DC Lore AMA

[Pyrowings]

Well, in a roleplay, I suggested that one character's... Fanatism came from mana "corrupting" her mind when she was young, thought up by using more or less logic of basically "maybe mana has an effect kinda like radiation, which also would affect younger things more because they're still growing, and for dragons, they aren't mature enough for all of their natural mana control functions to fully kick in or something."

 

And I don't think most people, dragons, or what-have-you will fully understand the real nuances, but it might have happened enough that the general effects of mana-taion are understood.

 

Ooo, with the idea of a "soular" plane, maybe the connector between the physical and soular planes is one governed by magic? And because of that, though it's near-impossible for the soul and physical planes to interact under normal circumstances, magic is the manifestation of wills from one plane to the next, typically soular-to-physical? Though that would imply that magic has something to do with souls, though it would provide a reason that Expunge works that isn't just "because magic."

[TJ09]

Well, in a roleplay, I suggested that one character's... Fanatism came from mana "corrupting" her mind when she was young, thought up by using more or less logic of basically "maybe mana has an effect kinda like radiation, which also would affect younger things more because they're still growing, and for dragons, they aren't mature enough for all of their natural mana control functions to fully kick in or something."

I've mentioned before, but humans don't generally have "innate" control of mana, so it's a learned action. Mana-transformed humans are probably the exception, though.

 

Ooo, with the idea of a "soular" plane, maybe the connector between the physical and soular planes is one governed by magic? And because of that, though it's near-impossible for the soul and physical planes to interact under normal circumstances, magic is the manifestation of wills from one plane to the next, typically soular-to-physical? Though that would imply that magic has something to do with souls, though it would provide a reason that Expunge works that isn't just "because magic."

Quite the opposite actually; they would always interact normally. The idea is that while your body is here, your spirit resides on the parallel plane, with an ever-present connection between your body and soul. Upon death, that connection is severed, and your spirit either departs from the soul plane to the afterlife, or remains as what would essentially be a "ghost."

But yes, the thought I expressed in my earlier post is that perhaps the energy stored by mana exists on the soular plane, and magic is the act of manifesting one's will to transfer the huge amounts of energy contained from the soular plane to the physical one.

[SkyWolf25]

I'm happy to see that my soul question(and your soular plane idea, I love it!) is piquing the interests of some people!

Anyways, I read someone assume that death mana-influenced people leech life energy from others, and you said that person's assumption about mana-influenced people was generally close to what you're thinking. So, my curiosity asks- is life energy A Thing? Is is something that can be absorbed by others? I'm guessing that creatures not attuned to life or death mana won't be able to sense life energy, is this correct?

[TJ09]

I'm happy to see that my soul question(and your soular plane idea, I love it!) is piquing the interests of some people!

Anyways, I read someone assume that death mana-influenced people leech life energy from others, and you said that person's assumption about mana-influenced people was generally close to what you're thinking. So, my curiosity asks- is life energy A Thing? Is is something that can be absorbed by others? I'm guessing that creatures not attuned to life or death mana won't be able to sense life energy, is this correct?

"Life energy" as its own concept? Probably not, but I think the idea fits into the existing lore I've already defined.

 

Based on what I've said regarding the soular plane, it's possible that the energy from mana exists on the this alternate plane, alongside the souls of all living beings. In that vein, it might make sense for the soul to also contain its own energy, which would be this "life energy" that you ask about.

[tardograd2]

are the moons hollow, or made of air mana.

[TJ09]

are the moons hollow, or made of air mana.

Many of the factors of orbit are dependent on an object's mass. The moons Aurax and Cirion are slightly larger than and smaller than our moon, respectively, so for their orbital periods to also be slightly longer than and shorter than our moon's, they would have to have roughly the same density as Luna. A hollow moon would likely be much larger (or made of a much more dense material); though given the bright colors of the moons, they'd need to be a different material than Luna regardless.

 

As for mana in space, I've intentionally deferred on that topic in the past, but given how pervasive it is across Valkemare, it'd make no sense for mana to be limited only to the one planet. So it's likely that the moons have components of mana in them, for sure. I wouldn't say that means they're "made of" mana, but it could be powdered mana crystals that give them their color.

[Dirtytabs]

Do dragons laugh? If so, is it telepathic or physical?

[TJ09]

Do dragons laugh? If so, is it telepathic or physical?

Do Dragons Laugh? sounds like a good title for a children's book.

