Magic

# Breaking

The magic within the Verseinian universe is known by many names to the various cultures, but in Verseinia it is most commonly called Breaking; this is because when Verseinians first learned of it they thought it was "breaking" the laws of physics. People who are able to use it are called Breakers. Acts of breaking are called effects or spells.

Breaking was first introduced to Verseinians by the Pashar when first contact was made in 2103. It is a force that all sentient beings are capable of wielding, though since it is so difficult to wield effectively it is possible for races to live and die without ever discovering it. The Pashar discovered it by accident when an individual was born with extreme affinity to it. Pila The Teacher was the first known breaker of the Pashar and she taught many others to break as well.

Breaking comes in three main forms and breakers are typically only able to learn and master a single one; they are Electromagnetic, Gravity, and Spatial/Special. All people are born with the ability to become a breaker through training, though some have more affinity to it than others. It can take decades of training for the average person to break even on a small scale, but some exceptionally rare individuals take to it like a natural. It is technically possible for a single person to be able to use all three forms, but the training required would limit them to power levels beneath a novice in each. Thus, aspiring breakers must quickly choose a form and focus on it solely. In addition to the three forms, there are subcategories called "Ilos" by the Pashar, which translates to "dedication".

There are a few different metrics to measure a breakers power level, these are affinity, potential, and focus. Together, you can combine those measures to get an individuals capacity. Usually sentient beings are born with near 0 levels of all metrics, but it is possible to be born with savant levels of power; such individuals are called Sianas by the Pashar, and Pila was likely one. Sianas are able to totally master their form, including all dedications within it, and some are even able to use all forms to some degree of proficiency. There have only been a handful of sianas in recorded history able to master all forms.

All breakers have stamina and breaking depletes it just like any other physical activity. Training and exercise can help increase it, but some are born naturally with more capacity than others. Sianas seem to have near limitless stamina when not performing high focus spells. Depleting your stamina can lead to exhaustion just as running too much can, and an exhausted breaker will need to rest to restore it. Pushing yourself too far can be fatal.

## Electromagnetic

Electromagnetic breakers, or elms for short, are able to control and manipulate the various aspects of the electromagnetic spectrum. It is the most common affinity to be born with and has the most dedications within it. Sovereign Asiron Mastana is famously an elm, though his long life has enabled him to nearly master all forms.

### Magnesis

Magnetics, or mags, are elms who specialized into controlling magnetic fields. They can create and control them, even destroy natural ones. With enough precision, they are able to control ferromagnetic materials. Training to move metals like iron is exceptionally easier than non magnetic ones like copper, though both are possible.

Even more difficult, though technically possible is telekinesis of all things through the electromagnetic fields of molecules and atoms. This level of precision and focus is nigh impossible for anyone but a siana.

### Radiomancy

Radiomancers, sometimes called rads, radios, or broadcasters, can create and control radio waves on the far low end of the electromagnetic spectrum. They are able to send and receive transmissions mentally, as well as act as relays to extend the reach of another broadcaster. Radiomancy is often used in warfare where it may be impractical or impossible to set up radio infrastructure in enemy territories, and rads can also intercept enemy transmissions without detection.

### Pyromancy

Pyromancers, or pyros, cannot create physical flames as their name suggests, but rather are able to control the temperature of objects. It is typically much easier to add energy than to remove it and thus easier to raise temperatures to an objects flashpoint. Hells Corps is a spec-ops unit in the Verseinian military famously composed of Pyromancers.

Though it is much more difficult, cryomancy is also possible by removing energy from an object, thus cooling it.

### Electromancy

This is the most common dedication for an elm as it is the easiest and requires the least amount of potential and focus. Electromancy allows for the creation and control of electricity. The uses for and electromancer are as limitless as the uses of electricity itself. They can manipulate machines and computers, interfacing with them directly, arc electricity to produce lightning bolts, create EMPs to disable electronics, and much more.

Asiron Mastana often likes to enter battlefields with massive displays of lightning whilst leaping off the bow of his personal warship, the VCS Intrepid.

### Photomancy

Photomancers, sometimes called flashers, can manipulate the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. With this ability, they can make photons, control where they go, or destroy them. With sufficient training one may be able to reproduce complex imagery by beaming carefully curated streams directly into a viewers eyes. Holograms are also possible as well as simulating entire objects or sceneries. Flashers are often employed in the entertainment industry to create elaborate light shows, or in the design and manufacturing industry to produce complex models without the need for 3D modeling software. Photomancy is one of the hardest dedications for an elm to master given the extreme density of visual information needed to produce images.

### Alchemy

Alchemists can manipulate the bonds between atoms to alter a molecules composition, allowing for the creation of new materials from old ones. Alchemy is extremely important in the modern world, as it is the only way to create certain metamaterials such as ytterite, opherite, or hitilunite. An experienced alchemist can create only a few ounces to a few pounds of materials in a day depending on the complexity of the molecule and the closeness of the starting material.

