Concept based magic system with aura avatars and even that is not a good description. Just read the thread to understand the madness I bring forth.

[The Dark God]

Before I post this thread I would like it be known that it is on SB as well and for purposes of cross canon it will only be what I decide to say about things in this thread. You guys don't worry about that one on SB as I want to see what you do different while I will take ideas from both sides for my posts.

@Sarcobite
@sneakykitten
@Lord Inquisitor Adornable
@Ddmkm122 with how many likes I get from you better fucking post boy or I will rip you to fucking shreds!!!!
This is me trying the humor
Am I not funny?
@DovahkiinNanosuit
@Parris has already seen this

I am the Lord of the Rings and this time instead of a normal let's make if people are willing we are going to work on creating a magic system and also building a setting plus a story.
So you can divide the goals of this thread into three parts
The discussion of metaphysics and building of the magic system
The world building influenced by those metaphysics
The story and characters made to interact with and be part of the events of the world.

The rules as they are will be more free form then the normal. Instead of posting facts that are then expanded on by the next poster I would see this more as a thread for back and forth talk as we work on these three elements. In general if you post here please be serious and don't just make spam or do dumb silly posts, don't be rude or abrasive with other posters and finally don't just say how all of this is just Magic the Gathering redone. Yes it has Colors used in the magic system and some of them do indeed seem similar to some of the ones in Magic but that is not what I am trying to go for.

So without further ado here is the magic system as I have it now.
The magic of this setting is called the Aether. The Aether is a dimension of concepts and mystic forces that is symbiotically linked with the physical world.
The Aether is a realm of cosmic energies and arcane powers divided into 6 Shardss each having three Domains. Some of these I will have titles for and some I will provide examples of what each Domain does for those who use them, others not so much as this is a work in progress.
Red is Fire, Storm, and Force. It is known as the Shard of Power, Might, Conquest, Domination and other titles.
Blue is Dreams, Darkness and Madness.
Gray is Fate, Trickery and Skill.
Gold is Binding, Connections and Severing
Green is Rebirth, Decay and Flora
White: Order, Justice and Purity
Black: Murder, Corruption and Hunger. The Shard of Ruin, Calamity, Wrath and the Apocalypse
Now onto what Shards I can give examples of what their Domains can do.
Red is easy, Fire is flame, ash and cinders. Volcanic heat, blistering stone and molten metal for the obvious of what this Domain covers. Storm is lighting and tempests, howling winds and roaring hurricanes. Force is pressure waves, kinetic devastation, tactile telekinesis, physical strength and durability, Force of will so strong you can survive hideous wounds and more. Again these are only what I have managed to think of myself for Red and Black which is coming up next

Black is also easy in how direct it is. Murder is every method of obliteration and visceral annihilation you can think of. Now it is not just erasing things from existence as often is the case when you have some concept power of destruction. Rather it is all the ways there are to destroy from a inferno of hell fire, a maelstrom of searing acid, demonic plague that boils blood and rips apart bones.
Murder is the concentrated wrath and fury of the Black Shard unleashed as raw seething chaos eviscerating body and soul.

Corruption is the warping of flesh, the twisting of the mind and the neromorhpic mutation of the world. It is taking the essence of Black and like a viral abomination infecting matter and energy with it. It can be thought of as the Domain of transmutation of shape and form into a eldritch nightmare. Chaos Gods from 40k and other such forces of corruption in fiction are a good idea.
Think Daemon World the powers or bio horror weapon of doom with some eldritch physics breaking put on top.
Hunger is the endless void that feeds on life,
This Domain is about devouring souls, feasting on blood, consuming life and any other powers that would fall under absorbing various vital energies or forces. The Darth Nihilus Domain. If what you are thinking is some kind of life force absorbing or magic black hole ability it falls under this.
Again it should be noted this is just what I could think of and each Domain of a Shard is embodiment of a Concept. With something like that there are a lot of things you can think of to do with it. Fire could also be courage or Murder could cover war and combat for just some things right off the top of my head right now.

Now that we have covered the Shards and their Domains how do they affect the world? Well the Aether is a vast infinity of mana, A endless ocean of power that does nothing. You see the Aether for all that it is a realm of concepts and the arcane by itself simply is. It has no true form or shape, will or purpose.
That is where the physical world comes in.
The Shard resonate and are attracted to things in the physical realm. By itself the Aether is just power without a will of its own but if it Binds to something in the physical those energies and forces gain form and shape.
For the Aether to have sentience it has to mould itself around something in the physical be it the land itself, cities, nations, animals or people of all kinds. It can Bind to a race, a blood line or in the case of Sorcery a single person.

