Cryas Chronicles - Tumblr Posts
Newcomer to a new realm.
Hello there people of the world of Tumblr! Pretty new to this place so give me a bit to get my bearings in this new, strange land of the digital landscape. Just to at least give an immediate bit about me, the name is Aura! I have been told by some this can be a good place to keep some info down since one of my big things is my OC lore and lore for an AU I have. The AU is for Darkstalkers known as Cryas Darkstalkers. My OCs also has a name for that mythos known as Cryas Chronicles. Just a fun passion project I hope to keep up till the day I am no longer among this world. With that said, I hope to in time share my love and lore that I have in my brain for both over time with this blog and stuff. Also art that I make! I hope you have fun seeing what I have to share and all that.
Cryas Darkstalkers and Cryas Chronicles Notes
As I slowly roll things out and get my creative juices flowing, I am fully embracing hearing and answering any questions you may have about my Cryas Darkstsalker mythos or the mythos of Cryas Chronicles. Granted, CC will take some time since I don't have much in the way of art, but I got some ideas and lore to share. CDS will be more readily having lore dumps and stuff as we march on. Hopefully and honestly, I hope this will be a great outlet for me to just share things and get my brain going. I may have a private Discord server where I try to organize this stuff, but that is a bit more exclusive as I am nervous about letting randos in. However, this blog is more in the open for people to engage with and is in a format that is friendlier to the idea of sharing such lore. I am very excited for the future. :3
Dark Embrace Powers and Abilities
In this entry, I'd like to go over the powers, abilities, and aspects of the Dark Embrace for Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling as they are quite a big part of Cryas Darkstalkers lore. To start out with, official ref sheets of their designs to help visualize some things that will be discussed:
To start things off, 'Dark Embrace' (Xié è De Yōngbào) is a technique known as a 'Burst'. Burst is the term used by beings in the Cryas Chronicles reality in regard to the ability of using stored potential energy in the individual to invoke a power-up in the individual. This power-up can simply be a boost to aspects of the individual's capabilities or manifest in a transformation in the user. For Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling, the Dark Embrace manifests as a transformation invoked by their Qi, mutated Corriyami, and the 'shadow selves' that were created in them thanks to the mutated Corriyami within. The appearances they take on invoke the looks of beings that would later come to be known as Corrians.
Once both sisters have enough potential energy to initiate the Burst, one sister can trigger the transformation and cause both to transform. Later on, through training they find a way to where only one sister can transform and the other can hold on to their stored energy to tag in later better utilize their stored energy in a strategic manner.
When Hsien-Ko uses the Dark Embrace, her physical strength is bolstered to further heights, allowing her to overpower quite a number of physically powerful individuals in close quarters combat. Not only that, her stamina and endurance are increased to allow her to tank her way through hits with greater ease, allowing her to get into the thick of battle and power on through with great fervor. Another benefit is her healing factor is hastened, allowing her to recover from horrible wounds quicker to allow her to get back into the battle. While it is unknown if Hsien-Ko can regrow body parts while in the Dark Embrace should they be severed, it is theorized that should the limb still be in one piece, she could attach it back and her body could re-attach to the limb. However, neither sister is in a position nor desires to test this theory.
(credit: @o-corvo-art)
An interesting quirk of the Burst is how Hsien-Ko's sleeves can move and function. While Hsien-Ko has always been able to move her sleeves with manipulating her Qi, in the Dark Embrace they move in ways as if they have a mind of their own. The sisters theorize it is Hsien-Ko's 'shadow self' that takes control of the sleeves during the Burst, allowing Hsien-Ko to more focus on what her body is doing. Because the shadow self is a part of her psyche, it synchronizes better with her movements and makes her quite a dangerous foe to face. Speaking of shadows, if Mei-Ling attaches to Hsien-Ko while in the Dark Embrace, she can call forth the Qi and Corriyami in Hsien-Ko's body in the form of an energy mass that is referred to as a 'shadow'. This mass of energy is able to be manipulated to take on the form of fully functioning limbs, weapons of varying kinds only limited by the imagination, or they can attach to the inner lining of Hsien-Ko's sleeves and drape out to give her 'wings' of sorts. These wings allow for Hsien-Ko to fully be able to fly.
(Credit: @itsununnusart) Initially, this shadow mass was only able to be called forth by Mei-Ling, but overtime as Hsien-Ko improved her capabilities with the Dark Embrace she eventually found a way to do it herself. This effectively gives her six functioning limbs to work with, making her incredibly dangerous if she is fresh and ready for battle. Another noteworthy aspect of the Dark Embrace, and the mutated Corriyami in general, for Hsien-Ko is how the influence and voice of her inner jiangshi, Xienian, are effectively nullified. However, cautions are still taken to assure she doesn't taste blood in case that still triggers this inner darkness to come forth.
