Valence Info

Galaxy Layout

The Galaxy has 8 constellations, arranged in a ring around the 4 Council worlds, which sit at the center of the galaxy. The constellations are as follows, starting from the topmost and proceeding clockwise. Star, Spire, Flame, Serpent, Crescent, Prongs, Tear, Avian. Each constellation has a "High World" at its peak, where the High King of the respective constellation makes their home. The High worlds are as follows, in the same order. Celest, Terra, Piras, Serpentis, Titania, Duos, Lachryma, Aquila. Each of the constellations has, on average, about 100 worlds within their boundaries. These constellations are in turn, surrounded by a large number of "Valence planets". These planets are neglected, and there is no high king or any group of knights that are protecting the worlds from the spread of the dreaded taint. These worlds basically fill the gaps in the galaxy, but give a slight berth to the worlds of the constellations, allowing the distinction between valence and non-valence worlds.
The Galaxy is entirely surrounded by a thick, spherical cloud of highly reflective dust. Each morning, the Zerebil comet enters through the bottom of the cloud and slowly makes its way across the expanse of the galaxy. When combined with the reflective cloud, this creates a uniform daytime across all of the worlds, with the exceptions of some, where strong magics determine day or night. Though the technology has long existed for starships and other means to exit the cloud, the people of the galaxy do not venture outside of the dust cloud, save for a brave few rogues who are never seen again. Rumors and legends exist of vast space and many planets beyond the cloud, but they are hailed as nothing more than children's stories.
At the center of the galaxy, surrounded by the 4 council worlds, there is a white hole, Feres, which spews enormous amounts of magical energy. It is the main source of magic for the galaxy, but it cannot generally be directly accessed. The worlds act as magical filters, sorting and storing the energy and releasing it, flooding the galaxy with Lumen, a measurable energy that is taken into the bodies of the average magic user, stored, and used in spellcraft. It can be stored in many other ways as well, such as intralum, crystals which soak up Lumen like a sponge, or machines which draw in Lumen. Though the existance of the white hole is known, studies on it have revealed very little, and its existence and influence are simply accepted. Many physically unexplained phenomena are accepted as being influenced by planet magic, or Feres magic, and left alone when no examination can turn up any other reasoning.

People of Azelia

The people of the galaxy of Azelia are as varied and strange as the worlds themselves. There are an unrecorded multitude of races, most humanoid, but many that are not. Most races have significant populations only on their homeworlds, but there are a few major races who populate many worlds. Humans are the largest of races, followed by the Anthromorphs: Humanoid in nature, but with distinctive characteristics of common animals; The Vovin, a draconic race, they are generally humanoid, with draconic wings and a few reptilian characteristics, notably in their teeth and eyes, and occasionally horns; The Varmilli, who are almost human. They share the same body shape, but are all very androdgynous and have the marked characteristic of yellow irises and a faintly opalescent tinge to their superbly pale skin; And lastly, the Magi, named because of their strong ability to use magic. They are completely human in appearance, but with more pronounced vibrance in the colors of their hair, eyes, and skin. This usually manifests as seemingly unnatural colors in the hair and bright, neon colors in the eyes. They usually live half of the average human lifespan, though when there are exceptions to this, they are normally quite large, extending lifespans to nearly 5 times natural lengths.
The names of the High Kings and their constellations are important to note so I'll place them here as well.

Crescent: Reks Uni
Serpent: Rin Cobara
Flame: Ku:Nara
Spire: Brace Teal
Star: Elias Shine
Avian: Cooro Pheasant
Tear: Asura
Prongs: Michiku Do

Short bios will be posted in the character bio section soon.

Magic

Magic in this universe is practically limitless, manifesting in a multitude of forms. Nevertheless, there are certain classifications to magic to help simplify the understanding of it.

Incanted Magic

Incanted Magic is simple magic that can be used by practically any mage. It uses predetermined incantations to perform spells of many types. It is widely used by young or inexperienced mages who do not have specialized magic, though there are plenty of high-level incantations used by powerful mages.

Specialized Magic

Specialized Magic is a sort of "free magic". It is generally unincanted and has a nearly infinite amount of types. For example, Asir uses a magic called "tarot magic", which has different effects based on the card he uses. Other examples include projectile magic, where the user can fire magical projectiles, flame magic, where the user gains control of fire, art magic, where painted or drawn images are transformed into real objects or attacks, etc. Many times, specialized magic can be very atypical or very specified. Almost all strong mages rely on specialized magic to fight.

