#ehlverse magic

[magic-is-something-we-create]

you had me there at flexing, ngl 😆😆. so how does it works in your universe?? also happy WBW.^^ (@enchanted-lightning-aes)

;alskdjf happy WBW to you, too!! thank you so much for the question <3

Okay, so: Flexing, while it has a name that has funny connotations irl, is this phenomenon in magic users of any kind that's triggered in life-or-death situations!!

It's similar to hysterical strength - essentially, the fight-or-flight response goes overboard in some situation, and causes one to react with much stronger magical ability than they are usually capable of. Taking some prominent examples from Firebreathers, this can mean a Plant mage turning herself into a tree to keep herself alive and defend someone she loves; or a Dark mage melding with the shadows around them to hide, or sending a psychic message to the people who can help them across a massive distance; or a Flesh mage raising a loved one from the dead in desperation.

Often, though, Flexing is super dangerous. Especially for Elementalists, like the examples above, because that particular magic saps your physical energy, even on a good, non-traumatizing day. With a Flex, you can end up going through several stages of dehydration, starvation, and sleep deprivation in the matter of minutes or seconds.

It's not very common for Flexers to survive the situation. The few who do are often never the same again, whether that means trauma (extremely likely) or gaining/awakening latent magics (rare af, can mean anything from someone learning they can Shift to an Elementalist of one type suddenly being able to use another)

Thank you again for the ask!!! I know it's not as funny as it sounded like it would be, so thank you for reading if you got this far!!! <3<3<3

[magic-is-something-we-create]

happy wb[redacted] aka answer at your own leisure!! i'd love to hear more about flexing and,,, prophecy (which i can only guess what it is) :D what do they look like/what do they do?? what does a person have to do for either of them?? how common is it??? are there any differing perceptions on either of them?? and if so, what are they?? hope your day is radiant~

;ALDKF;LASKFJ happy wb[redacted] to you, too!!! that made me crack up, thank you!! :D i have managed to resist minecraft thus far, but this might be the last answer before i go back to diamond mining 👀

ok so!! i got another ask about flexing, and i covered what it looks like/does there, but i'll go into more depth about it and prophecy here!!! :D

So, cool thing: these two things are extremely similar, and you actually have to do a Super Flex™ to start hearing the Echoes of Prophecy! Most people can't just. Super Flex, even in those life and death situations that regular Flexing is triggered in.

Basically: Prophecy tends to happen more intentionally, Flexing is an accident/fight-or-flight thing.

Flexing in and of itself is not very common at all; in the most stressful, dangerous parts of history, it was still maybe a one-in-a-thousand people kind of thing. Those who find themselves in battle more often will have more occurrences/encounters, of course, but that's not a lot of people in the Ehlverse. Prophecy is mostly kept to the Priestesses of Nimia and their research, so it's barely a blip in the overall population!

There are some different perceptions of them both, yes!! Prophecy is one of those things that's seen as holy and important - the Echoes were what warned everyone of the Great Decay, after all, and Prophecy is one of the few ways to speak to the Goddesses while still mortal.

On the other hand, Flexing is horrifying to the general population, because it's associated with bloodshed and a loss of control. Often, if someone survives Flexing, it'll be covered up as much as possible, and curious people will be told that they're just recovering from an illness. If someone dies, there's a lot of mourning, but a general aversion to trying to recover the body/give them a proper send-off, because the areas can be dangerous for days after.

Flexing is also a popular angst trope in in-world literature, though. And, well, in my books too :)

Thank you again for the ask!!! <3<3<3<3 i hope you have a splendid rest of your day!!!

[magic-is-something-we-create]

happy wbw!! seeing you do this again put a smile on my face, not gonna lie :) history in fantasy novels and worlds is always on my mind, so what are some of the well known historical events of the firebreathers world? (besides the eternal three effing everything up 1000 years prior to fb) how much of the history/culture of the other species is touched on in the book?

:D!! happy WBW to you too, Lila!!! im glad to be doing it again <3<3<3

also this got super long so i’m putting a read more in the middle :D

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Other than the Fall of Fahrial, there are a few historical references in Firebreathers, yes!