(credit: @masterartlocked)
Mei-Ling, like Hsien-Ko gets a notable increase to her physical capabilities and stamina, able to match up more to her younger sister's base form. However, that pales in comparison to the other profound changes to her. The immediately noticeable feature of Mei-Ling's Dark Embrace is the shadow mass on her. When she initiates the Burst, her arms melt away as the Qi and Corriyami in her body sprout from where her arms used to be. During this Burst, her shadow becomes her arms. These shadow limbs make Mei-Ling an incredible dangerous foe to face down. These limbs are quite powerful as they are able to pulverize bodies, shatter rocks, and even pierce metal. Not only is it strong, but it is very resilient. While it can be cut off, the shadow will grow back fairly quickly from the stub left on Mei-Ling’s body, without causing pain to the jiangshi spirit. Due to their amorphous nature, they can change shape per Mei-Ling's will. Beyond simply taking on the shape of normal arms and hands, they can change size and length per her will. Should she need to, she can change the shadow to take on the form of varying weapons, of which are many thanks to her knowledge as an enthusiastic weapon master. However, one of the most prominently used forms of her shadow is that of a dragon. This 'shadow dragon' is basically a corrupted mirror image of the memory of seeing her mother's dragon form the day she sacrificed herself. It is a cathartic way for not only her mother to still be aiding her in a way, but for this corrupted image to pulverize her foes with great ferocity.
(credit: @o-corvo-art)
Beyond the shadow, another notable trait of Mei-Ling in the Dark Embrace is the astronomical increase in her magical powers. Not only are her Xianshu arts increased in their potency but so are the many magi artes she learned from her friends and allies in the other reality. So great are her magical capabilities in the Dark Embrace, she is capable of even using the powerful Jrukoshn Aarts with relative ease.
(Credit: Bunny_Bones BunnyBones ✨COMMISSIONS CLOSED✨ (@Bunny_Bones_) / Twitter)
A shared aspects with Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling in the Dark Embrace is the fact that due to the nature of how they obtained this Burst, both sisters are immune to the Corruption inflicted by Corriyami.
Powerful as the Dark Embrace is, it is not without limitations. Like all Bursts, it requires a certain amount of stored potential energy in the user in order to even make use of the Burst, of which the amount varies between each individual, each Burst, and their skill with the Burst. Once the Burst is active, the user only can only keep the Burst active for as long as there is enough stored energy to fuel the Burst. With practice, the energy consumption can be made more efficient to keep the Burst going longer, but eventually the reserves will run dry. Normally once the pool of energy is gone, the Burst will force the user to deactivate the Burst. However, individuals can force the Burst to break past this limitation and keep it going once the potential energy is gone. However, this is incredibly dangerous as the Burst is then relying on the user's own life forces as a means to fuel the Burst. Should the user recklessly keep this up, it can kill the individual. Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling nearly had this happen to them in the Void Labyrinth, the Burst only shutting off once they fell unconscious after a great ordeal. Should this happen, individuals can be left in a comatose like state as their bodies try to recover and stabilize their energy.
I am beyond excited!!! Commissioned an artist I have commissioned quite a bit in the past to make a logo for my Cryas Chronicles mythos and they did a banger of an incredible job!!!😭💙💛💙💙😍 Here is the artist in question: MasterMaind Designs-Open Commissions (season 5)👀 (@MastermaindD) / Twitter Please, I highly recommend commissioning them or donate to their ko-fi!
I'll also shoutout the artist that made this logo for Cryas Darkstalkers. Elsie Gray 🍒 (@Elsie_gray007) / Twitter Give them a look as well. 🫡
Cryas Chronicles Characters
Since I got that fancy new logo for my OC mythos, I feel it is time for me to talk a bit about it. More specifically, some of the characters!
So, the thing with Cryas Chronicles is that since it is my OC mythos, some things are bound to change, and more characters will be added. At the very least, I'll introduce characters that so far play a big role in the first story. First story you say? Yeah, I so far in mind have two main stories in the mythos, though the second is still in need of a lot more work and thought. The first story is so far known as 'Cryas Chronicles: Vicissitude Journey'. The best way to summarize the first story is a road-trip between best friends that eventually becomes a race against the clock to prevent a natural, global catastrophe. Fun stuff.😎
With that said here are the main protagonists of the story:
Auron Compallado (Male, Age 20, Umbrian)
Nym Elapimae (Female, Age 19, Umbrian)
Esuna Sanadora (Female, Age 49, Umbrian)
Taylor Tigrise (Female, Age 14, Illumin)
Remaru Crisofil Arcana (Male, Age 53, Umbrian)
Valkyrie Aren (Female, Age 30, Illumin)
Dalibor Viacido (Male, Age 32, Illumin)
Ulric Zorrosune (Male, Age 16, Illumin)
Norocier (Female, Age 543, Corrian) (Credit: @masterartlocked)
Zembaairos Chaarland (Male, Age 1998, Jrukoshn)
Apologies for the wildly different forms of art of each character. As of right now, the only art of a character I have personally drawn that is their official design is Nym. Auron, need to maybe be updated with a few small things. Norocier is one I need to get off my tush to draw her updated look, which is why I used a commission my friend Nicole made to show her. Everyone else needs to be heavily updated in some way, shape and form of varying degrees. Beyond that, yeah! Here they all are. 😁✌️
Notes on Cryas Chronicles
I want to go over some notes regarding the setting of the mythos of Cryas Chronicles as it is my creation, and little would be known unless you could read my thoughts.
