Vitality Underground is the name of a (mostly) shared universe, similar to our own in most ways. The fantastic (magic, advanced technology, etc) has been carefully moderated by an organization known as SERVE. While their original objective was just to keep magic in check, they eventually became focused on hiding all fantastic things from the public. Though, while people mainly doubt the fantastic SERVE hasn't completely succeeded. However, not all the stories of Vitality Underground take place on Earth (for example, a RP/other that focuses on off-world matters) and some might even (intentionally) be alternate universes. Finally, Vitality Underground is a constantly developing thing so some concepts might change over the course of time.
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World Information:
Alchemy: It is a specialized form of magic, using physical designs to focus magical energy into specific effects. By using these designs, referred to as runes, the Alchemist can perform spells much more efficiently and quickly than a Mage. However, for a rune to be functional the Alchemist has to infuse it with magical energy and an intended purpose. Without a purpose, the Alchemist would have to constantly shape it themselves. While still faster than a Mage, the Alchemist would suffer the same disadvantages.
Furthermore, the design of the rune directly affects the spell. While an Alchemist could just draw anything for their desired spell, the size affects the power of the spell which can potentially mess it all up. In addition, should the rune become physically altered the results vary from it becoming non-functional to performing something else entirely. As a result, it is very dangerous to apply runes directly to a non-rigid substance such as skin or an object's joints among others. Even then, runes can end up performing very differently if potential factors weren't taken into account.
On a final note, the alchemy known to the public was originally practiced by those trying to use the magical variant before developing into its own thing. The original form, purpose and culture of alchemy is long since forgotten with many modern Alchemists influenced by the non-magical variant. Various terms however, primarily those regarding artificial/altered/unnatural life, predated the non-magical version. Other concepts, such as the Philosopher's Stone and Elixir of Life, are terms originally created by the mundane version.
Angel Eggs: Originally created by the division now known as SHAMAN, Angel Eggs were made from their research of various magical events such as Nomi, Gifts and Echoes. They initially start out as spheres, and the original generation developed by scanning the minds of those in its vicinity. However, for a number of reasons all succeeding generations became internally dwelling entities that developed off the mind of their host. Finally, the main reason they are called "Angels" is that they're designed only to focus on positive elements. Though, should their host somehow lack positive elements it'll instead use the negativity to develop.
Currently, there are four generations with the fourth being rather recent. While the first and second generation Angels simply based themselves off the things in one's mind, the third generation focused more specifically on one's personality and ideals/desires/etc. Finally, fourth generation angels are partially bonded to the entity that hosted them thus resulting in greater and better cooperation.
Artificial Gifts: Created as symbiotic entities that would allow anyone to "possess" a Gift, the creators of the original iteration produced sociopathic narcissistic pricks instead of what were to be obediently loyal servants. Their constant failures to get them to behave ultimately resulted in it being abandoned, with few managing to avoid destruction or seals. The escaped ones would eventually become known as various forms of fantastic things, though primarily they became what is known as the Fair Folk.
Since the development and abandonment of the original iteration, few intelligent Artificial Gifts have been created. However, in their place non-sentient ones have been made by condensing the essence of things into a magical ability. While this is mainly just extraction of some mostly unimportant element from a person or thing, the more powerful ones are a complete condescension of something such as a person's personality for example.
Cult of Eldon:
Darima: Short for "Dark Imagination", the original Darima was created by an Alchemist to mindlessly feed on magical energy creating utter chaos where they went. Since this also resulted in them feeding on each other, they acquired the name Darima because of their originator's apparent depravity. Though, since each Darima would end up unique SERVE has since been using a refined and modified version to further learn magic's possibilities and interactions. That, and they're very handy for getting rid of dangerous artifacts.
Of note, however, is that a Darima has to kill a Humonculus first before being able to absorb their magical essence. In addition, by absorbing (formerly) sentient sources of magic the Darima will display their traits if not act as a conduit for the intact sentience. This can occasionally result in the sentience having their own body as well, commonly manifested through a tattoo on the Darima. In fact, whenever a Darima has a tattoo on their body it is a separate existence which can be called forth on command.
Echoes: General term to refer to magical entities that are reflections or reminders of mundane entities, they come in four types: Memory (lifeless creatures that is the majority of what people call ghosts), Remnants (physical embodiment of one's mortal mind), Emotion (physical manifestation of one's emotions), and Fractures (manifested aspects of one's psyche). Almost anyone can produce a Memory Echo when they die, but these are simply non-sentient creatures that are constantly reliving the memories they're composed of. Some are capable of producing new memories, but those will be erased when their cycle repeats.
Remnants, however, are only produced by powered beings or those capable of magic with a strong refusal to die. The result is that their minds take physical form, and are more or less just ghosts who can take solid form. Some, however, possess qualities of an Emotion Echo and can end up looking like spectral monstrosities.
Emotion Echoes, as well as Fractures, are typically created by an external factor than the individual alone. For Emotions, they are the physical reflection of one's feelings and will often assume forms fitting their beliefs or the sheer intensity of the emotion. For example, someone with little anger would produce an Echo that mainly just acts angry while someone with unbridled anger would produce a raging behemoth. These also tend to exhibit abilities, and are living magic enhancers due to being composed of emotions.
Fractures, on the other hand, are physically manifested pieces of a person's psyche that has been removed. They are simply just a facet of a person, though the more Fractures a person has the less of themselves they'll be.
