for his importance, and was thus banished from the city, to die alone in the desert. If only that had been the case, but Leonard was drawn towards a great mountain, and found within it a tomb. Inside the tomb was a grimoire of black magic. Leonard eagerly read it, studying the tome for seven days and nights, before he vowed to return to Jerusalem and raze it to the ground. Behind him marched a great horde of undead and beings summoned by his diabolical powers, the light of the sun blocked out over the land that it marched over.
The defenders of Jerusalem fled in terror, and the civilians were offered the chance to repent, those that refused being slaughtered en masse. Leonard's brother Rufus repented of his 'sins' and became Lord Stygius, while Leonard declared himself the Black Emperor of Jerusalem and renamed himself Acheron the Undying, for he had taught himself the art of immortality. After conquering Arabia and great swathes of the Middle East, reaching all the way to Persia, all Acheron the Undying has done is scheme and plot and wait, recovering after a near-fatal wound inflicted upon him by the King of France 600 years ago, worshipped as a god by millions of citizens labouring in ignorance. Lord Stygius has become his hand in the world, and when he is seen in battle, he is terrifying to behold.
JERUSALEM
Jerusalem, the City of Acheron, deserves a section all of its own. The once-thriving city is now dead, populated mostly by the spirits of crusader knights, bound to serve the Domination while Acheron yet lives. The sky over it is in perpetual eclipse, the sun high in the sky yet its light impotent against the shadows Acheron calls forth. Thousands of pilgrims and supplucators trail to vast obsidian temples, avoiding the jerking puppet-movements of roaming bands of undead. At the city's centre lies the Palace of Acheron, a great citadel of undeath, made out of black stone and dark iron, towering high over the accursed city, Acheron's throne at its very pinnacle. It is guarded by the 10,000 strong Black Legion, the personal guard of Lord Stygius, regent of the Domination. The 1000 strong Immortals guard Acheron himself, beings existing in an accursed halfway state between life and death.
The Temple of Ages also lies here, training the mage-soldiers that lead the Domination's armies, marshalling the rabble and controlling the undead to smash the enemy. Each of these mages are immortal, having placed their beating hearts in boxes of obsidian, the one link between them and the mortal world. They are collectively known as the Heartless, in recognition of their cold-hearted psychopathy and their method of immortality.
MILITARY
The feudal structure still exists in the Domination, and as such most of its living soldiers are conscripted from the peasants, barely trained to use guns and artillery. The nobles lead the fray, armed with accursed weapons and armoured with enchanted steel. They are said to be able to take cannon shots and still keep going, as terrible as they are on foot when they are on horseback. In addition to this are the multitude of enslaved spirits of crusader knights, hordes of fell beasts, seething tides of undead minions, masses of insane cultists, and the Black Legion itself, composed of people who have sold their souls for immortality. The veil of night advances with them, and it is said that by the time they reach the enemy, they are already terrified.
Last edited by Czernobog on Sat Apr 11, 2009 7:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
Re: A new fantasy universe idea (currently unnamed)
Your timeline diverges from ours around the year 1000 CE, as I understand. The Muslims conquered Egypt in the 600s, and before that it would have been heavily Christianized since Roman times. By the time your TL diverges from ours the Abrahamic religions would have been heavily entrenched in Egypt. Unless something happened to bring back paganism the Egyptian Theocracy would be either Muslim or Christian. Probably Muslim, unless the Crusades were a lot more successful in this TL than they were OTL.Kamin997 wrote:In Africa, the ancient Egyptian Theocracy dominates. Claimed to be primitive by most powers, they use magic and rituals to their strange, ancient gods to make up for their lack of technological development, and are still important in this new age of ironclads and steam engines.
Is the Empire of the Phoenix Muslim or Christian? It sounds like it might be a surviving Byzantine Empire, or possibly some sort of Crusader state. Either a Crusader state or a Muslim state could fit with the name. If it's a Crusader state it might be "reborn" after the earlier destruction of the Byzantine Empire by Muslims. If it's a Muslim state it might have been retaken from that undead Crusader kingdom in Palestine.Further north, along the border with the Middle East, lies the Domination of Stygius, a kingdom based in the sepulchral ruins and catacombs of ancient Jerusalem, ruled by their black emperor, the fallen knight known only as Acheron. They are engaged in a perpetual war with the Empire of the Pheonix, ruled from Constantinople and dominating Greece and Turkey.
Speaking of which, this raises a couple of questions. What's happening in Mesopotamia, Persia, and Arabia during this period? And what are the relations between Stygius and Christian Europe? Is Stygius considered an ally because they're keeping the Holy Land in Christian hands, or have they been declared heretics on account of the whole necromancy based state with lich king and zombie armies thing?
How did these races come into being? Did they just spontaneously appear by will of magic? To be brutally honest, that seems sort of contrived.The Races
<snip>
This is just my opinion, but I actually think this setting might work better without nonhumans, or at any rate without stock generic fantasy nonhumans of Elves and Dwarves. Having it be a straightforward extrapolation of what would happen if magic was introduced to our world in 1000 CE would, IMO, be more interesting.
If you want nonhuman races, you could have them be deliberately created by humans with biomancy magic. Say that, for instance, faced with the problem of who would work their sugar plantations the Portugeuse in Brazil in this TL turned not to importing Africans but to creating a modified slave race with superhuman strength and endurance.
Participate in my hard SF worldbuilding project: The Known Galaxy. Come to our message board and experience my unique brand of terribleness!
"One is respected and judged only as a human being. It is an appalling experience."
Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness.
"Open your mind and hear what your heart wants to deny."
Samuel Anders, nBSG, Daybreak, Part 2.
"One is respected and judged only as a human being. It is an appalling experience."
Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness.
"Open your mind and hear what your heart wants to deny."
Samuel Anders, nBSG, Daybreak, Part 2.
Re: A new fantasy universe idea (currently unnamed)
After what happened with Jerusalem the crusades switched their focus to Egypt, something I should probably make clear in the timeline. And an event to restore paganism definitely did happen when the Egyptians revolted, something I should also make clear with the timeline when I get round to it.Somes J wrote:Your timeline diverges from ours around the year 1000 CE, as I understand. The Muslims conquered Egypt in the 600s, and before that it would have been heavily Christianized since Roman times. By the time your TL diverges from ours the Abrahamic religions would have been heavily entrenched in Egypt. Unless something happened to bring back paganism the Egyptian Theocracy would be either Muslim or Christian. Probably Muslim, unless the Crusades were a lot more successful in this TL than they were OTLKamin997 wrote:In Africa, the ancient Egyptian Theocracy dominates. Claimed to be primitive by most powers, they use magic and rituals to their strange, ancient gods to make up for their lack of technological development, and are still important in this new age of ironclads and steam engines.
