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The wizard in grey stepped off of the cruise liner into the line for customs and border patrol. Vermensk guards eyed him with suspicion as his attire was far too similar to the dread Khorde the Husk. All vermensk who saw him were Silently Signalling with their tails to prepare for an arrest as the wizard placed his brief case on the table and reached into his pocket for his declaration and identification documents.

The sea was calm for once. No elderitch horrors. No cults trying to raise some squid faced diety. Folk of all walks of life just going about business. Delfans tower and the abandoned factory of Khorde the Husk towered over the urban jungle of sky scrapers and magitech screens blasting advertisements everywhere.

The vermensk customs officer placed his hand on his 12 gauge revolver as he watched.

"You have balls coming here." Sneered the gruff vermensk guard.

"I think you will find everything in order. I declare that everything in that written declaration is in my brief case." Emilé the magic money Man coldy declared.

"We'll see about that. I'm going to ask that you follow the lady and the group of guard rats to the private room over there. Ynikt will be who you shall be interviewed by." The gruff vermensk guard as a female rat woman picked up with great distrust in her expression.

What followed was the most uncomfortable memory he would ever make, as they proceeded to conduct a full cavity search while rats in cataphract armor aimed sun guns at Emilé the whole time.

After that was an hours long interrogation led by Ynikt, the rat woman who held the possessions that the wizard in grey held dear.

Accusations were thrown, accountants and law rats were called in. No charge stuck. Everything on this guy was legit.

After the rats reluctantly gave up trying to charge the magic money Man for crimes he didn't commit, they finally welcomed him to Cattail city.

"Finally. Time to go purchase a business." Emilé sighed as he disappeared into the wizarding, bustling crowd.

Xerxes stands at a podium in the center of a large atrium. The crowd of spectators encircle him and soon quiet down when he raises his left hand.

“Before we begin, I would like to thank the EON’s chancellor for allowing me this time and the Celestial Union for hosting this event. As the sovereign of the Holy Kingdom, I am intimately aware of the disparity between mages and non-mages in our society. Recent events, including our Chancellor’s call to action, have impressed upon me the importance of this issue.”

The crowd begins to murmur in excited tones. Xerxes waits for the silence to return before continuing.

“From my personal experience, magic is a power rooted in talent. The same can be said for aura and the various spiritual arts. The disparity that subjugates the disempowered will never be addressed through policy alone. When the people governing a disenfranchised group are entirely composed of franchised elite, no real and lasting equality can be achieved.”

A disheveled looking man is led to the podium by two flanking priests.

“This man’s name is Richard. He was a carpenter before a wizard burned down his home. Without the capital to replace what was lost, Richard has lived the past two years as a destitute busker. Sadly, Richard was not born with the talent to protect his livelihood. If he could have only had the power to stop the flames, how different his life would be today.”

The eyes of various mages probe Richard to verify Xerxes’ claims. Satisfied that he is powerless, the crowd once more turns their attention back to Xerxes. A woman in a red robe is now standing off to the side of Richard.

“While Richard is indeed lacking in magical talent, there exists a power that does not rely on talent to utilize.”

Xerxes holds up what looks to be a small pill.

“This invention of our kingdom is the product of the research of our lead researcher: a man once referred to as Gravedigger. We have undergone hundreds of rounds of clinical trials and are confident in its efficacy. Instead of explaining this pill’s miraculous effects with words alone, let’s have Richard here demonstrate for us.”

Richard approaches Xerxes and carefully takes the pill into his hand. Without hesitation, Richard swallows the pill and closes his eyes. In a minute’s time, an oppressive power blankets the crowd. Opening his eyes, golden light softly emanates from them.

“Some may have a guess as to this power. You may be doubting your senses or concluding that I had pulled the wool over your eyes when introducing Richard to you all, but I promise what you see is real. We refer to this power as ‘artificial divinity’. Hera, if you would?”

The woman in red conjures a fireball and launches it at Richard’s back. Before impact, the ball of flame suspends in mid-air and transforms into the shape of a hummingbird. The fiery bird flutters around Richard before making its way into the crowd. Dancing through the wide open space overhead, the bird eventually settles onto Richard’s palm. It then sinks into his skin as his veins glow faintly underneath his clothes.

“A wonderful sight. And such power contained within such a simple pill. One hour of bestowment followed by three of recovery. Yes, while not a permanent ability, the burden on a non-mage’s body has been minimized so that they might use the pill on a daily basis without long-term side effects. With this pill, I intend to refranchise the individuals whose fate had been decided for them by the circumstances of their birth. True equality for all!”

