Xereva – Character Sketch

Summary: Xereva (also known as: ‘Void Lord,’ ‘Child of the Void,’ ‘Champion of the Void,’ ‘Nihali Iva’nir,’ ‘Empty One’) is the first of the Vara’ne, and a co-creator of Vallyra.

Age: Xereva is one who could be called ageless–though it took him over a million years to create Vallyra, he appears to remain 30 years at the most.

Gender: Male.

Physical Characteristics: Xereva stands six feet tall with deep red eyes and black hair, an imposing sight to almost anyone. His body is not overtly muscled, but is well filled out, not wiry or thin. His skin is pure black, marked at intervals with Stardust-seared Xereshinae characters that trail in small lines down all parts of his body. His face is angular to the edge of extreme, resulting in an appearance that is both intimidating and strangely handsome. Though similar in most ways to humans, Xereva bears a few odd marks of his elemental birth. His nails are talons of about 3/4 inch length, constantly sharp and immeasurably tough. His legs are human down to the ankle, where his feet seem to thin out and take on the appearance of wolf paws. And his entire form has the air of one who has been somehow warped from what is normal–the dimensions of every part of his body are slightly different from what would be considered a ‘human average.’ However, it must be remembered that his form can change at will–his abilities allow him to shape himself as he sees fit.

Internally, Xereva is like no other creature in the Universe. Instead of any recognizable system of bones and organs, he is composed of the matter of the Void compressed so much that it given form, and his consciousness is able to shape it instinctively, unconsciously, to serve any purpose. It is for this reason that he is able to take any form and perform any feat–his composition is so varied and malleable that he can literally become anything. His default structure is one based on the human skeleton with many joints stripped away–most of his ‘bones’ are the consistency of asteroid steel, with numerous properties twisted so that they bend at his command.

Clothing and Other Items: Though he generally shifts his attire depending on the situation at hand, Xereva is generally clothed in a full black cloak with hood, a darkness that is easier to look at than the Void-black of his bare skin. When in the company of Xeresh, he also carries his sheathed sword, Dha Siira–Dark Flame. Beneath the cloak he wears a simple black tunic with a two-band silver belt around his waist. He also wears a heavy pair of boots and gauntlets, minimizing the amount of his skin that shows.

Personality: Omnipotence has not affected Xereva in the ways that one would expect. Far from being cynical and unimpressed, he revels in the massive expanse of the Universe, even while his chosen element is its complete opposite. Despite having a mind that can process and comprehend every atom of matter in the entire Universe, he is still limited by what he chooses to experience, and this allows him to observe certain occurrences in detail–and those occurrences mostly happen on Vallyra. Intensely curious about everything which he does not immediately recall, Xereva asks infinite questions of the Universe and of its few inhabitants.

Despite his curiosity, however, the knowledge of what lurks beyond the edges of existence is a dark burden to bear, and it has made him into something altogether different. His curiosity extends to himself as well, and he spends vast amounts of time testing the limits of his own power. While he respects and admires life beyond himself, his drive to test his limits often leads him to extreme experiments–ones which some of his created race do not always return from. He is also more reserved than his lighter, female counterpart, preferring to observe when possible and act when necessary.

History: Xereva was not, as many on Vallyra were eventually led to believe, the creator of the Universe. Nor was he its first creation. In fact, his creation came about more than 100 million years after the Universe came into being, around the time when the first stars had begun to form. At the point that marked the center of the expanding sphere of the Universe, a small rupture appeared, allowing the Void to combine with the Universe’s substance for less than a fraction of a second. The resulting reaction, however, would eventually shape Xereva.

After awakening, he sought to come to terms with the Universe and with himself. He searched out the answers as to who and what he was, eventually coming upon Sasilva, his ‘twin,’ in the process. After he taught her the basics of Universal Magic, he helped her to shape Vallyra, which took shape over approximately a million years. Immediately after the shaping he assisted Sasilva in the creation of sentient species, contributing predators to the new world. Later, to match her creation of the Sasiil, he would also create a new species–the Xeresh.

His control on the planet, unlike Sasilva’s, did not last for long, and was not absolute. He took a liking to the Wintyr-Wastes where he had placed the Firstborn of the Ra’nae clan, and set his capitol, Xerrakesh, near the center of the continent. There he would rule as Hierarch of Xerrakesh for around 100 years, directing Xeresh affairs all over Vallyra with a gentle guiding hand. He taught his people much about the Universe in this time, setting what would later turn out to be many of the base Xeresh customs and laws. He unintentionally shaped them into a warrior culture, a society that used combat to settle various disputes, and also forged a strong system of government that would last (at least within clans) until the Xeresh faded from existence.

After his rulership ended, he let the Xeresh govern themselves, leaving power in the hands of Sava Ra’nae. His influence on the world after his departure from direct leadership was more subtle–he made changes to the structure of death the afterlife and the laws of nature, and sometimes made contact with members of the Xeresh, albeit in disguise. He occasionally met with Sasilva to discuss the progress of the world as a whole, but apart from those occasional contacts, rarely spoke to anyone else.

His intervention in the Age of War was minimal. Once started, the conflict did not draw much of his attention. He instead focused on the untouched places of the world, the natural features, and occasionally repaired the damage of larger battles. The resulting devastation that the war brought, however, demanded his attention. Working with Sasilva for the first time in centuries, they both created the race of Humans. Instead of helping them to develop, however, Xereva left Vallyra, instead moving to the larger objects in the Universe. He created star clusters and galaxies, black holes and designs in stardust and shadow, losing himself and his first creation in the immense scale of his new work.

What is Productivity?

Is it spilling a massive amount of random ideas onto the page, or is it planning and outlining? Is it jumping around through chapters and ages to write random snippets, or writing slowly, carefully, in order? I wish I knew the answer, but there’s one thing I know for certain right now–productivity is NOT doing homework.