So first of all, what is Cryas Chronicles? 🔷Cryas Chronicles is the name I give for this series that houses the reality of my OCs. This has been something in the works for well over +10 years at the time of typing this and is still ongoing in terms of development. It has been going through a number of restructuring processes. Originally, the idea of the series was the idea of a video game tetralogy, but I have since abandoned that idea. Now, it is just a series. It is intended to have storylines that spans over many years, generally following a cast of characters, somewhat changing the core cast of each story/saga as needed.
What is the setting of Cryas Chronicles? 🔷 The series takes place in a universe different from our own and one of the Cryas Darkstalkers mythos. The first story, Vicissitude Journey, takes place in a world where two planets are interconnected via a spacetime distortion. They are known as 'Umbralus' and 'Illumalus'. However, later on other worlds are brought into the mix as the series progresses. As of now, other worlds or realms that exist in this reality are: Jrukoshn Relm, Avalos, Sylverra. More will be added as needed.
What are some of the races that exist in these worlds? 🔷 As of right now they are the following: Umbrian, Illumin, Aunakin, Corrian, Jrukoshn, Avalocian, Hemo'eira, Celestian.
What are some differences between this reality and ours? 🔷For this, I will compare this reality to the Cryas Darkstalkers reality.
A year in the Cryas Chronicles reality is the equivalent of 400 Earth Days. While some realms have their own 'year' system based on their approximation to their star, the universal acceptance is 400 solar days equals a year. A solar day is accepted as 24 hours. The general calendar system is 12 months: 8 months have 33 days with 4 months with 34 days. The 4 months with 34 days generally are the month with signaled changes in the seasons of Autumn, Winter, Spring, and Summer. A big thing to take from this is that when I give the age of characters from this reality, that is based on this year system, so it will not be accurate to ages we use in our reality or in the Cryas DS reality.
Earth and humans don't exist in the Cryas Chronicles universe. That goes without saying, but this also means that without humans being a thing, certain terms don't exist in this reality. 'Humane' and 'inhumane' are examples of words that don't exist. Also, rather than me using the term 'humanoid' I will default to the terms of either 'intelligent liferforms', and other descriptors that don't involve the word 'human'.
Magic is generally accepted thing with many societies. Magic in this reality is understood generally as the ability to manipulate different forms of energy. It is something that has been able to coexist with science. While not everyone is capable of wielding magic, most can use it to some degree if they put some effort into it. Some are more naturally gifted.
Many cryptids don't exist in this reality. The concept of stuff like the undead, vampires, mummies, and many things do not exist in this reality compared to the Cryas DS one. However, the idea and existence of souls, spirits, and ghosts are a thing, just not generally accepted thing. It varies between different cultures.
That should hopefully give some context to things since I did share that blog earlier of the main cast for Cryas Chronicles: Vicissitude Journey.
I hope to have more to chare in due time, but feel free to ask away.😎✌️
Corriyami
Since I am in a mood, I do want to explain about a very important thing to the Cryas Chronicles mythos:
Corriyami.
''For as long as the people of Umbralus and Illumalus have called those two realms their home, there has always been the constant fear of a substance that exists in both realms. Some saw it as a sick creation of a deity, others saw it as just a natural plague of the world. Whatever they believed of its origin, one thing was clear throughout history: its horrific effects on animals and their fellow kin.''
Corriyami as it is more understood in the modern times is an extremely dangerous mutagenetic organic substance. It has been recorded in coming in two states of matter: an extremely dense fog and as a semi-fluid liquid state. The fog form of Corriyami is significantly denser than air, so tends to be found relatively close to the ground. The fog state tends to be most commonly observed in caverns, low level areas on the surface, or leaking out of victims. If enough of the fog state is present, it will condense down to the liquid state. The liquid state can range in size from puddles to massive lakes, generally the most common form of the substance. Typically, researchers and inhabitants have noted its tendency to exist in areas where rainfall cause the substance to move down, eventually collecting into many areas such as valleys, caverns, or below sea-level lake beds. Corriyami in of itself is denser than water, so will fall to the lower level of bodies of water as the water pushes it down. The color of the substance tends to be that of a primarily violet-blue hue. Many have noted a very pungent, musky, rotten like scent in areas where Corriyami has been noted to be present.
What makes Corriyami so dangerous and feared by all is what it does to its victims. As mentioned, Corriyami specifically targets lifeforms that have blood in their systems, so the likes of plant life and insects are immune to the substance. Thus, all manner of animal and intelligent life-forms that require blood, like Umbrians, Illumins, and Aunakins are susceptible to Corriyami. For it to infect a victim, the fog or liquid state must be absorbed into the body via contact with the skin. When it enters the victim's body, the substance will travel through the victim's body, seeking a pathway to the individual's brain via the victim's nervous system and bloodstream. As soon as Corriyami makes contact with the skin, the body does two things. The first is to alert the victim via pain receptors firing off to alert the individual. Once the alerts are sent, the body then creates adrenaline in order to give the individual a fighting chance to escape from the source of the Corriyami and fuel the immune system in order to seek and destroy the substance. Due to the co-existence of Corriyami and life-forms on Umbralus and Illumalus for hundreds of millions of years, the immune system of the lifeforms there are quite capable of combating and destroying the substance. But in return, the Corriyami has grown resilient and persistent, more or less brute forcing its way through the body.
