lore & development blog

#FATEFORETOLD; a lore & development blog

This blog serves to document the development of the original character ALANIS ZINMORA as written on @mistakenmessiah . It will also document my progress on the original novel / setting I am developing for Alanis (OF MAGIC, STEEL & STARDUST written by Nika Ravenscraft).

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ABOUT ALANIS

LOCATIONS

ELVES

HUMANS

ELVES VS HUMANS

MAGIC

IMPORTANT CHARACTERS

CONFLICTS

TIMELINE

MISC. DEVELOPMENT·

GRAPHICS

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OF MAGIC, STEEL & STARDUST.... AN ORIGINAL NOVEL BY NIKA RAVENSCRAFT.

story synopsis Elves can cast magic. Humans can not. Despite lacking arcane abilities, the humans, better known as Steel-Born, have been killing Elven ages at an alarmingly rapid rate. The Steel-Born's newfound ferocity seems to be connected to a strange, glowing, and magical sickness that is killing plants, animals, and humans alike within the Steel-Born kingdom. The Steel-Born are convinced the Elves are to blame, while the elves are convinced the Steel-Born are to blame. After all, the Steel-Born destroy everything they touch -- they tear down forests to build their homes and they hunt the natural wildlife at a rate that is bound to make animals go extinct. The youngest of three children, the backup heir to the backup heir, human prince Drustan is tasked with saving his people from the strange, magical, and ever-spreading sickness. Specifically, he's tasked with finding and capturing the strongest Elven mage and forcing that mage to rid his kingdom of the sickness once and for all. Meanwhile, in the Elven kingdom, mages are getting felled by enraged human knights at a concerning rate. Elves are meant to outlive humans, having been granted longer life spans out of the two species. However, they won't outlive humans if they continue to get killed at such a high rate. Because of this, the elven king is left with no choice but to draft his citizens into the war. Only the lucky few, exceptionally bright and talented mages are given the illusion of choice of fighting on the front-lines versus fighting from the back lines. Working class peasant turned magical prodigy Alanis Zinmora is given a harsh ultimatum by his king: fight on the front-lines and risk dying at the hands of a Steel-Born's sword, or work as an experimental war mage, developing unstable and deadly spells so the elves can put humans in their place once and for all. Alanis doesn't want to hurt people with his magic. He wants to develop healing spells, and spells to help people with chores so they can live stress free lives. He feels pressured to comply, especially since he was born with a sore leg that not even magic can help. As the war between the Elves and the Steel-Born rages, so does the strange magical sickness. As the sickness spreads, it starts to kill Elves as well as Steel-Born. There's more to the sickness than meets the eye… Will the two kingdoms put aside their differences aside long enough to save their planet from extinction? Or will they fight until their very last, wheezing breath? Alanis and Drustan may be from two different kingdoms but they share something in common: a yearning to make the world a better place. Can they unlearn their biases and trust each other long enough to save the world? Only time will tell…

PROLOGUE

prologue

OF MAGIC

Alanis Zinmora is a bright eyed magical prodigy famous for for making the impossible, possible. Spellcasting before he could even walk, the elf spends every waking moment researching and experimenting, eager to expand his arcane knowledge and change elven society for the better.

The only child of two working class elves who make a living mending the torn fabrics and broken trinkets of the city's elite, the only power Alanis truly has lies that in his remarkable arcane skill. For years he has studied and for years he has amazed peers and noblity alike. He's done a great many things like developing spells that peel vegetables for you, spells that sew a wound shut just as accurately (if not more so) than a needle and thread, and spells that ensure food never grows cold.

However as tensions have rise between the elves and the humans (better known as the Steel-Born), his spellwork has lost favor of the nobility. What use is warm bread when mage after mage is falling at the hands of a ruthless and unforgiving steel sword? What use is a spell that can stitch a wound closed if the injured bleeds out before such a spell can be cast? Cooking spells, and healing spells are not enough -- not anymore.

Elves have longer lifespans and they have magic. Elves are meant to outlive humans, yet human soldiers are killing elven mages by the dozens. The elven king, Arlen Aregia doesn't need self-peeling vegetables... He needs a magical trump card so he can win the war once and for all.

As army enlistment falls and as elves return to dust never to see their loved ones again, King Arlen Aregia is left with no choice but to take his citizen's choice from them. All adults elves will join the army one way or another. Elves can either fight a never-ending battle on the front lines or they can join military scientists in developing war magic.

Alanis who had vowed to only ever use his magic to help others has no choice but to turn spells into weapons. After all, no amount of arcane medicine has fixed his weak leg, a leg he compensates by using a brace and cane. He feels no shame for his mobility aids because they make him free and self reliant. However he knows his enemies would not feel the same. The humans -- the Steel-Born excel at violence and would cut him down the instant he stepped onto the battlefield.

