Irradiated World

An alternative version of Earth where the cold war went hot - and the resulting nuclear bombs ripped open magic caches from the outer plane, creating a world full of dangerous magic and creatures.

## Significant Events

### Pre-Collapse

During the 1920s, a massive group obsessed with the idea of occult magic formed. This group was made up of some of the most powerful figures in the world, and their hunger for power only deepened as they managed to taste the first instances of magical power - these became the first Modern Wizards, hiding away from society.

Their research concluded there was another plane of existence they called the Lattice "layered" onto the world they currently occupied and that with enough energy, the pillars separating these could be severed, crashing the two into each other and effectively fusing them. This would create the 'ideal world', birthing magic in the mundane.

When the Cold War and subsequent arms race began, the group (including Aruma Hemlocke) quickly escalated the conflict and induced major nuclear war, destroying a huge percentage of the world - the USA, Russia, and huge chunks of South-East Asia are completely uninhabitable, if not completely gone. The release of such massive amounts of nuclear power created 'rifts' between planes, allowing for the release of the magic from the other plane and the corruption of several species of Earth and the creation of entirely new ones.

The released waves of magic shook through the planet and 'ignited' Sparks, generators of magical energy, within compatible humans souls. This led to an event called the 'Awakening' - the mass apotheosis of thousands of human Wizards.

### The Post-Collapse War

The 'Formative War', as it was called, erupted shortly after the Awakening. New mages, struggling with the weight of their new found power began gathering in large groups, which sparked the suspicions of those not lucky enough to receive powers. They began stockpiling weapons and clashing with wizard groups. Predictably, still reeling from the shock of the apocalypse, all out war began, soliciting a separation in the already dwindling population.

### New Society

Soon after they appeared, most rifts collapsed under their own weight, though some smaller ones still exist. These smaller rifts became popular pilgrimage points for wizards who seek to supplement their power, although none have returned alive and/or sane.

By the 2110s, society had managed to rebuild in habitable areas, though most settlements are surrounded by extremely dangerous wastelands. Mage communes formed in retaliation to the mistreatment of wizards as they became seen as dangerous (due to the association between radiation and magic) and these became safe havens, though as more and more 'ignited' children were born the advice of these communes was sought, leading to the de-stigmatisation of magic users. As these communes began expanding, they evolved into research facilities and schools.

Agreements and treaties were drafted with non-magic settlements, or the Government, forming the functional codependency of the two. In exchange for mages being accepted and tolerated (and supported with supplies) and fully able to practice their craft without persecution, magic schools allow the governments to enlist small numbers of Wizards to their military forces. In exchange, the government offers to perform menial work for the Magic Schools such as constructing their buildings, or gives them out large plots of secluded land for use. Other than these interactions, the Magic Schools and the Government are largely independent of one another, and rarely interact.

Due to the destruction of major technology outputs, such as the USA, Japan and China, society had to functionally 'strip' back, though old-world tech could still be found and restored. Society was not primitive, but it wasn't high-tech either. Mage settlements have the most modernity due to the versatility of magic.

## Politics

### Government

Each major town has its own governing body which vary wildly - the leaders meet every month (or as needed) to discuss political matters. The system works based on trust (or rather, distrust) and they all hold each other accountable. Stances on mages fluctuate based on the area. Multiple towns make regions which then have their own overarching councils.

There are three types of settlements:

* Grand
	+ Several large-scale old-world buildings. Highest populations and most magic users outside of the schools, though they usually border these. Wealthiest type of settlement with good education standards.
* Greater
	+ Limited large-scale old-world buildings. Decently large but less developed than Grand settlements. Moderately wealthy and middling education standards.
* Lesser
	+ Usually entirely constructed. Small populations, usually responsible for the output of high commodity items like food and animal products such as wool. Generally poorer with poor education standards.

### Currency

While money does still exist, it is only used for the purchase of luxuries and services. Food and necessities such as soap are rationed. The sale of food is prohibited, although it is common practice to grow your own or pay others to grow it for you and you may freely share it. Lesser settlements are majorly valued due to their contributions, such as meat and dairy, which are impossible to cultivate in the inner cities. Many rich families own farmland, which they pay people to work on so that they may amass their own food-sources. This is encouraged, even, as it frees up the ration-system for others.

Currency is in the form of coins, increasing in value as the value of the metal does:

* Copper - base currency unit
* Iron - 10 Coppers
* Bronze - 10 Irons
* Silver - 10 Bronzes
* Gold - 10 Silvers

Precious metals were discovered through a mixture of metal-detecting, mining, and magic. The court wizards of the town nearest the Pyrophrenic communicated with the fire, coming to an agreement that it will act as a foundry fire for the makeshift mints, in exchange for information of the outside world. These wizards now oversee the minting of new coins - metals are melted down in the Pyrophrenic and then poured into moulds. Batches which pass inspection come into circulation. Every once in a while, old coins are collected and recycled - due to the use of soft metals, they may become misshapen and need recasting.