Eldritichians: Genetic horrors that, despite being around for a while, have only been discovered twenty-four years ago by SERVE. Initially assumed to be high-tier Humonculi or other kind of magical entity, they're actually one hundred percent natural (for a given value). Having no earlier accounts of them, Eldritichians have been classified as Non-Terran in origin.
Though they have yet to fully understand Eldritichians, SERVE has one they have termed "The Prime" that they believe may have originated the others due to more or less being an extreme physical manifestation of what little shared traits they've deduced so far. Speaking of, their biology (such as blood or liquidized organs) are very mutagenic to non-magical biological entities and each known Eldritichian varies wildly genetically from others.
Elementals: The physical manifestations of specific magical sources, there are three types. The first one are Golems whose cores draws in a specific "element" to construct a body, like a humanoid shaped fire or ice taking the of wolves. The second are Humonculi who had large amounts of an element compressed into one entity, producing creatures that would become known as dryads and nymphs among others. The last and latest version is the fusion of the two, resulting in entities that can switch between an elemental and organic form on whim. These are also the more powerful, but are rare due to their relatively recent creation.
Gifts: Sparks of magic that'll randomly manifest in a naturally born entity, they're typically referred to as Gifts due to their unpredictable nature and unknown origins. In addition, one doesn't inherently know they are Gifted and is even possible they die having not discovered it. Though, in terms of power, they'll slide anywhere between utterly useless (such as smelling colors) to hideously powerful (such as creating high level Humonculi with ease). However, the more powerful a Gift is, the rarer it is and vise versa.
In addition, while they're not genetically inheritable the children of Gifted can develop powers after being exposed to a large mass of magic. This is most common when their other parent is a highly magical entity, such as Humonculi or magically altered entities. It should also be mentioned that the Gift itself lurks inside one's soul, but isn't actually fused with them allowing Gifts to be extracted non-fatally.
Golems: Constructs held together by magic, most people know them as stupid and obedient creatures. Most Golems, indeed, are typically obedient constructs made to serve the purposes of others. However, the actual art of Golemcraft is immensely untapped, shoved aside in favor of Humonculi when the typical Golem wouldn't be suitable for a creator's plan. This is mainly due to the inability to potentially make them a powerhouse. However, for those who do explore the possibilities of Golems, they'll quickly find they can make a Golem out of almost everything.
In addition, when a Golem is made there is something specifically that fuels their animation which is called their "Core". While Cores are generally assumed to be a part of the Golem or a rune, more advanced ones can have their Core be completely external or even an entirely separate object. Though, since it is essentially their soul, damaging or destroying the Core will eventually result in their cessation.
Humonculi: The term to refer to all magically created lifeforms, they differ from Golems in that Golems are objects held together by magic while Humonculi are actually made of magic. However, there's a vast many ways to create a Humonculi plenty of which can be similar to Golems in creation. In addition, unlike Golems the common Humonculi is often an organic entity.
Though, when created there are two things a Humonculus is classed by: Stability (such as mental/emotional/physical) and Quality (such as how refined or powerful they are). Humonculi with low Stability are prone to spontaneous self-destruction, lost memories, and psychological issues among others. One with low Quality are easier to destroy, and more susceptible to anti-magic in addition to being less complex.
Magic: Even when it first appeared few knew the origins of magic, and to this day no one knows. However, the laws of Magic are quite simple: To perform an effect one needs the required factors, and magic you don't understand cannot be performed. Thus, to perform a Fire spell there has to be heat or fire for one to use and you would need to know the basics of heat's travel. However, attempting to perform a spell you don't understand will vary from no effect to a twisted or completely different effect (say blowing up your hand or causing an area of absolute zero by botching a fireball spell).
Often knowing the very basic rules of a physical law is all one needs, but the more one understands the better control you'll have. However, by using souls and their components one can bypass the normal rules. Though, the real power of this only comes into play when actual pieces of the soul is being used than simply the renewable products (thoughts/memories and emotions). It is therefore only something suicidal or amoral magic users do.
The power of thoughts and emotions have produced magical events, mainly magical/supernatural entities and causing locations (to become) of the fantastic. These, however, are extremely rare and few due to the sheer quantity being required.
In addition, the more one performs magic the more physically tired they'll become. This is because you would have to consciously shape each spell, and it is indeed possible to injury or kill one's self by casting too many spells in a short period. It is merely the act of casting however, so having multiple active spells will not affect you unless designed or forced to. Though, storing too much energy will negatively affect your body until the point of explosion.
Magitek: Despite being the safest way for one to cast spells, Magitek is extremely rare due to the lack of people interested and capable. Because of this there is no certain origin for the creation of the concept, or what was the first example of Magitek. Most pieces of Magitek are either fantastically powered technology (such as using an Elemental to power lights) or magically enhanced technology (such as a megaphone that pushes other noise out of the way).
Nomi: What is referred to as Tsukumogami by the public, Nomi are inanimate objects that become alive due to a combination of magical energy and emotions. However, for several centuries Mages didn't understand how the Nomi came to be and generally assumed it took them multiple years to transform. In actuality, the more magic an inanimate object soaks up and the more emotions associated with it the quicker it'll transform. Though, despite not realizing this fact people were unwittingly creating Nomi when in the pursuit of making an magical item through unusual means, such as murdering people to make a demonic weapon or subjecting an item to various holy means.
