The Land of Aztlan

[Skygate]

Hey everyone! I wanted to craft an RP set in a fantasy world that I have partially built. It could involve magic, romance, war, and may or may not be explicitly sexual. Below are some of the aspects of the world, Aztlan.

The People

The Resana


The Resana are a race of magic users from the northeastern mountains. They are secluded from the rest of the land by the harsh conditions of their homeland. Having been isolated for so long, many rumors and myths have surrounded the enigmatic clans, including the question of whether they are actually human or something entirely different.

They are infamous for their ancient customs and way of life and of course for their close association with the dire wolves, the Vrkazva that serve as their companions and steeds. From a young age, a few select honored children of the Resana become intimately linked with the majestic wolves of the northern mountains. Many times the size of a normal wolf, the Vrkazva are intelligent beings who are largely misunderstood by those outside of the Resana clans. A fully grown Vrkazva is capable of easily bearing their companion as a rider. They are creatures of great mystery and nobility.

The Resana have a unique brand of magic that focuses almost entirely on protection and binding. Their magic is not particularly strong, but is perfectly suited for the nature of their people. Spells serve to make their difficult lives easier and to protect the venerated Vrkazva from harm when the pair ride into battle.

They sometimes intermix with the general population, but rarely successfully. Never has a Resana and Vrkazva pair left the tightly knit community of clans, owing to the impracticality of integrating giant wolves into city or village life.

The Andraste



The Andraste are a people who reap the benefits of war and conflict. Many of the men become mercenaries, winning honor in the heat of battle and represent some of the most fearsome warriors in the land. The war technology of the Andraste is unrivaled. Their smiths produce the finest armaments and are always at the cutting edge of new battle tech. They have major populations living on the outskirts of the desert but are also integrated into the general population in most major cities. They serve as guards and armory specialists and their wares equip a majority of armies in the land. Regardless of this fact, it is widely suspected that the full extent of their technology is kept from the rest of the world.

Female Andraste are often trained in the ways of the assassin. Exceedingly more nimble and stealthy than the males of their culture, the young women of the Andraste are known in the darker circles of politics and society as the best assassins in history. Paid in large sums, the assassins of the Andraste are trained to use a myriad weapons for discreet killing. When they are born, certain females of the Andraste are deliberately never named and become the apprentice of an assassin too old to effectively perform her jobs. Without a name or face (because they rarely reveal their visage anywhere but in a village of their people) the Andraste assassins are nigh impossible to track or identify and master killing and espionage, putting them at the helm of many of history’s most important events, as the shadows trailing great men.

The Archons



Called by many names, the Archons are a race of human-like creatures that have lived with the land since it was formed. Some say they grew from the trees like blooming flowers, or that they rose from the dirt. The Archons are a race who live in harmony with nature. Characterized by their typically very attractive features and their green irises, the immortal Archons are something of a legend to many country folk. Greatly preferring to remain in the safety and seclusion of their sylvan mountains, rarely do Archons walk amongst the other races in the land. Occasionally however, a fair skinned individual reeking of the eldritch magic running through their veins does turn up in a city, bearing the stunning green eye color that does not occur in humans.

The Archons are a wise, unspeakably old race, stronger and more nimble than humans, although greatly less fecund. They are extremely well versed from a young age in what they consider the most noble branch of magic. With a talent rarely matched for this magic, they live and breathe the energy of their ancient roots. The Archons are very protective of their magical knowledge, rumored to include powerful and terrible secrets. Archons are rarely ever schooled in more than the basics of the four other magical arts, and thus are never Alchemists, Necromancers, Sorcerers or Shamen of note.

They are immortal in body, but not invulnerable. They can be killed by the same means as humans, but left in peace, can live theoretically forever. The reason that they are not the dominant race in the land is two fold, owing to their much slower rate of birth and to their naturally inborn tendency toward peace and harmony.

The Veda



Little is known about the Veda. They are a nomadic desert people with a conservative culture whose moral codes don’t always quite fit with the laws of the Empire. As a result, they are often at odds with the government. In recent times, members of their tribes have had increasing success at incorporation themselves into cities in the Empire, but they are still mistrusted and discriminated against.

Elders in Veda tribes worry that their culture is dying and push against Taranian advances. Meanwhile, the younger generation is split down the middle with one half hoping to leave their tribes for the cities or to forge out lives of their own some other way, and another half entirely devoted to the culture and way of life. Many Veda, angry at what they perceive as a Taranian attempt at assimilating them, have begun to strike out in small attacks on Empire caravans or towns. This creates tension in villages and cities bordering the great deserts which are home to the Veda, just as the Veda who have incorporated themselves into Taranian society fight against the prejudices they and their people face.

Veda magic is very spiritual and closely tied to the mediation and rituals of their culture and religion which worships one single God, instead of the many gods of the Taranian pantheon. As a result, with proper training, the Veda tend to make good alchemists and sorcerers.

The Taranians



Taranians are the predominant ethnic group of Aztlan. They fill the cities, they are best represented in government, and they are the highest overall percentage of the population of the land. They believe in a small pantheon of gods from whom they are descended and the mages among them have a fairly strong propensity for magic. That being said, the actual fraction of Taranians who are capable of magic is not very high. In some smaller villages there are taboos and misconceptions concerning magic. The overall attitude toward magic in the cities and major population centers around the Empire is that it is a part of life, but not a way of life, as the Archons might believe.