When enough can make it to the brain, the Corriyami will infect the victim's brain, sending signals to the body to cease the immune system's attempts to further combat the invasive substance. This begins what many know as 'Corruption'. The first step of Corruption is the shutdown of the pain receptors, carefully manipulating the victim's nervous system in order to do so. The individual for the time being will still have control of their body as the Corriyami allows the body time to heal from the initial assault. As the body heals, the Corriyami will slowly set the foundation for the next big step by eating at non-vital fluids and organs of the body. This allows more Corriyami to form and spread throughout the body as it is being carried through the blood stream. As it does this, it begins to supplant the immune system, consuming and converting white blood cells. Should any diseases begin to enter the body, the Corriyami will merely consume them. A cruel form of protection for the victim. Once the immune system is fully taken and enough of the substance has moved throughout the body, inserting into areas where the muscles of the body are, the terminal stages of Corruption can commence.
Full Corruption, as it is diagnosed as, begins with Corriyami hijacking the motor controls of the victim via their muscles. As it does this, it will then begin the process of supplanting the blood cells in the individual. Despite the destruction of blood cells, the Corriyami will take on the role of the blood cells via carrying vital air molecules and nourishment thought-out the body where it is needed. The substance still needs the victim alive for as long as possible. Once all the blood in the victim has been converted, the victim is no longer in control of their actions. Unable to talk, unable to move of their own accord, they merely exist now as a living incubator for Corriyami. At this point, the Corriyami will start to move the victim around. While it does need to infect other organisms in order to continue the cycle, it is careful at how it interacts with other lifeforms. While pain receptors have been completely destroyed at this point, the Corriyami is careful with how it engages.
As the victim, dubbed 'The Corrupted', are moved around, their body will begin to secrete out bits of excess Corriyami that is made in the body. Should the Corriyami determine that a lifeform poses a threat to the victim, it will do what it can to keep the victim from being killed via mutating parts of the body to defend itself. Aggressive tactics are implemented to either scare off would be attackers or to attempt to harm and spread the substance. However, should this not work, the body will begin to create liquid blisters of Corriyami laced fluids upon the skin, where they will eventually burst and spread some of the substance onto attackers. If all else fails, the Corrupted will retreat. In circumstances where the Corriyami can happen upon a harmless lifeform, it will secrete Corriyami from the body to then spread to another victim. This process of multiplying in the victim's body and spreading the substance to others while also keeping the Corrupted alive goes on for days. During this time, the Corriyami begins to eat at more and more fluids and organs in the body. Once it is nearing the end of running out of parts of the body to consume, the Corriyami will seek to find an area close to populated areas or an area with high concentrations of Corriyami. Once there, the victim remains motionless as the Corriyami finally kills the victim. From there, the rest of the organic matter is consumed from within at a rapid pace. With this rapid consumption of the body, gaseous Corriyami is expelled from the with much force, spreading as much around. Once it is done, all that remains is the skeleton of the victim. The cycle has been complete and the Corriyami can begin anew.
The highly volatile and high energy nature of Corriyami makes it relatively difficult to destroy. While the immune systems of life forms on Umbralus and Illumalus have evolved overtime to create special antibodies that exist solely to destroy Corriyami, they are not full proof and can be completely overwhelmed if too much of the substance enters into the body. Even if an individual can escape and not suffer Corruption, the individual is left in a sickened state for quite some time as the body gets weak from expending so much energy to have the immune system fight in overdrive to destroy any trace of the substance. Corriyami has been found to be immune from any sanctioned, conventional means to fight bacterial and viral infections. However, it does not mean it is fully immune from being destroyed. From what few tests have been allowed under the strictest guidelines, some chemicals have been found to be able to destroy Corriyami. However, those tended to be chemicals of extreme danger in themselves to lifeforms and even then, required a high amount as the substance will still prove resilient from chemical attacks as the Corriyami would merely try to convert whatever chemical particles tried to breach its structures. Effectively, the substance has to be overwhelmed. Radiation is the most effective means of destroying the substance, but once again, still requires a high amount as the substance's structure is resilient enough to stand strong.
Fundamentals of Magic and Magi Artes
In the Cryas Chronicles reality, magic is a phenomenon that is known by many civilizations throughout the different realms. While many had their own ideas of what this phenomenon was, magic in due time was studied and understood what it was at its core by some. Magic is understood as the ability for an individual to manipulate different forms of energy and forces in the universe to perform different effects. Over many, many millennia, several forms of magic described as 'Elementals' were discovered and documented. The Elementals are as such: Fire, Ice, Terra, Wind, Lightning, Water, Dark, Light, Energy, and Aura. Each elemental has a connection to a different form of energy or force:
Fire and Ice both deal with the ability to manipulate heat energy, but in different ways. Fire is the ability to concentrate heat into a targeted area while Ice is the ability to rapidly remove heat from a specified area. Interestingly, the use of Ice magic does cause areas around the field of effect to feel increased temperatures as the energy cannot be destroyed and must be placed elsewhere. Many tend to throw the heat into the air.
