V.O.W Release 0.0.2
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Magic - The "life" element - can be found in 2 forms:
"Static" magic, a glowing cyan chalk-like substance - found most commonly in underground deposits - and "Live" magic, liquid of variable color that's warm to the touch - found inside of every living thing in the Jx-png solar system.
High blood-magic levels can cause:
- Unnatural coloring of the eyes, fur/hair, and/or blood
- Supernatural abilities
- Appearance of features from unrelated species
- and an increased risk of staticism
If one's blood-magic is completely depleted they may either die or turn feral.
See also; Magic-Related Diseases and Ailments
Live magic does not appear to have a set color. Any attempts to fully decontaminate samples result in it turning static.
That said, we've most commonly found yellow in animal tissue, and pink in plant matter. We are unsure if this means anything.
When an anthro survives being entirely depleted of magic, they will become "feral".
Symptoms vary wildly, but typically those who turn feral will lose their ability to speak and stand up-right.
Memory loss, personality changes, confusion, and aggression are also quite common.
Staticism : A disease in which the live magic in one's blood turns static, generally caused by over-exertion.
It's most commonly recognized by streaks of blue light shining through the skin.
Other symptoms include:
- Sluggishness
- Confusion
- Vertigo
- Dulled coloration of hair and eyes
- Slurred speech
- Loss of magical ability (where present)
Staticism can be deadly if left untreated.
Disillusionment : A condition exclusive to spirits and spirit-hybrids. When one goes too long without absorbing magic OR spends an extended amount of time outside of their serving god's area of influence, disillusionment will set in.
Initial stages appear similar to hunger, followed by extreme depression-like symptoms, weakness, and finally the body losing physical form (and/or loss of control of organic body(s) for hybrids).
Prompt consumption of magic will fix initial stages - but the final can only be fixed by the affected's serving god.
Symptoms of Magic Toxicity include:
- Paranoia
- Delusions
- Hallucinations
- Blindness
- High blood pressure
- Glowing Scleras
Magic toxicity can also cause heart attacks and death. It is reccommended that if you or someone you know have ingested excessive amounts of magic or magic enhancers to contact emergency services immediately.
"Anthro" is a term encompassing many different sub-species whose evolution was shaped by The Second Gift.
Anthros, on average, have much higher blood-magic levels than other species.
Humans are (mostly) hairless bipedal apes which evolved without interference from The Second Gift.
While they used to live in small towns covering the majority of Sierra, they are widely believed to have gone extinct in The War.
Spirits (also known as Daemons or Angels) are a species originating directly from the hand(s) of the gods to do their bidding. A spirit's creator / god of origin is typically known as their "serving god".
While having the lowest average blood-magic levels of any species in the Jx-png system, spirits are the most likely to possess magical abilities.
This is because they can pull magic directly from other sources - such as their god(s) of origin, static magic deposits, or their food - though they can rarely hold onto more than is required to keep their physical form.
Gods are born from supernovas - often coming into existence in groups of 3 or more, as plain-looking beings of pure light with questionable levels of sentience. As they age, their bodies will change to better suit their personalities and chosen job(s).
Over their lifetime(s), Gods are constantly leeching magic into their surroundings - especially so for younger gods with less control over their powers. Typically, gods have full control of their magic at 400 years old.
The only ways a god can die are:
- Running entirely out of magic OR
- being killed by another god
Mopis are tiny creatures, averaging 6cm (2.36in) tall. Mopis can almost entirely change how they look at-will - they've been observed copying another's appearance as a show of camaraderie.
Mopis let off a strong, sickeningly sweet smell. With no vocal chords, and no known form of written language, it's theorized they communicate via pheromones - which are what cause this strong odor.
While highly intelligent, Mopis have EXTREMELY short tempers and are highly prone to violent outbursts.
In isolation, Mopis live about 18-20 years - reaching apparent physical maturity at 1 - but within Mopi societies, are typically killed within 3-4 years.
Enos are a species that first arrived to the Jx-png system in 1528. They are typically cat-like, with three (3) ears, antennae/feelers, and a single* eyeball with a mouth on the back. Behind their mouth/eye, is a slim "cheek" cavity connected to their esophagus.
