✦ 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.

Magic has no 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.

A spell is any magical process (i.e., any instance in which magic is used to create, destroy, or change something) facilitated by a sentient being. Spellcasting requires a being to channel the deific magic within them, allowing them to use the same powers that the gods used in order to create the world.

Most if not all beings are born with an instinctive grasp on spellcasting, allowing them to manipulate magic but restricting their ability to learn and cast new spells. All living beings are supported by the magic of their corpora, mana which has coalesced to support the process of life within a creature (e.g., the corpora of a wolf is responsible for the maintenance of their respiratory system, digestion, nervous system, etc.). Whether or not organisms such as plants or fungi possess corporas is heavily debated.

The Intalli

Yet, some beings possess an even stronger grasp on magic. Some could not only wield magic, they could learn and create new spells altogether. These beings are known as the intalli, the only sapient beings of the Selvan. The intalli were formed not just from the intelligence of the gods, but their consciousness.

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

Deep within every intalli, a spark of primordial magic lay, 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 that makes them a person. The pulsar is connected to the body by the brain, allowing the intalli to learn new spells, a feat otherwise impossible with just the corpora. The intalli are the only creatures* capable of learning and casting spells beyond their instinctive skillset.

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.

Along with their pulsar, intalli may also be able to draw from the mana around them- given that their pulsar is not empty. 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 and the majority of trainee spellcasters are taught to take advantage of this time for a far 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.

When an intalli's pulsar is empty, any attempts to cast a spell will naturally 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 be tearing apart the magic which maintains vital internal processes such as the beating of their heart. This can very easily lead to severe, permanent internal damage or death.

Unfortunately, mana cannot be drawn in with an empty pulsar. Mana requires an anchor of pre-existing magic, so a fully drained pulsar will be completely unable to pull any in. But, a pulsar is always creating new magic. Thus, pulsars are rarely utterly empty, even when an intalli believes it is. If there is still the smallest amount of magic left in the pulsar, mana may be violently drawn to the empty space. This can create a violent vacuum effect, causing a catastrophic amount of magic to slam back into the intalli. This can irreparably damage or even destroy both the body and the pulsar.

Spellcasting

Spellcasting is an ever developing art, with new spells being formed, old spells being refined, and thousands of variations dying out when they're not taught to new generations. There are three main categories of spellcasting used on the mainland: Environ, Viscera, and Psyche. These categories split spells into important groups for teaching and organization. Although, immense discourse over the categorization of certain spells or the entire categorization system in general is highly common. Unlike Sulparae and Sulashee, Kuuandra is notable in having little to no spell categorization across the region.

Environ

Environ is the most basal and largest category of spellcasting. Any non-living thing that can be manipulated, changed, or created falls under Environ. Considered the wastebasket of spell categories, Environ encompasses hundreds of thousands of spells that otherwise may have little to no relation to each other. Thus, Environ is often split into two subcategories: The tangible and the intangible.

• Tangible Environ is best known for encompassing elemental magic such as fire, wind, water, and stone. But Tangible Environ may also include the control or creation of just about any substance that tangibly exists within the world.
• Intangible Environ is a far vaguer and difficult category. Any spells that break the laws of physics or forms something which is considered non-physical is often categorized as Intangible Environ. This is a rather divisive category for the majority of spellcasters, owing to the immense variety for any one "type" of spell.
• Spells which create a magical shield may occur through various methods, including but not limited to the solidification of pure magic, light, or the air itself. Each of these spells would be typically categorized as intangible by scholars, yet two of them use tangible and pre-existing aspects of the world.

As a general rule, Environ spells are the easiest to learn due to the basal nature of its targets. Mana provides very little resistance when manipulated or altered, allowing for easy casting. It's not uncommon for an intalli to force-cast an Environs spell from sheer will, often facilitated by a burst of intense emotion and or magic within the caster (Although, such miraculous spells are often inefficient and highly draining)

While basic Environ spells are easy to grasp, the real difficulty comes with strengthening them. An ember is easy to summon, a campfire harder, and a wildfire near impossible without relentless study. The magic and control required for Environs rises with the size of the spell needed. While an intalli with an unfathomably powerful pulsar may be able to unleash a storm of fire, they may be hard-pressed to keep it from burning down their whole village.

Viscera

Any spell which manipulates, alters, or creates a living being falls under Viscera. Unlike mana, life in all its forms has an innate resistance to spellcasting. The pre-existing systems within flora and the corpora of fauna will always attempt to maintain its current, consistent state. Thus, Viscera is an inherently harder art to grasp than Environ.

• Viscera specialists will often begin with the manipulation, growth, and creation of plants and fungi before moving on to sentient (and even sapient) creatures. The stronger and more complex the magic within a being, the more difficult it will be to influence their body.
• Growth is the easiest form of Viscera spellcasting. Rather than seeking to change the magic, growth spells only intend to expedite the pre-existing processes. While far easier for the spellcaster, growth spells requires immense energy and strain from more complex targets.
• Healing magic is rarely worth the trouble it brings. Depending on the variation of the spell, immense medical knowledge and precision is needed from the caster. Meanwhile, an unfathomable amount of energy, magic, and stress is needed on the part of the target. For a healing spell, all of the energy and magic which would have been used to heal a wound over time is suddenly required all at once. This can and will cause excruciating pain, exhaustion, and strain on the body which may only exacerbate the condition of the injured or ill party.
• Plants are about as easy to manipulate as they are to grow. Turning a sapling into a full grown tree is about as difficult as it would be to correct its lean. However, permanent manipulation will often require longterm spells, as a plant will always attempt to return to its original path.
• In sentient beings, manipulation is an entirely different story. Controlling the movements of another creature without being in their mind is extremely difficult. The intricacies of movement in a body other than your own is challenging to replicate, with fine motor skills practically impossible. Additionally, attempting to manipulate the movements of a conscious creature will result in an endless battle with their own natural movements, even if they're willing.

The creation of life is beyond the capabilities of most Viscera casters. While easier, the botanical knowledge and effort needed to create plantlife is far more inefficient than simply expediting the growth of a plant from a seed. Furthermore, the replication of a living, breathing, and moving creature is an arduous task. The most minute aspects of their anatomy must be studied, with the smallest missing details easily leading to the immediate death of any creature after birth. Even then, the replication of a creature's brain, behavior, and corpora is its own joke. The vast majority of spellborn creatures are either tiny and basal or malformed and demented.

Psyche

The most valuable and dangerous of all magic, spells which alter the mind of a sentient being belong to Psyche. The mind is a deeply fickle, poorly understood concept. There's little in the way of knowledge on the mechanisms behind intelligence and consciousness, even with comprehension of the pulsar as the soul.

The easiest Psyche spells break a mind irreparably. It's relative simple to reach into someone's mind and destroy it completely, but its far harder not to kill them. The biggest factor in Psyche spells is precision. Longterm damage is easy and death is easier. Psyche specialists will seek affect the smallest parts first before attempting to dive any deeper.

Sentient creatures are easier to influence, more drawn to basal instincts than to thought or consideration. But, reach your hand into the mind of an intalli, and you will find it biting you. The sheer presence of a pulsar is a threat to all Psyche spells. A pulsar will react violently and swiftly to any attempts to manipulate it. Every Psyche specialist has their own unique methods of getting past these barriers.

No matter the strength or power behind it, all Psyche spells require longterm and intense training. Each individual spell is rare, unique, and almost impossible to learn by one's self. Small influences are simpler, further than that and advanced expertise is needed. Complete control of the mind is unheard of, but not out of the realm of reality.

Sapient life cannot be created in a way that matters.