Behold, the updated and improved setting detail. It's more or less a collection of my thoughts on how everything should work, but it's not necessarily complete or all encompassing. Everything here is subject to change and some parts have no baring on the story (but may in the future). In addition I'll be removing the old setting detail page as it is now outdated.
Also the Chapter IX rewrite will be coming out in the very near future, about two weeks. In the meantime there will be another Maid in Fantasy short next week. Look forward to it.
>>>~~~~<<<
Maid in Fantasy is a Science Fantasy series created for this blog and set in the kingdom of Celene in a world not entirely unlike our own. The planet is an Earth, but one with a significantly different history that drastically diverged back in the early 1500s at the latest. While countries, politics, and technology as we know it may resemble our own on the surface, they played out far differently. For example, while there was a Germany, a Roman empire, China, and Ancient Greece, the USA, UK, or Japan didn’t exist as we know them. In fact, there isn’t even an American continent, Oceania, Asia, or Africa as we know them either. There was a Great War in the 1910s, but no WWII equivalent nor a Cold War.
This alternate Earth’s continents are structured differently, with three major continents and a few minor ones. The kingdom of Celene ruled out of the megacity of New Celene, is situated on one of those major continents in the Western Hemisphere. The continent, which was renamed Lunula sometime in the past few centuries, is located further west than where North America is in our world. The other two continents are known as Hyperion and Zodiac.
The kingdom of Celene rose to full power in the fourth century of the Celene calendar, year 349 (which, in our own calendar, would probably be somewhere in the 2500s), taking complete control of the planet Earth. However, it was not through conquest and battle (at least not exclusively). Instead, the other nations and powers of the world slowly joined the kingdom over time. Many willingly, and others because they had no other choice. It was a strange and tumultuous time, but by year 421, everything had mostly settled, and the Celene family were the uncontested rulers of most of the Earth.
The Celene family itself has remained in power since their kingdom’s inception. While they have suffered assassination attempts, wars, and coups, the family has never lost favor. In fact, most people seem to regard the royal family positively, sometimes with an unsettling undying devotion. Whether that’s because of inherent charisma or some secret power is unknown.
\\~~~\\
//~~~//
Other Setting Notes:
Since this world is not exactly our own, there are a few key differences in how the world works. Like many fictional worlds, the laws of science and physics are a bit fast and loose, and the definition of a peak human is significantly different. In fact, humans on this Earth seem capable of incredible, if not impossible, things if they put their minds to it. But breaking through the physical, mental, and natural barriers to achieve such things is another matter entirely.
If one breaks their natural limits, they may develop strange, unusual abilities. Superb strength and speed, inhuman agility, and traits that defy scientific explanation. When one acquires such qualities, they may be passed down from generation to generation. Of course, these abilities will often remain dormant in the descendants until naturally developed or something forces them out.
The Diane family is rumored to possess such an ability. Still, the exact details have been left up to wild speculation.
Weaponry in the Kingdom of Celene is known to be quite diverse. While firearms have existed in this world for as long as they have in our own, New Celene still arms and trains many of its soldiers and guards with melee weapons like swords, spears, halberds, etc. In addition, armor is generally a mix of modern tactical armor (bullet and knife-proof vests) and more medieval armor, like plate or chainmail. You might wear one or the other, rarely a mix of both.
The reason behind this is straightforward: while humans are still as vulnerable to bullets as ever, many strange creatures exist in this world. These peculiar creatures and many humans possessing unusual abilities have been known to easily resist bullets and other conventional weapons. A unique metal known as “Azure Stone” has been mined to counteract this. Its primary property is that it is toxic to beings with unusual powers. In addition, Azure Stone has proven to be highly effective against similarly durable magical armors that are also immune to conventional weaponry and in everyday use by the kingdom’s fighters.
Pure Azure Stone is incredibly rare and almost non-existent, which is good, as merely touching it could make most people violently ill. However, weaker variants and even an industrially created imitation are more abundant in supply. Since bullets tend to be only used once, and rationing the Azure Stone is important, melee weapons made with Azure Stone came into common use. Hence, most (but not all) of Celene’s guards and soldiers are armed with at least one piece of Azure Stone weaponry. With bullets as highly prized and cautiously used last resorts.
Rumor has it that the Royal family has a secret stash of pure Azure Stone bullets, with numbers ranging from 12 to 500.
