Glorified Mercenaries: The Rebootening

Original OP (circa February 2, 2014)

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SpoilerThe year is 3021, 9 years after the end of the Millenial War. The nations of the world have, more or less, rebuilt, and for the fortunate few, the world is entering a golden age. Planes, cars and motorcycles are becoming commonplace, greatly expanding opportunities for travel and work. Both big cities and small towns are constantly growing and improving, and advances in magic mean new careers seem to pop up every few months. The media is, by and large, idealistic, yet artists are making great strides into themes and techniques not explored before.

But others are finding things far worse. Families have been destroyed, old prejudices intensified; even with the buildings returned to their former glory, the losers' economies have yet to fully recover. Women, minorities, and "weirdos" are marginalized, and new discoveries are both exciting and terrifying, with a growing movement that seeks to return to a time before industrialization – by force.

The dark side to the prosperity is exemplified by the Worldwide Guild of Explorers, Cartographers, Collectors and Do-Gooders, formerly colloquially known as The Adventurers' Guild, now more often referred to as "that haven for freaks" or "those poor, hopeless souls." Back in the day, it was exclusive, its members respected, its finds many and impressive. But nothing, it seems, can last forever.

The bad times started when the vast majority of the planet's surface was mapped out, "Cartographers" becoming little more than an artifact in the guild’s name - maps didn't change as much anymore, and the only time anyone seemed to really need a new one was to accommodate a new street or suburb, or some tiny territory gain from a war. Soon afterwards, all the old tombs and temples were cleared of traps and beasts, and a new wave of archaeologists displaced the old-fashioned explorers, being more able to find and carefully retrieve valuable artifacts. The remaining frontiers – space and the deep sea – required a new skillset and expensive technology, so new organizations were set up to explore them instead. The war may have catalyzed the Guild's collapse, but it was really just the last nail in the coffin; everyone agrees it was more or less inevitable.

Now, the Guild is more or less a glorified synthesis of a mercenary corps and a detective agency, more known for violence than great discoveries. There is neither prestige nor an impressive salary for those who they employ. The only people who join are fools who still think they can scrape some glory off the bottom of the barrel, and people who – by skills, past behavior, bad luck or simply the way they were born – can't find employment anywhere else.

As you might have gleaned, you're one of them.
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GENERAL STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW!
So this is a Tabletop RPG, like Dungeons and Dragons or GURPS. The system this game is using is called Lightweight RPG, and I’m using it mainly because it has enough depth to be interesting, but not so much that it’s difficult to learn and administrate I’ve uploaded the full rulebook for your perusal here; it has information on character creation, and is (as the name implies) a pretty light read, particularly if you only look at the super-important stuff. For any questions not answered by the book, or anything that isn’t quite clear, I’m almost always in the #eagletime or #grandbattle IRC when I can be, so pop by and shoot me a PM.

If you want to join, think up a character concept that fits within the bounds of the setting – if you’re unsure if it works, you might want to run it by me first, but I’m pretty flexible. Character creation rules are in the linked materials so I’d appreciate it if you got statting and such done and posted too (again, if you need help, I’m usually in IRC). Once you’ve got the character sheet and stuff all posted, you’re a candidate to play. Note: If there’s any Secret Backstory Stuff or similar things you don’t want others to know yet, just forum PM it to me. I’ll probably wait a week, week and a half to give people time to set up their dudes – if you need a little more time than that, tell me, I’m totally cool with waiting a bit. I’m probably going to go with 4-6 players, so anyone above that I’m afraid I won’t have room for. Sorry if that leaves anyone out, but it’s just for practicality in balancing encounters/crafting a comprehensible narrative – and you can always look into starting or otherwise getting in on another RP or game!

If you do join, please contribute regularly – even if you don’t have time to make a wordwall, you can put in five minutes a day for an action or a couple lines of dialogue. Disappearances are the bane of roleplaying, and can severely mess up a game’s momentum. If something important comes up, I totally understand – but please try to tell me that you won’t be able to contribute for a while, and give me a decent estimate for how long that’ll be if possible. If you don’t act for a while without any warning, I will skip over your turn (if you’re in a rolling-for-stuff situation), and if it goes on too long I will kick you out and find someone willing to replace in.

Once the game’s in progress, if you aren’t finding the game super-enjoyable for whatever reason, tell me, but give me specifics. Specific feedback means I can try to improve the situation, and do my best to make things fun for everyone – no feedback or vague feedback and I can’t.

