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Introduction:-

Many millennia ago an evil god tried to enslave all of the females in the world in order to create an army of monsters to conquer both the world of mortals and the land of the gods, but the other gods, catching wind of that plan, fought back against him. Unfortunately, in the battle that ensued, and seeing no way of his plan succeeding, the evil god in his last-ditch attempt eliminated all the females and cursed the mortal world so that no more females were born ever again, before disappearing into some unknown realm. The 'if I can't have them, no one will' scenario.

In an attempt to fix the world, the remaining gods gave the remaining, male mortals, the ability to bear children to keep the world populated, unfortunately, they weren't able to fix the 'no female children' problem, as the evil god's curse was too powerful and too complicated even for them to break.

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Timeline, Setting, and Population:-

A modern-fantasy world where magic flows freely in almost everything and fantastical, magical creatures can be found roaming free in the wilds. Of course, with a dash of modern science like cellphones, cars, electrical appliances, so on and so forth.

Also, lots of fantasy races can be found here like elves, orcs, dwarves, beastmen, lizardmen, fey, so on and so forth, all living in relative harmony with each other. But of course, there is a tiny bit of animosity between a handful few of these races against each other, but aside from those few, they know how to live well together, enough to even form close relationships and create families.

Of course, that means hybrids are also a common sight in Aurum, beings born with the traits of two races instead of one.

Unspoken, Social Hierarchy:-

In a world of magic, it's only natural to respect those who can wield and utilize it on any level, although it's not an unofficial rule/law, some individuals, especially those of nobility enforce it mostly to make themselves feel important.

They even came up with a slur for those who don't or can't wield magic: Mundanes. Because they see them as boring and basic lifeforms with no importance, whatsoever, other than cheap labor.

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Universal Culture:-

Aside from the magic and modern culture, Aurum is a pretty sexually open world. Sex anywhere and at any time is pretty common that it became a bit of a normal activity between men.

Of course, that also includes the way people dress, which ranges from normal clothes to suggestive clothing, or even totally naked. Of course, special clothes that provide quick and easy 'access' are also made and worn regularly. That includes uniforms and official clothing, as well.

Genders:-

With no women around, only males were left in the world, but, the gods and goddesses made it so that the existence of intersex males was just as common as any male, their way to cheat around the evil god's curse.

So, intersex males are as close to females that this world will get, but they are still counted as males.

Breeder's Mark:-

Unfortunately, not all men can bear children, but those who can, be it naturally or through special augmentation, are marked with a special tattoo, that is usually placed on the hips, above the rear, around the navel, or above the crotch, mostly placed on either the last two places.

Each mark is unique between races and/or individuals, but it's always designed and shaped somewhat similarly.

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Regions and Kingdoms:

Some of the important regions and kingdoms of the world.

Empire of Solari:-

One of the four, biggest empires/kingdoms of Aurum. Solari boasts about having the mightiest military in the entire world, since most of their armory and weaponry mixes advanced science with powerful magic, most would believe so. It's also home to the Church of the Sun, the biggest religious organization in the empire, and the most influential, even among the royal court.

Ruled by Emperor Solaris, a powerful but generous and fair individual who started his era of rule pretty early in his life due to family complications.

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Kingdom of Auprua:

Located in the center of the Sarabia region, it's the third biggest kingdom of Aurum. Boasting the greatest of all magical forces due to their ancestors living alongside magic and all of its fantastical creatures in perfect harmony, some were even revered and worshipped as gods.

Pharaoh Tiakk Sut rules the region with a gentle hand but piercing gaze. From his former position as head priest, it was discovered that he was gifted with a powerful affinity for both necromantic and clairvoyance magic, able to discern any situation from both his visions and the words of the dead. Because of this, Auprua also boasts as one of the most peaceful kingdoms in the world, but the same, unfortunately, can't be said for the region as a whole.

Empire of Lunepia:

The land birthed under the moon, is what it was called as the first settlers of the land finished building their first version of the city under the beautiful eyes of a full moon, and that day, or night rather, is celebrated every year under a full moon, even when the city continued to grow, spread, and prosper into a giant empire. Tradition and culture are all what Lunepia is about, honoring their ancestors by resorting to the same architecture of old times, respecting the codes of honor that were written a long time ago, and of course, the ways they conduct their magic.

