✦ Magic ✦

✦ Introduction ✦

In the beginning of time, a great chaos rang out into the empty nothing. A billion newborn sparks burst from the void, shining brilliantly into the inky abyss. Amidst the void, the sparks began to coalesce and churn themselves into unfathomable beings of light. The gods formed from stardust, soaring through the new universe as they created the realm with nothing but their own bodies. There they would fly, weaving and playing in the ever expanding world for billions of years.

There, they would create magic.

Magic is known as the essence of the gods. Everything in the realm, be it a blade of grass or a neutron star, is formed from and uses up some level of magic. Up to 99% of all magic in the universe is known as mana, magic derived from the environment and the inanimate. Mana maintains the fundamental rules and processes of the world, acting as both the blueprint and the materials for creation. The remaining 1% is known as nova. Nova is pure, inert magic which does not have an inherent purpose or function.

Magic has no fundamental limits to its use, and can be manipulated in an unfathomable number of ways. But it is contained through its supply. The gods only had so much of their being to give.

Sentient Life

After billions of years of creation, the majority of the gods' essence had been used up. But, they still had more to make. Thus, all nine came together to create their last planet, a small, unstable, and wonderful thing, the Selvan. From there, they would pull magic from their own intelligence to create beings much like themselves. They created life, beings that could grow, create, and manipulate the magic around them.

An evocation is any magical process (i.e., any instance in which magic is used to create, destroy, or change something) facilitated by a sentient being. Most if not all beings are born with an instinctive grasp on evocation.

Evocations are cast through pushing the corpora, the mana which supports the processes of life and bodily functions within a being. Corporas contain predetermined instructions for magic, allowing for instinctive but limited casting. Thus, evocation does not allow for the acquisition of new or taught spells. Different types of beings may hold different basal evocations. The efficiency and power of evocations can be improved upon but they cannot be changed.

While all beings carry evocations, some possess an even stronger grasp on magic. These beings are known as the intalli, the only sapient beings of the Selvan. The intalli not only carry mana; they carry nova.

✦ The Intalli ✦

While all beings carry evocations, some possess an even stronger grasp on magic. These beings are known as the intalli, the only sapient beings of the Selvan. The intalli not only carry mana; they carry nova. The intalli are the sapient beings of the Selvan, creatures borne from the consciousness of the gods.

The first intalli species ever to be created were the mauhn, the children of Oiana. Filled with curiosity and competition, the rest of the pantheon followed suit, creating their own children in the image of the mauhn and yet twisting them into their own unique forms. From there, the intalli filled the world with newfound beauty, chaos, and bloodshed.

Shapeshifting

All extant intalli species possess the gift of shapeshifting, able to change between a primal, animalistic true form, and a bipedal mauhnic form. While the true forms of the intalli possess a wide range of shapes and sizes, the mauhnic form unites the intalli under their resemblance to their extinct predecessors.

While animalistic in appearance, intalli are just as intelligent in true form as they are in mauhnic. The intalli true form is, as its name suggests, the basal form of the intalli. Intalli are born in true form and are unable to shapeshift in the first few months of life. When an intalli experiences immense distress or pain, they may instinctively shift back from mauhnic to true form. True form intalli range heavily in size, with the sulkan rivaling whales and the ortio similar to a large dog.

The mauhnic forms of the intalli are far more uniform, with all species shifting into bipedal, upright bodies. They have a significantly narrower size range, with all species ranging in height from four to fifteen feet tall with an average of six foot seven (Barring the sulkan). The size of an intalli in true form will scale to an equivalent height in mauhnic form.

While the act of shapeshifting itself is a skill, staying in one form or another does not require maintenance. Intalli which shapeshift often and early on in life are able to shift faster and with more ease than others. Shapeshifting requires a certain amount of focus to achieve and can easily be disrupted (In which case the intalli will snap back to their original form). Some especially skilled intalli are able to flip back and forth between forms, even during a fight.

Pulsars

(More info on spellcasting can be found here.)

Deep within every intalli, a spark of primordial magic lay. This store of nova is known as a pulsar. A pulsar responsible for the sapience and spellcasting abilities within the intalli. It also acts as the soul, possessing the intalli's personality, memory, and everything which makes them a person. The pulsar is linked to the body through a connection in the brain, allowing them an advanced level of evocation known as spellcasting. Spellcasting is only achievable through the use of a pulsar and harnesses an intalli's store of nova.

The size and strength of a pulsar is unique to both the individual and the species. Some species may possess several times more magic than others, but individuals within that species may have weaker pulsars in comparison. The size/strength of one's pulsar determines the amount of magic that is available for spellcasting at any given time. Every unnatural (non-instinctive) spell that an intalli uses requires a certain amount of magic to be drained from their pulsar. The stronger or more complicated a spell, the more magic it requires. When the magic within a pulsar is drained, an intalli will be unable to cast any more spells... safely.