WORLDBUILDING INFO
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SPECIES (probably a good idea to read this before making a character)

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- Moatin: Pronounced "MO-tin." A wholly herbivorous species that ranges from six to eight feet and tends towards a bulkier body type. Skin ranges from pale purple or red, to usually deeper shades of orange or blue. Are famous for their theater, which started out as a harvest festival tradition and was retained during their years of slavery as a way to preserve their culture and displace themselves after a long day of work. Technologically apt, they are believed to be the first species to have developed agriculture as we know it.

During the heyday of the Foumillan Empire, they were widely enslaved, used primarily for drudge work like mining and farming. The luckier or more skilled ones would be taken up by a mercenary band – where, though they would still receive no pay to begin with, could advance up the ranks and earn a salary if they were particularly valorous (though this was unfortunately rare, as they were typically given little to no equipment and used as cannon fodder) – or as assistants to an artisan, where they could use any free time to pursue their own side projects and, hopefully, sell them off to buy their freedom. Free Moatin were given tattoos (with a needle and ink suited to flesh) if female, and magically bound (so as to be essentially unstealable) rings if male; nowadays, both men and women tend to wear one or two nonmagical rings and light tattoos.

The practice of slavery mostly died out with the fall of the Empire, and the Moatin formed a large kingdom known as Dekara, a civil war later splitting it into Radelius and the Democracy of Burin. Quite a lot of the second millennium was spent building more and more impressive and gigantic monuments, and their cities, both ancient and new, remain tremendous tourist destinations. Being the first group to hit the industrial revolution, they have also embraced technology, and developed many of the technologies used both during and after the Millenial War – which some of the more proud or bigoted Moatin will remind you of whenever they get a chance. While their culture tends to have a relatively low degree of racism and sexism, classism is more common than in other species, with class conflict defining the recent decades of Moatin-dominated societies.

- Celarúi: Roughly pronounced “Chell-uh-ROO-ee.” Descended from birds, with prominent beaks and large wings; their wings are disconnected from their arms. Tend to be four or five feet and slender. They traditionally wear open-toed shoes or boots, though this has fallen by the wayside and is now practiced only by hardcore followers of the martial art Dato Rama, as unshielded talons are required to execute kicking techniques properly. Men tend to have brighter plumage, and are expected to wear makeup to accentuate it if necessary. Women tend to wear bright clothing and jewelry to contrast with their plainer feathers. While the other species tend towards a male-dominated society, Celarúi are female-biased; men are considered passive and expected to pretty themselves up when seeking a relationship, while women make the actual choice of boyfriend or husband – a man making the first move is considered odd at best, and horrifying amongst more conservative groups. Men are also expected to take care of eggs and young children, though raising older children is a burden more equally shared between spouses.

In the past, they primarily lived as nomads, making their living either as traders, hunters or ranchers. While some have preferred to settle down in a specific place – and the policy is on the rise, especially with the establishment of large, permanent cities on Celarúi land – those who do so are considered to be “Celarúi in body only,” and treated as members of another culture by their traditionalist brethren. This has often led to those who decide on a permanent residence to feel ostracized, considered alien both by their species and by others, but the formation of community groups starting in the 2970s has mitigated this concern.

Those who continue their lives as travelers have, obviously, needed to make a transition; most of them now work as pilots, truckers or sailors, though a few families still run traveling ranches and markets. Most automobile companies specifically manufacture “wing-compatible” seats for their comfort, which results in a relatively small, but still worthwhile, profit.

- Foumillan: Pronounced “Foe-MEE-yon.” A species of insect-like creatures, with four arms and a chitinous exoskeleton. Range from three to six feet, and are generally bulky, though a third to one-half of that is their skeleton. Females tend to be larger than the males, and traditionally receive tattoos with special needles and ink, the latter being designed to prevent proper molting in the area it’s applied to; as a result, the oldest tattoos will appear deeply indented. Both genders are generally expected to follow their parents’ career, and are given a ceremonial token of it (such as a golden needle or ornamental sword), as well as more practical tools, on their 16th birthday. Frequently live both aboveground and underground.

It's said that long ago (historians have the dates pinned as roughly 400-1500), the species held an empire unlike any other - a haven for art, a land of constant abundance, and the undisputed center of world trade. Nobody can agree quite what caused the kingdom's downfall; some say it was invaders, others claim a war of succession which quickly depleted the country's resources and drove off many of its citizens. Regardless of what caused it, the old cities crumbled, and only a few works of art were smuggled away; the rest have been lost to time, or destroyed by those who considered them outdated, inferior or evil.