The most prominent ones outside of that tend to be in about other past Decays or Growths! If I remember correctly, the first mentioned is probably the Vocal Growth - which is the basis for their current calendar, fun fact! - which is what brought about a magical Common form of all languages, as well as introducing other linguistic magics (i.e. Calling) to the world. This was almost two full Cycles before Firebreathers (the year is ~3994 at the start), and was kind of known for being the first real opportunity for everyone everywhere to connect with people outside of their locality easily.

Another Growth that’s mentioned a lot was the Bloody Growth, which,,, is a bit of a scary name, fitting for the pretty scary magic brought with it. This was when humans were given Runic magic, and was the Growth before the Eternal Three!

Decays also have a lot of influence on the world and history, and as such, they tend to take a much bigger focus when the characters are in the areas that were affected. So, in Sieril, there’s a lot of reference to the Rillian Decay, which hit in the year 1000, and effectively reshaped Sieril from a prosperous, populated land, into one swarming with dangerous creatures and ruins of civilization. Even now, nearly 3000 years later, the Sharali are affected by the diseases introduced, and Sieril only has a few livable cities overall. (Veratrum has spearheaded aid efforts to help the Sharali during her reign, but due to the magical nature of a lot of the diseases, they’ve hardly made progress overall.)

Another Decay that’s brought up quite a bit is the one that happened before year 0 - I haven’t come up with a great name for it yet, but for now, I call it the Eqian Decay, after the continent it affected.

It’s a good idea here to note that there is no Eqia on the Ehlverse maps.

Now, between the eastern Maelands and Sieril, there’s a massive ocean that’s probably around the size of the Pacific, and Eqia used to be in that area, not terribly far from the Maelands, and ran from up near the southern reaches of Emarye, down beyond the far southern reaches of Deltierin.

[here’s the current map for reference]

[it would kind of look like a big gash across the upper right corner, and it would end down in the bottom left, and beyond the current map scale]

Eqia is where humans in the Ehlverse actually came from, though a few had made their way to the closest areas of the Maelands by the time the Decay struck. Which is good, because otherwise, there would be no more humans.

But it’s been so long since the Decay that there are very, very few surviving records of what Eqia was like. All we know is that thousands and thousands of years of human history is gone, as well as anything else that existed on the continent. Which, according to some of the scattered accounts, there were other entire empires and peoples that weren’t human. Gone with the continent, under the sea and mostly forgotten.

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;aslkdfj;sldfk i got really excited talking about the growths and decays, didn’t i? there are other historical references - mostly to people like activists, scholars, warriors, etc. that are important to the characters, but i do believe those are stories for another day! thank you so much again, lila <3<3<3

[magic-is-something-we-create]

Happy WBW from @norahammen! So with the decay that happens (or is supposed to happen) every hundred years in your firebreathers world, what does that look like? Is it limited to plantlife, or does it go beyond that? Are there some things that are immune to it?

Happy WBW, @norahammen!! Thank you for the ask!!!

So, the Decays in Firebreathers happen once every 2000 years, technically!! At least, they’re supposed to. The cycle of Decays and Growths switches between the two, once every 1000 years, and so far, they’ve taken different forms every time!

The latest Decay that actually went through as predicted happened ~3000 years before the story, and that one was called the Rillian Decay! It’s mostly remembered as taking the form of a plague that nearly wiped out the native inhabitants of Sieril - the Sharali - while leaving everyone and everything else completely unaffected. However, the Decay itself didn’t just hit the Sharali - it also caused a series of upsets in the local food chain, when some animals suddenly switched from being herbivorous and docile, to magically converting to carnivores.

That swap was, in it’s own way, a new form of magic, which are usually only ever introduced during Growths. It’s the Ehlverse’s equivalent of Vampires - kind of like rabies, in the first stages, but after the aggressive stage, teeth grow out further and become sharper, your body starts being unable to process solid foods, you’re more sensitive to UV rays, etc.

Needless to say, the animals that caught it were very confused, and became more hostile and dangerous the longer they went unable to satisfy their hunger. The entire ecosystem of Sieril changed, after that, and to this day, what once was a thriving continent of Ehlven and Sharali cities is now almost entirely too dangerous to settle, and the few communities of Ehlves that have survived have to safeguard the recovery of the Sharali.