 

That aside, as far as I'm aware, "laughing" as we know it is limited primarily to mammals, and outside of primates, barely resembles actual laughter. As a highly-intelligent species, dragons would certainly have some reaction to humor, but it might not be recognizable to humans as laughter.

[DuskOfTheStars]

What colours are the moons? Like we know they're blue and gold, but what shades do they look like?

 

Also, can mana appear to be other colours than normal for the type of mana but behave the same as normal otherwise?

[SkyWolf25]

Which element is in charge of psychokinesis/telekineses? Air or Magi?

Is having two elemental affinities the max for every dragon breed? (i.e. Breed A has no affinity, Breed B has one, Breed C has two but no breed can have three.)

Edited August 30, 2016 by SkyWolf25

[TJ09]

What colours are the moons? Like we know they're blue and gold, but what shades do they look like?

 

Also, can mana appear to be other colours than normal for the type of mana but behave the same as normal otherwise?

I'm not sure what type of answer you're looking for, but they are fairly brightly-colored, due to reflection of light. Given that they don't give off their own light, Cirion will likely have periods where it appears quite green-ish, but will mostly be an indigo-type color.

 

Mana is iridescent, so it does color a spectrum of colors based on what phase it's in (solid vs liquid) and what angle you view from. It is a chemical like any other, so if you mix it with inert chemicals (e.g. dyes) it's possible to alter its visual appearance.

[TJ09]

Which element is in charge of psychokinesis/telekineses? Air or Magi?

Is having two elemental affinities the max for every dragon breed? (i.e. Breed A has no affinity, Breed B has one, Breed C has two but no breed can have three.)

Telekinesis falls under magi. I'm sure a clever person could figure out a way to move things via air (e.g. moving the air around an object in order to move the object), but telekinesis itself works regardless of the medium you're attempting to move through (e.g. water).

 

Lorewise, there's no clear in-world manifestation of "primary" vs "secondary" vs "tertiary" elemental affinities (things use mana, and if they happen to only use a few types of mana, then they can be neatly grouped); they're descriptors to make categorization easier. Sitewise, yes, two is currently the limit.

[MyaMouse]

What color is the sun?

(why? idk.)

like, blue, white, red

or super hot, our sun, pretty cold

and i know that it's hard for blue and red stars to have possible life-bearing planets but whatever

[TJ09]

What color is the sun?

(why? idk.)

like, blue, white, red

or super hot, our sun, pretty cold

and i know that it's hard for blue and red stars to have possible life-bearing planets but whatever

For a planet to be roughly the size of Earth, and exist within the habitable zone of its star, I believe it would also have to be roughly the same distance from its star as Earth. This means the star would have to be fairly Sun-like in its qualities (i.e. same color light).

 

Red stars are dimmer, so you'd have to be closer, but I believe distance and mass are proportional, so that requires a different-sized planet. A brighter, blue star would instead require being farther, etc.

[Vrack]

Do incantations or spells exist in Valkemare?

What I mean is, do humans who can do magic recite words that make things happen or is it more of a mental magic where they concentrate really hard on what they want to do?

 

Also, is all magic tied to mana? Or can magic exist without being intrinsically connected to mana?

 

Assuming you've answered the above questions, are all types of mana used in magic or is it just Magi? Like, if someone wants to turn a chicken into a dragon would they use Change mana or would they just use Magi?

[TJ09]

Do incantations or spells exist in Valkemare?

What I mean is, do humans who can do magic recite words that make things happen or is it more of a mental magic where they concentrate really hard on what they want to do?

It's not something I've put much thought into. Innate usage of magic would definitely be doable without recitation; it's just something that one can do. The way I've been thinking of non-innate magic, it'd require a conscious action on the person's part, but I don't know exactly what that action is. I don't see why it couldn't be some sort of "universal" language in which one describes what they want to do.

 

Also, is all magic tied to mana? Or can magic exist without being intrinsically connected to mana?

Yes, mana is the energy source for all magic, in some form or another.

 

Assuming you've answered the above questions, are all types of mana used in magic or is it just Magi? Like, if someone wants to turn a chicken into a dragon would they use Change mana or would they just use Magi?

I don't know if I understand your question, because Magi is the neutral change element; there is no "change mana." But all types of mana are used, yes (that's the entire point of mana).

[Vrack]

I don't know if I understand your question, because Magi is the neutral change element; there is no "change mana." But all types of mana are used, yes (that's the entire point of mana).

I confused myself by thinking of dragons' elemental affinities before writing that question. I was thinking of the Element of Change as a type of mana.

 

I don't really understand the difference between elements and mana. Could you explain their differences? (And if you have the time, how they relate to my past questions?)

