“Our imagination creates this world…”
“Welcome friends, enemies, and those indifferent. Please, please sit around and listen as I ruminate. We have so little to talk about, but so much to do. A wonderful, horrible event looms around us, the likes of which have not been seen since the beginning of creation of this world. Deep within people’s hearts, where the feelings that could never be put into words rest, a shudder has rumbled. Perhaps a shudder of terror, perhaps a shudder of excitement.. Likely, you too have felt this feeling. Such is this event’s magnitude. Even the callous hearts without the sixth sense can tell something wonderful and terrible lies before us.”
“Wait? You don’t know who I am? You don’t where we are? You don’t know who you are? That does not surprise. Here is unlike the world of the books of fantasy you have read, or perhaps it is. Here our imagination creates this world, what we see, who we are. What you actually see around you has more to do with what resides in your own heart. But I digress…”
“My name is Pokhiel. I am the Poet of Truth. That which has been said, that which is known I know also. Why, you ask? I listen. I hear beyond the words of the lips and hear the tales of the wind and the tales of the heart. You too can hear what I hear if you know how. But once again, I digress… who I am truly possesses no importance to this tale. It is who you are that will determine the outcome of this story. So please, listen, listen.”
“…and of course, I forget where to begin.” *laugh* “So much to say… but yes, perhaps that would be the best. If you’ve heard this tale before, please bare with me.”
“Once, in the City of the Jumi—eh? What is a Jumi? Well, I do see some Jumi here, but I suppose you can be what you are and not know what that is. Very well, a Jumi is a creature quite unlike most other organisms on this world. Human in form, they possess a jewel of various shapes and colors resting on their chests and control an element at will. The jewel, while very pretty though some would think them tacky, allows them to control the elements and possesses the Jumi’s soul. In fact, no matter what happens to the body, so long as the jewel remains untarnished the Jumi can reconstruct their bodies by immersing their jewel in that element. But don’t mislead Jumi for elementals or spirits, when the body is constructed they are flesh and blood and are suspect to feelings of happiness as well as pain. And once their core shatters or chips, a part of their soul disappears forever.”
“Now, where was I? Oh that’s quite right, the City of the Jumi. Once, a long time ago, the Jumi faced a grievous challenge. A wizard of great power managed to harness the elemental properties of the Jumi cores by faceting them and setting the polished jewel on rods or trinkets. All the clans, the clan of cats, birds, humans, monkeys, gnomes and especially the dwarves could see the opportunity for power, and greed filled their eyes. Jumi hunters were commonplace, and the tactics to find them brutal and efficient. A final, cataclysmic battle mounted at the foot of the Bejeweled City, and suddenly the entire thing flew up into the air and vanished from sight. But, since then, many Jumi were born on the planet’s surface never knowing of their home within the clouds or, as some of you, what they are.”
“Today, many people seek to find the hidden Bejeweled City in the sky. Some newborn Jumi hear it calling them, and long to find their homeland. Some, especially adventurers from the Warrior guild—I see we have some of you too here—view its discovery as an opportunity for great and marvelous treasure. Others still, Magicians from the Academy of Geo where the great wizard resided, recognize the city as a place of marvelous magical energy and desire to find what can be learned there. Though each of your hearts long for different things, with hope and luck you will find what it is you seek. But whatever your purpose, remember that this world, our world is created by our imagination. So too is our future.”
If you have any other questions about the plot of this, please PM me. Basically, your story begins as anything you wish. I would highly encourage at least one Jumi, one adventurer from the Warrior guild and one mage from the Academy of Geo. Here’s some supplementary information on each:
THE WARRIORS GUILD AT DOMINA
A newly founded guild by a master who never shows his face. They are founded to discover ancient ruins, find lost treasure, slay demonic monsters, and help people solve everyday problems. Mostly a rag-tag bunch of whomever wishes to join; they do possess higher-ranking members, explained here briefly:
The Boss: Relatively unknown, the generals mention that he doesn’t like to be bothered with ordinary tasks and has to work at the maintenance of the guild when he isn’t out slaying demons.