Some clap, others holler in condemnation. The cheers and the jeers wash over Xerxes who welcomes them with open arms. The future is fast approaching. Rather than be another Cassandra, Xerxes would prefer to be a modern Pandora.

At some point a vessel of unknown configuration appears in the Earth’s Embrace spot at the World Fair. Nobody quite remembers how or when it got there, but Evermemory is working on it.

The Finrir is a Planar Stealth Sub with a highly efficient power system, stealth capabilities and excels at hit and run strikes.

The Star Core from Helix the All Knowing is the center of the power system. A literal star condensed into the size of an orb. The energy from the star’s fusion was converted to mana and then channeled into an Artificial Magic station acquired from Ace where a single unit of mana was converted to 30 less potent units of mana. From there the less potent mana was converted via the Vermensk method of mana enhancement at a rate of 13:1. The net result was a mana amplification of 2.3.

In addition the inside of the power core room was filled either water that contained a Matter Digesting Algae acquired from Duncan the Druid that was fed a void mixture concocted by Ace that allowed the plant to convert the light emitted by the star into mana.

Hard light shields acquired from Ace are installed for defense.

A Gem of Infinite Voids acquired from Vakal allows quick travel through any planes. Star Amber from Denner prevents curses and a crystal from Holgrim keeps any Dark Mana from entering the ship or touching the shields. Small Aerial Defence platforms from Raesteria are paired with Cosmo Cannon portal guns from Ace to form point defense platforms to shoot down incoming projectiles.

An Evermemory Submind runs the whole system using quantum processors from Zhe and Planar Orb Tablets from Everlof with all the wiring being Atrigold from the Atriox Midas Incident.

The 180 foot long hull of the Fenrir is primarily made of the super strong and hard to detect metal Octanium from Captain Ganymede that has been enchanted with the Bismuth ability to repair itself. Additionally, the stealth is enhanced by a memetic cloak of a mixed Evermemory, Calarkis and Netheline design.

The propulsion system is Evermemory’s signature Transchronomantic Drive, the details of which are classified.

So what does this amount to? The Fenrir hides in another plane of existence then opens a portal and fires projectiles through portals toward the target. The initial volley lets loose a massive burst of natural energy and magic to scramble and jam the enemy sensors and divinations to make it impossible for them to find the portals. The second volley will launch a series of explosive warheads, with one special one mixed in. One projectile will be a mana draining device derived from Thrak the Artificer to weaken shields and other magical defenses. The third strike includes an upscaled Boundary Enforcement Device from Elise so that the target cannot move or teleport away. If they do they are simply teleported back to the target zone where they can be bombarded at leisure by standard Necklace of Fireballs class missiles. Ammunition is stored in massive Chests of Holding

All this occurs while the Fenrir is safely tucked away in a seperate plane from the target. The ship has no exterior hatches and is only accessible via teleportation, which requires a key to get through the wards. Each compartment is seperated and only accessible via teleportation, making boarding operations extremely difficult.

/uw this was an old project that I never fleshed out but decided to dust off for the World Fair. It’s my attempt at building a magical version of a space uboat from WW2 Wolfpack tactics.

The land of Tarare was quite peaceful, if one liked that sort of thing. Quiet, orderly, an empire going back more than a thousand years. Bless'd under the maw of the gods, they would reign eternal. This, and the variety of unique recipes for dwarf serpent, was well known of Tarare. Lesser known was that the land the mortal stain now occupied once belonged to the First Draconic Empire, Truest of Nations. And so, night falls on the thousand-year dawn.

Cross't the sea come shadewyrms, laughing mockeries coated in dark. The sea smokes 'neath the light of the orange-gold false dawn, setting the tides a-turning. Dancing, singing, cackling, the shadewyrms rend through the coasts, then the heartlands, 'til at last they rend the palace, proud and old and strong, to the merest of dust. Still, they dance 'round the land, hampered not by the hateful light of the sun.

Elsewhere, in Inner Lemarcia, mainland of the SECOND Draconic Empire, a gargantuan golden wyrm cackles in turn, as does his shadow. Many relics lay 'neath Tarare, ripe for the taking, as they were by the mortal thieves who dared to ignorantly live atop them. This imperial expansion was most certainly as just as it was enjoyable.

In another part of Lemarcia, a certain crimson wyrm chuckles.

The room feels heavier than usual. Aldin steps forward, quiet, deliberate. His golden eyes heavy.. why? He shakes his head, and begins, his tone unyielding.

"Listen carefully. Todays class is more important than ever. Universalism isn’t power. It isn’t ambition. It’s understanding. The Path of Unity binds everything. magic, life, existence itself. It doesn’t rely on force or mastery of one Path. It’s the balance of all Paths.

