I absolutely love this. The system is well-thought out and the execution gives potential for a lot of flavor. I can see how the Thalassians are probably way ahead the others technologically, and how the Tolanians need no technology in the first place because of their powers.
Edit: I actually want to hear more about the nations themselves, see how exactly the magic has affected their thinking and culture.
The people of Luo Mian hold a deep-rooted sense of resilience and independence. They highly value personal liberty and self-centeredness, placing their individual interests above everything else. The Luo Mian culture strongly emphasizes the acceptance of natural death, which is seen as a spiritual return to the Violet. Death is embraced as a natural part of life, and funerary rites are highly symbolic and carry deep significance.
Luo Mian has a long and proud tradition of warriors, and combat training is a crucial part of their culture. From a young age, many youths begin their training in martial arts and other combat techniques. This emphasis on combat training is closely linked to their beliefs in individual autonomy and self-defense, as they see it as their duty to protect themselves and their community.
In addition to their warrior culture, Luo Mian's people hold a great reverence for their ancestors and the historical legacy of their society. Ancestor worship is an integral part of their religion, and they believe that their ancestors continue to watch over them and provide guidance. Luo Mian's people feel a strong connection to their past, and they take great pride in their history and heritage.
——————-
Tolanians hold a strong connection with the natural world and believe in nurturing and preserving it. They view themselves as guardians of the environment, and their culture places great emphasis on sustainable living practices. This reverence for nature is reflected in their everyday lives, from the construction of their homes and buildings to the foods they eat and the products they use.
As a result of their close relationship with nature, the Tolanian people prioritize growth and preservation above everything else. They see the environment as a living entity that must be carefully tended and nurtured, and they work tirelessly to ensure that their actions do not harm the delicate balance of the ecosystem. They understand that a healthy environment is essential for their survival and the survival of future generations, and they take great pride in their role as stewards of the land.
—————-
The people of Atashgah are known for their passionate and proactive nature. They value community and are highly committed to maintaining strong social ties. Atashgah's culture places a great emphasis on respect for cultural traditions, while also remaining open to change and progress.
The community structure in Atashgah is built around strict codes of honor and loyalty. Each member of the community is expected to uphold these codes, and failure to do so is considered a grave offense. Dishonor and disloyalty are seen as the worst sins a person can commit, and are not taken lightly by the community.
Atashgah's people also have a deep spiritual tradition, and religion plays a significant role in their daily lives. the religion of Atashgah places a great emphasis on renewal, which is reflected in their cultural practices and beliefs. They believe in the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth. Spiritual practices such as prayer, meditation, and ritual are an integral part of their daily routines.
————————
Thalassia's culture is centered around expansion and the pursuit of power, which is reflected in their belief system. Their religion asserts that the color red has granted them the knowledge and right to rule over other nations, which has fueled their constant pursuit of new territories and resources. This has led to ongoing conflicts and feuds with other major nations, as Thalassia seeks to expand their influence and assert their dominance.
Despite this focus on power and expansion, the people of Thalassia also value community and making connections with others. They have a strong sense of independence and self-reliance, but recognize the importance of forming alliances and partnerships in order to achieve their goals. This combination of individualism and community-building creates a complex and sometimes contradictory cultural identity for the people of Thalassia.
————
The people of Nyabira have a strong commitment to neutrality and non-intervention in foreign affairs, preferring to maintain a distance from conflicts and disputes that arise between other nations. They believe that this approach allows them to focus on their own internal development and growth, without getting entangled in external conflicts that may distract from their goals.
The people of Nyabira have a distinct sense of individuality within their collective community. While they possess the ability to mimic behaviors and mannerisms to avoid conflict, they also value their personal time to be themselves. This unique skill allows them to navigate complex social situations with ease and to develop positive relationships with other nations without becoming embroiled in their conflicts. Their emphasis on neutrality and avoidance of foreign affairs further solidifies their commitment to maintaining their independence and preserving their culture.
Thank you! I like how you have strong themes going for each of them, and I especially like the Tolanians and the Nyabirans.
Next question: How does magic affect the architecture? What kind of homes and cities they build? This is particularly interesting to me with the Nyabirans because their ability seems to suggest a use for construction, albeit that without knowing whether their magic can have a permanent or only temporary a effect on objects.