Terra is the manipulation of the force of gravity. Historically, many have made use of it to manipulate the ground and rocks to cause many effects as they manipulate their position in order to attack. Fundamentally though, Terra magic is not reliant on dirt or rocks to be around in order to be used. So long as one's ability to concentrate gravity is excellent, then they can still make things work.
Wind is the manipulation of the atmosphere to move air in a desired way. So long as the caster is in an area where air is present, Wind magic can be used.
Lightning is the manipulation of electrical energy.
Water is the manipulation of water particles in the environment. The power and effects of such artes is dependent on the environment, both in terms of water being in the soil or atmosphere.
Dark is the use of energy to manipulate soundwaves. Historically, Dark had been associated with the perceived notion of evil, negative emotions, or dark energies. But eventually, it was discovered that Dark Magi Artes had an affinity for soundwaves. While many things can produce sounds, the way sound is manipulated via Dark Artes has been noted to be particularly dreadful.
Light is the manipulation of electromagnetic radiation. In the past, Light Artes were associated with perceived notions of good energy, positive emotions, or even the stars. However, with scientist discovering the existence of electromagnetic radiation, a fundamental understanding of Light Magi Artes came to be for the masses.
Energy is the manipulation of energy in its most pure, raw state. Devoid of the typical understanding of the elementals, Energy Artes tend to be rather destructive and difficult to perform as the ability to manipulate such force requires a keen mind and deep understanding of energy manipulation.
Aura is the manipulation of a special form of energy that is both corporeal and ethereal in nature. In a sense, it is a form of energy that is connected to an ethereal essence that many call 'life force'. While all complex life forms have auras to a degree, it is strongest in animals and intelligent lifeforms.
Making use of Magi Artes requires one to train themselves to understand the basic fundamentals of energy manipulation. In some cases, some people will have an affiliation for one elemental in particular, but some might be more gifted to be able to understand multiple. Even with that in mind, study and training is required. While each elemental has other applications outside of combat, the many Magi Artes that exist have been documented and tiered in a way to give an understanding of not only their power, but difficulty in use. The tiers of Magi Artes as follow:
Tier 1 = Neophyte
Tier 2 = Intermediate
Tier 3 = Master
Tier 4 = Arcane
Tier 5 = Mystic
Tier 6 = Ultima
Not only does each tier indicate power, but also gives an idea of the stamina required by the caster in order to make use of such artes. As the caster practices more, they can better improve their use of stamina in order to cast Magi Artes more efficiently. While taking time to focus on casting artes can be risky in battle, some casters found a way around this with the use of Spell Charges. Inducing a Magi Arte into an object, casters can instantly make use of Magi Artes in battle with not time wasted on incantations. However, they are limited and based on the power of the Arte, can take time to properly induce into an object.
Cryas Chronicles: Explorers of the Darkest Days
Been on my mind again, so I wanted to finally write something down in regard to this story idea I have been on and off about. As the title suggests, this story is in regard to my OC mythos. However, Crays Chronicles: Explorers of the Darkest Days is meant to be an AU focusing on my OC Norocier as she ends up in a world of Pokémon.
What is the premise you may ask? As stated, this is set in a world of Pokémon. However, this world is like a pseudo mystery dungeon like world in the sense that there are no humans: only Pokémon inhabit this world. While Pokémon do have some semblance of societies, none talk in the way we would assume. Primarily, they communicate as many animals would with varying means to communicate. Of course, with Pokémon there more magical/fantastical means of how they can, but still in the realm of not really 'talking'. With no humans around, there is the interesting aspect that Pokémon don't refer to themselves by the names that we as readers would know them by. And that is a key thing to keep in mind. In the following paragraphs, I'll give a synopsis in regard to the setup of the story and setting.
The colossal known as Eternatus awakens from a deep slumber as an unknown, but powerful source of energy beckons them from their millennia long stretch of rest. Drawn to what had awaken them, Eternatus happens upon a pond of a violet, thick liquid substance that lay before them. While the titan had never seen such a substance before, they can feel the incredible almost intoxicating energy emitting from the alien liquid. In no time, Eternatus feasts on the liquid, voraciously absorbing it into their energy core. Upon the completion of their meal, the creature could feel a great high of energy as the liquid empowered their core. However, as quickly as they enjoyed this rush of energy, something unpleasant was noticed by the giant. The energy levels in them were rising without any sign of stopping. As the continual rise in energy flooded their senses, Eternatus began to feel pain. Seeking to relieve this excess energy, the colossal would unleash beams of energy from their core to help with the extra energy. They have had incidents like this before, so no worry. But this was futile as the chain reaction of this substance with their energy core still continued unabated. In fact, it was getting worse as the energy levels continued to rise to painful levels that the dragon had never felt before. Again, they would unleash powerful beams of energy one after another with greater ferocity. But again, the reaction kept going. Not only was the titan panicking now from the pain, but the energy levels began to force the dragon to assume their true form. Not only was this in response to the unfathomable amounts of energy in their system, but it was also a means to relive themselves of this excess energy that they so desperately were trying to stabilize. However, the form was not only different than what they recalled eons ago, their energy core continued to grow wildly out of control. Dwarfing the hills and mountains in the immediate area, the legendary colossal unleashed a barrage of beams of unstable energy from their core and many orifices. With the ever-escalating energy in their very essence and the many beams tearing through the sky and land, the fabric of space-time was beginning to bend to the cosmic level amounts of energy being unleashed in the given vicinity. And this wouldn't go unnoticed.