The Empire of the Pheonix is a Crusader State, created from the parts of the Byzantine Empire reclaimed during the crusades. The Byzantine Empire fell earlier in this timeline, in the 1200s, in part due to dealing with Stygius as well as fighting the turks. And Stygius is definitely considered to be heretical.Is the Empire of the Phoenix Muslim or Christian? It sounds like it might be a surviving Byzantine Empire, or possibly some sort of Crusader state. Either a Crusader state or a Muslim state could fit with the name. If it's a Crusader state it might be "reborn" after the earlier destruction of the Byzantine Empire by Muslims. If it's a Muslim state it might have been retaken from that undead Crusader kingdom in Palestine.Further north, along the border with the Middle East, lies the Domination of Stygius, a kingdom based in the sepulchral ruins and catacombs of ancient Jerusalem, ruled by their black emperor, the fallen knight known only as Acheron. They are engaged in a perpetual war with the Empire of the Pheonix, ruled from Constantinople and dominating Greece and Turkey.
Speaking of which, this raises a couple of questions. What's happening in Mesopotamia, Persia, and Arabia during this period? And what are the relations between Stygius and Christian Europe? Is Stygius considered an ally because they're keeping the Holy Land in Christian hands, or have they been declared heretics on account of the whole necromancy based state with lich king and zombie armies thing?
How did these races come into being? Did they just spontaneously appear by will of magic? To be brutally honest, that seems sort of contrived.The Races
<snip>
This is just my opinion, but I actually think this setting might work better without nonhumans, or at any rate without stock generic fantasy nonhumans of Elves and Dwarves. Having it be a straightforward extrapolation of what would happen if magic was introduced to our world in 1000 CE would, IMO, be more interesting.
If you want nonhuman races, you could have them be deliberately created by humans with biomancy magic. Say that, for instance, faced with the problem of who would work their sugar plantations the Portugeuse in Brazil in this TL turned not to importing Africans but to creating a modified slave race with superhuman strength and endurance.
Intriguing. I'll probably ditch the whole nonhuman races thing, and expand the magic and alternate history aspects more.
Last edited by Czernobog on Sat Apr 11, 2009 10:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
Re: A new fantasy universe idea (currently unnamed)
TIMELINE
1000 - the Event. Magic appears to the world. Much confusion and panic occurs.
1066 - William the Conqueror conquers England in the Battle of Hastings.
1095 - the First Crusade takes Jerusalem. The man later to be known as Acheron is with it.
1125 - Jerusalem falls to Acheron's forces. Domination of Stygius founded.
1171 - Second Crusade launched to conquer Egypt.
1175 - Saladin falls in battle with the knights of the Second Crusade, who conquer Egypt. Word of Muslim accomplishments makes magic to be seen in a somewhat better light in Europe.
1181 Third Crusade launched to conquer Stygius, following the success of the Second Crusade. It is a complete failure.
1211 - Ghengis Khan builds an empire. It soon collapses under infighting between his generals, but it lays the seeds of the Dragon Kingdom to arise a century later.
1215 - the Magna Carta is signed by King John, laying the seeds for the Kingdom of Britannia.
1235 - Byzantine Empire collapses under the weight of both the Turks and Stygius. Fourth Crusade launched to reclaim its lands.
1242 - Fourth Crusade successful, Empire of the Pheonix founded. Acheron wounded, returns to Jerusalem to recover. The Domination of Stygius is driven back at the Battle of Antioch.
1271 - Egyptians rebel against crusader oppression. The 'prophet of Atum-Ra' leads a revival of ancient Egyptian religious practices in the chaos of the revolt, the people of Egypt disenchanted with other religions. Egyptian Theocracy founded.
1347 - the Black Death strikes. The contagion lasts for years, killing a third of Europe's population. The populace becomes disenchanted with the church, and magic is semi-legalised.
1368 - a rebel leader drives the Mongols out of China, founding the Dragon Kingdom and becoming the first Emperor.
1429 - England loses France and the Hundred Years War.
1452 - first official Mage Academy founded by the Catholic Church. Prior to this, magical training was informal and hard to find.
1455 - Printing Press invented. Grimoires (essentially instruction manuals for magic) can now be mass-produced.
1492 - England discovers America and begins to colonise what will now be known as New York. The Aztec Wars begin in Central America.
1517 - Martin Luther publishes his Ninety-Five Theses. Reformation begins. The current climate is not that kind to magic.
1533 - Anglican Church founds first Protestant Mage Academy. Henry VIII declares war on Scotland.
1540 - Scotland conquered by Henry VIII. The superiority and larger number of english mages is clear for all to see.
1564 William Shakespeare baptised. The boy will go on to become a famous playwright.
1588 - Spanish Armada repulsed by English mages. Spain defeated and loses pride. Philip II vows revenge.
1607 - Spain conquers the divided tribes of Central America. Jamestown founded by England.
1613 - Russian Empire founded by the House of Romanov. Russia united.
1639 - England declares war on Ireland, which has become a puppet state of Spain. Spain launches the Second Armada, draining the last of its reserves and leading it ripe for conquest by other powers.
1640 - Second Armada defeated. Ireland annexed by England, though resistance continues until the 18th Century.
1649 - English Civil War ends. Oliver Cromwell takes over. He is known to have a dislike of mages.
1660 - King Charles II crowned. Persecution of mages in England ends.
1689 - Bill of Rights signed in England. The power of the monarchy is severely limited.
1707 - conquered territories (Scotland and Ireland) and colonies are given representation in the House of Commons. England renamed Kingdom of Britannia.
1719 - New Roman Empire founded, unifies Italy. The Vatican is given sovereignity in exchange for Rome becoming the capital of the Empire.
1740 - Frederick the Great comes to power in Prussia. The seeds of the Prussian Imperium are sown.
1756 - Seven Years War starts. Empire of the Pheonix colonises South Africa.
1769 - Seven Years War ends. Britannia signs a peace accord with the Mughal Empire, conquers Canada.
1789 - French Civil War begins. It is to last until 1815, with various factions fighting among each other for France and its territories.
1815 - French Civil War ends at the Battle of Waterloo, the Bonapartist faction triumphant, having been backed by Britannia and Prussia. Napoleon I crowned king of France.
1816 - Kingdom of Britannia buys Louisana from a bankrupt France. Year Without a Summer strikes the world; reduces crop production and causes famine in many countries.
1833 - Slavery banned in Kingdom of Britannia. Many nations follow suit, except Stygius, which remains isolationist as ever, steadily expanding its arsenal of technology and magic to keep pace with the times.
