Scholars of the western courts like to pretend that power can be measured optimily—ranked, certified, stamped with wax and sealed into ledgers. The truth is older and less obedient. Magic in this world has never belonged solely to kings or archmages. It belongs to bloodlines, to calamities, to forgotten oaths, and to things that predate language.
I. Foundations of Power1. The Three Pillars
Across all civilizations, power is generally understood to stem from three primary sources:
Arcane (Mana-Based Magic)
Manipulation of ambient mana through spellforms, incantations, or internal circulation. Most commonly practiced by humans and elves. Structured, teachable, scalable.
Divinity
Power granted or channeled through gods, ancestral spirits, or divine constructs. Most prominent among demi-humans and certain monster races. Less flexible, but often overwhelming in raw output.
Innate or Biological Superiority
Racial gifts embedded in physiology—monstrous regeneration, elven longevity, draconic breath, titan bone density. These require no formal casting, only maturation.
Though scholars categorize them separately, history shows they overlap constantly.
2. Tier Classification
The current widely adopted power scale, ratified during the Treaty of Three Thrones (Year 642 Post-Cataclysm), divides combatants and artifacts into tiers:
Tier 0 – Dormant
No mana circulation. Skilled soldiers, trained knights, master craftsmen.
Tier I – Initiate
Capable of channeling mana into simple spells or enhancements. Minor enchantments. Standard potions (healing draughts, stamina tonics).
Tier II – Adept
Battle mages. Weapon enchantments. Lesser divine blessings. Artifacts capable of localized destruction (house-level).
Tier III – High Magus / Divine Vessel
Regional threats. Spellcasters capable of reshaping terrain. Artifacts of siege-breaking power. Advanced transformation potions. Demi-human war shamans.
Tier IV – Cataclysm Class
City-destroying capability. Legendary relics. Dragons. Ancient heroes. Entities requiring coalition response.
Tier V – Mythic / Pre-Cataclysm Relics
Rare and largely lost. Reality-bending artifacts. World-shaping rituals. Most knowledge of this tier was erased during the Sundering.
No officially recognized Tier VI exists.
Unofficially, several empires believe otherwise.
. Races and Their Historical Trajectories The Elven Continuum
The elven dominion traces its roots back over eight thousand years, predating most human recordkeeping.
The Aetherial Dominion
The first unified elven empire, centered in the floating city of Vael'Theris, achieved stable long-range magical transit between continents using leyline bridges. Their governance was technocratic—rule by archmagi councils.
Their downfall came during the Sundering War, when an attempt to stabilize a collapsing leyline core ruptured continental mana flows. Three major landmasses split. Entire forests fossilized overnight.
Elves survived—but never again reached pre-Sundering heights.
Modern elven states are fragmented principalities bound loosely under the Emerald Concord, more diplomatic alliance than empire.
Strengths:
Superior mana affinity.
Long lifespans enabling multi-century mastery.
Artifact craftsmanship.
Weakness:
Low birth rates.
Political stagnation.
The Human Ascendancy
Humans rose after the Sundering.
Short-lived, adaptable, numerous.
The Ardent Imperium
Founded by Emperor Caldras I during the Age of Ash (0–213 PC), humans unified fractured territories through disciplined mage-legions and standardized mana education.
They institutionalized magic.
The Imperial Arcanum Codex made spellcraft replicable and scalable, unlike elven lineage-bound methods.
Notable Conflict:
The War of Verdant Embers (312–329 PC)
A human expansion into elven border forests led to a 17-year war. Ended with the burning of three ancient groves and the first joint magical disarmament pact.
Political turning point:
The Ardent Imperium outlawed independent Tier III research without imperial sanction.
Strength:
Innovation speed.
Population mass.
Military organization.
Weakness:
Political volatility.
Succession crises.
Demi-Humans and the Covenant Tribes
Demi-humans include beastkin, horned tribes, scaled riverfolk, and skyborne avians.
Their power often flows from divine pacts.
The Covenant of Nine Totems. An ancient alliance of demi-human clans bound by divine compacts with spirit entities known as Totem Patrons.
During the Great Northern Crusade (410–447 PC), the Ardent Imperium attempted forced assimilation of demi-human territories.
The result:
Divine manifestations on the battlefield.
Entire imperial battalions petrified.
The first recorded Tier IV divine descent.
The war ended inconclusively.
Demi-humans remain politically decentralized but spiritually unified.
Strength:
Explosive divine intervention potential.
Territorial familiarity.
Weakness:
Lack of centralized bureaucracy.
Internal clan rivalries.
The Monster Domains
"Monster" is a political term, not biological.
It refers to non-humanoid or hostile sapient species.
The Basalt Marches
A volcanic continent dominated by hierarchical monster clans—orc warbands, ogre tribes, draconic broods.
The Red Banner Conflagration (508 PC) marked the only time monster factions unified under a single warlord, Ghor'Vath the Flamebound.
He nearly breached the Ardent Imperium's northern walls before being slain by a coalition of human archmages and elven battleminds.
After his death, monster unity fractured.
Strength:
Physical superiority.
Rapid reproduction (in certain species).
Adaptive battlefield evolution.
Weakness:
Internal dominance struggles.
Limited magical infrastructure.
III. Artifacts and Relics
Artifacts are graded not just by power but by origin.
Forged Relics (Post-Sundering)
Created by known civilizations. Mana-bound weapons, enchanted armor, divine totems.
Common in Tier I–III.
Legacy Relics (Pre-Sundering)
Fragments of lost elven high-technology magic.
Examples include:
Leyline Anchors.
Spatial Compression Rings.
Soul-Lattice Crystals.
Possession of a Legacy Relic can elevate a Tier II wielder into Tier IV threat status.
Many are unaccounted for.
IV. Potions and Alchemy
Potions range from simple restorative tonics to transformation elixirs.
Categories include:
Vital Restoration (common)
Mana Amplification (regulated)
Beastform Infusions (restricted)
Divine Channeling Serums (illegal outside Covenant lands)
During the Black Bloom Incident (589 PC), a rogue alchemical consortium engineered a growth serum intended to enhance crop yield. It instead triggered uncontrolled biological expansion in three cities.
Casualties exceeded forty thousand.
Alchemical oversight councils were established afterward.