#ausaia

[theempireofsnow]

WBJ Day 8: Magic

Ah yes, magic. The backbone of Ausaia. Magic in Ausaia is said to come from three sources: dragons, faeries, and Jolajaks.

Dragon magic is said to be the most ancient and powerful magic in the world. It can manifest itself as powers summoned by will alone, or powerful incantations preformed with song and dance. Abilities include shapeshifting, elemental magic, telekinesis, shadow manipulation, telepathy, healing, and even creating life from natural materials such as rocks, water, soil, and gems. Another part of dragon magic is the delicate yet powerful force known as the Balance, which is said to be the force behind all life. Dragons were said to be the only ones to be trusted with maintaining this force by manipulating the forces of the Balance itself. To many, the Balance is rather difficult to explain. It can be defined as the holy light created when all four elements combine. It can be defined as the convergence of light with darkness, which only dragons can handle without being corrupted. That isn’t to say many haven’t tried.

One such individual was Shunakra. Born a human man in Hyriam, he wanted the power of the dragons for himself. So, he journeyed to Hydryr, and asked for the dragons to share some wisdom with him. One did, granting him with the powers of the four elements, shapeshifting, creating life, and the ability to share those powers. However, the dragon insisted that these powers must be shared, for too much power can corrupt a single individual.

Shunakra did share his powers with four individuals: a scholar, a naval trader named, a soldier, and an actress. The scholar was granted the gift of earth manipulation, and became Pheolo, the god of earth. The trader was granted the gift of water manipulation and became Iriela, the goddess of water. The soldier was granted the gift of wind manipulation, and became Yinurru, the god of air. Finally, the actress was granted the gift of fire manipulation and became Ahzuke, the goddess of fire. Yet Shunakra kept the light for himself, and over time became corrupted in the darkness that consumed him. The dragons regard him and the gods of Hyriam as their biggest failure.

Faerie magic is different. Most of it consists of spells, cast by uttering a word in the various languages of the faeries. Quite a bit of faerie magic has something to do with nature, although some prefer to use their talents to craft armor and weaponry.

Jolajak magic is widely sought out by many. The crystals of these creatures contain many magical properties including prosperity, luck, sensuality, creativity, courage, strength, motivation, and many more. They only have to be worn to work, which is why many are imbedded in the armor of Ausaian felines. No one knows exactly why Jolajak magic works like this, yet they exploit the magic like nothing else.

[theempireofsnow]

WBJ Day 7: Technology

This one’s probably going to be the shortest post of them all because...well...they’re animals. They don’t really use technology. Not even the dragons. Magic and/or natural attributes are kinda the driving force of these societies. They can kinda use the rocks and plants to their advantage, but again, magic.

I suppose there is some technology in Ausaia. The faerie smiths living in the volcanoes do have some tech that they use to create armor and weaponry and stuff. But then again, a lot of magic does factor into that.

The humans who once lived were pretty medieval-level in terms of technology. They had carts, carriages, ships, wheels, and that sort of thing.

[theempireofsnow]

WBJ Day 3: Races

My story and my world focuses mostly on real-life animals. Namely, animals from the Canidae, Felidae, and Hyaenidae (sp?) families.

First of all, hyenas. While they don’t play too major a role, they’re still very common throughout both Imenia and Ausaia. They have a very unique, matriarchal culture and society and, just like on Earth, they live in clans of up to eighty, usually sharing territory of the feline kingdoms. Typically, they keep to themselves and don’t bother the felines, especially since these felines can call upon reinforcements and pretty soon, the hyenas would be facing an entire army. While highly spiritual, these clans prefer not to dabble in magic.

Real-life canids really only exist in Vorunia. However, there is no shortage of them! They live in small packs of varying species amongst the human ruins. In fact, there is a unique breed of wolf hybrid living in Steimar. Called the Steimarian Ardire wolves (or just Steimarians), these are Arctic wolves bred with direwolves to create a gigantic furry beast. They were once used as guard animals by the Steimarian people, but they lived on their own ever since the humans died out. Back to real-life canids, though! Many also make their homes in the Chiambe, living mostly solitary lives and sometimes intermingling amongst the felines. However, in Vorunia, they have no idea that the felines exist. In fact, some canine cults have formed along the borders of the Chiambe that worship the mysterious creatures with the beautiful spots, stripes, and voices of thunder.

Speaking of such, felids are pretty much the dominant species group in both Imenia (minus Vorunia) and Ausaia. Their kingdoms are complex, some Ausaians dabble in magic, and any other animals know to stay the hell out of their way. While the kingdoms in Ellerin really only contain the cats you’d expect to see in that particular environment (snow leopards in Nenisr, jaguars in Iroteil, cheetahs in Lissabi, etc), the kingdoms in Ausaia are much more diverse, and hybrid species such as ligers are much more common. However, the felines are practically unaware of the canines beyond the Chiambe, and believe that wolves and other canids are just a myth. Unlike the canids, they never lived amongst humanoids, so no human ruins can be found in their territories. In fact, even the most pretentious of Chanolians, the most militaristic of Lissabians, and the toughest of Nenisians would freak out at the sight of a human. What’s pretty unique, though, is that the different species of feline actually live and work together. For example, while lions would try to kill cheetahs in real life, in an Imenian or Ausaian kingdom, it would be quite normal for lions and cheetahs to be best buds (in fact, the great Queen Kisarae, a cheetah, had a lioness named Lady Iura as a loyal general and bodyguard).