Afterwards, the Foumillan turned inward, creating the isolationist city-state of Agnevilois. The Millenial War was the first time they had been officially involved in a large-scale conflict; however, there have always been fairly large mercenary groups in the country, and the weapons to supply them were practically the only imports Agnevilois accepted before opening up trade in recent years.

- Duonasí: Pronounced “Doy-nuh-SHE.” They vary greatly in size, standing from two feet to seven feet tall and covering just about every body type one could imagine. They tend to have light purple or blue skin, vestigial tails and antennae; the purpose of the latter two seems to have been lost to the ages, and richer Duonasí tend to have them surgically removed as a status symbol of sorts. Older men and women wear their hair short, whereas the youth – particularly the more rebellious among them – let it grow out more, sometimes down to their waist.

Believed to be the last species to have developed civilization, the Duonasí made a name for themselves through scholarly pursuits; most notable among these, they invented and spread contract-based magic; they founded the first modern university in the capital of Eoimahais around 2943, which has been preserved as a museum after a new campus was established; and they were the beginners of several classical art movements, though Moatin and Celarúi have dominated in more recent years.

While their culture generally emphasizes that contractual magic should focus on benefitting both parties equally, the more unsavory elements tend to use technicalities, misdirection, the other party’s lack of understanding, or if all else fails, outright lies to get what they want. This abuse eventually led to the formation of an organized crime syndicate known as The Pendulum; though it has officially been broken up, smaller crime families remain scattered throughout many countries of the world.

- Aumoli: Pronounced “OH-mo-lee.” Possibly the first species to attain sapience, these creatures form from concentrated magical energy, first coming into being in a cave with large deposits of Unicite (a magic-absorbing crystal used for both magical and anti-magical purposes). As such, their culture lacks a concept of gender. Infants are more or less intangible wisps; as they age, they solidify and become more humanoid, tending to resemble Unicite in texture (though their color has a much wider range, encompassing nearly anything you could name).

The Aumoli are most notable for running most of the major sects of Durrennism, having founded the original Church of the Holy Three centuries ago. Years of acting as missionaries and clergy have left their culture with a distinct emphasis on things such as diplomacy and debate, and the small but increasing number of secular Aumoli frequently find work as marketers or therapists. They tend towards thick clothes even in summer – which helps mask the temperature fluctuations caused by their tendency to either absorb energy or, in stressful situations, give it off – and typically wear flexible masks when dealing with other species, shaping them with magic to simulate lip movements and give an impression of their current emotional state (or at least the one they want to display). From a combination of their missionary work and semi-telepathic communication between each other, they were also the species that broke down the language barrier.

While skilled mages and diplomats, their fairly rigid and fragile bodies have generally been considered to make them unsuited for combat (which is compounded by the damage anti-magical weaponry can do to them) or craftsmanship, and they were often looked down upon in the past for this. While new technologies are allowing them to more easily manipulate their surroundings – and many Aumoli participated in the Millenial War, doing surprisingly well due to body armor designed to help them maintain their physical structure even under heavy anti-magical bombardment – the bias still remains, particularly among the Foumillan and Moatin.

- Demons: There are two primary genera of demon, each of which encompasses seven species. They are, in essence, evil and folly made flesh; each species can feed off nothing but whatever sin they are associated with, and if unable or unwilling to do so, they will wither away and die. For a long time, this meant that they were pariahs, banned from almost all other societies; however, reform movements of the past few decades (started by the legendary Tyrigan of pride, Inlyksor) have led to subcultures who survive by minimizing the severity and frequency with which they "feed," and thus are able to eke out a marginal life in certain areas.
-- Tyrigan: The embodiment of the Terien sins. Generally smaller and more humanoid than the Kashad, but with visible horns and several pairs of eyes. Native to the hot, mountainous regions of the Underworld, where they form small towns generally led by one or two well-liked Pride demons. Rarely tend to be a major threat to mortal society as a whole, though a few individuals have caused strife; indeed, their rivalry with the Kashad has saved the world from the brink of disaster more than once.
-- Kashad: The embodiment of the Linteren sins. Tend to be large and bestial, with the exception of Doubt and Despair Kashad, who are generally unimposing and on the shorter/thinner side respectively. Native to the freezing tundra of the Underworld, tending to form oligarchies and “republics” which are generally run by Drudgery demons as sort-of-benevolent dictatorships. Whereas the Tyrigan are primarily dangerous as individuals, the Kashad are only a major threat as a society on the whole, as individuals are mostly uninterested in or unequipped for doing anything of detriment to mortal society.