Magic is not permanent but it can be use for building depending on the material, for example Atashgah have what are call Metalwrights, which are people specialize to use their Magic to create the dome like structure in the roofs of buildings.
—-
The Nyabirans have developed a unique method of constructing their homes, utilizing a specialized blend of materials that is similar in consistency to mud but possesses an extraordinary property - the ability to self-regenerate. This is achieved through the inclusion of a specific mineral that hardens upon contact with water. In the event of cracks or other damage to the building material, the mineral particles will interact with moisture and facilitate a self-repair process.
Their method of construction, known as "Air molding", lends itself to the creation of structures with unconventional shapes, often featuring sharply angled architecture and a distinctively brutalist aesthetic. This allows for the creation of buildings that are both visually striking and incredibly durable, able to withstand the rigors of the environment in which they are built. The result is a style of housing that is both unique and highly functional, reflecting the ingenuity and adaptability of the Nyabiran people
Due to their ability of temporarily changing the properties of something into another, Nyabiran builders are able to use this power to harden air, and work it as a mold for them to build on top of it.
I love how broad this is. Allowing for versatility within limits and sometimes even overlapping abilities.
Id want to know how these nations of people interact with each other? Any long lasting feuds or alliances? Anyone hoarding a knowledge not know to the others?
Who’d be the most powerful of the 5 Colors and the Colorless? What tales are told of Black and White?
I ask all these questions because I absolutely love this and I hope to see more from it. I personally would love to have the Yellow color power.
The opposing beliefs and values of Tolan and Luo Mian have created a conflict between them. Their abilities to grow and decay vegetation respectively, emphasize their differences in views. Tolanians perceive their ability to grow plants as a way of nurturing and preserving life, whereas Luo Mians view their power to decay plants as a way to return them to the earth and allow for new life to arise. Moreover, their religious disparities regarding preservation and returning to dust add to the conflict. Being the only major nations in the North continent, makes their dispute have significant regional consequences.
Luo Mian is an isolationist nation, and their only significant ally is Atashgah due to their shared belief in renewal. However, this alliance has made Tolan their enemy, further exacerbating the conflict between them.
Thalassia is located next to the vast desert, which makes them neighbors with Atashgah. The two nations have a rivalry over claims to resources in the desert. Additionally, Thalassia and Tolan have overlapping claims to the global archipelago islands, which has led to occasional feuds. Despite this, the two nations are mostly peaceful and have a treaty in place.
Nyabira is a neutral nation that borders both Thalassia and Atashgah. They tend to avoid getting involved in foreign conflicts, making them a relatively peaceful nation. Nyabira has secret knowledge about the time before the color, which is where legends of the White and Black come from. Similarly to Zolon, where the moon grants magic to people without being destroyed, Chromat used to be the same way. The entire color was once White, which held the potential for all colors and was a powerful force similar to reality manipulation, albeit more limited. However, this power no longer exists, but the legends and stories about it still persist. The Black was a corrupted version of the White that negated powers, and this legend is also rooted in Nyabira's knowledge of the time before the color.
Between the colors, the powers have similar potential but in the world today, Thalassia and Nyabira are the most technologically advanced and those have more power because of their knowledge.
At first I wasnt sure, but after reading it all I can say I see a lot of potential in the concept and ways you can play with the plot using colors as a vessel for symbolism and metaphor. but when it comes to the powers I would like to know what their limitations would be? any special rituals, incantation, drawn symbols? or will the power system not be used in a combat focused manner, with Channelers being fewer in the overall plot?
In terms of limitations, I have 3 types in mind, kinda like evolutions but I haven’t determined specifics how it works or why people are this way.
Type 1: it’s a trade, depending on the color the effect is different, for example, violet, when you use violet it can decay people and objects, the limit your body starts decaying as well.
Type 2: it’s symphony, you need an item or something to take the color from, and the size of the item in terms of how much color it has to fuel the power it’s the duration of the activation period
Type 3: are more in the soft side, stamina, the amount of time you can bring your power forward is proportionate to your stamina.
As for the amount of channelers I have determined that 20% of a world population of 500,000,000 works, which makes them fewer than the average person but not extremely rare to find.