Idealist turned war mage, he's guaranteed his own survival in the war but at the cost of his own happiness and his own morals.

OF STEEL

King Alaric is a stubborn and vindictful man. Although 65 years old and long overdue to pass his crown onto his oldest son, Bertram, he refuses to relinquish power. He holds a personal grudge against elven King Arlen Aregia because it was Arlen's wife that killed his wife in battle. Although both women ultimately perished in the fight, he blames Arlen for his wife's death. He also blames Arlen and his people for the disease and disaster that has befallen the human kingdom.

Villages have been lost to landslides, water now has to be boiled first in order to be safe to drink, and crops are struggling to grow. Not to mention there is a strange, sickly green glow spreading across the countryside. Anything and everything the sickly green glow touches, dies. It must be a magic induced plague! The elves do not claim the sickly green magic as their own and pretend to be confused. Worse yet they blame humans for the strange sickness. They call it fate because humans have always been jealous of the magic wielding elves. And according to the elves, humans destroy everything they touch. But the humans have no choice. They need stone for homes and woods for fires. After all, they have no magic relics or magic fires to keep them safe and warm.

As the youngest of three royal children, Drustan was never meant to be anything other than the backup for the backup heir to the throne in case his older sister or brother died before being named ruler. However, as the war between their kingdom and the elven mages intensifies, and as eerie green magic causes a strange sickness to spread, he's forced to take a more intensive role in the future of his country. His people need hope and who is better suited to bring hope than a strong, healthy, and handsome prince? He's tasked with not only fighting mages but capturing one, forcing a mage to rid their kingdom of the strange sickness once and for all.

Idealist turned ruthless knight, Drustan has guaranteed his own survival in the war but at the cost of his own happiness and his own morals.

OF STARDUST

Elves and the Steel-Born haven't always been enemies. Eons ago in the time of the gods, the elven pantheon known as the Ancients and the human god the Forgemaster formed an alliance to save their people from dying at the hands of mystical and magic beasts that attacked humans and elves alike.

Although the sickly green sickness is no mythical beast, there is no doubt the elves and the Steel-Born are long overdue to unite once more for the sake of the greater good. After all, what use is there for a war over resources and territory if the strange sickness consumes the whole world in the process?

candlekeep of elven names

dnd fantasy names

✱ = important character

✱✱ = will switch to their point of view

[ MAGES / ELVES ]

✱✱ Alanis Zinmora (he/him, trans man) - middle/lower class mage who dedicated his life to the study of magic, forced to work on war & experimental magic for his king, co-inventor & first humanoid test subject of the resurrection spell ✱ Elyin Oromel (he/him, cis man) - middle/lower class mage similar to Alanis, yearned to elevate his status by any means neccesary, worked on war & experimental magic for his king, co-inventor of the resurrection spell ✱Arlen Aregia (he/him, cis man) - 400 year old elven king, father to Bedalia Bedalia Aregia (she/her, cis woman) - 250 year old elven princess

[ HUMANS / STEEL-BORN ]

The human/steel-born kingdom is currently ruled by 65 year old human king named Alaric. The human king king has three children (two sons and one daughter). Bertram (he/him) is the oldest at 40, Brenna (she/her) is the middle child at 38 and Drustan (he/him) is the youngest at 35. The king is hardened warrior who has fought in both international and civil wars. As per human tradition, he will not crown the next ruler until he passes of old age, is killed in battle, or until a knight challenges him in a duel for the crown and wins. His hatred for the elves is inspired by history, recent political matters and personal matters. After all, the elven king's wife killed his in battle before she, too, succumbed to her wounds.

Although there are 5 noble blooded families in the human kingdom, only the king is the king and the rest of the nobility acts as local lords that must ultimately report the king. Only the king and member of his family are allowed to have no last name. People are not allowed to have the same first name as the king's family. As for the other noble families, no wealthy people or commoners can have the same last name as the lower ranked (below #1) royal/noble families.

ROYAL FAMILY LIST & HIERARCHY

King Alaric & his children - thought to be descendants of the god Forgemaster, well rounded & fierce knights

The Armstrong family - a family of blacksmiths & bladesmiths that supplies both the royal families and the army with: weapons, shields, armor & tools

The Norwood family - a family of warriors & ranchers who are especially adept at fighting on horseback

The Wycliffe family - a family with a surprising number of ambidextrous people within it, especially skilled at dual-weapon fighting

The Lancaster family - considered the black sheep of the royal families, this family is new to the royal hierarchy, earning elevated status through prowess in battle. They've only been considered a noble family for the past 150 years.