[TJ09]

I confused myself by thinking of dragons' elemental affinities before writing that question. I was thinking of the Element of Change as a type of mana.

 

I don't really understand the difference between elements and mana. Could you explain their differences? (And if you have the time, how they relate to my past questions?)

"Element of Change" isn't a proper noun. Do you mean "Avatar of Change?" Because that avatar covers the all of the elements that fall under "Change:" Magi (the neutral element of change), Ice, Time, and Air.

 

Elements are just concepts. Mana is a physical thing that contains energy. Mana comes in multiple variants, one for each element. Mana of a given element is what provides the energy for magic that relates to that element (e.g. creating a fire would be a task best served by Fire-element mana, though the less specific Destruction mana--Fire is one of the Destruction elements--or even less specific neutral (non-elemental) mana could also serve the same purpose, albeit less efficiently).

[Vrack]

"Element of Change" isn't a proper noun. Do you mean "Avatar of Change?" Because that avatar covers the all of the elements that fall under "Change:" Magi (the neutral element of change), Ice, Time, and Air.

 

Elements are just concepts. Mana is a physical thing that contains energy. Mana comes in multiple variants, one for each element. Mana of a given element is what provides the energy for magic that relates to that element (e.g. creating a fire would be a task best served by Fire-element mana, though the less specific Destruction mana--Fire is one of the Destruction elements--or even less specific neutral (non-elemental) mana could also serve the same purpose, albeit less efficiently).

I now realize how deeply I've misunderstood elements and mana. Thank you for clarifying everything. I love to find out the lore behind games and I think it's awesome that this thread exists.

 

On a completely unrelated note, does Valkemare have an established currency of any kind?

If so, what would be its equivalent to USD?

Edited September 14, 2016 by Vrack

[Dirtytabs]

How much of the two-paragraph dragon description applies to drakes? Can drakes potentially live dragon-length lives, and do they typically growl at threats?

[TJ09]

On a completely unrelated note, does Valkemare have an established currency of any kind?

If so, what would be its equivalent to USD?

Valkemare as the world probably has several. I'd expect that there are several different kingdoms (or other nations of some form) scattered about its continents, and given some inherent amount of isolation, there'd definitely be a few currency systems. Galsreim in particular probably has at least two nations (across ~3 distinct regions). I'm undecided on what exact form that currency takes, though the standard "coins made out of precious materials" still makes a lot of sense.

 

(though on that note, I don't know how much parts of Galsreim would be developed enough to be considered "kingdoms" as much as sparsely-scattered settlements. I've been having a hard time figuring out the right "scale" for how big Galsreim should be and thus down many cities/towns and how far apart they are. Certainly the scale of these things would affect down developed their currency systems are.

[TJ09]

How much of the two-paragraph dragon description applies to drakes? Can drakes potentially live dragon-length lives, and do they typically growl at threats?

Very little to none, actually. Their life spans are probably much shorter than a dragon's, and their intelligence is definitely closer to dog's; while fairly intelligent as animals go, pretty far from able to hold a conversation. For communicating with non-drake creatures, they would probably indeed use vague vocalizations like growling.

[Odeen]

Re: drake intelligence - Howlers do a lot of growling and very little else. And, despite their wide range of vocalizations they are capable of making, I've always imagined them to be relatively dumb even by drake standards. Which is fine, because fungus isn't known for its ability to run away.

 

I don't know if this has been asked at all yet, but regarding telepathy: is this ability something that must be learned, or that could be impaired due to injury? Would it be possible for a true dragon breed to lack the ability to communicate telepathically? Do you think there would be etiquette standards involved in the usage of telepathy, since many dragons also seem to vocalize as well?

[Natayah]

Thanks for chiming in Odie. I have always appreciated how "simple minded" and generally "grumpy" you have always expressed them as. Because Of this, I have made it a mind to collect more.

 

Sometimes just being simple and normal is a really awesome dragon or drake thing. Creators of submissions can keep this in mind. Not everything needs to be Over Powered. Love them!

[TJ09]

I don't know if this has been asked at all yet, but regarding telepathy: is this ability something that must be learned, or that could be impaired due to injury? Would it be possible for a true dragon breed to lack the ability to communicate telepathically? Do you think there would be etiquette standards involved in the usage of telepathy, since many dragons also seem to vocalize as well?

I would say it parallels the linguistic abilities of humans quite well--the basic concepts are innate, but higher-order usage is learned. Given its innate/biological basis (despite being magical), it would be possible for it to be impaired.