Their own spell cards are called talismans or seals instead, and using them requires great focus, so they resort to the ways of martial arts and bushido, birthing their own version of magic: Spirit Magic, embuing their bodies and/or weapons with the powers of ancient and powerful spirits, a special fighting technique was birthed from this, called Spirit Fist style, was created by monks of the Temple of the Moon, the very first religious sect in Lunepia. The emperor himself, Akihiko Futaba, as well as those of the royal family can call on the powerful spirits of their ancestors to offer their aid, since it's believed that due to their good deeds, the ancestors ascended to godhood. Whether that was true or not, no one knows, not even the royal family.

Lands of Ushalan:

The lands of freezing tundra in the far north, in this region, there are no kingdoms or empires, just vast lands ruled and governed by Clans that finally found peace together after many centuries of war with each other. Each clan is ruled by a chief, or jarl, as they're called there, with his own personal council of trusted individuals to govern their lands with.

Each year, the various clans of Ushalan gather together under the great Jotun Mountains for the Great Commune, a celebration of the beginning of their peaceful times with one another, starting with gift sharing among each other, followed by a HUGE feast and festival, filled with music, dancing, and laughter, finally ending with some... intimate gestures and 'sensual activities' under the moon and starry skies. Actually, the last part only started after two jarls of rivaling clans became 'intimate' with one another after one-too-many drinks, the others followed suit and soon it became a part of the 'festivities'.

This is also the place where magic runes were created, at first, runes were made to ward off wild animals and malicious spirits as well as foretell prophecies, but soon after the craft evolved into utility runes for home usage, alarm and tracking runes for hunting and/or camping, even combat runes to use in battle, although they break after one use because combat magic is too powerful for such small items.

Kingdom of Subterra:

An underground kingdom with various entries and tunnels leading to and from it, hidden deep under the lands of the Solari Empire. Most of its citizens are cave trolls and other subterranean creatures, but it's also the perfect place for criminals and bad people on the run to hide at, relax and kick up their feet.

How is that an issue you say? Well, unfortunately, the people of Subterra are very private and VERY wary of outsiders, they have a lot of abandoned tunnels that have, over time, turned into dens of crime and they usually leave those alone, open to whoever wants to use them. As long as those who are squatting in those tunnels don't bother them, they won't care how or why they are there.

They also take GREAT offense if some outsider decides to stick their noses into their business, especially their King, Mortius Vladicus Enigmus III, to him sticking your nose in other people's business is the same as spying, which is a punishable crime and he won't hesitate to punish those who try to do so in his kingdom.

The Floating Continent of Avis:

A continent that has been the target of many assaults from all the other countries over the centuries, until their ancestors decided that enough is enough and used a powerful combination of Wind, Gravity, Cosmo, and Void magic to lift the entire continent high up in the sky, hiding it above. Now each of its cities is connected to each other by 'sky roads' and teleportation pads, as well as flying/floating vehicles are the main forms of transportation.

Just like Subterra, the people of Avis are wary and suspicious of outsiders, to the point that even those who are there on official business are either heavily supervised by the royal guard or turned out right. However, the current ruler, Lord Nero Evalos, is contemplating lowering the continent and opening it's gates to other continents once more, but the Council of Elders, a collection of wise men with powerful magic have been opposing that decision at every turn, and without their consent, he can't move forward with this goal.

Being kept away from the entire world for so long, the technology, ideals, and the very culture of Avis might seem a bit... primitive and 'old-school' to the majority of the people of Aurum, but because of that, they can easily rival the people of Auprua when it comes to magical prowess since even their most amateur caster can learn to control and cast Cosmo and Void magic, two of the rarest elements in the world.

Empire of Geartropolis:-

Their steampunk technology might seem old-fashioned, but it's just as advanced and powerful as the rest of the world. In this city, it's mostly humans and 'domestic' beastmen species, like dogs, cats, and rodents, with the beastmen having a higher social status than the humans and any other race that calls Geartropolis their home.

Not many people in this country use magic, but the majority use their version of Technomagic they call 'Steamcasting' which mostly consists of Utility magic that fits their domain. Lord Alistar Claudius Bermington, or rather his great-great-grandfather, was the one who invented steamcasting.

Underwater Kingdom of Nautine:-

Deep underwater is the main dwelling for all marine lifeforms and races, Nautine is a beautiful place that some people say that it's something out of an artist's dream. The people of Nautine value the arts and other skills relating to them, like music, painting, and sculpting, among others. King Nautilus Triton himself would gift those of his people who does exceptional work for him with paintings of their choice, sculptures, or even a song or poem dedicated to them, all done either by himself or one of the artisans under his employ and they are among the best in the entire kingdom.