Despite appearances, the many servants and nobles garbed in old-fashioned dresses and suites are not unprotected. In fact, the servant’s uniforms are woven from an artificially created bullet and knife-resistant material. The concept is similar to modern bullet-resistant materials but with centuries of improvements, making it significantly more flexible and durable. However, the noble’s outfits seem to be composed of something else entirely. It is not by science that Princess Irene’s dress never catches on branches when climbing trees or that Queen Celene’s dress seems to phase into the floor.
As a somewhat Utopic society, the Kingdom of Celene is not bothered by problems such as world hunger. Food is abundant and plentiful, grown in massive farms that span thousands of kilometers. The crops and animals are genetically modified, made significantly larger and animate. Attempts have been made to create giant, self-farming crops. They grow to sizes bigger than most humans, and the intention is they harvest themselves and move to a repository to be processed. Such experiments have proven inconclusive as the living crops merely rampage. The less said about the modified cattle, the better…
The power fueling society is a unique, infinite, clean energy drawn from a “Multiversal Power Grid.” Think of it as an otherworldly power source drawn from a parallel dimension that runs throughout all of reality. It is collected and stored in massive facilities that are basically huge batteries and channeled through special crystals called Xe Crystal (named purely for marketing reasons). The Xe Crystals are used to power all manner of electronic devices and can be found everywhere, engines, phones, reactors, televisions, etc. They have near wholly replaced all other forms of energy, like electricity, gasoline, etc. Xe Crystals also come in different types, like a green variety that emits electricity, a red one that channels fire, yellow ones that emit pure light, etc.
While this energy source is completely clean and practically infinite, it has downsides. Tapping into the multiversal grid is dangerous if the flow is disrupted or improperly harvested. Worse, it sometimes attracts the odd creatures of the world, which seek to feast on the energy, and occasionally attracts beings from other worlds and realities who want to do the same.
Many of the nobles actually draw power from the Multiversal Grid on a personal level. To them, it’s a secondary power source, mainly used for defense but also to fuel weapons or magical attacks.
Because of advanced medicine and a magic aura produced by the New Celene palace, health, and average life span have increased dramatically. After aging to young adulthood, most slow down in aging rapidly. As a result, living to your hundreds is not uncommon, and it’s easy to maintain a youthful appearance for decades (i.e., 55 is the new 30). The highest nobles can live for up to 1,000 years or more, but that’s more to do with their altered biology and magic. It’s also not an inherited trait of their bloodline and has more to do with the specific people (i.e., if Aphros had a child, they would not automatically live to 1,000). The exception is the Celene’s, who are practically divine and will live as long as they need to.
\\~~~\\
//~~~//
The Royalty, Nobility, Servants and Power structure of the Kingdom of Celene:
The Royal Family-
Queen Atlanta Kounéli Celene IV, the high Queen of the entire world. Known to be a wise and benevolent ruler, albeit one you should never cross. A not insignificant amount of the populace worships her like a goddess; an equally large portion fear her as the same. Her approval ratings have always been legendarily high. But that doesn’t mean the people who follow her are all on the same page or in harmony. Many once noble and respected individuals have done horrible acts in the name of “helping her” or “destroying false followers.” This problem has only seemed to grow in recent times…
King , the enigmatic King is known as something of a phantom in the palace, leading to the nickname “The Phantom King.” The King has not been seen in the public eye for quite some time. Many of the highest nobles can’t claim to have been in the same room. When asked, Lady Aphros has always said, “The King is always here. The King is everywhere. That’s the advantage of being a phantom.”
First Princess Atlanta Artemis Celene, the crown princess, destined to one day inherit the throne from her mother. Despite her royal upbringing, she’s known to be fairly crass among the nobility. She eagerly awaits the day she becomes Queen, and her main desire is to be seen as someone worthy of such a title. Sadly, she’s terrible at expressing that.
Second Princess , the ever-elusive second princess has never had her name publicly revealed. Rumors say she is being privately groomed to be the real Queen, or that she is wise beyond her years, or even some great oracle capable of predicting the future. Less pleasant rumors whisper that she is invalid or handicapped, so the royal family tries their best to keep her out of the public eye. The truth is…
Third Princess Irene Artemis Celene, the completely uncontrollable third princess is known to be a little firecracker of a child. Few have known her to be still for longer than a couple minutes. Her goals begin and end with whatever thought is currently crossing her mind.