It’s History, and we’re reviewing World War I. I love military history–it provides the most parallels to what I’m working on in Vallyra. But the textbook, somehow, makes it incredibly, impossibly boring. I’m supposed to slog through 20 pages of densely written text to get the main ideas of a war that lasted for years, involving nations all across the world? Sometimes–well, actually, more than sometimes–I think that we’ve got education all wrong. Still, I’ll go through with it. After all, the end-year test is the ultimate purpose of the class, and that’s what all this is for. To test out of it in college.

But then again, why would I want to do that?

Sure, it seems boring now, but what if I make it into my ideal college? What if classes were small enough to actually have discussions, to see how history applies today instead of just reviewing their impacts at the exact moment that they occurred? What if we explored instead of memorized? What if we were able to think?

But anyway, I’ve gone too far with that. My original purpose was to actually discuss what the hell I should be doing on this blog.

On one hand, I could have raw thought. I could put down everything that even vaguely relates to Vallyra, scraps of history or individual stories that I could one day weave into the fabric that is the world. I could describe systems and races, magic and customs, everything that has the slightest impact on the contours of the story. On the other hand, I could progress more thoroughly, outlining and planning with structure and intention, mapping out what exactly I want to write, and then filling in the world around it.

It’s a hard decision to make. On one hand, I’m horrible at being consistent in outlines–I keep it up for three chapters and then I’m done, and my story goes of on wild tangents that never seem to connect to the main arc. Okay, maybe that’s not entirely true, but it’s only a small exaggeration. My stories take on a life of their own. But then there’s the alternative, which is complete disorganization, but a massive volume of ideas. I can let myself run free across the pages, but have no way to pull it into coherent form.

I think a synthesis is the best choice, as I often find that it is in other cases. I should pour out all I have–all my thoughts, my ideas, everything that has even the slightest impact. But when I am satisfied that I have disgorged myself, I should shape an outline to put it all together.

Then I face another dilemma though admittedly it is farther off: how do I actually write?

Sure, it seems simple enough–write the story. But I have two choices. The first is to skip through chapters and ages and write each segment individually, retaining the feel of different people and different viewpoints that I originally wanted to preserve. But if I do that, I could also lose any sense of cohesion, the kind of unity that I would gain by writing in order. True, there’s only one real storyline through the ages, but even so, writing out of order might damage that.

But on the other hand, writing in the order that I choose allows me to put out ideas as they come, making sure that they’re as good as I can possibly make them instead of forcing myself to write them later. That’s what it comes down to–a choice between quality and organization of my plot. At least as I see it.

This time there’s no place for compromise–it’s one or the other. I can shift parts around, alter them, tweak them to fit into the main story, but that’s still not going to measure up to what would come out of slogging through it in linear order.

I’ll decide this later, but I have to decide by the time my outline is done.

Details on the Xeresh

I should probably explain a few things. Yes, I know I’ve said that before, but I mean it every time.

Vallyra is a new world, and that goes farther than most will initially believe. It’s a new concept, something that I hope remains fresh and original, untouched by cliches and the common elements of what we have learned to call ‘fantasy.’ Vallyra is fantastic, true, but it is also real. It resonates with the stories of millions, and thrums with an undercurrent of power that draws on every citizen as its source. True, it may have magic, true, its races may be new and untested–but does this mean that it is any less real than our own world? If the ideas expressed within it resonate with the reader, if those who look on it wish that they could someday live in a world like it, does that not make it real. It is real in my mind, and with any luck, it will be real in the minds of others.

But my purpose for this post isn’t to drag on about how Vallyra will be complex and new and different and blah blah blah. It is, as I stated, to explain. I’ve done enough of the former.

There are a number of small issues that readers may find hard to reconcile, and some that are simply interesting quirks. I’ll list a few of them now for those who are interested, and to clear up a couple of blurry spots in Until the End of Time. This is also a space to simply start expressing free-floating ideas–I’ll pull them into coherent posts later.