But their most treasured tradition is singing, since their ancestors, the sirens and mermaids, sang to all sorts of people all over the world, it became engraved into their tradition to the point that they created Song magic, similar to what a magical bard does, but with vocalization instead of using musical instruments.

Empire of Olympia:-

A large empire located in the far south of the same continent as Solari, with the capital city of Gladieus being the main hub for, well, everything, it's also where the emperor of Olympia dwells, as well as where the Coliseum is located.

The Coliseum is the main attraction of Olympia where mighty gladiators fight tooth and nail for fame, wealth, and glory, even King Dimas Pano himself participates every now and then as he is a mighty warrior in his own right. The fights in the coliseum used to be to the death, but that concept has been abolished many centuries ago as it was, to the emperor at the time, a waste of life and good soldiers.

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Places of Interest:-

Church of the Sun:-

The main religious sect in Solari, each city with a church has its own bishop to govern it, while an archbishop governs all churches. Members of the church are held at a pretty high pedestal, especially among the parishioners, most of them have great affinity to light and holy magic, which enforces the belief that they are favored by the gods.

The Black River:

The largest river in Sarabia. It got its name from its black and blue waters, which led people to believe that it lead to the afterlife, where the dead get judged. So, in old times, people tended to set their dead in the river as a way to send them off.

But later, it was proven that the strange and ominous coloration of the river was due to all the dark-colored kelp that filled the river's bed, and soon after, the emperor ordered all the bodies in the river be retrieved and given proper ceremonies and burials.

Temple of the Moon:-

The Moon Reverence is the main religion in Lunepia, due to their history. The monks of the temple all have the emblem of the moon's two phases painted on their foreheads as a sign of their devotion, but only if they pass the trials. Said trials consist of various stages, each testing a monk's determination, devotion, and even loyalty to the temple.

Ninja village of Inaba:

A hidden village of shinobi where the mystical and stealthy arts of ninjutsu are taught. Members of this village, once they 'graduate', are sent out into the world to live their own lives, most of them find employment under some powerful and/or wealthy figure or resort to adventuring, mercenary work, or bounty hunting.

Magic Academies:-

Special acamdemie that teach their students all about magic, its various schools and types, as well as how to utilize each one to its full potential while increasing their own. It's also where students go to train for their profession of choice that uses their specific type of magic.

Every continent/country/kingdom must have at least one academy to teach the new generation(s) of spellcasters.

Magic Shops:-

The one-stop locations for all a mage's spellcasting needs. From magical gear, enchanted weapons, special gear, and even new spell cards. Although they still need to form a contract with the spirits inside to be able to cast these new spells.

Guilds:-

Places where people with various skills or a certain set of them gather to work towards a collective goal or work on their own, personal agenda. The most common of such guilds is the Adventurer's Guild and Magic Guilds, but there are many guilds for various other reasons as well.

Rogue Guilds:-

Similar to function as guilds, but these kinds of guilds usually work under the radar and with/in the underground of any city, creating nefarious deals, making illegal trade/business with shady characters, and even hitman works for certain clients.

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Individuals of Interest:-

Empire of Solari:-

King Leonidas Solaris:

Ruler and Emperor of the Solari empire, Leonidas had a pretty rocky start in his rule as he had quite the mess to clean up after his father and older brother almost mucked the entire civilization to the dirt and almost caused a civil war. Luckily, his father, a pretty disgusting tyrant, was dethroned by his uncle and had both him and his eldest son, a spoiled, snobbish brat of a man, arrested for their crimes against the empire and imprisoned.

His uncle, Marchaw Solaris, assumed the role of 'Acting Emperor' until Leonidas became an adult to take his rightful place the throne. Marchaw couldn't rule full-time because he wasn't a Solaris by blood, but that was fine because he had no plans of ruling, whatsoever, he was more than happy to give the throne to his nephew once he came of age.

The people already knew that he was a more fair and gentle ruler than his father and possibly his brother, and many hoped that he would assume the rule instead of his brother. He would regularly interact with his subjects, both nobility and commoners, treating them all as equals and doing his best to give everyone a fair chance of life in his empire, even more so now that he was the ruler.

