The world as we know it

Since I became an intermediate-level disciple. My days had transformed into a bustling routine, filled with a variety of activities aimed at honing my skills, broadening my knowledge, and contributing to the Gurukul's upkeep. My mornings were all about diving into detailed lessons about the world—the maps, geopolitics, and the rich tapestry of cultures that existed beyond our secluded mountain abode.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the evenings brought a shift in gears. I sought help from senior-level disciples, gladly coughing up some cash in exchange for their priceless expertise and nuggets of wisdom. I believed in giving credit where it was due and understood the value of their guidance. Thus, our days were consumed by these various activities, not to mention the need to earn money for our personal expenses and contribute a portion of our income to the gurukul, a form of voluntary taxes, if you will.

Through the morning classes, I learned more about the intricate details of foreign nations and their cultures.

In summary, the world was divided into three prominent factions: The Sovereigns of the West, the Guardians of the East, and the Mythical Titans in the South. Their relationship with each other is less than ideal. They all have their own unique cultures and utilization of the magic. It was an interesting concept, the usage of magic changes based on the perspective and the culture one cultivates while growing up. Thus each faction has its own unique form of magic usage. Each of the factions calls the energy they utilize by different names even though it’s the same thing to give the end result which is magic. Chi is used in the East while mana is used in the West. In the south, it is referred to as Oj*.

Wold map of Astorvia [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1151356427802263637/1152215140066938931/the_world.jpg]

The Sovereigns of the West are renowned for their groundbreaking magi-tech inventions and clergy possessing such unwavering faith, that they have shown to be able to produce miracles. While their healing is incredibly potent, their arsenal of weapons is even more so, and their soldiers wear specialized battle suits crafted from rare alloys, which they had an abundance of in their region. But these suits are more than just mere metal; they are amalgams of various materials, including the body parts of the Mythical Titans that hail from the South.

The West is known to regularly embark on titan-hunting expeditions, harvesting claws, bones, fur, hearts, and, most crucially, beast cores from these colossal creatures. These components were then integrated into the battle suits, with each titan contributing a specific part. The beast core, however, took center stage within the heart of these suits. Modified with the unparalleled technology of the West, it acts as a mana battery and a computational powerhouse. The core slowly molds the suit to better suit it and the suit takes on properties similar to the titan the core was taken from. Furthermore, the AI embedded within these suits aids in piloting the suits, automates tasks, and enhances the magic utilization of the user thus boosting the overall performance of the suit. The beast cores themselves allow to supercharge any magic the wielder uses. Humans inherently are bad at manipulating the surrounding energy or nature's energy as some might call it but this allows it to bypass this limitation as the core automatically sucks up the surrounding energy. These suits are also of two types, the mass-produced ones, and the specialized ones. The mass-produced ones are a mishmash of various titans and their core itself is artificial while the specialized ones are mostly comprised of a singular titan, the rest of the parts are sourced from other titans to account for its weaknesses. Needless to say, encountering a user of the specialized suit presents a mortal danger to its foes.

I can still remember the face of Ren when he found this out. He was a certified tech worshipper. I even wonder how he ended up here sometimes.

It happened while we were doing chores for the Gurukul. As always Ren and Arya were with me as we did those chores. But this time we were joined by another of our fellow disciples, a girl named Sasha. There were nine of us intermediate disciples. I have met up with all of them but we seldom train together due to our differing schedules.

"Did you guys know that they have entire suits made from titan parts?" Ren exclaimed, his eyes wide with amazement. "I mean, imagine wearing something like that! You'd be unstoppable. You'd be a walking tank in one of those!”

Sasha, the one who took the greatest interest in history among us chimed in, "You know, this whole titan thing has historical roots. The West has been at it for centuries. Some say their initial encounters with the Titans were peaceful, even reverent. They used to worship them as deities."

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A hush fell over the group as we contemplated the idea of humans coexisting peacefully with the colossal creatures. It was a stark contrast to the titan-hunting expeditions we'd learned about.

Then Sasha added, “No one really knows why they went from revering them to wearing them though. Still what they are doing is wrong. The Titan's a living creature, and they're harvesting its parts for war.”