The Nobility-
The Queen’s Right Hand and the head of faith Lady Aré Apollo Vulcan, the Queen’s closest confidant and the manager of the kingdom’s religious affairs. While Lady Aphros is technically her superior, Aré has a closer working relationship with the Queen. She is known as a wise and cultured woman with a razor-sharp tongue. In prior years, she was also heavily involved in the kingdom’s military, holding the rank of Supreme General. However, her only duty was in the rare case that Celene had to act offensively in a conflict or conquer a foe. With all their largest enemies having long since fallen, Aré retired from military life (but not willingly). Rumors persist about the exact nature of her relationship with , but most know better than to speak of such things openly.
The Queen’s Left Hand and the first of the high council Lady Aphros Juno Bacchus, the Queen’s greatest agent and the highest noble in the land, second only in power to the Queen. Known as an incredible leader, negotiator, and eccentric, Lady Aphros holds (mostly) great respect in the kingdom. In her younger days, her duty was to serve as the Queen’s double, as the two were quite similar in appearance once upon a time. However, despite this duty becoming redundant, her actions and leadership in the Queen’s place proved exceptional enough to earn her a high position. Her political faction is perhaps the largest and most robust in the kingdom, which has sometimes aided and hampered her career. Alas, despite her capabilities, she’s gained a reputation as someone who “sleeps around” and is not particular in partners. Lady Aphros seems to perpetuate these rumors on purpose while leaving the truth behind them foggy. Is she really as bad as they say? She’s not telling.
The Queen’s Personal Guard Lady Ourano and Lady Posei, known as the kingdom’s greatest warriors, Ourano and Posei are tasked with the highest duty, guarding the Queen. Since the Queen was a princess, the two have acted as her bodyguards, remaining her constant companions in the years leading up to her coronation. Ourano is known as a stoic warrior, fast as the wind and unyielding to pain. Posei is an elegant lady, primarily protecting the court in the battlefield of politics and words. As long as the two are together, they say none can lay a hand on the Queen. Alas, Ourano is also known as fairly headstrong and quick to action, leading her to get injured frequently. At the same time, Posei seems to take extreme delight in using her words to rattle basically everyone she meets.
The Captain of the Royal Guard Lady Ze Ceres, holding the title of defender of the palace, Lady Ze is among the best combat leaders in the kingdom. While she can’t lead grand armies, she can coordinate the palace guards like clockwork and is the best mentor in the royal guard academy. While Ourano is the best warrior in the kingdom, Ze is the physically strongest; rumor has it she can smash boulders and part the seas. However, beneath her emerald armor lies a kind heart, seeking to nurture all living things around her. But don’t take that to mean she goes easy on her students. Her training regiments are among the most brutal in this world or the next. While she doesn’t yell like the stereotypical drill sergeant, she doesn’t need to. Just don’t make her angry or antagonize her. She’s quite vindictive.
The Royal Science Advisor and Grand Professor of the Academia Lady Herme Pallas Minerva, they say there exists not a smarter living person on Earth than Lady Herme. All the wonderful science that powers the kingdom of Celene can be traced back to her or her pupils. Modern hovercrafts, the crystal cities, and the Azure stone weapons were all her designs. She’s also the mind behind the communication networks and the instant messaging system. While smarter than anyone else, Herme is known to be extremely humble and meek, and when not that, she’s completely absorbed in her work. When she and General Chrona begin collaborating on a project, the rest of the kingdom watches in anxiety, hoping that this one doesn’t cause too many problems.
The Supreme Commander of the Military and Defense General Chrona, while Earth and, to a lesser extent, the solar system are under the control of Celene. That does not mean the kingdom is safe from all enemies and threats. General Chrona’s job is to guard the kingdom’s borders and repel all invasions and other extraterrestrial threats. Chrona herself is very serious in her duty, often said to have stood watch without sleep for days on end. Thankfully, she has never had the need to exercise the full might of the kingdom’s defenses, giving her ample personal time. When not on watch, she buries herself in personal engineering projects and studies esoteric sciences. She’s known as something of a “mad scientist” when it comes to a new invention, especially when she and Herme collaborate. Her transformation from a stoic commander to an eccentric scientist at the drop of a hat is legendary and startling enough to give most people whiplash.
