[Elescia] Magic System

Last update: 2015-04-19

Introduction

The magic in Elescia is strongly tied to the existence of Guardian Deities; the energy originating from the Guardians - sola and aros - is a basic requirement for the inhabitants of this world to be able to use magic, while the natural elemental affinity a living being possesses affects the effectiveness of their magic usage. In addition, it's highly possible for a certain type of magic to disappear from the world shall the Guardian associated with it disappear from history, such as the time manipulation magic told in ancient stories.

In Elescia, magic is essentially inseparable from the daily lives of its inhabitants; for example, first-aid actions tend to use water-based magic or condensed aros imbued with healing properties, and most of the existing machines are powered with aros and operate by using magic. However, not everything in life can be done through magic - at least, modern, well-known magic; for example, magic cannot be used to fix machines in an instant, or to bring a comatose person back to consciousness. Even if it was possible, the usage of magic for such actions are generally regarded as taboo, especially if it toys with the natural cycle of life.

Learning and Using Magic

In order for someone to be able to use magic effectively, one must understand their elemental affinity; in other words, knowing which elements work best with them and which ones don't suit them. A rough estimation on one's elemental affinity can be done by using low-level spells and assess their effectiveness; however, a proper assessment can be done in Elemental Research Center located in many settlements of the kingdom. The assessment is done by using a limiter magecraft that allows the user to use magic at "standard" level, and the rest goes in the same way as self-assessment method.

Learning magic can be done through either self-study or proper courses available at the Elemental Research Centers or schools. These courses are not limited to learning how to use certain type of magic, but also include other aspects such as concentration improvement or magecraft usage. While this is generally enough to master the usage of common magic, those who wish to become high-level magicians need to maximize their abilities in their own way, such as by experimenting to create their own unique spells.

Elemental Affinity

Elemental affinity refers to the compatibility rate of an individual towards each element based on the Guardian Deities. When the individual possesses high compatibility to an element, the magic associated with the element will become more effective when used by or to support them as well as becoming less harmful when the magic is used against them. On the other hand, the opposite holds true when the person possesses low compatibility with the element.

While it's rather common, an individual's elemental affinity is not necessarily shaped by their surroundings; for example, people who live in lakeside and coastal areas generally have strong affinity towards water elemental, but there are also plenty of cases when they actually have neutral, if not weak affinity altogether. A person's elemental affinity may gradually change as time passes; however, it is possible for one's affinity to change drastically under certain situations. An example of this drastic change is William Ramtieger, whose affinity towards darkness elemental became severely weakened after he developed nyctophobia following his near-death experience during Lascaluna Disaster.

Usage Methods

There are several methods to utilize magic in the world of Elescia, with the methods elaborated below being the most common ones:

1. Vocalization / Incantation
   The standard, "classic" way to utilize magic in the world of Elescia is by offering prayer for the Guardians in order to draw their strength. In the present day, the incantation is done using a primitive version of one of the languages used in Ancient Inseria - the Ixa-Fieln language. See the entry regarding Ixa-Fieln language for more details.
   
   Normally, the time needed and length of the incantation depends on the type of the spell; naturally, higher-level spells require more time to complete. A key factor to this type of magic usage is the user's concentration; as long as the caster doesn't lose their focus, they can freely delay, hold, or separate the incantation however they wish. On the other hand, the vocalization has to be restarted from the beginning when the caster loses their concentration, thus making them rather vulnerable in combat. Integrating the incantation with other methods generally alleviates the problem, although this is fairly difficult to do.
2. Magecraft
   The most common method to utilize magic in present-day Elescia is through the usage of magecraft - a special type of machinery that serves to generate magic. Magecrafts come in various forms, ranging from simple pocket watch to heavy-caliber weapons. Magecrafts can either use an individual's sola reserve or powered by condensed aros, thus making them accessible for everyone even those with weak elemental affinity.
   
   Since magecraft generates magic using machinery, this type of magic usage possesses far greater advantage than traditional incantation due to its casting speed and difficulty to interfere unless the internal system is disturbed. On the other hand, magecraft's specific design may end up limiting the extent of the user's ability in magic, as well as being completely useless against anti-magecraft perimeter - an area where magecraft activity is jammed.
   
