Aether Lore

[Tallyn]

Within the Aether there are 12 observable elements of magic, with 3 categories based on similarities. There are the heat and cold set: Fire, water, ice, and lightning;
the earth and air set: Air, earth, mythos, and nature;
and the unnatural set: Light, mind, darkness, and mechanic.
Each of the elements has a special prefix associated with it:
For (fire)
Icil (ice)
Ruan (water)
Xyr (lightning)
Aer (wind)
Synt (earth)
Irr (mythos)
Sorl (nature)
Tark (light)
Merl (mind)
Tal (darkness)
Kanz (mechanic)
There are also seven categories in which people train in their element: spellcraft, shielding, armor smithing, swordsfurship, wards, and shapeshifting.
They have the suffixes:
yn (spell)
ys (shield)
ya (armor)
yz (sword)
yk (ward)
yx (shape)
There are 3 extra prefixes, and 2 extra suffixes, which also represent a certain aspect of Aetherian life:
Nynt (the Aether itself)
Neir (forbidden)
Torr (change)
yd (feather)
yg (paw)
These several prefixes and suffixes can be added directly together to achieve a genderless name, associated with special children who are born with increased abilities. Tallyn is one such cub, actually born with no gender but assuming a masculine shape and personality. Although he had been told that his name meant that he was hatched with dark plumage, it really means that he is most fluent with darkness magic, able to manipulate shadows to his will without even running low on mana. However, this has been locked away in his mind to prevent him from misusing this ability, as many of the genderless cubs have before him. Or so he thought...

[Kasimir]

Although [Tallyn] had been told that his name meant that he was hatched with dark plumage, it really means that he is most fluent with darkness magic, able to manipulate shadows to his will without even running low on mana. However, this has been locked away in his mind to prevent him from misusing this ability, as many of the genderless cubs have before him.

So does that mean Tallyn will eventually turn evil?

[Tallyn]

Although [Tallyn] had been told that his name meant that he was hatched with dark plumage, it really means that he is most fluent with darkness magic, able to manipulate shadows to his will without even running low on mana. However, this has been locked away in his mind to prevent him from misusing this ability, as many of the genderless cubs have before him.

So does that mean Tallyn will eventually turn evil?

Actually, no. "Tal" means "Darkness". "Darkness" isn't the same as evil. It's an element. In fact, Tallyn is Chaotic Neutral. There is a "darker" presence lurking in his mind, though, which goes by the name "Neiryn". The forbidden stuff is the more evil stuff.

[PrincessToyTime]

Oh wow, this is cool! good to finally see this up! and yes, darkness does not mean evil, same with light, not always good either.
Hmm... I will try to add stuff to this sometime.

[Tallyn]

I actually remember from the Duel Masters anime, that a Light deck user was actually evil.

[PrincessToyTime]

I actually remember from the Duel Masters anime, that a Light deck user was actually evil.

Oh yeah? well, that's precisely what I mean, light is not always good, dark is not always evil, I use both.

[Tallyn]

This must be expanded. Section 2!
There are 13 islands that make up the observable Aether. There is a very large island at the core, which has several portals leading to other realms. (Often called dimensions or universes by passersby.) Many of the realms are exactly the same, except species, technology, or knowledge present in the realm.
Surrounding this island are six more, which are much larger, and are populated and settled on both sides. They are the most populated areas of the Aether, consisting of its citizens and tourists. To prevent any excess chaos, there are many guardians at town gates and within the towns. They allow a few miscreants
to get away, to keep balance within the Aether.
Each individual island is known for many of its landmarks. Most have rivers and oceans running through them, but one in particular has is largely mechanical, and has automated systems. Another is known for its crops, and a third is known for fishing. This allows for a stable economy of bronze, silver, gold, and diamond coins.
At the axes of these islands are smaller islands, where few live. The government that rules the Aether's islands consists of kings and queens. One of each resides on the smaller islands, with a family assigned to be their vanguards. Each multiarch represents an Aetherian element. For example, Tallyn's family, the Nyntygs (Aetherpaws), reside on one island, and live with the King of Mind and the Queen of Darkness.

[William Swiftfoot]

What would someone have to do to travel to Aether as a tourist?

[Generic Meatbag #14]

Pretty awesome stuff.

[Tallyn]

What would someone have to do to travel to Aether as a tourist?