Bishop Lucas Lightmoon:

Lunecia City's church's bishop. Among his many duties as a bishop, he would offer spiritual and physical healing and relief to those who request it, using his own body if needed. He was born with a great affinity to light and holy magic, so him becoming a member of the church was pretty much set in stone for his future, a future he loathed since he had no say in it, but learned to embrace it since it allows him to help others, be it through magic or even a few kind words.

Being one of the men who are intersex, many come to him to savor the feeling of 'what it would be like to lay with a woman', a bit objectifying thought, but it's one he also embraces as it is, to him, another way to help his people. Besides, he gets to have some fun out of such an arrangement too, although the other bishops, and some of his own church's staff, see issue in allowing himself to be objectified as so. But, to put it bluntly, he doesn't give a fuck! XP

He is loved and revered by many, and just as many people wish he'd become the next Archbishop, the highest ranking church official. But, after seeing how other bishops who vie for this position, as well as previous archbishops, acted, he would lose interest in the position itself by the day until he lost all interest. Besides, he's pretty comfortable in his current position, surrounded by people he knows and trusts.

Sthenos, Euralos, & Medos:

Three childhood and brothers-in-crime that fought to claw their way out of poverty and soon became the leaders of their own rogue guild, the Snake Eyes, nothing happens in the underground and slums of any city their guild operates in without their knowledge. There are also rumors that say that they have the blood of Gorgons in their bodies, but whether that's true or not, only they know and they don't talk about that with just anyone.

Sthenos, the oldest, always protected his younger 'brothers' when they got into trouble, not hesitating to resort to violence or even murder if it made sure they were safe.

Euralos, the middle one, was the brains behind their operations. Always thinking ahead a few steps and coming up with various scenarios that might or might not happen, but being prepared is always good.

Medos, the youngest, is the gadgeteer, he's the one behind all of their various gadgets, tools, and even strange, hidden weapons that all three carry on them. He's also, usually, the most impulsive and somewhat childish of the trio.

Detective Bartalby Amadeos:

Private detective and guildmaster of the detective guild MagniScope, an agency-like guild of private detectives and former investigative journalists. As a former police detective, he saw, firsthand, the kind of corruption and scandalous acts that a large population of nobility get to on a casual, regular basis, but unable to do anything about it due to all the official restrictions on him and the police, he left to seek out justice in his own way.

Soon after that, with the help of some friends who were also frustrated policemen and detectives, he created MagniScope, the looking glass that will reveal all of the hideous truths of this empire.

Salazar Coleman:

Guildmaster of Lunecia City's Adventurer's guild. Being former military under the former king, he knows what makes a good soldier, so he's pretty strict on the requirements that a person needs to have in order to become an adventurer. But not all of them were approved by his superiors due to some of the said requirements were pretty unfair or downright impossible to achieve.

But, the superior board of all adventurer guilds offered him that position because, despite his strict rules and requirements, he has quite the eye for potential, so getting approved by him directly was considered a high honor among most adventurers.

Kingdom of Auprua:-

Pharaoh Tiakk Sut:

The ruling figure of Auprua. A mighty sorcerer who comes from a long line of powerful casters, some even believed they were descendants of the very gods that watch their lands. Before he took rule of the kingdom, he was the head priest and the former king's second advisor due to his intelligence and devotion to both the land and the throne.

As the head priest, he was the one who offered the final prayers to the cleaned, purified, and finally, mummified dead before they are sent off to the other world. He still takes on said duty on occasion, but not a lot due to his new and current position keeping him away.

High Priest Senam Sut:

Tiakk Sut's cousin that was born from... 'lesser' members of the royal family, some even question how he got the position of high priest and are wary of him doing the ceremony of sending off the dead. But he doesn't let it bother him because he knows that his cousin, the pharaoh, trusts him and his skills to do his job properly.

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Jibade Basa:

Proclaimed the mightiest warrior in all of Auprua and champion gladiator of the Arena. Now is the pharaoh's lover and personal bodyguard, although their personalities tend to clash at times. While Tiakk is calm and regal, Jibade is brash, loud, and obnoxious, some would even say he's quite the sleaze, all habits he carried over from his gladiator days, but above all else, he is loyal, mostly to his pharaoh/lover.