RELEVANT & HELPFUL POSTS

Important locations & overview of gods here

Elves vs humans

Types of magic

FAMILY SYSTEMS / STRUCTURES (see under the cut)

The mage/elven kingdom is currently ruled by 400 year old elven king named Arlen Aregia. The elven king has only one child, a 250 year old daughter named Bedalia Aregia. Although it is considered normal for royalty and retire at 400, the current king has showed little to no interest in passing his power to his daughter anytime soon. The king is hardened warrior who has fought in both international and civil wars. Despite his advanced age, due to his rigorous training and exercise he is agile, moving with the fluidity of a middle aged/300 year old elf.

Although there are 9 noble blooded families in the mage kingdom, only the king is the king and the rest of the nobility acts as local lords that must ultimately report the king.

ROYAL FAMILY LIST & HIERARCHY

The Aregia family. Descendants of The First Mother's chosen. Most powerful family in the whole elven kingdom. They tend to exhibit immense skill in diplomacy, arcane weaponry, offensive/war magic, and the study/understanding of elven history.

2. The Brynaraok family. Descendants of The First Father's chosen. Considered second in command to the Aregia Family.

3. The Cheyyrth family. Descendants of Water's chosen. Third most powerful family. They tend to exhibit immense skill in elemental magic, especially water magic. They help ensure water sources are available and clear, nurture farms/gardens, and help with farming and hunting. Their work is vital to elven society & survival. Historically they have allied with Delzarian family to prevent other houses from stealing their coveted positions.

4. The Delzarian family. Descendants of Dawn's chosen. Fourth most powerful family. They tend to exhibit immense skill in light, healing and defensive magic. Their work is vital to elven society & survival.

5. The Elidyaar family. Descendants of Dusk's chosen. Fifth most powerful family. They tend to exhibit immense skill in shadow and conjuration magic.

6. The Fliyardin family. Descendants of Earth's chosen. Sixth most powerful family. They tend to exhibit immense skill in elemental magic, especially Earth magic. They perform similar duties to the Cheyyrth as well as helping construct roads and cities.

7. The Gilvia family. Descendants of Air's chosen. Seventh most powerful family. They tend to exhibit immense skill in elemental magic, especially Air magic. They perform similar duties to the Cheyyrth family & the Fliyardin family.

8. The Halueve family. Descendants of Fire's chosen. Eight most powerful family. They tend to exhibit immense skill in elemental magic, especially Fire magic. Historically they have initiated a lot of the civil wars, with this family extremely dissatisfied in their place in the social hierarchy.

9. The Iithirya family. Descendants of the Fate Caller's chosen. Ninth most powerful family. They are a jack of all trades, showing skills in more than one type of magic. However most of the members of this family are only masters at minor levels of magic (see magic post for more info).

*Please note that when it comes to surnames only the royal families are allowed to have their surnames start with the first 9 letters of the alphabet. Letters 10-13 (J, K, L, M,) are used by rich/upper class elves who are NOT of royal blood. Middle and lower classes use the later 13 letters of the alphabet to start their surnames.

RELEVANT & HELPFUL POSTS

Important locations & overview of gods here

Elves vs humans

Types of magic

FAMILY SYSTEMS / STRUCTURES (see under the cut)

difficulty scale 1 to 5 (1) a child could easily do it - (5) needs YEARS worth of training to cast

minor vs major magic minor: requires less energy & less training, its impact on others is notably smaller/lesser than major magic, some spells for this kind of magic are imperfect/contain flaws, often similar to cantrips & lower level dnd spells major: requires more energy & training, its impact on others is notably bigger than minor magic, these spells often identify and fix flaws/errors found in minor magic, similar to high level dnd spells

MENDING & TRANSMUTATION (difficulty 3/5)

minor -- fixing minor damage to clothes or wooden tools

major -- turning one object into another to replace a missing part -- for example using magic to turn dirt into wood to create a missing spoke of a wagon wheel

HEALING (difficulty 4/5)

minor -- repairing non-life threatening injuries & combating non-life threatening diseases

major -- repairing life-threatening injuries & combating life threatening diseases

ELEMENTAL MAGIC (difficulty 2/5)

minor -- redirecting and reshaping already existing elements (earth, water, fire & air)

major -- creating elements/materials needed to use elemental magic (ex: pulling water out of misty air), redirecting & reshaping elements, being able to use 2 element types at once

LIGHT MAGIC (difficulty 2/5)

minor -- brightening or diming already existing light, creating balls of light to warm the hands or to serve as a lamp

major -- the above + using light to temporarily blind enemies and to burn enemies (light so bright it burns), mimicking elemental magic using light