Most Nomi, unlike public opinion of Tsukumogami, don't necessarily look alive when they transform. Generally things already resembling a living entity, such as a suit of armor or a stuffed animal, are the ones prone to actually look alive. The emotions and actions done with a pre-Nomi is what will decide its transformed state, which can vary from producing extreme changes (such as a companion cube becoming a real person) or simply cosmetic ones (like a knife turning red to reflect the anger it had stored). However, all Nomi gain a soul once they transform and generally gain the ability to control their functions (such as a gun refusing to fire or an toy being able to move their limbs).
Though, since soul manipulation is taboo to the common mage and the rarity of telepathic Nomi they're generally not considered to be alive. Furthermore, a Nomi allows one to use their power, so when a Nomi stops "working" someone may try to force them to work or even destroy it. However, this is also why their presence of a soul became discovered.
OWA: Known as Organically Wild Augmenting, the core concept of an OWA is to enhance pre-existing biology rather than introducing new elements. While this predates the E-OWA experiments of CHEST, prior to their invention these were typically magical in nature. This was mainly practiced by mages that wanted power and monsters, but lacked the skill to do it in better ways. Often this was a temporary effect, and even became somewhat common during the 15th century as potions. However M-OWA came to an end during the 17th century, due to a mage fusing himself with multiple lifeforms before subjecting theirself to the effects of a large OWA rune.
Following this the official use of OWA began to decline, partially motivated due to the unpredictable effects high-powered ones would cause and the often lost of sanity. While mad mages and SERVE continued experimenting, it was mostly just that.
In 1997, a SHAMAN employee known for experimenting with various sources noticed the potent mutagenic power of mixing humonculi blood with eldritichian biology. Sharing this with SERVE, CHEST later decided to refine Eldritichian biology into a formula. Once testing the effectiveness of the OWA Zero, they began further refining the formula and are currently experimenting with the OWA-2. The OWA-1 was rather simply about enhancing pre-existing biology, though unused and flawed formulas for still remain.
Souls: Composed of two parts, Mental and Emotional, a Soul is what gives someone life. The Mental half is what allows one to think and act, while the Emotional half gives them their feelings and ability to function. Removing one half will render someone incapable of anything meaningfully, while removing both will often kill the person. The only reason one would survive would be if bits of their soul got left behind, and even then they're effectively empty shells.
However, each soul is "made" exclusively for the body it was born in. Removed souls will instinctively want to return to it, and will be forced out of any foreign body they try to take over instead. Souls can freely possess inanimate objects however. The body, on the other hand, will slowly attempt to create a new soul from the bits left behind. Losing this second soul will render the body as an inanimate object.
Repairing and creating souls is surprisingly easy, to the point that merely possessing thoughts will eventually give a soulless entity one. However, to develop a soul there also has to be emotions coming from or directed at the entity. In addition, it is possible to create a body that will host any soul.
Slimes:
Tentos: Divided into five main classifications (Machine, Bio, Beast, Esper, Eldritch) and seven types (Proto, Partial, Failed, Incomplete, Complete, Hybrid, Production), they are quickly becoming standard grunts for Serve. However, they possess souls so moral issues have mainly slowed down them becoming the standardized troops.
Machine-Class Tentos are those with (nano)machines in their bodies, performing features from increased healing to ranged attacks or even retractable armor among others. While the Prototype Machines had cybernetics/nanites implanted into their bodies, the succeeding generations come with them naturally.
Bio-Class Tentos are those with altered or unusual biology, such as increased physical attributes or enhanced/new ways to perceive the world. They differ from the rest in that they're focused on more generic applications, while the rest are more exotic and specialized.
Beast-Class Tentos are those with (emulated) biology of other terran creatures, such as venom secretion or chameleon like abilities among others. There is only one Prototype Beast Tento, and is so animalistic its the only Prototype that is considered a Failed Tento. In fact the Beast-line was nearly scrapped until someone produced the first Partial Tento. This child and several others would become the precursors for the current Beast Tentos due to being much more sane than their father.
Revenant: Those cursed with a flawed form of immortality, Revenants are (typically) humans whose mind and soul have been fused with their body. Since the soul and mind cannot leave, the body is animated and puppeteered by them. Because the body is not actually resurrected, damage will not repair and it'll continue to decay. Eventually, the decaying body will cause the soul to decay and both factors will ultimately drive the mind to non-sentient insanity.
In addition, Revenants can be caused by one's soul deliberately reuniting with their dead body. This act will become permanent if the soul starts to decay, and once that starts to happen this type of Revenant will begin to break down even faster as the soul tries to remold its body. Often the results are shambling monsters vaguely resembling humanity, though ones that take on non-humanoid forms have become nothing more than malicious monsters.
Weres: Creatures of varying origins who, one way or another, transform into something else under specific factors. Since this is the subject of many magical effects, there is no real definitive Were. However the majority cannot truly control the transformation, and even with magic some Weres are simply too powerful to be controlled.
Any living thing is capable of being a Were, and their transformations range from simple things like becoming other creatures (like a wolf or cat) to being another kind of magical entity (vampire for example) to changes of their normal self (such as gender-bending or personality changes). In general, anyone victim to involuntary shape-shifting and/or personality-changing is dubbed a Were.
Triggers for a Were is also greatly varied, though commonly tend to happen at night. Other common triggers involve happening after a specific amount of time (such as once a week), feeling certain emotions, going to a specific location, or by being endangered. Less commonly they might change because of specific types of people being around (like young children or an ethic group), the way they or others act (racism as an example), or specific events (such as a full moon or Thanksgiving).
