Published 9/5/23
World Building: Magic
Magic exists and has had a vast influence on the evolution of life and the development of civilization. There are many magical creatures and plants that are capable of using magic, in some form or another. People who use and study magic are known as mages.
Most people are capable of manipulating magic to a small degree, but to use magic on a regular basis requires study, training and a larger than average mana pool. Not all people have the same magical aptitude. To become a mage requires a certain level of natural talent for the craft, a high enough mana pool and many years of study.
Not all kingdoms and empires have the same level of overall magical affinity and magical development. Countries with higher magical development tend to look down on less magically adept societies. Magic is generally seen as superior to traditional technology, although a number of magically poor societies have still managed to rise to power.
Mana is a measure of how much magical energy a mage is capable of using. Mana is the source of all magical power and using magic requires the use of mana. Every individual has a pool of mana that can be used to perform magic. However, not many people have a high enough mana pool to become a dedicated mage.
A person’s mana pool can be influenced by their individual personality, culture, kingdom, region, species, etc. A mage’s mana pool can be increased by studying, performing or researching magic, as well as raw natural talent. Mages usually increase their mana pools throughout their life as a result of their constant use of magic. However, if a mage stops using magic for an extended period of time, it can reduce their mana pool.
Basic mana is the most commonly used type of mana. Other types of mana are generally referred to as advanced mana. When a mage performs magic using an advanced mana type, that mana pool is consumed first. After a mage depletes an advanced mana pool, basic mana can be used to continue performing that type of magic, although with less efficiency. Advanced mana pools vary greatly across different mages and can be affected by the same factors as basic mana.
The different types of mana form the basis of the standard calendar; however, the months and days have no effect on the power of the magic being performed. i.e., water magic won’t be any more powerful during the Month of Water than it is at any other time of year.
When a mage severely depletes their mana pool, they will suffer from mana exhaustion. Mana exhaustion manifests as intense fatigue, headaches, dizziness, and even physical pain. If a mage continues to perform magic, mana exhaustion can even be fatal.
Mana of all types is omnipresent throughout the world. This mana is referred to as ambient mana. Mana pools are recharged by absorbing ambient mana from the environment. The density of mana in a specific region will affect how quickly a mage’s mana pool can replenish.
Different environments have different levels of ambient mana. For example, oceans and coastal regions have a high amount of elemental water mana, lush jungles have high levels of life mana and caves have a high density of elemental earth mana.
Mana crystals are magical gems that act as a magical battery of sorts. These rare gems can store large amounts of mana that can quickly be absorbed by mages, or other mana drains. Mana crystals can only hold one type of mana at a time
The hue of the mana crystal reveals which type of mana is stored while the value of the crystal reveals how much mana is stored. Darker gems have more stored mana than lighter ones. The amount of mana that can be stored varies greatly from crystal to crystal and strongly affects the price of the gem.
There are nine total types of mana, each represented by a different color:
* Basic or regular mana: light blue
* Elemental mana
* Water: dark blue
* Earth: brown
* Fire: red
* Air: yellow
* Life: green
* Psionic: purple
* Light: white
* Dark: black
Chapter 4: Deep Recon
United States, June 21th 2053
Washington D.C., White House Briefing Room
President Olivia Bennett was being briefed on the events on the other side of the anomaly by General Thompson. The Vice President, various cabinet members, and the Director of the CIA, were also present.
It had been four days since the enemy’s last attempt to retake the anomaly. In that time, it was confirmed that President Bennett’s mother had been among the people abducted through the anomaly. Though her mother weighed heavily on her mind, President Bennett set those thoughts aside as General Thompson presented the latest information from the expeditionary force.
“Fortification of the other side of the anomaly is continuing as planned,” he said. “Construction crews have already printed a command center, field hospital, and several barracks. Construction of an air field is scheduled to begin tomorrow.” 3D printing technology has come a long way by 2053. The military often used it to quickly and cheaply construct forward operating bases.
