Fantasy Pentarcarnum - Lore

[AncientBird]

.: Pentarcanum - Lore :.
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Map of Potamos
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• The World
• The Magic
• The Nymph
• The Creatures

• 
  The planet of Potamos, while very similar to Earth in many aspects, is mostly covered in freshwater, with lines of connected landmass forming borders that separate many zones and biomes apart from each other. Each biome of Potamos features different landscapes and harbor varied life forms that have adapted to inhabit them, including nymph, the world’s most notable sapient species.
  
  Northern Lake
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Northern Lake is a lake located in the north of Potamos. It’s a large body of water surrounded by narrow land masses and islets that set it apart from The Abyss up north and The Barren in the east. Northern Lake is a bountiful biome with full access to sunlight and nutrients of the ancient soil. Water plants of various kinds fill the substrates of the lake and many types of creatures call this place home. Large and dangerous megafaunas are rarely found here, thus this is one of the places where a large community of nymphs can be found.
  
  Great Marsh
  
  
  
  
  
  
  In the south of the Northern Lake, lies a large marshland. The Great Marsh is much shallower and is crowded with foliages and creatures. Stem of water plants and floating debris may block the sun in many parts of the marsh and dimmer the atmosphere. Danger may lurk nearby here and many pathways could become too shallow to cross over during the dry season. It’s still habitable for some nymphs and smaller communities could still be found in many places.
  
  Flooded Forest
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The flooded forest is truly a place of wonder and mystery. Lies beyond the Great Marsh to the south, it’s a large rainforest that has most of its area submerged in the water. The great trees that grow here are the largest in any place in Potamos and their shade makes sunlight barely touch the water realm below. The fallen leaves and logs that fell into the water for millennia have turned the water here dark and murky… And with complex root systems and numerous trunks of half submerged trees made this place difficult to navigate and ones could easily get lost in their attempt to cross the forest, which isn’t a good thing because numerous dangers lurk here and can never be sure where or when they will strike…
  
  Sapphire Lake
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Sapphire Lake is located in the south, from the Flooded Forest in the west. It's the southmost habitable biome in Potamos. This large lake possesses some kind of chemical that has turned the water here bright, ocean blue, heching its name. The lake is less bountiful than Northern Lake, with more rocks lining its substrate and more sparse plant life. However, large shoals of small invertebrates and planktons made this place home and thus, sustaining another large community of nymphs here. Alas, their life is not as peaceful as their relatives up north, as Sapphire Lake is directly linked to The Abyss in the south, and large megafaunas, sometimes the dangerous ones, are often found visiting this place to forage.
  
  Stonespire Lake
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Famous for its large mountain sticking out from the water at the middle, Stonespire Lake is a neighbor body of water next to Sapphire Lake. Here, the land is even more sparse in resources than Sapphire Lake, with barely any original plant life and farming is more difficult to pull off. Aside from the still numerous resources of planktons and invertebrates, the community here relies greatly on Sapphire Lake to feed them. However, Stonespire Lake is known to be a hot spot of magical energy found in Potamos and wondrous phenomena happen here from time to time. Its depth and bountiful amount of prey creatures also attract large creatures to venture here, just like Sapphire Lake.
  
  Eternal Rapid
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Located in the eastmost area of Potamos is the Eternal Rapid. This large, feral biome is a large water way with scattering islets of landmass. For its name suggests, this place has the most chaotic and vigorous torrent that flows constantly throughout its range. On the surface, treacherous waves blow and in the depth, the powerful torrent made standing still here almost impossible. No plant life can survive in this extreme habitat and any creatures that live here either adapt to survive the flow or perish. It’s nearly inhabitable for any nymphs except for a few parts of the area that got covered by the base of the islets. Still, many nymphs are known to venture here in hope to find valuable ores that can’t be found elsewhere in Potamos.
  
  Barren
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The Barren lies in the middle of Potamos. While it’s mostly separated from other biomes, it’s linked directly with Stonespire Lake and Eternal Rapid. The Barren is the place of shallow water where sunlight is extremely strong and bright the entire area. It’s substrate is however, poor in nutrients and is mostly sand and rock, making plant life very scarce. The water is also tainted with chemicals that prohibit most plankton to grow despite the plentiful sunlight, making this place the true wasteland of Potamos. Only the most extreme lifeforms can survive here, including a few small communities of nymphs, which even then, they stay mostly at the edge where the terrain is more forgiving and rarely ever venture deep into the middle of the Barren.
  
  Abyss
  
  
  
  
  
  The abyss is the deepest part of Potamos’s aquatic places. Features in both the northmost and the southmost, both share similar attributes. The great depth of these places is so deep that sunlight couldn’t touch the substrate below. The water is frigid cold and high with pressure, overall very uncomfortable to be in for any nymph dares to venture in. The area near the surface is full with nutrients and life, but down below… Who knows what sorts of monstrosities call the place home.
  
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  The magic of Potamos is said to exist in the world since the first dawn of time. There are 5 types of magic known and each is empowered by different sources.
  
  Sun magic - Sun magic derives from the power of the sun that shines over the planet. The sun is one of the most important factors that allows life to exist in Potamos, as life forms depend on its light and warmth to thrive and grow. However, it can also be as dangerous as it’s nurturing, making the power of the sun something one should be careful around.
  
  Sun magic gives wielders the ability to control over light and heat, to be able to create and bend light at will, creating spectacles of light from simple light orb to miraculous hologram. They are also able to emit and control heat from room temperature upward. A powerful sun mage can create devastating light beams that burn everything in its path or heat up the water around them to the point of boiling while being immuned to the heat themselves.
  