Oh, and if the information raises more questions than it answers, feel free to post on what’s unclear. I’d be more than happy to answer anything, and it gives me a good idea of what holes need to be filled. I do apologize for the hopelessly random organization, though.

~~~~

— Xeresh are a race highly focused on order and efficiency, though they can also adapt their ways to suit almost any situation. Due to this fact they are extremely open-minded even compared to the Sasiil, who are bound to their religion to the exclusion of almost all else. This also means that they express themselves candidly in most situations–if a Xeresh, even a younger one, believes something, they are not afraid to speak it aloud or to respond with a contrary answer. This allows them to find new and improved ways of dealing with different situations; often times dozens of different methods are applied before the best is found. This candid style of speaking, however, leads to a number of conflicts with the Sasiil, who are unused to having their entire system of belief and way of life questioned. Eventually, coupled with religious differences, this leads to more than a simple clash of wills.

— From the age of 15, every Xeresh has experienced combat. Their rite-of-passage ritual varies through the clans, but consists of two main phases.

One – K’sha Shaping

The first is the shaping of an individual’s K’sha and K’shi (though I am reconsidering those names). Both are similar in function to a samurai’s katana and wakazashi, though the process of shaping and usage is somewhat different–and more complex. K’sha are uneven weapons, generally crafted in the shape of a fallen tree branch that fits the Xeresh wielder’s hand. The process of finding a fitting branch to shape the weapon around is one that takes all of a young Xeresh’s life up to the shaping, and a learner will collect numerous ones in preparation for the day of creation. There are only a few requirements–the branch must have three areas for grip (averaging 6 inches, 8 inches, and 6 inches respectively) and a total length of around 45 inches. In the early age before war with the Sasiil, K’sha were relatively straight-bladed, generally with numerous small curves within the  blade. During the course of the war, the style changed to prefer curved ones, as they were more fit for combat against Sasiil weapons.

To forge a K’sha, the Xeresh must take the branch to one of the planet’s poles, where the planet’s stardust axis provides a massive amount of matter which can alter the branch’s atomic structure. After an intensely draining process (the forging of one’s K’sha can take up to five years of a Xeresh’s life energy) the branch has become a blade in truth, shifted into the form of pure diamond and sharpened along every surface but the grip. It is significantly thinned down, and also made extremely dense, ensuring that it will not shatter except against another K’sha. A K’shi is a smaller weapon, 6-8 inches in blade length, with a small grip and very thin profile. The weapon is almost always concealed within a small hardplate (metal-sided sheath insert) in a Xeresh’s boot, and is used only as a weapon of last resort when one’s K’sha is not enough. It is considered a sin to let any enemy see the weapon, and whenever they are used, all who see the slight flash of its blade are generally killed soon after. They are made of the remnants of the matter left over from K’sha forging.

Two – Ritual Duel

The second phase of a Xeresh’s coming-of-age ritual is their duel with another member of their academy class, generally someone of the same combat rank and division. The duel is in traditional Xeresh form, which is to say that it is conducted away from all viewers in a 50-foot-diameter circle, with K’sha as the only weapon allowed. After the duel starts, no words are allowed, even in the dying moments. Neither duelist’s blade is allowed to touch the other–due to their enhanced reflexes, they are able to evade most of the strikes and counter instantly. Striking at an opponent’s blade can be done to press an opponent out of the way, but to touch the blades means to commit a deadly sin. The winner is the one who strikes the loser through the center with a single thrust, and the same person then incinerates the corpse and compresses the ashes into a fire ruby, which most Xeresh wear as a symbol of their adulthood.

Duels have been known to last for hours, but most end very suddenly. Both duelists are paired up by level of skill, and a single mistake on the part of one means instant death for the other–for this reason there are rarely any grazing wounds or scars from this battle. Once the duel is completed, the victor may return to his or her village or clan citadel to begin their training for their chosen profession.

— Xeresh clan structure varies from region to region, but while under unified rule by the Hierarch of Xerrakesh, each was bound to the same rites and laws. Every citizen was to be self sufficient, able to produce what they needed to survive, and to take what they could not produce themselves. There was to be a Council of Seven (those who administered the law) an elected Cita’lea (city lord) and a Citadel Tower (tall tower constructed out of the native element) in each of the major cities, and all villages nearby were under that city’s jurisdiction. After the clans split from Xerrakesh, many razed their Citadel Towers and formed new, more practical areas for their rulers. Laws were altered, traditions shifted, and eventually each clan grew apart from the original branch. Most adapted as they had been taught to do at first, now detached from overarching traditions and free to progress as nature required.

When the Age of War began, the clans united again under the Hierarch of Xerrakesh, Saya Iviir. Though split apart on all fronts, traditions splintered and divided from the originally unified specifications, all found a common thread and bound together, united against the Sasiil by their god–Xereva. Some clans adapted themselves wholly to the pressures of war, abandoning previous traditions to better cope with the immense strain on their resources. Three of the Seven Clans eventually fell, wiped out by their direct attacks on Sasiil cities, and their traditions and societies were lost to the harsh lands where they had lived. Four remained to preserve their traditions, though those four eventually melded together as a single Xeresh nation, and in doing so repelled the Sasiil counterattack after the first failed invasion.

After the Age of War and creation of Humans, the Xeresh dwindled, unable to maintain a viable gene pool and left behind by the rapid advances in stored magic and mechanical technology. Unlike the Sasiil, Xeresh were genetically compatible with Humans, and intermarried to the point of invisibility. The true Xeresh race eventually died out, left out of history and memory until Xerrakesh was eventually uncovered once more. Even in the latest ages of the world, there are still a few humans who have the talent for magic in their blood, descendants of the Firstborn themselves.

— Xere’vai, or Void Guardians, are members of the Xeresh shaped by unique occurrences. Firstly, they were members of the Firstborn (the first one million direct creations of Xereva, imbued with full knowledge of the Universe and the most power of any Xeresh in the history of Vallyra) or their first-generation descendants, and secondly, stumbled upon areas where the power used to shape the world lingered. That power was pure Universal energy, originally shaped by Xereva and Sasilva but then left unexpended. The power drew together into small, foot-wide spheres of distorted energy, and it was those objects that the 500 or so Finders stumbled upon. Siru’ne (higher beings–i.e Sasiil and Xeresh) in general have the ability to live as long as their energy lasts, and the small spheres were enough to sustain the Xeresh for hundreds of years beyond their normal lifespans. However the power also had another effect, especially when taken in all at once.

Those who found the small orbs consumed them entirely, and in doing so, lost themselves within the power. The intensity of the energy burned away almost all of their personalities, all of their intelligence, and took on a life and consciousness of its own. Though able to live on for much longer, the original Xeresh was now lost in a shell of black flame, weapons transformed into dark incarnations of the Void itself. Their eyes generally glow red through the shadow, and all else is hidden by the blackness that cloaks them.

Their name, Xere’vai, comes from their tendency to guard the Soft Places–the areas where magic has been used so frequently that it has weakened the fabric of reality. An account by a Ra’nae clan villager describes a pair slaughtering an entire village without effort, moving so fast that their path was a blur of black flame. Even so, they were still precise enough to strike each of their victims down with a perfect strike through their hearts. But the village was built around one of the Soft Places, and there have been few instances of other attacks.

Still, there are other notable accounts of Xere’vai. The primary account is that of Xali Wyrsai, otherwise known as the Xere’lea–the Void Lord. One of the few who mostly resisted the warping influence of the power, Xali nevertheless succumbed to the intensity, lapsing into delusion, believing that he was the true descendant of Xereva, bound to enact his will on Vallyra. As a result of his beliefs, he gathered a massive crusade against the Sasiil, sweeping up many members of the Seven Clans to join him, and not a few of the Independent. But there were many Xeresh who were also unwilling to join, and fought alongside the Sasiil. Eventually a Hybrid creature and his comrades rose to defeat him, but not before the death of hundreds of thousands.

The second most well-known story was of Sava Ra’nae, the first Hierarch of Xerrakesh. When nearly at the end of his lifespan, Sava was brought to one of the power repositories by a subject of his, and consumed the entire source. He was the only known Xere’vai to retain full control of his personality and consciousness, but the alterations to his form alienated him from his people, forcing him to roam around Vallyra until his power was expended. Before the end of his significantly lengthened life, he returned to Xerrakesh just before the age of war, having traveled the world and seen the tensions coming to a boil. Though he warned Saya Iviir of the impending war, nothing could be changed–the Age of War began soon after.

— Despite their highly regimented and ordered system of classes and ranks, there is significant mobility in the Xeresh world. Most systems center on ability in combat or another area, such as politics or even pure efficiency. To change one’s rank or class, one must simply train to be better, putting in enough effort to have an impact. The lowest class is the unproven, the learners who have just fought their first duel.  The highest are in the the class of the Cita’lea, the City Lords, who take up residence in areas that vary from clan to clan. Originally the Cita’lea had a dedicated residence, the Citadel Towers, but each clan since adapted to their own standards. The Ra’nae clan houses its Cita’lea in a simple vaulted ice chamber, protected by ten hidden guards. The Ky’var clan, however, provides only a simple ten-foot-diameter desert-glass sphere for the Cita’lea’s residence.

Until the End of Time

I don’t know how coherent this is. Some parts won’t make sense, I’m pretty sure, but I’ll do my best to try and take some of the confusion away.

The main thing you need to know is that a K’sha is a ceremonial weapon of the Xeresh race, one which takes five years of one’s life energy to create. They’re linked to the wielder’s life, and when the wielder dies, so too does the sword. It’s the most precious possession in a Xeresh’s life, because they literally put five entire years of their life into the weapon itself.

The characters are taken from an older story of mine called Seven Successors, which I eventually plan on re-writing into a publishable piece in the Vallyran world.

Written with this music playing. I suggest you listen to it while reading.