While it depends on the Were in question, it is normally possible for offspring to also be a Were. If both parents are Weres, the result might be a combination (like turning into a werewolf rocket scientist whenever they see a full moon or chemistry lab) or one might randomly dominate over the other (two children, one turns into a werewolf and the other a rocket scientist). In other cases they might have their own randomly created transformation (such as a cheerfully oblivious mer despite having a werewolf and rocket scientist for parents). In addition, some types of Were might stack while others are immune to further transformation.
Zombies: While used as a general term to refer to any decaying undead creature that attacks others and/or is controlled, officially the word only applies to one type of undead. Resurrected anywhere from a recently deceased corpse to skeletal remains, magical energy will latch onto residue left by the soul to power the body. If the mind is "restored" depends on the status of the corpse, but regardless they all feel a desire to be "whole". Thus they will initially obey whoever claims to be their resurrector.
However, because of their desire they're truly only work for themselves. Once one decides their resurrector isn't helpful enough, they will leave. What they consider to be "whole" varies on the state of their body, with those mostly intact wanting to take "their" life back to those with damaged bodies wanting to repair themselves. In both cases, the longer their objective takes the more desperate they become until they eventually forget what their original goal was.
Furthermore, the magic that resurrects them enables their organic functions to continue and repairs damage to some degree. However, it does not regenerate the body and won't actually change the state of it either. Though, it will meld any deceased matter to them allowing them to tear off rotten body parts for fresher ones. Finally, biological functions (such as heart beats and senses) have to be consciously activated and can be disabled at will.
Upon becoming "Whole", they will act more or less like usual humans. Though they lack the capacity to perform magic, but make up with their temporal immortality and ability to manipulate corpses absorbed to their body. However they're extremely vulnerable to magical disruption and destroying their entire skeleton will kill them.
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SERVE Database
Alexander Pierre:
Asher: Having first made contact with SERVE after an incident two years back with one of their soldiers freaking out in Indianapolis, the exact identity has yet to be confirmed. While assumed to be a child of an humonculus, SERVE is certain they use technology. In addition, while not very trusted, SERVE has sent Asher plans or formulas for minor products which are then returned successfully completed. Finally, what little Asher has revealed about themselves implies a strong desire to do good.
Destiny Long: Having joined SERVE mostly because of her brother requesting her, she has been working there for twenty years. Skilled in primarily the mental and emotional aspects of magic, she worked in SHAMAN on developing magical lifeforms. Three years in, as a test of her skills, she was allowed to create one entity in anyway from anything. Deciding to use Eldritichian biology due to the lack of information they had, the base design was to be a mentally and emotionally linking shape-shifter. Though, due to her lack of experience with actually making the lifeforms she decided to carry it on the assumption the human biology would in turn make it human. The result was the child's birth nearly killed her gruesomely, with her entire lower body needing to be repaired.
Faith Long: Created sixteen years ago mainly as a test of a new CHEST genetic formula that would enhance pre-existing abilities, her genetic code was sampled from a Ms. Fiona Mulier. While her "mother" could make a fist-sized flame, the result of using this formula (known as OWA Zero) was an intensely potent pyrokinetic child. Her raw power, however, was unexpected by the designers of the OWA and the lab was nearly destroyed.
Knowing she would be a danger without training, Faith proceeded to be raised as a CHEST super-soldier. Her supervisor, Gerald Long, decided to call her daughter and treated her as such. Though, partially due to how she was raised and partially her emotion-based pyrokinesis, she didn't have many people who would call her friend. Following a major freakout during a mission in Indianapolis, she has become antagonistic to the idea of friendship.
Physically she has short red tomboyish hair and scarlet irises, stands five foot four and is flat-chested. When not on missions she's typically doing research, either as reviewing SERVE information or watching/reading/playing human media.
Gerald Long: In his youth, Gerald Long had always wondered about the possibilities of the fantastic advancing humanity's development. Though he didn't truly believe magic was real, he spent time and money getting supposedly magical items. When he was fourteen he had purchased essentially a "How To" guide on performing magic. Reading it mainly out of boredom, he was shocked when he performed the spell listed. Casting it a few more times, his mind quickly went wild imagining the different applications.
Drawing in his older sister and younger brother, the three began refining their magical skill to create a couple of humonculi. Their sister departing from the group after they made a few minor creations, like birds and cats, his brother tried to make up for her leaving. Having overcharged a rune with energy, his brother accidentally killed himself. Blaming himself for his brother's death, Gerald did the sensible thing... Become a grave-robbing madman in order to perfect the art of Necromancy so he could resurrect his brother.
Ivy Timberland:
Midnight Stitcher: Originally created to be the prototype for a production line of standard super humans, one of the people involved in his creation injected a small sample of Eldritichian genetics. The result was a psychopathically insane humanoid abomination that's essentially unstoppable short of extreme measures. In addition to titanium rending strength & basically immunity to conventional and light/fire-based attacks, it can produce organic "stitches" that it uses as combat tendrils. Physically it stands seven feet tall, with longer than human arms and completely unnatural joint/skeletal movement.
In addition, since its escape two months ago it has been murdering people to the point the public considers it to be a specially depraved and dedicated serial killer due to his victims always leaving behind gruesome corpses or being left in unusual ways. While SERVE acknowledges the danger it represents, it ultimately isn't dangerous enough to send out other artificial lifeforms to catch it.
Mimi Long: Sixteen years ago she was born to a mother that treats her more like a dog
Penelope Geneva: "Born" twenty years age as one of CHEST's recent whims,
edited 3rd Jul '14 3:33:54 PM by Kkutwar
"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."
