Ievarlest

SOCIOECONOMICS:​

In Hani, the country in which you start and in which most of you were probably born and raised, there is in place a feudal caste system with three official status ranks: nobility, freemen, and peasants.

Peasants are the lowest on the social ladder. They live on the land of another, usually a noble, farming it for them, taking care of their livestock, etc. You will also find some merchants and tradesmen in this class. Often, they only have one name with a simple title referring to their location or occupation. (Carl of Tekka or Carl the Blacksmith as opposed to Carl Johnson)

Freemen are slightly better off than peasants. As their name implies, they do not "belong" to any noble. Many own their own small farms or shops, though these still fall somewhat under the authority of the local baron. Still, their socioeconomic freedom gives them a chance at prosperity not shared by peasants. Peasants who have fought in the King's military are often promoted to this rank. They are more likely to have two names, as well as any title they have picked up.

Nobility is, of course, the highest rank. It has many subdivisions, too complex to list here [okay, honestly I haven't worked it out fully]. They own land, control cities, and engage in petty little squabbles. At the top of their ranks is, of course, the royal family. All nobility tend to have as many names and titles as they dang well please, seldom with fewer than three.

It should be noted that Knighthood (on the occasion it is bestowed on a non-noble) is considered a sort of non-transferable nobility. A knight is treated with the social graces of lower nobility but his children, upon leaving his household, are considered high-class freemen.

Access to schools is generally limited as well; the more arcane the knowledge contained, the more selective and discriminatory the admittance. Good luck trying to get into an academy of magic without being at least a fairly high-class freeman.


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This hierarchy is admittedly poorly researched. I had not given it much thought when creating the world, and have been quickly developing it over the past few days. I literally came up with the freeman middle class while writing this (it was originally just a higher class of peasant). For now, it should be taken as fact. I will notify all players if I change anything.

[note: fourth wall nonexistent in this description]

In this world, fire is magic and magic is fire. The two are one and the same. However, there are more fires than the burning flame we are familiar with in our world.

There are six "colors" of magic: two pairs of opposing elements [fire v ice, earth v wind], and one pair of opposing "polar" magics [white v black]. Flames exist for all six of these magics, each with its own appearance, sound, and properties.

Magic and matter are separate, but not entirely exclusive. Eg: water is not blue magic, but blue magic makes water cold and wet.

Fire can often be awakened from matter which contains it. However, this often changes the form of the matter drastically. [wood to ash, water to ice, sand to stone, etc]

Like a painting or finely cooked food, a spell is a finely crafted endeavor produced by proper combination and execution of various magics. As they learn to use magic, each wizard with generally choose one or two flames to specialize in. Their strongest, best practiced spells will incorporate this flame heavily.

Red Fire​

• "fire", heat, warmth, dryness, ash
• Opposite: Blue
• Appearance: the "fire" you are familiar with. Gives off heat and light. Crackles in large amounts
• Elemental
• Name stems from its most common color (though the fire can be seen as other colors)

The most commonly utilized flame, red magic is easily awakened from wood and is utilized by common folks for heat and cooking purposes. It is often a major component in attack spells, though it is also used in some healing spells. Ironically, though its sleeping form is fairly common in nature (especially in living things) it is rarely awakened into flame spontaneously. It is usually excited by the more common Green Flame or deliberately by man.

Blue Fire​

• ice, cold, water, moisture
• Opposite: Red
• Appearance: a violently turbulent mass of water, boiling so fiercely as to hurl itself into the air. Gives off a cold and pale light. Makes a sound like cracking ice. No smoke, instead a vapor of ice crystals
• Elemental
  

A rarer flame, blue fire is often completely unknown to commoners, though royalty and the very rich occasionally use it for cooling beverages. Like red flame, blue fire is often used in attack spells. Fairly rare in nature, blue fires can mostly be found in the arctic wastes to the far north. Some wizards have been known to carry a few smoldering chunks of ice --as a traveler carries coals-- to readily start a new fire when needed.