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GEOGRAPHY

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Major Nations:
1) Achendam: A republic founded by a coalition of Moatin, Duonasí and Aumoli. Generally considered the instigator of the Millenial War, their territory considerably shrunk by the treaties that followed. Extremist elements in the government were purged in the process, which led to some unrest but has also encouraged the more progressive elements of society to make themselves heard.
2) Agnevilois: A formerly isolationist kingdom. A monarchy on paper, but a series of weak kings led to the Federal Council taking a large chunk of power, leaving it more of an oligarchy. The Millenial War was the first conflict the kingdom had officially participated in.
3) The Democracy of Burin: A direct democracy which split off from Dekara in a civil war. Mostly notable for a disproportionately large economy, its status and location brings many immigrants and traders of every species, and nearly every Celarúi trade route passes through the capital of Burin City. Extremely capitalist, with large income disparity.
4) Dekara: A monarchy formed by the Moatin. The first country to hit the industrial revolution (due to its large deposits of iron and coal), it gained considerable amounts of territory during the Millenial War, though some of the weapons it used to do so have since been rightfully banned.
5) Diabolos Celesti: A meritocracy, with the government divided into a legal council, a military council, an economic council, a science council and a religious council. Founded by Inlyksor and the Demon Reform Movement. Its tropical climate has led to it becoming a major tourist destination. Managed to stay out of the Millenial War until 3008.
6) The Durrennic Confederacy: A theocracy with a weak federal government. Infamous for being the only nation that still enforces a total ban on all demonic immigration. Both gained and lost a considerable amount of territory during the war, but more or less came out ahead in the end.
7) Eoimahais: A merchant kingdom, vast before the war but since reduced to the coast and a few scattered islands; since the Agneviloisian mercenaries on which they relied were mostly busy defending their homeland, their cities were a tempting and easy target. Though traditionalists and magnates are unhappy with this, the populace at large has mostly moved on due to an easy-come-easy-go philosophy, and the region remains economically relevant.
8) Golina ri Bulris: A constitutional monarchy situated along the coast of the western continent. Centered around the capital, Sovisa, and a couple major cities near it; roughly 2/3 of the population lives in or around this area. The urbanized and southern areas are popular tourist destinations, with the northern reaches of the kingdom mainly being a site for extraction of resources like metals and gemstones.
9) Laodoc Lam: The Celarúi home region, very lightly forested with lots of hills and plains. Mostly small river towns and permanent campsites, and as such was more or less untouched by the war. Since the war’s end, a few boom towns have cropped up after the discovery of valuable metals and crystals in the more hilly areas.
10) Riverhaven: A republican city-state founded shortly after the war, from a chunk of Celarúi territory cut off from Laodoc Lam. Drew in a good deal of refugees and veterans. Currently the most urbanized country in the world. The campaign starts here, with a desperate attempt to reinvigorate the Adventurers’ Guild with a new branch.
11) Siháiloren: A moderately corrupt republic almost totally controlled by Duonasí; only in recent years have a couple Moatin and Foumillan managed to attain notable public office. While they didn’t gain any significant land during the war, they managed to position themselves in a way that significantly improved their economy and diplomatic relations.
12) Xori le Raso: A meritocracy centered around science and magic. Each school of magic has a council, headed by their Prime Delegate; the Prime Delegates congregate once monthly at the Prime Council. Maintains close diplomatic ties to the Durrenic Confederacy, and while it allows demonic immigration, strict sanctions are still in place.

The Seven Natural Wonders of the World:
A) Din Moshai Chasm: The river here forms a deep and wide canyon, then disappears into the mountains; it comes out on the other side of the range in a waterfall popularly known as Din Moshai Drop.
B) The Cliffs of Sovisa: Infamous for a tremendous drop into the ocean, rock climbers have recently taken to traversing these cliffs, and often carving small sculptures from the rock wall. Certain rare species of bird are also known to nest in the area. The view over the ocean, especially at sunset, is legendary.
C) Mount Eternal: The fourth-highest peak in the world, legendary for the strange silver crystals that form in caves near the top. Being a powerful source of healing energy, Celarúi legend has several tales of people who braved the mountain to gather them. Recently, companies have been jockeying over the rights to a large-scale mining operation.
D) Corlucail: The world's densest rainforest, renowned for its extraordinarily high biodiversity. Many useful plants and animals, and even some magical constructs, can only be found here.
E) Ora Miskish: A bay notable for a vast and beautiful reef, as well as a complex network of grottoes formed by the dissolution of dolomite. Mages in training often visit for the unexplained intense magical fields in the area.
F) Luatschen Peak: While not hugely impressive in stature, a mountain here is shaped in such a way that a deep basin at the top overflows regularly in the rainy season. When it does so, the water eventually bursts forth in a major waterfall; this even is traditionally marked by holidays and festivals in the surrounding countries.
G) Kenteruju: An islet famed for an ancient and still active shield volcano. Life flourishes here which is unlike any other on the planet, having adapted to extreme levels of toxins in the soil. Said toxins also play havoc with the area's magical fields, making it basically impossible to cast Earth or Energy magic.

