Aqualon World Updates

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Featured Novel

The Storm Winds of Glazglubin


Storm Winds of Glazglubin Cover

"There's a monster in every man, boy. Within me, there is a host, and one day, it'll be yours to command." Too often these days, Kenji's mind turns to the words of his accursed father. When he fled the Old Country, he thought he had left the monsters behind, but now he sees them every day in the eyes of his friend and mentor. His world is about to crumble in a spasm of eldritch magic, and though he can see the face of his undoing so clearly in his nightmares, deep down, he knows that the first blow has already been struck.
As the tendrils of a soul plague lay claim on Aqualon's oldest and most powerful magocracy, the Lord of Wind, Kenji Sokolow, is cast down from his high tower, pressed to rally whatever forces he can find. But first, he has to survive...

Featured Short Story

The Black Priest of Rastrowel


Black Priest of Rastrowel Cover

A gripping short story from the life of Lyn, a young girl in the care of two HJT Ferries, ships mages for hire, which operate from their office on the island of Rastrowel, the highly religious birth place of the Church of Pure Souls.

Faced with prejudice against mages every day, Lyn's winning personality and innocence keep her well within the good graces of her peers, until a Black Priest, an inquisitor of the Church takes notice of her...

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A Synopsis of the World

Seventeen centuries of peace have allowed the people of Aqualon to flourish. Since the Great War, now known as the Age of Heroes, when the Old Gods rose up once more in vain, the world has become prosperous: powerful magocracies in the Middle Lands are going through a magical industrial revolution and rich tapestries of cultures flourish in the Yamato Mountain Range and the Seventeen Yonder Islands. These lie in the Corsic Ocean of the Ocean Belt beyond the 150 kilometer band of iron, the Iron Belt, which rings the planet around its equator.

And isolated from the rest: two technocracies so far beyond them that they could be thought to live in a world of their own. They are divided by their opposing views on integrating magic and technology, yet united in their quest for knowledge.

But who would have thought that none of these would start the next great war?
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Browse Aqualon's countless lore articles below: Fantasy, Scifi, Horror, Mystery; there is enough to suit any palate and sate any appetite.

Water Magic

Schools of Elemental Magic
Generic article | Sep 26, 2020

Of the various types of magic on Aqualon, elemental magic is the easiest to attain and the most prolific kind across the globe. There are five sub-types of elemental magic: Water, Fire, Lightning, Earth, and Wind, each with its own schools. (721 Words)

Like all kinds of elemental magic, water magic taps into Keeper Magic by way of an ur-soul: The ur-soul of water.   Present throughout Aqualon's history, Old World and New World, water magic was especially well-understood by the Maoloaiya and the followers of Efalla. Those who ventured across the Ocean Belt learned quickly to understand and harmonize with the water.   The art began to gather momentum in the Great Land with the advent of ur-soulism when elemental shrines started to appear all across the The Yamato Kingdom and beyond.

School Aspects

  Attunement defines how strong the connection between the magus and the corresponding ur-soul is. The more refined a magus's attunement, the more efficiently will their soul conduct magic for manipulating that element. Efficiency is useful because too powerful a flow will result in spellblight.   Versatility defines how varied and complex the applications of the elemental magic are. Conjuring a flame with fire magic is a very basic application of that magic while making a source of light with it is a versatile application.   Flexibility defines how creatively a magus can use her elemental magic. Rigid magic traditions and methodical schools can produce incredible power and versatility but often restrict how freely a person can manipulate an element. More complex rules can produce more powerful results that may in turn be less useful in some situations.

Rating Ladder

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Schools of Water Magic

Magus Academies

Magus Academies
Organization | Jan 25, 2019

There are a number of magus academies on Aqualon, the largest and most recognized five are located in the Middle Lands. ~ 1429 Words

The Spire of Rahn

Location
Aquaris in the Middle Lands
Current Master of this Style
Headmaster Magnus Alrick
Type
Institution of higher learning
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Attunement
Good

Versatility
Superior

Flexibility
Mediocre
Elements Taught in this School of Magic

The Spire of Rahn is a tall, spiraling spire of never-melting ice at the center of Lake Rahn in Aquaris. At its heart lies the ancient Hall of Lake Rahn where the first Middlish water mages perfected their craft long ago.   Today, this magus academy is the mecca of water magic for all those looking to get an advanced education. The art of water magic taught here uses "words of power" to evoke its spells, which are often narrowly defined and require the rigorous study of accompanying theory. In a way, the facts and figures and symbols studied for Rahnish water magic are rather made-up and what is perceived as the fruit of empirical study is better described as the result of gradually invented tradition, a common source of magic.   Though the study of magic at the Spire of Rahn is very in-depth, the spiritual aspect is often relegated to the side-lines and independent study, which is why the school falls short of more spiritually in-tune schools like Ka Hale Akamai when it comes to Attunement. The versatility of this school, however, is incredible, as students learn a great plethora of practical applications. While this curriculum makes them formidable mages, it limits the creative application of their magic, which is reflected in their mediocre flexibility when it comes to manipulating water.  

