#other lore

[floraluniversal]

|| If Stephanie likes you, she will most definitely draw you in her sketchbook at some point and show you excitedly. She's done multiple drawings and paintings of her sister Ember and her friends Ash and Icy and she would love to do more.

If Stephanie is into you, she will probably sketch you a bit more than she usually would. Super detailed pencil portraits, little doodles surrounded by hearts next to her other sketches... She will get extremely protective of her sketchbook because she's an embarrassing school girl in private when she has a crush AND YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SEE THAT. ||

[kruber]

high resolution warrior priest ultimate book rips from unyielding blessing, united in prayer, and comet’s gift

(credit: u/mynameryn on reddit)

[ask-crimson-fatalis]

The Kingdom of Schrade

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O4zbZ0Px9AKw-bCu4kJwv2-ju58h9GvyfU67a_Bg4HM/edit?usp=sharing

A little bit different than my normal monster hunter ecologies, this is a noncannonical idea of what might’ve happened to the Kingdom of Schrade, the nation that was plunged into darkness by the legendary elder dragon, Fatalis.

[floraluniversal]

So, what in the world even is a universal?

In Stephanie's world, everything is alive, to be alive is to hold magic, to lack magic is to decay. Life is a scale of magical vibration too subtle to be felt by most, but important enough to determine its form (raw magical energy is the highest possible vibrational frequency and can actually be felt by all living creatures. If excited by enough vibration all other physical states can be changed into raw energy).

Simpler forms of existence such as plants, stones, soil, water, or clouds are only amalgates of magical energy at lower frequencies, they can contain mixtures of different frequencies, but not quite as many. However, more complex forms of existence, animals or humans, could be made up of millions of such differing frequencies, which makes them require a core - the soul - to continuously release only a specific amount of magical energy and regulate the vibration - thus regulate the body's natural processes.

The soul is a receptacle for the magical energy given to the living by the Goddesses from their own Celestial souls, which unlike other souls contain seemingly endless energy. Most souls are only locked into one element based on which Goddess gave their magic to create it, but all non-Celestial souls have the potential to unlock access to other elements through years of forming a connection to the desired element through study (which could take decades and even then you would never be as proficient as a soul who was born under said element).

Universals are humans who have all these connections formed by the Goddesses themselves upon developing usable magic through a curse. Their potential for learning other elements is nearly the same as for learning their birth element, as is their highest potential proficiency.

But why would the Goddesses do this?

Over a thousand years ago, the Celestials could feel their connection to the world they created wane through unknown interference, they were slowly losing the ability to affect things directly other than the creation of souls and lost their ability to traverse into the mortal realm.

Before the Celestial Disconnect, the world of Planea never experienced natural disasters. There were no earthquakes, no volcanic erruptions, no tsunamis, no tornadoes, because the Goddesses were able to keep all the frequencies of simpler forms of life in check and prevent them from shifting out of control. With the Goddesses gone, there was no one to correct the imbalances when they arose, which is why they created the universal. As their ability to affect souls was the only thing to remain after the Disconnect, they could spirit individuals into the Celestial realm and grant them their gift.

Universals were given the ability to connect with all elements to continue maintaining the balance and protect other humans from beast and each other alike. They were made difficult to kill, given extended lifespans, the ability for their bodies to fix themselves without manual effort, the ability for their usable magic to function on its own when unconscious and stimulated with enough adrenaline in order to protect their bodies, but that was not all.

Through the universal curse, adult universals become naturally attracted to sites of unnatural activity, desiring to get closer without understanding the reason themselves. When in the eye of the storm of a natural disaster, their own will is overriden by the will of the Goddesses - stop the disaster or die trying.

Universals were meant to be the final gift to humanity from the Celestials, their protectors in the Goddesses' absence, but humans fearing what they did not understand turned on them instead, learning to exploit their abilities, turn them against themselves, in order to kill them. They were misled to believe the universals were the source of the world's newfound misery.

[floraluniversal]

Death and The Boundary

Death is a being of indeterminate true form, a creature that occupies every single space and moment at once, every single plane of existence, every single world, timeline and reality, yet only makes its presence known in one layer of existence - The Boundary. Death serves as a shepherd of lost souls, the deceased and those close to death leading them to their final resting place or the next stage of being.

Most of the confirmed information we have on Death either came from the Goddesses or Death itself.