The General continued to update the President on the status of the expedition. “Barbed wire and fences have been set up in a one kilometer radius around the anomaly, with further fortifications being set up around the primary forward operating base. The marines on site have dubbed the base ‘Fort Roanoke’. Based on the enemy’s attacks so far, and our continued fortification of the anomaly, I can confidently say that the threat of another attack on New York City is minimal.”
“That's good to hear, General,” said the President. She thought about the unofficial name of the base. “Fort Roanoke… Isn't that a bit foreboding, given the mystery surrounding the settlers of Roanoke Island?”
“I think so, Madam President, but evidently the marines in the field think it's an apt name for our first firebase on another planet.”
“Very well then. Go ahead and make it official,” said the President. If the troops on the ground thought it was appropriate, she wouldn’t deny them.
“Moving onto more pressing matters,” President Bennett began, “have the linguists been able to make any progress translating the enemy’s language?”
“As a matter of fact, they have,” replied Director Delano of the CIA. “As it turns out, translation is not necessary. We have discovered that, on the other side of the anomaly, the enemy is able to perfectly understand us, and us them, despite the language barrier on our side of the anomaly.”
“What exactly do you mean by that?” Asked the President.
“For reasons beyond our understanding, everyone on the other side of the portal is able to perfectly understand each other, regardless of the language they speak. Even our marines are able to understand languages they’ve never heard before. The captured POWs claim it’s due to an ancient ‘magic spell’ across their world, and at this point, we don’t have any other explanation for this phenomenon.”
“Magic? Really, Director?” Mocked Secretary of State Denning. “Do you honestly expect us to believe that?”
“Whether or not there really is magic on the other side of the anomaly, communication will apparently be much easier than we initially thought,” proclaimed Director Delano. “Madam President, until we can confirm its existence and capabilities, this alleged ‘magic’ should be treated as a significant national security threat.”
“I agree,” said the President. “Now that we can communicate with them, what information have the prisoners provided us?”
“A great deal,” replied Director Delano. “We have identified the political entity responsible for the attack: The Rontak Empire.”
“What do we know about this Rontak Empire?” asked Vice President Collins.
Director Delano explained what they knew so far. “From what we can tell, the Rontak Empire is an iron age semi-feudal empire that aggressively expands its borders through military conquest. The POWs were unable to provide us with an exact size, but they claim the Empire’s territory is massive.”
Director Delano paused to let people take in that information before continuing. “We have also found out that our abducted people were forced into slavery. The POWs tell us that our people were sent to a city called Rontak’s Reach, about 100 kilometers southeast of Fort Roanoke.”
General Thompson took the initiative and offered a plan of action. “Madam President, I suggest we immediately deploy more forces to the other side of the anomaly to capture and occupy Rontak’s Reach.”
As much as President Bennett wanted to rescue her mother, and the rest of the abductees, she knew better than to take such a drastic step. “We don’t know enough about the Rontak Empire yet to deploy more American soldiers and occupy a foreign city. How would the locals react to an occupation? The last thing we need is a repeat of the Congo incident.”
Everyone in the room thought back to the disaster that was the deployment of US soldiers to the Congo. The United States completely botched the deployment of troops to the region. Cultural and political misunderstandings ended up provoking multiple warring factions into cooperating with each other and launching an attack on American military bases.
Hundreds of American lives were lost, not to mention the thousands of civilians who were massacred in the crossfire. The incident nearly turned public opinion against US involvement in Africa and was a major setback for international stabilization efforts.
“The President is right, General.” Agreed Director Delano. “If we go in guns blazing, the enemy could very well hold our people hostage. We need more time to gather information, and come up with a plan to get our people out.”
Agreeing with Director Delano, President Bennett said, “General Thompson, gather more information on Rontak’s Reach. Map out the surrounding land and get a map of the city. I want you ready to assault and occupy the city, if it comes to that.”