Ka Hale Akamai

Location
The island of Ainan
Current Master of this Style
Wavemaster Kaya
Type
Ur-soul Temple
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Attunement
Fantastic

Versatility
Mediocre

Flexibility
Great

Elements Taught in this School of Magic

Ka Hale Akamai is a recognized magus academy, though they've always been looked down on by the academic world for their laid-back attitude. In its halls on the pristine island of Ainan, students learn to attune themselves deeply to the ur-souls of water, wind, and sometimes lightning. Of course, they can only maintain an attunement to one ur-soul at a time, but with only weeks of re-attunement meditation required to switch, they are second only to the Monastery of Five Paths in this.   Their incredibly deep connection with their own souls and by extension the Great Clockwork allows them to exert great influence on their attuned element and weave magic creatively.   They do little by the way of standardized spells and applications of elemental magic, but rather evoke their magic by way of "the Wave Dance", a form of dance that acts as their totemic focus for producing magical effects. Depending on rhythm and expression, they can manipulate their element rather freely but often need more wind-up time to use magic effectively in combat situations. Of course, they are generally incredibly peaceful in their teachings and few will pursue the warrior's path. Still, some follow the call and use their magic to combat the pirates that infest the Corsic Ocean especially in the waters around the Ainan Island Group.  

Monastery of Five Paths

Location
The island of Nyingma
Current Master of this Style
Lâmâ Ü-Tsang Rajavadi
Type
Spiritualist Monastery
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Attunement
Fair

Versatility
Good

Flexibility
Good

Elements Taught in this School of Magic

The Monastery of Five Paths is not only renowned as a spiritual mecca for those who seek enlightenment in the elements such as ur-soulists, but also a well-respected magus academy even in the eyes of the elitist Middlish mages. This is due to the incredible ability of trained Monastery of Five Paths monks to change their elemental attunement within the span of one day, enabling them to manipulate any element of their choice given a 24 hour preparation period.   The downside to this unique feat is that the attunement itself does not reach as deep as it does in other schools, and while a large portion of their magic is sealed away with the other four elements at any given time, they have a versatile repertoire of spells for each element as well as a commendable modicum of flexibility in their application. Those monks who leave the monastery are highly valued as teachers in other academies and can easily find work wherever magic is in demand.  

HJT Ferry Schools

Location
All across the Corsic Ocean
Current Master of this Style
-
Type
Corporate Division
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Attunement
Mediocre

Versatility
Great

Flexibility
Fair

Elements Taught in this School of Magic

Not officially recognized as a magus academy by Middlish scholars, the Ferry division of the Hank & Jordan & Tenzer Corporation is a group of ships mages that are trained and deployed all across the Corsic Ocean to provide magical services to ships of all kinds.   Because the Corsic can prove treacherous to traverse due to storms and frequent pirate attacks, the hand of a trained magus is often the best way to keep a ship safe. Seeing an opportunity in this niche demand, HJT, a powerful shipping and ship-wright company, created their Ferry division, building schools for mages on various islands across the Corsic Ocean.   Their curriculum encompasses a smorgasbord of styles, combining the words of power from Middlish schools of magic and simplified motions of the Ka Hale Akamai Wave Dance. Though their lack of spiritual guidance makes their elemental magic rather inefficient, they have a solid range of applied spells suited for their trade and a penchant for improvisation. Low entry requirements and a popularization of the Ferry trade via a series of books and magazine serials propagandizing them have made the Ferries icons of Corsic culture and an attractive career choice for many.