Vitality Underground is the name of a (mostly) shared universe, similar to our own in most ways. The fantastic (magic, advanced technology, etc) has been carefully moderated by an organization known as SERVE. While their original objective was just to keep magic in check, they eventually became focused on hiding all fantastic things from the public. Though, while people mainly doubt the fantastic SERVE hasn't completely succeeded. However, not all the stories of Vitality Underground take place on Earth (for example, a RP/other that focuses on off-world matters) and some might even (intentionally) be alternate universes. Finally, Vitality Underground is a constantly developing thing so some concepts might change over the course of time.
_______________________________
World Information:
Alchemy: It is a specialized form of magic, using physical designs to focus magical energy into specific effects. By using these designs, referred to as runes, the Alchemist can perform spells much more efficiently and quickly than a Mage. However, for a rune to be functional the Alchemist has to infuse it with magical energy and an intended purpose. Without a purpose, the Alchemist would have to constantly shape it themselves. While still faster than a Mage, the Alchemist would suffer the same disadvantages.
Furthermore, the design of the rune directly affects the spell. While an Alchemist could just draw anything for their desired spell, the size affects the power of the spell which can potentially mess it all up. In addition, should the rune become physically altered the results vary from it becoming non-functional to performing something else entirely. As a result, it is very dangerous to apply runes directly to a non-rigid substance such as skin or an object's joints among others. Even then, runes can end up performing very differently if potential factors weren't taken into account.
On a final note, the alchemy known to the public was originally practiced by those trying to use the magical variant before developing into its own thing. The original form, purpose and culture of alchemy is long since forgotten with many modern Alchemists influenced by the non-magical variant. Various terms however, primarily those regarding artificial/altered/unnatural life, predated the non-magical version. Other concepts, such as the Philosopher's Stone and Elixir of Life, are terms originally created by the mundane version.
Angel Eggs: Originally created by the division now known as SHAMAN, Angel Eggs were made from their research of various magical events such as Nomi, Gifts and Echoes. They initially start out as spheres, and the original generation developed by scanning the minds of those in its vicinity. However, for a number of reasons all succeeding generations became internally dwelling entities that developed off the mind of their host. Finally, the main reason they are called "Angels" is that they're designed only to focus on positive elements. Though, should their host somehow lack positive elements it'll instead use the negativity to develop.
Currently, there are four generations with the fourth being rather recent. While the first and second generation Angels simply based themselves off the things in one's mind, the third generation focused more specifically on one's personality and ideals/desires/etc. Finally, fourth generation angels are partially bonded to the entity that hosted them thus resulting in greater and better cooperation.
Artificial Gifts: Created as symbiotic entities that would allow anyone to "possess" a Gift, the creators of the original iteration produced sociopathic narcissistic pricks instead of what were to be obediently loyal servants. Their constant failures to get them to behave ultimately resulted in it being abandoned, with few managing to avoid destruction or seals. The escaped ones would eventually become known as various forms of fantastic things, though primarily they became what is known as the Fair Folk.
Since the development and abandonment of the original iteration, few intelligent Artificial Gifts have been created. However, in their place non-sentient ones have been made by condensing the essence of things into a magical ability. While this is mainly just extraction of some mostly unimportant element from a person or thing, the more powerful ones are a complete condescension of something such as a person's personality for example.
Cult of Eldon:
Darima: Short for "Dark Imagination", the original Darima was created by an Alchemist to mindlessly feed on magical energy creating utter chaos where they went. Since this also resulted in them feeding on each other, they acquired the name Darima because of their originator's apparent depravity. Though, since each Darima would end up unique SERVE has since been using a refined and modified version to further learn magic's possibilities and interactions. That, and they're very handy for getting rid of dangerous artifacts.
Of note, however, is that a Darima has to kill a Humonculus first before being able to absorb their magical essence. In addition, by absorbing (formerly) sentient sources of magic the Darima will display their traits if not act as a conduit for the intact sentience. This can occasionally result in the sentience having their own body as well, commonly manifested through a tattoo on the Darima. In fact, whenever a Darima has a tattoo on their body it is a separate existence which can be called forth on command.
Echoes: General term to refer to magical entities that are reflections or reminders of mundane entities, they come in four types: Memory (lifeless creatures that is the majority of what people call ghosts), Remnants (physical embodiment of one's mortal mind), Emotion (physical manifestation of one's emotions), and Fractures (manifested aspects of one's psyche). Almost anyone can produce a Memory Echo when they die, but these are simply non-sentient creatures that are constantly reliving the memories they're composed of. Some are capable of producing new memories, but those will be erased when their cycle repeats.
Remnants, however, are only produced by powered beings or those capable of magic with a strong refusal to die. The result is that their minds take physical form, and are more or less just ghosts who can take solid form. Some, however, possess qualities of an Emotion Echo and can end up looking like spectral monstrosities.
Emotion Echoes, as well as Fractures, are typically created by an external factor than the individual alone. For Emotions, they are the physical reflection of one's feelings and will often assume forms fitting their beliefs or the sheer intensity of the emotion. For example, someone with little anger would produce an Echo that mainly just acts angry while someone with unbridled anger would produce a raging behemoth. These also tend to exhibit abilities, and are living magic enhancers due to being composed of emotions.
Fractures, on the other hand, are physically manifested pieces of a person's psyche that has been removed. They are simply just a facet of a person, though the more Fractures a person has the less of themselves they'll be.