He is one of the only three gladiators who know how to use magic, his main expertise being Synergy and Enchantment magic, every battle he took part in at the Arena was quite the spectacle for the audience as they witness his prowess in combat and the mystic arts, dazzling all of those who watched. It was actually during one of those matches that he and Tiakk met, the pharaoh took him back to his palace and claimed him as his own. Or rather, the pharaoh got claimed by this magnificent warrior~ ;3

Saleem Mazin:

Adventurer, archeologist, historian, and treasure hunter, also (unofficially) tomb raider, is also the guildmaster of Auprua's biggest adventurer guild. Ever since he was a child, he loved everything to do about the history of previous cultures and civilizations, resorting to, almost, any means to get that knowledge, usually that ends with him being thrown in jail for trespassing on burial grounds and catacombs where he doesn't belong or chased out by the restless undead that haven't been tended to properly before burial.

Empire of Lunepia:-

Emperor Akihiko Futaba:

The current ruler of Lunepia, with his palace located in the capital city of Mayonaka, the city of midnight, is also where the main temple for the moon reverence is located. For someone so young to take the ruling seat was a decision that left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths, especially those who are closely associated to the throne. But that was the decision his father made and he was unmovable nor would he discuss any alternatives, he just trusted his son that much.

So, now merely twenty years old, Akihiko was left to shoulder the lives of thousands, if not millions, of his people as well as the prosperity of his region. Not to mention that he also has his own family to take care of, as well.

Harusuke Futaba:

Initially, Harusuke Mikomo, was a monk of the Temple of the Moon, now Akihiko's loyal husband and devoted mother to their children. Has a bit of feminine tendencies, but is a pretty powerful fighter and user of the Spirit Fist technique, also has a great affinity to magic, making him a pretty formidable caster as well.

They met during one of the former emperor's visits to the Temple when they were both younger, in their teens, give or take, and it was love at first sight between them. The rest, as they say, is history.

Kenya Sanada:

A pretty skilled ninja from the hidden village of Inaba, whose father found employment under the former emperor, so now it was his turn to serve the ruling seat as Akihiko's right-hand man. He's also the leader of the ninja squadron that serves the emperor from the shadows.

General Tetsunoshin Akihara:

The former emperor's aid and general of his armies, he was also the one who taught Akihiko the ways of combat, and now serves the young emperor with as much devotion and loyalty as he did his father before him.

Lands of Ushalan:-

Jarl Eyvind Hrokssom:

The jarl of the Jormengandr clan. A large and imposing man of mighty stature and presence, any average person would cower in his direct vicinity, but he's actually a pretty gentle and kind individual, first trying to see the good in people before he's more open to other thoughts and impressions of them.

Sigvat Thorna:

One of the priests who watch over and protect Yggdrasil, the World Tree. One of the most powerful sorcerers in Ushalan, his council is sought after by countless individuals of the region, but only those who can reach him are deemed worthy of his council.

Geirhart the Berserker:

A wild clanless warrior who is more feral beast than man. He lives just like the beast he is, doing nothing but hunting, eating, maybe breeding, and sleeping, but nothing gets his blood pumping like a good fight against a worthy opponent.

There are quite a few stories about him, from being the child of Fenrir, Bringer of Ragnarok, to someone raised by trolls and/or other forms of wild creatures. But everyone knows one thing for a fact about him: He's a menace, wherever he goes.

Kingdom of Subterra:-

King Mortius Vladicus Enigmus III:

The fifth king of Subterra and the third of his name, his family are well-known for having pretty long life spans for some reason, so it's not uncommon that a king of Subterra would rule for multiple generations at a time before even thinking about producing an heir. Mortius himself is pretty young, so many believe that he will rule for many decades, if not centuries, to come.

Despite being a bit short in stature, he is pretty strong, physically, not to mention that his family are also well-known to be masters of Synergy magic, easily making him a one-man-legion, but even without the magic, he can easily wield his trusty war axe, Earthbreaker, single-handedly, and the thing is almost twice, if not thrice, his own size and weight.

Unfortunately, he's not that regal in personality. A messy glutton who spends the majority of his spare time eating and eating and eating some more, not to mention that he's quite the narcissist, even ordered the entire kingdom's sculptors to his city of dwelling and had them build multiple statues all over the city in his honor, most of them spent sleepless nights on each and every statue and if one doesn't suit or fit his vision of 'perfect' he just smashes it to pieces and forces the sculptor(s) who made to start from scratch. So yeah, he's quite the tyrant as well.