It is possible to create any atom from another given you have enough subatomic particles such as neutrons, protons, and electrons, though changing individual atoms from one kind to another is significantly more difficult than changing molecular structures with the same atoms.

## Gravity

Gravity breakers, or gravs, are able to manipulate the force of gravity. This form is the second most common, closely behind electromagnetic. It is relatively easy for a grav to multiple dedications within this form as there aren't too many of them and the differences are often slight.

### Telekinesis

Telekinesis for a grav is exceptionally easier than for an elm as manipulation of gravity allows for the pushing/pulling of an object to move it. The mass able to be moved by a telekinetic is typically no more than a few pounds at arms length for the average user. With a lifetime of training and high potential one might be able to move hundreds or even thousands of tons, and sianas are capable of moving mass millions or even billions of tons.

Telekinetics are also able to stop the movement of an object, and thus are able to create solid pockets of air which can be held or walked on. This can be used to create hand/footholds out of air to either aid in ones own movement or impede that of another's without them being able to see it.

Through careful use of telekinesis on oneself, flight is possible. This however is extremely dangerous and takes an average user decades to master. One must be careful not to crush themselves as they attempt to fly, and controlling this flight requires exceptional talent.

### Gravomancy

There is little difference between telekinesis and gravomancy, the only ones being the range of the effect and the precision involved. While telekinesis is typically limited to short ranges less than 50 feet or so because of the extreme precision required, gravomancy is capable of creating fields of effect hundreds of miles in diameter, requiring little to no precision at all.

This is the most obvious dedication as well as the easiest for a grav breaker. Often just called gravs, these breakers are able to create gravitational fields, though typically not with the same precision as with telekinesis. Gravomancy allows for the creation of black holes with ranges of inches to several miles depending on ones power level, as well white holes which are the opposite of a black hole.

### Sonomancy

Sonomancy allows for the manipulation of sound waves through the precise control of telekinesis. By repelling or pulling air at specific points and frequencies, sound can be made. This is widely regarded to be the most difficult dedication for a grav to master given the frequencies required.

Experienced sonomancers are able to reproduce nearly any sound with perfect accuracy, as if the source was actually there. Sonomancers are widely employed in a variety of industries with entertainment being the most common. They use sonomancy to produce vivid musical compositions using sounds not possible through instruments or impractical to reproduce with computers.

Sonomancy can also be used to silence an area by removing all sound energy. The Hell's Corps use this tactic to elicit fear upon their arrival to a battlefield. When under an induced silence one wouldn't be able to hear a person screaming right next to them, but would still be able to hear their own body through bone conductivity. There are more practical uses as well, such as dampening noise at a construction site in residential areas or in a factory setting.

## Spatial

Spatial breakers, specials/spatials, jumpers, or portaliers, are able to manipulate space-time allowing for instant teleportation. The distance able to be traveled as well as the size of objects able to be teleported will greatly vary based on the power level of the breaker. Spatial breaking is by far the rarest form to have affinity towards and incredibly difficult to master. There are two ways teleportation can be accomplished, local jumps, and portals.

### Local

In a local jump, the breaker will teleport himself, others, or nearby objects to a different nearby location, no more than a few miles away. Typically, this takes much less skill than opening a portal but without practice can be extremely imprecise, with the target being missed by inches to hundreds of feet. The average untrained spatial breaker may only be able to teleport things smaller than an apple tens of feet, but experienced ones can teleport objects the size of a house miles.

Being aware of exactly where one intends to teleport an object greatly helps with precision, and being able to physically see the targeted location can almost guarantee accuracy to within fractions of an inch.

### Portals

Portals are 2D openings in our 3D universe that allows for passage into The Nédyisvé, a dimension where space-time is disconnected from this universe; allowing for instantaneous transportation between nearly any two points in space. Portals can be opened by **Breakers** to access the Nédyisvé. These portals can range in size from mere atoms across to hundreds of miles wide, though opening a portal at either end of that spectrum takes extreme skill. It only takes one Breaker to open a portal, but when multiple Breakers work in tandem, much larger portals can be opened.

When a portal is opened in our universe, it generally stays fixed to it's local reference point, such as it's position on the surface of a planet, or the relative position of it to the nearest star, planet, moon, or other massive object, if opened in space. Portals can also be fixed to a surface, such as a wall or floor. If the surface is movable, the portal will move with it as if part of the object.

Portals open to seemingly random points in the Nédyisvé, but always to the same point from the same portal opening. This relationship between real world position and Nédyisvé position is unknowable and incalculable, and two portals in the real world inches apart can open to points light-years apart in the Nédyisvé.