From their domain in a realm between the threads of reality, the violent hermit known as Giratina would come to attention as they felt powerful shockwaves come out of nowhere. While these waves would not come to harm the beast, they did cause aspects of their Distortion Realm to be forever damaged and warped beyond recognition. This unprovoked attack upon their domain absolutely enraged the demon. So enraged were they that they immediately sprang into action to not only find the source of the shockwaves, but to make the source pay dearly with their life as retribution. It took mere seconds to find the source: somewhere in the main realm of reality, coming from an incredibly powerful source unlike anything Giratina had ever witnessed or felt in their primordial existence. Despite this potentially dangerous foe, it did not falter the renegade's absolution into making this malefactor pay dearly for what they had done. As they flew through the boundaries of the nexus, they entered main realm of reality to bear witness to their colossal foe. But not only that, but the renegade also caught sight of two other beings they had not seen for aeons and not ones Giratina was particularly pleased to see. The embodiment of the fabric of space and the flow of time respectively, Palkia and Dialga had also come from their homes in the realms beyond. Due to the near cosmic levels of distortion and bending of the aspects of reality going on in this single area, these primordial dragons had also come to not only investigate but put a stop to it before it reached apocalyptic levels. Despite their hatred for their siblings, Giratina set aside their feelings toward Palkia and Dialga in order to take down the current target of their ire. The trio of creation would unite for the first time in countless eons to take down this threat to reality.
Each dragon made use of their primal force of energy at full throttle in order to take down this energy dangerous titan. Palkia with a motion of their arms rend the fabric of space. Dialga roared with such a ferocious battle cry as it disrupted the flow of time. Giratina coated in the shadows of the nexus would attack with deadly force against the titan. However, while their attacks would damage the titan, it did little to stop Eternatus as it continued to unleash beam after beam, crying out in pain as they had at this all but lost control of their body. Despite this, the trio would continue their assault with steadfast resolution. For what felt like an eternity, the trio would continue to fight, here and there dodging and tanking hits from the pained titan. Despite the damage they would sustain, they would fight through the pain and continue to attack the titan. When they all but seemed like they were each at their near breaking point, the foe they all rallied against suddenly stopped. No longer did they hear the cries of pain, no long was there the storm of beams that laid waste to the land. It all just stopped. The trio witnessed the mountain sized titan change form into a relatively smaller form than what they fought against. While Giratina still in their mind sought to kill the creature in front of them, something else beckoned them to leave. It wasn't just the sheer exhaustion and pain that made them leave, but something else they nor their siblings noticed during the fight. As Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina all left for their respective domains to rest and recover, something would fester in all three of them. Unknown to them since the moment they came to fight Eternatus, they had been exposed to a form of energy radiating from the titan's core that begun to mutate, nay... corrupt their bodies. Not only would they be influenced by this intoxicating alien energy, but others would as well as the ripples of space-time during the colossal's desperate attempt to save their life would echo far beyond the immediate area. The giant would once again slumber, their form forever changed.
In another realm far beyond the reaches of the current crisis, Norocier had been going out for a stroll among the trees in a forest in the realm of Umbralus. She was taking this nature walk as a chance to relax from her daily life with her family. Ever grateful to have those she could not only call kin but communicate with in their own way, she did sometimes enjoy a bit of time to now see the wilderness in a new light. No longer was she just another beast out in the wilderness only seeking to survive, but now she was truly living and had been doing so for the better part of the last decade. Finding a nice spot to sit against a tree and allow her mind to contemplate many thoughts, she would eventually find herself dozing off to the sounds of the gentle breeze that snaked through the trees. With her eyes closed and her mind further drifting from consciousness, the Corrian would fall asleep; A nap to relax amongst the foliage before heading back home to her family. But unknown to her now sleeping mind, fate had different plans for her. Having awoken from her sleep, Norocier would realize very quickly something was wrong. The scents of the area were different to anything she ever smelled in Umbralus. As she looked at the sky, the alignment of the stars was not to what she was used to. Not only that, no crystal in sight for as far she can see. Norocier would come to a grave conclusion: she had somehow ended up into another realm while she slept. Perhaps a portal or distortion in space-time caused this to happen. But the matter at hand was not to figure out how she got to this unknown land, but to figure out a way home. Wondering for some time, Norocier would eventually catch the scent of something that caught her attention. While it was a familiar scent, it was one that filled her mind with dread. Upon finding the source, she was beyond all reasonable doubt at what she was looking at: Corriyami.