Sorcery is the Art of fusing the energies of a Shard with your Will to create something called a Aspect. A Aspect is a incarnation of the power of a Shard, a aetheric entity bound to the Will of the Sorcerer who bonded their soul to a Shard. A living avatar of a Shard's Domains fused with the Aura of the Sorcerer.

Sorcery as a Art has two elements to it, first is the Aspect which is the source of the power. Every Aspect has its own nature and instincts influenced by both the Shard that it is made from and the Will that shapes it.

The Aspects are good at various things depending on the Shard it was forged from. Some like Black and Red are about brutal power and savage ferocity while a Aspect of Gray is far more adapt at deception.
The second element of the Art is the Sorcerer, if the Aspect is the raw sorcery then the Will of the Sorcerer is the conduit, the channel that focuses and harnesses that energy.

While Aspects as they grow stronger grow more adapt at the various things that fall under their Domains a Sorcerer is the guiding skill of that power, the disciplined focus that studies the Domains of their Aspects to discover and break new limits.
A Aspect is the astral body that is the manifestation of power while the Sorcerer is the force of Will that shapes that power. In this way Sorcery can be seen as the Art of unity between Aether and Will.

Now on the element of story and characters I have two rough draft type ideas that I will post in spoilers with a main focus being on 6 main characters to show off the powers of the Six Shards of the Aether. Also if during the reading above you feel that something of how I explain the Shards or Aether could be improved please say so

Some of the Shards like Red and Black I feel pretty good on their Domains working well together in a thematic whole but others such as Gray are a little more disconnected it feels to me at times and so any different Domain ideas I will gladly hear out or changes to the nature of the Aether.
How this Aspect Sorcery looks and feels in universe is also a topic I would like thoughts on as well as anything else you can think of. Do not be shy I will promise that I will hear it with a fair mind. Now on that all important idea of power levels this what I have to say. I imoin a battle of Sorcery as clash between warring concepts and cosmic principles of the Aether.
Grandiose and epic are what we are looking for.
Also before I end I would like to speak of a previous Color based Magic thread I did that had amazing work done on it by Gossard Hunterkiller96 Mr Sheldon ganonso TheBlueHour JustSomeDude Arythios and others like Lorebearer Mystic . If you have the time go check it out here Color based Magic system setting let's make and if you want go restart it back up as it is in my humble opinion a awesome, epic and quite fun thread.

Now the spoiler of rough and I do mean rough story ideas

Spoiler: Aspect Wars

The Plot of the setting as it were is based primarily based on what are known as the Aspect Wars, destructive conflicts between Sorcerers as they battled with the Domains of the Shards and had their Aspects shake the world with their fury, a war of Sorcery was one of concepts and cosmic principals, a dual of clashing powers of magic that could shatter cities and sunder nations.

The most exalted of the Art ruled as gods of the earth, they had Aspects that were Demons of Black Chaos that devoured the sun and slaughtered legions for sport, Crimson titans that held the sky as their hammer and the fires of the earth as their closed hand, White Angles that wielded the condensed force of smelted stars as blades and these are but a few examples of some of the mythical Aspects that acted as the tool through which the Will of the mightiest of Sorcery waged war for domination of the world.
Under them were armies of lesser Sorcerers in the Art from generals that were almost as versed in it as them to common foot soldiers who's mastery of their Aspects was enough for the basic tasks they were given. Those not versed in the Art could do little to defy the Avatars of the Aether and their grand masters.

This period of time known as the Aspect Wars covers many different conflicts and contests of Will between Lords of the Aether, it also involves invasions from outside forces that came to conquer this world. Many times has the question been asked if the Aspect Wars were fought over power or morality?

The answer is a mixture of both, often these battles would be fought for both principle and practical benefit, another misconception is the idea that the the Shard of Ruin connected with the color Black was always a force for tyranny and atrocity.

In truth all of the Shards are but raw power with no greater morality that can be called good or evil as we know it.
It is the Will of the Sorcerer that decides what that power will be used for and if one were to look deeper into the history of those who bound the Aspects known as Demons to them they might be surprised at the number of Sorcerers that were recognized for their dedication to some noble goal as they were known for their brutality. From every Shard has come both heroes and villains with which being which depending on what side you choose,
There have been the few exceptions that have stood out as universally vile and were so great a threat that the many warring factions of the Art joined as one to strike them down. The main source of the endless conflict that it seemed was always being waged during the time of the Aspect Wars was the nature of Sorcery itself. It is a Art that requires both a desire for power and will to dominate the shaping of the world.