Over the years the Empire, which governs most of Aztlan has clashed with the Archons in disputes over borders. Though the Empire’s armies are far larger and equipped with more advanced technologies, the Archons outclass them in skill with the blade, bow, and most importantly, magic. In current times, disputes have essentially died down and are now solved diplomatically. For the most part, Archons remain in their forests and Taranians continue to build their cities.

Of the races of Aztlan, the Taranians are the most ambitious and industrious. Schools, complex government and advanced cities all abound as a result of the ingenuity and drive of Taranians. As a result, most of the mages in the Imperial Academy are Taranians.

[size=18]The Five Branches of Magic[/size]

Shamanism



Shamans are capable of communicating directly with living things through communion of their spirits. They do not necessarily interface with the minds of animals, since there are many animals incapable of sentient thought and this might kill them. Instead, they often channel small resonances in their spirits to affect the spirits of the living around them. Despite the mastery of such skills requiring much study and concentration, the art is a much more offensive, creative one than one might think. Although originally Shamanism was discovered and practiced among the nomadic peoples of the desert and swamps, there is a fast-growing interest in Shamanism among magic users of all walks of life, especially in cities where implications for livestock, crops and control of disease are nearly limitless. That being said, instruction in the art is not yet fully organized in the cities.

Sorcery



Sorcery deals with the welding of one’s spirit to one of the five elements. Each entity born on the earth has one or, in rare cases, two elements that they are naturally inclined to. Although it is not an exact science, it has been postulated that which element one is born inclined to has to do with the position of the sun, moon, and stars at their time of birth. Some success at predicting one’s natural element has been shown by this method.

Once one’s spirit has been intertwined with the greater spirit of the element itself, an individual has control over that element for as long as their focus can be maintained. Previously thought be just a subset of Magic, Sorcery’s limitations and finer arts have yet to be revealed.

Magic



Much to the confusion of those not versed in the arcane, the third branch of magic is called “magic”. The origins of this unfortunate nomenclature are in the archaic nature of the art. The branch of magic called magic is the oldest arcane art of them all. Thus, there was originally only one magic, and anything related to the seemingly mystical manipulation of the world was referred to as “magic”.

History lessons aside, magic deals with exerting control over the natural world through the understanding of the true names of every naturally occurring substance, organism or phenomenon. By imbuing the words of power with their own vision and strength of will, magic users are able to shape the natural world to their own liking. However, although it is an ambiguous matter in the study of magic (at least to humans) it would appear that the energy for such changes need to come from a source, most often the spell caster. In other words, the magic isn’t free.

Necromancy



Often labeled as the darkest and most depraved branch of magic, the study of Necromancy does indeed entail methods by which to reanimate the dead, speak to spirits and control ghosts of the dead. However, much of the art has been neglected attention due to the unknowing public’s aversion to what can understandably be seen as an abomination to the honor of the dead.

The heart of Necromancy lies in the understanding of the nature of life and death. Necromancers are easily able to perceive the balance and flow of life and sometimes control it. Because of this skill, the abilities commanded by a skilled necromancer range from reanimation to contact with the dead and the creation of artificial life forms.

Necromancy is perhaps the most dangerous and difficult magical art. Unlike the other four branches of magic, Necromancy is almost completely creativity and ingenuity. There are no clear cut rules or methods to Necromancy, nor are there any guarantees. Even for the most skilled necromancer, his or her art is something of a game of chance, made less risky by practice, understanding of the art and by the flexibility to move with the sometimes erratic nature of life itself.

Alchemy



Often belonging to the middle or upper class, alchemists devote their lives to the study of the complex science of alchemy. Very few alchemists know the secrets of changing ordinary stones into gems or lead into gold. Even those who do, understand the transmutation as something entirely non-magical and completely scientific. Alchemists often describe their study as the science of doing the impossible.

Versed in the many natural laws, one need not have any magical talent to be an alchemist, although the most talented alchemists have always had at least a small inclination toward other magical arts.

The ultimate pursuit of a great many alchemists is the creation of a philosopher’s stone, an object which, when used properly can unlock the deepest secrets of the natural world and even render many of nature’s laws null and void. Such an object is the stuff of legends, and no such stone has ever been created in recorded history. Nonetheless, many leading alchemists still believe that there is indeed a way to forge a philosopher’s stone and the object remains such a prominent part of alchemy that the most recognizable emblem of alchemy is a symbol representing the concept.

The emblem of alchemists consists of an ouroborus, a snake biting its own tail in a circle, representing the cycles of life and death and nature’s other laws. At the center of the ouroborus is another symbol made up of a snake and a phoenix in the shape of an arrow pointing upwards. This stands for their eternal quest to transcend the cycle of life and death.

While the feats achieved by a talented alchemist might appear magical, their discipline is ruled by natural laws and complex calculations. More than the physical transformation of base metals to gold, Alchemists believe in a spiritual, metaphorical transformation of the base elements of oneself into “gold” and a perpetual effort to better oneself. Hence the term “Philosopher’s” stone. Alchemists are specialists in unlocking and catalyzing aspects of the other four branches of magic.

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Please post here or PM me if you are interested in working something out. I have a few ideas already but I'm open to yours as well!