~~~~

The night was cold, even through the massive pile of blankets heaped on my bed.

Soft rays of starlight filtered through the blue-tinted windows like water turned partially to air, wavering on my uncovered arms as I sat upright, looking around the room where I had lain for weeks. It was all clean white lines, basic amenities, and then the bed. And yet I knew every inch of it all, having memorized it with nothing else to do but rest.

Pain shot through my side, making me moan softly as I tried to force my thoughts away from the wounded surface. It was getting worse now—it had gotten worse from the first day of the healing. That was why they had put me here, in a place where the healers could watch me.

In a place where my family could be close to me.

They were draped across the chairs like coats thrown carelessly aside, utterly indifferent to the discomfort that it caused them. They had been staying here for three days, and hadn’t made one complaint about the cramped space. Especially for the twins, that was saying a lot.

They were boy and girl, both age seven, and the noise never ended if they were awake and together. They had argued almost from their cribs, and I didn’t expect that they would stop any time soon. They had come just over a hundred miles after getting my message, a journey that I was sure had left them tired and annoyed. But now they slept, and I couldn’t help but let out a wondering chuckle as I saw them passed out on each other’s shoulders.

Then there was my wife. She was normally the picture of elegance and wealth, dressed in any number of varying, vibrant colors. But now she was in white as the moonlight washed over her sleeping face, clothed in a simple dress that was more beautiful than anything I had known her to wear before.

Her eyes were closed, but I knew their color well anyway. The blue was so pale that it nearly seemed white, like the polar ice that surrounded the axis line of the planet. She shifted slightly, head moving from hand to headrest, and smiled faintly at something in her dreams.

The wound in my side spasmed again, and I doubled over, growling in an attempt to keep quiet. That was bad. The pain was at entirely new levels, and I knew that it was too close to a vital point to be just nerve reaction. I wasn’t going to last a lot longer. The arrowhead had been poisoned, and for the healers to remove it was risking death. If the concoction hit my bloodstream, everything was over. Xeresh toxins worked against all races, even their own.

“Sirae.”

My wife opened her eyes slowly, easily, as if she had been waiting to answer me for all this time. The carefree smile from her dream remained on her face, and widened when she saw the one on mine.

“Vey’ra, what are you doing up? It’s almost thirty, you should be asleep by now!”

I nodded and almost laughed, beckoning her closer. She rose with only a slight rustle of her dress, walking over and kneeling by my bedside, arms folded as she looked into my face. She wasn’t one to miss anything, and I knew that she saw right through what I was going to say before I even said it.

“It’s getting worse, isn’t it?”

I nodded to her and looked out through the window, watching the edge of the nebula pass by as our planet rotated into night. A thousand vivid colors were fading into darkness as the world turned, and I was saddened to think that it might be the last remnant of the day that I would see.

“It’s near a vital point. I couldn’t tell you which, but I know from the pain. I’m not going to be able to hold on long once it really starts.”

She nodded, relaxed and unfazed. Her eyes reflected the starlight as she looked up through the window as well, watching the end of the day, yet contemplating something more. She had seen more than her share of death in her lifetime, and wasn’t about to be troubled by what she knew had been coming.

“What do you need?”

I sat back and laced my arms together, resting on them as well as the pillow that lay up against the backboard. The pain was gone for the moment, leaving me free to talk.

“Stay with me. Right here. Don’t wake the twins, I don’t want them to know.”

She nodded and pulled herself up, then slid onto the bed with ease, dress fluttering lightly around her shoulders. Her arm encircled mine as I brought it down, and she lay against me lightly, a smile still on her face. I had known it would be like this for a long time; she felt nothing for death, even if it was mine.