1836 - Texas annexed from Spain by Britannia. New Roman Empire invades Spain at its moment of weakness.
1837 - Prussian Imperium founded, unifies Germany, and annexes Poland and most of Hungary. Spain falls to the New Roman Empire. Queen Victoria crowned.
1844 - first telegraph line laid between London and York.
1850 - nations of scandinavia unify into the Principality of Fenris, hoping to avoid being absorbed by the larger powers.
1859 Origin of Species published by noted mage and scientist Charles Darwin.
1866 Empire of Nippon founded after the Meiji Restoration.
1871 - First Mage War begins between the Kingdom of France and the Prussian Imperium. All of Europe, linked by pacts and alliances, is drawn into the fighting.
1875 - First Mage War ends. Approximately 2 million people were killed in the fighting, mostly on the western front.
1897 - the current year. International tensions are rising, and another Mage War looms on the horizon.
1000 - the Event. Magic appears to the world. Much confusion and panic occurs.
1066 - William the Conqueror conquers England in the Battle of Hastings.
1095 - the First Crusade takes Jerusalem. The man later to be known as Acheron is with it.
1125 - Jerusalem falls to Acheron's forces. Domination of Stygius founded.
1171 - Second Crusade launched to conquer Egypt.
1175 - Saladin falls in battle with the knights of the Second Crusade, who conquer Egypt. Word of Muslim accomplishments makes magic to be seen in a somewhat better light in Europe.
1181 Third Crusade launched to conquer Stygius, following the success of the Second Crusade. It is a complete failure.
1211 - Ghengis Khan builds an empire. It soon collapses under infighting between his generals, but it lays the seeds of the Dragon Kingdom to arise a century later.
1215 - the Magna Carta is signed by King John, laying the seeds for the Kingdom of Britannia.
1235 - Byzantine Empire collapses under the weight of both the Turks and Stygius. Fourth Crusade launched to reclaim its lands.
1242 - Fourth Crusade successful, Empire of the Pheonix founded. Acheron wounded, returns to Jerusalem to recover. The Domination of Stygius is driven back at the Battle of Antioch.
1271 - Egyptians rebel against crusader oppression. The 'prophet of Atum-Ra' leads a revival of ancient Egyptian religious practices in the chaos of the revolt, the people of Egypt disenchanted with other religions. Egyptian Theocracy founded.
1347 - the Black Death strikes. The contagion lasts for years, killing a third of Europe's population. The populace becomes disenchanted with the church, and magic is semi-legalised.
1368 - a rebel leader drives the Mongols out of China, founding the Dragon Kingdom and becoming the first Emperor.
1429 - England loses France and the Hundred Years War.
1452 - first official Mage Academy founded by the Catholic Church. Prior to this, magical training was informal and hard to find.
1455 - Printing Press invented. Grimoires (essentially instruction manuals for magic) can now be mass-produced.
1492 - England discovers America and begins to colonise what will now be known as New York. The Aztec Wars begin in Central America.
1517 - Martin Luther publishes his Ninety-Five Theses. Reformation begins. The current climate is not that kind to magic.
1533 - Anglican Church founds first Protestant Mage Academy. Henry VIII declares war on Scotland.
1540 - Scotland conquered by Henry VIII. The superiority and larger number of english mages is clear for all to see.
1564 William Shakespeare baptised. The boy will go on to become a famous playwright.
1588 - Spanish Armada repulsed by English mages. Spain defeated and loses pride. Philip II vows revenge.
1607 - Spain conquers the divided tribes of Central America. Jamestown founded by England.
1613 - Russian Empire founded by the House of Romanov. Russia united.
1639 - England declares war on Ireland, which has become a puppet state of Spain. Spain launches the Second Armada, draining the last of its reserves and leading it ripe for conquest by other powers.
1640 - Second Armada defeated. Ireland annexed by England, though resistance continues until the 18th Century.
1649 - English Civil War ends. Oliver Cromwell takes over. He is known to have a dislike of mages.
1660 - King Charles II crowned. Persecution of mages in England ends.
1689 - Bill of Rights signed in England. The power of the monarchy is severely limited.
1707 - conquered territories (Scotland and Ireland) and colonies are given representation in the House of Commons. England renamed Kingdom of Britannia.
1719 - New Roman Empire founded, unifies Italy. The Vatican is given sovereignity in exchange for Rome becoming the capital of the Empire.
1740 - Frederick the Great comes to power in Prussia. The seeds of the Prussian Imperium are sown.
1756 - Seven Years War starts. Empire of the Pheonix colonises South Africa.
1769 - Seven Years War ends. Britannia signs a peace accord with the Mughal Empire, conquers Canada.
1789 - French Civil War begins. It is to last until 1815, with various factions fighting among each other for France and its territories.
1815 - French Civil War ends at the Battle of Waterloo, the Bonapartist faction triumphant, having been backed by Britannia and Prussia. Napoleon I crowned king of France.
1816 - Kingdom of Britannia buys Louisana from a bankrupt France. Year Without a Summer strikes the world; reduces crop production and causes famine in many countries.
1833 - Slavery banned in Kingdom of Britannia. Many nations follow suit, except Stygius, which remains isolationist as ever, steadily expanding its arsenal of technology and magic to keep pace with the times.
1836 - Texas annexed from Spain by Britannia. New Roman Empire invades Spain at its moment of weakness.
1837 - Prussian Imperium founded, unifies Germany, and annexes Poland and most of Hungary. Spain falls to the New Roman Empire. Queen Victoria crowned.
1844 - first telegraph line laid between London and York.
1850 - nations of scandinavia unify into the Principality of Fenris, hoping to avoid being absorbed by the larger powers.
1859 Origin of Species published by noted mage and scientist Charles Darwin.
1866 Empire of Nippon founded after the Meiji Restoration.
1871 - First Mage War begins between the Kingdom of France and the Prussian Imperium. All of Europe, linked by pacts and alliances, is drawn into the fighting.
1875 - First Mage War ends. Approximately 2 million people were killed in the fighting, mostly on the western front.
1897 - the current year. International tensions are rising, and another Mage War looms on the horizon.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
Re: A new fantasy universe idea (currently unnamed)
THE EMPIRE OF THE PHEONIX
HISTORY
The Empire of the Pheonix has its origins in the Fourth Crusade, fought to drive out the Turks and forces of Stygius from the former lands of Byzantium, which had collapsed into anarchy and chaos. The Crusade was a resounding success, ending in the Battle of Antioch, where the Black Emperor Acheron fell to the blade of the French king, Lord Stygius sounding the retreat as the veil of night Acheron had drawn over the battlefield faded. The Empire's first act was to unify the Crusader States that had survived Stygius' expansion, converting the population to Catholicism and securing the area from the Turks.
