Mana is the source of life and magic upon Eladre. An abundant fuel source which grants substance to the islands, the elements, and all life which exists between. One who can harness the mana around them, and tap into the Flow State, can partake in a practice once believed exclusive to monsterkind.
Magecraft. It is the manifestation of supernatural phenomena. The realization of magic.
Properties
Mana is an invisible, intangible energy, aspected to one of six elements — fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, and force — and drawn towards two celestial alignments: Solar, which brings life; and Lunar, which brings knowledge. Everything, and everyone, contains mana. And most are balanced upon the celestial axis. It is this celestial alignment which forms the soul — a spiritual core which “pilots” the body.
Life cannot exist without mana. A creature deprived of its mana will become an empty husk. On the other hand, a creature overflowing with excess mana will undergo a violent metamorphosis.
These states are known as Mana Deprivation and Mana Overflow. Two extremes of a spectrum.
Creatures and Mana
Aside from the three types of monsters, there exist other creatures influenced by mana:
- Automata are MAG-Tech constructs fueled by artificial souls.
- Plants are flora given life and animation by mana. Most possess feral-like intelligence.
- Undead are soulless bodies reanimated by mana. A macabre subset of golemancy.
Daemons are a special case. Corruption is a curse believed to be triggered by excessive mana consumption and soul taint, though the actual phenomena is poorly understood.
If one is marked by Corruption — as evidenced by a blackened, purple “mould” across the body — they can be cleansed with a ritual. Corruption spurs the afflicted into further acts of depravity, violence, and lust (power, sex, knowledge, etc). When it consumes the soul completely, the bearer irrevocably transforms into a foul, mana-hungry beast of extraordinary strength.
A focused concentration of mana will coalesce into a thick, teal-luminescent liquid: Aether. It is known to possess restorative properties, and certain creatures can drink aether for a burst of magical energy, but high doses can result in overflow. Mana-rich environments, such as cavernous wellsprings or the sites of former domains, usually contain a natural formation of aether.
Flow State
There exists a means to push beyond one’s limits. This is the Flow State. It is a trance which “opens” one’s body to receive mana. It is a practice built upon the principles of meditation and cultivation.
Martial Flow
Magi are the most common practitioners of the Flow State. However, it is not exclusive to them. Warriors, rogues, and monsters can also tap into the Flow State through instinct and martial training.
Simply put, the Flow State functions on the Three Action Principle:
- Activate. Every user develops or inherits a technique to do so. Activation methods are viewed as a “fingerprint”, with each wielder having their own quirks and habits.
- Absorb. While in the Flow State, the body becomes a conduit to draw in ambient mana. Absorbing too much can lead to overflow. Thus, users must know how to limit and control their intake.
- Actualize. Mana is absorbed into the body and converted into potential. Magi convert this mana into phenomena — spells — while martial wielders use it to enhance their physical abilities.
This system is not without its dangers. The Flow State is a physically and spiritually taxing experience. Without practice, the body will collapse under exhaustion. Such cases are similar to intense sleep deprivation, starvation, and dehydration, though the symptoms tend to vary from person to person.
Mechanics & MP
When you run out of MP, your body is undergoing Flow-induced exhaustion. Vismagus, a skill from the Spiritist, is the ability (and willingness) to use one’s own lifeforce as mana.
As these symptoms might suggest, Flow-induced exhaustion can become fatal in extreme cases.
MAG-Tech
Mechanized Aetheric Gem Technology. MAG-Tech for short. Devices powered by crystalized aether. It is a malleable, versatile science, and is used for (but not limited to) travel, production, and hunting. MAG-Tech is easily recognizable, regardless of the culture using it, due to its vibrant and glowing circuits.
Mechanized Aetheric Gems (MAGs)
Through the use of specialist tools, aether can be crystallized. Artificers use these crystals to create MAGs — batteries which exist within a permanent, low-powered Flow State.
MAG-Tech was first pioneered by the Empire. Since their fall, a variety of cultures have adopted these technologies for domestic and military purposes. Guilds are among the strongest advocates for MAG-Tech. However, the Fury caused widespread technological regression across the Frontier, leaving just as many (if not more) settlements to be lacking in MAG-Tech, if not bereft of it entirely.
As a general guide, most settlements can be divided into these technological levels:
1. Rustic. A rural settlement that does not know, use, or care for MAG-Tech. Does not correspond with prosperity. Cultures are shaped by strong values of community and faith.
2. Relics. Devices have a storied history, as heirlooms or monuments, but have little-to-no means of repair or reproduction. Tech has been sourced from travelers, old heroes, and ruins.
3. Revival. Technology is known and used in daily life, but has not reached a cultural breakthrough. People are undergoing a state of soft/hard tech shock. Synonymous with trade and urban development.
4. Renaissance. Society is undergoing a time of reform. Culture will either flourish or wane in such turbulent times, while the magical and scientific arts progress at a rapid pace.
5. Revolution. A full-scale integration with MAG-Tech, close to Astral or Imperial levels. Society has irrevocably changed and led to a reliance on technology. Modernity is the greatest value.
The Prime Directive
Hunters are forbidden from interfering with a culture’s technological development. They can use MAG-Tech for personal or questing reasons, but they cannot use it to manipulate a culture.