“Are you scared?”

I nodded, and meant it. Despite the scripture, despite the preachers and the prayers and the good deeds, nothing was certain after death. And the pain wasn’t easy eith—

I doubled over again, hacking a single cough that brought spittle to my lips. I wiped without thinking, only to go cold when I realized it wasn’t saliva that lay against my palm. The faint glow of the power that ran through a Xeresh’s veins was familiar after a lifetime like mine, but never like this. Not ever my own. Never this bad.

“Vey’ra?”

I looked over at Sirae with eyes that shone with tears of pain, only to realize that she was crying tears of her own. The same smile still lay on her face, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Even in her worst moments, she always smiled. But as a tear made its way down her face, the lopsided half-grin I knew so well collapsed into sadness.

“Don’t leave.”

She held me tightly around the middle, above my wound but close enough to sting. I grabbed her hands in mine and squeezed, smiling a little myself as I realized the absurdity of the situation. Sirae never cracked. Ever. That she would do so here was nothing short of a miracle.

“You’ll find me again when you follow. Be it Xereva or Sasilva that takes me, I’ll always wait for you.”

She dug her head into my shoulder and let the tears fall, and I wrapped my arms around her with all the force I could manage, letting my own tears drip to the bed. It hadn’t been a long life, but it had been a good one, and I was going to go down as I thought I would—fighting.

Another spasm made me shudder as Sirae clutched me harder, but I just hugged her back, swallowing the blood and pain as blackness started to take my vision. She cried openly now, and I felt the short breaths that whispered ‘don’t leave’ into my ears as my arms went slack. The poison had hit my blood.

Only a matter of time.

“I’ll wait for you, Sirae. Always will I wait. Don’t ever give up on me.”

She nodded as my vision darkened again, and I pushed back with all my strength, heart energy making my red eyes glow as I willed the pain to retreat. There was one last thing I had to do before I left the world, one last bit of satisfaction.

“Get my K’sha. Quick.”

I said the words with the strength that the power afforded me, and Sirae complied instantly, hearing the change. She placed the sheathed diamond sword in my grasp barely a moment later, crawling up beside me, tears still flowing.

“What… what do you want to do?”

I smiled without a trace of pain, picked up the weapon, and closed my eyes.

“Only this.”

I poured every fragment of my soul into the contours of the blade, strengthening it, changing it, marking it with five characters and making sure that it would endure forever. And with the last of the fire that flowed from within, I removed the spell that would have destroyed it forever.

We both gasped at the same moment—me from pain, Sirae from surprise. I held my weapon up with the last of my wavering strength, and she took it gently, reverently, and read my last gift as I said my last words.

“Until the end of time.”

Races of Vallyra (Complete)

A note to all readers–time is measured here as it would be in Vallyra. Days are thirty hours, months are fifty days, and years are ten months.

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Section One – Vara’ne (Immortal Beings)

Less than a million years after the Universe began, a fault in the creation of a star began the life of the first of the immortals. But mere miles away, at the very center of the Universe, another was also being made. Together, the two results of immense possibility are the gods, and through them, the Universe and the Void it was created in speak their will.

Sasilva – The first one to be created, Sasilva (Star Child), was the result of an accident in the creation of a star. Her form reflects the elements from which she was created–her image is of a radiant female, with skin that shines with a golden brightness akin to the elemental substance of stardust. Her hair shines in a silver that is light in a purified form, and her eyes are a flawless crystalline.

Her actual composition is like nothing else in the Universe. Outwardly, the differences are in the radiance of her skin and hair, and the color of her eyes. But inwardly, barely anything would be recognizable to the Humans of earth. Instead of organ systems, there is a pure and concentrated volume of stardust that will never turn to another element. It keeps her body functioning no matter what: she does not need food or water, or even air. The stardust conforms to whatever shape it needs to take for any function she requires, and will keep her alive until the Universe itself is forced to end.

She is one of the two users of universal magic, and is the original creator of Vallyra.

Xereva – Second only to Sasilva in his creation, Xereva is the Void’s copy of the Universe’s first and greatest work. Instead of being formed of stardust, he was formed out of the very fabric of the element that created him–absence so concentrated that it has taken on mass. His body is a male’s, pure obsidian black studded occasionally by a stardust particle. His short hair is the same color, and his eyes burn a dying-star red that symbolize entropy in its most perfect form.

His inner workings are a wonder that surpass even Sasilva’s stardust core. Xereva is a being of the Void, and within him is something that could only be described as nothing at all. But in reality, the nothingness is so packed within him, so concentrated within the walls of his skin, that it is a micro black hole that can be shaped into substance much as Sasilva’s stardust can change to what she needs. He is self-sustaining as she is, and also immortal.

He is the second user of universal magic, and the other creator of Vallyra.

Section Two – Siru’ne (Higher Beings)

Sasiil – The Sasiil were Sasilva’s first sentient creation, and were formed out of the stardust core at the heart of Vallyra. She used herself as a model when shaping them, and as a result, they mimic her own body’s method for functioning–though it is significantly less efficient due to less material used for each.

The Sasiil appear as Humans, though their skin is exceptionally pale, and their hair generally leans towards the same (ie. silver, white, light blonde, etc). Within, however, they are composed of numerous specialized energy fields that perform functions recognizable to Humans. There are some which compose the structural system, producing lengths of tough fiber-like material which are similar to bones. Other fields make up the processing system, which is used to digest food and water and convert it to further energy. Every need that the Sasiil have is met by the energy within them.

Their connection to the elements (as they were created out of Vallyra’s stardust core) means that they can use elemental magic. In addition, the power within them means that they can also use life magic, and much more often than any other race. But the nature of the field structure also means that the energy will drain out eventually, becoming completely exhausted at exactly 100 years. At 90 years is when such effects are first felt, unless a Sasiil has spent a significant amount of life energy casting spells. The results of energy drain are much like accelerated human aging–Sasiil start to move more slowly, their skin wrinkles, their minds become less sharp.