Continent of Avis:-

Lord Nero Evalos:

The current ruling figure of Avis. Ruling 'figure' because, despite his title, a lot of things he wants to implement can't go forward without the permission of Avis' Council of Elders. His first ambition as a ruler was to put Avis back in its place on the ground, connect once again with the world below them, and allow their continent to learn and prosper even further.

His first and foremost concern is his people's safety and happiness, always trying to keep things lively and interesting, but that has his limits when you're cut off from the rest of the world and the only things that are interesting to you and your people are things you always do on a regular basis.

He actually has a scrying orb, secretly hidden from others and only his closest, most trusted aid and advisor knows about its existence, he uses it to learn of what had transpired in the world around them while his people have been put in this self-imposed exile. This is how he learned of how the other continents have advanced and evolved in everything, their culture, their magic, their ways of life, everything. He became jealous, but not in a bad, now he's using that jealousy to fuel his ambition of putting Avis back on the world map even more. If only he could convince those senile, decrepit, old fools on the council.

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Empire of Geartropolis:-

Lord Alistar Claudius Bermington:

The current ruler of Geartroplis whose ancestors invented their empire's special Steamcasting techniques. An inventor in his own right, he usually locks himself up in his own laboratory to conduct his various experiments, usually resulting in the fire department coming in.

Was married once, but he was too absorbed in his work as lord and/or his projects that he neglected his ex-husband, which ended in a divorce. They left each other on good terms and occasionally got together for an outing or some tea, of course, he tried to reignite that passion and love they had for each other every now and then, but failing each time, doesn't mean he's gonna give up.

Detective Richard Barkley:

Former detective and currently the guildmaster of Geartroplois' branch of the detective guild MagniScope, being Bartalbey's adopted brother, it was not so strange for him to be given the title and position. He used to be a citizen of Solari during his college years, but he fell in love with Geartropolis when he went there as an exchange student one semester, so much so that as soon as he graduated, he moved there and became a permanent citizen.

As any detective in Magniscope, he is pretty skilled in Detection Magic, a special kind of utility magic that allows him to see and notice things that a normal person can't, especially if someone tried to hide such trails or clues using magic of their own. Which is why the police regularly call on him or one of his guildmembers when they're met with a case that they think might involve magic.

Dr. Kane Barkley:

Richard's husband and the guild's head Medical Examiner, a pretty gloomy individual with an almost constant dark aura around him, yet his world became quite a lot brighter after meeting Richard. His life growing up wasn't... the most bright, for the lack of better words, being the son of a mortician wasn't something to be proud off, especially in his neighborhood, not to mention the not-so-savory sorts that his father dealt with regularly didn't leave a too good impression on the neighbors.

Even after growing up and leaving that forsaken home, he was still fascinated with the mortal body, majoring in biology and anatomy, and soon found work as a freelance doctor. They met when Richard was still a police detective, it was love at first sight, followed by a date proposition a few days after the case was solved, thanks to Kane's help, and the detective wouldn't take 'No' for an answer. Their relationship took off from there.

Kingdom of Nautine:-

King Nautilus Triton:

The current ruler of Nautine and an avid admirer of all forms of art, especially modern art that he keeps seeing every now and then. He himself is a pretty good singer with a very nice voice, according to those who managed to listen to him sing, he's pretty shy about singing in front of others.

He comes from a long line of military men, generals, soldiers, commanders, they did it all and fought in many wars, but Nautilus himself dislikes conflict and would avoid it if possible. It's not that he is weak, on the contrary, he can take on quite the number of rowdy individuals all by himself, not to mention that he wields pretty powerful magic, but he always hated getting physical

Empire of Olympia:-

Emperor Dimas Pano:

Current emperor of Olympia with quite the heavy weight of expectations on his shoulders. Being the son of a mighty ruler before him, he has quite the big shoes to fill, which leaves him very little time to socialize or even have some private time.

But, he was eventually blessed with a beautiful husband who he's devoting what little personal time he could make to, of course, a lot of people, especially those on high governmental positions take issue with his choice of mates, his current husband being a former slave and hails from a very poor community. But all of their complaints would fall on deaf ears or were outright silenced by the emperor, some who persisted were even threatened to be stripped of their positions, something the emperor is totally capable of.

Nikos Salak:

From beggar to slave to the emperor's mate, Nikos' life sure was an interesting one. Hailing from a village located in a far corner of the empire, left to brave the harsh elements all on their own, with no dime to their name. Nikos himself, along with many other young adults, was sold to slavery by the greedy and desperate elders of the village, enduring years of torture that the slaves called 'training', not to mention the vile people he was sold to, he was all but broken.