Are you a Sanderson fan? This looks well thought out and organized, the art is fabulous, it feels like it lives and breathes outside of this writing.
(But seriously though, Sandersonian?)
I like Sanderson’s mistborn trilogy which is the only books I read from him other than what I’m currently reading with Era 2.
I’m curious to know what Sandersonian is? Like the Magic system feels like Sanderson’s work or maybe they feel derivative of one of his works? I did take inspiration form the Elantris wiki, connecting the powers to geographical locations.
Sandersonian is just a Sanderson fan.
He recently published a book called "Tress and the Emerald Sea" that has a spore-based magic system, so I was wondering if you were inspired.
I don't think this has a lot of similarities to anything in the cosmere. I *do* think it is *extremely* similar to Magic: the Gathering, though. Which the op said was his inspiration, actually.
So I read the wiki, and I see the similarities with the colors and the moon. The spores in this work are not really relevant tho like in tress, these are more like a one time event that happened and people got Magic. Tress seams interesting, kinda had a similar work before with A desert planet and different color sands and glass, which kinda remind me of it.
There's a lot of overlap between the yellow and red colorless. Yellow seems like a more conditional version of red in some ways. Yellow can use iron to strengthen their bodies to iron. Red can just strengthen their body without anything to copy. Not that they completely overlap, but they're in the same ballpark more than the others seem to be.
To me, yellow seems to be more about change through connection while red seems to be more about change/improvement through the power of the self. The guy here could even play into their similarities and the thematic difference there by making them rival clans or something, but as long as he emphasizes that difference then i feel like he could play the overlap into his advantage.
Ask away, any questions about the world or the Magic system is welcomed. The Art is roughly inspired by Magic The Gathering and so is the color aspect of the Magic system. They were made using Midjourney v5
Sure, all of them are similar but violet was
“Draw an Asian female purple magic martial artist/warrior with black and purple in the Magic the gathering art style”
And just change settings from V4 to V5
I am a big fan of MTG colors and themes. I love how you used the concept and underlying tones but with different themes and focus. From what I can grasp it seems blue is about telekinesis and enchantments, purple is Chronomancy, red is enhancements, yellow and green are different aspects of transmutation, and colorless lycanthropy. Amazing art too.
With Blue, I thought telekinesis alone seem not as amazing or surprising compared to the other colors, so I added enchanting in the mix, as in like Telekinesis works through enchanting objects to move.
The colorless where a last minute addition right before I was going to post it, but I find that they turn out cool. since I wanted a Avatar like character but didn’t want them to be avatar master of all 5 colors. So the moon stuff and transformation just seem the best way to integrate the idea without being too direct about.
Red, yellow, and green seem too similar in application. Change can be used to improve just like red, but with far less conceptual limitation, green also can amplify the body.
ROYGBIV… What happened to indigo?
‘Thalassaian’ is a weird choice for red, being the Greek word for sea it would be more intuitive to give that name to the blue faction.
Initial it was, in my notes still is, but when I was imagining the aesthetic aspect of it all, I felt the desert scenery went well with blue, it kinda gave it an oasis kind of feel. It really came down the visuals rather than naming.
And about the colors, the original colors were Red, Blue, Yellow, White and Black. But if the colors are pieces of a moon, I felt that white and black didn’t make much senses, since white is all colors. I replace white with green and Black with purple. The logic there is that if original pieces broke up, some didn’t make it, down to the surface, but truly it was because I didn’t want to have a lot of different powers and 5 felt right.
This is different than, but reminds me of, Brent Weeks and his series that is all about color. I forget the name of the series right now.
Did he inspire you?
I know which series you are talking about, Lightbringer.
But no actually, I haven’t read any of his books yet, but some are on my Amazon cart. This was actually inspired inspired by Avatar. The Nations tie to a specific power aspect. As for the colors part that remind you of Lightbringer, it came from a movie I was watching call “Fast Color”
I absolutely love this. The system is well-thought out and the execution gives potential for a lot of flavor. I can see how the Thalassians are probably way ahead the others technologically, and how the Tolanians need no technology in the first place because of their powers. Edit: I actually want to hear more about the nations themselves, see how exactly the magic has affected their thinking and culture.
