Post by Gaea on Apr 30, 2016 3:39:40 GMT -8
The field of summoning is vast, split into countless disciplines and schools of thought. Often controversial for some of its more ethically questionable examples, it is nonetheless a popular and powerful branch of magic that is commonly used for both military and agricultural purposes.
At its core, 'summoning' is the ability to create or control independent entities - something more than a few have referred to a the 'power of a god.' Ethical concerns about the practice aside, having minions around to help out is a useful ability for many magi in countless disciplines - the simplest and most blatant usage is combat, either as bodyguards or offense, but summoning is often used in farming communities to help tend to the fields as well, and countless researchers make use of more intelligent summoned beings, often youkai, as assistants in their studies.
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Monsters
Perhaps the most common and stereotypical summons - while the rituals needed are fairly arcane and must be taught, they are incredibly safe and successful, arguably more so than any other discipline of magic. Some speculate that these summoning rituals are an engram hardcoded into reality itself - a backdoor to the tools of creation - while others simply point to countless centuries of studying dedicated to honing these techniques further. Whatever the case, this branch allows its practitioners to create the defined monster races - creatures like Mauthe Doogs, Bonewalkers, and their ilk. Unlike most summons, these creatures tend to bear intelligence and personas only as far as the summoner imbues them with such, as if they are empty vessels waiting to be filled. Also unlike most disciplines, uniqueness between summons is limited mostly to aesthetic and mental differences - a Bonewalker is a Bonewalker.
Many rookie monster summoners begin with simple summons, like the skeletal Bonewalkers or canine Mauthe Doogs - Revenants and their ilk are similarly simple, but quite unpopular due to the smell. These basic constructs are commonly simply extensions of the summoner, possessed of no will of their own, but stronger or more creative summoners can imbue some with rudimentary intelligence, and occasionally even some semblance of true (un)life.
Elementals
Tied for the most common type of summon, Elementals are pre-existing creatures of ice and flame that range from sapient to sentient and occasionally even intelligent. Always strongly aspected to one of the six terrestrial elements of magic (Aether/Nether Elementals are an entirely separate discipline), Elementals are bound by contract to the summoner - and the myriad ways to contract with them makes this a far more personal field than the intensely clinical approach to monster summoning, easier for the untrained to pick up by personal experience. As such, Earth, Floral, and Water elementals in particular are fairly common in the Outer Reaches, primarily for agricultural reasons, while their Anima cousins are very common combat tools.
Perhaps the most stereotypical creations of this field are representations of their purest elements - a floating fireball, a rock with legs - but Elementals with stronger senses of self and more intelligence generally have defined forms that they prefer, sometimes going so far as subspheres - the Ifrit/Efreeti tribes are powerful and often muscular-looking fire elements, while Dryads and Nymphs are feminine but inhuman earth and water elementals respectively. While the summoner has little say in what self-aware Elementals appear to her as, nonsentient ones can be shaped to some degree by her, and of course one always has the option of simply... looking for a sizable Ifrit population to bind.
Celestials
Often called Aetherborn, Divine, or sometimes Angels. Aetherial cousins to Elementals, the denizens of the Aether come from a world very different to our own. Born incomplete and unformed, weak Celestials are easy to lure into the realm of Creation, but powerful Aetherborn are a dangerous and unpredictable - creatures forged of light and sound, with extremely well defined and often absolute moral structures. They do not serve summoners easily and have even been known to turn on those who act in ways they disagree with, making Celestial summoning among the most dangerous of all branches of magic - arguably tied only with Arcane. Aether's reputation in particular is a mixed bag; people tend to like angels and seemingly holy beings by default, but there have been numerous would-be crusaders in the past to poison their reputation with brutality in the name of justice.
Of course, not all Celestials are born from the same cloth - while the Aether tends more toward uniformity than its counterpart, those born of Aether often have intensely personal views on the subject and what exactly such concepts as 'order' and 'justice' mean, or what is the proper way to adhere to whatever code of morality they embody. Humanoid (often armored) angels are a common theme among powerful Aetherborn, but alien beings that defy perspective and proud valkyries possessed of almost human sensibilities exist as well, albeit usually in smaller numbers, and summoners interested in the raw power of Aether magic often bind unformed spirits to do their will without any likelihood of backsass.