Inherited Magic

Inherited magic is very powerful, and very specialized. It is only available to few, and is passed down through bloodlines or rituals to pass the power from one to another. Many royal bloodlines on many worlds have this magic in their blood. Inherited magic also includes demon magic, which can only be used by those with demon blood; or special abilities or magic given to a person in ways other than the typical learning process.

Innate Magic

Innate magic is magic or unnatural abilities given to a person through their environment or other means. For example, certain races have abilities that only they can use, like the shapeshifters of Le Fauna. These types of magic or abilities are counted in the Innate category. This includes magic granted by being born on certain worlds. However, magic gained by simply traveling to a certain world, or living in a certain world for a short time is counted as Inherited magic.

The Taint

Knowledge of the taint is possibly the single most important thing a Celestial Knight can have. Many Celestial Knights are also taint researches, giving them vast knowledge on the very thing they are fighting. The taint is basically a perversion of magic. Though its true cause is unknown, it is speculated that the use of evil and forbidden magics caused the magic to become tainted and corrupt. Though deadly and destructive, taint magic is also the most powerful magic in existence, at huge costs. The use of such magic not only requires large sacrifice, but it also taints the user's body and corrupts the mind. Any use of taint magic instantly allows the taint to enter the system, shortening one's natural lifespan by roughly 2/3. Taint magic's use was made completely illegal after the great war, which itself was caused by the existence of taint magic. Upon the appearance of taint magic roughly 1000 years ago, two factions began forming. Those in favor of its use, and those against. This began a bloody civil war between the two factions, and though the side in favor was outnumbered, they held a great amount of power at their disposal. Finally, those against the use of the taint emerged victorious. Since the majority of the rebellion had been from the former Aurora constellation, those worlds were exiled and neglected, and when the council came into power, no high king or knights were put in charge of those worlds, among which the taint already ran rampant. They are known today as the Valence worlds, and although travel is not forbidden between them, people generally avoid them, since most are overrun and dangerous.

Characteristics

Manifestations of the taint upon worlds is as varied as magic itself. There is always a source to the taint, which is also different almost every time, and can be almost anything. As the taint corrupts a world, it brings with it misfortune and danger, blighting the landscape and quite often creating malicious beasts and deadly new natural features. The taint can be stopped and erased from the world by destroying its source, but the source MUST be destroyed. Removal of the source will simply stop the taint from progressing, rather than remove the taint. The taint is also a very powerful, almost limitless form of energy. If a source is removed from a world and contained, it could power a large space station or warship for hundreds of years. One final characteristic of the taint is it's almost sentient nature. When its source is threatened, it will defend itself, using beasts or forms of magic, or even controlling the minds of some weaker willed individuals. It can almost be compared to a cancer, spreading and destroying that which lies in its path.

Measurements:

Weight: standard lbs. Standard lbs are the general measurement used galaxy wide for weight of objects. It is based on the weight determined by a standard scale upon a world with average gravitational pull. Due to the planets strong magics, gravity does not usually vary by much, except in rare cases.

Any other information will be introduced as the story progresses, or added to this post upon request.

Le Fauna

General Info of World

The world of Le Fauna is one of the most wondrous worlds in the entire galaxy. Inhabited by a unique race of people called Faunians who are born with the innate magic called "shifting" thus where "shapeshifter" comes from. Faunians are those native to Le Fauna and possess the ability to shift into a particular creature. Le Fauna is predominantly inhabited by shapeshifters but races from other worlds have come here to either visit or have established permanent residence. As long as they abide by the rules set up by the four “guardians” they may live in peace. Anger or violate the rules of Le Fauna and the violator will be evicted from the country and prohibited from re-entering. This country is marvelous and exquisitely beautiful, so far having been safe from “the taint”. Le Fauna has four seasons, each regulated by one of the guardians whose families hold immense power that sustains Le Fauna. Age here on this world is determined by how many seasons pass. For many many years Le Fauna has experienced very little internal or external conflict or complications as the people of Le Fauna live in a very orderly society that revolves around respect, trust, and tolerance. They welcome others from different worlds and are more than willing to learn what they can. But Faunians are fiercely loyal to their world and will do all in their power to protect their home. Faunians usually stay in their own world but there are some who are labeled "Seekers" who travel to other worlds to learn and bring the information back to Le Fauna so the "guardians" understand what is going on with the other worlds. Rarely has Le Fauna seen war and the people on the world are friendly but cautious to newcomers. Shapeshifter is a dominant gene and when a Faunian copulates with a non-shapeshifter, the offspring will be a shapeshifter. The particular animal gene though is dependent on the parents and usually is unpredictable. i.e. A bear shifter marries a non-shifter, the offspring will be a bear shifter. i.e. A snake shifter marries a owl shifter, the offspring will have a 50/50 chance of inheriting either snake or owl shifter genes. Only the Guardians maintain their families by having dominant animal shifter genes. i.e. Anyone who marries into the Tiger family, regardless if they are shifter or not, will produce a tiger shifter offspring. Faunians have a somewhat long lifespan and may outlive other races from other countries. Most of Le Fauna is based off agriculture and almost like imperial Asian times, but have some modern touches such as weaponary, but technology is not a strong point of this world.

