The Empire of Deller is well known for its cultivators. This is true for every Empire in the world, but everyone seems to believe their cultivators are somehow better. Whether by fire or frost, earth or sky somehow everyone is capable of reaching within themselves and searching for that primordial spark. Now, this is somewhat underselling the difficulty of cultivation itself, for instance the climate one is born into as well as ones ancestors can change the outcome of their initial spark. Many commoners were born with fire in their heart, only to have it torn away by bitter winter winds. Not to mention, cultivation is a hard road. Many people start on the road to cultivation only to realize they lack the fortitude for such a daunting journey. Nobody can guess who has the will to continue, geniuses are rare if not non-existent. There are three separate branches of cultivation: Mind, Body and Soul.

Mind cultivators are typically smart and level headed, they work primarily in politics and academia. Mind cultivators are known for their ability to twist the natural laws around them. In other words, Magic. Now if you were to ask a Mind cultivator about his magic he would start off by saying that Magic is a misnomer and that what he does is in accordance of the natural laws of the universe. He would then go on to speak at length about things that only other Mind cultivators would understand. Mind cultivators are an insufferable lot, but then again that’s just my opinion. When one starts to cultivate the mind they are said to be an “Observer”. Most academic observers stay well out of conflict and only enforce the laws when they must. Though, the observers that insert themselves in politics are a very different breed. They are the authors of the law. Regardless, they are just as insufferable as the academics. Observers wear their brand on their face, typically the eyebrow. What is a brand you ask? Patience. We will cover that later.

Body cultivators are brutes. I don’t say this in a negative way, in fact most Body cultivators would be proud of the term. To say that they are typically not intelligent would be wrong, as there are many intelligent Body cultivators that could have become observers. That being said, most body cultivators are single minded individuals that think with their weapon. They tend to be hot headed, but are very loyal. Body cultivators are known for their ability to strengthen their bodies through training. Whereas observers are long winded of their self-explanations, body cultivators will typically tell you that they in fact don’t understand how or why they are able to do the things they do. Personally, I like them. When one starts to cultivate the body they are said to be a “Warrior”. Warriors make up the majority of armies, as well as guards and personal security. This of course is a generalization. Warriors aspire to be many things and one can find them to be in a multitude of stations.  Warriors wear their brand on their wrists.

Soul cultivators are rare. They are typically reclusive and introspective. There are two specific types of Soul cultivators: Priests and Anchorites. Priests tend to congregate with other believers of their religion, whereas Anchorites are nomads that follow no set religion. Anchorites believe that every religion has its purpose. Soul cultivators are known for the healing of the Mind, Body and Soul. Like observers, Soul cultivators use magic, though they are typically tied to a certain religion/god. When one starts to cultivate the soul they are said to be a “Cleric”. Clerics are some of the strongest cultivators in the world. There are legends of Clerics able to bring back the dead. Whether that be rumor or truth one thing is certain, Clerics are important. For the most part Clerics will use their healing magic for monetary gain for their church or their own. Clerics wear their brand on a medallion around their neck.

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Brands are worn by nearly all cultivators. That being said, one can cultivate without wearing a brand. The reasons for wearing a brand can be different for each individual. Whether it be for social standing or for pride in one’s cultivation. For instance a citizen without a brand will typically be looked down upon by other cultivators. I don’t agree with this sentiment, but that’s just the way of the world. And it can be a harsh world, especially for those without brands. The work of non-cultivators, or “Noc’s” as they are often known, can vary between hard labor, banking and sometimes politics. A farming family can be elevated by a member of that family becoming a cultivator. Just as a banking family can lose a stronghold in business when they have multiple generations without a cultivator. A brand of a warrior will look different from that of an observer or cleric. This is because they follow a different process. There are three levels of cultivation for each breakthrough.

Observers follow the gemstone path. This is a term coined in the beginning by the very first cultivators as a way to describe what happens to their mind when they cultivate. Is it a great name? No. They were uncivilized folk and they did the best they could. Citrine, Carnelian, Amethyst, Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby and Diamond. When one first becomes an observer they are said to be a first level Citrine cultivator or “First Citrine Observer”. A first citrine observer has his or her mind awoken, but the path is hard and perilous. Many lose their sanity chasing the Diamond peak. By the time one awakens to the gemstones they have usually leaned their first bit of magic. The magic one learns is not set to rank, but more of who one has to teach them. Different universities teach a myriad of class of magic. One tends to specialize, but there are others who attempt many branches.

Warriors follow the metal path. This term was coined to explain the changes one’s body would go through when training on this path. Again the name leaves one wanting, but does its job explaining the basics. Bronze, Iron, Steel, Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby and Diamond. You may be wondering why this path is called the metal path when it also has gemstones. Don’t overthink things. The real reason is because the lower three paths are considered beginner to amateur.  These ranks hardly see battle between other cultivators. The experts and Masters are ranked in accordance. A Sapphire warrior fighting a Sapphire observer can be fought to a draw in theory. This is a generalization of the ranks of course, a Sapphire observer has the power to kill a Ruby warrior in the right circumstances and vice versa. Warriors use techniques that pair with their cultivation level. There are countless techniques and no one technique is known to be the best. Every technique has its strengths and, ultimately, its flaws.

Clerics follow the colorful path. This name again does little to explain the intricacies of the path in question. Yellow, Orange, Violet, Blue, Green, Red and Diamond. Diamond remains as the peak of cultivation and therefor carries over with all paths. Diamond is what everyone reaches after, it is the stars in the sky. One could say that Observers and Clerics have a similar path. This is true, except for the styles of magic they learn. Where an observer builds mental fortitude to cast higher tier spells, a Cleric has to temper the soul. Any and all healing magic takes a toll on the casters soul. The firmer the soul, the deeper the magic.

The Empire of Deller is just a small part of the world, one could say it’s just a corner of civilization. On the four great continents there are a total of six Empires. The Deller and O’Bret Empires reside on the continent of Finth. Decades of war have constantly changed the landscape of their respective territories. The Smith Empire and the Stone Empire make up the continent of Corvora. Whereas the Reiner and Luther Empires reside on the continents of Heltia and Ambrinia respectively. Our story begins on within the Deller Empire. In the City of Rosewood, otherwise known as the “City of Silver”.