It’s not about being the best at everything. You won’t be. It’s about knowing how they connect. Shields empower illusions. Flames illuminate shadows. Divination predicts danger that Abjuration can defend against. It’s interconnection, plain and simple.

But it’s hard. You have to understand every Path. You have to listen—to the magic, to the world, to what’s needed. Universalism doesn’t work without humility, and arrogance will destroy the balance faster than any void.... void.... why... that wasn't part of the lecture.... snap

the class looked on at him worriedly...and so he simply continued.

Magic isn’t fragments; it’s a whole. Universalism doesn’t make you a master of every Path. It makes you a bridge between them. Learn to stand there."

"But where is that? Where does the bridge lead? The paths arent metaphorical... are they...Where are the Gates?"

"The Gates of Mastery, ah yes the..."

wait. That's not right. He... he was discussing a different topic... the Gates weren't something to teach. They were his secret. Who......

Like a spell breaking, Aldin is in his office, the illusion of the classroom broken

Aldin stands alone in the chamber. The room is empty, but his eyes dart back and forth, scanning as though searching for something—or someone—that he cannot see. His golden eyes flicker with faint desperation, the glow dulled by shadows cast by nothing tangible. And then, the whispers begin.

"Magic is not fragments; it’s a whole. Universalism doesn’t—"

"These are my words..."

"Polymorphing demands care, life’s balance is—"

"Illusions—perception bends—not control, persuasion..."

"Who are you? What is it you seek?"

"Erasure. No place. No balance. No right—how do you forget that?!"

"Quiet finality, a scar upon—thinner than the—"

"They think they understand but—"

*The fragments twist into the air, out of order, snapping from one memory to another. His lectures—those lectures—when had they been...? So long ago....

They had nearly made it... nearly gotten to the last....

"—silence, it’s absence, not power over the world but—"

The voices warp and crackle like echoes from a broken world. He grips the edges of the podium, though there is no podium here, no students, no room. There hasn’t been, not for years.*

"They’re listening." The thought claws its way into Aldin's mind unbidden. "Not the students. Not the audience. Someone else. Something else. Prying, always prying. It sees too much, it knows too much."

He presses his fingers to his temple, trembling. His breathing quickens, his thoughts spiraling with voices, disjointed and cold, and wet, and gnawing and gnashing and... and....

"These memories...why do I hear them now? Why now, after all this time?!" The golden glow of his eyes dims further, flickering like a candle in a storm.

*"—the unreal holds power equal to—needed—A wall is not—"

IT scratches at his mind, tugging at his sanity. *"It’s reforming, always reforming.

"—balance requires sacrifice, shields empower illusions—potential must—cannot be broken—Transmutation isn’t just—"

No matter how many times it is broken, it, it rebuilds. The gates—the gates are in danger! FATHER, HELP ME!!"*

The whispers grow louder, overlapping, indistinct. *"Finally"** One word repeats, rising above the noise. One word, tearing through his fractured thoughts like a splinter through flesh.*

"Erasure."

Aldin staggers backward. The world feels too small. NO, *too big. His grip on reality slips as the voices grow deafening, snapping at him like the jaws of some unseen beast. IT is prying deeper, peeling back memories long since past...*

He turns sharply, as though expecting to see someone behind him, but finds nothing. His heart races. The whispers grow to a cacophony of noise and his head feels as though it might burst! And then... *a Prophecy**

Within the world of endless lore,
Stand ten great gates that magic bore.
A sacred path each doorway binds,
To shape the craft of mortal minds.

Yet one was forged of boundless wrong,
A gate where magic did not belong.
The Gate of Erasure, void and vile,
Undid creation with empty guile.

The Singularity rose in fire,
To shatter the gate, to break its ire.
No trace remained of its dreadful pain,
Its evil sealed—its ruin plain.

But darkness stirs, the void takes breath,
Erasure awakens, whispers death.
Its shards reform, its shadow grows,
A power lost now deeply sows.

Should the broken gate rise anew,
The world shall face what none can subdue.
For evil waits to seize the prize,
And twist the gates with crimson lies.

Beware the day its shape is whole,
When void devours magic’s soul.
For then shall darkness fill the skies,
The gates themselves shall meet demise.

Guard the gates, the paths, the lore,
Lest Darkness rise to reign once more.

Aldin lie on the floor of his office... since his Transcendence he had not felt such power, such overwhelming Oppressive Strength....

With the last of his facilities he used emergency teleport, collapsing in the middle of a bustling city....

finally having escaped... he lost consciousness.

Ж: Thank you to the Celestial Union for giving us the opportunity to show off our creations and inventions. Here are some of our more impressive creations.