Spoiler: Really rough outline of what I first thought of as where to go plot wise

Okay so main first fact for this would be this World has since ancient times been shaped by the primordal forces of the Aether. A dimension of reality bound to the physical material of matter and energy. The Aether for most is a extradimensional force that does not do anything. Infinite cosmic power with no will of it's own. At least that was the case until the races of Man on this world disovered the Aether and what could be done with it. The Aether by itself was a formless, seething mass of conceptual energy that just existed but mankind through curiosity and various experiments found a way to harness Aetheric forces. The Aether had flowed through the world since the beginning altering the environment and exerting change. For the most part though it was considered a natural phenomenon of the world uncontrollable by anyone.

For at least five minutes before through very dangerous antics and for some nearly dying on convergence's of the Aether where it's power was concentrated. They found that while the Aether itself is unthinking you could bond with the essence of it, fusing with the living but unthinking energies to transform you into a Conduit, a vessel for Magic. By bonding with the soul of a human the Aether could be given defination and form, the primordal forces were given the capacity for voice and reason.

This is the start of Sorcerers and Aspects, the Immortal sentient incarnations of the Aether that transformed the humans they bonded to into thier Avatars able to channel the power of the Domains they commanded. Aspects exist purely through thier Connection with a Sorcerer. It is what moulds then into what they will become and is the source of thier sentiance. The Will of a Sorcerer gives life to a Aspect, let's a shard of arcane infinity have a sense of self though one intertwined with that of a Sorcerer.

A Aspect grows in might as thier Sorcerer does. The more exalted the actions performed and challenges bested by the Sorcerer the greater in power the Aspect becomes and the stronger the Aspect the more titanic the force of Sorcery the Mage can invoke. The glory of a Sorcerer, thier ability to dominate the world, to conquer and become a figure of mythic proportions, that experience is what feeds a Aspect. A Sorcerer of any of the Aspects is might and power personified. This is where the conflicts of the world began.

Aspects encouraged thier Sorcerers to push thier limits and rise as Lords of the world. Wars between what were essentialy physical gods broke out as the various interesets of rival Sorcerers clashed, empires were forged and broken, religions spun and torn, friendships that would last for ages of mortal time were sealed as centuries long feuds erupted. The world was divided by tyrants and messiah's, sublime rulers and unstoppable war masters, assassin royality and sage queens.

For the very first era of Sorcery there were no unified factions based on the Aether. Everyone fought for thier own reasons and cast miracles benevolent or apocalyptic as they desired. Alliances were based on personal Interactions, there wss no history to limit the course of these things, yet.
As Sorcerers passed on to the Aether whether be it through willingly joining or being slain the souls of many Magi with Aspects from the same fraction of the Aether began to meet together and converse as a shared astral body.

Seeing how you had Sorcerers from all walks of life from the greatest of heroes to the most vile villian of any tale and everything in between. There was much dissagrement and arguing, massive fights broke out and a war of beliefs was waged but also these Astral Bodies of many souls begun to theroize on the nature of the Aether they used, they shared ideas and disscused thoughts, compiled thier gathered knowledge and constructed philosophies based on the nature of thier Aspects and what purpose there power was for.

What was the meaning of thier Sorcery they asked? How could they apply this to politics? What kind of patterns did they see in the history of thier usage of this Magic and what did that say about them? They asked every question under the sun there could be about the Aspects and this would be the foundation for the concept of Schools.


The Spirits of these elder Mages as part of the Aether could communicate with the living Sorcerers of the world and they did. They did everything they could do to cram as much of thier studies of Aetheric Principles into thier heads as possible. Soon the living Sorcerers took these ideas to heart as they studied them and sought out others with Aspects like them. This would be the forming of the main factions of unified Sorcery in the world based on similar Domains of the Aether.

And behind it all were the most powerful and skilled Aether Shapers that had lived building entire schools of lore and thought that would feed the growth of factions of one Color of Magic and long interconnected chains of alliances between the other Colors. A concept made to identify the fractions of Sorcery that each Aspect represented.

Sorcery has given equally of both good and evil, the world has been defended numerous times by Mages Lords from invasions by other worlds or even attacks from other dimensions as well as defending weaker citizens from the many monstrous hazards of Wild Aether. Thousands upon thousands of years of history did Sorcery dominate.

Then there arose the Cult of Subjugation, a group calling for the dues of dangerous Magic to be paid with the use of bizzare powers of Torment, Silence, Crippling and Empty Thought. The mystic Dyansties were unmade and now a new power preaching fair justice took up thier position to govern the world.

A industrialized metamorphosis occurred and the Aether was cowed into submission, or so it seemed. Given a greater threat the politically and philosophically contested Astral forms of the Colors of Sorcery joined forces and began to plot how to pick the right candiates to bear the first Mark of renewed Magic.

Spoiler: Character ideas and one character that has a lot of focus on that may hold dangerous levels of edge.

Further expanding on the Sorcerer Overlord idea.