“Yes, Madam President,” the General replied.
Now addressing the head of the CIA, the President said, “Director Delano, I want the CIA to verify that our people are still being held at Rontak’s Reach. It's been more than two weeks since the attack on New York City; for all we know, they’ve moved our people somewhere else by now.”
“I’ll see what I can do, Madam President,” replied Director Delano.
Shifting her focus back to the General, the President gave him more instructions. “In the meantime, General, I want you to send out reconnaissance teams to nearby settlements. See what you can find out about the local people and culture. We just killed nearly 100,000 of their fathers, brothers, and sons; that's not exactly a good first impression. If we do end up having to launch a full scale invasion, it would be best not to antagonize the people any more than we already have.”
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“I’ll get my best people on it right away, Madam President,” General Thompson Replied.
The meeting went on as they continued planned out the details of their next course of action.
June 21st, 2053
Other Side of the Anomaly, Fort Roanoke
Daniel had just been ordered to report to Lieutenant General Reed’s office for a new assignment. He wasn’t sure what this new assignment would be, but anything had to be better than sitting around all day, waiting for the enemy to try something again. When Daniel entered the room, he snapped to attention and saluted.
“Ah, First Lieutenant Ramirez. At ease,” said Lieutenant General Reed.
Daniel relaxed and eagerly asked, “What are my orders sir?”
“We know very little about our enemy. To solve that problem, we’re sending out ten deep recon units to explore nearby settlements. Their mission is to gather intelligence on the people, culture, and terrain. You will be leading the 4th Deep Recon Team.”
“I understand, sir.” Replied Daniel.
“Good. I’m transferring the specifics to your tac pad. Remember, Ramirez, we’re trying to improve our relations with the locals. Keep your team in line and don’t do anything stupid.”
“Yes sir. When do we leave?” He asked.
“Tomorrow at oh-eight-hundred hours,” the Lieutenant General replied. “Brief your team and get some rest.” Lieutenant General Reed and Daniel both saluted, and Daniel left.
As Daniel walked back to the barracks, he pulled out his tac pad and read the details of the mission. He also forwarded it to his squads, so they’d be ready for the mission briefing.
The primary objective of the deep recon mission was to gather information on the surrounding region and establish friendly relations with the locals, if possible. The 4th Deep Recon Team would be traveling north through what the POWs called the Rhinewood River Valley. For transportation, they would use two HV43 Rhinos.
Daniel’s team would be transporting a captured POW to his hometown. The document said that the POW’s name was Eldryn Kothmar. Eldryn claimed that he was forcibly conscripted into the army that attacked the Americans by someone called ‘Lord Kushmon’. Since he was not a willing participant in the battle, Lieutenant General Reed saw fit to release him, as a show of good faith to the local population.
The document also emphasized the importance of rescuing any abducted civilians they found. Although the POWs claimed that all the people taken during the raid on New York City were sent to Rontak’s Reach, Daniel’s team was to keep an eye out for them anyway.
Another key objective was to gather information on possible magical phenomena. Even though Daniel saw firsthand the enemy’s alleged use of magic, he still found it hard to believe. However, the large dome of swirling purple energy behind him was strong evidence to the contrary. Apparently, the higher ups were concerned about it enough to make it a mission parameter.
The next piece of information, Daniel was not enthusiastic about. Three civilian scientists and one CIA agent would be attached to his squad for this mission. The CIA agent would be fine, but the three scientists had Daniel concerned. He never liked taking civilians into the field. It was always dangerous and unpredictable, but in this case, Daniel was glad to have their skillset.
Later that day, Daniel briefed his team on the mission. They were all excited to finally do something, after laying around watching the construction of Fort Roanoke for several days. Daniel definitely shared their sentiment. This mission was sure to be interesting, at the very least.