While this is the generally accepted system, some places differ in their trades. For example, in Helvereka, trade and barter is the norm, although offering services in exchange for goods is also completely legal and is common practice.

## Magic

### Mechanics

Magic stems from the rifts ripped apart by nuclear bombs which fused two planes, one with magic and one without. The second plane is referred to as the Lattice.

#### Wizards

Wizards (also commonly known as 'mages', 'magicians', or 'witches') are those few with the ability to perform magic and cast spells. This is a result of them having a “spark”, an inner-component of the soul which acts as a generator of magical energy.

Around 1 in 60 people are born with this rare gift. Women are, by a small degree, more likely to be wizards. 55% of wizards are biologically female, 45% of wizards are biologically male. Within the soul, however, gender is an abstract unbound from biological sex, so this is not wholly accurate.

Budding mages are trained at one of the magical academies, such as the Academy of Seiðr in Norway or the Northdusk University of Mages in Scotland. These academies govern themselves -  they’re almost wholly independent from non-wizard society. Various names for wizards exist, which includes (but isn’t limited to) titles such as Seiðkona/Seiðkarl (both meaning “magic-wielder” in Icelandic), noita (meaning “witch” in Finnish), czarnoksiężnik/czarnoksiężniczka (meaning “warlock” in Polish), mage, magician and witch.

WIzards (usually from lesser settlements) without formal training are derogatorily known as druids.

#### Aura

Wizards can sense each other’s presence through their aura. A wizard’s aura is dependent on which magic-types they use most commonly. As they cast, their soul becomes “stained”, and an aura is developed, though it is also dependent on their personality. Whilst the quality of one’s aura changes with the magic they perform, the initial colour and “flavour” of the aura is wholly dependent on the personality of the mage themselves.

The more powerful one’s spark is, the more powerful their aura is, as it is composed of residual energy flowing outward from their spark. Usually a spark becomes more powerful with use, however certain sparks start much more powerful than others.

#### Casting

For someone to cast a spell, there are three main components - being a wizard (in other words, having a spark), having the spell “attuned”, and entering the verbal and somatic commands for the spell.

Having the spell attuned essentially involves a process of infusing that spell’s particular spiritual callsigns onto one’s “gate”, a part of the soul which surrounds the spark and through which magic is channelled. This “prepares” the spell for use, for an indefinite period of time (until the mage wants to unattune it). Not all wizards need to do this, however - “gifted” mages find that spells simply become usable for them, though generally most experienced wizards can attune around 13 spells at a time.

The next step is incanting the spell. Often the spell’s “basic formula” (in other words, it’s spiritual callsigns that allow it to be attuned) contain a series of syllables which act as a trigger to draw spiritual power from a wizard’s spark and formulate it into energy. This energy is finally released with a somatic (or physical) trigger, such as forcing your hands forward to release a ray of burning heat in that direction, or drawing your hands from the ground upwards in order to summon a being to your location. More skilled mages may forgo the verbal components of spells entirely, being able to will their spells into taking place through their aura alone. No way to circumvent the spell’s somatic component has yet been discovered.

### Schools of Magic

The Schools of Magic, also known as the Mage Academies or Wizard Schools, are settlements almost exclusively inhabited by Wizards, built for the purpose of giving these individuals a place both to belong and to grow their talents. These facilities both act as housing and as training for mages - most wizards take up permanent residence within their academy. The academies, with several wizards living in close proximity, allow for spells and knowledge to be shared and taught very easily, and having already accomplished wizards staying there helps younger mages learn quickly with several mentors.

Several notable academies exist: The Academy of Seiðkona (Norway), The Northdusk University of Mages (Scotland), The Noitajen Koulu (Finland), The Galdraheim School of Magic (Iceland), The Milagruta Academy (Peru), The Fucino Academy of Witches (Italy), Górna Szkoła Czarnoksięstwa (Poland) and the now-abandoned Velhoruna Wizard’s Haven (Greenland) are a few good examples. Some schools naturally formed specialties, based on the wizard population in the school, the existing mythologies of the area, and the facilities prioritised. Wizards who show particular promise in a type of magic may transfer to a different school, granted they prove their worth.

Magic schools do have contact with each other, although they act independently. The area the school is situated in takes precedence over their conduct. While in Greenland these schools act as an independent entity to the government, in Peru the magic schools are seen as extensions of the education department. Due to this, communication and cooperation between magic schools can be strenuous and problematic. This is further enforced by the differing views on pedagogy and research ethics - The Velhoruna Facility was notoriously disliked due to their human experimentation, for example, and Northdusk is known to hoard several illegal spells.

## Characters

### Protagonists

* Basil Sheader
* Delion Majikki
* Lampir
* Pini Glovemaker
* Uzel

### Antagonists

* Aruma Hemlocke
* The Flock
* The Old Ones

### Side Characters

* Cedonia the Baby Eater
* Greiss Pornley
* Hunter Hunter
* The Pyrophrenic

## Notable Lists

* List of Creatures
* List of Plants
* List of Diseases