What Is Cerah?
Cerah is a planet that is strongly connected to the Aether, an infinite void that is the origin of mana. Because of this strong connection, Cerah is home to many strange and mythical creatures. The humans on this land, along with many of its creatures are able to use the mana locked away in the Aether due to their own connections that come from being born on this planet. Cerah is a lush planet, with green forest and blue oceans. It almost resembles Earth, save for the fact that Cerah has few islands and only two continents. However, its land mass is still proportionate to that of Earth's. There is still only one yellow dwarf star in the sky (known by many names, but to humans they call it the Mesa), but there are two moons. Don't overthink gravity or the change of tides, all of that is the same on here as it is on Earth. What Is Mana? What is Arcana?
Mana is the energy of Cerah. It's used in every aspect of life, in a way mana can be described at the life force of Cerah. Mana comes directly from the Aether, as it acts as a link between the Aether and Cerah. Mana is so ingrained into Cerah that if it weren't there, Cerah would quickly crumble and all life on the planet would slowly fade away. While mana is very potent in Cera, not everyone has the ability to make any use of it, other than simply living. In fact, mana usage varies from race to race, with only four races (Dragons, Demons, Fae and Elves) having 100% of their population being able to use it. Even still, most that can use mana can only use it in its base form. Only a much smaller population is able to actually use mana through a medium. This is known as Arcana. Mana and Arcana are like cause and reaction. While mana is what powers Arcana, mana on its own cannot do much, as it is only a form of energy. Through the use of a medium, which is any item that has been enchanted to work using mana as an energy source, people are able to do much much more. A medium can be anything, from enchanted books to a simple enchanted lamp, even one's body can be used as a medium (this is an extremely rare case for most races, not including Dragons, Werewolves and Fae). There are many forms of Arcana, which will be detailed in a list somewhere further down this thread.
Arcana can also be split into different tiers. There are four different tiers of Arcana, as well as an extra tier that consists of spells labeled Miracles. Tier four Arcana is extremely hard to attain. While tiers one through three are learnable by anyone that can use Arcana, tier four is reserved for those that have a strong connection to the Aether. Not just anyone is able to use tier four, no matter how long they have trained and practiced in Arcana. Miracles are even rarer to see than tier four Arcana, as it seems that only the strongest of the Ofan Gein are able to perform Miracles. A Miracle is not something that can be learned, it is a mysterious power that only appears to certain people when they're in dire straits.
Below is a table containing the population percentages for each race on how many can only use base mana, how many can use Arcana and how many are Ofan Gein (Draconic for Gifted One, meaning able to use their body as a medium).
| Race: | Base Mana: | Arcana: | Ofan Gein: |
| Humans | 70% | 30% | 2% |
| Elves | 100% | 80% | 10% |
| Dwarves | 30% | 30% | 0% |
| Werewolves | 85% | 40% | 40% |
| Orcs | 20% | 20% | 0% |
| Demons | 100% | 70% | 8% |
| Dragons | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Fae | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Naga | 70% | 70% | 0% |
Races On Cerah
- Humans- Pretty self explanatory on this one. The human population exceeds every other race by far, but they are generally weaker in terms of physical strength. They have a high aptitude for the Arcana and can live to see a hundred years of age (some exceptions due to unnatural amounts of mana). Their average height is 5'9 for men and 5'4 for women.
- Dwarves- You know the type. Short, stocky and extremely blunt, Dwarves are proud and hardy people. In terms of physical strength they match up to Elves, but their Arcana aptitude is severely lacking. The only form of Arcana they can use is enchanting, but you best believe they can enchant the shit out of anything. Dwarves are also renowned in their skills of crafting and architecture (if you ask them, they're way better than Elves). Friendly towards humans, they even go so far as to trade with a few of them. While most Dwarves live in their underground kingdom Erothknol, some do seek out life above land and become merchants (usually). They can live to the ripe age of three hundred. The average height for both races is 4'5.
- Elves- Less Santa's helpers and more deadliest warriors on the planet, the Elves are very few in number (thanks mostly to humans). Lithe in frame, but extremely strong, the Elves aptitude for Arcana are only matched by the Fae and Demons and are only outclassed by Dragons themselves. Though a normally peaceful race, they despise humans and are distrustful of every other race. The Elves are rarely seen anymore, choosing to hide from the rest of the world. Excellent craftsmen, their work is sought out by all races (except for Dwarves). They can live to three hundred as well and their average height for men and women are 6'5 and 6'3 respectively.