The Great Oracle and Future Affairs Advisor Lady Hade Mors, an enigmatic woman who comes and goes at her own discretion. Her job is said to be one of prediction, theorizing what problem the kingdom will face next. Yet, all her predictions are as infamously obscure and mysterious as herself. No one really knows where she goes, when she’ll be around or what else she does. She simply appears and disappears, to the point you will often question when she arrived or if she was ever there in the first place. When not being mysterious, she is occasionally found reading in the palace’s grand library or, more likely, sneaking around and scaring the nobles and servants.
The Minister of Otherworldly Affairs Lady Helio Vesta, a ferocious woman with the single job of managing all of Celene’s relations to every other entity in existence. Many a weird creature and otherworldly beings have passed through the kingdom. While some have been quite hostile, others have come bearing gifts and seeking friendship. It is Helio’s job to deal with the latter. As a result, she is rarely in the kingdom itself, often out traversing in space or other realities entirely. However, most aren’t privy to this and believe her to be a recluse with a do-nothing job. However, no one is stupid enough to say that to her face. At least nobody left is stupid enough.
[A note on noble titles: Lady is a recognized high-ranking title in Celene, in the real world Aphros and Aré would be given the title of Duchess.]
The High Council, The Queen’s Inner Circle, The power second only to Queen Celene herself. It is their duty to see that the Queen’s will is done and that the kingdom is ruled fairly and justly. Even if the Queen were rendered incapacitated. The lower number chair more or less reflects the weight of responsibility one takes upon themselves and serves as a First Among Equals designation rather than an outright higher rank.
1st chair, Lady Aphros, The Left-Hand
2nd chair, Lady Aré, The Right-Hand
3rd chair, Lady Helio
4th chair, Lady Ourano and Posei
5th chair, Lady Hade
6th chair, General Chrona
7th chair, Lady Ze
8th chair Lady Herme
9th chair
10th chair
The Great Worker Families-
The Diane, the Royal Family’s personal attendants, among the Worker families exist three Great families, the Vassos, the Regas, and most importantly, the Diane. The Diane’s history stretches back centuries, close to the founding of Celene itself. Through some legendary act, the original small Diane family earned the Queen’s favor and volunteered to serve the Celenes till the end of time. Since then, there has been a strong bond between the two families, both metaphorically and literally. The Diane are the near-exclusive servants of the Celene family, each member raised and trained from a young age to work the entire life in the palace. The best among them become the Queen’s or her children’s personal attendants/bodyguards. As a result of its status as the greatest worker family, the Diane have grown into an extensive family, filled with almost a dozen branches. As a result, you may never know when you run into one. If you mistake them for a simple butler or maid, you’ll learn the hard way they are anything but.
However, their designation may be
The Regas, the High Noble’s servants, those who serve the members of the high council, and adjacent level nobles. Making up about half the royal palace staff and 70-90% of the staff in most other locations or structures run by the high council (ex. Lady Aphros’s restaurant). They have no particular specialty, instead being highly trained and versatile people who can attend to almost any task. is actually half Regas and half Diane, born from a not entirely forbidden but not quite approved romance between a member of each family. Long story short, the Regas and Diane rivalry has been an open secret for some time. Never openly hostile, but never above being passive-aggressive. A member of either family seeing eye to eye, let alone falling in love, was simply unheard of.
The Vassos, the Low Noble’s servants, when someone not among the high nobles (basically 98% of the kingdom’s population) needs something like a housekeeper, gardener, etc. It falls on the shoulders of the Vassos. A lot less is asked of the Vassos, as they basically exist to handle miscellaneous jobs and duties. They are also trained in general tasks, like the Regas, but rarely are they expected to do anything for long. Often, Vassos find themselves mixed in as filler with other worker families (except the Makris or Diane). Do the Filo need a spare farmhand? Do the Lambros need someone to hold a flashlight? Are the Baros in need of one more truck driver? Then that task will likely be delegated to the Vassos. Sometimes, exceptional Vassos will find themselves working in a place like the palace or a noble’s mansion. Still, it is an uncommon, although not unheard of, sight.