The first Emperor, Flavius, declared the Empire of the Pheonix in a grand speech made from the Imperial Palace at Constantinople, saying that 'Byzantium has fallen, but like the Pheonix, it shall be reborn!'. From that day on, the Empire has protected the population of Greece and Anatolia from the armies of Stygius and the threat of conquest, securing their lands and livelihoods from the enemies that gather around them.
CONSTANTINOPLE
Constantinople is a wondrous city, beautiful and great, a clear contrast to the shadowed remnants of Jerusalem. After the Great Fire of 1730 it was rebuilt on a gridded plan, not unlike the cities of North America. There are four quarters to the old city, with a massive sprawl of factories, docklands and houses outside. They are known as the Religious Quarter, the Mage's Quarter, the Military Quarter and the Houses of Government. In the centre of the city lies the Imperial Palace, standing high on an artificial hill. The Religious Quarter houses the glorious Basilica of the Holy Word, built of white marble and in the classical style atop the fire-destroyed ruins of the Hagia Sophia. The Religious Quarter is also home to the House of Art, which produces breathtaking works of unparalled beauty.
The Mage's Quarter is home to the Imperial Academy of Magic, which trains many of the Empire's mages and includes the greatest library in Europe, home to thousands of books and ancient grimoires, painstakingly added and preserved by the library's collectors. The Military Quarter houses the War Office, which co-ordinates the Empire's military and is home to the headquarters of the Watchmen, the Empire's secret spying organisation. The Houses of Government contain the Imperial Senate, in which the Senate debates important issues and decides new laws, which can be passed or vetoed by the Emperor.
Finally, the Imperial Palace stands high on an artificial mound, a bizarre mix of Gothic, Neoclassical and Baroque. It is quite literally breathtaking to see, immense and built entirely of white marble. Its gardens are beautiful, containing statues and fountains aplenty, trees to provide shade and long green lawns to walk in.
MILITARY
The military of the Empire of the Pheonix contains a large number of professional soldiers, usually supplemented by local militia and other elements of the army. Cavalry and artillery are commonly used to pin down the enemy, with mages usually in support roles, healing the troops and weakening enemy units. But that is not to say that the military of the Empire only stick to one dogmatic method. Their forces are tactically flexible, and the main books on strategy used by its generals are taken only as guidelines, to be changed depending on the foe and the factors of the battle. Indeed, the generals who mindlessly stick to their teachings are usually the ones who are defeated the most.
Perhaps the most deadly of the Empire's troops are the Guard of Constantinople. They are supreme fighters in all forms of combat, trained in battle from an early age and recruited from the orphaned children of those who fell defending the Empire's territories. That is not to say that they are invincible - for all their training and skill, they are still only human, and despite their enchanted armour, they can be killed quite easily if sent into the meatgrinder of battle. No, theIR role is as assassins and guards, and the majority of them are garrisoned in Constantinople, ready to be sent into the fray where they are most needed.
HISTORY
The Empire of the Pheonix has its origins in the Fourth Crusade, fought to drive out the Turks and forces of Stygius from the former lands of Byzantium, which had collapsed into anarchy and chaos. The Crusade was a resounding success, ending in the Battle of Antioch, where the Black Emperor Acheron fell to the blade of the French king, Lord Stygius sounding the retreat as the veil of night Acheron had drawn over the battlefield faded. The Empire's first act was to unify the Crusader States that had survived Stygius' expansion, converting the population to Catholicism and securing the area from the Turks.
The first Emperor, Flavius, declared the Empire of the Pheonix in a grand speech made from the Imperial Palace at Constantinople, saying that 'Byzantium has fallen, but like the Pheonix, it shall be reborn!'. From that day on, the Empire has protected the population of Greece and Anatolia from the armies of Stygius and the threat of conquest, securing their lands and livelihoods from the enemies that gather around them.
CONSTANTINOPLE
Constantinople is a wondrous city, beautiful and great, a clear contrast to the shadowed remnants of Jerusalem. After the Great Fire of 1730 it was rebuilt on a gridded plan, not unlike the cities of North America. There are four quarters to the old city, with a massive sprawl of factories, docklands and houses outside. They are known as the Religious Quarter, the Mage's Quarter, the Military Quarter and the Houses of Government. In the centre of the city lies the Imperial Palace, standing high on an artificial hill. The Religious Quarter houses the glorious Basilica of the Holy Word, built of white marble and in the classical style atop the fire-destroyed ruins of the Hagia Sophia. The Religious Quarter is also home to the House of Art, which produces breathtaking works of unparalled beauty.
The Mage's Quarter is home to the Imperial Academy of Magic, which trains many of the Empire's mages and includes the greatest library in Europe, home to thousands of books and ancient grimoires, painstakingly added and preserved by the library's collectors. The Military Quarter houses the War Office, which co-ordinates the Empire's military and is home to the headquarters of the Watchmen, the Empire's secret spying organisation. The Houses of Government contain the Imperial Senate, in which the Senate debates important issues and decides new laws, which can be passed or vetoed by the Emperor.
Finally, the Imperial Palace stands high on an artificial mound, a bizarre mix of Gothic, Neoclassical and Baroque. It is quite literally breathtaking to see, immense and built entirely of white marble. Its gardens are beautiful, containing statues and fountains aplenty, trees to provide shade and long green lawns to walk in.
MILITARY
The military of the Empire of the Pheonix contains a large number of professional soldiers, usually supplemented by local militia and other elements of the army. Cavalry and artillery are commonly used to pin down the enemy, with mages usually in support roles, healing the troops and weakening enemy units. But that is not to say that the military of the Empire only stick to one dogmatic method. Their forces are tactically flexible, and the main books on strategy used by its generals are taken only as guidelines, to be changed depending on the foe and the factors of the battle. Indeed, the generals who mindlessly stick to their teachings are usually the ones who are defeated the most.
Perhaps the most deadly of the Empire's troops are the Guard of Constantinople. They are supreme fighters in all forms of combat, trained in battle from an early age and recruited from the orphaned children of those who fell defending the Empire's territories. That is not to say that they are invincible - for all their training and skill, they are still only human, and despite their enchanted armour, they can be killed quite easily if sent into the meatgrinder of battle. No, theIR role is as assassins and guards, and the majority of them are garrisoned in Constantinople, ready to be sent into the fray where they are most needed.