So the Six are Marked
White is a poor orphan who has every reason to despise the world but has developed a saintly level of compassion while having a in depth understanding of cruelty.
Black is a noble scion who is a battle maniac, a artist of murder, a conductor who crafts a symphony of annihilation.

A natural born killer. He has also been taught by his merchant empire of a family principles of honor and studied in depth the academics of ethics. Beyond his furious bloodlust is a keen mind and a very happy soul full of good mirth. In his early years he struggled with the conflict of it seemed to him being a savage beast that could snap at any moment and a heir of a great business legacy.

Over the years he would travel the world joining the most perilous of battles and seeking out warzones that would kill even the most elite of soldiers. It was during this journey of self discovery the Scion would come to define himself. There was something he noticed very well and that was when it comes to the business of death dealing he was both rather good at it and enjoyed it immensely.

He become a Assassin willing to take on any job others deemed insane, specializing in operations of mass destruction. He was the guy you called when you wanted your targets to look like a burning slaughter house. The money poured in and he used it to propel his families holdings to new heights. He has found peace by doing what he loves while fulfilling his duties to his family.

Blue was the daughter of a legendary dancer who was the mistress of a crime lord.

Gold the daughter of a simple worker family

Gray a newspaper boy turned hardened adventurer.

Gray with the Domain of Fate and White with the Domain of Prophecy are the ones who will gather them together.

TheBlueHour thoughts on this being a good first fact and anything you dislike of think could be changed about the Characters?

Now I summon Circle of Nyx to watch this thread with his divine eyes of judgement!!!!!
The]Lizard Knight to join me once more!!!!
and Parris to WITNESS ME!!!!!!!

 

[sneakykitten]

A idea that i felt was kinda cute: A fox who bonded with Gray magic.

Spoiler

This fox lived near a rural community. She was kinda skinny and starving and always searching for food after she had to leave her family. She started to feel like it was her fate to die since there were these sorcerers who wanna occupy a part of the town and started cutting it off from supplies or burning down farms.

She could see the Aether when she was almost about to die. She gave herself over to be a conduit of Gray magic since she could feel what she thought in her dying brain was magic 'speaking to her' that she could change her fate.

Obviously with such intense emotions focusing her will, the magic could be formed on her body to 'change her fate' by turning her into a young human girl.

In a new body the girl still kinda thought of herself as a fox so she kept away from humans. If peoples came close to her she didn't really know how to speak so had to listen silently to them telling her that feral children should be out of their city and then run away.

She became depressed and started to steal anything she could read to try to understand the humans' language and social etiquette to be accepted in her new fate. She as well meditated every night for hours focusing on her connection to forming magic to temporarily turn back into a fox if she needed to find foods or hide from people who like hated her for stealing from them when she felt like she had no choice, it was either change her fate or die. Still she was heartbroken to have found she was hated and thought of doing something good.

One of the sorcerers from the gang bothering the town was trying to recruit other mistreated people in their community into their gang to 'help them and we'll help you in return.' The fox saw them speaking to a young woman as she was walking home and made herself a fox so she could hear what they were saying? Someone listening to people who were trying to starve them to death and destroy their town so they could take it over must be pretty desperate, right?

It turned out that the sorcerer was using Gray magic to make her hear exactly what was necessary to 'convince her politely' that they were actually gonna help the town prosper, its current way of life wouldn't work without a drastic change, magic could like legit break physics so they could give her, her family, the entire community everything they needed to survive?

The fox followed the sorcerer back home to where the other gang members were and turned back into a girl as she was walking toward where they kinda set themselves up in the woods outside of town. They noticed that she had a strange aura, like she was pretending to be someone she was not? So they tried to mind control her to believe with pretty words that she could join their gang and help them too.

Because they actually felt threatened by her strange aura, they were much more forceful with their words and convinced her easily. It wasn't really her decision yet she felt like it was. They watched her for a while because they didn't trust her and tried to test her loyalty by getting her to learn how to turn into a pretty young woman and recruit other people into the gang, and while she was recruiting, these new girls noticed she wasn't acting of her free will and broke the spell on her with a ritual she doesn't remember, though they may have done other things to her mind while they were messing with it?

The fox helped the other girls rebel by stealing back the gang's magic books and running away with them. These sorcerers were good at raw power shows or whatevs yet their memories were like awful, so without their books to memorize the spells, they were pretty much... out of powers to occupy them and had to move on.

The town still did not forgive the fox because she had helped the gang too and when her friends tried to defend her by saying she was under a spell the townspeople replied that was no excuse, aiding a gang of intruders was beyond the pale for them to accept her in their community.

The girls were too ashamed to say they helped too and the fox didn't wanna threaten anyone's place in their homes so she was forced to leave. She was never seen again by anyone in the town except her friends thought about her everyday and a few of them promised to find her.