Traditionalists

The Arcanists of Yoshitsune

Yoshitsune no Mahôtsukai 良経の魔法使い

Location
The Yamato Kingdom and Aquaris
Current Master of this Style
Yoshitsune Jûgo
Type
Iemoto1
The iemoto system refers to a secret school or art that is passed down a family line.
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Attunement
Average

Versatility
Fair

Flexibility
Mediocre

Elements Taught in this School of Magic
Yamato families with a magic tradition usually use so-called dairihô maki2
Sometimes called "substitute law scrolls", these scrolls or tags have poetic calligraphy or sutras written on them that are sometimes arranged in patterns, depending on clan and tradition
to create magical effects. This method requires extensive preparation and has severe limitations in both versatility and flexibility. In general, Yamato magic is not as sophisticated as Middlish magic, but they have a powerful tradition, which can lead to surprisingly severe effects despite the limitations.   Yoshitsune water magic is rooted both in the arts of water shrine maidens dating back to the Age of Awakening and in Rahnish water magic, which was brought back to the Yoshitsune by those who became influential in Aquaris.   Dairihô maki of the Yoshitsune predominantly feature Ur-soulism sutras from the Scroll of Water in addition to seals of the Yamato characters representing certain specific water shrines of note. Being in possession of an authentic stamper of this kind can significantly power-up one's scrolls or tags.  

Maoloaiyan Tohunga Moana

Wavemasters of Maoloaiya

Location
The Trans-Glaciatic Sea
Current Master of this Style
-
Type
Cultural Tradition
elements divider.png
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Attunement
Superior

Versatility
Poor

Flexibility
Good

Elements Taught in this School of Magic
The Maoloaiya
Ethnicity | Aug 18, 2019

The Maoloaiya inhabit the Trans-Glaciatic Sea, cut off from the rest of the world by the mighty Gastropnir Glacier, which separates them from the Great Land and the Corsic Ocean. They are skilled navigators and nomadic island dwellers. ~ 4702

The Maoloaiya are closely related to the Ainansi, and since they are both children of Efalla's race, there are many similarities between their respective magic.   As Maoloaiyans grow up, they are expected to pass two trials of adulthood. The first marks their induction into the Maoloaiya art of starfinding, Whetu Mohio, the second inducts them into makutu, witchcraft, with which they became able to exert influence on the waves or the wind. Incredibly in-tune with the ur-soul to which they attune themselves, they can unleash great bursts of magic without blighting. However, there is no formal school to their application of magic and no spells passed down across the ages. Their manipulation of water and wind are highly instinctive and require imagination and focus.  

The Glacier Breakers

Location
High Saxia
Current Master of this Style
Tormungand Sleipnir
Type
Order of Mages
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Attunement
Good

Versatility
Good

Flexibility
Great

Elements Taught in this School of Magic
The Angel Saxons
Ethnicity | Oct 16, 2022

The descendants of the Albenmannen. Weavers of magic, blacksmiths of mighty artifacts, builders of tall stony halls, children of the Old Gods. (3116 Words)

The Hearthersfǫr, or "Winterlight Angels" are a special order of mages of the Angel Saxon people. Each year when winter befalls the Lands of the Nordmen, the Snowzone begins to expand southward, threatening to bury many villages of the Kaltani, Skôts, and Gallians.  
The Hearthersfǫr or "Days of Winterlight Angels" is an ancient Nordic tradition still practiced to this day. As the defeat during the Reshaping of the World had relegated the tribes of the Nordmen to the hostile regions below the Snowzone, winters would hit many Kaltani, Gallian, and Skôtish tribes especially harshly. The Angel Saxons, children of the Albenmannen, were of course rather well off in their lofty halls of stone, warmed by forge fires and magic. But such is not the way of the Angel Saxons to tower high above their kinsmen and ignore their plight, and with their magic and the Kaltani druids, they formed a special procession in those early winters, one that would recur every year without fail for thousands of years: the Hearthersfǫr, the Journey of the Hearth, or - as it would later become known - the "Days of Winterlight Angels".   While the larger towns, castles, and of course the lands of High Saxia were stocked up and protected well enough to withstand the extreme cold and encroaching glaciers that began their deadly march in the late months of the year, smaller villages and settlements were not as well equipped to survive the onslaught of deep winter. Most of those relied on aging local druids to thwart approaching glaciers and swell waning fires with their ancient magic, but such druids did not live forever, and when one died, a settlement did not always have a suitable replacement. Each winter could have been their last in those early days.
  To protect their kindred of yore, the Angel Saxons come down from their stony halls and travel the North during the Hearthersfǫr, pushing back glaciers and keeping villages warm in those trying times. Among these mighty mages, the Glacier Breakers are those who use water magic to battle the ice. Their magic is well-balanced and refined as is to be expected of the Angel Saxons, who have the longest magic tradition on Aqualon.

Poetry on Aqualon

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