The Baros, the Miners, with the primary purpose of mining the endless precious stones and metals necessary for Celene to function (especially Azure Stone and Xe Crystals), the Baros are a very crucial servant family. However, despite their specific title, they handle all “heavy” jobs in the kingdom, like truck driving, warehouse work, movers, etc. The average Baros is said to be tall, muscular, and fit, although they are often stereotyped as “dumb jocks” because of their love of sports.
The Filo, the Farmers, food is essential for running a kingdom. Thus, the Filo are in charge of all the kingdom’s crops and cattle. While the stereotype is of a tanned farmer in a straw hat cultivating by hand, the Filo have always relied on high-tech to farm massive fields. Only a subset farms high-quality crops by hand. While farming is their most famous duty, they are also responsible for animal husbandry, gardening, and lumberjacking. Sadly, like the Baros, they are given very unflattering stereotypes of “country hicks.” Thankfully, the Filo and Baros find comradery in laughing at “them city folk” for being so ignorant and thus have a close working relationship.
The Gataki, the Sewer Dwellers, well, someone has to do it. The poor souls are given the job of handling all the sewage and waste in the kingdom, either recycling or properly disposing of it. Because of the disgusting nature of the materials they must work with, the Gataki rarely leave the sewers and have adapted themselves to their underground homes. Alas, they still have the worst living and working conditions among all the worker families. This has led to more than a little prejudice against them as “filthy sewer rats,” which, in turn, has made the Gataki view surface dwellers as “pompous city rats.” Rumors has it the Queen deeply regrets loading all the sewage duties onto a single family instead of dividing it up. But, the story goes that the Gataki volunteered for the job. How true that is up for debate.
The Lambros, the Engineers, when something needs to be fixed, it falls on the shoulders of the Lambros. Often seen as the smartest among the worker families and the most crucial to the other families and the kingdom’s continued operation. While Lady Herme and General Chrona design and theorize most of the kingdom’s greatest inventions, they become a reality through their collaboration with the Lambros. The Lambros are also the source of most mundane inventions, making them responsible for many underappreciated but crucial creations. While known primarily as engineers, different branches of the Lambros are trained in various disciplines, mainly sciences.
The Makris, the Career Soldiers, while the kingdom of Celene initially tried to draw all its soldiers from civilian volunteers, occasionally there have been times of great need for far more soldiers. Thus, the Makris were called upon to supplement the ranks. Trained from birth to be enlisted soldiers with the hope they never need to be used. Sometimes this is the largest servant family. Sometimes it is far from it. It all depends on how much fighting needs to be done or has been done. When there isn’t a war to fight, most of them find work as palace guards, law enforcement, and private security.
Basic Setting Questions Answered:
The planet: New Celene is located on an Earth, as in that’s what they call their planet. They live in a solar system with (at least) eight other planets orbiting a sun, each with names we’re familiar with (Pluto successfully lobbied for Planethood a little over 400 years ago, other dwarf planets are still in contention).
While the planet is called Earth, it would only be vaguely familiar from space, as it has different continents and oceans. However, if you were to rearrange the tectonic plates, you might get something resembling our own Earth.
The time: The story is set in a far future. Far enough that the calendar system has been altered.
Technology: As a story set in the future, technology is incredibly advanced. Smartphones, flying cars, the internet, and space travel are all passe in this world.
Clothing: The whole obsession with faux “old world” nobility clothing is purely practiced by the upper houses of the nobility and the royalty. The anachronistic stew of 15th-19th century clothing is all worn out of personal preference and to look fancy. Initially, it was all the Queen’s idea, turning what was simply a little game of dress-up into their entire high society. Outside the palace and high society, people dress in much more modern (or rather “post-modern”) clothing, like jeans, slacks, button-ups, etc. but with futuristic twists.
Superhumans: All high nobility, royalty, and most servants possess some level of superhuman ability. Even Serena has developed a similar level of power after only months of training. That’s just how this world works. Like many worlds in action and adventure series, some hard work and training can produce incredible results.
Serena has proven to be a bit of a natural, progressing far faster than one typically would. Helped along by Lady Ze’s intense training regimen. Of course, she’s still quite far behind her contemporaries physically (except Jace) just from sheer experience alone. If, for whatever reason, she got in a serious fight with Orion or Medy, she’d lose. Her only advantage would be a sharper wit and exploiting her foe’s mental eccentricities.