   For further information, please see the magecraft entry.
3. Condensed Aros Crystal
   The third possible way to utilize magic is by using aros crystals, which can be created by alchemists. These crystals may contain pure, unconverted aros or specific ready-for-use spells. An aros crystal's durability depends on its usage and the amount of energy stored within, as well as whether it is rechargable or disposable.
4. Engraved Runes
   A rune is a certain set of patterns containing visualized commands that functions to convert sola reserve or aros into spells. Depending on the commands, a rune may simply function to process the energy to be used for a spell, or to release specific spells altogether. Runes generally take greater energy consumption; in addition to the energy required to cast a certain spell, some energy is also required to do the conversion process itself.
   
   Compared to other methods, rune usage is much less common nowadays and has been mostly rendered obsolete due to how energy-costly it is, often preventing the rune's bearer from using high-level spells without passing out. Nonetheless, this method has its own advantages, most notably its nigh-instant casting time, thus becoming handy when time and chance are crucial.

[Elescia] Magecraft

Last update: 2015-04-19

Introduction

A magecraft is a special type of machinery dedicated for generating or making use of magic based on the Guardian Deities' power. The magecraft technology is an almost inseparable part of the modern world of Elescia, with 73% of the existing machinery in the world are designed and operated based on the Guardians' magic. Application of magecraft ranges from daily needs such as heater and stove into large-scale weapons for war.

General Construction of Magecraft

Regardless of its application, a magecraft is generally comprised of these essential components:

• Power unit
  The most crucial section of a magecraft is its power unit, which serves to process aros or its user's sola reserve. When activated, a certain amount of energy will be drawn from the energy source based on the signal received from the elemental oscillator unit to be converted into usable spell by the spell generation unit. Once the conversion process is finished, the spell will be released automatically through casting unit which can be located inside or outside the magecraft system.
• Elemental oscillator unit
  Another important part of a magecraft is its elemental oscillator unit, which consists several circuits or quartz crystals those generate signals with frequencies those correspond with certain elementals. Aside from the elemental-indicator signals, a clock signal of fixed frequency is also generated to indicate the length and pattern of the combined signal. These signals are then transmitted to other units to generate the desired spell.
• Spell generation unit
  After the pattern of the spell and the required amount of energy are determined, the next step is to process them through spell generation unit - also known as power conversion unit. The complexity of a spell generation unit depends on the purpose of the magecraft; for example, a heater magecraft for home usage will have much simpler spell generator unit compared to the one used in industrial activities.

Maintenance

Before getting their hands on a magecraft, a potential user is advised to possess the basic skill and knowledge required to keep their magecraft in check. The most basic task one need to be able to do with their magecraft is recharging the energy reserve, as well as replacing the signal generating parts in the elemental oscillator unit. The required parts for these tasks are widely available in magecraft workshops at relatively affordable prices.

While the aforementioned actions are generally enough to ensure a magecraft's sustainability, it is also recommended to bring the magecraft to the nearest workshop for periodical check. Failure in crucial parts such as spell generation unit may happen without warning, and the delicate nature of these sections requires high caution for their care.

Magecraft Jamming

A magecraft jamming is the situation when a magecraft's internal working is disturbed, thus preventing the magecraft from working properly if not disabling it altogether. Magecraft jamming is usually employed on purpose through anti-magecraft perimeters, although certain places in Elescia have particular environmental characteristics that may cause this phenomenon.

There are several ways for the jamming to happen:

• The disruption towards the signal from the elemental oscillator unit, usually through noises of the same frequency as the oscillator unit's clock signal.
• Disturbance towards the mechanical system of the magecraft, one of which may happen in areas with strong magnetic field.
• Power unit malfunctioning, such as by interfering with the flow of sola or aros inside the magecraft.

While not always effective, there are several ways to prevent magecraft jamming; replacing the clock signal generator with a compatible different frequency generator and shielding magecraft being the most common methods to solve the problem. Preventing power flow disruption, however, is generally more difficult, especially in areas affected by aros corruption. One must always take caution when attempting to fix the jamming problem, as the taken course of action may end up permanently damaging the magecraft when done poorly.