Last edited by Czernobog on Sun Apr 12, 2009 8:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
Re: A new fantasy universe idea (currently unnamed)
THE EGYPTIAN THEOCRACY
HISTORY
The Egyptian Theocracy, successor to the ancient time of the Pharoahs, can trace its history back to 1271, when the Egytian people threw off the crusaders that had dominated Egypt for almost a century. Egypt has always been a conquered land; the Hyksos, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Muslims, and finally the Crusaders have reigned over its natives, yet time and time again they have thrown off their shackles and liberated themselves, only to be conquered again by a new oppressor. Whether the Theocracy has truly broken the cycle remains to be seen, yet its people hope against hope that that is the case.
The Theocracy's history begins in the time of anarchy and chaos as the crusaders fled the country from the ports, a lowly shepherd heralding himself as the prophet of Atum-Ra. Gaining a substantial following, he and his army marched against the undead hordes of Stygius, which threatened to conquer the whole of Egypt. The battle lasted long, the dark magi of Stygius summoning black clouds to preserve the undead they had created, but upon the twelth hour, a stray wind blew the cloud away, and the undead crumbled to dust in the bright desert sun, blown away on the wind as nothing more than ash.
The prophet, whose true name is lost to history, declared the beginning of the Egyptian Theocracy from Cairo's walls. The populace, disillusioned with both Islam and Christianity during the reign of the crusaders, worshipped him as the Herald of Atum-Ra, and he became the first of the Priest-Kings of Egypt. The Empire soon expanded, reigning over the Sahara and reaching deep into Ethiopia and western Africa, a period of prosperity that allowed it to face the European powers on an equal footing. In these days of rapid industrialisation, the Theocracy has delved deep into mystical lore to defend against the enemies it constantly faces and face them on the equal footing that it faced the European powers on in the Middle Ages.
NEW MEMPHIS
Cairo, renamed New Memphis, stands high to the proof that Egypt is sophisticated. It is a city of magic and wonder, an exotic place of great beauty. Floating palaces fly high above the sands, while the vast Temple of the Gods is the realm of the Priest-King and his most favoured acolytes. New Memphis is a truly cosmopolitan city, full to bursting with traders and merchants, entire artificial islands devoted to buying and selling. In its Grand Bazaar you can find goods from across the world, ranging from the common to the scarcest possible. One can find goods aplenty in its bounteous markets, while from its docklands ships ply the seven seas to every part of the world.
Yet despite this, the poor live in immense squalor, worse even than in London's deepest, dankest slums and alleyways. Most citizens of its population of 10 million live on a single Dinar a day, barely enough to buy a loaf of bread. As a result, crime and thievery are common, and the so-called 'street rats' are a gigantic problem that the city's rulers fail to see. Such is the other side of New Memphis - a dark mirror of its easily-scratched surface.
MILITARY
The military of the Egyptian Theocracy has not been neglected, and it is clear to see that its forces are the best in the world at desert warfare and skirmishing. They are also adept at guerilla warfare and hit-and-run tactics. Yet it is when they mass in force that they are the most powerful. Supernatural desert creatures, the centipede-like samakhar, the serpentine ressisepti and the capricious djinn are often called by Egypt's sorcerers prior to the battle, and make for a threatening force for any attacker to face. The soldiers of Egypt also utilise their extensive training in guerrila warfare to strike the enemy with unorthodox tactics, including mine-laying, flank marches, strategic redeployment and surgical strikes aimed at enemy commanders. Mages also utilise complex enchantments that confuse and devastate the enemy, creating sandstorms, floods and mirages in addition to unleashing highly destructive magic.
HISTORY
The Egyptian Theocracy, successor to the ancient time of the Pharoahs, can trace its history back to 1271, when the Egytian people threw off the crusaders that had dominated Egypt for almost a century. Egypt has always been a conquered land; the Hyksos, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Muslims, and finally the Crusaders have reigned over its natives, yet time and time again they have thrown off their shackles and liberated themselves, only to be conquered again by a new oppressor. Whether the Theocracy has truly broken the cycle remains to be seen, yet its people hope against hope that that is the case.
The Theocracy's history begins in the time of anarchy and chaos as the crusaders fled the country from the ports, a lowly shepherd heralding himself as the prophet of Atum-Ra. Gaining a substantial following, he and his army marched against the undead hordes of Stygius, which threatened to conquer the whole of Egypt. The battle lasted long, the dark magi of Stygius summoning black clouds to preserve the undead they had created, but upon the twelth hour, a stray wind blew the cloud away, and the undead crumbled to dust in the bright desert sun, blown away on the wind as nothing more than ash.
The prophet, whose true name is lost to history, declared the beginning of the Egyptian Theocracy from Cairo's walls. The populace, disillusioned with both Islam and Christianity during the reign of the crusaders, worshipped him as the Herald of Atum-Ra, and he became the first of the Priest-Kings of Egypt. The Empire soon expanded, reigning over the Sahara and reaching deep into Ethiopia and western Africa, a period of prosperity that allowed it to face the European powers on an equal footing. In these days of rapid industrialisation, the Theocracy has delved deep into mystical lore to defend against the enemies it constantly faces and face them on the equal footing that it faced the European powers on in the Middle Ages.
NEW MEMPHIS
Cairo, renamed New Memphis, stands high to the proof that Egypt is sophisticated. It is a city of magic and wonder, an exotic place of great beauty. Floating palaces fly high above the sands, while the vast Temple of the Gods is the realm of the Priest-King and his most favoured acolytes. New Memphis is a truly cosmopolitan city, full to bursting with traders and merchants, entire artificial islands devoted to buying and selling. In its Grand Bazaar you can find goods from across the world, ranging from the common to the scarcest possible. One can find goods aplenty in its bounteous markets, while from its docklands ships ply the seven seas to every part of the world.
Yet despite this, the poor live in immense squalor, worse even than in London's deepest, dankest slums and alleyways. Most citizens of its population of 10 million live on a single Dinar a day, barely enough to buy a loaf of bread. As a result, crime and thievery are common, and the so-called 'street rats' are a gigantic problem that the city's rulers fail to see. Such is the other side of New Memphis - a dark mirror of its easily-scratched surface.
MILITARY
The military of the Egyptian Theocracy has not been neglected, and it is clear to see that its forces are the best in the world at desert warfare and skirmishing. They are also adept at guerilla warfare and hit-and-run tactics. Yet it is when they mass in force that they are the most powerful. Supernatural desert creatures, the centipede-like samakhar, the serpentine ressisepti and the capricious djinn are often called by Egypt's sorcerers prior to the battle, and make for a threatening force for any attacker to face. The soldiers of Egypt also utilise their extensive training in guerrila warfare to strike the enemy with unorthodox tactics, including mine-laying, flank marches, strategic redeployment and surgical strikes aimed at enemy commanders. Mages also utilise complex enchantments that confuse and devastate the enemy, creating sandstorms, floods and mirages in addition to unleashing highly destructive magic.