We do not know how Death came into this or any other world. Before the celestial abandonment, the Goddesses confirmed that they did not create Death and do not have any control over it, but that it seems to have influence over all layers of existence. We do not know the full extent of its power and we do not know whether it came to dwell in the Boundary or whether it created it.

Some of the powers Death posseses include:

Omnipresence - Death seems to be a constant observer of the mortal realm and possibly all other realms. Its eternal presence makes it aware of all on-goings and gives it close knowledge of every individual. Despite its endless knowledge, Death chooses to keep most information to itself, only sharing things a soul already knows or the rare fact explaining its own being.

Crossing between layers of existence - Death is capable of crossing and carrying souls across all known layers of existence. It is possible that if further layers exist, it may be able to carry souls across into the unknown. The only other known beings with an ability similar to this are the Goddesses themselves, who can bring souls to the Celestial realm.

Healing - Death is a being capable of healing any wound or illness of the living, but only preforms this action rarely. Based on the reports of near-death scenario survivors - Death has revealed itself to them and offered them a second chance at life before they woke up. This ability explains tales of miraculous recoveries and unbeliavable survival stories. It is unknown what criteria Death uses to choose who gets a second chance, but it is generally understood that it does not offer healing to creatures who are beyond saving - for example, in case of beheadings. It has been reported that the choice was presented to them in the form a handshake - offering eternal peace if it's bony hand is taken, and offering another chance at life if its flesh hand is taken.

Illusions - as a being of incomprehensible form, Death is a master of illusion, capable to present itself in a form that the dying individual will find most easy to understand or the most comforting. The form it takes on can also be influenced by cultural backgrounds, leading to differing depictions of Death between different nations. It is possible Death can also take on the appearances and voices of our closest loved ones to bring us final comfort or forgiveness. Death is also capable to use its power of illusion to create "death dreams" for dying individuals, bringing them peace in their last moments.

Empathy - Death's most unusual power is its remarkable ability for empathy. Despite its omnipresence and knowledge of every evil in the world, it still chooses to treat every soul it carries with kindness, warmth, and as a friend. Death is capable of making every soul who has done great wrong in life understand what path led them to their choices and eventually guide them towards self-forgiveness. How long this process of healing and forgiveness takes does not depend on the amount of wrong done by the soul, but on the individual soul, how much they resist or deny, and their perspective of their life. It has also been reported that Death has helped talk individuals out of taking their lives and there were many survivor accounts of Death offering comfort or even crying for their fates.

The Boundary

The realm Death occupies is called The Boundary. The Boundary is a layer of reality that encompasses the mortal realm. Its appearance seems to be very subjective as most accounts differ - Some people describe it as a desolate and cold place, some describe it as a sunny paradise and some describe being within The Boundary as being in the mortal realm, but existing outside of your body.

The only detail shared by all accounts is the presence of thin silky thread covering great amounts of the realm, starting at the soul of each living thing, stretching out before disappearing into an uknown place - these are believed to be threads of fate. The Boundary is the first layer of existence where these threads become visible. It is unknown where they lead or what they stem from, but most humans are incapable of reading their contents. It is impossible for both the living and spirits to affect them through touch or magic. Some threads have been observed to split into multiple different ones or lead to multiple different individuals.

The boundary is the only layer of existence that can be fully observed by living beings without the intervention of non-mortal forces. Either through spiritual power, curse, near-death experiences, illness, or through dreams. It is theorised that humans are able to glance into the Boundary during sleep as most of the processes in their body slow, bringing them as close as possible to a death state while still alive.

Due to the fleeting time the living can spend in the Boundary, it is not known what other beings occupy this realm. It is reported that Misfortune Weavers roam the Boundary, but other creatures residing in this mysterious place continue to only be a thing of legend and theory.

Both Death and the Boundary continue to confuse researchers all across Planea, their purpose, origin and extent of power may never be fully comprehended by living beings. Perhaps it was never meant to be understood.

[floraluniversal]

The Misfortune Weavers

Misfortune weavers are tall and thin humanoid-appearing creatures with no eyes, decayed greyish skin, holding an empty intricately carved spindle made of bone. These creatures are allegedly invisible to most people, only revealing themselves to powerful spiritualists and to their victims in their dreams.