[Elescia -Lascaluna-] Lascaluna Disaster

Last update: 2015-04-19

Overview

Happened in Argol 23, 2376 SC, Lascaluna Disaster is a tragedy that killed almost ten thousand citizens of Kingdom of Magdella through a giant explosion originating from the valley of Lascaluna. The explosion caused a massive earthquake that spread through half of Aldasia continent and a giant fire that reduced the land of Lascaluna into ashes. The disaster caused the death of at least 7,000 citizens and a huge number of military personnel stationed in Lascaluna Defense Research Facility, as well as wiping three small towns in Lascaluna region off the map, namely Creda, Margi, and Lerdo. In addition, the fire also spread to the southern part of Belkout, damaging roughly 20% of the industrial city.

Official papers from the Royal Army reported a faulty experimental magecraft from the research facility as the cause of the explosion, although the truth has yet to be proven. An investigation was conducted for four months shortly after the incident by the authorities of the kingdom, although it was abruptly halted by the Royal Army with the aforementioned papers and has been left hanging since. This sudden termination raised suspicion among the citizens and authorities alike; however, with severe punishment awaiting not only anyone who dares to attempt continuing the investigation but also those who try to step their feet in the now heavily-restricted area, no conclusion has been reached regarding the incident since.

While it has been mostly remembered as nothing but another unfortunate tragedy befalling the kingdom in the present, Lascaluna Disaster somewhat remains a topic of interest for citizens and law enforcers alike. The true cause, as well as the exact number of the tragedy's survivors have spawned endless speculations, with various conspiracy theories circulating around the debates related to the incident. There are suspicions of development of mass-destruction weapons' development and illegal experiments on humans, but without solid evidence to prove, they remain as nothing but rumors to this day...

Prelude and Signs

The Lascaluna incident was not exactly unpredicted; at least twelve hours before the explosion occurred, various settlements located not far from the edge of Lascaluna Valley reported the sightings of massive animal migration at unnatural pace, in addition to abnormal readings recorded from the city of Belkout. Upon receiving the reports, the Reinforcers' Guild immediately issued evacuation order to the citizens inhabiting Lascaluna region, sending some of their Reinforcers to help.

What the citizens and Reinforcers' Guild did not expect, however, was the scale of destruction the disaster was about to cause. Despite the early warning and evacuation attempt, the explosion that appeared from the center of Lascaluna was completely unprecedented, and within hours after its occurrence a massive earthquake shook not only the area surrounding the valley, but over half of Aldasia continent as a whole. Worse, the valley's forest-dominant terrain caused the resulting fire to spread quickly, covering the entire valley in sea of flames in mere hours after its beginning.

As a result of the continent-wide earthquake, the mainland area of Magdella fell into chaos; the mass panic left the Reinforcers' Guild shorthanded in their attempts to both defuse the situation and to investigate the incident, and the destruction of the research facility became a major blow for the Royal Army. With the major communication systems were downed and the fire spreading through Lascaluna had not ceased, all attempts to investigate the incident and to rescue the potential survivors met significant delay, causing further discord.

Aftermath

While a large number of citizens were saved thanks to the Guild's immediate course of action, the evacuation attempt ultimately still ended in failure as more of the valley's citizens were caught in the destruction than the ones surviving, with 46 of the Reinforcers sent to help with the evacuation fell into casualties in the ensuing tragedy. In addition, the military took a major blow with at least two thousands of their personnel stationed in Lascaluna Defense Research Facility were caught in the explosion, as well as the facility itself being reduced to ashes. The entire area of Lascaluna has also been afflicted by aros corruption as a result, leaving the valley unsuitable for living for at least next 100 years.

Shortly afterwards, an investigation was conducted by the joint forces of the Royal Army and Reinforcers' Guild, but a certain finding by the Guild caused the investigation to be cut short after four months under the direct order of Crown Prince Faldier Elscrad. This abrupt halt caused the relationship between the Guild and the Royal Army to turn sour, with the rumors circulating afterwards causing huge popularity drop for both the Royal Army once again. The situation eventually died down after a while, but the distrust between the two authority bodies remains to this day.