Abyssals
Also known as Voidborn, Demons/Daemons, Infernals, or Nightmares. Spirits from the Nether. Similar to the Aetherborn, the denizens of the Nether are born unformed and devoid of a soul, struggling to complete themselves. Netherborn, however, intensely value individuality and emotion, both human and alien, and most strive to define themselves along those lines. Generally less proactive or intelligent than their 'holy' counterparts, fledgling Nether spirits are very easy to bind and control, but full-fledged Infernals vary wildly based on what path they follow in the eternal search for completion. While generally less dangerous to their summoner than Aetherborn, they are often more alien in nature and struggle to interface with their 'master' despite their best efforts.
Abyssals vary to the point of almost lacking any real consistency in terms of appearance and combat style/potential, but tend to appear less human than their 'holy' counterparts, oftentimes outright ugly by human sensibilities - pulsating masses of flesh, skeletal humanoids, obsidian outlines that flicker and spark as if to defy form and function. Unlike Celestials, though, few attempt to enforce their will on the world around them, making them relatively safe summons. Despite their oddities, they also tend to be extremely perceptive, likely due to their innate ties to emotion, which in turn makes them surprisingly good and quite loyal pets and assistants alike, though actual intelligence varies.
Youkai
Youkai summoning was once an old and respected profession, best known for its extremely intelligent and independent servants who were capable of solving problems creatively, but Youkai rights activists have successfully dismantled most of its support structure - it is no longer recognized as a primary discipline, and the Abscissic Binding protocols once used to impose absolute obeisance on Youkai have been lost to history. In the wake of the original, though, both bartered and forced servitude have risen in its wake, and more than a few powerful magi have attained brilliant assistants or powerful beasts of burden or even siege through methods both fair and foul. Local culture's beliefs on human slavery are often reflected in their take on Youkai servitude, though not always - and both are relatively common in the savage world of Elibe.
Each Youkai is a unique and intelligent(ish) individual, loosely split into countless races - Kitsune appear mostly human aside from fox ears and tails, while mythical Oni are like smaller, smarter Cyclops, bearing two eyes and most of the muscle and mean streak of their monster cousins, though many also fall prey to the stereotype of good-natured idiot. Tengu tribes hidden in the mountains are legendary assassins and weaponsmiths, said to be capable of forging blades that can cut through truth, or kill a man so subtly that not even he notices until an hour later. Jorōgumo are equal parts woman and spider, with a reputation far worse than their bite (usually) but intimidating nonetheless if only for the terrifying strength the great curved legs erupting from their back can bring to bear.
At its core, 'summoning' is the ability to create or control independent entities - something more than a few have referred to a the 'power of a god.' Ethical concerns about the practice aside, having minions around to help out is a useful ability for many magi in countless disciplines - the simplest and most blatant usage is combat, either as bodyguards or offense, but summoning is often used in farming communities to help tend to the fields as well, and countless researchers make use of more intelligent summoned beings, often youkai, as assistants in their studies.
--------
Monsters
Perhaps the most common and stereotypical summons - while the rituals needed are fairly arcane and must be taught, they are incredibly safe and successful, arguably more so than any other discipline of magic. Some speculate that these summoning rituals are an engram hardcoded into reality itself - a backdoor to the tools of creation - while others simply point to countless centuries of studying dedicated to honing these techniques further. Whatever the case, this branch allows its practitioners to create the defined monster races - creatures like Mauthe Doogs, Bonewalkers, and their ilk. Unlike most summons, these creatures tend to bear intelligence and personas only as far as the summoner imbues them with such, as if they are empty vessels waiting to be filled. Also unlike most disciplines, uniqueness between summons is limited mostly to aesthetic and mental differences - a Bonewalker is a Bonewalker.
Many rookie monster summoners begin with simple summons, like the skeletal Bonewalkers or canine Mauthe Doogs - Revenants and their ilk are similarly simple, but quite unpopular due to the smell. These basic constructs are commonly simply extensions of the summoner, possessed of no will of their own, but stronger or more creative summoners can imbue some with rudimentary intelligence, and occasionally even some semblance of true (un)life.
Elementals
Tied for the most common type of summon, Elementals are pre-existing creatures of ice and flame that range from sapient to sentient and occasionally even intelligent. Always strongly aspected to one of the six terrestrial elements of magic (Aether/Nether Elementals are an entirely separate discipline), Elementals are bound by contract to the summoner - and the myriad ways to contract with them makes this a far more personal field than the intensely clinical approach to monster summoning, easier for the untrained to pick up by personal experience. As such, Earth, Floral, and Water elementals in particular are fairly common in the Outer Reaches, primarily for agricultural reasons, while their Anima cousins are very common combat tools.
