In the world of Crimson Sovereign, power is not gifted blindly. Every flame cast, every sword stroke, every shift of aura obeys a set of ancient rules. This is not a system with menus or stats like in many other fantasy worlds—but it is structured, mystical, and layered.
Below is an in-universe guide to how power, aura, the Veil, the Mark, and named techniques all work together.
1. Aura — The Breath of All Life
Every living thing possesses aura, the life-essence of the world. It's invisible until shaped by will or emotion. Aura can be trained, sharpened, weaponized—or corrupted.
Aura Types:
Elemental Aura: Flame, lightning, wind, frost, etc. Common among warriors and mages.
Aspect Aura: Emotions like wrath, grief, or serenity manifesting as power.
Veiled Aura: Aura that has been touched by the Veil, often unpredictable or cursed.
Aura fuels all advanced combat, techniques, and spells.
2. The Mark — Birth of the Crimson Power
A Crimson Mark is not inherited, nor granted by gods—it awakens under extreme emotional trauma or survival. It burns into the skin like a brand, pulsing with energy.
Those who bear a Mark are known as the Marked.
What the Crimson Mark Does:
Enhances aura output exponentially.
Unlocks unique powers based on the bearer's soul.
Reacts to danger and emotional intensity.
Grows and evolves as the bearer battles, survives, and endures.
Forms of Power Awakened by the Mark:
Crimson Spark: The first state, where aura flares and limbs become stronger than steel.
Later forms (like Ascendance, Wrath, etc.) unlock with training and experience—but each one takes more from the bearer.
Caution: Overusing the Mark leads to physical pain, mental strain, and in rare cases… loss of self.
3. The Veil — The Hidden World Between
The Veil is an unseen layer of reality—an inverted realm of thought, memory, and hunger. It sometimes overlaps the physical world, especially at places of death, trauma, or ancient magic.
Veilspawn are creatures born of the Veil. They corrupt, consume, and mimic. Some cults worship them. Others try to harness them.
Veil-Touched Powers:
Wielders who draw power from the Veil often gain shadowy or psychic abilities.
The Veil also enhances emotion-based aura (e.g., vengeance burns hotter under the Veil).
But all who tap into it risk being consumed.
4. Named Techniques — Where Will Becomes Weapon
Famed warriors and aura-wielders develop Named Techniques—unique, personal attacks or defenses shaped by battle, belief, or suffering.
These aren't just moves. They are manifestations of soul and purpose.
Example:
"Blazing Fang: Sever the Chain!" — A sword slash that breaks both body and magical bindings.
"Echolash!" — A Veil-forged whip that strikes twice: once in the body, once in the mind.
To create a Named Technique, the warrior must:
Train and survive near-death battles.
Channel intense emotion and forge a purpose behind the strike.
Give it a Name in the moment of use—naming is power.
Naming a technique binds it to the world, allowing it to break through shields, barriers, or even fate.
5. Companions and Bonds
Bonds matter. A Marked's power is not only their own.
When characters journey together through pain, war, and growth, their auras resonate. These bonds may:
Strengthen each other's techniques.
Allow joint aura attacks.
Unlock dual-form transformations or hidden paths of growth.
But strong bonds can also become weak points—targets for the Veil, for betrayal, or worse.
6. Classes and Factions (Light World View)
While Crimson Sovereign doesn't use explicit "classes," individuals tend to fall into recognizable paths:
Bladesworn are Aura-empowered melee warriors.
Flamebinders are Fire-focused mages or
elementalist swords
Veilscorned are Veil-touched with corrupted powers.
Arcanists are Scholars, rune-weavers, relic-wielders.
Echo-Walkers are Users of mind, shadow, and memory
And lastly.
Crimsonbound are those with awakened Marks.
Factions include:
The Arcane Council of Velaryn (mages, now fractured)
Veil Cults (hidden sects worshiping the unknown)
The Sovereign Order (descendants of the first rulers)
Ashen Clans (warlike tribes holding flame-secrets)
The Hollow Spire Watchers (seekers of lost truth)
Realms of the Crimson Sovereign
In Crimson Sovereign, the world is divided not only by kingdoms and empires—but by entire layered realms, hidden veils, shattered echoes of the past, and corrupted frontiers. Each has its own laws, dangers, and secrets.
The Known World (also called the Mortal Planet or Arkaen)
A realm of kingdoms, ruins, old magic, and broken thrones.
Home to places like Velaryn, Cindermoor, The Hollow Spire, and Ashen Marches.
Aura flows naturally here, and most Marked awaken on this plane.
Ravaged by ancient wars between Sovereigns and Veil-creatures.
Regions of note:
Velaryn – Once the seat of arcane wisdom, now fractured.
Ashen Marches – Volcanic lands ruled by flame-bound clans.
The Shattered Kingdoms – Warring states caught in a power vacuum.
The Cindervale – Where the Veil thins and horrors bleed through.
The Veil
A shadowy reflection of the world—half-memory, half-nightmare.
The Veil connects all living things, but most can't perceive it.
When torn open, it releases Veilspawn, corruption, and madness.
Time flows strangely here. Emotions leave echoes. Dreams walk.
Magic here is stronger but unstable, and aura mutates faster.
Some rare individuals can walk the Veil and survive. Fewer still can manipulate it.
The Hollow Realms
Ruined remnants of former Sovereign domains, floating outside normal time.
These worlds are echoes—neither alive nor fully dead.
Each is shaped by the will, madness, or sin of its last ruler.
Travelers here encounter fragments of ancient wars, echo-creatures, and relics not meant to return.
Some call these places the Echo-Thrones or Kingdoms of Dust.
The Emberdeep
A burning underworld, home of the Fireborn Clans and sealed relics of power.
Said to be where the First Sovereign forged the concept of aura itself.
Time compresses here. Days above are minutes below.
Dangerous due to natural flows of wild flame, ash wyrms, and ancient trials.
Only those with flame-tied aura can endure its trials without being burned away.
The Realm of Echoes
A mysterious space where futures, past lives, and memories not lived converge.
It is not a place one travels to, but falls into—usually at moments of great transformation or collapse.
It holds fragments of every Sovereign that ever lived… and ever could have lived.