A general set up for the story. Effectively, Norocier via space-time distortions ends up in a world of strange creatures she has never seen before. Beyond that, she also happens to arrive as this world has been ravaged by the effects of Corriyami that somehow ended up in this world. Likely a result of those space time distortions. While that is an issue, her main problem is getting back home as she has somehow ended up in this alien realm. Eventually, she will come across and fight many of these strange creatures. Some of the ones she faces are those who have fallen victim to Corruption while others have been mutated by it. As she eventually befriends some of these mutated Corrian creatures, Norocier and her pack embark on a journey with several goals: aid those they come across, help her pack as they come to grips with their mutations, and find her a way home. I have more stuff in mind but hopes this gives a good idea of what to expect with blogs regarding this Cryas Chronicles AU story. :)
Art made by @masterartlocked! Give them a big thumbs up for helping make art for this project and just being there for me to throw ideas and get feedback. Thank you Nicole! 🥹
Magic of the Spirit
This lore blog is to make an addendum towards this blog as after a rousing discussion with a great friend, I have completely considered a new clear-cut idea of what is aura magic.
The idea I have had with magic is the concept of manipulating energy or forces in the universe to lead to varying effects. Everything else was relatively clear, but aura felt a bit vague. In discussions with a friend, ze had asked me about the idea of soul magic in regard to Jedah since he has a big thing for it in the original Darkstalkers. And well, Jedah does play a big role in Cryas Darkstalkers. First of all, that had me consider the idea of what is a 'soul'. For both Cryas Darkstalkers and Cryas Chronicles, a soul is a cluster of energy that has tightly bonded in a bizarre, unknown manner that can lead to the ability for what we interpret as 'consciousness'. As an analogy, think of atoms: within an atom are particles that help create the atom and make up all different kinds of substances in the universe. Also within them is the potential for an immense amount of energy. Of course, playing recklessly with such stuff can lead to disastrous results.
Magic that uses this spiritual energy involves users weaving carefully through these bonds and siphoning the energy within the soul to use for varying purposes. What I've had as a spark of imagination is this idea: Soul and Aura magic use the same source of energy for their discipline of use. The difference is how they get this spiritual energy. Soul magic involves using the souls of others while Aura is the use of one's own soul. This plays on the idea I already had when it comes to Fire and Ice magic. Those forms of magic both use heat but involve moving heat in different manners to get the desired result. The precedent is there, and I don't like the idea of basically conjuring a new form of energy and just have that magic be the use of this made-up energy with no explanation. Make use of what exists and interpret it based on what I believe.
In essence the use of spiritual energy for magic exists in both realities, but the difference is generally more prevalent. Soul magic is without a doubt the most common form of spiritual manipulation in the Cryas Darkstalkers mythos, while Aura is prevalent in the Cryas Chronicles mythos. But both forms are capable in each.
With this epiphany, I do need to consider some ideas for Cryas Chronicles with this new knowledge. Soul magic is possible in it, but... the idea of souls is not a very prevailing concept that is widely accepted. That mythos is not as supernaturally crazy as what can go down in the Cryas Darkstalkers mythos. If Soul magic exists, and perhaps there are those who can use it, it would likely have a different name and such. Just differences in ideas and culture. Oooo, this is quite exciting! 😆
Fundamentals of Magi Artes and Magic
In Cryas Chronicles (and to an extent Cryas Darkstalkers), magic has been a phenomenon that has prevailed for many eons in countless civilizations across the realms of the universe. Many cultures have described, observed, documented, and spread their own understanding of this peculiar ability that many lifeforms have been able to perform. In the purest understanding, magic is the ability for one to manipulate many forms of energy and the forces in the universe to heed their commands. Some cultures saw this as this work of supernatural forces beyond their understanding while others came to see these abilities with a rational, open mind worth time to study and truly understand. As the eons marched on and people discovered different forms of magic, 'disciplines' or 'elementals' of these artes were understood. While they go by different names, for the sake of you dear reader, here they are in a way you can understand: Fire, Ice, Water, Terra, Lightning, Wind, Dark, Light, Ethereal, Aura, and Astral.
One might be curious as to what these disciplines are. Fortunately, what they are and how they work will be presented
Fire and Ice share the same form of energy that is used to cast these artes: Heat energy. Where the difference lies is how the heat is manipulated. Performing fire artes has the user concentrate heat in whatever manner is desired. Ice meanwhile has the caster move heat away rapidly from an area at a need volume for the desired effect. Many forms of fire artes do take on the look of flames in various shapes and size, but the key feature is being able to concentrate that heat properly. Commonly, ice artes involve freezing particles of vapor and air to create ice crystal of various shapes and size for the need effect, though sometimes just the lack of heat to a certain degree can be more than enough. To a degree, both disciplines are intertwined enough to where some manipulators of heat will learn artes from both elementals.
Water, Terra, and Wind all use the force of gravity in order for the needed artes to be performed. At its basics, these artes require the user to both understand how to manipulate gravity and then the property of the desired substance to then move for the wanted effect. The better their understanding of gravity manipulation, the larger quantity and speed at which the substance can be moved. Due to water, the land, and air being all around for users to use, that is how these elementals got their names despite using the same force. However, there is a big difference between moving liquid particles, solids, and gases around. Practicing this is key to use either water, terra, or wind elemental.
