Note: If you're not The Black Death, please don't bother making a bio. This is a private RP. Sorry.

Albion. An island nation in the midst of an endless sea, a world within the boundaries of a limitless ocean. Long has the path of this great and noble land been guided by the hands of the strong: the Magi. This caste of wizards, with their mastery of dazzling and untold arcane powers, held within their mortal hands a knowledge and a strength that never died, a strength which they turned to guiding the course of the world. Almost from the very beginning of time, Albion stood as a testament to their power, ruled by a wise and mighty Magus King and his many allies and advisers. With their combined strength, they reigned supreme and unchallenged, a court of living legends who towered like gods over the nation they governed, leading the lands to turn forth their bounty, the earth to open and reveal its treasure, and the great nation to prosper into a kingdom spanning a continent, the great Albisian Empire.

And yet, although one still may hear in legends and ancient tales of the prosperity of those days, that golden age was one that could not last forever. Power bred pride, and pride bred complacency and greed, and the wisdom of those who had been the champions of the olden age soon turned to naivete. As years turned to centuries and king after king took the throne, that nobility which had governed the land slowly began to fade, replaced by a foolish and misplaced pride in the power that had once been used to help those without strength of their own. The Magi ceased being the benevolent governors of a prosperous world, and turned slowly into an iron-handed aristocracy whose greed was matched only by their lust for power. At last, the inevitable happened.

War. Separation. The destruction of a capital, and the death of an age. When at last the flames of battle died down, countless Magi and commoners alike lay still in their graves, and the great kingdom of Albion had been irreparably sundered. The royal family's light had been extinguished, leaving only the countless territorial administrators and nobles to rule over the various petty empires they now controlled. Those with grand, vast holdings swiftly assimilated the smaller city-states all around them, and city-states swiftly banded themselves together to avoid being consumed by the new kingdoms rising all around them. The land simmered in a state of eternal undeclared war, with boundaries changing just as frequently as did allegiances. In this chaotic world, only two things remained certain.

Those with power would use it and become even stronger.

Soon, everything would come tumbling down, and nothing would ever be the same.

.....

Magic in Albion runs on a fairly straightforward system. At birth, each person has a given potential for magic, taking the form of a "Domain" in which they can affect manipulations, warping the spirits of nature to achieve their goals within this given field. These "Domains" can range from very specific ones - such as "Manipulation of Bronze," for example - to much more broad abilities - "Manipulation of Metal" would be an example, for one. Generally, a Domain has a given elemental attribute, being Water, Earth, Air, or Fire in alignment. To continue with the examples listed above, these manipulations would both have the alignment "Earth." As a general rule, the closer a given Domain is to its alignment - in essence, the less specific and more "Pure" it is - the greater its power. For example, Manipulation of Metal would overwhelm Manipulation of Bronze. Because of this, those with more "Pure" Domains are closer to the nobility.

Based on the alignment of a Magus' Domain, many will often make a contract with a powerful spirit of the same Alignment. These Nature Spirits, old and powerful enough to have sentient, reasoning minds and tangible physical forms - often taking the shapes of such fantastic creatures as Phoenixes or Dragons, especially the more Pure ones - will agree to submit to the commands of a powerful Magus, becoming their servant, or Familiar. In general, however, this is only done after the prospective Master has displayed his or her power and overwhelmed the Spirit's own, forcing it into submission and taming its wild nature. Although most spirits take animal shapes and speak only to their Masters - sparingly, even in this case - there are a few recorded cases of the very most powerful of these spirits taking on Human and Humanoid forms, and behaving accordingly. In general, a Familiar serves as a Magus' muscle, providing them with physical protection while they prepare powerful offensive spells, although they also take on the role of domestic servant quite often.

It's a bit more complicated than this, however, as one person can have more than one Domain. As a general rule, all but the lowest of all beggars have two Domains, and nobles have at least three. The highest of all nobles have four, but these are rather rare. The more Domains a Magus has control over, the greater his or her reserves of magical energy are, and the more magic he or she can use before exhausting his or her strength. Thus, a Magus' strength is determined on a scale of Level 1 to Level 4 based on how many Domains one has at one's disposal, and is also classified by purity. For the most part, the nobility consists of Magi with Level 3 to Level 4 Pure Domains.

There are, however, flip sides to all of these rules, facts which are little known amongst the people due to their inexperience with magic, given their lack of a formal education in its use. However, even though those with fewer Domains have less magical energy to spend, they are actually far more precise in its control and use on a natural level, while those with more specialized Domains, while not as overwhelmingly powerful as broader manipulations, have a much larger range, putting a skilled, low-level Magus technically on the same level as his supposed superior, the Noble. However, as plebeians and commoners are seldom educated in the arts, there are few such skilled users alive. Those skilled, low-level Magi who do exist are almost completely hidden from the public eye, and, in exchange for rich payments, serve in positions of absolute loyalty to the most powerful of nobles, their most dangerous and efficient enforcers. These unknown, yet overwhelmingly dangerous specialists are known as Magus-Killers or Executors, and, amongst the nobility, are the most feared force of all.

.....

The world of Albion is divided into countless different states, each of which vies with the others for power. Of these, many are simply the castles and fiefdoms of individual lords, the smallest being little more than glorified mansions and the largest being single castles and their populations. However, standing out amongst these ever-changing micronations are four main superpowers.