If you're not very magical, you'd have to join someone who is, and meditate with them. They will then take you to the Aether, to one of the major cities.

[Tallyn]

By the way, if you find any "plot holes" or problems with it, that directly contradicts itself, please let me know so I can fix it.

[PrincessToyTime]

Here is some additional knowledge pertaining to the Aethergryphs.

Aethergryph cosmic phases! they happen every universal solar cycle, each cycle is every five Orba (year) in the Aether, as they are creatures of the Aether, their default "phase" is what we normally see Tallyn as, they are typically dark gray, or black, however, when the Aethereal cycle with the stars occurs, they enter what is called "Attunement". This means they glow brightly and absorb darkness and other energies more efficiently, they also have another cycle, which happens at the polar opposite time, when the stars are misaligned, this causes massive negative and aethereal energies to build up, this is their "procreation" phase, and mating happens in the lower classes, the upper classes are genderless and are the "ruling" class.

[PrincessToyTime]

Aetherian timekeeping.

Time doesn't exist in the normal way it does elsewhere, in the laws of the Aether, time happens in a different manner, and occurs in units exactly of five and ten, below is the units used to keep track of where in the current orba, or year, that you're in.

An orba, or year, is made up of ten nyre (months), each corresponding to an element to which it is ruled by, and governs it's version of seasonal weather. Each nyre, can then be further broken down into ten oagi (weeks), each oagi is then consisted of five ruik (days), each day has two phases, or siruik (subdays), TarkSiruik is the light subday, the version of morning and afternoon in a day, and TalSiruik is the dark subday, the version of evening and night. So in every orba, there are approximately five hundred ruik, one thousand siruik, one hundred oagi, and ten nyre, for each universal solar cycle, this is multiplied by five.

The cycle of the ten nyre occur as such, and reflects the "seasons" of the Aether: Ruaninyre, Xyrinyre, Aerinyre, Icilinyre, Irrinyre, Sorlinyre, Syntinyre, Merlinyre, Forinyre, and Kanzinyre.

Each ruik of the oagi also has a name too! they follow from the first ruik to the last as: Tiruik, sukoruik, daruik, hinruik, and katiruik.

And a little bit of history too... : Before the event known as the "cataclysm" was the yarga (royal) era otherwise known as Y.E. this was back when the royal families and the royal islands existed, afterwards when the islands were destroyed and such, the rebuild of Aetherian civilization became known as the hynne (recovery) era, otherwise known as H.E.

[PrincessToyTime]

Elements and their interactions with Aetherians.

The ten Nyre cycle, each corresponding to a particular element (save for light and dark), will imbue the one who is born under it, with their elemental power, each Aetherian therefore has an elemental attribute, or "affinity". This also means that nyre with an opposing element incurs bad fortune usually to those which their element is incompatible with, in rare cases, an Aetherian may acquire light, or dark element, instead of their month's element, in which the siruik cycle affects them in the same way the nyre cycle would for normal Aetherians. Those who have particular elemental affinities, can easily master that element in magic, have increased power with it, and have enhanced protection from it, and any to which the element is more dominant over.

In rare circumstances, hybrids, meaning those with two elements, are born, though this is primarily a mutation, it can also be performed on individuals with magic! making artificial hybrids. Just like their single element cousins, hybrids have the same effect from the elemental relationships, only twice as much.

[Tallyn]

On the topic of Aethergryphs:
An Aethergryph is not born, but hatched. Up until about 200 orba, an Aethergryph cub looks much like an anthro gryphon, with some sort of mammal for the lower half. The entirety of their coat is feathers, and there is a mark representing both their family and their family's major element. This mark is usually on the tails or face, but may be on the wings or belly, and maybe even the paw.
At the two-hundredth hatch-ruik ("birthday"), an Aethergryph reaches the first stage of maturity, and they grow into a 'taur, and extra limbs grow, based on the element of the family. These mutations include, but aren't limited to: extra eyes, tails, and arms. These are the most common, however. An Aethergryph cub may accept or reject his or her new identity.
At the 300-orba mark, they will gain an ability to shift among anthro, 'taur, and feral stances, though some may not be able to control this. Some have been stuck with one of these stances for the rest of their life. These are considered special cases, and in the case of the feral, the cub is treated like a pet, although fed like they were normal.
There are some cases of artificial aethergryphs, one such case being Tallyn himself.