The 4th Deep Recon Team would consist of Daniel’s two squads and four specialists:
* 15 Marines
* First Lieutenant Daniel Ramirez (CO)
* Second Lieutenant Emily Carter
* Second Lieutenant Olivia "Liv" Anderson (tech expert)
* Sergeant Major Benjamin "Benny" Reynolds (heavy equipment technician)
* Staff Sergeant Marcus O’Brien (weapons expert)
* First Sergeant Samantha "Sam" Miller (marksman)
* Master Sergeant Michael "Mikey" Sullivan
* Sergeant Martin Jackson (medic)
* Sergeant Jennifer Hayes (martial arts specialist)
* Corporal Ethan Wilson (medic)
* Corporal Maya Patel (martial arts specialist)
* Corporal Grace Cooper (medic)
* Private First Class Charles Lee (marksman)
* Private Alexia "Lexi" Thompson
* Private Lucas Benson
* 4 Specialists
* 1 CIA officer
* Agent Gary Vanderhoff
* His mission was to gather intelligence on the Rontak Empire
* 1 anthropologist
* Dr. Leila Ambrose
* She would study the local customs and culture
* 1 physicist
* Dr. David Kim
* Dr. Kim would analyze any encounters with magic
* 1 biologist
* Dr. Alejandro Morales
* He would study plant and animal life on this world
June 22nd, 2053
Other Side of the Anomaly, Fort Roanoke, Vehicle Depot, 7:30 AM
Daniel was on his way from the barracks to the vehicle depot, where he and the rest of the team would board their Rhinos and begin their mission. The makeshift vehicle depot was just a fenced off area where dozens of Rhinos, Abrams X2s, and Hwachas were lined up. The once grassy field had been pounded into dirt after being run over by so many heavy vehicles.
As Daniel walked over to where his team’s two Rhinos were parked, he could see that some of his team was already there. The scientists were talking amongst themselves while the marines were loading supplies into the Rhinos. Agent Vanderhoff was speaking to Eldryn, who was still handcuffed.
Daniel walked over to Agent Vanderhoff and Eldryn and introduced himself. “First Lieutenant Daniel Ramirez, I’m in command of this mission.”
“Good to meet you, sir. I’m Agent Vanderhoff, your intelligence specialist for this mission,” said Agent Vanderhoff.
Daniel frowned and pointed to Eldryn’s handcuffs. “Are those really necessary?”
“Yes, of course.” Replied Agent Vanderhoff. “Conscripted or not, this man is still a POW in our custody.”
“One of our mission parameters is to win over the hearts and minds of the locals,” Daniel stated. “Why don’t we start by removing this man’s handcuffs?”
“Are you sure that's wise, sir?”
“What is he going to do? Try to escape? We’re releasing him. Uncuff him, that's an order.”
“Yes sir,” Agent Vanderhoff begrudgingly compiled and removed Eldryn’s handcuffs. As he did so, Eldryn rubbed his wrists a bit. Daniel did not get a good vibe from Agent Vanderhoff. He followed Daniel’s order though, so that was something.
“Sorry about that,” Daniel said to Eldryn. “Those CIA types tend to do things by the book. So, what's the name of your village?”
“My home is called Oakshade Hollow,” Eldryn replied curtly.
This was Daniel’s first conversation with someone from the other side of the anomaly. Hearing Eldryn speak in a different language was quite an unusual sensation. Daniel could hear Eldryn speaking in his native language, but he instantly knew the meaning of the words. Daniel could understand him perfectly, as though they were both speaking English.
“What's the best way to get to your village from here,” Daniel asked him.
Eldryn pondered the question for a moment. “Ordinarily, it would only take a few days to get there by foot, however I don’t know of any bridge sturdy enough for your massive metal carriages closer than one week’s journey.”
Eldryn’s village was on the north side of the Induran River. Most of the crossings were simple wooden bridges, certainly not strong enough to support the weight of an armored vehicle like the Rhino.