But all of that changed when he met a certain gladiator who he was smitten by during the time he worked at the coliseum as a janitor, the owner at the time being his master. Of course, they met multiple times and their relationship grew every time, so imagine his surprise when the man he's been lusting and crushing over turned out to be the emperor himself.

Eratos Gallopo:

Mighty champion of the coliseum for many, many years, now retired but still longing to be active, he was chosen by the emperor to be his mate's bodyguard and he's been doing a superb job, so far. What Eratos sought out in the large arena of the coliseum wasn't fame, fortune, or wealth, but the excitement of battle, the rush of clashing with opponents mightier than himself, and the absolute satisfaction of coming out victorious.

But, all of those days are way behind him, now spending his days in a more calm atmosphere as the emperor's mate's bodyguard. Unlike many others, he didn't harbor any ill-will towards the former slave, none of the gladiators did, on the contrary, he believed that, despite those days being over, gladiators are nothing more than combat slaves, used to clash and bleed for the entertainment of the masses. So now, he putting all of the skills he learned from those days to protect this sweet young man from the jealous, vile, and treacherous serpents that lurk all around him and the emperor.

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Magic, Spells, and Decks:-

In this world, instead of chants and incantations, spells are condensed into cards that spellcasters use to cast their spells. And said spells, instead of blasting away, actually summon beasts and/or monsters of magic to use said spells. These spells are collected into grimoires that spellcasters carry around and can create their deck(s) from, of course, they can carry a certain number of spell cards at a time.

Spellcasters can earn new spells in various ways. Learning them through books, forming contracts with wild, magical beasts who can use the spell, these creatures who they form contracts and bonds with are called Familiars.

Of course, one doesn't have to be a spellcaster to be able to bond with a magical beast. Many individuals have such animals as pets, livestock, work animals, etc, etc.

Designs:-

Each region has its own design for its' spell cards'. Even the drawings on the cards that indicate show the spirit dwelling inside the spell cards is fitting for each design.

Solari = Tarot-like

Auprua = Plaques

Lunepia = Talismans

Ushalan = Small crystals

Avis = Glass feathers

Magic Tiers and Elements:-

All forms of magic are categorized into tiers and elements.

Tier 1: Small spells that don't require a familiar to cast, mainly things like levitation and automation.

Tier 2: Simple spells but still requires low-rank familiars to cast.

Tier 3: Bigger spells that are somewhat difficult to cast, even though the familiars are somewhat easy to bond with.

Tier 4: Large spells that require pretty high-ranking familiars to cast. Also, casting those takes some time and a lot of energy.

Tier 5: Legendary spells that summons familiars that are only heard of in fairytales and legends. Such familiars are VERY hard to find and even harder to bond with.

Tier 6: The highest tier of magic. The familiars of this rank are the closest creatures to the gods of the world, and are rumored to have a portion of their powers. Spells in this tier are known to cause chaos and natural disasters if/when used wrong.

Elements:-

Each spell can also be categorized between elements. And here are some examples

Common Elements:

Fire

Water

Wind

Earth

Light

Darkness

Uncommon Elements:

Storm

Nature

Ice

Mind

Holy

Unholy

Rare Elements:

Gravity

Smoke

Mist

Crystal

Toxin

Life

Death

Legendary Elements:

Aether

Cosmos

Void

Celestial

Infernal

Of course, there are other elements that are made from mixing and matching known elements together.

Schools of Magic:-

There are also various types or styles of magic called 'schools', each one acts differently and has its own familiars to call on.

There are:

Wizardry: Masters of the arcane and can cast basic spells, usually, from all schools.

Sorcery: Masters of the dark arts, unlike wizards, they bend the elements and magic of the world to their will instead of just swaying it. Usually comes at the cost of more energy.

Elementary: Mastery and command of the raw power of the elements themselves.

Synergy: Instead of sending blasts and sparks of magic flying, this school focuses more on empowering the caster's body and boosting their physical capabilities.

Conjuring/Beast Mastery: They're basically the same school, since they rely more on summoning their familiars to aid them for a short time, be it in their duties or in battle. They also have an affinity to bonding with beast-like creatures, be they mortal or magical.