Berretta ChiHao : Second in command and human woman of great ferocity and ambition. Always wears polished armor that shines silver-blue. She uses her charisma to lead troupes into battle and has a way of overcoming seemingly impossible odds. In battle, she uses a rapier laced with magic to bring down her enemies. Leads the Blue Wolf squad, the biggest of the three squads which contains warriors of valor and skill.
Uhayo Mak: Third in command, a young catfolk girl which possesses a curious and confusing nature. Raised in the desert by a clan of nomads, she makes people wonder a lot. She seems to believe she’s still in the desert, as her clothes are scarecley strips of cloth. Regardless, her speed is unrivaled by anybody in the guild. She has received the name “The Desert Thorn” for her ability to defeat large troupes single-handedly. Leads the Red Cobra squad, the second largest and contains individuals of questionable morality.
Greyson the Eye: Fourth in command, and hasn’t appeared at the guild in years to work on a particular project. Not much is known about him except for the members of his guild. He uses a weapon which can strike from any direction and at any angle. Few have seen what he is capable of doing. Leads the Green Eagles, the smallest due to his lack of presence, contains marksmen.
THE MAGIC ACADEMY AT GEO
An ancient school founded to advance the magical arts and fill students minds with information they may not have ordinarily known otherwise, whether they want to or not. The great wizard who ignited the Jumi War was once the headmaster here here, and since his defeat the Magical Academy has worked to restore its image. Under the leadership of its new headmaster much of the school’s corruption has evaporated.
The school itself follows a very old system which categorizes students on four distinct categories: initiate, cadet, adept and master. Each student studies the three classes of magic—attack and debilitation, summoning and magical artifacts, and healing and enhancement—up to the adept level. From adept, they work with each professor to specialize in a particular class. At the master, they go out into the world and use their magic for the betterment of humanity (so they hope they instilled).
The three professors and headmaster are:
Headmaster Kathinja: A Basilisk-woman of profound insight and fiery disposition. She values her students above all else and will severely harm any that would cause them harm (except the teachers at test-time, of course). She teaches the initiates and replaces the three professors if they ever fall ill. Her magic style is amazingly balanced, as she intimately knows and understands most aspects of the craft. She has the ability to cause whatever she looks at to burst into flames or turn to stone, but seldom uses it.
Prof. Nunuzac: In the past, Nunuzac was a great warrior mage and fought in many wars. Unfortunately for him, one war caused his body to disappear in another dimension. Since, he’s been teaching at the Academy of Geo as a gigantic sigil of a face. He teaches summoning and magical artifacts, which works to summon the elemental spirits of magic and the recognition and creation of magical items.
Prof. Thesenis: The creepiest and eccentric professor on the campus, she teaches healing and enhancing magic. Her skill in the art is so profound that she has been able to reincarnate herself from the dead multiple times. As such, she’s the oldest and youngest member on campus. She drapes her body in ancient wrappings from a long-lost civilization, making her look like an Egyptian mummy. This, as well as her behavior, disturbs and frightens students away from healing magic.
Prof. Saito: The most reserved all the three professors and perhaps one of the more normal ones, Mr. Saito teaches attack and debilitation magic. A tall human with long black hair, he has a no-nonsense, disinterested quality to teaching which makes him appear apathetic. Yet, his sealed interior shields the shame of being the top student of the previous headmaster of the academy.
A WORLD OF MAGIC
This world possesses two elemental wheels which goes thusly:
Fire < Water/Ice < Lightening/Wind < Earth < Plant < Fire
And:
Darkness < Light < Aura < Darkness
And:
Darkness < Light < Aura < Darkness
If you were to read it, Fire is weak to Water/Ice which is weak to Lightening/Wind which is weak to, etc.
Each element also has elemental spirits. Spirits are spiritual manifestations of the elementals, though on occasion they can also assume a physical shape.
Water/Ice: Undine, a mermaid creature with a calm demeanor. Water also has the ability to freeze opponents, as well as some light healing and improve magic defense.