Before that time, however, they remain at what seems to most other races as a perpetual 20. Their strength never varies, and neither does their appearance. Their minds remain just as sharp, and only when energy levels drop below a certain point do they start having problems with its circulation and distribution. In addition to their method of aging, the nature of their structural system allows them to control their bodies in ways that any solid-state being would be unable to do. They are known for being especially graceful when they move, appearing to practically flow over the ground.

Xeresh – Created by Xereva at the same time that Sasilva created the Sasiil, much less thought was put into their shaping. Instead of modeling their structure on himself as Sasilva had, he mostly let the stardust shape itself, condensing into different elements and as a result, different organs. The only point at which Xereva truly shaped them was after their inner systems had settled, when he realized that they didn’t have any ability to run without energy. So he created a sort of energy core that would sustain them in the place of a human heart, allowing power to flow through their veins instead of energy.

The Xeresh also appear as Humans, but their skin is a light gray, and their eye colors can vary much more than them or the Sasiil. Their system for functioning is very similar to Humans, with a few subtle differences. In place of blood, energy flows through a number of thick veins, as opposed to small capillaries that Humans have in some places. The energy allows for a much longer lifespan due to its strengthening effect on their organs, and can sustain them for up to 300 years. Their bones are the consistency of asteroid metal, which, in tandem with their tough skin, allows them to take a considerable amount of punishment before faltering. The residual presence of stardust in their minds also accelerates their reflexes, allowing them a 50-millisecond response time, even when unprepared for an event. This translates to incredible physical abilities, and the assumption by others that they can actually predict the future.

Like the Sasiil, the Xeresh also have a connection to the elements, and can use elemental magic as a result. However, their extremely concentrated life energy means that they are less able to use life magic, as a normal-sized spell would cost them a month’s worth of life.

The nature of their bodies offers them a longer lifespan, but their aging is visible in a way scalable to a human lifetime. At around age 90, they are in the prime years of their lives, with every function at its highest capacity. Near 150 they start to slow as their organs deteriorate, needing more energy from the core to sustain themselves at full capacity. At 210 their organs have adapted to decreased power flow, and are working smoothly, though not at prime strength. Around 270 is when energy flow has decreased enough to severely impact every organ system, and the result is the slow death of the Xeresh in question. At 300, the energy gives out completely, and the Xeresh dies.

Section Three – Sira’ne (Lower Beings)

Humans – A joint creation between Sasilva and Xereva, Humans were brought about to fill the void after the warring Sasiil and Xeresh nearly wiped each other out. (TENTATIVE) Their shaping was a merging of ideas from both of the gods, though Xereva obviously had more of a hand due to their inner structures.

Humans are built to populate, not to survive. Their functioning is entirely dependent on the strength of their organs, which continues to slowly deteriorate after the ‘perfect’ first generation was created. Though they originally enjoyed the 100-Vallyran-year lifespans of the Sasiil, the varied mutations from generation to generation eventually decreased their life expectancy to around 60. They are also the most fragile of the races, with comparatively thin skin and no healing abilities whatsoever. They possess no connections to the elements, and have no internal energies to use for life magic.

Their appearances vary depending on their location, but since they rarely inhabit the extreme areas as the Xeresh do, most of them look very similar. Their hair, eye, and skin colors vary much as we see on Earth.

Though they are in every way inferior to the Sasiil and Xeresh, they have one advantage that cannot be ignored: numbers. After they were created, Humans overtook every fertile area of Vallyra for their own, including the Sasiil ruins and a number of temporary Xeresh structures. Their vast presence alone is their greatest strength–they are that which all of the races with lesser numbers depends upon for trade, and they have outposts everywhere for anyone who wishes to travel. The cities that they have constructed and taken over are placed near some of the richest deposits of minerals and other resources, allowing them to dominate nearly every market.

But apart from their massive influence in the world, they are pathetic compared to almost any other race, even the animals. They are susceptible to serious injuries that neither the Xeresh nor the Sasiil would even react to, as well as diseases and other harmful influences.

Hybrids – Though there are both pros and cons in attempting such an act, hybrids are the result of a specific ritual spell meant to fuse a type of animal with a Human being. It was originally tried to allow Humans to compare to the Higher Beings, but the first results of untrained fusions were considered so hideous that any hybrids face serious discrimination. However, the spells have long been perfected, and there are some degrees of fusion that allow Humans to take on increased strength and senses without any physical indication of the change.

Originally, however, hybrids were half-and-half combinations, resembling a Human in overall shape but with a covering like the animal possessed and a significant number of structural differences. Even so, the benefits are impressive. Though the specific differences vary depending on the animal, general effects are increased speed, strength, and endurance, as well as a number of augmentations in the senses. Such advantages give them areas where they can match the Higher Beings, or even overtake them.

The downsides are few but significant. Lifespan is generally decreased depending on the animal’s remaining time to live, unless a meld is somehow attempted with one of the Greater Beings of the world (ie. dragon, ‘demon,’ etc) and the two bodies may sometimes attempt to reject each other, resulting in immense pain and occasionally mental damage.

Systems of Magic – Part Two

Right. The first four types of magic are listed below this post, and these are the other four.

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5 – Shaping Magic

At the core of Vallyra, there is a massive ball of stardust that the gods intended to make into a new star. But instead, the planet was built around it, and the inherently-magical material substance gradually formed into new elements, causing the superdense core to deteriorate. As a solution, the gods speared through the axis of the planet with a column of stardust connecting it to the cloud which half-envelops the planet. As a result, there are now two places where mortal beings can access the incredible properties of the pure elemental material.