Shamanism: Calling on ancient and powerful spirits to aid them, as long as said spirits think they're worthy of their aid. There's also a chance that already contracted spirits will nullify their contract with a caster if they lose respect for them.

Druidism: Respecting nature and everything it has to provide, Druids are experts in herbology and nature magic, some are even believed to be able to shapeshift, but no one was able to prove that since Druids are pretty tight-lipped about their practices.

Necromancy: Control over ghosts, phantoms, wraiths, and various forms of undead. Not illegal by any means, but it's a school of magic that is highly frowned upon as it uses some pretty dark arts to twist and bend death to the caster's will and disturb the dead from their long-earned rest. Even though it's not actually the souls of the dead that are used in reanimating corpses.

Divination: The art of reading the future or gazing into the past diviners are pretty rare since the spirits and beasts they must collect are just as rare. Even then, said familiars only show the past or future, it's up to the diviners themselves to read between the scenes.

Witchcraft: A strange and somewhat dangerous practice. Low-tier spells from this school are usually just small hexes and curses, but the higher-tier ones always require an offering or sacrifice of sorts to be cast, and the price can be pretty high.

Spirituality: The art of manipulating spirits or using them to empower the user, astral projection or Spirit Walking is also something they can do. Mostly monks and priests have more expertise in such arts.

Specialized Magic:-

Strange types of magic that don't fall under the usual schools of magic that are known to the world of Aurum.

Racial Magic: This is a special type of magic that doesn't fall under any school. Spells in this category are pretty unique to each race because people of that race are the only ones who have the perfectly optimal physical and/or magical aptitudes to use them, and most don't require a familiar to use.

Enchantment: Identical to Synergy, but instead of empowering the caster's body, it's all about embuing his gear and weapons with magical powers and/or properties.

Techno: Strange magic that was born from the combination of advanced science and mystical arts. Most of the 'spirits' under this type of magic are usually man-made automatons, combat androids, and other technomagical weapons.

Tantry: A pretty peculiar type of magic that relies on sexual energy and the manipulation of the physical body, to an extent. This magic usually relies on illusions, playing on the target's desires, charming them into obedience or fumbling their own spells.

Other Magic:-

Of course, there are other types of magic that don't use spells or familiars. Such magic is called Familiarless or Other magic.

Alchemy: A special magic that mixes with science to create various potions and other items of lesser magic potency or one-use items.

Runic: Instead of using familiars, this magic relies on special seals or Runes to create barriers, seals, and even talismans, as well as various tools enchanted with lesser magic. The good thing about Runes is that they are long-lasting, some even last for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

Utility: Spells that fall under this type are all tier 1, familiarless spells. Mostly used for daily routines like cleaning, cooking, and even hunting. None of the spells here are, nor can be, used for combat.

Cantrips: Miniature spells that are all familiarless, but they don't deal too much damage and are mostly used to disorient the opponent, if anything.

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Combat System:-

Time to explain how magical combat works.

Decks, Hand, and Casting:

Since the cards are so powerful, only a certain number can be carried by a mage at all times. That's called the Deck, and the number of spell cards that can be carried in a deck depends on the mana pool of the mage themselves, so if they have the mana for it, then a mage can carry about 100+ cards in their deck.

When in combat, only 6 cards can be pulled out and chosen from at a time for the same reason, that's the Hand and unlike the deck, regardless of the mage's power and/or mana pool, the number of cards in the hand can't exceed 6.

When using a spell, only 1 spell can be cast at a time, unless they're utility or cantrips. Once a spell is cast, the mage must wait for about a minute before the next card in the deck is naturally drawn, and that timer resets for each card drawn if they used multiple spells in succession. That rule can be cheated, though, for a tiny pinch of their mana, they can draw early, but the natural draw timer increases for each card drawn this way, for example, if the mage used 3 cards and they drew 3 cards back using this method, then they must wait 3 minutes for a natural draw to occur.

That was a general look at combat.

Official Duels:-

During official and/or sanctioned duels, there are some rules to follow.

-A barrier must be first cast, by a third party usually, to prevent any stray spells from damaging the general area around them.

-Each mage takes turns casting their spells, depending on their capabilities the opponent can either dodge or cast a counter or protection spell of their own. That doesn't count as them taking their turn, though.

-Instant Draws are allowed and don't count as a turn when used.

-The duel continues back and forth as such until one side is defeated, forfeits, or runs out of mana. If both sides are defeated or run out of mana at the same time, then it's considered a draw