Eldritichians: Genetic horrors that, despite being around for a while, have only been discovered twenty-four years ago by SERVE. Initially assumed to be high-tier Humonculi or other kind of magical entity, they're actually one hundred percent natural (for a given value). Having no earlier accounts of them, Eldritichians have been classified as Non-Terran in origin.
Though they have yet to fully understand Eldritichians, SERVE has one they have termed "The Prime" that they believe may have originated the others due to more or less being an extreme physical manifestation of what little shared traits they've deduced so far. Speaking of, their biology (such as blood or liquidized organs) are very mutagenic to non-magical biological entities and each known Eldritichian varies wildly genetically from others.
Elementals: The physical manifestations of specific magical sources, there are three types. The first one are Golems whose cores draws in a specific "element" to construct a body, like a humanoid shaped fire or ice taking the of wolves. The second are Humonculi who had large amounts of an element compressed into one entity, producing creatures that would become known as dryads and nymphs among others. The last and latest version is the fusion of the two, resulting in entities that can switch between an elemental and organic form on whim. These are also the more powerful, but are rare due to their relatively recent creation.
Gifts: Sparks of magic that'll randomly manifest in a naturally born entity, they're typically referred to as Gifts due to their unpredictable nature and unknown origins. In addition, one doesn't inherently know they are Gifted and is even possible they die having not discovered it. Though, in terms of power, they'll slide anywhere between utterly useless (such as smelling colors) to hideously powerful (such as creating high level Humonculi with ease). However, the more powerful a Gift is, the rarer it is and vise versa.
In addition, while they're not genetically inheritable the children of Gifted can develop powers after being exposed to a large mass of magic. This is most common when their other parent is a highly magical entity, such as Humonculi or magically altered entities. It should also be mentioned that the Gift itself lurks inside one's soul, but isn't actually fused with them allowing Gifts to be extracted non-fatally.
Golems: Constructs held together by magic, most people know them as stupid and obedient creatures. Most Golems, indeed, are typically obedient constructs made to serve the purposes of others. However, the actual art of Golemcraft is immensely untapped, shoved aside in favor of Humonculi when the typical Golem wouldn't be suitable for a creator's plan. This is mainly due to the inability to potentially make them a powerhouse. However, for those who do explore the possibilities of Golems, they'll quickly find they can make a Golem out of almost everything.
In addition, when a Golem is made there is something specifically that fuels their animation which is called their "Core". While Cores are generally assumed to be a part of the Golem or a rune, more advanced ones can have their Core be completely external or even an entirely separate object. Though, since it is essentially their soul, damaging or destroying the Core will eventually result in their cessation.
Humonculi: The term to refer to all magically created lifeforms, they differ from Golems in that Golems are objects held together by magic while Humonculi are actually made of magic. However, there's a vast many ways to create a Humonculi plenty of which can be similar to Golems in creation. In addition, unlike Golems the common Humonculi is often an organic entity.
Though, when created there are two things a Humonculus is classed by: Stability (such as mental/emotional/physical) and Quality (such as how refined or powerful they are). Humonculi with low Stability are prone to spontaneous self-destruction, lost memories, and psychological issues among others. One with low Quality are easier to destroy, and more susceptible to anti-magic in addition to being less complex.
Magic: Even when it first appeared few knew the origins of magic, and to this day no one knows. However, the laws of Magic are quite simple: To perform an effect one needs the required factors, and magic you don't understand cannot be performed. Thus, to perform a Fire spell there has to be heat or fire for one to use and you would need to know the basics of heat's travel. However, attempting to perform a spell you don't understand will vary from no effect to a twisted or completely different effect (say blowing up your hand or causing an area of absolute zero by botching a fireball spell).
Often knowing the very basic rules of a physical law is all one needs, but the more one understands the better control you'll have. However, by using souls and their components one can bypass the normal rules. Though, the real power of this only comes into play when actual pieces of the soul is being used than simply the renewable products (thoughts/memories and emotions). It is therefore only something suicidal or amoral magic users do.
The power of thoughts and emotions have produced magical events, mainly magical/supernatural entities and causing locations (to become) of the fantastic. These, however, are extremely rare and few due to the sheer quantity being required.
In addition, the more one performs magic the more physically tired they'll become. This is because you would have to consciously shape each spell, and it is indeed possible to injury or kill one's self by casting too many spells in a short period. It is merely the act of casting however, so having multiple active spells will not affect you unless designed or forced to. Though, storing too much energy will negatively affect your body until the point of explosion.
Magitek: Despite being the safest way for one to cast spells, Magitek is extremely rare due to the lack of people interested and capable. Because of this there is no certain origin for the creation of the concept, or what was the first example of Magitek. Most pieces of Magitek are either fantastically powered technology (such as using an Elemental to power lights) or magically enhanced technology (such as a megaphone that pushes other noise out of the way).
Nomi: What is referred to as Tsukumogami by the public, Nomi are inanimate objects that become alive due to a combination of magical energy and emotions. However, for several centuries Mages didn't understand how the Nomi came to be and generally assumed it took them multiple years to transform. In actuality, the more magic an inanimate object soaks up and the more emotions associated with it the quicker it'll transform. Though, despite not realizing this fact people were unwittingly creating Nomi when in the pursuit of making an magical item through unusual means, such as murdering people to make a demonic weapon or subjecting an item to various holy means.