Last edited by Czernobog on Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
Re: A new fantasy universe idea (currently unnamed)
IMPORTANT PERSONAGES
DOMINATION OF STYGIUS
Lord Acheron, Black Emperor of the Domination
Lord Acheron is perhaps the most terrifying national leader in the world. Standing eight feet tall, he sits upon a throne of black iron, on the top of a tower rising high over the sepulchral ruins of Jerusalem. His face is covered by a helm of dark steel, and his black blood leaks out of a terrible wound to his heart, made by the french king's blade at the Battle of Antioch. It is a wonder of his enhanced physiology that he survived long enough to return to Jerusalem's shadowed streets, where the black spells of dark healing were wrought over him by the Witch Lord, and now he sits and schemes and waits, plotting his return after his near-mortal wound. His skill in the magical arts is vast and incredible, and he has wrought great and terrible things since the Fall of Jerusalem. Millions labouring under the tyranny of the Domination worship him as a god, and the black hymns and sacrifices offered up to him are terrible indeed.
Lord Stygius, Regent of Acheron
Lord Stygius is Acheron's regent and right hand, and he serves his master as worshipfully as he can, while secretly planning vengeance and betrayal. For his wife was slain by Acheron's undead hordes, and now she serves him as one of his Banshee Queens, bound to the mortal world and loyal to Acheron. He secretly swore vengeance when he beheld what she had become, yet desires only to take the reigns of command from Acheron and rule over the Domination as its proper Black Emperor. To this end he has created the Black Legion, a force of 10,000 men loyal only to himself. The Black Legion is the most terrible army the world has ever seen, second only to the Immortals, Acheron's personal guard, yet they are few in number, and when lacking support would be quickly slaughtered. So he reigns over the entirety of the Domination's army, excepting the Immortals, who serve Acheron alone.
The Witch Lord
The Witch Lord is an enigma. One of the Heartless, he emerged properly after the Battle of Antioch, when he defeated a crusading army six times his number. He rules over the Heartless, being the second-greatest in magical skill in the whole Domination, and also is the Grand Heirophant of the Cult of Acheron. He is a potent necromancer and general magician, as well as a skilled strategist and tactician. His loyalty is unclear, and if Acheron and Stygius were to battle each other, his might be the hand that decides the victor.
(Work in Progress)
DOMINATION OF STYGIUS
Lord Acheron, Black Emperor of the Domination
Lord Acheron is perhaps the most terrifying national leader in the world. Standing eight feet tall, he sits upon a throne of black iron, on the top of a tower rising high over the sepulchral ruins of Jerusalem. His face is covered by a helm of dark steel, and his black blood leaks out of a terrible wound to his heart, made by the french king's blade at the Battle of Antioch. It is a wonder of his enhanced physiology that he survived long enough to return to Jerusalem's shadowed streets, where the black spells of dark healing were wrought over him by the Witch Lord, and now he sits and schemes and waits, plotting his return after his near-mortal wound. His skill in the magical arts is vast and incredible, and he has wrought great and terrible things since the Fall of Jerusalem. Millions labouring under the tyranny of the Domination worship him as a god, and the black hymns and sacrifices offered up to him are terrible indeed.
Lord Stygius, Regent of Acheron
Lord Stygius is Acheron's regent and right hand, and he serves his master as worshipfully as he can, while secretly planning vengeance and betrayal. For his wife was slain by Acheron's undead hordes, and now she serves him as one of his Banshee Queens, bound to the mortal world and loyal to Acheron. He secretly swore vengeance when he beheld what she had become, yet desires only to take the reigns of command from Acheron and rule over the Domination as its proper Black Emperor. To this end he has created the Black Legion, a force of 10,000 men loyal only to himself. The Black Legion is the most terrible army the world has ever seen, second only to the Immortals, Acheron's personal guard, yet they are few in number, and when lacking support would be quickly slaughtered. So he reigns over the entirety of the Domination's army, excepting the Immortals, who serve Acheron alone.
The Witch Lord
The Witch Lord is an enigma. One of the Heartless, he emerged properly after the Battle of Antioch, when he defeated a crusading army six times his number. He rules over the Heartless, being the second-greatest in magical skill in the whole Domination, and also is the Grand Heirophant of the Cult of Acheron. He is a potent necromancer and general magician, as well as a skilled strategist and tactician. His loyalty is unclear, and if Acheron and Stygius were to battle each other, his might be the hand that decides the victor.
(Work in Progress)
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
Re: A new fantasy universe idea (currently unnamed)
SUPERNATURAL CREATURES
Supernatural creatures are defined as those that have magic as an integral part of their biology. Such creatures are relatively common on Earth, and are treated as normal animals, although some are quite intelligent. Another category of supernatural creatures are those that dwell in areas accessible only through magic. But for simplicity the ones that dwell on Earth will be categorised according to their natural habitat, excepting the ones that are nigh-omnipresent, which will come first.
Dragons
Dragons are large, reptilian/avian creatures that are commonly used as aerial mounts. They have the natural ability to breathe fire, and can fly the length of Great Britain in a single day, although none transcontinental flights have been attempted, and they can only seat one person at a time. There are many variants of dragon; the British Red, the Sand Dragon from Egypt, the Storm Dragons that fly over the Atlantic, and even the rare, more serpentine subspecies of Celestial Dragon from the aptly-named Dragon Kingdom of China. All types of dragon have several things in common though; the ability of flight, the ability to breathe fire, and the ability, in times of stress, to perform magical effects. Their biology would not function without magic, and it is fought that they were descended from reptiles mutated during the Event, a cascade of raw magical energy that struck the entire world.
Undead
Undead are corpses reanimated by a necromancer or in natural conditions, an especial occurrence in the blighted lands of Transylvania. They are often feral, displaying none of the intelligence they had in life, and are often carnivores, eating flesh to delay the decay of their bodies. Their minds can be taken over by a skilled mage, just as with animals, or, regrettably, humans. Nevertheless, there are many types of undead, which will be explained in more detail below.
Heartless
A Heartless is a mage who seeks immortality by removing his own heart. Under most circumstances this would be fatal, but the mage instead uses a ritual to keep him alive, in a sort of stasis, until the heart can be placed within a specially-enchanted obsidian box. Then, the heart begins to beat again, not decaying or failing to work, but instead alive and acting exactly as if it was still in the body. The mage's eyes begin to glow, while his hair and skin become deathly pale. He begins to act with psychopathy, and is often arrogant and needlessly cruel. They can only be killed by either destroying the heart or destroying or removing the head, along with cremation and other things that completely destroy the body. They also require fresh blood to stay alive, and it is likely that Heartless have inspired some of the myths about vampires, which are not known to exist.