Other Decays that have happened have come in the form of mass extinctions, massive natural or magical disasters, and the fading of magics that had been granted previously. A lot of the time, it’s all three - and a lot of the time, they specifically target an area/people/magic that the Goddesses have decided to get rid of, for whatever reason.

So far, there’s no way to prove one way or another what can be protected from Decays - that’s part of the reason tension in the world has been rising, since Tieling Evergreen essentially delayed a Decay that would’ve wiped out all magic. No one knows if he’s actually stopped it, or just pushed it back for a little while!

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Thank you again for the question!!!

[magic-is-something-we-create]

Happy Worldbuilding Wednesday! What's something your magic system CAN'T do?

Happy WBW to you, too, Raev!!! Thank you for the ask!!!

So, one of my favorite things about the Ehlverse is that it’s kind of become a way for me to work on my magic system building, and as a result, there are a bunch of magic systems that interact and fuck with each other all over the place!! So really, it depends on what magic you’re using!

For Elementalism, which is the most prominent magic system in Firebreathers, it mostly depends on how awake/energetic you are, and the borders between different elements! As a Fire Mage, if you’re too tired, you won’t be able to light your fireplace from across the room--though it might be easier if you’re touching the logs. But, as a Fire Mage, no matter how awake you are, you won’t be able to manipulate something like, say, magma, unless you are super skilled and also 100% sure it hasn’t started cooling! (Or, in the case that it has, that you’re working really well with an equally skilled Stone Mage)

And sometimes, with magics like Calling, it depends on which type you’re using, and how you’re trying to communicate!

While L-type Calling can magically translate any language to your own, it depends on you knowing that form of your language - so if you speak Mae, and someone is trying to talk to you in Rill, that will work, but unless you know your own form of sign language, you won’t be able to understand anyone else’s. Same goes for reading and braille.

M-type Calling is a kind of mild mind control - kind of like casting “suggestion” in D&D. For one thing, if you’re not subtle about it, it’s not going to work on anyone, regardless of their magical leaning or lack thereof. However, it also won’t work on:  - Mind Mages  - Sorcerers  - other Callers  - or, for whatever reason, Goblins

And with U-type Calling, while it may have brought about a Common Language, an interesting caveat to it is that it only works on Ehl. Which, y’know, most people won’t ever need to worry about, but it’s certainly something that will need to be figured out if anyone ever goes to space ;)

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Thank you again for the ask!!! I could go on and on about this stuff, but I’m also working on worldbuilding posts relating to the magic systems of Ehl currently, so I want to have at least some of those be a surprise!!

[magic-is-something-we-create]

Hellooo! :D happy WbW. What is a piece of worldbuilding that you haven't gotten to talk much about but that you could go on and on about for hours? Tell us about it!

Happy WBW!! thank you for the ask!!! this got super long holy hell

One of the things I haven’t gotten to talk much about on here is the various magic systems on Ehl!! I’ve talked a little bit about Elementalism, but I think that and Sorcery are the only ones I’ve really explained at all? So I’ll just do a quick list here of the different magic systems!!!!

Quick TW: blood is mentioned frequently in the RUNES and ALCHEMY/ENCHANTMENT sections behind the cut

Elementalism: Think Avatar bending, but more specific, and literally every Ehlf can do it to some capacity. Also theres no avatar, they’re all just stuck with one type from birth. The types are: Fire, Stone, Water, Air, Plant, Flesh (Healer), Metal, Electric (Light), and Mind (Dark). (Sidenote: Dark Mages have a lot of unwarranted stigma attached to them, and that in and of itself is a major factor in why the Firebreathers started.)

Sorcery: Really advanced illusion magic, that doesn’t only target sight, but literally any or all of your senses, depending on the strength of the Sorcerer. It’s legendary for fucking with your perception of reality. The main religion of Emarye (yet to be named) believes that all of reality is just an affect of Sorcery, and only in death will you get to participate in True Reality. About 1 in 30 Emaryans develop it in their teens, and probably 1 in every 1000 develop it as toddlers.