Lady Aré and Aphros: The two have seemingly been rivals forever, but that’s not the case. When they first met long ago, they were neutral towards one another. However, back when Queen Celene was still a princess, she was once rendered incapacitated for about a year. During this year, Aré and Aphros struggled over who would take the lead on Celene’s affairs and act in her stead, butting heads regularly. Their arguments and fights often went on from dusk till dawn and started over the most minor quibbles. It got so bad Celene officially appointed Lady Ze as her “regent” (or nearest equivalent for a princess), just to spite the two for acting so childish. Ze forced the two back in line, and the whole affair was buried for a time. In the end, it was decided that Aré would take the lead on military and combat matters while Aphros would do the same with political and social problems.
Now, while they don’t compete for the Queen’s favor as much, they do still clash on occasion (every other day) and enjoy an (almost) healthy rivalry. Aré enjoys showing up Aphros, while Aphros enjoys tormenting Aré.
The Gemstones: Not only do they represent the kingdom’s lavish wealth and image, but they also serve a visual purpose as well. Each gem type represents a different member of the Queen’s inner circle and by extension the one who holds influence on the structure the gems are constructed into.
Topaz buildings are influenced or controlled by Lady Aphros, these are usually recreational, social and lodgings. Examples include hotels, restaurants, casinos, night clubs, bars, etc. Anything fun and especially on the upper-class side.
Sapphire buildings are Lady Herme’s sphere, and are primarily educational, academic or medical in function. These include schools, laboratories, hospitals, clinics, etc.
Ruby buildings are Lady Aré’s domain, involving a mix of religious and military buildings (although the latter are being phased out). Houses of worship, temples, military barracks, and forts, etc. are all constructed from ruby.
Emerald buildings are Lady Ze’s forte; these are usually places of self-improvement and civil service. Gyms, dojos, police stations, fire stations, etc.
Crystal buildings are controlled by the royal family are fairly rare and exclusive. They’re mostly either private residences, high-tier political structures and the palace itself.
Religion: The domain of Lady Aré (sort of), a handful of religions are practiced in the kingdom. Some are distant decedents of religions similar to those practiced in our world that have melded, branched, and reformed several times over the turbulent centuries.
The Church of Law is one of the more popular ones. It is akin to Abrahamic religions, albeit more fully dedicated to the concept of lawfulness (rather than the law, according to a legal system). They preach law and order, respect for elders and authority, acting noble, might for right, and right for right. However, they are inflexible in their opinions and find the concept of chaos and disorder revolting. They are slow to accept anyone who lives outside social norms (making them rather backward in this society).
The Celene Covenant is also relatively popular. They are those who worship Queen Celene as a living goddess. They strive to follow her beliefs and aesthetics, although not directly from her teaching, but rather from observations and interpretations of her actions. They are a more whimsical and accepting people, but also fanatical (like comic book geek fanatical).
Chaos worship is an underground religion not supported by the kingdom but not strictly outlawed either. It’s the opposite of Law, worshipping freedom, hedonism, and self-fulfillment. They are a messy and poorly organized (by design) religion that can never entirely stay on the same page. As an example of how disparate they can be, some within view Queen Celene as their greatest foe, while others view her as their secret ally. Regardless they all generally worship another legendary pseudo-deity the . Chaos worshippers can be the kingdom’s greatest bane or ally, depending on the day of the week, time of year, or the weather.
The Aesthetic of Balance is another well-represented religion focusing on harmony and neutrality. In some ways, it resembles Eastern religions like Buddhism and Taoism, with a pinch of Shinto. It is all about self-actualization, focus, inner peace, and detachment from worldly desires. As a result, it is a popular pick among martial artists and warriors seeking to find balance in their lives. Alas, while their calmness and tranquility lead them to be one of the least contentious and conflicting religions, they don’t involve themselves in many struggles that don’t immediately affect them. They don’t go seeking out problems to solve. They just happen to on their way. Which can be a good thing or a bad thing.
The Way of Spirit
There is also a smattering of minor religions dotted about the greater kingdom, but only so many that could potentially hold relevance in the story…
Magic: Magic is sparingly used so far, but it has its rules. Magic is divided into seven main elements, fire, water, earth, wind, light, darkness, and void. Most magic is derived from these elements, although that is not to say they’re the only elements. All magic users specialize in one element or another, sometimes multiple, and rarely they’ll possess an esoteric “element” not among the main seven (like ice or lightning).