"The Guardians"

The world of Le Fauna is governed by four families of shapeshifters. These four families rule over Le Fauna together in harmony, specializing in particular areas of skill and collaborate to make Le Fauna a wondrous place for all the shapeshifter and non-shifter inhabitants. The four families live in four different estates in the center of the world surrounded by its denizens.

The four guardians are thus listed:
The Tortoise family who governs over the north and regulates winter,
The Dragon family who governs over the east who regulates spring,
The Phoenix family who governs over the south who controls summer, and
The Tiger family who governs over the west and brings about autumn.

Each family lives in an estate that specializes in a particular field. The Tortoise family specializes in intelligence and knowledge, they are the brains and they hold the largest library and database ever known. They are the scholars of Le Fauna. People come to their academy to learn how to become government officials of Le Fauna or learn more so they can become Seekers. The Tortoise family is ruled by Guardian He (M) who is the leader of the Tortoise Academy. He and his wife have three daughters and one son.

The Dragon family specializes in magic. Their academy teaches magic to students and Faunians who wish to either further their inherited magic or learn magic to assist others and their world. The Dragon family is a very strong group of magicians who skills are proficient and formidable. They are responsible for the protective barrier that surrounds Le Fauna. They also regulate when each family can change the seasons. The Dragons are close to the Tortoises for they both use the library and database and sometimes the scholars tend to learn some magic from the magicians. The Dragon family is ruled by Lady Guardian Jade (F) whose mate is a non-shifter. They have one daughter and one son.

The Phoenix family specializes in combat. They are the physical protectors of the land. They harness their innate magic of shapeshifting and combine it with weapons to supply the land with a tank of an army. The soldiers are what they are called. Inhabitants who wish to defend their country and bring out their natural animal side come to the Phoenix academy to learn how to efficiently use their natural born skills to aid them in defense and offense. When trouble arises, the soldiers are supported by the magicians who use magic to boost the physical attributes of the soldiers. The Phoenix family is ruled by Guardian Sol (M) who has a shifter wife and has one son.

The Tiger family is a particular family. They are a combination of both the Phoenix and Dragon for they use both shifting and magic. They are proficient and adept in using both and are the ones whose academy produces the most Seekers who travel outside of Le Fauna. The Tigers' academy uses teachings from both the Phoenix and Dragon and combine them to have balanced fighters and also send their disciples to the Tortoise academy to learn more about other worlds. The Tiger family is ruled by the mighty Lady Guardian Gaia (F) and her mate is a lion shifter. She has 2 sons and one daughter.

The second son of Lady Guardian Gaia, Albane, is going to be the main character from Le Fauna.


Guardians He, Jade, Sol, and Gaia work together very well and although they may sometimes disagree on how to do things sometimes, they respect each other. Their academy disciples are free to learn from any of the four academies although most just stay to one or perhaps two areas of study.

The Guardians and their families are very well respected by the citizens of Le Fauna and they have the utmost loyal of the people who trust their Guardians to run the country well.

Terminacht:

The taint affects many places in many different ways, especially when left unchecked by the “guardians” that many of the council-governed worlds seem to have. Those left to their own fates, the Valence worlds, are doomed from the start should they fall to the inevitable taint.
For the planet of Terminacht, the once industrious cities fell almost instantly to ruin, mighty skyscrapers crumbling to the ground with even the slightest touch. These once proud city-states reduced to smoldering wastelands where the newly homeless seek refuge under any surface. Those fortunate to have some wealth left to their names chartered for ships to leave the planet, and the system altogether. Stowaways were not uncommon during these first few waves of migration from their plagued homeworld.

Not much else is known about this planet or its fate. The refugees who fled the system refuse to talk about the horrors encountered during the initial turning. Hints have been made of gruesome monsters: both beast and humanoid in appearance, but almost always bestial in nature. Beyond that and the unique and individual physical deformations to the victims escaping the lands, not much information could be obtained.