Basilicus
Worldbuilding
on a galactic scale
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Theology[]
Followers of Duæss follow the teachings of the ancient book called the Zerahtara. Their beliefs are as follows:
The Study of Ostiran[]
Ostiran is the name for the force that keeps the universe at balance. Ostiran is impersonal and conscious but able to be used by almost anyone to certain degrees; the secrets of Ostiran however are not allowed to be taught to Helics, which are considered the unholy race by many Forseers. Ostiran is one force but is made up of many different magics of the universe.
It is written in the Duæss' scriptures that when the universe was originally instituted, there was nothing to keep it in balance, and thus it was an infinite void. Then the original Ancient One established the powers that shaped the void into its current form. There are five magics: time, power, space, matter, and motion. When separated, these magics are useless, but when combined they form the ultimate magic, reality, or Ostiran. These magics are also each controlled by their respective Ancient Ones, usually referred to as Lords or Masters.
The Study of the Ancient Ones[]
The Ancient Ones have long been a subject of great debate. There are two major beliefs, Monism and Polysm.
Monists believe that there is only a single Ancient One in existence, and he simply manifests in different forms to different people at different times (one of these major manifestations is the Time Lord). They also believe that Ostiran is just another one of these manifestations.
Polysts believe that there was originally one, omniscient, omnipowerful, and omnipresent Ancient One, and that at the beginning of the universe he created the five magics, and in turn made four Ancient Ones to control them. The Zerahtara speaks directly of these deities, but only names two: Enuch, Lord of Time, and Negatron, Lord of Space and Matter.
The Study of Magic[]
According to the scriptures, magic is nothing but the use of Ostiran. Although magic has varying forms, there are five sects: time magic, power magic, space magic, matter magic, and motion magic. When separate these magics are powerful, but when together they are unstoppable. No one has ever been able to control all five magics at once, however, the most being three at once.
Time magic is driven by wisdom, but by far the most difficult to learn. Learning one simple spell takes years of practice, and if used incorrectly it has a large chance of backfiring on the user. There are some mages, however, that have devoted their entire lives to learning one time spell. The most powerful time spell, Monarchy, gives complete control over time to the user, but has never been learned by a mortal. Time is the first of all the magics, and therefore has dominion over them.
Power magic is very difficult to master. This magic is driven by emotions. Power magic consists of raw energy being released at dizzying rates at intense but controlled speeds. Power mages must constantly control their emotions to keep from accidentally spilling energy. Power is the slowest of the magics, but the strongest.
Space magic is of intermediate degree to learn. Space is controlled by the mind of the user. Space is by far the fastest of the five magics to execute, but is limited compared to the others.
Matter magic is relatively easy to learn, but difficult to execute quickly or in succession. Matter magic is controlled by focusing on knowledge of the universe, and therefore requires good concentration and reflexes to successfully use. Matter is directly related to space, in that both are controlled by the same Ancient One, Negatron.
Motion magic is the easiest to learn but is by far the weakest and most limited. Activated by movements and gestures of the user, motion magic is executed at the speed of the gesture.