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MYTHOLOGY

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Durrennan mythology has three major gods, known as the Overseers. First is Durenha, associated with magic, morality, the spiritual world, and balance; then comes Miralond, associated with combat, the physical world, and passion; and finally, Sha’od, associated with diplomacy, philosophy, and love. They are also portrayed as having children, which come together to form sub-pantheons (generally of 3, but in rare cases of 2 or 4 due to a lack of a balancing element or the addition of a fourth one): for example, the gods of Sky, Earth and Water, or the gods of the Wilderness, the City, and Travel. For the most part, these children are considered relatively unimportant (with the exception of members of The Congregation).

- The Sins: Traditional Durrennan texts enforce the idea of balance between satisfying one's own desires, and fulfilling one's societal duty. Thus, two classes of sin were defined: The Terien sins, or sins against others, which are analagous to (and overlap with) the oft-referenced Seven Deadly Sins, are made up of Sloth, Hedonism, Wrath, Ambition, Deceit, Hatred and Pride. Meanwhile, the Linteren sins, sins against the self, consist of the opposite extreme: Drudgery, Asceticism, Doubt, Purposelessness, Bluntness, Apathy, and Despair.

- Churches: Few major non-Durrennan religions exist, if only by virtue of it being difficult to convince people to convert when their gods have been conclusively documented as appearing within the last two centuries. However, Durrennan belief has split a few times, resulting in several competing sects.

• Church of the Holy Three: The original church, or what remains of it. Structured around three Principals, each reporting to one of the primary gods. Very traditionalist, disallowing any non Aumoli from holding a position above bishop. Founding date allegedly marks the beginning of the True Calendar, but some historians argue it was as many as 200 years earlier or later.
  
• The Congregation: A church more focused on minor patron gods than worshipping the Big Three. Heavy emphasis on individual prayer and meditation, with priests giving believers advice on which gods to pray to based on what they have and what they need.
  
• The Southern Fold: Founded in the early 1300s by the Foumillan Empire. Due to shrinking membership, underwent extreme reforms in the 2120s. The smallest of the major religions, comprised almost entirely of Foumillan and Moatin. Focuses on the fallibility of all beings, including the gods themselves, and strongly encourages forgiveness and personal growth as a result.
  
• The Universal Church of Durenha: A progressive church with a roughly even mix of followers from every race, but still mostly run by the Aumoli. Has the highest number of demonic followers due to inclusiveness being an important part of doctrine.
  
• The Church of the One and Many: A sort-of-monotheistic religion founded by Celarúi around the 900s. Has since adopted the Durrennan gods, but considers them subservient to the true god and creator. All races are allowed to be clergy members, but only females (naturally, Aumoli do not have this restriction, lacking sex or gender).
  
• Reform Parish of the Creator: A splinter group of the Church of the One and Many that follows a strictly monotheistic paradigm, considering the Durrennan deities to be demons or other powerful (but non-divine) entities presenting themselves as gods. The clergy is exclusively female and exclusively Celarúi.
  

- The Underworld: Where demons live. A land of extremes – all the lands within are either freezing and flat, or scorching and mountainous, and there is either so much light it causes headaches, or so little it’s all but impossible to see even with artificial light sources. Mortals rarely see fit to go there, and a more-or-less constant war rages between the Tyrigan and Kashad, with few permanent gains for either side.

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MAGIC

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Nearly all post-Industrial technology is based around some form of magic or another – guns are based on using a magical explosion rather than igniting gunpowder, refrigerators provide a cold environment via ice magic, cars and airplanes move using modified forms of levitation.

Becoming a wizard or magician proper requires, at the bare minimum, a bachelor’s degree in either general magic or a specific discipline; most (about 70%) professionals will choose to attend a graduate school as well. However, a low level of magical ability is nearly universal, and basic magic classes are a staple of both public and private schools at the primary and secondary level.