By nature, stardust has the potential to become anything. It can be shaped into the mold of a sword and become a single piece of diamond, or it could be forced into the same molecular structure as leather, with any desired properties already present. It can even be formed into a new element, though experimentation with the laws of physics is dangerous.

Though shaping magic is the closest to universal magic that any mortal is likely to get, there are (as always) downsides. The first is the location of the stardust column. The planet rotates on a perfectly straight axis, and the ends exit in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by a steep incline to prevent the entire water source of the world from draining into the core. Reaching either of the two locations is a difficult task which entails a long period of traveling time. Even if one chooses to use ritual magic to teleport to the location, any kind of teleport diagram takes more time than most people would be willing to spend. And getting back after having made it to the location poses the same problem.

The second disadvantage is the personal cost of energy which is needed for the spell. Life magic equivalent to ten normal spells is required for a single shaping, no matter what the size of the object is. For even more complicated items, when the person actually shapes the object as well as the element it is to be composed of, the cost is double.

The last is the massive knowledge of Xereshinae required to do even a simple shaping. For the Xeresh, who speak in the language in addition to using Akashinae (lit. Mind-Speech) it is fine—but for the Sasiil, the only other race with access to shaping magic, it is a daunting task. All of the element’s properties must be described in minute detail, and the same goes for its desired shape.

6 – Spellweaving

- Though humans can technically use life magic, it is impractical due to the comparatively massive cost of energy. As a result, they are left only with ritual magic, which is impractical due to the length of time it takes to prepare and the knowledge required to use it. Thus humans started an entirely different branch of magic, which mimics elemental magic with a few fundamental differences.

The power source of spellweaving is a combination of elemental and ritual magic. A ritual spell is used to bind elemental magic into circular marble stones marked with the Xereshinae symbol for an element, or with one of two symbols for energy. (Sasi and Xere; Star and Void, respectively) When crushed together in a certain combination, the element and energy combine to form a basic energy field which the mage then shapes and uses.

The advantages to such a system are numerous. For one, it allows Humans access to a quick form of magic, something which they could not achieve before. It also lessens the massive toll on the mind which comes with most elemental spells, and power stones are easy to store and create. In addition, when spiked through the center, the raw element contained within is released in its purest form.

On the other hand, spellweaving means an additional level of mental work (memorizing combinations) and spell power is limited to the number of stones that a person possesses. Such stones also cost a lot to buy, and even the pre-cut marble which is needed to create the finished product is somewhat expensive. And in addition, actually casting the spell still takes a significant amount of mental energy.

7 and 8 – Imbued Magic and Symbol Spells

Arguably the best types of magic for any of the races, imbued magic and symbol spells draw on the properties of specific elements for storage of energy, which can be released later in the same form as life magic. Though ritual magic is usually required to store the energy in the first place, such spells usually take place a long time before the energy is actually used.

Imbued magic generally deals with gems, as jewels are the ideal repository for magical energy. A side effect of storage within precious stones is the loss of all the energy’s specialized characteristics, making it into what passes for the energy of life magic. The result is a small amount of pure, stored energy available for instant use, requiring only the mage’s mind to shape and direct.

Symbol spells are another method of storage, albeit more specialized and with an added requirement to make it more accessible. To create a magical symbol, a person first extracts energy either from a power stone or a ritual spell, and then runs it through a gem to purify it. The energy can then be bound into a single Xereshinae character, and simple directions in the same language cause it to take on the same meaning as the character designates. As an example, putting a symbol spell on a sword (‘lightness’) would cause the weapon to become lighter by the amount that the mage has set. The symbols are activated by placing a finger on the character and speaking the word out loud.

Systems of Magic – Part One

And now I bring to my blog the first true Worldbuilding post, straight from the pages of my journal. You might not understand some of it due to outside references, but I’ll try to work in as much of the story as I can.

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1 – Universal Magic

- Sasilva and Xereva (the two gods) are the only beings who can access this type of magic, and the result is why they are known as gods to all mortal beings. Having been created by a random accident of the universe’s potential, they are connected to everything within the realm of existence—right down to the atom. Such a connection means that they have the ability to shape the universe in any way they see fit, and to do whatever they want within it, including smashing right through the accepted laws of physics. They can shape stars or worlds, as well as destroy them. They can generate energy and substance from nothing, and can influence the raw materials of the universe (stardust) to become any element or any combination thereof.

A side effect of all this is a variety of senses beyond the normal ones, as well as an original five which are increased to the point of omnipotence. All spectrums are visible to them, and they can sense the whisper of an igniting star from half the universe away. But the most startling ability is that they can sense everything that goes on in the universe at once, and can process it without even blinking. They can even predict some events, but only on a universal scale—mortal activities are mostly unpredictable.

2 – Elemental Magic

- Available only to the two races that were created from the earth (the Sasiil and the Xeresh), elemental magic is an extremely potent means to an end. Since the two races were created of the earth, they are connected to it, albeit not as strongly as the gods are connected to the universe. As such, they have control over the four basic elements of the world—air, earth, water, and fire. They can shape and direct limited amounts of it without any loss of power, allowing them to perform astonishing feats that any Human might consider impossible.

There are, however, a few limits on what such powerful magic can do. Though there is no physical strain on the user, the focus required to draw on one’s connection to the earth is immense, and hard to sustain for any long period of time. The effect can be dulled with practice, but the strain never completely disappears, especially during large spells. In addition, the range of spell control is limited: one can only draw elements within a certain sphere, and extending their range outside of that means losing their abilities in other parts of that area. Lastly, the amount of an element that can be controlled at once is also limited. The connection to the earth only extends so far, and straining it risks drawing power from one’s own body to fuel the spell.

3 – Life Magic

- This kind of power is available to all of the races, and to animals as well. However, the massive disadvantages make it impractical for almost all of them, even though the effects of using it are potentially even greater than the largest elemental creation.