Ghouls
Ghouls are your typical undead: near mindless, steadily decaying, and predatory upon humans. They hunt in packs, shambling along, although they can move quicker if necessary. They are preternaturally strong, the magic that keeps them alive infusing their muscles with strength. They also have tremendous supplies of endurance, but their true strength is against the weak and the terrified, and they can be driven off if they are met with strong resistance. Along with humans, most animals can become ghouls, excepting those that have magic as a part of their biology. Ghouls can take any form; from skeletal to barely decayed, yet all have the same basic characteristics.
Humonculi
Humonculi are special creations, typically of depraved mages or insane experimenters. Their creation consists of a ritual murder of a pregnant woman, after which an aborted foetus is placed in the womb to finish its gestation. The resulting creation does not truly live, and is often insane. However, amulets are often used to keep them (barely) sane, and the resulting abominations can control their shapes, shifting into the form of anything they have seen. They can impersonate a person flawlessly, and are often used as infiltrators by Stygius. However, there is always something odd and vaguely disturbing about them, and most who see them are slightly disturbed by them.
Geists
Geists are fragments of personality from a dead person, bound to this world by strong magic or unfulfilled desires. However, over the millennia most eventually become vindictive or spiteful, hating the mortal world and humanity out of loneliness and anger that they are not helped in returning to the afterlife, for the soul sometimes passes on and leaves the mind behind. Some are, regrettably, enslaved by rogue mages, including those of Stygius and those that dwell in the forsaken land of Transylvania. Female Geists are commonly known to scientists as Banshees and male ones as Wraiths, however, there are usually a multitude of local names for them in any region you care to name.
Mara
Mara are perhaps the most unusual undead. They cannot move during the day; instead, they move at night, flittering from shadow to shadow and disguising themselves as such. Then, they sneak up to a person sleeping, and give him visions, through an as yet unexplained process (althouh it has a similarity to certain illusions created by mages) of his worst fear. Their power lies only in the mind; if the person can survive the experience, the Mara will escape and vanish into the shadows, but if he dies of fright (which is all too common), the Mara will drain all his blood and thus sustain itself.
Immortals
Immortals are beings halfway between life and death, trapped in an accursed half-life. They are created through ritual, although the recipient of this 'gift' needs to be willing. The ritual requires one thing to complete its work: the unwilling death of a child. Such an act of mind-numbing abhorrence is illegal in most states; except in Stygius where it used to create the Immortal guards of Lord Acheron and the dreaded Black Legionnaires. Even then, the Immortal requires death to mantain his immortality; the lifespan of the people he killed or the people killed in his name will be transferred to him. Immortals are more durable and stronger than normal men, but they still require armour to defend them against the threats of the modern world.
Forest Creatures
Forest Spirits
Known as nymphs, dryads, striga and fae in a number of regions, forest spirits often take the form of preternaturally beautiful females, a device to lure in their prey. It is when their prey get close that they close the trap, transforming into their true form, a being with talons of iron-hard wood and covered with tough bark, which can withstand several rifle shots at close range. They rip their unfortunate victims to pieces with iron-hard talons, drinking the vital fluids, then going into the forest in search of new prey.
Desert Creatures
Samakhar
Samakhar are centipede-like creatures that travel under the sand, hunting for prey by sensing the vibrations they make in the earth. When they find them, they rip them apart with a flurry of scything talons, before devouring the remains. They are most commonly found in hot climates, particularly in Africa, although a few nests have been discovered in North America, most likely smuggled there as pets. They can tunnel through solid rock, making these tunnels into their nests, and there are few materials that can keep them confined.
Ressisepti
Ressisepti typically dwell in Egypt, along the Nile river, although they have appeared in several other places as well. They are typically serpentine, with a humanoid torso. Other than this, little is known about them, although the Egyptians believe they are incarnations of the Nile's waters.
Pheonixes
The Pheonix, or firebird, is a rare creature most commonly found in Egypt or Anatolia. They have a strange method of reproduction; they lay great amounts of eggs and mate for life, one of the Pheonixes, at the moment the eggs are due to hatch, incinerating itself in a blaze of fire and giving the eggs the neccessary warmth to soften them and allow the hatchlings to break free. They are a protected creature in both the Empire of the Pheonix and the Egyptian Theocracy, the Egyptians seeing them as the heralds of Atum-Ra and the Imperials having them as their national symbol, a pheonix bursting from flames being the emblem on their flag.
Basilisk
The basilisk, or King of Serpents, is a uniquely dangerous creature. It can spit poison for ten paces, the mere touch of which on exposed skin kills in seconds. There is no known cure, and the basilisk's poison is preternaturally deadly. It is for this reason that it is hunted down wherever possible. The basilisk is an immense snake, like a cobra, coloured emerald green, that tunnels through the sand and attacks lone prey. It then devours the corpse, which can feed it for up to a year.
Oceanic Creatures
Kraken
Kraken are the scourge of the high seas. They are known to attack ships, destroying them and consuming the crew, and are the top predator in the oceans. With tentacles that can rip wooden boats apart and are 150 feet long, they can even do heavy damage to an ironclad. Fortunately, if they are wounded heavily they will dive back into the deeps to recover, and thus they often attack unarmed fishing vessels instead of heavily armed warships.
Supernatural creatures are defined as those that have magic as an integral part of their biology. Such creatures are relatively common on Earth, and are treated as normal animals, although some are quite intelligent. Another category of supernatural creatures are those that dwell in areas accessible only through magic. But for simplicity the ones that dwell on Earth will be categorised according to their natural habitat, excepting the ones that are nigh-omnipresent, which will come first.
Dragons
Dragons are large, reptilian/avian creatures that are commonly used as aerial mounts. They have the natural ability to breathe fire, and can fly the length of Great Britain in a single day, although none transcontinental flights have been attempted, and they can only seat one person at a time. There are many variants of dragon; the British Red, the Sand Dragon from Egypt, the Storm Dragons that fly over the Atlantic, and even the rare, more serpentine subspecies of Celestial Dragon from the aptly-named Dragon Kingdom of China. All types of dragon have several things in common though; the ability of flight, the ability to breathe fire, and the ability, in times of stress, to perform magical effects. Their biology would not function without magic, and it is fought that they were descended from reptiles mutated during the Event, a cascade of raw magical energy that struck the entire world.
Undead
Undead are corpses reanimated by a necromancer or in natural conditions, an especial occurrence in the blighted lands of Transylvania. They are often feral, displaying none of the intelligence they had in life, and are often carnivores, eating flesh to delay the decay of their bodies. Their minds can be taken over by a skilled mage, just as with animals, or, regrettably, humans. Nevertheless, there are many types of undead, which will be explained in more detail below.
