#mana system

“Let them wage their war beneath the sun and moon. We build beneath both.”

The Neutral Lands, often referred to as The Velvet Ring, are the only true bastion of peace in a world slowly tearing itself apart. Where Silver Dusk peers into the abyss of knowledge and Crimson Dawn burns with conquest, the Neutral Lands offer no great ideology, no doctrine of mana. What they offer is far simpler, and far rarer: stability.

And at the heart of it all sits the Capital, a monumental city built not by mages, but by hands without mana, the hands of humankind.

✦ Between the Sun and Moon

The Capital rose during the age of blood and fire, when the first Equinox nearly consumed the world. It was not founded by force or spell, but through desperation and unity. As the two great clans warred endlessly for dominance, those without mana sought safety in each other, and built a city meant to outlast their wars.

Today, the Neutral Lands are governed by a single figure: The Peace Governor. Chosen by a diverse and powerful council, guildmasters, merchant lords, dissident mages, and noble houses, the Governor is the one voice both Silver Dusk and Crimson Dawn still pretend to respect. It is through his will that the peace agreements hold. It is through his silence that wars are permitted to unfold elsewhere.

He is loved by the people, not because he is perfect, but because he is the last one still trying.

✦ The Mask of Prosperity

Outwardly, the Neutral Lands are thriving. Trade flows freely, especially in the capital’s great bazaars, where enchanted goods and mundane wares share the same cobblestone alleys. Immigrants arrive daily, Dissonants seeking refuge, mages who broke their vows, humans fleeing infected land, and merchants hoping to grow fat off uneasy peace.

The Neutral Lands accept them all. There is always room. Always another coin. Always another house.

And yet, beneath that painted smile, something is boiling.

The city grows too fast. The streets swell with rumors. Fear spreads like rot beneath the gold. Crimson Dawn’s new young leader stokes tension with every speech, while the Seers of Silver Dusk grow silent and cold. People speak of war returning. Of Equinox repeating. Of something darker moving under the surface, where no one dares look.

And still, the Peace Governor smiles.

✦ Mana Without Allegiance

Mages may live in the Neutral Lands,  but not without chains. All mana-born who enter must wear a Neutral Sigil, a mark that binds and regulates their flow of magic. Caelir and Seren cannot be cast freely. Twilights are a myth, but even the idea of them is feared.

Here, Dissonants are not hunted, but studied. Watched. Tracked. Their lives may be safer, but never free. The capital sees itself as tolerant, but it is not trust that allows a Dissonant to walk its streets, it is a strategy.

Mana has been with you since birth. For some it's a burden and for some it's a blessing.

A boy has a fierce glow in their eyes, he is called a Caelir Mage now.

A girl who shows signs of intelligence in the early age, she is called a Seren Mage now.

And there are those who were born in the wrong body, they are tossed away like a broken toy. They even have a name so they can at least be called something. Dissonants, they say, mistakes.

All of those kids belong to their clans now, there is no other choice. If you are not one of those two, life will be even more miserable.

The endless war ruined everything, the peace, the balance, the hopeful glow in the sky… Now every child with mana is taken away to be a mage, to honor their clan. They separate families and say it's for the better, they give away wealth in exchange, they encourage this act of malice. Who are they, you ask.

Crimson Dawn forcefully takes away the children with Caelir mana. They say an honorable war is waiting for them. They will be the mages who will shine on the battlefield one day. 

And Silver Dusk… They reach out to those families who are blessed with a Seren child, along with words that spit out venom. A ruthless propaganda with lies. Your child is selected for a sacred mission, they say. A glorious pursuit for knowledge, this is their fate.

An original dark fantasy setting filled with mana, reincarnation, an infinite broken tower, political seperation and it will be gender-coded. It's the story of a decaying land infected by ancient magic, and the mages who wander it in search of knowledge. Magic is common here yet normal humans without any power exists too.

Mana defines everything. It's split between two forces: Seren, born of the Moon, and Caelir, forged in the Sun. Mages are born aligned to one, most of the time their body is made to match their mana but sometimes Abyss makes mistakes.

At the center of the world lies the Abyss, a corrupted realm that pulls at the soul. Surrounding it: five infected Circles of land, craters made from a huge blast, each more twisted than the last. At the center: a black tower that remembers every life you've lived before. But no one ever survived that to tell it's tale.

Few important names to know:

Two clans: Silver Dusk (Seren Mages) and Crimson Dawn (Caelir Mages). They hate each other and constantly fight. Dissonants: Mages whose mana doesn’t match their body. Their body constantly reject their mana. Twilights: Rare beings who can wield both manas, capable of triggering Equinox. The Tower of Descension: It is believed that Twilights go there to witness the secrets of the Abyss.

The unknown entity of this world, the Abyss… Some people also call it God, some call it Evil but actually it was neither.

Long before, Abyss was pulsing with humanity. It was in their heart, in their mana, it used to teach them the ancient ways, the way of harmony. The way of magic.

But one day, mages collide. Why are we accepting this selfless entity so it can be the only wielder of the truth? It doesn't feel, it doesn't love us, maybe one day it won't even want us. Abyss did that in the past, it only creates to destroy it one day. They were trying to stir chaos so they could dethrone the Abyss.

Dengeki Online was live streaming some Dark Souls III. I’ve just noticed they went back to the Mana system from Demon’s Souls, but instead of consumables like spices you have a mana flask. I’m curious how that’s gonna play and I hope they didn’t just go back to that for the sake of change.