Most Nomi, unlike public opinion of Tsukumogami, don't necessarily look alive when they transform. Generally things already resembling a living entity, such as a suit of armor or a stuffed animal, are the ones prone to actually look alive. The emotions and actions done with a pre-Nomi is what will decide its transformed state, which can vary from producing extreme changes (such as a companion cube becoming a real person) or simply cosmetic ones (like a knife turning red to reflect the anger it had stored). However, all Nomi gain a soul once they transform and generally gain the ability to control their functions (such as a gun refusing to fire or an toy being able to move their limbs).
Though, since soul manipulation is taboo to the common mage and the rarity of telepathic Nomi they're generally not considered to be alive. Furthermore, a Nomi allows one to use their power, so when a Nomi stops "working" someone may try to force them to work or even destroy it. However, this is also why their presence of a soul became discovered.
OWA: Known as Organically Wild Augmenting, the core concept of an OWA is to enhance pre-existing biology rather than introducing new elements. While this predates the E-OWA experiments of CHEST, prior to their invention these were typically magical in nature. This was mainly practiced by mages that wanted power and monsters, but lacked the skill to do it in better ways. Often this was a temporary effect, and even became somewhat common during the 15th century as potions. However M-OWA came to an end during the 17th century, due to a mage fusing himself with multiple lifeforms before subjecting theirself to the effects of a large OWA rune.
Following this the official use of OWA began to decline, partially motivated due to the unpredictable effects high-powered ones would cause and the often lost of sanity. While mad mages and SERVE continued experimenting, it was mostly just that.
In 1997, a SHAMAN employee known for experimenting with various sources noticed the potent mutagenic power of mixing humonculi blood with eldritichian biology. Sharing this with SERVE, CHEST later decided to refine Eldritichian biology into a formula. Once testing the effectiveness of the OWA Zero, they began further refining the formula and are currently experimenting with the OWA-2. The OWA-1 was rather simply about enhancing pre-existing biology, though unused and flawed formulas for still remain.
Souls: Composed of two parts, Mental and Emotional, a Soul is what gives someone life. The Mental half is what allows one to think and act, while the Emotional half gives them their feelings and ability to function. Removing one half will render someone incapable of anything meaningfully, while removing both will often kill the person. The only reason one would survive would be if bits of their soul got left behind, and even then they're effectively empty shells.
However, each soul is "made" exclusively for the body it was born in. Removed souls will instinctively want to return to it, and will be forced out of any foreign body they try to take over instead. Souls can freely possess inanimate objects however. The body, on the other hand, will slowly attempt to create a new soul from the bits left behind. Losing this second soul will render the body as an inanimate object.
Repairing and creating souls is surprisingly easy, to the point that merely possessing thoughts will eventually give a soulless entity one. However, to develop a soul there also has to be emotions coming from or directed at the entity. In addition, it is possible to create a body that will host any soul.
Slimes:
Tentos: Divided into five main classifications (Machine, Bio, Beast, Esper, Eldritch) and seven types (Proto, Partial, Failed, Incomplete, Complete, Hybrid, Production), they are quickly becoming standard grunts for Serve. However, they possess souls so moral issues have mainly slowed down them becoming the standardized troops.
Machine-Class Tentos are those with (nano)machines in their bodies, performing features from increased healing to ranged attacks or even retractable armor among others. While the Prototype Machines had cybernetics/nanites implanted into their bodies, the succeeding generations come with them naturally.
Bio-Class Tentos are those with altered or unusual biology, such as increased physical attributes or enhanced/new ways to perceive the world. They differ from the rest in that they're focused on more generic applications, while the rest are more exotic and specialized.
Beast-Class Tentos are those with (emulated) biology of other terran creatures, such as venom secretion or chameleon like abilities among others. There is only one Prototype Beast Tento, and is so animalistic its the only Prototype that is considered a Failed Tento. In fact the Beast-line was nearly scrapped until someone produced the first Partial Tento. This child and several others would become the precursors for the current Beast Tentos due to being much more sane than their father.
Revenant: Those cursed with a flawed form of immortality, Revenants are (typically) humans whose mind and soul have been fused with their body. Since the soul and mind cannot leave, the body is animated and puppeteered by them. Because the body is not actually resurrected, damage will not repair and it'll continue to decay. Eventually, the decaying body will cause the soul to decay and both factors will ultimately drive the mind to non-sentient insanity.
In addition, Revenants can be caused by one's soul deliberately reuniting with their dead body. This act will become permanent if the soul starts to decay, and once that starts to happen this type of Revenant will begin to break down even faster as the soul tries to remold its body. Often the results are shambling monsters vaguely resembling humanity, though ones that take on non-humanoid forms have become nothing more than malicious monsters.
Weres: Creatures of varying origins who, one way or another, transform into something else under specific factors. Since this is the subject of many magical effects, there is no real definitive Were. However the majority cannot truly control the transformation, and even with magic some Weres are simply too powerful to be controlled.
Any living thing is capable of being a Were, and their transformations range from simple things like becoming other creatures (like a wolf or cat) to being another kind of magical entity (vampire for example) to changes of their normal self (such as gender-bending or personality changes). In general, anyone victim to involuntary shape-shifting and/or personality-changing is dubbed a Were.
Triggers for a Were is also greatly varied, though commonly tend to happen at night. Other common triggers involve happening after a specific amount of time (such as once a week), feeling certain emotions, going to a specific location, or by being endangered. Less commonly they might change because of specific types of people being around (like young children or an ethic group), the way they or others act (racism as an example), or specific events (such as a full moon or Thanksgiving).