Magic is cast by drawing the world’s mana into one’s self, converting it into one’s own magical power, and emitting it back out into the world in a chosen form. The average magic user can only cast so many spells per day, as once they expend this internalized magical power, they need time to rest to reabsorb more, usually after a full night’s rest.
Some remarkable magic users like Aphros and Aré are special in that they passively generate their own magic power, making them less reliant on exterior mana. So, while they still have a limit to their magic, they don’t have to wait a whole day to regain their power. Aré can even reabsorb magic she’s already cast to refund herself, but that has quickly diminished returns.
The Queen stands above all others as far as magic goes. While she has an internal mana supply, she doesn’t need it as she can weave spells using the raw mana of the world. Allowing them to be bigger, bolder, and unbound by normal limits. It also allows her to easily tamper with matter on a fundamental level (turning lead into gold, etc.).
To explain it with a metaphor, standard magic casting is like a water gun. You have to fill it up to use it. Higher tier magic users would be a hose hooked up to a naturally refilling water tank, something with a limit, but only one reached under extreme circumstances. The Queen’s would be like a dam, something far larger and directly drawing from natural resources.
In other words, a regular magic user is bending reality to their whims, but for the Queen, reality is her whim.
Other Abilities: Other than magic, two other sources offer alternative paths to supernatural power. There is “Ki,” used by monks, martial artists, etc., an internal power source of spiritual energy. Like magic, it can be used to strengthen one’s body, cause mass destruction or perform tricks like telekinesis or illusions. However, unlike magic, it is all internal. To use Ki, one must have a strong body, mind, and spirit, and it grows stronger the more they are in harmony. As a result, anyone who puts their mind to it can become superhuman by real-world standards within a few months of intense training or a year of heavy training. Alas, even being ten times the strength of your average real-life human would not make you impressive in the Kingdom of Celene.
Lastly, there are Powers, which are natural or unnatural abilities one is born with or develops. There is a potential for all living beings, animals and plants included (sometimes even inanimate objects), to have a Power, but the use of the power varies. Some abilities are unique to the individual, others are broad. Some may be as simple as super strength or as complex as controlling a second body.
A common form of Power is ESP. While telekinesis can be achieved through magic or ki, ESP telekinesis is on an entirely different level of power and precision (The difference being “I can lift a box with my mind” versus “I can completely dismantle a radio down to its base components and reassemble it perfectly”).
To explain the various power systems simply:
Magic is something that can be taught, like a skill or discipline, but its greatest forms are locked behind something akin to a very exclusive birthright.
Ki is something that can be trained, like a muscle, gatekept only by one’s capacity to train and willingness to push themselves (although a great teacher is always helpful).
Power is something you’re born with, an inherit trait, but not necessarily genetic. It also must be trained like a muscle, but its usefulness is based on the luck of the draw or one’s own ingenuity.
Another way to look at it is Magic is like having a diverse selection of tools. You can answer nearly any problem you may encounter as long as you prepare for that problem and properly learn how to use your tools. Ki is like always having a Swiss army knife on your person. You’ll always be able to answer a broad set of problems at all times. You’ll never be able to answer very specific problems, but you’ll never be truly unprepared.
A Power is like having a special and very esoteric tool that can solve problems (usually particular problems), just in a weird way requiring a little ingenuity.
One can theoretically possess all three ability types, but becoming proficient in, let alone mastering, all three is a virtually impossible task. Even if one were an immortal with all the time in the world on their hands.
Actively training and studying magic takes time away one would need to train and exercise their Ki and vice versa. Plus, certain spells and Ki abilities make each other redundant, defeating the point. A Power could be nurtured alongside either magic or Ki, likely as a supplement to one or the other.
Basically, it’s a matter of practicality. You can’t invest time in one discipline without letting the other atrophy to an extent.
Ex. Lady Ze is wholly dedicated to Ki training, only studying a basic selection of magic to supplement her attacks. Meanwhile, Lady Aphros leans on the magical side, only training in Ki to keep her agility and dexterity sharp.
>>>~~~~<<<
Hey you're still here. Boy, that was a lot to read wasn't it? Like I
said this whole thing is subject to change, so I might come back and
edit it if need be. At the time of writing, I have a fairly solid idea of where the Maid in Fantasy story is going and I'm extremely excited to see it through to the end.
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy.
No comments:
Post a Comment