"The Black Prism is set in a pre-industrial fantasy milieu, albeit more advanced than most, with gunpowder weapons and widespread use of simple machines such as pulleys and gears. The story takes place in "The Seven Satrapies, 7 semi-autonomous countries surrounding a large sea, each ruled by a leader known as a satrap." Magic in this Roleplay is in the form of Chromaturgy, explained here:

"Chromaturgy is the art of harnessing light and creating a substance from it, called Luxin. Luxin can take on many different shades from the visible spectrum and to either end of it (what we would call infrared and ultraviolet), and each color has its own unique properties.

People who use Luxin are called Drafters. Most Drafters can only cast a single color of Luxin and are known as 'Monochromes'. More powerful Drafters, known as 'Bichromes', can use two colors of Luxin and people who can use three or more colors are known as 'Polychromes'. Polychromes are the most highly sought after Drafters for any Satrapy's army. It would seem that in order to be considered a Drafter in a particular color, said Drafter must be able to Draft the whole color; for example Karris Whiteoak, who can Draft Green, Red and most of Sub-Red, is only considered a Bichrome. In order to draft a color of Luxin, a Drafter must see the color somewhere in his/her surroundings. If the color is not available in their immediate surroundings most Drafters get around this by wearing colored spectacles to filter their color from white (natural) light. If they cannot see their color, they cannot draft it. Thus most drafters carry their spectacles everywhere with them. Using Luxin does have a downside, however. As a Drafter uses Luxin, a ring of that color appears in their eyes inside the iris. If that ring every extends past the iris, dubbed "Breaking the halo," that Drafter will slowly go insane, driven to use Luxin to better themselves in unnatural ways. Most wights, people who have broken the halo, try to recreate their bodies out of luxin, with little success. The process usually kills them, but not before they kill others first. Color wights are an abomination, and are put down like rabid animals.

Luxin is deeply linked with the earthly flow of energies, and imbalance in the use of Luxin colors on a worldwide scale can result in natural disasters. In most cases Luxin flow is self-regulating, but occasionally it must be balanced by increased usage of certain colors of Luxin. Most often than not, this is accomplished by the Prism, a religious leader and political figurehead who rules over the Seven Satrapies as Emperor, although his political power is ceremonial at best. The Prism can draft every color of Luxin, and does not require colored glasses as he possesses the unique ability to split white light into its component colors."

The World:



Colors of Luxin Explained:

Luxin

The magic of the Lightbringer Series as described in the author's blog: "When a candle burns, a physical substance (wax) is transformed into light. Chromaturgy in The Black Prism is the inverse: A drafter transforms light into a physical substance (luxin). Each different color of luxin has its own strength, weight, and even smell: blue luxin is hard, red is gooey, yellow is liquid, etc. But even as drafters change the world, the luxin changes them too, physically, mentally, and emotionally. The color change of a drafter's eyes is only the beginning…" Using Luxin changes your mood. Each color has a mood or mindset associated with it, and drafters of that color tend to act accordingly. Bichromes and polychromes are especially tempted to use Luxin to alter their moods, and that is discouraged, given that Luxin use shortens your life span. Each color has a vice and virtue corresponding to the emotional change.

Superviolet

Made of wavelengths shorter than most human eyes can see, superviolet luxin is invisible except to superviolet drafters—and those only when they concentrate. Solid, but not as strong as blue or green, superviolet is the subtlest luxin. Used for cryptography, creating invisible walls and traps, and marking targets on the battlefield, superviolets tend to have a removed, aloof outlook. They appreciate irony and sarcasm and are sometimes cold. Superviolet's vice is Pride and its virtue is Humility.

Blue

Blue Luxin is hard, strong, and smooth. It can be used in anything from the creation of large structures to armor or bladed weapons or projectiles. The deepest blue is Violet. Blues are orderly, inquisitive, and unfailingly rational. Structure, rules, and hierarchy are important to blues. Blue is a calming color, reducing emotion to logical values and substituting order instead. Blue's vice is Envy and its virtue is Kindness.

Green

Green Luxin is springy and flexible. The uses are as varied as the drafter is creative: from furniture to projectiles to shields to the throwing arms of war engines. Greens are wild and free. They don't so much disrespect authority as not even recognize it. Green is the color of nature, and those who use it become increasingly spontaneous and have problems with authority and rules. Green's vice is Lust and its virtue is Self-Control.

Yellow

Yellow Luxin is most often a liquid that releases its energy back into light quickly, allowing its use as a torch or a trigger to ignite flammable materials or explosives. Yellow nourishes other luxins, extending the durability of luxin structures or tools. Like water turning to ice, when yellow is drafted perfectly, it loses its liquidity and becomes the hardest luxin of all. Yellows tend to be clear thinkers, intellect and emotion in perfect balance. Yellow's vice is Sloth, and its virtue is Diligence.

Orange

Orange luxin is slick, lubricative, and heavy. It is often used in conjunction with machines and traps. Oranges are often artists, brilliant in understanding other people’s emotions and motivations. Some use this to defy or exceed expectations. Others become master manipulators. Orange's vice is Greed and its virtue is Charity.

Red

Red luxin is sticky, gooey, and extremely flammable. Reds often work with sub-reds or with mundane tools to make bombs. Their skills are used to catastrophic effect in war. Reds are quick tempered, impulsive, lusty, and love destruction. Red's vice is Gluttony and its virtue is Temperance.

Sub-Red

By dilating their eyes fully Sub-Red drafters can see heat, allowing them to see (to an extent) in the dark, they can draft the heat from their surroundings to survive intense heat and create flame crystals which turn into fire when exposed to air. Sub-reds are passionate in all ways, the most purely emotional of all the drafters. Sub-Red's vice is Wrath and its virtue is Patience.

For the best understanding of the world of the Seven Satrapies, read the wiki page or even better, the book! I hope to see you come and delve into the world of magic fueled by light, intrigue fueled by cunning, and ingenuity spawned by necessity! The most ingenious Drafters are the Monochromes, they have to use one color for everything!