Lightning is an elemental that involves the manipulation of electrical energy. Via this discipline, casters can either cause bolts of the largest and fiercest lightning to the smallest sparks of electricity, or even manipulate magnetic fields for whatever use is wanted.
Dark elemental is a peculiar form of magic that involves the manipulation of energy to vibrate. In essence, the creation of sound waves. While sounds are a constant in the lives of those in the universe, the particular soundwaves crafted by dark magi artes tend to involve inducing emotional response from the victim. Sometimes it can be pleasant or sometimes it can instill dread. It is up to the caster to manipulate sound for what they want.
Light magic is the manipulation of electromagnetic radiation in order cast various artes. While light is something we all see and can perceive, manipulators of light can command the various wavelengths of this energy for many applications. From clusters to concentrated rays of energy, the possibilities are endless.
Ethereal and Aura are an interesting pair of elementals as they use exactly the same energy, and both involve using that energy in the same potential ways. However, where the difference lies is how both source their energy, of which is known as spiritual energy. Spiritual energy exists primarily in a 'soul'. A soul is an extremely condensed cluster of energy that has tightly bonded in a bizarre fashion. Due to this occurrence, the energy that combines into these clusters take on special properties. These properties can potentially allow for the phenomenon intelligent life has come to interpret as a 'conscious'. While this energy is forged in by this occurrence, it doesn't have to just exist in a soul. Should something force the bonds that hold a soul together to break, the spiritual energy can scatter. No longer in its cluster, in time the spiritual energy will eventually convert into other forms of energy. It can last longer if it can inhabit other lifeforms, but in time it will lose its properties and breakdown into other forms of energy. While both elementals are capable of making use of this scattered spiritual energy, the primary draw of their abilities is the ability to maneuver through the bonds of a soul and siphon fractions of the immense well of spiritual energy. The key difference is the soul used: Ethereal draws on using the soul's of others while aura draws from the user's own soul for power. The ethereal elemental can use as many souls as needed, but due to each soul bonding in different ways, their wells to draw from need to be understood before they can cast any ethereal artes. Because an aura caster's soul is innately familiar to them, it is significantly easier to draw from this well. However, improper handling of this flow of spiritual energy can potentially be fatal. Either elemental is capable of numerous feats due to the immense amount of energy but can be dangerous is not properly learned.
Astral elemental is regarded as the oldest discipline of magic. The name of the elemental draws inspiration from the thought that all energy from the dawn of time came into existence due to the birth of stars and the cosmos as a whole. Primordial, raw energy that flows everywhere. In time, this energy and the forces of the universe allowed for the realms that would come to be. When astral artes were figured out and understood better, this allowed others to find their way to other forms of manipulating the forces and energies that exist.
Making use of Magi Artes requires one to train themselves to understand the fundamentals of the chosen elemental's discipline of manipulation. Some are only capable of one elemental; others are capable of many forms. Some individuals are natural gifted to use magic, while others require hours upon hours of training to even begin at a basic level, if they are even capable of doing so. As time marched on, people found a desire to regard certain magi artes into what are known as 'tiers'. The idea is to give people a benchmark idea that artes of a higher tier have much better effects or power, but also require better stamina and skill to even use these magi artes. The tiers of Magi Artes as follow:
Tier 1 = Neophyte
Tier 2 = Intermediate
Tier 3 = Master
Tier 4 = Arcane
Tier 5 = Mystic
Tier 6 = Ultima
Magic Artes require knowledge of the arte, stamina, and the knowledge of the needed amount of energy or force required to manipulate. With practice and experience, casters can use artes of any tier more efficiently so long as they understand their limits and the risks with each elemental. Many magi artes do require the user to be still and focus in order to properly manipulate their elemental of choice, which can be risky depending on the urgency of the situation. With that in mind, some casters found a way around this with the use of Arte Reserves. Inducing a Magi Arte into an object, casters can instantly make use of Magi Artes in situations with practically no time wasted on incantations. However, Arte Reserves are limited and thus users must keep in mind how many are still in stock lest they find themselves in a dangerous situation.
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Consider this a revision of this lore blog here:
I'd rather not completely delete this blog for the purpose of looking back on things and... well cause I don't feel like it. 😅
The power of the spirit compels you!
One thing that has always been a constant for me is how those who can use the aura elemental are immune to the corrupting effects of Coriyami. With the fact that I now am going forward with the idea of aura being spiritual energy manipulated from the caster's own soul, how does this provide protection from one of the most feared substances in the Cryas Chronicles mythos?
Corriyami evolved alongside lifeforms on Umbralus and Illumalus. As time passed over aeons, Corriyami evolved to specifically hijack the cells of specific lifeforms, fauna-based lifeforms to be exact. It never evolved to consume spiritual energy. In the simplest way, when one has the ability to use the aura elemental, their body effectively can use their spiritual energy to basically trick the Corriyami. While this doesn't destroy the Corriyami, it does allow the individual's own body and immune system to fight back against the Corriyami. The Corriyami is basically unaware of what is going on and is destroyed by the immune system or eventually passed through the body.