Scintil (Alternate Dimension)
Note: This information was written a few years ago as I was developing Neoma’s character more in depth. I plan on expanding it and updating this post, but for now, the information below is correct.
Scintil is a world that runs concurrently to Earth, along a similar timeline. Technological advances are very similar, as is the climate. It runs warmer than Earth, and the summer season lasts longer. Winter produces snow in some regions, but not in the capital city of Fallshade. Political structure follows a monarchy, with regions divided up between lords/ladies or governors (the term changes depending on the region) that govern and rule under the king or queen’s authority. There are peacekeepers worldwide, employed by the ruling monarch, known as Arbiters, who enforce the laws and, as the name implies, keep the peace. The monarch is advised by a counsel.
The world is set in an urban fantasy setting, in which everything is modern, just like Earth. There are such things as computers, internet, electronics, paved roadways, indoor plumbing, and other modern conveniences. Despite the modern conveniences, many of the cities are old and still possess old architecture that would be similar to the architecture of ancient Rome (columns, arches, concrete, statuary). The city of Fallshade is particularly famous for this.
Magic and sorcery is commonplace and there are laws against the misuse of it. Humans are not a species commonly found there. There are those that could be considered humans, because they are humanoid, and generally powerless. They are called Nary or Naries (short for ‘Ordinary’ & ‘Ordinaries’ respectively).
Everyone, with the exception of the Naries (as they are genuinely very rare), is some sort of supernatural creature. They generally live within their own clans or districts, sometimes even divided by regions. Most of the creatures are humanoid in nature. Some creatures that exist are:
Vampires -both blood-drinking (or sanguine) and psychic (known as ‘Psirana’ here; more on that below)
Elementals – creatures who control/have abilities tied in with a certain element: earth, air, fire, water, light, dark, and spirit. ‘Elementals’ is a blanket term, as each element goes by a different name (more to come on that as I develop it)
Divines – These are the gods of the world—omnipotent creatures who have granted others abilities and are supposedly responsible for creating the Elementals and the Psirana (pronounced sigh-rah-nah). Divines are considered legendary and many do not believe they exist. They are the stuff of myths, though there is a lot of truth to their existence.
Shifters – creatures who can shift their shapes into any animal that pleases them. Most shifters usually choose one form, therefore giving them additional labels (ie wolf-shifter, cat-shifter, tiger-shifter)
Defilers – Demons, generally. These creatures are considered malevolent in nature. Some of them appear humanoid, but can also appear animalistic—walking on four legs, tails, horns, animal-like features. Defilers is also a blanket term that covers the many different kinds of Defilers. Powers and abilities vary among them as well, with some of them being quite powerful. They tend to live in the underground—most generally, this means literally underground within their own clans. Defilers also refers to Psirana who have been corrupted.
Witches – This is the most common species. They are humanoid with magical talents. Specific abilities often run in family groups or clans. Witches comprise the majority of the population of Scintil, particularly in most urban cities, such as Fallshade.
Psirana – (pronounced sigh-rah-nah) These creatures are ones imbued with power from the Divines. They started out, generations ago, as witches. The legend goes that a witch was given a choice between aiding the Divines, or aligning with the Defilers. The witch chose the Divines, which earned a Divine Blessing, that gave them the power to understand the true nature of every creature they were to encounter—ie emotional states.
The Defilers, angry at being rejected, gave the witch a curse as punishment—The true natures they were to understand would be amplified and offer corruption. The witch was doomed to feel everything and have no choice but to survive upon it, even if it meant eventual defilement. Both a blessing and a curse, the witch became a new sort of creature: the Psirana.
They are rare creatures, each generation possessing the same cursed-blessing as the previous. They must always feel emotions, good and bad. They must always take the emotions and feed from them. If they do not, they will perish. When they do, when they feel the emotions, they are stronger and therefore almost half-Divine. They are considered god-like creatures and it was a Psirana, several generations after the cursed-blessing was placed, who became the first monarch of Scintil, and they have been for generations since. They are not immortal, but age slowly and retain their youth for some time. They are naturally gifted with magic and some of them–those who do not ascend the throne–may take on jobs as healers. They primarily belong to the royal family, though some previous generations of Psirana have produced offspring elsewhere in the world, though this is not very common to find.