Runes: Think blood magic, but like, instead of making a deal with the devil or whatever, painting certain shapes (called Runes) can change how time and space affect the target. These Runes can also be directly carved into one’s skin, but they tend to bleed faster than normal cuts, and as such, are dangerous to invoke. Technically, every Human has blood that’s useful for Runes, but not everyone likes doing it, and it takes a pretty high pain tolerance if you want/need to do it on the fly.

Alchemy/Enchantment: Similar to Runes, but more science-y, and it makes use of lots of different kinds of blood. Say you want a potion that will stop you from getting burned; you’re gonna need some Drenn or dragon blood, blood of a Healer Elementalist, a few binding agents, and a SHIT ton of patience and creativity. Enchantments are similar in terms of ingredients, but you apply it to an object, instead of drinking it, and they usually last longer than potions.

The Forges: Basically a magical smithy in Glittergale, run and protected by Dwarves. It allows all kinds of alloys to be made that wouldn’t work, usually, and imbues the metal with magical properties, such as never dulling, if used as a blade. The Dwarves are very selective about who gets to use them, and who is allowed to learn how. This has caused some tense relations with other peoples, who want desperately to have access to such weapons and/or devices.

Calling Type M: So, there are a few types of Calling, as it’s a catch-all term for any linguistic magic. Type M is Manipulative, meaning that people who have and use it can influence others to do things they otherwise wouldn’t. Sirens are the most well-known for having a genetic tendency for this type, though about 1 in 200 people have it overall. (Sidenote: Ember has Type M Calling, but has moral qualms with using it. Yes, it comes up multiple times in F/irebreathers.)

Calling Type L: Type L Calling is Language. Essentially, when one consciously uses this form of Calling, anyone and anything can understand them, regardless of language barriers. This works verbally, with gestures, or with writing. Fairies are known to have a genetic inclination to this form, though about 1 in 50 people have it overall. (Sidenote: Ozzie has this type, but when he asks for help from Ember with it, Ember assumes he has Type M. This also comes up as a running gag for a while.)

Calling Type W: This one is Worldwide. It’s where Common Tongue came from, and any sentient species can understand and use it, without having to learn it first. However, said person has to know at least one language fluently; Common mimics one’s own language when encountered.

Lesser Shifting: So, the names for Lesser and Greater Shifting are a little confusing. Lesser Shifting is the ability to completely Shapeshift almost at-will; the only restraints are one’s pain tolerance and amount of sleep had beforehand. About 1 in every 100 people worldwide have this type.

Greater Shifting/Blending: Greater Shifting, on the other hand, is the ability to fine-tune your shapeshifting, and can be achieved through practice. However, Mikrona are naturally-occuring Greater Shifters. They call the ability Blending, and it holds HUGE religious importance for them. It’s encouraged to use it constantly, to create a closer bond with the nature around you, so lots of Mikrona have near-constant changing skin patterns and other minor features.

Botany: This one is a healing type of magic that depends on the plants of Sieril. Rather than healing physical injuries, though, a Botany ritual will cure someone of any diseases or infections they have developed. The rituals depend on specific, rare plants, and good timing with the moon + stars, and always take place at night. This magic is pretty much the entire reason only 98% of the Sharali died in the Day Plague, rather than running them to extinction.

Worldly Magic: Finally, this is the magic of Ehl itself, the Growths and Decays, and the Echoes of Prophecy. It’s basically the creator of all of the other magics, as well as almost every other living thing on Ehl, and it’s what people tap into during adrenaline rushes. The Priestesses of Nimia are able to use it to incur Prophecies for guidance, as well. In Mayhism, it is thought to be the manifestation of the goddess of magic, Venn.

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PHEW that was a lot ;alskjfa;sldkf 

I get very excited about my magic systems, if you can’t tell 😅

Also this is v relevant to Ehl itself so:

Ehlverse Taglist:

@charles-joseph-writes : @adaparkwrites : @vioaeon

[magic-is-something-we-create]

Hello! Happy WBW! For any of your WIPs: what is one aspect of worldbuilding you're particularly proud of?

a;lfdkja;sdlfkj thank you asena!! i just saw this ;alskdfa;sflkj

I’m always really proud of my magic systems! Ehl has been a really fun way to practice building those, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job!! I’ve listed most of the different distinct types on Ehl in a previous WBW ask, but!!! I haven’t really talked about the nuances and types of worldly magic that exist!!