Life magic, as the name implies, draws its power from the life of the wielder. The two original races (the Sasiil and Xeresh) both possess energy fields within them that they can shape to whatever they can envision. The downside, of course, is that the energy within them makes up their life force, and each use of it drains them of a set amount of time in their lives. For the Sasiil, it is a half-day of life per normal-sized spell, which is only a fraction of time in the altered time scale of the world. (1 day = 30 hours, 1 month = 50 days, 1 year = 10 months) But for the Xeresh, who possess only a core of energy instead of fields of it as the Sasiil do, a normal spell costs an entire month. And for humans, who possess no pure energy to draw upon, a single life magic spell means instant death.

Even though the disadvantages are terrible to imagine, the benefits are numerous. Pure energy can be shaped into any effect that the wielder can imagine, and can be combined with elemental magic to increase range, control area, and focus. It can manifest as telekinesis or incredible strength, or it could be as innocuous as a slightly changed appearance. Any effect is achievable, and the only limit is the span of a person’s life.

4 – Ritual Magic

- Ritual magic is the most complicated form of magic, utilizing diagrams and a number of symbols to perform the written effect. It is how the most complicated structures and spells are generated, and there is almost no defending against an attack which is performed via a ritual.

The concept of ritual magic is simple: instead of drawing on the power of the earth or the power of life, draw on the power of the universe itself. But to do so means that one must have a significant knowledge of Xereshinae (Language of the Void) characters, as well as the symbol diagrams appropriate for the type of spell. In addition, a significant amount of mental energy is expended trying to keep the resulting spell in line, and generally requires two or more people to do effectively.

Ritual spells can take a long time to prepare, and are generally not used in combat unless it is an opening attack or a previously-set trap. However, for building and medical purposes, they excel at doing their job. An additional use is for binding universal power into certain objects, which can be used later without any requirements for power. But using such energy is an entirely different branch of magic.

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This is the first part of my Systems of Magic entries; I’ll have the rest of it up by the end of the day.

Prologue

The Void waited, empty and absolute, for anything.

No light rebounded from its endless horizons, and no noise echoed through its untold depths. It was perfect, twisted absence—devoid of life, devoid of matter, and devoid of all else. Even darkness was absent, for no light existed for contrast—the expanse remained forever in the non-dark, stable and still.

And yet in one spot,one insignificant atom’s diameter in the vast ocean of emptiness, a point of light appeared. Its density warped even the Void around it, twisting the dimension into shapes that bent the light’s purity into a thousand ribbons of tortured brilliance.

Its origins were unknown, as were the Void’s. It had simply come from nowhere, a result of sheer potential and ignorance for the blankness of the Void before it. But eventually the brightness was lost to the bleak infinity, extinguished after only a million years.

But then, from nothing, the Universe burst forth in radiant glory.

From a particle so small that atoms seemed giant, an entire realm of energy exploded in an outpouring of searing-hot matter. Golden ribbons of unshaped power burst into the nothingness in an expanding sphere, pushing out the previous oblivion and making way for life.

Starfire danced like lightning through the particles of unformed elements, undulating and twisting in an exotic display of pure energy. It flew past its own field of light and overtook it by a million miles, paving the way for the Universe, blazing fiercely to beat back the Void and stake its claims.

But all too soon, the triumphant expansion slowed.

The Void reclaimed its territory in a flurry of shadow, and the massive clouds of new matter grew smaller and scarcer. But still the edges of the Universe pressed on, enduring in the face of all that they had lost, expanding in a widening globe that whispered of infinite potential.

The Universe and the Void would endure forever, always at odds, but never able to seize victory. Neither could win—the Universe could expand for all eternity, but the Void would always define its boundaries. And so both waited through the many years, forever separated, for one or the other to prevail.

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This isn’t the first time I tried to write this scene. It took a lot to actually start to envision what it would take for a universe to be born–even in fantasy, it’s still a hell of a task. I went through five total revisions before arriving here, and I enjoy reading over it and seeing what I came up with.

I love constructive criticism, so as soon as you read this, post what you think. It’s the first of many glances into what I’m actually writing–apart from my worldbuilding entries, which are really more ideas than actual writing.

~ Xen

Vallyra – Map

I drew this up recently–took me a few hours of work with all the cutting out of continents, preliminary sketching, inking, shading, and scanning. But I did it, and it’s the first thing I’ve consciously chosen to draw.

…of course, that’s if you count doing work at 12:00 at night conscious. But anyway, here’s the unreadable mash of color and lines that I call a map. See what you can make of it.

It’s a bit pixelated due to the storage system on this site, but I can’t really help that. Click on it if you want to see the full sized version–it’s high resolution, so it might take a bit of time to load.

You’ll get a story as to how this was created later; I know much of it looks a bit random, as someone was kind enough to note on a forum, but I assure you there is a reason for this.

Key

Green – Fertile areas, generally grasslands

Brown – Barren areas, not yet developed

Dark Gray – Wastelands

Light Gray – Wintyrwastes

Yellow – Desert

The Beginning

Before I begin, I should explain some things.

Vallyra is not merely the name of a story that I am writing, not just a work of fiction. It may be just words upon a page so far, read by only a few and commented on by fewer still, but it is also more than that. So far, it may be only an idea–but it will become so much more.

Vallyra is a world.

Vallyra is my creation, my greatest work, and the second love of my life.

Vallyra is my shaped imagination, my concentrated creativity. It is the canvas upon which I paint my ideas, and it is the marble block which I will chisel into a work worthy of the public’s eyes. It is to be my masterwork, and I intend to devote as much time as possible. Through the school year and through the summer, I will dedicate myself to this project as if it were my life’s work–as it may well turn out to be.

If you do not understand what I mean by all of this, then I offer another explanation. Vallyra is to be my first novel ever published, and I will dedicate myself to it as completely as a person can.

This is my promise, and this is my goal.

~ Xen