World Building

STAR CHILDREN

Humans arrived only 30,000 years ago, when the Seed of the 6th Star fell to the planet. It followed the death of one of the last remaining stars in the sky, believed to be the homeworld of the 12 Zygotes which remained frozen inside the pod. The Elves of Cambria saw to the Star Children’s development like a lab experiment, attempting to recreate a habitat for the alien race and careful not to influence the study. Their arcanists drew what they could from their genetic memory and allowed them to prosper within the confines of their artificially controlled environment. The Elves were benevolent stewards to these remnants of humanity and their numbers grew.

1st MIGRATION

The Elves would eventually make their presence known, shattering the illusions of a world like the one they evolved in. They were told that Alteria was a much harsher place than their homeworld. From that moment, Elves took on a more active role in their lives, as stewards of the Human race. But there were still those who saw the Elves as their captors, for they were not allowed to leave, to see this world for what it really was. This led to what is now known as the 1st Migration, beginning in violent revolution and leading to the freedom of many of these early Humans. They made their way out from the monolithic cities, braving the harsh wastes beyond. But those hardships forged a culture of survivors and powerful warriors. The wastes would not always remain so, as the druidic arts developed, tapping into some genetic memory of a world called Earth and seeding new life across the surface of Alteria.

2nd MIGRATION

The Humans that remained in the care of the Elves continued to learn their ways. They adopted their gods (Elves who had risen to mastery of their Arcane House) and learned of the dangers that lurked beyond the Elven cities. But the Demons that stalked the wastes had been repelled by the 1st Migration and after tens of thousands of years, the Elves would begin concede that perhaps Humans could survive on their own. Perhaps they should, even. So with the hesitant blessing of a doting parent, Elves finally allowed Humans to venture out into the forests, sewn by generations of druids. Their Elven stewards would help them along the way, easing this transition into self-sufficiency. It has been a winding road, but Human settlements now thrive throughout the greater province of Cambria.

ARCANA

There is no “Mage” class in Dark Ocean. Learning to harness the forces of nature is not so hard for any student willing to invest the time in study. In this world, Arcana is divided into 5 schools, each of them governed by one of the 5 stars in the sky: Primordial, Thaumaturgy, Manifestation, Manipulation and Void. This represents a progression, requiring an understanding of the tenets of one school before proceeding onto the next. Characters will acquire spell scrolls in their adventuring and can spend time Studying to learn a given spell. These spells can then be equipped as Abilities to one of the 5 tiers. These take the place of class-based Abilities, so there is a trade-off, but they can always be switched out later. Equipping certain spell-types will also provide synergies as you begin to focus and define your specialties.

PRIMORDIAL	The raw forces of nature. Mostly AoE damage spells with different grid patterns depending on the Tier. These will be common enough, providing a reliable set of damage Abilities.
THAUMATURGY	Divine light of the Radiant Order. Some forms of Radiant damage. Also includes protection, restoration, and even divination, allowing players to scout ahead and learn about their enemies.
MANIFESTION	The act of creation. Conjure anything from items, to fog, to minions. Some damage spells. Also includes some forms of illusion.
INFLUENCE (Formerly Manipulation)	The ability to alter reality. Enchantment can be used to charm or possess others. Displacement can be used to teleport, relocating around the battlefield. Temporal spells can also have a range of effects that change how a battle plays out.
VOID	The forces of darkness and entropy. The domain of shadowmancy, using darkness to obfuscate. Also the domain of necromancy, controlling the forces of death.