So, the Worldly Magic of Ehl is most commonly seen as the source of the Millennium Cycle (more info here), which is basically a cycle where, every thousand years, either a Growth (creation of a magic/people/species/etc) or a Decay (extinction of a magic/people/species/etc) happens in an instant, and it’s one of the most important things both in Ehlverse lore, as well as in the world’s cultures themselves.

However, Worldly Magic is responsible for so much more than just the Cycle. 

For one, it’s what the Priestesses of Nimia tap into when incurring Prophecies, and that is just a well-trained use of Flexing (a little more on that at the bottom of this post), which is another way people can harness the Worldly Magic. 

There’s also this concept called Death Circles on Ehl, which kind of take the place of the necromancy I was going to include in the early stages of the world - basically, whenever someone or something dies, Ehl herself will hold onto their memory in a specific area around where they died. How long the memory is held, and how big of a space it occupies, depends on two things: how many people were killed in that spot at once, and how horrific their death was.

If you’ve read about the Ruins of Fahrial on here before, you can probably see where this is going a;lsfja;sldfkj

The Ruins of Fahrial are home to the biggest Death Circle ever recorded - of course, because 50,000 people were killed there in minutes - and not only that, but it’s still there, almost 1000 years later.

What does this mean for the living? Basically, the whole area is “haunted”, in a slightly weird sense. Anyone can encounter the Echoes of the people who died in the smite, and kind of witness what their life was like, for a few seconds - but anyone who has ever known someone who is now dead can find that someone there, too. It might take a while of hanging out in the ruins; spirits can only travel from their death point at their walking speed during life. But if you stay there long enough, you might be able to see them again.

The Worldly Magic is responsible for a lot of time-related things, really. I’ll probably delve into more of them in a later post, just so I have more things to talk about then, haha.

Thank you again for the ask!! I hope you don’t mind others being tagged in this, too, cause I figure it’s a good one for the worldbuilding taglist!

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Ehlverse Worldbuilding Taglist:

@charles-joseph-writes : @adaparkwrites : @dioramic : @linariouswrites : @violetcancerian : @apricotwrites 

[magic-is-something-we-create]

Happy WBW from writingamongthecoloredroses! What festivals does your world have, besides/if not Pride?

thank you for the awesome ask, @writingamongthecoloredroses!!!

There.... isn’t really a concept of Pride on Ehl? Gender and sexuality are pretty fluid almost everywhere, and those places where they aren’t are still much better than the real world, so there hasn’t ever been much need to protest/riot on behalf of the LGBT community, so I doubt it would have ever started.

However, there are definitely a few other festivals, especially in places that are primarily Mayhist!! Mayhism is one HELL of a celebration-savvy religion.

The first example we see in Firebreathers is the Festival of Magic, which is held in Aree every year starting in the beginning of summer, and lasts for about 3 months, usually ending once the Godwoods’ leaves start turning. It’s a very important celebration, both in terms of religious relevance, and also in the fact that it’s one of Aree’s biggest tourism moneymakers. 

The Festival of Magic consists of a night market filled with local artisans, creators, and smiths of all kinds, a weekly firework show, nightly Central City Circus performances, and magical entertainment of all kinds. Masters are invited to perform weekly, showing off their skills and the possibilities of magic. Libraries often show off their textbook collections on the machinations of magic, summer camps and school extracurriculars educate kids about all the different ways magic can manifest, and local temples are full to the brim with Venn’s Priestesses and followers.

Another interesting note: due to the nature of this month-long holiday, most protests in favor of Dark Mage rights happen during the festival. The common talking point of the nature of magic is really helpful in getting the point across to the public.

Worldbuilding taglist:

@charles-joseph-writes ; @adaparkwrites ; @vioaeon

(since it relates to Firebreathers pretty heavily; also, Mayhism and the Dark Mage rights movement are big pieces in that story)