SHADOW MAGIC (difficulty 3/5)

minor -- darkening or lightening already existing shadows, making the light fade/lowering the light of a certain area, creating small tools or weapons out of condensed pieces of shadow

major -- the above + mimicking elemental magic using shadow

WEAPONRY/OFFENSIVE MAGIC (difficulty 4/5)

minor -- enhancing the power & durability of stone & wooden weapons, enchanting weapons with certain magical affects

major -- condensing magic to make arcane weapons/weapons made of pure magic

DEFENSIVE MAGIC (ENCHANTMENT) (difficulty 3/5)

minor -- creating magic shields for one or more people

major -- the above + creating forcefields that can repel weapons & that can be pushed forward to knock enemies off their feet

ILLUSION MAGIC (difficulty 1/5)

minor -- magic puppets, minor changes in appearance/simple disguises

major -- changing the pitch of one's voice, changing one's hair color or height, etc.

CONJURATION (difficulty 5/5)

minor -- summoning / speaking with magical animals to seek their wisdom & to ask for their protection

FORBIDDEN/CONTROVERSIAL major -- summoning ancient magical animals/creatures to fight on your behalf (these are older & more dangerous than magic animals)

CONTROVERSIAL TYPES OF MAGIC

controversial and not yet existent types of magic such as resurrection, strength/speed/endurance boosting magic, and necromancy.

DEATH / BLOOD / REINCARNATION (difficulty 5/5)

Any and all magic that involves altering or speaking with the dead + using blood to harm or control others.

ENHANCEMENT MAGIC (difficulty 5/5)

Builds off this post which talks about his body pre & post (botched) resurrection

Alanis has electrical/magic scars that often glow a faint lilac -- these scars follow the path of his veins

Often described as "magic and metal vitiligo" there are parts of Alanis's body that are made of muscle, flesh, metal and magic that have been fused together, this is where using Viktor as a faceclaim is especially helpful. Although this vitiligo is scattered across his body it is most prominently seen in his right arm & left side (front & back even tho I was too lazy to edit it to show on the back)

surgery scars = fantasy top surgery scars that glow a soft lilac sometimes (like when he's aroused hehe)

his first death was the result of literally and metaphorically getting stabbed in the back, hence the scar

his facial & body tattoos are for looks, although a few contain magic runes that are either 1) related to the resurrection spell or 2) runes that enhance a spellcaster's natural casting ability

more images under the cut!

[ MAGES- known in most fantasy settings as elves ]

worship multiple gods known as the Ancients (read more here)

ruled by a monarchy in which royal families are thought to be descendants of the Ancient's Chosen (see link in previous bullet)

have pointed ears that grant them suprerior hearing (when compared to steel-born)

born with the ability to cast magic but must train in order to use it adeptly

can see in the dark

average lifespan 500 years old, considered an adult at 100 years old, considered middle aged when 300

due to their long lifespans there is little pressure to have large families or multiple heirs for royal families

accepting of all genders / all genders are treated as equals

[ STEEL-BORN - known in most fantasy settings as humans]

worship one god known as the Forgemaster (read more here)

ruled by a monarchy in which royal families are typically knights/swordsmen who have a lot of $$$ to invest in private lessons (royal families are either adept swordsmen or skilled bladesmith's who use their superior talent to prove they are favored by the Forgemaster)

the man with the most power in the steel-born is the king -- only the king & his family are allowed to have no last name. Anyone whose first name matches that of the king and his family must, but law, have it changed.

unable to cast magic but are talented at making steel tools & weapons

rounded ears, can't see in the dark

average lifespan 100 years old, considered adults at 20, considered middle aged at 50

due to their short lifespans there is often pressure to have large families or multiple heirs for royal families

It is important to remind you that in the setting of my novel that although all elves have the ability to cast spells they have to train to do so — hence why magic shops and services are so popular. Training can be done through schooling or passed down in families from one generation to the next.

Although the fantasy equivalent of k-12 schooling is free, college is extremely expensive. Studying became his hobby not only because he loves to learn but also because Alanis knew that unless he got a generous scholarship he would never be able to go to college.