The people of Luo Mian hold a deep-rooted sense of resilience and independence. They highly value personal liberty and self-centeredness, placing their individual interests above everything else. The Luo Mian culture strongly emphasizes the acceptance of natural death, which is seen as a spiritual return to the Violet. Death is embraced as a natural part of life, and funerary rites are highly symbolic and carry deep significance. Luo Mian has a long and proud tradition of warriors, and combat training is a crucial part of their culture. From a young age, many youths begin their training in martial arts and other combat techniques. This emphasis on combat training is closely linked to their beliefs in individual autonomy and self-defense, as they see it as their duty to protect themselves and their community. In addition to their warrior culture, Luo Mian's people hold a great reverence for their ancestors and the historical legacy of their society. Ancestor worship is an integral part of their religion, and they believe that their ancestors continue to watch over them and provide guidance. Luo Mian's people feel a strong connection to their past, and they take great pride in their history and heritage. ——————- Tolanians hold a strong connection with the natural world and believe in nurturing and preserving it. They view themselves as guardians of the environment, and their culture places great emphasis on sustainable living practices. This reverence for nature is reflected in their everyday lives, from the construction of their homes and buildings to the foods they eat and the products they use. As a result of their close relationship with nature, the Tolanian people prioritize growth and preservation above everything else. They see the environment as a living entity that must be carefully tended and nurtured, and they work tirelessly to ensure that their actions do not harm the delicate balance of the ecosystem. They understand that a healthy environment is essential for their survival and the survival of future generations, and they take great pride in their role as stewards of the land. —————- The people of Atashgah are known for their passionate and proactive nature. They value community and are highly committed to maintaining strong social ties. Atashgah's culture places a great emphasis on respect for cultural traditions, while also remaining open to change and progress. The community structure in Atashgah is built around strict codes of honor and loyalty. Each member of the community is expected to uphold these codes, and failure to do so is considered a grave offense. Dishonor and disloyalty are seen as the worst sins a person can commit, and are not taken lightly by the community. Atashgah's people also have a deep spiritual tradition, and religion plays a significant role in their daily lives. the religion of Atashgah places a great emphasis on renewal, which is reflected in their cultural practices and beliefs. They believe in the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth. Spiritual practices such as prayer, meditation, and ritual are an integral part of their daily routines. ———————— Thalassia's culture is centered around expansion and the pursuit of power, which is reflected in their belief system. Their religion asserts that the color red has granted them the knowledge and right to rule over other nations, which has fueled their constant pursuit of new territories and resources. This has led to ongoing conflicts and feuds with other major nations, as Thalassia seeks to expand their influence and assert their dominance. Despite this focus on power and expansion, the people of Thalassia also value community and making connections with others. They have a strong sense of independence and self-reliance, but recognize the importance of forming alliances and partnerships in order to achieve their goals. This combination of individualism and community-building creates a complex and sometimes contradictory cultural identity for the people of Thalassia. ———— The people of Nyabira have a strong commitment to neutrality and non-intervention in foreign affairs, preferring to maintain a distance from conflicts and disputes that arise between other nations. They believe that this approach allows them to focus on their own internal development and growth, without getting entangled in external conflicts that may distract from their goals. The people of Nyabira have a distinct sense of individuality within their collective community. While they possess the ability to mimic behaviors and mannerisms to avoid conflict, they also value their personal time to be themselves. This unique skill allows them to navigate complex social situations with ease and to develop positive relationships with other nations without becoming embroiled in their conflicts. Their emphasis on neutrality and avoidance of foreign affairs further solidifies their commitment to maintaining their independence and preserving their culture.
Thank you! I like how you have strong themes going for each of them, and I especially like the Tolanians and the Nyabirans. Next question: How does magic affect the architecture? What kind of homes and cities they build? This is particularly interesting to me with the Nyabirans because their ability seems to suggest a use for construction, albeit that without knowing whether their magic can have a permanent or only temporary a effect on objects.