Enos naturally emote in largely the same way as humans and anthros do with their mouths - but, with Enos lips also being their eyelids, their emotions are often misread. Commonly, Enos raised with anthros will learn to emote in a way others will understand.
*Though a single eye is most common, there are also many Enos with eyes or other eye-like sensory organs on their tail(s), and/or back.
Evanat
Sierra
Pupura
Once, before time, there was nothing - except for the darkness.
Alone in the void, the darkness found itself very, very lonely, so it cried. And the darkness's tears became the light. The light did not like seeing the darkness sad. So, the light created the stars. And from that it made planets, and gods, and galaxies, and on and on - so the darkness would never be alone again.
"The Second Gift" is the story of how anthros came to be.
The story goes:
An unknown god merged a human, a rabbit, a cat, and a moth into a single creature. The god imbued it's creation with extra magic to hold it together, and sent it back to the planet's surface.
The creature ran wild across the entire solar system, the magic within it leeching into everything it passed - making wild animals self-aware, giving humans magical abilities, creating sentient plants - which created anthros as a whole.
It's believed by some on Sierra that the first living things to ever exist were The King Oaks.
The story goes that from these two trees grew acorns, which then sprouted and grew into every other species in the Jx-Png system - plants coming from one tree, and animals from the other.
A creation story originating from Pupura.
They claim the Jx-Png galaxy was all created by a single, sick individual. Tired of staring at the same 4 walls, they created a whole galaxy just to entertain themselves.
Are there really people stupid enough to believe this?
"The First Gift" is a story about how mortals in the Jx-png universe came to possess magic.
The story goes;
A planet guardian was bored of watching life on their planet progressing naturally. They decide to use their magical abilities to speed up evolution on their planet.
But, the guardian got caught interfering with their planet's life by the other gods. The impulsive guardian was in a lot of trouble for this, but was let off with a warning - under the condition that their newly-evolved species were shared with the other planet guardians.
Thus resulting in magical species being made at-home on nearly every planet in the solar system.
The War lasted from Summer 826 to Spring 1008. Though the exact cause of the conflict is unknown, writings from the time near all agree it began during the year's Spring-Summer Season's change festival on Sierra - which ended with The King Oaks being set aflame.
Over the next 182 years, an estimated 98 million were killed, at least a third of which being humans.
Those who participated in the conflict claim to have little to no recollection of their time fighting, nor why they were fighting at all - though few claimed to have had visions of a shadowy figure threatening them if they did not willingly enter the battlefield.
It is still unknown what caused the end of the conflict.
They survived, of course. Who knows if anything COULD kill those things.
All our tests show they SHOULD just be normal trees but it's obvious to anyone that they're not.
Season's Change is celebrated on the final (91st) day of each season (with the exception of Winter : see New-Year), marking it's transition into the next.
Traditionally, Season's Change festivals consist of artistic displays and a feast dedicated to Cir - the god of weather - though some focus on the planet guardians and/or the planet itself. While these more traditional festivals have persisted on Sierra, they are significantly less popular in the rest of the Jx-png system.
On Evanat, Season's Change is far more commonly seen as a time of personal reflection, and is typically spent in isolation.
New-Year is a week-long festival taking place in the final seven (7) days of every year.
On the first day of New-Year, people gather with their loved ones to share what they have planned for the coming year.
The rest of the week is largely spent preparing oneself and one's loved ones to tackle their stated plans.
New-Year is commonly "wrapped up" on the final day with a party and/or an exchange of gifts to help one-another with their New-Year goals.
Mori is a festival dedicated to the inevitability of death celebrated on the 186th day of the year.
Though traditionally intended as a somber remembrance that everything one knows will someday be forgotten - In recent years Mori has gained a far more playful tone, becoming more of a universal celebration of life.
Participants often spend the day indulging in any odd thing(s) that may bring them joy - partying, dressing in costumes, over-indulging in their favorite food(s), crossing off bucket-lists, etc.
During Mori, it's common to hand out candy to children, whom cannot yet celebrate the same way adults do.
Post-Mori is an un-official holiday the day immediately after Mori, dedicated to recovering from the previous day's activities. Post-Mori often inherits Mori's traditionally gloomy tone.
Though not officially considered a holiday, the large majority of shops are expected to be closed for the day.