Green Fire​

• air, electricity, thunder, transparency, movement
• Opposite: Yellow
• Appearance: lightning/electricity. Makes a buzzing sound or a loud thunderclap, depending on amount. No smoke.
• Elemental
• Named after much contention among wizards and intellectuals. Actual appearance is more often bluish or yellow. Name stems from fairly arbitrary compromise decision

The single most common flame in nature, green fire is awakened among the clouds during most every storm. In spells, it is used to add extra distance. It is the primary element of most teleportation and stealth spells. Green fire burns quickly and is thus difficult to maintain.

Yellow Fire​

• earth, stone, solidity, hardness, density
• Opposite: Green
• Appearance: a yellow-tan semi-liquid mass somewhere between mud and sand. Flows with environment, but does not tend to move on its own.
• Elemental
• Tends to have a slight yellow tinge, which gives it its name.

Everything that touches yellow flame solidifies, usually into stone. As such it is rare in nature, often buried among great masses of rock, though it has been occasionally been found unburied on cave floors. It can be used to add solidity and endurance to a spell and its effects, or used for the purpose of solidifying a target. Completely unknown to the common man.

White Fire​

• light, life, order, positive, etc
• Opposite: Black
• Appearance: a floating, glowing white orb of heatless light (note: this light cannot be split with a prism). Gives off a high-pitched, ethereal hum
• Polar
  

Vaguely known about by some commoners, but only used by wizards.

Black Fire​

• dark, chaos, negative, withering, death, etc
• Opposite: White
• Appearance: a floating orb of darkness. No heat, no light. Gives off a deep, ethereal moan
• Polar
  

Vaguely known about by some commoners, but only used by wizards.

RACES​

Humanoids - roughly human appearance, likely interfertile

• Humans
• Kinuks - a seafaring race. Short, hairy, and burly. Many raid other civilizations for provisions, though some have settled down and become self-sufficient. Simply: Dwarven Vikings
• Alfar - a tall and long-lived race. They are reclusive and tend to live in mountainous regions. Simply: Mountain-dwelling (Tolkienian) Elves
• Brownies - tiny people a few inches tall. Interact parasitically with other races, but avoid direct contact. Often utilize discarded/stolen items of larger races for new purposes. Simply: Brownies, (Traditional) Elves, Minish, Borrowers
• Trolls - hideous in appearance but usually good in heart. Lovers of beauty and master craftsmen. Usually live alone in scattered caves.
• Goblins - warlike nomads. Barely civilized, often take over a previous civilizations city rather than build their own. Very superstitious

Man-beasts - bipedal but possessing animal characteristics and appearance. I am seriously considering removing these, as neither were my own creation

• Flett - man-cats. Known for their heightened senses. Catlike face, body hair, retractable claws, prehensile tail. Irises have a striking "marbled" appearance.
• Scorpion-clan - yes, those same desert-dwelling scorpion scorpion men as in Abculatter's world. Quoted: "nomads wondering the Central Desert in a struggle to survive. They rarely intervene on the affairs of other races. They are tribal and shamanistic, and the youngest of the races. They do not have skin, rather a hard, air-tight exo-skeleton which can withstand impressive amounts of punishment, along with a poisonous scorpion-like tail which is their name-sake."

Dragons -two of the four races of dragon are sapient

• Drakes - Large body, usually long neck. Quadrupedal with two wings on back. Long lived. Temperaments vary, but well known for hoarding valuables. Simply: European Dragon
• Wyrms/Wurms - Long, thin body. Presence and number of limbs/wings variable with breed. Longest lived of all sentient races, and generally considered the wisest. Simply: Chinese Dragon

Other

• Traal - shadowy, demonic creatures. Very rare, little is known about them.

MAGIC​

Magic manifested as "flames".

Elemental Magics

• Fire (red flame)
• Water/Ice (blue flame)
• Air ("green" flame)
• Earth (yellow flame)

Polar Magics

• Life/Order (white flame)
• Death/Chaos (black flame)

All spells are a combination of some or all of these magics.

RELIGION​

this is majorly undeveloped

Djinn - minor deities tied to certain regions. May be additionally tied to certain facet of nature, tribe of people, or species of animal.

POLITICS​

Simple feudal system. Barons rule cities and large land areas. The King rules the Barons.