While it depends on the Were in question, it is normally possible for offspring to also be a Were. If both parents are Weres, the result might be a combination (like turning into a werewolf rocket scientist whenever they see a full moon or chemistry lab) or one might randomly dominate over the other (two children, one turns into a werewolf and the other a rocket scientist). In other cases they might have their own randomly created transformation (such as a cheerfully oblivious mer despite having a werewolf and rocket scientist for parents). In addition, some types of Were might stack while others are immune to further transformation.
Zombies: While used as a general term to refer to any decaying undead creature that attacks others and/or is controlled, officially the word only applies to one type of undead. Resurrected anywhere from a recently deceased corpse to skeletal remains, magical energy will latch onto residue left by the soul to power the body. If the mind is "restored" depends on the status of the corpse, but regardless they all feel a desire to be "whole". Thus they will initially obey whoever claims to be their resurrector.
However, because of their desire they're truly only work for themselves. Once one decides their resurrector isn't helpful enough, they will leave. What they consider to be "whole" varies on the state of their body, with those mostly intact wanting to take "their" life back to those with damaged bodies wanting to repair themselves. In both cases, the longer their objective takes the more desperate they become until they eventually forget what their original goal was.
Furthermore, the magic that resurrects them enables their organic functions to continue and repairs damage to some degree. However, it does not regenerate the body and won't actually change the state of it either. Though, it will meld any deceased matter to them allowing them to tear off rotten body parts for fresher ones. Finally, biological functions (such as heart beats and senses) have to be consciously activated and can be disabled at will.
Upon becoming "Whole", they will act more or less like usual humans. Though they lack the capacity to perform magic, but make up with their temporal immortality and ability to manipulate corpses absorbed to their body. However they're extremely vulnerable to magical disruption and destroying their entire skeleton will kill them.
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SERVE Database
Alexander Pierre:
Asher: Having first made contact with SERVE after an incident two years back with one of their soldiers freaking out in Indianapolis, the exact identity has yet to be confirmed. While assumed to be a child of an humonculus, SERVE is certain they use technology. In addition, while not very trusted, SERVE has sent Asher plans or formulas for minor products which are then returned successfully completed. Finally, what little Asher has revealed about themselves implies a strong desire to do good.
Destiny Long: Having joined SERVE mostly because of her brother requesting her, she has been working there for twenty years. Skilled in primarily the mental and emotional aspects of magic, she worked in SHAMAN on developing magical lifeforms. Three years in, as a test of her skills, she was allowed to create one entity in anyway from anything. Deciding to use Eldritichian biology due to the lack of information they had, the base design was to be a mentally and emotionally linking shape-shifter. Though, due to her lack of experience with actually making the lifeforms she decided to carry it on the assumption the human biology would in turn make it human. The result was the child's birth nearly killed her gruesomely, with her entire lower body needing to be repaired.
Faith Long: Created sixteen years ago mainly as a test of a new CHEST genetic formula that would enhance pre-existing abilities, her genetic code was sampled from a Ms. Fiona Mulier. While her "mother" could make a fist-sized flame, the result of using this formula (known as OWA Zero) was an intensely potent pyrokinetic child. Her raw power, however, was unexpected by the designers of the OWA and the lab was nearly destroyed.
Knowing she would be a danger without training, Faith proceeded to be raised as a CHEST super-soldier. Her supervisor, Gerald Long, decided to call her daughter and treated her as such. Though, partially due to how she was raised and partially her emotion-based pyrokinesis, she didn't have many people who would call her friend. Following a major freakout during a mission in Indianapolis, she has become antagonistic to the idea of friendship.
Physically she has short red tomboyish hair and scarlet irises, stands five foot four and is flat-chested. When not on missions she's typically doing research, either as reviewing SERVE information or watching/reading/playing human media.
Gerald Long: In his youth, Gerald Long had always wondered about the possibilities of the fantastic advancing humanity's development. Though he didn't truly believe magic was real, he spent time and money getting supposedly magical items. When he was fourteen he had purchased essentially a "How To" guide on performing magic. Reading it mainly out of boredom, he was shocked when he performed the spell listed. Casting it a few more times, his mind quickly went wild imagining the different applications.
Drawing in his older sister and younger brother, the three began refining their magical skill to create a couple of humonculi. Their sister departing from the group after they made a few minor creations, like birds and cats, his brother tried to make up for her leaving. Having overcharged a rune with energy, his brother accidentally killed himself. Blaming himself for his brother's death, Gerald did the sensible thing... Become a grave-robbing madman in order to perfect the art of Necromancy so he could resurrect his brother.
Ivy Timberland:
Midnight Stitcher: Originally created to be the prototype for a production line of standard super humans, one of the people involved in his creation injected a small sample of Eldritichian genetics. The result was a psychopathically insane humanoid abomination that's essentially unstoppable short of extreme measures. In addition to titanium rending strength & basically immunity to conventional and light/fire-based attacks, it can produce organic "stitches" that it uses as combat tendrils. Physically it stands seven feet tall, with longer than human arms and completely unnatural joint/skeletal movement.
In addition, since its escape two months ago it has been murdering people to the point the public considers it to be a specially depraved and dedicated serial killer due to his victims always leaving behind gruesome corpses or being left in unusual ways. While SERVE acknowledges the danger it represents, it ultimately isn't dangerous enough to send out other artificial lifeforms to catch it.
Mimi Long: Sixteen years ago she was born to a mother that treats her more like a dog
Penelope Geneva: "Born" twenty years age as one of CHEST's recent whims,
edited 3rd Jul '14 3:33:54 PM by Kkutwar
"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."