  Moon magic - Moon magic derives from the moon that orbits around the planet. To all creatures of Potamos, the moon's presence always has an effect on them in their mind and consciousness. While the alluring moonlight is not emitted by the moon itself, it’s still no less impactful to lifes on Potamos than the one emitted directly from the sun.
  
  Moon magic gives wielders the ability to control over mind, illusion and concealment. Its power plays with emotion, to sooth and calm one’s mind, while on the other hand, can also instill fear, anger through illusion and mind manipulation. The target will always have free will to either give in or resist, however against a seasoned and powerful moon mage that can pull off an illusion that can fool even the sense of touch and taste, only a few could remain sane and anchored to reality. For a magic that can’t directly harm or damage physical form, moon magic can be a force to be reckoned with.
  
  Torrent magic - Torrent magic derives from the water that flows through the planet. Water is also considered another most important factor that life requires to survive and to be able to control it is a gift of wonder. As water is everywhere, this is one of the most frequently found magic.
  
  Moon magic gives wielders the ability to control over the water around them, capable of bending its flow, increasing pressure and changing its attributes such as acidity and oxygen level. A good water mage can force water torrent to change course for a period of time, using its flowing power to push or wash the target away, or even turn up acidity to corrode and burn, or even suffocate the opponent by reducing oxygen level in the water around them.
  
  Earth magic - Earth magic derives from the ground and other components that make up the terrain of Potamos. Mud, sand, rocks and minerals form the firm structure that hold the land together, making this planet inhabitable to all of the life forms.
  
  Earth magic gives wielders the ability to control over the earth. Soil, mud, sand, stone and rocks are all able to be shaped and be wielded at will. Ores and minerals may be purified and forged into steel. A seasoned and powerful earth mage may even be able to call upon lava from under the crust to use as a devastating attack.
  
  Organism magic - Organism magic derives from the life forms that inhabit the world. Life is a special composition in the world of Potamos, and the function that makes them alive must be understanded for the magic to work properly. How they live, how they grow, how they reproduce and even how their consciousness works.
  
  Organism magic gives wielders the ability to control over life forms. From the simplest unicellular cell to plants, to creatures. The more simple the life forms are, the easier to control and manipulate. Organism mage may be able to propagate and take control over simple life forms such as germs and plants by increasing their numbers, accelerating their growth and strengthening their condition, while in more complex life forms such as creatures, they may be manipulated and called upon to serve the magic wielder. Highly intelligent and sapient beings, for example, nymph is usually too difficult to control. However, an organism mage may be able to make one’s body accelerate the healing process or increase adrenaline to temporarily strengthen the target.
  
  Pentarcanum
  
  Pentarcanum is a mystical gem that was created and possessed by a wise and powerful, magical creature known as "The World Leviathan". Pentarcanum is said to harness every types of magic presented in Potamos within and its presence will strengthen the magic around it. It's meant to be gift for the sapient race known as nymph, a helping tool for the nymphs to lend so they can learn and wield magic as their own. However, once the nymphs have perfected their magic, the World Leviathan died and Pentarcanum was lost from the face of the Potamos. Some said that it was destroyed as its creator died and some said it was taken and hidden away... The fate of the mystical gem remained inconclusive to this day.
  
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  Biology
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Nymph is a tiny humanoid creature native to Potamos. The origin of this species is unclear other than that they have been around for as long as the sun does rise and set. They look identical to humans, but much smaller, average only at 5 cm tall. They are also fully aquatic, live and breath underwater with their lungs designed to extract oxygen from water instead. Nymph is impervious to buoyancy and can’t swim at all… All their locomotions underwater are comparable to humans on land. They can walk, run and even jump underwater as if there is no water to hinder their movement at all.
  
  Nymph’s special ability that is unique to their kind is their transformation. They can shapeshift into various species of freshwater fish, creatures that surprisingly, are entirely absent in Potamos and wouldn’t exist if it isn’t for the nymphs taking the form as them. Each individual can only have one form, be it a tiny rasbora or a gigantic arapaima.
  
  The fish form of nymph, other than allowing them to swim freely around, in some individuals also allows the nymphs to gain access to magic and be able to use them as well. Thus, allowing the species to thrive well in this watery world and leading to them building their own civilization, rising to a dominant species of Potamos.
  
  Nymphs are omnivorous and feed on various food items they can find or grow in their watery realm. Invertebrates like insect larvae, zooplanktons and other tiny critters make large portions in their protein. They also eat meat from various larger animals, such as large mollusks, crustaceans, amphibians and aquatic reptiles that they manage to overpower by weapons or their piscine forms. Nymphs also feed on plants, fungi and even know to farm them in large quantities similar to humans.
  
  Culture
  
  Nymph’s culture is similar to those of the medieval period of humans. Large metropolises can be found in a place with abundant and stable resources while smaller communities pan out through the world, mostly kept hidden from danger such as large predators and environmental hazards that could potentially destroy them.
  
  Buildings of nymphs’ settlements are mainly made of stone, metal and wood. Smaller buildings may also incorporate leather or plant fibre in as well. Most of the tools they use are made of metal or wood.
  
  Nymphs also grow their own food similar to humans. Farming food plants and livestock has been practiced for millennia. Nymphs have domesticated many invertebrates to be used as food, such as water fleas, tubifex worms, copepods, shrimps and snails. Others are used for labor such as large crustaceans like crabs and crayfish and some for pets and companions, dwarf shrimps with their various coloration is famous in this regard.
  
  Magic also plays an important part in nymph’s community. Majority of the population are unable to use magic, thus the one that are born with such powers usually gain high respect and are offered higher positions in society. These magic wielders known as “mage” are usually tasked to help out society in the time of need and protect it from hazards and discord.
  
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  Creatures of Potamos will be listed here once they are encountered.