Once in the Nédyisvé, a Breaker can open a new portal that can be targeted to a real world point in the universe, thus, great distances can be traveled nearly instantly. Portals into and out of the Nédyisvé can be opened without any distance between them, giving the effect of connecting two points in the universe through a single portal. Generally, a single well trained Breaker may only be able to travel distances within a solar system, but that distance increases dramatically when more Breakers work to open the exit portal. The farthest portal opened so far travels a distance of nearly 20,000 light years, and took the collaborative effort of 418 Breakers.

Opening a portal takes a considerable amount of effort and training, but can be extremely lucrative if mastered. The size and operable distance of the portal again varies wildly with the skill of the breaker opening it. Inexperienced portaliers may only be able to link portals that are feet apart, while lone masters may traverse solar systems easily. It is also possible for multiple portaliers to pour their efforts into a single portal, thus exponentially increasing the linkable distance. 1-10 portaliers could traverse multiple star systems, while 100-400 could link the farthest corners of the galaxy. However, the more portaliers involved in opening a single portal, the harder it is to open it as they must be perfectly synced in their efforts.

Portals are widely used throughout the sovereignty as a means of mass public transportation. Buildings used to house and organize portals are called Exchanges, and they can be built both in our dimension or in the Nédyisvé. The largest exchanges may have upwards of 10,000 portals. Portaliers are often employed by cities, states, the military, or large corporations to teleport anything they may need as a means of rapid shipping; though this is exorbitantly expensive as portaliers may charge up to 1,000-2,000 marks per hour for their services. Outside of the financial management sector, portaliering is the highest paid job in the sovereignty with an annual average income of 4.27 millions marks.

### Nullification

Spatial breakers are able to create an area of exclusion where it becomes either incredibly difficult or impossible for other breakers to use magic. Generally, the larger the exclusion area is, the weaker the effect is further from the breaker casting it. Another rule of thumb is that whoever is the stronger breaker will prevail; meaning that a weak spatial breakers nullification field can be easily overpowered by a strong opponent, and vice versa.

Nullifiers are again widely employed in military and police departments, as well as security and bodyguards for high profile individuals. Cities and other important areas often have large areas of nullification in and surrounding them to dissuade or make it more difficult for would-be criminals to cast spells where they shouldn't. Portals and local teleportation can be blocked by sufficiently strong nullification, so top secret and secure areas are guarded 24/7 with nullifiers.

## Enchantments

Breaking doesn't have to be done on the spot, it is possible to imbue a certain metal called Red Iron with spells to then release it later. This is called enchanting, or storing. Only certain dedications can be imbued and generally in a limited and less potent manner than casting the same spell live.

Storing spells takes just as much stamina as casting the spell normally, but releasing it does not use any stamina or effort. Thus, many breakers make a habit of storing several common low-level spells while they are in a safe environment and can easily rest afterwards for later use.

Devices made to store and eventually release a spell are often called grenades due to their inert-until-activated nature. Other devices may also be used to help sharpen and or focus a breakers magic to create a more potent spell when casting live.

### Electromagnetic

* Electric Shock Grenades, these release arcs of electricity
* Flash Bangs
* Douters, the opposite of a flash bang, named after a device used to snuff out candles.
* Magnetic Grenades, these pull all metals towards them for a short time
* Magnetic Repulsion Grenades
* EMPs, these disable all non-shielded electronics
* Radio Jamming Grenades, these can be made to target specific frequencies
* Thermal Grenades, both pyro and cryo, these alter the ambient temperature to either extreme.

### Gravitational

* Mini Black Holes
* Mini White Holes
* Anti-Grav Grenades
* Silencing Grenades, these absorb all sound in an AOE
* Sound Grenades, these can be pre-loaded with any sound the breaker wishes.

### Weaponry

As mentioned above, Red Iron can also be used to enhance a breakers capabilities when casting live. For instance, an Elm may use a rifle which can focus their photomancy into concentrated beams which are able to shoot much further than they would otherwise be able to. The possibilities for innovation here is as limitless as the breakers creativity and power levels allow for. Each breakers individuality is greatly expressed through their use of these devices.

### Red Iron Deterrents

In addition to enhanced weaponry, Red Iron can also be used as a nullifier and can create magic exclusion zones. The same breaker can imbue a nullifying device several times to strengthen it's effect and increase it's AOE. Using a deterrent is generally less effective than a spatial breaker casting the same spell live, but it doesn't need constant upkeep to maintain.

## Breaking in Practice

Breaking is performed with concentrating ones mind, like walking or any other physical action. Though one may break without making any physical movements, power can be greatly enhanced when the breaker is entirely focused on the act. Breakers employ a wide variety of techniques to help them stay focused such as martial arts, dance or music, or simply training to block out other stimuli.

When working in teams, portaliers often use choreographed routines to keep them all on beat as they open portals. Some of the best breakers in history have used martial arts to increase speed and precision.