Disclaimer: This is JUST an interest check for the moment. I don’t know if anyone has plans to host their own game atm.
While earlier writers had suggested similar ideas such as “Witchcraft to the ignorant, … simple science to the learned” and “…a performance that may some day be considered understandable, but that, in these primitive times, so transcends what is said to be the known that it is what I mean by magic”, Clarke presented a version that was easily quotable and understandable.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."Asteroids have never been observed to hit the Sun, usually content to remain in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter unless something nudges them out of their original orbits, and they come careening into the inner solar system. Even then, it’s difficult for an orbiting asteroid to fall all the way into the Sun, due to a property of orbiting objects called angular momentum. Angular momentum is a measure of how much something is rotating around a central point, which is important because one of the fundamental principles of physics is that angular momentum must be conserved. For something to fall into the Sun, it has to lose nearly all of its angular momentum somehow, so that it is falling straight at the Sun. If it is off just slightly, instead of falling in, the asteroid will just fall very close, and then slingshot back out far from the Sun. It is probably quite rare for an asteroid to lose all of its angular momentum and fall straight into the Sun. However, there might be quite a few that lose enough to get close to the Sun and vaporise. Which made this event quite peculiar.
Nobody observed the sun colliding with a certain small asteroid many years ago. This particularly asteroid was once used as a station by a distant alien civilisation that came to the Milky Way Galaxy for reasons unknown. The asteroid stored an artificial energy dubbed “Mana” which marked the peak of these aliens’ technology.
Mana was seemingly able to power technology that could partially alter or ignore laws of physics itself, and when large amount of this energy poured into sun its structure was significantly altered. As a consequence the sunlight itself started to douse the Earth in Mana.
We can observe several primary events as a result of the new sun. After continuous exposure to sunlight, bodies and items may begin to take on mild anomalous properties; a character would never initially learn to channel magic on their own without the use of a Focus, or an object associated with a symbol of power used to perform “magic”. GodCards are a traditional focus, displaying an image of a being taken from superstitious or religious beliefs. While anyone could use such a Focus without advance training, only the original user could develop additional abilities on their card. Furthermore, only advanced magicians could use a range of abilities without a Focus.
The environment can also take on significant supernatural changes, an uncommon and complicated procedure. Surfaces, after continuous exposure to direct sunlight, may develop anomalous changes on a deeper level; such a change in an enclosed space can also arise from the presence or power of one or many magicians, with a range of dizzying effects. Once an anomalous zone has taken on supernatural properties, simply scrapping, moving or even completely removing surface does not end its supernatural properties.
In all honesty, Emilia really carried this project and she would naturally know more about the worldbuilding used than I would.
This game is intended as a Sandbox RP, with players permitted to create their own path. The game has four major factions and two prevalent philosophies used by each host for the sake of simplicity. Players aren’t obligated to join one of the factions: form your own or go it alone if you like. None of the factions are intended to be “evil”.
Magic ought to be regulated due to its potential for greatness as well as harm.
Magic is a force of nature, and we ought to let such powers flourish.
The government funds the police force, and enforces laws and confiscates illegal Focuses which will be safely disposed of.
The Coven protects low-level magicians and has the eventual goal of overthrowing the government’s laws of oppression, although they’re hardly prepared for an assault.
The Order of Mages only takes in natural godcard users with the capability to grow in power, and keeps record of their godcards and abilities. The Order excludes people with dangerous powers that can be harmful to the Order itself.
Oculus is an outspoken public company which experienced an unexpected boon in profits in recent years. Of course, there’s no evidence of anything shady going on… right?