Magic



"Those who use magic -   an art most foul; an irrevocable, dreadful temptation that must not be exercised –   are slaughtered without question."

Some humans inherit the ability to use a mysterious and destructive force, simply known as "magic". It is a well documented fact that those who exercise magic begin to act erratically, as the strain of a human using such a force slowly turns the user sick and mad with stress. Magic eats away at the user's sanity, sometimes without even exercising it. As long as it is present in a person, magic will steadily deteriorate their entire being until they are nothing more than a mindless, destructive time-bomb.

History
No one knows where magic came from. It is believed that in ancient times, the Goddess Lilith fueled humans with her own power to lead a vendetta against her sister, Eve. The extent of having such an incredible power inside them caused humans to slowly succumb to insanity, and eventually die.

The Mercian Empire was the first to begin the slaughter of all magic users, once it was clear their continued existence and deceit only brought destruction and death. Throughout history, Mercia and Arcadia have slain each and every human that shows the capacity to use magic - along with their families, as magic is believed to be genetic. At one point, Arcadia grew tired with the slaughter and simply imprisoned magic users. As a result, Mercia attempted to take over Arcadia to bring the kingdom under its watchful eye. Arcadia has thus resisted, but continues to execute magic users in the name of peace.

How it works
Because magic is forbidden to speak of, and thanks to Mercia and Arcadia's genocide, most people go through life never meeting anyone who can use it. In addition, no one with magic inside them initially knows that they can use it.

Magic can be awakened if it exists within someone, usually by encountering something magical which will cause a reaction, or by having their magic "unlocked" with another person's own magic. Alexander uses this method on Cog when Cog claims he can't use it.

Because magic uses the body as a catalyst to take form, a person's mental state affects their magic's appearance and use. For instance, Alexander is a very cunning and manipulative individual, and his magic is shown to achieve things like manipulate physical objects (like locking doors). Because he is unforgiving and bitter, he cannot use magic to heal - unlike Amalric. His magic also appears purple - the colour of royalty and wealth.

Story
For centuries, magic has been rare, and Mercia’s global conquest has been extremely successful. However, over the past seven years, there have been rumors and sightings of this power resurfacing at a worrying rate in the form of terrorists committing crimes in the name of Arcadia - and Mercia is unsure of how to proceed.