Mykinkaiser
Literally the worst
GENERAL
Edgewater is a large city (Population of around 800,000) situated on the banks of Lake Felburn in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. On March 15th, 2017 a Rift leading to another world opened in the city and the denizens of that world began to come through. The initial opening of the Rift was accompanied by the sound of something shattering, a crack in the air appearing, and an earthquake that caused considerable damage around the breach. Furthermore, a dense fog surrounded the city and the lake, making it impossible to leave as anyone who tried would simply find themselves returning to the city even though they never turned around.
Within the months following the opening the city descended into chaos and riots as people from both sides tried to make sense of the situation. These were finally quelled by the formation of the Rift Investigation and Containment Taskforce, a governmental agency with the job of researching the Rift and dealing with its accompanying dangers, though opposition groups still exist.
Currently it is 2042, 25 years after the opening, and for the most part people coexist peacefully with each other. However, there are still those who refuse to accept those from the Rift and those who refuse to fit in. Furthermore, Research has made some progress but the cause of the opening is yet unknown, as is how to get back through. This is made especially worrying as there's also no way to prevent more things from coming through, things that aren't always friendly.
Despite the crack appearing in the sky during the opening, the Rift encompasses the entire city of Edgewater. It normally cannot be seen, the exception being when a portion of it opens to spit out whatever person or creature was unfortunate enough to be caught up in it on the other side. For those in Edgewater, those openings appear like a miniature version of the opening as a crack appears in the air with a shattering noise and the traveler falls through. For those coming through they simply hear that same noise before feeling like they're falling into an abyss.
Many theories have been put forth about how the Rift formed, though no one actually knows the true cause for it or how it operates. Some of the more prevalent theories include it being some sort of magically induced wormhole due to a large scale spell gone wrong, that it happened due to a misalignment of the planes, or more recently, that some god-like being created it for reasons yet unknown.
After the Rift opened and those from another world began to come through, they brought magic with them as well. For the first few chaotic years, they kept the knowledge mostly to themselves but eventually those who were more accepting of their new home began to teach humans to be mages. Since then, mages have become more common, though the years of study necessary to practice magic and the necessity of natural talent mean that they are still a relative minority within the city.
In order to cast spells, a mage must construct a runic array outlining the spell's processes out of mana. These processes are defined as each action the spell seeks to achieve. For example, to simply create a flame would consist of a single process and would be an incredibly easy and simple spell with the array consisting of a single rune. However, should the mage create a fireball and shoot it at an enemy that would require 3 processes, the first to create the fire, the second to condense it, and the third to shoot it. Generally, spells with 3 processes or less are considered fairly simple, though exceptions exist if a certain process is particularly complicated.
Runic arrays can be physically created and imbued with mana in order to cast spells as well. The benefits to this are that the spell will be more mana efficient due to the fact that the mage doesn't have to spend extra mana to create the array. However, due to the fact that it takes far longer as the mage must draw the runes out by hand this method is usually only employed for very complex or large scale spells. Its other main use comes in the form of enchantment. By marking arrays onto objects a mage can imbue them with a spell that activates to certain triggers or when mana is channeled into it. A certain subset of enchantment deals with tattooing enhancement spells onto people, though such spells create a burden on the user's body, meaning that they must have adequate strength in order to fully utilize the spells.
Lastly, while magic is powerful it does have some limitations. For one, it is impossible to create matter through magic, one can only use what is already present. It is also impossible to alter or manipulate the flow of time, such as through time travel or divination. Though it is possible to peer into the past in a certain place given a strong enough magical residue. Such residue is usually left when casting powerful spells but not for day to day life or large scale non-magical events.
Ratings:
Control: F-A
Control is a mage's ability to process spells accurately and quickly, allowing them to cast spells with more numerous or more complex processes. The higher a mage's control, the lower their cast time, though even at rank A there will be a delay of around half a second or so at least. Should a mage's control be too low for the spell they're attempting to cast it would likely fail, or else backfire. Control is influenced by talent, but requires effort to reach the high ranks.
A - Mages at this rank are true masters at controlling magic and are able to wield spells that can bring about massive change to the world as well as extremely complex spells. Furthermore, mages at this level are often pioneers into new, unexplored magics of their own creation. Few mages reach this rank as they must possess both the talent and the effort to achieve it, with those who do are often remembered for generations.
B - Mages at this rank are often either truly talented, or else have many years of study under their belts. They wield great power but tend to stick to already-researched magic, exploring its intricacies and gathering more knowledge. Due to this, most mages at this level of control utilize multiple types of magic, though not always to the same degree of proficiency. This is the minimum rank needed to create Arcane Dolls or to perform other similarly difficult and complex spells.
C - At this rank, one can call themselves a fully qualified mage in their particular specialty. Futhermore, it is at this level that mages are usually able to cast two spells at the same time, though with decreased efficiency and effectiveness for both.
D - This rank is the minimum needed to be able to practically be a mage. At this level mages can cast things such as fireballs and other direct, easy to envision attack/defense magic. Furthermore, at this rank, mages can handle spells with enough power to be useful past small everyday chores. Most mages at this level are beginners, or else simply lack the talent to advance further.
E - At this level a mage might be able to move small objects around or boil water without fire and other such simple things. This is the minimum to be able to cast multi-process spells but even so, mages at this rank would be hard-pressed to cast a fairly simple 3 process spell.
F - Can only cast simple, single process spells such as creating a small fire or lifting a small object but not moving it. Even if a mage has the capacity to perform more powerful spells the lack of control at this level means that attempting to cast those spells will end in failure the overwhelming majority of the time.
Capacity:F-A
Capacity is the amount of mana a mage can store within their body. A higher capacity meaning a mage can cast more numerous or more powerful spells before needing to rest as casting spells causes mental fatigue. When a mage exhausts their capacity they'll usually pass out, though it is possible to stay awake through a monumental feat of willpower though not for very long. Furthermore, the more a mage depletes their capacity, the lower their ability to concentrate is and thus it is more likely for spells to fail when cast. Capacity is largely decided at birth, though hard work and practice can increase it somewhat.
To make this simpler I'm going to equate magic to exercise here, with larger scale/more complex spells being equal to more physically demanding exercise.
A - Olympic athlete/peak of physical condition. One of a small handful with the highest capacities in the city.
B - Professional athlete level, fantastic shape.
C - Someone who regularly works out 5+ days a week, very good shape.
D - Person who works out a few days a week, good shape.
E - Average person, decent shape.
F - Below average shape, gets tired very easily.
Note: Most non-mages fall at E-F within the rankings. Most mages will be at C-D with only the very powerful being at A-B.
Dampeners:
Formally known as Mana Array Dampeners or M.A.D., dampeners are devices designed to disrupt the formation of magical arrays and thus prevent the casting of spells. However, as the serve to disrupt the creation of the array they do little to prevent casting spells using physically formed arrays. Dampeners come in two main forms, Area dampeners and restraint models.
Area dampeners refer to both field generator models and single-use grenade forms. The generators work by producing a constant dampening field that decreases the efficiency of spellcasting, causing the mage to expend more mana as well as making spells harder to control. That being said, they serve only to make casting spells harder, but not impossible. Dampening grenades act in much the same way, except for the fact that the field they produce is very short lived, lasting for 10-15 seconds on average due to the fact that they cannot contain a large power source.
Restraint models on the other hand serve to block a single individual from using magic, though expert mages might be able to cast minor magic with effort. These usually come in the form of bulky hand or ankle cuffs and require a power source to stay active.
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