The first of these nations, the Duchy of Gardior, is perhaps the largest of all of the nations, encompassing the mountainous North of Albion in its entirety, and monopolizing the rich mines of the Grandfang Mountain Range that makes up most of the north. This nation, ruled by the Archduke Xenas Gardior, has withstood many an invasion due to its easily defensible positioning in the mountains, its extensive fortification and military might, its vast stores of treasure, magical artifacts, and arsenals of weaponry, as well as its ruler's expert command. Perhaps the most powerful of the nations, this power largely isolates itself from the rest of Albion militarily, although it also does extensive trading with smaller nations, and many of its legions are hired out as mercenaries by weaker powers.

The denizens of this country are largely expert in Earth magic, by which means they have invented incredibly fertile greenhouse farms beneath the mountains, and have delved deeper into the Earth's vaults than any other race. The Duchy is governed by an Oligarchic council appointed on merit by Gardior, who holds executive office over this legislative and judicial branch.

The Earldom of Delvine, situated in the dense and deep forests along the east coast of Albion and commanded by the Countess Akartha Delvine, is a nation whose trade thrives on the rare furs which its expert hunters collect and sell as luxuries to nobles the world over. Their armies are honed by the dangers of life in the deep wilds, and their home territories are almost impossible to reach without a guide, two factors which have helped them to withstand the many wars, and, in fact, to consolidate their power and lay claim to the large part of the large cities near the country's heart, where used to be the seat of the Albisian power. Many times has this nation tried to lay claim to the northern lands, but, although these wars were all long, bloody, and well matched, has as of yet failed to make any headway on this front. Their many engagements in battle has created a sort of mutual respect and rivalry between the Gardians and the Delvini, and several skirmishes go unreported along the border between these two nations even if peace is officially prevalent across the land.

The denizens of this country are largely expert in Air magic, and count amongst their number some of the most infamous and deadly assassins and rogues in all of Albion, earning the Delvini people the derisive nickname of "Kingslayers." This land is controlled by its royal family's line of succession, but laws are set and modified also by a democratically elected senate.

The western flatlands are home to the third nation, the Barony of Arcander. Due to its lack of strategic advantage, the people of this nation soon turned to mastering the most volatile and destructive offensive magics they could to defend themselves from invasion. Under the rule of the Baron Ignatius Arcander, this military dictatorship has, without a doubt, the most dangerous Magi and soldiers of all the nations, their undying loyalty to their commander, vicious fighting spirit, and tremendous skill having defended them from countless invasions by several other powers, and, in a one-month conflict known as the "War of Hell's Flame," having gained them control of several of the center Albisian territories as well as the lands formerly held by several minor nobles, greatly expanding their reach and power in the world almost overnight. Reluctant customers of the Gardians, they nevertheless are the primary allies of the Delvini, and have through many means attempted to wrest control of the northern mines, to no avail.

The Arcandish are largely expert in Fire magic, focusing almost solely on its destructive applications to crush and conquer their enemies. The country is ruled solely by Arcander himself, and policed by his many legions.

The final kingdom is that of the south, a small island nation known as the Principality of Kyrnis. Originally inhabited by barbaric islanders who periodically raided Albion itself, the Margrave Kyrnis was initially appointed by the Magus King himself and sent with an army and navy to deal with this issue. Once the enemies had been subdued, he was then charged with maintaining the government of the island, a task which his descendants have carried out up until the present day. Although this nation is much smaller than the rest, its reach extends across all of Albion, a trade empire spanning countless canals and inland rivers and oceans, interconnecting all of the other nations and maintaining the merchant profession, despite their tense hostility with all other nations, most of whom would like to see this trade monopoly eliminated in the name of their own profits. Still, the Kyrnese navy is without peer, and maintains a firm control over every last body of water in and around Albion, while their capital remains beyond the reach of their enemies, separated from the mainland by a large channel, in which their fleets tirelessly patrol.

The denizens of this country are largely expert in Water magic, through which means they keep their ships afloat through even the most devastating storms, and speed them along at unbelievable rates, by which means they also protect their armadas and their island. Although this nation is ostensibly operated by a benevolent dictatorship which allows free market principles to be exercised, in actuality, tariffs on trade render only the nobility prosperous, the Margave Jeremiah Kyrnis' laws oppress the people, and his right hand, the Lord Marshall Morganus Blacke, polices the island ruthlessly, silencing all those deemed lawbreakers or enemies of the crown through his complete control of the military and of the justice system.

In addition to these powers, however, one final influence exists that dwarfs even the strength of all four of the above-mentioned kingdoms combined. This force is not a nation, nor even a city-state, but rather, an old palace standing magnificently at the very heart of Albion, the last surviving trace of the great capital of Arcanum, which once stood at that place. This castle, once the seat of the Magus King himself, now serves as a repository of knowledge for those who would follow in his footsteps. The Arcanum Academy of Magic is the finest institution of its kind, teaching the most powerful and most influential Magi - the children of the nobility - the art of their craft. With so many young minds at their disposal and under their jurisdiction, they thus have autonomy and authority that is respected by the Four Kingdoms. It is the presence of this academy alone which has kept the uneasy peace going for so long, for at this spot was signed the treaty that ended all full scale wars up to the current date, and the great wizards who manage this place, whose magic dwarfs even the nobles' in strength, ensure that this pact is never openly broken. But their reach only extends so far, as evidenced by the many small conflicts still raging up to the present.

And, naturally, it is at this place that our story begins, for even as the feeble order of the world begins collapse, a certain young Magus of a little known family has come to the Arcanum Academy. And, although none can yet predict what the end will be, this unexpected factor might just change the course of Albisian history...