- Minotaur- A race that has only been accepted as more than beasts for about a hundred years, Minotaur are unsurprisingly "bull-headed". Loud and quick to anger, people usually try to stay on the good sides of Minotaur these days. When they aren't bashing in some poor sap's head, they tend to stick to taverns where they rack up tabs that could keep Nobles up at night. For what they lack in Arcana, they make up for in great strength that far exceeds that of Elves and Dwarves. Their average height is 7'6 for men and a whopping 8' for their women. They can live to be sixty (due to their abnormally dangerous lifestyles).
- Dragons- Not your typical mindless beast, oh no. These dragons are far more wise and intelligent than any other being on the planet. It's said that Dragons were the first beings that roamed Cerah. With the strongest connections to the Aether on the planet and a complete mastery over Arcana and all things mana related, Dragons are number one. While they may have the smallest population on Cerah, if they really wished to rule Cerah they could. No one knows how old they can live to be, all that's known is that it's in the thousands. Little is known about how big they are as well, but it's said that the largest of them is the size of a mountain range.
- Orcs- Vile and brutish creatures, Orcs are generally hated by most other races. Orcs stay below ground in their own "cities" (if you can call it that) during the day and only come above ground at night, where they'll try to pillage anything that's close enough. As beastly as they might seem, they have a knack for tactics and even have their own hierarchical system. While most of them are inept at Arcana, the ones that can use mana do so exceptionally well. The average height of their men and women is 6' even and they can live to be eighty.
- Goblins- A race that to this day, is still barely considered a race. If it weren't for their ability to speak, they would probably have been knocked down to the title of "beast". More vile and less brutish than Orcs, it usually ends up in them going to Orcs for protection. Too bad the Orcs use them as slaves. A Goblin would use its own child as a shield before it let someone hurt it. For how weak they are, there is strength in numbers and Goblins can surely make up for that. Goblins can reproduce so frequently that Orcs actually have to eat half of their young, just to keep their population in check. They have no aptitude for Arcana, showing that even the Aether hates these creatures. They can live to the punitive age of 30 and their average height for both males and females is 4'.
- Werewolves- A terrifying race that keeps up the bravest adventure at night. They're bipedal in this world and they don't shift into hunky dreamboats. Their only form is that of a werewolf. You can actually tell the power of a werewolf by the color of its fur. A unique user of mana, most of their Arcana can only be done by them, a feature that not many other races have (the only other three being Dragons, Demons and Fae). Werewolves are nomadic in nature and stay together in packs of forty. They generally don't age over a hundred and twenty years. Their average height for males is 6'5 and for females is 6'9.
- Naga- A tribal, warrior people, the half-serpent half-man race are extremely rare to see. Almost all of the Naga stay on their native island Svek-Sa, which translates to 'holy land". They fiercely protect their home and forbid any other race from touching their sacred land. Having a massive Basilisk guarding their waters doesn't hurt either. The Naga have a great aptitude for Arcana, being the closest race to Dragons (that are considered a race, at least). Little is known of how long they can live for. Their "standing" height for males is 6' while their full length extends to 15'. Their "standing" height for females is also 6', while their full length extends to about 18'.
- Fae- Children of the World Tree, the Fae are a peaceful race. They physically can't leave the Mana Space of the World Tree, so as such they are only able to be seen in the Aluucari Forest. They, like Werewolves, Demons and Dragons, use a type of Arcana that is unique and only usable by them. They say that they are able to commune with the World Tree and as such, treat the World Tree as their master. The Fae are also, technically, immortal as when they die their bodies are returned to the World Tree and they are given new ones. Fae have no gender and only grow to be 3' tall.
- Demons- A dark and cruel race, Demons were one of the first races to live on Cerah. Due to a long history over horrible acts, Demons are heavily hated by all races, even by the peaceful Fae (Dragons are an exception, as they see all other life as insignificant). Even in Edwyn, the most accepting and mixed of all kingdoms, there's a strict ban against Demons entering their lands. Even half-demons are subject to scrutiny. While their connection to the Aether is not as strong as Elves or Fae, the Demons' unique Dark Arcana is powerful enough to put them on equal footing with both races. The demon males' height averages to about 6'3, while their female counterparts average to 5'10.
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