New Fantasy Setting Seeds.

PTTG · 07-17-2022, 09:45 AM

Magical Dawns

Contemporary: Starting on December 21st, 2012, Earth's mana level started rising very slowly. It is now a decade later, and mana has reached a new stable level at High. Many of those born since the event have latent Magery 1-2.

But, magic is completely unknown. The exact method used is anything you like, but presumably is narratively something like "words, gylphs, and gestures help focus the visualization of desired effects in the mind of the caster." But even the most basic theoretical principles simply don't exist. As a result, magical events are extremely rare -- the consequence of already sensitive people in extreme circumstances and most likely in altered states of mind.

Your PCs are a VERY odd mix of neurologists, philosophers, spiritualists, and cranks who have by circumstance and investigation come to realize that there is something real going on.

The upcoming generation of mages will do things that the PCs can't even dream of, but it will likely be people like the PCs that define the principles the new mages will use.

Enlightenment: The 1456 arrival of Halley's Comet was marked with a great and firey aurora never seen before or since; the light persisted through night and day. Some speculate that it suffused the world with quintessence, or perhaps was merely a sign of God's favor, though at the time it was seen as an evil portent. Whatever the case, it had almost been forgotten -- but now, the prophecies are coming true; an age of miracles, or of doom.

The year is 1478. Mana levels are now Normal. While anyone can perform basic rites -- once nearly-forgotten rituals to the old gods -- Only the favored are exploring the heights of what magic can accomplish. The Church has decreed that anything supernatural which is performed by non-saints is witchcraft. This has immediately caused a storm of controversy, as folk saints may hold vast sway in their homelands while being, technically, enemies of the Church. But that is just in Europe... Other faiths have been more open-minded about the new power in the world...

07-17-2022, 09:45 AM	#25
PTTG Join Date: Feb 2011	Re: New Fantasy Setting Seeds. Magical Dawns Contemporary: Starting on December 21st, 2012, Earth's mana level started rising very slowly. It is now a decade later, and mana has reached a new stable level at High. Many of those born since the event have latent Magery 1-2. But, magic is completely unknown. The exact method used is anything you like, but presumably is narratively something like "words, gylphs, and gestures help focus the visualization of desired effects in the mind of the caster." But even the most basic theoretical principles simply don't exist. As a result, magical events are extremely rare -- the consequence of already sensitive people in extreme circumstances and most likely in altered states of mind. Your PCs are a VERY odd mix of neurologists, philosophers, spiritualists, and cranks who have by circumstance and investigation come to realize that there is something real going on. The upcoming generation of mages will do things that the PCs can't even dream of, but it will likely be people like the PCs that define the principles the new mages will use. Enlightenment: The 1456 arrival of Halley's Comet was marked with a great and firey aurora never seen before or since; the light persisted through night and day. Some speculate that it suffused the world with quintessence, or perhaps was merely a sign of God's favor, though at the time it was seen as an evil portent. Whatever the case, it had almost been forgotten -- but now, the prophecies are coming true; an age of miracles, or of doom. The year is 1478. Mana levels are now Normal. While anyone can perform basic rites -- once nearly-forgotten rituals to the old gods -- Only the favored are exploring the heights of what magic can accomplish. The Church has decreed that anything supernatural which is performed by non-saints is witchcraft. This has immediately caused a storm of controversy, as folk saints may hold vast sway in their homelands while being, technically, enemies of the Church. But that is just in Europe... Other faiths have been more open-minded about the new power in the world... Last edited by PTTG; 07-17-2022 at 05:45 PM.