A sufficiently-skilled magician has three major limits – their existing knowledge, their imagination, and their physical and mental capacity to perform any given spell. Aside from that, few clearly-defined boundaries to what magic can accomplish exist, with one major exception – predicting the future seems to be more or less impossible, as all who have attempted it (and been confirmed as genuine, rather than con artists) have come out suffering from amnesia, a dissociative disorder, or symptoms of schizophrenia. Postcognitive efforts have not been much more successful, with only two or three confirmed and inarguable successes.

- Principles: Magic is divided into several elemental schools known as Principles, all of these being either a Base Principle – Earth, Air, Energy or Water – or a Blended Principle considered to be a mix of the two, e.g. Illusion or Movement. Not all magic is organized around a principle, however – non-elemental magic is also quite common, including things like contractual magic and hexes/curses. Nearly every element discovered thus far is associated with one or more principles, generally sharing similar make-ups by group: for example, alkali metals tend to be associated with the Energy and Alkali principles, noble gases with Energy and Air (as well as Lift for the less dense ones, e.g. Helium), carbon group elements with Earth and related blends. Compounds do not necessarily exhibit a blend of their components’ principles: for example, nitrogen and carbon would seem to form an air/earth blend, but cyanide is strictly a toxin (i.e. water/air).

The most basic rule of Principle-based casting is that two opposed principles cannot be combined; instead, the cancellation caused by attempting to blend the two forms the basis of anti-magic (see below). Anti-magic is most commonly performed by combining Void and Magnetism due to the significance of the former.

It is important to note that several principles are either entirely undiscovered (but assumed to exist in some capacity), or mostly theoretical; the former are obscured in the above diagram, the latter marked with a question mark. The discovered principles thus far are:

• Base Principles: Earth, Air, Energy and Water (as noted above). These can also be “refined” into the elements of Matter, Time (which, though attempts to see into the future or past have gone poorly, can still be used for such purposes as slowing time or increasing/reducing age, and is often used to quickly age things such as cheese and wine), “Principle X” (a Refined version of energy not yet truly understood), and Life (which encompasses both traditional healing and necromancy).
  
• Tier-One Blends: Blends made of a roughly equal combination of the forms and concepts between two Base Principles. Includes Illusion (Water and Energy), Pressure (Energy and Air), Movement (Air and Earth), and Toxins (Earth and Water).
  
• Tier-Two Blends: More complex blends formed by “blending blends” or by combining an uneven amount of two base principles. Contains most of the theoretical principles and all of the unknown principles. Known to include Acid, Radiation (theoretical), Salt, Alkali (theoretical), Momentum, Magnetism, Wind, Burst, Lift, Ice, Electricity, Reflection, Void, and Diffraction (theoretical).
  

- Prepared Magic: Most magic can be performed on the fly, with little to no preparation besides practice and some sort of conduit (e.g. a staff or gun). However, certain forms – most notably potions and hexes – are prepared in advance, which is less convenient but allows for more power and versatility. Prepared magic tends to be heavily policed for this reason, with several varieties of potion and hex outright banned, most of them being related to mind control, permanent injury or death.

- Golems: Golem science has existed in theory since the late 2700s, but was never pursued practically due to low energy and information storage capacity. Recently, though, two types of golem have emerged – the first is unmanned and has been phased into a couple of factories, doing the more repetitive and simple work much more efficiently than ordinary workers, and the second is piloted, essentially a combat suit, deployed near the end of the Millenial War to great effect in a couple of key battles. While still rare and fairly expensive, they have ignited the public imagination, and many works of fiction discuss the potential and dangers of increasingly advanced golems.

- Anti-Magic: Anti-magical weaponry and high training costs tend to make classical magical combat, particularly in large-scale battles, unviable. Instead, most professional soldiers know only enough magic to use (and, in some cases, repair) their magical weapons. Heavy magical bombardments are used primarily by bombing squads or before a surprise attack, to avoid allies getting caught in the crossfire; in a more direct conflict, low-powered anti-magic grenades are used fairly frequently. Soldiers, cops and adventurers alike tend to carry a non-magical sidearm in case the battle is too heated for them to repair their weapon. Despite the increasing spread of anti-magic, though, traditional magicians are still prized for special operations, and quite a few work for the Guild.

Many thanks to bigro for help with refining magic and geography, as well as providing the graphics for them! You're a peach~