Haelda's World

A blog created to share the lore of my character Haelda, and her world. I post art, both my own and commissions, along with writing, and every now and again Haelda might answer a question or two for you guys.

[haeldaaquila]

Magic

Magic is a strange, peculiar force. Not everyone can harness it, and certain races have a stronger affinity for certain magic types, or even magic as a whole.

Magic is generally contained to the 6 elements of the world. Earth, Ocean, Sky, Tectonic, Life and Death. Each of those magic types is used in certain ways, and has it’s own rules.

Earth magic is strong, stubborn and difficult to control. Young Earth magic users are especially prone to injury, as they haven’t yet learnt how to work with the stubbornness. This magic focuses on earthly materials such as dirt, rocks, metals and ores. Earth magic is typically used in herbalism, smelting and mining. Excellent Earth mages can detect precious metals and minerals that would otherwise have gone overlooked. Norfolk are very adept at this magic, and Aevery are the worst.

Ocean magic is flowing. This is the easiest to control, and is often underestimated, considered a beginner’s element. However, masterful Ocean mages could make the strongest of any element quake in their boots. This magic focuses on anything water-related. From puddles and rain to massive icebergs. This magic, when combined with Life magic, is great for healing. Merfolk are the best at this.

Sky magic is graceful and ethereal. This is the magic of the air and wind. Combined with Ocean magic, it can create thunderous tempests and storms. Sky magic requires a lot of concentration to learn, and many give up along the way, but once learnt it can be mastered in months, even weeks. This magic is favoured by performers, who use it to their advantage. Chirichs and Aevery are the best at this, with Dragons coming in close. It is very rare for a Norfolk or Merfolk to learn this magic at all, let alone be much good at it.

Tectonic is the magic of fire and lava and spewing volcanoes. While not difficult to learn, even a seasoned master can have trouble controlling it’s unpredictable nature. This magic is at it’s strongest when combined with Earth magic, and the two complement each other well. Dragons are the masters of this, far above any others.

Life magic is that of the plants, the animals, and all that breathes and lives. This magic is rare but highly revered for it’s healing ability. Life mages are often dragged into wars, healing the injured for little in return. More frequently Life mages help in famine and poverty, helping entire farms return from the brink of death. Unlike the four major elements Life (and Death) magic is not learnt, but one is born with it. And unlike the elemental magic, every race has an equal affinity and chance to be born with it.

Death magic is the rarest, and has a nasty reputation. It is the magic of decay, illness, poison and death. This is the magic most desired by cults and assassins for various nefarious means. However, being born with Death magic is not a sentence to a life of evil. Death magic is just as useful as Life magic in healing. Life mages can only heal what they know is there. Death mages have the unique ability to detect hidden illnesses, cancers and other secret ailments before their symptoms reveal themselves. For many, this is what saves them. Most folk are only likely to ever meet a Death mage a few times in their life, and usually only in hospitals and care centers.

[haeldaaquila]

Dragon These are the biggest of all races, and easily the most diverse. They take on many different shapes and sizes, and considering the most adept dragons can shape-shift, there's no end to their uniqueness. They can be as small as a Chirich, and the oldest can even be as big as mountains. However, most are modest in size, more similar to a large house. Their hides can be furred, feathered or scaled, their wings like birds or like bats. They can have horns of fantastical shapes, and ears like rabbits. Dragons are perhaps the most in-tune with the world's magic, aside from the Chirichs. They channel this through their magical breath, which takes form in various different ways. Norfolk This is the rarest race. Many inhabitants of this world can go their entire life without seeing a Norfolk. Some even think they're a myth. However they are very much real, just tend to live in solitude deep within the mountains. They are large creatures, and can get up to 20ft tall. Their hides are very thick, frequently covered in large plated scales. They often look quite similar, with most of the variation being in the size of their crests and colouring/pattern of their hide. The crest on their head follows the same basic formula: a large but flexible horn, with thick membrane that curves around their jaw. On their back is another set of crests, like fins, perhaps a remnant of the wings they once had as dragons. These can be various different sizes and shapes. They have powerful hind legs, strong ripping claws and a short, stout tail that helps them keep balanced. Merfolk The most easy-going and carefree race, a party is never a party until merfolk are involved. The morphology of merfolk is largely dependent on where they're from. Reef merfolk are bright and colourful, with exaggerated showy fins. River merfolk tend to look a bit more drab, and are streamlined to fit with the powerful river current. Deepsea merfolk.... well, let's just say it's a good thing they're not seen very often. The structure of their crests is very similar to that of Norfolk, however they have even more variation due to the wide range of habitats they're adapted to.

Beastchild Beastchildren are the most common of all races, even more so than the Aevery. They have a general humanoid body plan, however there are certain features that each type has which relates to a particular animal. These are as follows. Deer/moose: antlers, dusky dappled skin, short fluffed tail, cloven hooves for feet (think satyr), large dearish ears. Wolf/fox: Canine ears, large fluffed tail, large claws and/or fangs, sometimes whiskers. Bear: very tall, small round ears, tailless, massive hands and claws. Squirrel: small, tufted ears and massive fluffy tail, round cheeks. Bovine (cows, oxen etc): Large ears, horns, cloven hooves, cow tail. Tiger/lion/cheetah etc: you get the gist just. cat ears, cat tail. lions got manes, cheetahs are fast etc. Beastchildren also have specific family lines which are held above all others. They are revered for the magical potency and exotic looks. For example, a foxchild from one of these lines may have several tails and larger ears. A deerchild from one of these lines will have massive antlers and extra sharp senses. Aevery Small and dainty, this race is highly adaptive. Much like Beastchildren, they have a particular body structure which is echo'd throughout. A humanoid frame, bird wings, bird tail, and a crest of feathers just behind their ears (which is an internal ear like birds have, not external like humans). The crest is highly expressive and it one of the key ways they dictate emotion when not talking. The tail and wings are adapted to flight. They weight even less than you'd think, due to the hollow bones and light frame needed to fly. They all share similarities to real world birds, with the family name being based off of the scientific name for that bird. 

Chirich Lastly, these little ones! They're the cheekiest and most magical, known for tricks and antics. They're much like the fairies and fae of real-world lore, however these take the form of tiny harpies with large moth-like antennae. They're very colourful, with plumage often similar to moths and butterflies. Instead of hair, they have soft layered feathers which, at first glance, give the appearance of hair.

[haeldaaquila]

Welcome to Chirik

This world is one of fantasy and magic. This is the world of the protagonist and main character of this blog, Haelda Aquila.

There six intelligent races that live on this world. Aevery folk, the bird-like humanoids with claim to the largest continent of this world. The beastchildren, beast-like humanoids with peculiar hierarchies. Chirichs, a fae race, seemingly related to Aeveries who inhabit every forest you walk through. Dragons, the mightiest and wisest of all the intelligent species. Merfolk, the watery cousins of the dragons who inhabit the oceans blue. And the Norfolk, the rarely seen cousins of the merfolk and dragons, giants who live in solitary in the mountains.