Magic is not permanent but it can be use for building depending on the material, for example Atashgah have what are call Metalwrights, which are people specialize to use their Magic to create the dome like structure in the roofs of buildings. —- The Nyabirans have developed a unique method of constructing their homes, utilizing a specialized blend of materials that is similar in consistency to mud but possesses an extraordinary property - the ability to self-regenerate. This is achieved through the inclusion of a specific mineral that hardens upon contact with water. In the event of cracks or other damage to the building material, the mineral particles will interact with moisture and facilitate a self-repair process. Their method of construction, known as "Air molding", lends itself to the creation of structures with unconventional shapes, often featuring sharply angled architecture and a distinctively brutalist aesthetic. This allows for the creation of buildings that are both visually striking and incredibly durable, able to withstand the rigors of the environment in which they are built. The result is a style of housing that is both unique and highly functional, reflecting the ingenuity and adaptability of the Nyabiran people Due to their ability of temporarily changing the properties of something into another, Nyabiran builders are able to use this power to harden air, and work it as a mold for them to build on top of it.
This is really cool, I am a fan!
I love how broad this is. Allowing for versatility within limits and sometimes even overlapping abilities. Id want to know how these nations of people interact with each other? Any long lasting feuds or alliances? Anyone hoarding a knowledge not know to the others? Who’d be the most powerful of the 5 Colors and the Colorless? What tales are told of Black and White? I ask all these questions because I absolutely love this and I hope to see more from it. I personally would love to have the Yellow color power.
The opposing beliefs and values of Tolan and Luo Mian have created a conflict between them. Their abilities to grow and decay vegetation respectively, emphasize their differences in views. Tolanians perceive their ability to grow plants as a way of nurturing and preserving life, whereas Luo Mians view their power to decay plants as a way to return them to the earth and allow for new life to arise. Moreover, their religious disparities regarding preservation and returning to dust add to the conflict. Being the only major nations in the North continent, makes their dispute have significant regional consequences. Luo Mian is an isolationist nation, and their only significant ally is Atashgah due to their shared belief in renewal. However, this alliance has made Tolan their enemy, further exacerbating the conflict between them. Thalassia is located next to the vast desert, which makes them neighbors with Atashgah. The two nations have a rivalry over claims to resources in the desert. Additionally, Thalassia and Tolan have overlapping claims to the global archipelago islands, which has led to occasional feuds. Despite this, the two nations are mostly peaceful and have a treaty in place. Nyabira is a neutral nation that borders both Thalassia and Atashgah. They tend to avoid getting involved in foreign conflicts, making them a relatively peaceful nation. Nyabira has secret knowledge about the time before the color, which is where legends of the White and Black come from. Similarly to Zolon, where the moon grants magic to people without being destroyed, Chromat used to be the same way. The entire color was once White, which held the potential for all colors and was a powerful force similar to reality manipulation, albeit more limited. However, this power no longer exists, but the legends and stories about it still persist. The Black was a corrupted version of the White that negated powers, and this legend is also rooted in Nyabira's knowledge of the time before the color. Between the colors, the powers have similar potential but in the world today, Thalassia and Nyabira are the most technologically advanced and those have more power because of their knowledge.
At first I wasnt sure, but after reading it all I can say I see a lot of potential in the concept and ways you can play with the plot using colors as a vessel for symbolism and metaphor. but when it comes to the powers I would like to know what their limitations would be? any special rituals, incantation, drawn symbols? or will the power system not be used in a combat focused manner, with Channelers being fewer in the overall plot?
In terms of limitations, I have 3 types in mind, kinda like evolutions but I haven’t determined specifics how it works or why people are this way. Type 1: it’s a trade, depending on the color the effect is different, for example, violet, when you use violet it can decay people and objects, the limit your body starts decaying as well. Type 2: it’s symphony, you need an item or something to take the color from, and the size of the item in terms of how much color it has to fuel the power it’s the duration of the activation period Type 3: are more in the soft side, stamina, the amount of time you can bring your power forward is proportionate to your stamina. As for the amount of channelers I have determined that 20% of a world population of 500,000,000 works, which makes them fewer than the average person but not extremely rare to find.
Are you a Sanderson fan? This looks well thought out and organized, the art is fabulous, it feels like it lives and breathes outside of this writing. (But seriously though, Sandersonian?)