Perhaps the most stereotypical creations of this field are representations of their purest elements - a floating fireball, a rock with legs - but Elementals with stronger senses of self and more intelligence generally have defined forms that they prefer, sometimes going so far as subspheres - the Ifrit/Efreeti tribes are powerful and often muscular-looking fire elements, while Dryads and Nymphs are feminine but inhuman earth and water elementals respectively. While the summoner has little say in what self-aware Elementals appear to her as, nonsentient ones can be shaped to some degree by her, and of course one always has the option of simply... looking for a sizable Ifrit population to bind.
Celestials
Often called Aetherborn, Divine, or sometimes Angels. Aetherial cousins to Elementals, the denizens of the Aether come from a world very different to our own. Born incomplete and unformed, weak Celestials are easy to lure into the realm of Creation, but powerful Aetherborn are a dangerous and unpredictable - creatures forged of light and sound, with extremely well defined and often absolute moral structures. They do not serve summoners easily and have even been known to turn on those who act in ways they disagree with, making Celestial summoning among the most dangerous of all branches of magic - arguably tied only with Arcane. Aether's reputation in particular is a mixed bag; people tend to like angels and seemingly holy beings by default, but there have been numerous would-be crusaders in the past to poison their reputation with brutality in the name of justice.
Of course, not all Celestials are born from the same cloth - while the Aether tends more toward uniformity than its counterpart, those born of Aether often have intensely personal views on the subject and what exactly such concepts as 'order' and 'justice' mean, or what is the proper way to adhere to whatever code of morality they embody. Humanoid (often armored) angels are a common theme among powerful Aetherborn, but alien beings that defy perspective and proud valkyries possessed of almost human sensibilities exist as well, albeit usually in smaller numbers, and summoners interested in the raw power of Aether magic often bind unformed spirits to do their will without any likelihood of backsass.
Abyssals
Also known as Voidborn, Demons/Daemons, Infernals, or Nightmares. Spirits from the Nether. Similar to the Aetherborn, the denizens of the Nether are born unformed and devoid of a soul, struggling to complete themselves. Netherborn, however, intensely value individuality and emotion, both human and alien, and most strive to define themselves along those lines. Generally less proactive or intelligent than their 'holy' counterparts, fledgling Nether spirits are very easy to bind and control, but full-fledged Infernals vary wildly based on what path they follow in the eternal search for completion. While generally less dangerous to their summoner than Aetherborn, they are often more alien in nature and struggle to interface with their 'master' despite their best efforts.
Abyssals vary to the point of almost lacking any real consistency in terms of appearance and combat style/potential, but tend to appear less human than their 'holy' counterparts, oftentimes outright ugly by human sensibilities - pulsating masses of flesh, skeletal humanoids, obsidian outlines that flicker and spark as if to defy form and function. Unlike Celestials, though, few attempt to enforce their will on the world around them, making them relatively safe summons. Despite their oddities, they also tend to be extremely perceptive, likely due to their innate ties to emotion, which in turn makes them surprisingly good and quite loyal pets and assistants alike, though actual intelligence varies.
Youkai
Youkai summoning was once an old and respected profession, best known for its extremely intelligent and independent servants who were capable of solving problems creatively, but Youkai rights activists have successfully dismantled most of its support structure - it is no longer recognized as a primary discipline, and the Abscissic Binding protocols once used to impose absolute obeisance on Youkai have been lost to history. In the wake of the original, though, both bartered and forced servitude have risen in its wake, and more than a few powerful magi have attained brilliant assistants or powerful beasts of burden or even siege through methods both fair and foul. Local culture's beliefs on human slavery are often reflected in their take on Youkai servitude, though not always - and both are relatively common in the savage world of Elibe.
Each Youkai is a unique and intelligent(ish) individual, loosely split into countless races - Kitsune appear mostly human aside from fox ears and tails, while mythical Oni are like smaller, smarter Cyclops, bearing two eyes and most of the muscle and mean streak of their monster cousins, though many also fall prey to the stereotype of good-natured idiot. Tengu tribes hidden in the mountains are legendary assassins and weaponsmiths, said to be capable of forging blades that can cut through truth, or kill a man so subtly that not even he notices until an hour later. Jorōgumo are equal parts woman and spider, with a reputation far worse than their bite (usually) but intimidating nonetheless if only for the terrifying strength the great curved legs erupting from their back can bring to bear.