Lighting/Wing: Djinn, a round spirit seen in Arabian Nights, marked by a quirky demeanor that changes through its mood. Lighting has the ability to paralyze an enemy and stun as well as improve evasion.
Earth: Gnome, a tough bearded sprite that sticks true to its first impression. Earth can cause enemy attacks to slow in speed and can increase defense.
Fire: Salamander, a chiding lizard of flame which always acts passionately of everything. Fire can also reduce an enemy's defense and improve attack strength.
Plant: Dryad, the peaceful tree spirit of kindness. Plant magic draws its powers from the flora to attack and heal. Has the ability to inflict poison and sleep as well as gradually restore HP through regeneration.
Darkness: Shade, the mysterious bat creature of silence which forever peers into the night. Darkness draws its power from the darkness to confuse and confound. Has the power to blind and confuse, and can increase magic attack.
Light: Wisp, a puff of light filled with determination. Light draws its power from the light of day and provides the most restorative and protective magic. Can also be used to blind, weaken enemy attacks, and can improve accuracy.
Aura: Aura, the intuitive spirit that diligently watches everything. Aura magic draws its power from the radiance of the moon, gold and people’s spirits. Most enhancing magic draws its strength from Aura. Can also be used to attack in a form similar to chi, can help cause people to like you more.
RACES
Note: Each race has more variety of creatures then their name. For example, a fish folk may be anything from a mermaid to a fish with legs. Use your imagination to create their form. Also, the element that’s assigned to them are their own natural element and does not necessarily mean that they cannot cast the magic they are weak to (there's still some danger, I mean imagine a fish using a lightning spell). Also to note that these descriptions of how these races behave USUALLY, what you do yourself is entirely up to you.
Humans: (Aura-Element) The first most plentiful of the land, humans have been around for as long as anybody can remember. Although they are not exceptional in magic of strength, they also possess no real weakness to speak of, except to vice and greed. Many wars have erupted from the hands of men, but generally speaking they genuinely try to be good people.
Elvan: (Wisp-Element) The second most plentiful in the land, elves have great affinity to magic, especially the healing arts. With this skill, however, they sacrifice some of their physical abilities. This deficit isn't as extreme as other magical creatures who sacrifice magic entirely. There has been a terse respect with the humans, as many wars for land have been fought between the two, but most of the time both races get along.
Mavole: (Darkness-Element) While they are called vampires, this race actually consists of bat-folk. Several generations ago, many mavole lived in large castles. Recently, their numbers have dwindled for an unknown reason leaving Mavoles rare sights. Aloof, mysterious and extremely quiet, most don't know what motivates Mavoles. What is known is that the do require blood for sustenance, they have great magical and physical abilities that manifest only during the night and are very weak during the day, and when one's motives lead to destructive ends many people will suffer until that Mavole's death. They possess the ability to turn into a bat.
Fairies: (Grass-Element) The most magical creatures of the land, fairies stay close to their homes and try not to wander. Their magic abilities are top-notch, but they are relatively physically inept (they use their hands to cast magic to pick things up for them). They are extremely territorial and will fight anybody who intrudes on their territory. With the recent advances in human industrialization, many fairies’ homes have been destroyed causing the most violent wars ever seen. Most fairies hate humans and use their magic to hatefully ruin whoever crosses their path.
Dwarves: (Earth-Element) Short, squat creatures with an affinity for metal and gems, dwarves use their knowledge to create many beautiful weapons and intricate pieces of art out of the ground which they live in. Unfortunately, they almost completely lack imagination and require inspiration from other creatures to expand their repertoire (and they aren't too great with magic). Yet, they are extremely durable and powerful. Their allegiance lies to whoever can teach them the most, usually the humans.
Feline-Folk: (Fire-Element) Always a rare race, few feline-folk have lived and currently live in this world. One feline-folk might chance upon ten other feline-folk their entire lives, including their parents or potential children. Yet, their physical dexterity and agility are astonishing, making them creatures of note. What can take a human many years of physical training to perform may come naturally to feline-folk. Their magical abilities suffer slightly because of this and they tend to dish it out but don't do well taking damage. There have been occasional mage felines in the past, however.