These beings have not yet been fully confirmed as real, but they have been theorised to exist since the beginnings of time, however, their presence has only been more commonly reported after contact with the goddesses was lost. Due to this, their origin may never be fully explained, but the most accepted theory is that they come into existence when the lingering magic shed from the souls of the deceased is combined with feelings of extreme resentment, envy, or even loneliness.

Misfortune Weavers seem to be creatures that exist only on the Boundary layer of reality, the home of Death, that gain access to the mortal realm through threads of fate. They are parasitic creatures that will latch onto a thread, sever it from its original fate and wind it onto its spindle to keep itself alive. Due to the negative feelings these creatures stem from, the individual they latch onto will come to experience great misfortune in every aspect of their life. If the Weaver is not removed by a spiritualist, it is very likely the affected individual will die by accident, of unknown illness, be murdered, or if they endure the influence of a Weaver for too long, take their own life.

A Misfortune Weaver can only affect a single person at a time and it is believed that an affected individual dies only once the entire thread of fate has been wound onto its spindle. Based on the sightings of spiritualists and the victims in their dreams, Weavers posses four long skinny arms to help them spin the thread easier. They cannot communicate, have no physical needs such as hunger, thirst, or rest. Based on all accounts, they are not sapient and cannot be reasoned with or dissuaded.

It is theorised that Weavers can be seen in dreams of the affected because all the processes of a living body slow down during sleep, unknowingly bringing individuals the closest they can be to the Boundary while alive, where they can be spotted by the Weavers.

High level spiritualists are allegedly capable of pacifying the feelings that created the Weaver in the first place, causing them to dissipate. It is not known if exposure to a Weaver has any affect on one's fate or expected lifespan after pacification.

Due to the difficulty of identifying victims, low amount of spirtual elementals strong enough to deal with Weavers, and inability to validate their sightings on a wider level, it is unknown if the Alliance will ever be able to confirm them as real.

[floraluniversal]

|| Hunters are an elite squad of warriors employed directly under the Alliance with the sole task of erradicating the " universal threat ".

They are often sold into the Hunter training program as children of poor families, as once a Hunter is trained and active, they as well as their family get a generous stipend from the Alliance for the entirety of their lives, even once there are no longer any known whereabouts of living universals left. This position also comes with a great amount of societal respect and adoration in most nations and the program is seen as a great way to set a family up for life in the future while alleviating the current financial burden. Of course, not every child makes it through training, be it through failing or losing their lives in the process.

Most hunters are often trained to wield multiple types of weapon, but their ambushes are usually not strength-based. They seldom use magic in their hunts, because their goal is not to overpower their pray and subdue it right away, their goal is to outlast it, drain it of energy and magic to disable the healing reflex making them easier to kill/capture. They are trained to engage in strenuous physical activity for days on end and rely on their supply of magic to keep them awake. Due to this there are often weeks long breaks between individual Hunters' hunts due to the amount of time it takes to recover from the endeavour. As their power is endurance based, they will often retreat if posed with a stronger opponent.

Stronger and more skilled hunters almost never work in groups, stalking their pray on their own in order to not have to split the bounty received after the killing. Weaker hunters will often group up to overwhelm the fleeing universal, but rarely manage to actually kill/capture one. Weaker groups of hunters most often serve as scouts across the Alliance territory, seeking out info about possible universal sightings, investigating reports, confirming locations, and counting the number of universals left, as well as assessing their age and estimated danger level. Stronger hunters will only group up if a universal's danger level is deemed to warrant such teamwork, however, in those cases the bounty placed on their head will reflect this.

Even when scouts are unlikely to take a universal down, they will still attack upon sighting for the sole purpose of breaking the "creature" down mentally.

Hunters get paid more if they bring in a universal alive for the sake of holding a public trial and execution, however, this very rarely happens.

Hunters struggle against targets who have protectors and a place to hunker down as their greatest asset is chasing universals out in the wilderness. There is a small group of strength-based hunters set aside for the task of infiltrating such places or taking out the universal's protectors. Strength-based hunters kill their pray by pinning it down with a heavy injury via the pain from the healing reflex and whittling down their magic with continuous attacks until they can no longer heal themselves. At this point the hunter will deliver the final blow, usually severing the head to ensure there is no chance of the universal surviving. This process could take hours depending on how much magic the target possesses. In most cases the head is then turned in to the Alliance for the bounty.

Hunters tend to retire after about 10 years of service due to the intensity of their continuous training and work. ||