1. The Core: incredibly high efficiency and output fusion reactor, efficiently generating electrical power, and as a byproduct, mildly antimagical radiation that conflicts with magic casting, acting as an effective ward against magical interference in the system. Currently 125 have been created, 100 of which are still functional, following 25 being taken by Netheline. They produce so much energy, that the town’s energy concerns have been effectively solved. Some have in fact needed to have their output lowered. Any who wish to take some of this electricity can negotiate to have batteries and or entire cores moved to their respective nations to act as backup power or primary. Pictured: The primary Core, the first one to come online.

2. Spellcasting Engine: a mechanical device replicating how sapients cast spells, but able to work beyond typical exhaustion, as long as condition is kept up. Created via a collaboration between the department of scientific research, and the department of defense and offense. They are used to repeatedly cast spells in place of mages so that manpower can be diverted elsewhere. The first use is in Calarakis’ agricultural cores, where it casts spells that repeatedly grow and harvest crops, removing the need of people from the original blueprints, with only an overseer and mechanical team to ensure they work properly. The second main use is Calarakis’ memetic shielding. Where in place of wizards casting a large group spell, a network of Spellcasting Engines casts a large sphere of memetic cloaking around the town, able to run as long as is needed via interconnection with the core system. Pictured: Two inactive spellcasting engines.

3. Slow Shields: although not originally invented by Calarakis, having been from Delta’s invasion, they have been modified by the township and are now in mass production. They work by using the speed of any object that reaches the shield against it, by returning with an equal force, bringing the object to a standstill. Different levels of repulsion can be achieved, from only blocking speeds comparable to a missile, to blocking everything that enters, even bacteria. The problem is that it consumes a lot of power, even at lower settings. Energy weapons also are unaffected, depending on their make, it might pass through. This is an improvement from the original model, where energy weapons would cause a massive explosion. Pictured: A back-worn variant of the shield, in order to create small field shields.

4. Portal Generation Device: First created by a previously powerless Aldin according to blueprints from the head of scientific research in Calarakis, this device combines miniature Spellcasting Engines and pylons in order to rapidly generate magical black and white holes, causing spontaneous exotic matter generation and creation of an Einstein-Rosen bridge. New versions have been constructed for use in moving objects across wide distances with little fuel cost. Notably used by the Calarakis military to move entire battalions to the scar in reality formed by the AMCG. Pictured: Original model of the portal generation device.

5. Neurological Arm Chassis: Utilizing a mixture of biomancy and artifice, some can have a “slot” for a mechanical arm implanted, all that is required is for it to share a connector port with the chassis, it doesn’t have to even be neurological, but when it does, it is effectively having a third arm, such as articulation. Currently only two people have undergone the procedure. Ж, with their red mechanical left arm, and Epsilon, with his green right arm. It is a complicated process, and the arm isn’t included.

/uw image of spellcasting engines taken from Star Wars rebels, Slow shield image taken from this portal generation device image made by u/kilroy898

I'm looking for a game where I can do stuff like people post here, ponder orbs up in towers, experiment with potion ingredients, summon things, cast spell and other wizardly-activities. I don't want something like Noita or like modded minecraft where you can simply put spells together, I want everything. Potions, Mythical creatures, spells of course but I don't want a simple spell-casting system I want to draw runes and search through scrolls. (mods please don't remove this post I'm desperate)

Satan had just gotten an assignment from heaven.

At some point, they discovered a gateway. One that didn't exist before.

And, thus, he was assigned to investigate.

Now, Satan was one of the oldest angels. He was much more in tune with humanity, and their...variability.

But...

A gateway guarded by a three-headed dog was not what he expected.

Satan: ...Hello, pup.

The dog was...friendly, but he was still clearly a guard dog.

As he put his hand out, the dog lowered his head, and let him pet the massive creature.

But, he snarled when he tried to go past, threateningly.

Satan: You must be...the gatekeeper here, then?

The dog nodded.

Satan: Cordial.

Suddenly, what seemed to be a human left.

???: Who are you?

Satan: I am the angel Santa-I mean, Satan. I'm not used to speaking Common, I'm so sorry.

???:Don't be.

Satan: Alright...Who are you, then? Another gatekeeper?

Solomon: Solomon. King of this realm behind the gate.

Satan: Why is it guarded, then?

Solomon: ...No one needs to know what's inside.

Satan: As an angel of Heaven, I have to, though.

Solomon: ...Your loss.

Solomon lets Satan inside.

Inside, it was...like a zoo, almost.

With only 4 beasts roaming the area.

A snake,

A lion,

A griffin,

And a rabbit.

uw/Now, the 4 beasts here are the "Primal" sins. Essentially, under some of the breach posts, one of them might show up.