Bug-Folk: (Wind/Lightning-Element) Despite the name, most bug-folk look like humans with physical properties reminiscent of bugs (a horn, antennae, wings). A curious race, these individuals live much like humans do and possess no real aptitude in magic or strength. They do, however, receive special benefits from the bug type they are, but generally these benefits are limited (aka. if they have wings they can fly slightly, but not far and long). Almost all possess some form of a carapace which defends their bodies like plate armor.
Monkey-Folk: (Earth-Element) While some feel that humans evolved from apes, monkey-folk believe the opposite. Unlike most races, their abilities lie with the type of monkey they come from. While some are quick and agile, other are slow and powerful. This race tends to be the most animated and like to be performers or entertainers.
Bird-Folk: (Wind-Element) A quiet group which tends to keep to themselves, bird-folk live on top of tall mountains where they live quiet, and simple lives. Their keen eyes make them able to pick up precise details which would make them good archers if they have the physical dexterity to use a bow (some don't). All bird-folk have wings and are able to fly, but most of the time because of their size they usually try to avoid flying if possible.
Lizard-Folk: (Fire-Element) Another extremely rare race, not much is known about lizard-folk except being cold-blooded. The only well-known lizard-folk is Kathinja of the Academy of Geo, and even she admits there are qualities of herself she doesn't wholly understand. What can be told is they generally act human, but are touched with personality characteristics unique to reptiles. Presumably, this race possesses great strength, but once again not much is known.
Plant-Folk: (Plant Element) The most peaceable of all the races, plant-folk live life in natural, wholesome ways. Like bug-folk, most plant-folk look human with the traces of plant about them. An unusual example is the onion warrior, creatures with an onion for a head. A fortune-teller in Domina also is reported to have a variety of fruits drooping from her head. Most individuals of this race try to teach the other races of the inherent goodness in the way of nature, and the teaching of the Mana Goddess.
Fish-Folk: (Water/Ice Element) The most plentiful of the world, a huge variety of creatures exist within the fish-folk's domain. Not much is known of these creatures as they keep within the ocean and keep to themselves, except what is told of sailors. "They value respect and can ruin you if you don't show them respect while crossing their seas. Always carry something extra to give them as gifts, or else they might be offended.
SIGN-UP
Name:
Race:
Age:
Sex:
Profession:
Affiliation:
Physical Description:
Personality:
History:
Skills/Abilities/Spells:
Weapon:
Other:
--SUGGESTIONS--
Name: None
Race: Personally, you may be whatever race you wish to be so long as you understand the effects of what you are on the world. If you are a squid-man, odds are people won’t like you very much.
Age: 10+ please
Sex: Let’s not make this an issue…
Profession: I provided some options for this, like warrior or mage. Just something to keep in mind to tool your skills and such.
Affiliation: The three big affiliations is the Academy of Magic, The Warrior’s Guild and The Jumis, but you don’t *HAVE* to be any of these. Maybe you are a friend of a Jumi? If you wish to be acting on your own, just say you are a freelance adventurer.
Physical Description: Think of an age between medieval Europe just about to enter the industrial revolution, and you have a good idea of the age of this world.
Personality: Be specific, please. ^_^
History: I like some thought with a person’s past, but you need not go overboard here.
Skills/Abilities/Spells: Be reasonable, Also, keep in mind that your profession and affiliation could make a difference of what you know. For example, if you are in the Warrior’s Guild, your magic would probably have a narrower focus, like using a fire spell to light kindling instead of using fire as a big explosion.
Weapon: Some magical qualities are OK, but nothing too extreme.
Other: This is an opportunity for you to add extra info that might make a difference or to be funny. ^_^
- - -
Additional info of the world of Tears of Jewels can be found here.
; jig-saw man and a hippopotamus chimera?). If you are looking for an element for any beast-folk race, I would give a strong nod to Plant-element, or whatever element you think is appropriate for the animal you choose.