The amount of time needed for a pulsar to regain its magic stores varies from individual to individual but may range from only a few hours to an entire day. Rest, food, and relaxation will encourage the restoration of magic. A sickly or injured intalli may take far longer to gain back their magic.

When an intalli's pulsar is empty, any attempts to cast a spell will innately draw magic from their corpora instead. This is an extremely dangerous act due to the highly specialized nature of corpora magic. An intalli who attempts to cast an unnatural spell from their corpora may accidentally damage or completely erase the code which maintains the vital internal processes of their body. This can very easily lead to severe internal damage or death.

• However, pulsars are capable of transforming mana into purified nova. Before maturity, an intalli may even be able to expand the depth of their pulsar through regular mana drainage. Mana drainage is far easier for juvenile intalli. The majority of young spellcasters are made to take advantage of this time to ensure a stronger pulsar in adulthood. For mature intalli, the act of draining mana is an immensely difficult process, requiring intense focus and strain for a fraction of the magic they could gain from simply waiting.
• Unfortunately, mana drainage has one major issue. Mana requires an anchor of pre-existing magic in order to be drawn in and then transformed into nova. As a result, mana cannot be drawn into an empty pulsar. However, pulsars are constantly generating new nova, meaning a pulsar is rarely utterly empty. This can result in devastating consequences when an intalli attempts to draw mana in on a critically low store. If there is even the most minuscule amount of nova left within a pulsar, mana may be violently drawn to the empty space. This can create a vacuum effect where a catastrophic amount of magic is pulled into a pulsar at once. This can cause irreparable damage to both the body and pulsar and may even be fatal.

✦ Deidon ✦

Deidon are spirits formed from the residual nova left behind from the birth of the intalli. Each deidon takes on a specific aspect of their origin deity's personality; be it their rage, their joy, or their fear. They resemble a ghostly version of their god's current form and have extremely simple personas.

Deidon are extremely simple beings and behave in ways more similar to animals than intalli. They wander the realm aimlessly in search of their patron, wishing for nothing more than to rejoin their source. Deidon are most common within the depths of a god's region. While rare, deidon may exist in regions outside of their origin god. The deities have varying reactions to deidon, with some ignoring them, reabsorbing their nova, or transforming them into mana. The majority of deidon, however, never find their patron.

Rarely, astronomical events such as comets and meteors may cause surges in nova wherever they pass by or land in. These events, known as a radiance, will cause any deidon within the area to experience a violent increase in magic and instability. The power caused by a radiance sharply drops after a few days, however they may retain a certain level of increased nova for centuries after.

Deidon are rather elusive beings, being rarely found in urban or high population areas. They are far more common in rural environments. Deidon are skittish and will flee if approached by multiple intalli. Rarely, they will decide to attack instead; aggressive deidon can be incredibly dangerous for the unprepared but are easily destroyed with magic dispersal spells.

Acolytes

However, rarely, lone intalli may find themselves approached by deidon. These are often spirits spurred on by desperation, seeking any true remnant of their god: including pulsars. They are still easily spooked and will still flee if they sense another intalli nearby. However, if left alone, the deidon will attempt to possess the intalli's pulsar.

This process, while painful, is rarely successful in unwilling subjects. The pulsar of a healthy intalli will violently fight back against any incursions. Failed possessions frequently damage the stability of a deidon and will cause them to flee. The most successful and common possessions occur with newborn babies. The pulsar of an intalli is at its strongest- and most pliable- mere moments after birth. The purity of their nova is highly alluring to deidon; their pulsars do not yet have the will to fight against a possession. Deidon will warp the pulsar in which they join, vastly enhancing its size before fusing with its nova.

Regardless of how or when they are possessed, these intalli are known as acolytes. Acolytes are gifted with immense power, carrying pulsars stronger than even the greatest of spellcasters. The power level of an acolyte depends heavily on their age upon possession, the recency of a radiance, and their mental stability.

• The younger an acolyte was upon possession, the more control they will hold over their magic. Older individuals often an experience extremely painful adjustment period after possession, during which they will have little to no control over the strength or ability of their spells. While this control does improve over time, they will continue to struggle immensely for years or even decades following their posession.
• Acolytes in regions which have not seen a radiance in centuries are near matched by powerful spellcasters. In contrast, those whom are born near or even witness a radiance carry unfathomable yet volatile nova.
• It takes far less to push a radiant acolyte to their breaking point. While an unstable non-radiant may carry the power to destroy a city, a radiant acolyte may warp reality itself through its despair. The power within the pulsars of these acolytes can be too immense for their bodies to handle. Those who can damage reality will destroy themselves before their harm can persist.