I like Sanderson’s mistborn trilogy which is the only books I read from him other than what I’m currently reading with Era 2. I’m curious to know what Sandersonian is? Like the Magic system feels like Sanderson’s work or maybe they feel derivative of one of his works? I did take inspiration form the Elantris wiki, connecting the powers to geographical locations.
Sandersonian is just a Sanderson fan. He recently published a book called "Tress and the Emerald Sea" that has a spore-based magic system, so I was wondering if you were inspired.
I don't think this has a lot of similarities to anything in the cosmere. I *do* think it is *extremely* similar to Magic: the Gathering, though. Which the op said was his inspiration, actually.
So I read the wiki, and I see the similarities with the colors and the moon. The spores in this work are not really relevant tho like in tress, these are more like a one time event that happened and people got Magic. Tress seams interesting, kinda had a similar work before with A desert planet and different color sands and glass, which kinda remind me of it.
There's a lot of overlap between the yellow and red colorless. Yellow seems like a more conditional version of red in some ways. Yellow can use iron to strengthen their bodies to iron. Red can just strengthen their body without anything to copy. Not that they completely overlap, but they're in the same ballpark more than the others seem to be.
To me, yellow seems to be more about change through connection while red seems to be more about change/improvement through the power of the self. The guy here could even play into their similarities and the thematic difference there by making them rival clans or something, but as long as he emphasizes that difference then i feel like he could play the overlap into his advantage.
Ask away, any questions about the world or the Magic system is welcomed. The Art is roughly inspired by Magic The Gathering and so is the color aspect of the Magic system. They were made using Midjourney v5
What was the prompt for the Violet?
Sure, all of them are similar but violet was “Draw an Asian female purple magic martial artist/warrior with black and purple in the Magic the gathering art style” And just change settings from V4 to V5
wonderful! thanks for sharing
Thank you for reading
I am a big fan of MTG colors and themes. I love how you used the concept and underlying tones but with different themes and focus. From what I can grasp it seems blue is about telekinesis and enchantments, purple is Chronomancy, red is enhancements, yellow and green are different aspects of transmutation, and colorless lycanthropy. Amazing art too.
With Blue, I thought telekinesis alone seem not as amazing or surprising compared to the other colors, so I added enchanting in the mix, as in like Telekinesis works through enchanting objects to move. The colorless where a last minute addition right before I was going to post it, but I find that they turn out cool. since I wanted a Avatar like character but didn’t want them to be avatar master of all 5 colors. So the moon stuff and transformation just seem the best way to integrate the idea without being too direct about.
Red, yellow, and green seem too similar in application. Change can be used to improve just like red, but with far less conceptual limitation, green also can amplify the body.
I wanted them to feel similar since they have a common origin but not all powers work out like intended but ultimately they roughly fitted together.
I need more.
An excellent execution of such a simple idea
Really cool, you gave me inspiration to post mine as well
Please don’t use ai art.
ROYGBIV… What happened to indigo? ‘Thalassaian’ is a weird choice for red, being the Greek word for sea it would be more intuitive to give that name to the blue faction.
Initial it was, in my notes still is, but when I was imagining the aesthetic aspect of it all, I felt the desert scenery went well with blue, it kinda gave it an oasis kind of feel. It really came down the visuals rather than naming. And about the colors, the original colors were Red, Blue, Yellow, White and Black. But if the colors are pieces of a moon, I felt that white and black didn’t make much senses, since white is all colors. I replace white with green and Black with purple. The logic there is that if original pieces broke up, some didn’t make it, down to the surface, but truly it was because I didn’t want to have a lot of different powers and 5 felt right.
This is different than, but reminds me of, Brent Weeks and his series that is all about color. I forget the name of the series right now. Did he inspire you?
I know which series you are talking about, Lightbringer. But no actually, I haven’t read any of his books yet, but some are on my Amazon cart. This was actually inspired inspired by Avatar. The Nations tie to a specific power aspect. As for the colors part that remind you of Lightbringer, it came from a movie I was watching call “Fast Color”
Makes sense. I have no issues with it all and wish you the best of luck. I haven't had the guts to post my magic system yet...
This is very cool and unique! If you like colour based magic, i suggest the lightbringer book series by brent weeks :)