In the fantasy equivalent of high school he graduated 3rd out of a class of 300, leading to him getting a full ride scholarship to a local university. He would double major in arcane business management and experimental magic with a concentration in mending and healing magic. All Alanis ever wanted to do was make the world a better place…

[ OVERVIEW ]

* In the novel OF MAGIC, STEEL & STARDUST there are two primary species types: humans and elves. Although most easily described as humans and elves, in world, they do not call themselves that. * HUMANS are often referred to as the STEEL-BORN, STEEL-BLESSED (most commonly used by humans) or STEEL-CURSED (mostly commonly used by elves). Humans lack the ability to cast magic and rely on bladed weapons to defend themselves (and to attack others). Because they are not able to spellcast, humans use a wide variety of metal weapons and tools to aid them in everyday life. Humans, in turn, tend to collect and use up natural resources faster than elves -- human settlements tend to have a negative impact on the environment. * ELVES are often referred to as MAGES, SPELLCASTERS, or WITCHES (most commonly used by humans). Although they have bladed weapons like humans, all of their blades and arrows are made of condensed magic instead of steel. Close contact with steel, even with gloves on, tends to burn the flesh of the mage who dares attempt to wield the steel weapon. Elves have the ability to cast magic but must study/train for years in order to harness such abilities. Although elves tend to have a less negative impact on the environment since they need to consume less resources (less wood, stone, etc. -- they can condense magic to recreate tools & building materials) the frequent use of magic tends to attract ancient beasts who attack elven settlements in order to feed off the arcane energy found in elven settlements. The beasts often appear to be rabid animals that glow an eerie and sickly green. A spellcaster who does not properly care for an injury inflicted by such a beast can lose their ability to spellcast and/or die.

[ MAGE/ELVEN CITY - PATH OF THE ANCIENTS' CHOSEN ]

Mages worship the Ancients. The Ancients are a pantheon of gods that include deities such as The First Father, The First Mother, element based entities (water, earth, fire, air), The Fate Caller, Dawn and Dusk. These beings are believed to be as old as time itself and selflessly provide mages with their arcane abilities and vast knowledge. As for The Path of the Ancient's Chosen, the capital of the Mage kingdom is believed to have originally overrun by dark entities whose only goal in life was to consume as much energy as possible (you can think of them as eldritch horror beings that acted like super dangerous, magic-sucking ticks). Desperate to not lose the world they so lovingly created, the Ancients banded together to create powerful warriors to fight the dark entities. Shaping the warriors from magic clay, these first few mages were given pointed ears to better hear when the dark entities were approaching, eyes capable of seeing in the dark so they could not be ambushed at night and of course, the ability to cast magic in order to efficiently fight the dark entities. The dark entities still exist today but in smaller, beast like forms such as sickly glowing wolves and bears. The king of the mages is believed to be a descendant of The Ancients' chosen and undergoes a royal ritual when crowned to ensure they maintain the honor and blessing of the Ancients.

[ THE CROSSROAD RUINS - NEUTRAL GROUND ]

The crossroad ruins is an ancient city that forms a bridge between the mage kingdom and the steel-born kingdom. The ever-crumbling city is thought to be where the Ancients, the Forgemaster, mages and Steel-Born met to discuss the terms of a truce. The truce was struck in order to save the world from annihilation (read more about that below). Ancient books and graves of mages and stee-born alike can be found here.

[ STEEL-BORN/HUMAN CITY - GRAVE OF THE FORGEMASTER ]

Steel-born worship the Forgemaster, an ancient god who fought tirelessly to carve out a space for non-spellcasters to live in the world. The Forgemaster is not only responsible for creating humans but all non-magical creatures. Despite the many wars between the Steel-Born and the mages, the Forgemaster managed to initiate a truce between the two species that lasted long enough for them both to eradicate an ancient evil that threated to wipe out mages and Steel-born alike. Said ancient evil was a mysterious entity that consumed both magic and steel, making it powerful enough to destroy all magic and metal alike (as well as killing all related humanoids --if the entity continued to consume it would cause the end of the WHOLE world). Sadly the Forgemaster would die in the final battle against the powerful magic & steel consuming entity. The Steel-Born capital city is made out of the Forgemaster's legendary, gigantic metal corpse and is thought to be blessed by the Forgemaster himself.

[ TOMB OF THE ANCIENTS - ELVEN/MAGE RELIGIOUS GROUNDS ]

Tomb of the Ancients houses the deceased/earthly bodies of the Elven gods and is considered both a magical and holy site. The bodies of the following dieites are found here:

First Mother -- First humanoid shaped mother. She worked with other deities such as the First Father and elemental deities to create plants, animals and elves. She is primarily responsible for creating magical plants & animals (the human god Forgemaster made non-magical plants and animals).

First Father -- First humanoid shaped father. He worked with other deities such as the First Mother and elemental deities to create plants, animals and elves. He is primarily responsible for creating magical plants & animals (the human god Forgemaster made non-magical plants and animals).

Dawn -- Goddess of light, daytime, birth & healing.

Dusk -- God of shadows, nighttime & death.