Arya, her expression pensive, added, "It just goes to show how complex the world is. There's no easy answer to any of this. We've been sheltered here at the gurukul, but out there, we'll have to navigate these moral gray areas."

'Speaking of which the East is not a saint either.'

As our discussion delved deeper into the world's factions, I felt compelled to shed light on the East. "Let's not forget the East," I began, "they have their own set of practices that sends shivers down your spine. While they're all about body strengthening, martial arts, and image training, they also lead expeditions to the South. It's not much better in the case of the East, as they too hunt titans, slaughter them, grind their bones, scales, sinew, and all to make elixirs and even abduct their young to tame them for war. Taming titans as spirit companions is apparently all the rage in the East. There is also competition among the noble's houses to procure the best beasts for their scions and for the purpose of boosting their military strength. Powerful martial artists and cultivators can even tame more than two to three spirit beasts per person."

There was a collective furrow of brows as the group recalled this snippet of information. Arya continued in my stead, "What's more, they sometimes imprison the spirits of these slaughtered beasts within their beast cores and, well, eat them. They transform the beast cores with imprisoned spirits into pills for consumption thereby gaining the ability of beast transformation. It's considered pretty taboo, but during periods of war, it's not uncommon."

Sasha shook her head, her disbelief mirrored in her eyes. "Yeah, that's... gruesome."

Ren nodded in agreement. "Indeed. But it's not all darkness in the East. They primarily use martial arts to achieve incredible feats, things that are impossible for those who haven't learned their techniques. And they use chi to empower their bodies further. While they might not be great at using magic like the West, they compensate by making their attacks reach farther using chi as an enhancer."

Ying also joined in. "It is said they the techniques of each generation are passed onto the other through some method by which the successor is privy to all the previous generation's wisdom and technique. They also have spirit beasts by their side, which adds an extra layer of complexity to their combat style. So much that it said you will never find an Easterner alone on the battlefield. The spirit beasts end up becoming lifelong and trustworthy companions after all."

The discussion about the South was not held during this time as we had yet to learn about it. It happened much later. The gist of which was:

Any and all information regarding the South is rare although there are still records of the past but that is all that's known. But it is evident that the South is extremely powerful when considering the fact that neither the Sovereigns nor the Guardians make an expedition farther than a certain point in the South. This was territory less explored, and even more dangerous. Though things might change in the future, the human race is ever-expanding and ever-growing. But it is a fact that despite our long history we have never ventured further than that point in the South. The point where the Southern continent is divided into two by enormous mountain ranges, acting as some sort of natural barrier.

The mythical titans dwelling South, have a completely different outlook on life. It's all about 'might makes right' and 'survival of the fittest' down there. They believe in a raw, primal strength that's earned through sheer dominance. That is also the reason why it is considerably easier to lead an expedition to the South. They are divided and this makes it easier to pick them apart one by one even if they are individually mighty.

Not to mention the true titans of the south lie beyond the mountain ranges that separate the south and true south into halves. The tians further south are what one should be truly careful of. They're the epitome of strength and resilience. Their society revolves around physical prowess, and they have little regard for subtlety or finesse. It's a brutal world, where only the strongest survive.

So, what do they do with all that power?

Well, they don't believe in sharing power—they believe in hoarding it. These titans are known to fiercely guard their territories, and they often engage in territorial wars to assert dominance. It's a constant struggle for supremacy. The competition churned out the weaker ones thus boosting the overall power of the South.

There was once a joint expedition, a coalition of Guardians and Sovereigns, that dared to venture deep into the South in pursuit of a mighty titan—one that was rumored to possess incredible power. The West was after its core while the East was after its remaining body."

They believed that if they could capture and harness the titan's strength, they could tip the balance of power in their favor and gain a firm foothold over the South thus expanding their territories and knowledge. It was a daring gambit, a desperate attempt to gain an edge.

The expedition ended in disaster. The Guardians and the Sovereigns fought valiantly and cooperated with each other, a rare sight, but they were overwhelmed by the sheer violence and ferocity of what they faced there. Many perished, and those who survived were forever scarred by the horrors they witnessed. To this day the secrets of what happened in the South remain that a secret.