[Elescia -Lascaluna-] Aros Contamination

Last update: 2015-04-20

Overview

Also known as aros corruption or Guardians' curse, this term refers to a phenomenon where the flow of aros within certain area is heavily distorted to the point it becomes harmful to anyone and anything within the area. First sighted during the fall of Ancient Inserian civilization, occurrences of the corruption has become more frequent since, with the corruption at Lascaluna being the most notorious case to date due to the extensive damage it has caused. One thing for certain, however, is that the records of history have shown that all occurrences of aros corruption were tied with humanity one way or another, hence why the phenomenon is sometimes considered as a punishment from the Guardians by the more religious inhabitants of the planet.

History

The earliest case of aros corruption can be traced back to the final years of of Ancient Inserian era near the end of the first millenium of Stellaria Calendar, where the heat of Final War of Tastiela resulted in the deployment of mass-destruction artifacts by the warring sides to gain control over the battles. Due to the way the artifacts worked, however, the aros flow in the land of Tastiela gradually became distorted as the war dragged on, ultimately killing the majority of the land's inhabitants when an artifact called Stairway of Light went out of control and causing massive aros distortion. With the land no longer habitable, the remaining few of Inserian people were scattered across the continent of Aldasia as they tried to evacuate themselves, while the land of Tastiela was deserted for the next 290 years before the corruption finally cleared itself.

The signs of corruption appeared once again centuries after the demise of Ancient Inseria, where people started to look into magecrafts as potential tool for their advancement in many fields - battles included. With the early magecrafts based themselves on the very same artifacts those resulted in the ancient people's demise, the outcome was about as well as everyone had predicted, ranging from the desertion of Arza-Feures Federation's southeastern islands to the destruction of many villages in Kingdom of Magdella. Most notorious case to this day, however, is the corruption surrounding the region of Lascaluna following Lascaluna Disaster incident, said to be even worse than the tragedy that wiped out the ancient land not far-off in the distant past...

Effects

In normal situation, any living being in Elescia recovers their sola reserve by naturally absorbing aros from their surroundings; however, this is not the case when they come into contact with the distortion, in which the sheer irregularity of the aros flow makes it difficult for their body to adapt and absorb the aros. At best, the distortion merely prevents natural sola regeneration; however, in many cases the irregularity ends up draining a living being's sola more than it should have been, as well as causing physical ailments. It's also very likely for death to occur in corrupted areas, as shown in the aftermath of Lascaluna Disaster.

During the early stage of the affliction, an affected individual will start out feeling nauseous, as well as being unable to concentrate upon trying to use magic. As the symptoms worsen, the individual will gradually lose their senses before they finally become so ill until any attempt to purify the corruption within them becomes no longer effective. When the corruption finally hits its worst, any attempt to use magic will instantly kill the afflicted individual due to how unstable the sola flow within their body has become.

An aros corruption doesn't only affect living beings, but also magecrafts and aros-storing materials. When the power unit of a magecraft is affected by the distortion, the magecraft may end up drawing improper amount of energy than it should, thus potentially damaging the magecraft. Condensed aros crystals containing magic are generally more resistant to the corruption, but since their energy may deplete over time due to the distortion, the condensed crystals should be used as soon as possible.

Duration

When an area is affected by aros corruption, the time required for the contamination to dissipate itself depends on the area and density of said corruption. In general, it takes 5-6 years for a town affected by medium-density corruption to be habitable once again, although usage of neutralizer magecraft may help to speed up the process. Large-scale corruption, however, may take at least one century to dissipate itself even with the help of neutralizers, practically sentencing the area to its demise.

Treatment and Neutralization

To neutralize the corruption within an afflicted subject, the individual must first be carried into safety. Small-scale aros corruption will disappear on its own as the individual's body absorbs normal aros to wash away the distortion; however, in more terminal cases a large amount of condensed aros is generally required to speed up the recovery. Depending on their condition, medical treatment may also be required to heal the affected subject.

Usage of neutralizer magecraft may help to dissipate or slow down the corruption; however, depending on the density of the distortion, one must always have plenty of condensed aros reserve in hand due to how fast the pure aros will deplete itself within the distortion. In addition, neutralizer magecrafts must be replaced on regular basis due to how the distortion gradually affects the magecrafts beyond their power system.