Daniel let out a slight chuckle. “Don’t you worry about that. We can cross the river wherever we choose to, as long as the banks aren’t too steep.”
Eldryn stared at Daniel in shock. “You mean these things are boats, too? But they’re made of metal, how can they float?”
“The Rhino is an amphibious vehicle, meaning it can travel over both land and water,” Daniel explained. “The weight of the water displaced by the Rhino is more than the weight of the Rhino itself, so it floats. Crossing the Induran River won’t be a problem.”
“I’ll have to see that to believe it,” Eldryn replied.
Daniel smirked in amusement at Eldryn’s remark. “Just show us a good place to cross, and you’ll get that chance.”
One of the nearby Rhinos roared to life, and Second Lieutenant Emily Carter emerged from the command cabin hatch. “You guys ready to get going, or what?” She asked.
With that, the marine’s assorted conversations and small talk ended and Daniel divided the team between the two Rhinos. As before, Daniel commanded one of the Rhinos himself, and Emily commanded the other.
Daniel assigned Agent Vanderhoff, Eldryn, and Dr. Ambrose, the team’s anthropologist, to his Rhino while Drs. Kim and Morales were assigned to the other Rhino. Everyone boarded their respective vehicles and got to business.
After a quick systems check, the 4th Deep Recon Team pulled out of the vehicle depot and drove towards the northern gate of Fort Roanoke. As they pulled up to the gate, the sentries on guard duty began to open it up for them. The vehicles’ AI had already identified the Rhinos and verified their clearance to leave the base via the sentries’ tac visors.
Daniel, Benny, and Liv were in the Rhino’s command cabin, alongside Eldryn who served as their navigation guide. The flat grassy plains made for a smooth ride, but it still wasn't as comfortable as driving on a proper road.
However, this was Eldryn’s first time in a vehicle that wasn't pulled by a horse. He was completely taken aback by the comparative smoothness of the ride and the fast speed. “This is amazing!” He said. “We’re moving faster than any carriage and yet the ride is almost perfectly smooth! How does this machine move without any horses to pull it?”
Benny was happy to explain the concept of the diesel-electric engine. He got a bit carried away and started explaining the Rhino’s other systems, like the suspension and all wheel steering. Most of what Benny said went right over Eldryn’s head, but he listened with interest anyway.
After about fifteen minutes, they reached the banks of the Induran River. Eldryn directed them to turn east and drive until they passed where the Induran River met with the Rhinewood River.
“Oakshade Hollow is on the east side of the Rhinewood,” he explained. “If these vehicles really are, am-phib-ious, as you call them,” he struggled to pronounce the foreign word, “I know a place where we can cross.”
It took them about 2 hours to drive down the banks of the Induran River to the place where they would cross. The marines passed the time by speculating on what they would find in this strange new world and debating the merit of the evidence for magic. Agent Vanderhoff, meanwhile, spent the ride pestering Eldryn with question after question about anything at all about this world.
They finally passed the spot where the two rivers met. Eldryn directed them to a spot on the river suitable for the Rhinos to cross. To their left was a crudely built wooden bridge; it barely looked wide enough to support two horses side by side. Next to it, there was a somewhat steep slope that led to a rocky bank which gradually gave way to the flowing water.
The Rhino had no trouble going down the small hill. The Rhino jolted back and forth as it drove over the shallow rocky shore. Then, the Rhino’s flat face plowed into the water. Detecting the amphibious transition, the AI said, “deploying floatation devices.”
Small elongated panels in front of and behind the droid canopies opened up, and four rubber devices emerged and began to inflate. Magnets quickly secured the floatation devices to the side of the armored hull of the Rhino. They filled with air as the Rhino continued through the shallow water. It did not take long for them to reach full capacity and for the computer to certify that the Rhino was ready to enter deep water.
“Alright Benny,” Daniel said, “take us across.”
“Aye-aye, cap’n,” Benny replied sarcastically.