Heartless
A Heartless is a mage who seeks immortality by removing his own heart. Under most circumstances this would be fatal, but the mage instead uses a ritual to keep him alive, in a sort of stasis, until the heart can be placed within a specially-enchanted obsidian box. Then, the heart begins to beat again, not decaying or failing to work, but instead alive and acting exactly as if it was still in the body. The mage's eyes begin to glow, while his hair and skin become deathly pale. He begins to act with psychopathy, and is often arrogant and needlessly cruel. They can only be killed by either destroying the heart or destroying or removing the head, along with cremation and other things that completely destroy the body. They also require fresh blood to stay alive, and it is likely that Heartless have inspired some of the myths about vampires, which are not known to exist.
Ghouls
Ghouls are your typical undead: near mindless, steadily decaying, and predatory upon humans. They hunt in packs, shambling along, although they can move quicker if necessary. They are preternaturally strong, the magic that keeps them alive infusing their muscles with strength. They also have tremendous supplies of endurance, but their true strength is against the weak and the terrified, and they can be driven off if they are met with strong resistance. Along with humans, most animals can become ghouls, excepting those that have magic as a part of their biology. Ghouls can take any form; from skeletal to barely decayed, yet all have the same basic characteristics.
Humonculi
Humonculi are special creations, typically of depraved mages or insane experimenters. Their creation consists of a ritual murder of a pregnant woman, after which an aborted foetus is placed in the womb to finish its gestation. The resulting creation does not truly live, and is often insane. However, amulets are often used to keep them (barely) sane, and the resulting abominations can control their shapes, shifting into the form of anything they have seen. They can impersonate a person flawlessly, and are often used as infiltrators by Stygius. However, there is always something odd and vaguely disturbing about them, and most who see them are slightly disturbed by them.
Geists
Geists are fragments of personality from a dead person, bound to this world by strong magic or unfulfilled desires. However, over the millennia most eventually become vindictive or spiteful, hating the mortal world and humanity out of loneliness and anger that they are not helped in returning to the afterlife, for the soul sometimes passes on and leaves the mind behind. Some are, regrettably, enslaved by rogue mages, including those of Stygius and those that dwell in the forsaken land of Transylvania. Female Geists are commonly known to scientists as Banshees and male ones as Wraiths, however, there are usually a multitude of local names for them in any region you care to name.
Mara
Mara are perhaps the most unusual undead. They cannot move during the day; instead, they move at night, flittering from shadow to shadow and disguising themselves as such. Then, they sneak up to a person sleeping, and give him visions, through an as yet unexplained process (althouh it has a similarity to certain illusions created by mages) of his worst fear. Their power lies only in the mind; if the person can survive the experience, the Mara will escape and vanish into the shadows, but if he dies of fright (which is all too common), the Mara will drain all his blood and thus sustain itself.
Immortals
Immortals are beings halfway between life and death, trapped in an accursed half-life. They are created through ritual, although the recipient of this 'gift' needs to be willing. The ritual requires one thing to complete its work: the unwilling death of a child. Such an act of mind-numbing abhorrence is illegal in most states; except in Stygius where it used to create the Immortal guards of Lord Acheron and the dreaded Black Legionnaires. Even then, the Immortal requires death to mantain his immortality; the lifespan of the people he killed or the people killed in his name will be transferred to him. Immortals are more durable and stronger than normal men, but they still require armour to defend them against the threats of the modern world.
Forest Creatures
Forest Spirits
Known as nymphs, dryads, striga and fae in a number of regions, forest spirits often take the form of preternaturally beautiful females, a device to lure in their prey. It is when their prey get close that they close the trap, transforming into their true form, a being with talons of iron-hard wood and covered with tough bark, which can withstand several rifle shots at close range. They rip their unfortunate victims to pieces with iron-hard talons, drinking the vital fluids, then going into the forest in search of new prey.
Desert Creatures
Samakhar
Samakhar are centipede-like creatures that travel under the sand, hunting for prey by sensing the vibrations they make in the earth. When they find them, they rip them apart with a flurry of scything talons, before devouring the remains. They are most commonly found in hot climates, particularly in Africa, although a few nests have been discovered in North America, most likely smuggled there as pets. They can tunnel through solid rock, making these tunnels into their nests, and there are few materials that can keep them confined.
Ressisepti
Ressisepti typically dwell in Egypt, along the Nile river, although they have appeared in several other places as well. They are typically serpentine, with a humanoid torso. Other than this, little is known about them, although the Egyptians believe they are incarnations of the Nile's waters.
Pheonixes
The Pheonix, or firebird, is a rare creature most commonly found in Egypt or Anatolia. They have a strange method of reproduction; they lay great amounts of eggs and mate for life, one of the Pheonixes, at the moment the eggs are due to hatch, incinerating itself in a blaze of fire and giving the eggs the neccessary warmth to soften them and allow the hatchlings to break free. They are a protected creature in both the Empire of the Pheonix and the Egyptian Theocracy, the Egyptians seeing them as the heralds of Atum-Ra and the Imperials having them as their national symbol, a pheonix bursting from flames being the emblem on their flag.
Basilisk
The basilisk, or King of Serpents, is a uniquely dangerous creature. It can spit poison for ten paces, the mere touch of which on exposed skin kills in seconds. There is no known cure, and the basilisk's poison is preternaturally deadly. It is for this reason that it is hunted down wherever possible. The basilisk is an immense snake, like a cobra, coloured emerald green, that tunnels through the sand and attacks lone prey. It then devours the corpse, which can feed it for up to a year.
Oceanic Creatures
Kraken
Kraken are the scourge of the high seas. They are known to attack ships, destroying them and consuming the crew, and are the top predator in the oceans. With tentacles that can rip wooden boats apart and are 150 feet long, they can even do heavy damage to an ironclad. Fortunately, if they are wounded heavily they will dive back into the deeps to recover, and thus they often attack unarmed fishing vessels instead of heavily armed warships.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
Re: A new fantasy universe idea (currently unnamed)
I've finally settled on a name: Colliding Empires.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
Re: Colliding Empires: A fantasy universe idea
It might not be the most original of ideas, but you've got my attention at least. Do you want your 'verse created now or do you want to wait a bit longer?
"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle
For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
And this the Dutchmen know!
For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
And this the Dutchmen know!
Re: Colliding Empires: A fantasy universe idea
I would like it now.SiegeTank wrote:It might not be the most original of ideas, but you've got my attention at least. Do you want your 'verse created now or do you want to wait a bit longer?
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
Re: Colliding Empires: A fantasy universe idea
'Tis done.
"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle
For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
And this the Dutchmen know!
For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
And this the Dutchmen know!