As Benny drove deeper and deeper into the river, the water level rose until it reached past the floatation devices. Suddenly, the crew felt the Rhino lurch as it became buoyant enough for the wheels to lose contact with the river bed.
“Switching to amphibious propulsion,” Benny said with a hint of enthusiasm.
At the rear of the Rhino, two small enclosed water jets emerged from their armored housings and came to life. The smooth acceleration through the water brought the Rhino up to 10 kilometers per hour. The other Rhino followed likewise, and soon the two vehicles were traveling across the river, one after the other.
Waves buffeted the side of the Rhino, rocking it back and forth as it traveled across the river. The Rhino was not very streamlined so the constant swaying was more severe than on a typical boat. The marines held on to their safety harnesses as the vehicle tilted and lurched every few seconds.
Daniel turned to Eldryn and asked, “want to get a better view?” Simultaneously, he pulled a lever and the central hatch in the command cabin swung open.
Eldryn stuck his head out the top of the vehicle, while holding onto the rim of the hatch for balance. From the forward top hatch, Eldryn had an excellent view of the Rhino as it made its way across the river, just as Daniel said it could. Expecting to see oars, or perhaps a sail, Eldryn was mesmerized by the vehicle, which seemingly moved through the water all on its own.
“Back at your fortress, I was told your people have no magic.”
“We don’t,” Benny replied.
“But there are no oars or sails and yet we travel across the current.”
Benny was once again happy to describe, in detail, the inner workings of the Rhino. “There are two water jets at the back of the Rhino pushing us forward.”
Eldryn stared down at Benny with a blank face, not understanding what he said. Benny clarified his explanation, “Think of water jets like an extremely complicated windmill, but in water instead of air.” That helped but Eldryn still didn’t quite understand.
Eldryn came back inside the Rhino as Benny continued to describe how the water jets worked until the vehicles made their way back onto land. Once the wheels touched back down on the river bed, the flotation devices deflated, just as quickly as they filled up, and were retracted back into their compartments.
Fully on solid ground again, the 4th Deep Recon Team followed Eldryn’s directions to a dirt road that would take them to Oakshade Hollow. They were not far now, only about ten kilometers away. Agent Vanderhoff resumed questioning Eldryn in the Rhino’s crew compartment.
As he was driving, Benny noticed a tower of smoke in the distance. “Sir,” he said.
“What is it?” Daniel replied.
“We got smoke up ahead,” Benny said.
“Liv,” Daniel began, “launch a drone and find out where that smoke is coming from.”
“On it,” Liv replied, as she launched one of the Rhino’s four top stowed recon quadcopter drones.
“Let me know what you find,” said Daniel, as he turned to the crew compartment. “Eldryn, we could use your help up here.” Eldryn came back up to the command cabin, and his expression turned to horror as he saw the smoke.
“What’s wrong?” Daniel asked.
“That smoke. It… It's coming from Oakshade Hollow.”
Up in the sky, Liv’s drone had a better view of where the smoke was coming from. “There are a few small fires still burning. But…” She paused and glanced at Eldryn with a look of sympathy. “most of the village looks completely destroyed”
“Have the drone sweep the area for hostiles,” Daniel ordered. “I doubt this was an accident, and whoever was responsible may still be nearby.”
“Yes sir,” Liv replied.
“Benny,” Daniel began, “get us to Oakshade Hollow, best possible speed.”
“You got it sir!” Benny replied, happy to have a bit of fun driving his favorite vehicle. “Buckle up! It's about to get bumpy!” he shouted to the crew compartment.
Everyone braced themselves for the sudden acceleration as Benny sped up to 80 kilometers per hour. The shoddy dirt road made for a very bumpy ride. Meanwhile, Daniel signaled Emily, in the other Rhino, to let her know what was happening. The two Rhinos sped towards Oakshade Hollow, kicking up a small cloud of dust behind them.
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