Setting Overview

TTF centers around Hou'lu and Sunobor, but there are many other known countries, dimensions and people groups that are relevant within the comics. Within the world of TTF, magic is also a major element which much of the population has. The world is filled with almost exclusively humans as far as sentient creatures go, with only two exceptions: harpies and mer. On the less sentient side, a grouping of animal like creatures known as monsters are a common nuisance.

## Countries

### Hou'lu

One of the world superpowers, Hou'lu is a massive country which takes its main inspiration from the Italian Renaissance and secondary inspiration from China. It is a country which has many agricultural strengths including fine dye's, fabrics, and spices. It has one of the highest concentrations of magic users in the world at roughly eighty percent of its population being capable of using magic. It is considered the home of the Gaodi, though they remain quite evenly split with the other Biao-juhn in terms of their presence in the population.

### Sunobor

The second world superpower, Sunobor has had many disadvantages in their fight to remain independent, but is a fight they have managed to win for the past thousand years. Sunobor is directly north of Hou'lu, atop a cliff spanning hundreds of miles. Almost all Sunobor has winter all year round, and as such, produce almost no vegetation of their own. Along with this difficulty, their population has the smallest percentage of magic users, at roughly ten percent of their population.
Sunobor's largest saving grace has been its access to most of the worlds precious metals along with nuln, a material which removes any magic that makes contact with it from existence. Nuln is almost exclusively found in Sunobor.
Butzu are a super majority in Sunobor, though due to the terms (forgotten) checkered past, they use the term Punkt for themselves instead.

#### Northern Raiders

A group of people that lives farther north than even Sunobor, they tend to be very hardy and stubborn. The previous ruler of Sunobor, Queen Mysrali lead a war against them when they began pillaging Sunobor cities and towns. This group has yet to be extensively developed, but is notable in Sunobor's history.

#### (Temp) Sunobor Tribe

One of the only remaining tribes in Sunobor. They are not considered to be under Sunobor's rule, though they are considered to be in their territory. Historically, this was the tribe that allied with a young Sunobor and helped in eradicating every competing tribe over the years. Now they are permitted to exist independently of Sunobor and keep their nomadic ways, however this is often something Sunoborian's in the more independent towns to the east don't favor due to it sometimes leading to competing for resources.

The tribe itself draws from Japanese and Inuit aesthetics. They, unlike Sunobor itself, have a high level of magic users among them, and are home to perhaps the strongest magic users in the world, genetically speaking. They were among the first to develop enchanting tattoos and use these extensively in their culture, rewarding life events and great shows of virtue with these tattoos to their members.

### Eastern Desert Countries

#### Gehinna

Gehinnan aesthetics are largely based on ancient Herew in a general sense, with some possible architectural influence from Spain.
Gehinna is the name of the country and also the race that lives there. The Gehinnan people often find few places accept them, and few want anything to do with them, so theirs is the only race found within Gehinna. Those of them capable of magic sit at around sixty percent of the population. Their country is in the south of the large expanse of desert, east of Hou'lu.
The Gehinna and Hou'lans have had a long and bloody history together, naturally, they tend to hate each other.

#### Parapa

The desert between Gehinna and North Desert, Parapa often finds itself being crossed when the two countries get into disputes without itself having the military might to protect itself from either. Parapa is by the far the most inhospitable place in all of TTF, having very few plants adapted to their territory. What the Parapan's lack in military strength, they make up for in stubborn endurance of their homeland.

#### Novahra

The northern most region of the desert east of Hou'lu, their aesthetics draws upon Russia and Saudi Arabia. Theirs is the only portion of the desert regions which see snow, being far enough north to even have a frequent level of trade with Sunobor. Like every desert region, they harbor a special hatred for Hou'lu, not even permitting Gaodi to have much standing in their society due to the races association with Hou'lu.

They employ a caste system along with Parapa, though theirs is notably stricter.

### Western Countries

#### Haldon

Haldon is based largely on folk costume of Mexico and Italy along with architectural cues from Spain. It is to the west of Hou'lu. The people of Haldon are often considered zealous in their worship, being one of the only countries to have a blatant joining of government and church in this world, though they are also the only sizeable country that doesn't have a monarchy. Haldon is largely neutral in world politics, though the most aggressive in its missionary work.

#### Lavynna

Lavynna is based on Byzantine aesthetics. They are west of Hou'lu, north of Haldon, and south of Sunobor. Lavynna has a strong alliance with Sunobor, putting them at odds with Hou'lu at times. Lavynna has a very dense population for the land they use for living housing. By government orders, much of the country is devoted to farming, leaving Lavynnan cities to be full of tall buildings which hold many households.
They are best known for their glass making and diversity. They are tolerant to all religions and nationalities, even having a small Gehinnan community, which is largely unheard of in any other country. They have 5 prominent languages in the country, with many dialects despite the *relatively* small size. The Lavynnan government is known as being horrifically confusing for outsiders.

### Misc

#### (Temp) Harpy Island

This island is known to very few in the world and is the only place left where harpies live. It is only accessible by flight due to it being dangerous to get a ship through and being a sheer cliff from the ocean.

## Magic

Magic is present in almost every sentient creature in TTF, though not all are able to make use of it, even when it is present. Magic is not found in nature (environment/animals) unless in the form of enchantments or similar modifications.
Having no magic present in a person is considered a very rare mutation, though being unable to use the magic you do have is semi common.
Magic is most typically located in the chest cavity, and is dormant until used once, then it becomes easier to make use of.

Magic is separated into two types, and magic itself is as tied to genetics as any other physical attribute, in some cases giving effects that last far longer than their physical counterparts.

### Elemental

Elemental magic is an instinctive type of magic. Everyone with magic has one element they're connected to. This element will never change in their life, and unlike any other type of magic they use, there is no energy cost for using their element. It does however still follow every other rule of magic, thus being limited by how much magic a person is able to output at one time.
There are ten elements: Water, Ice, Fire, Lightning, Earth, Plant, Poison, Light, Shadow, Wind
Elements are loosely tied to personality, but only the natural inclinations of personality. Children much more often match their element than do adults for this reason.

### Pure

Pure magic is something everyone has along with their single element of magic. It is however, not instinctual, and takes considerable study to make good use of.
Pure magic can only remain pure when in its home inside a person, but the moment it's drawn out, it must become one of the elements. In this way, everyone capable of magic is capable of using all elements.
Unlike a persons elemental magic, however, this process will always take from a persons magic stamina and so is much more limited.
Complicated magic such as enchantment and healing will always require pure magic, because these processes require multiple elements to work.

### Innate

Innate magic is simply 'genetic magic'. It affects appearance, overriding the normal genetics a person would have (though they will still be a 'carrier' for these things) and sometimes giving special abilities they are able to use naturally and instinctively without drawing on their magic stamina. Most notable about innate magic is it lasts much longer than typical genetics would, sometimes several generations after just one case of it, and is known to pop up in descendants even after it has seemed to have worn off the family line.
The Sha'li and Gehinna are notable for their races innate magic, and species like harpies and mer also have innate magic. Biao-juhn are humans without any, and thus when they have children with someone who does have innate magic, the children will take all traits associated with the innate magic without fail.
Innate magic often affects appearance in terms of hair color, eye color, and skin color, with occasional extra traits such as harpy eye markings.

## Dimensions

TTF has multiple dimensions, though the inhabitants of this world and these dimensions do not fully understand them and often refer to them as 'worlds'. The means of traveling between dimensions is a magical one.

#### Mirror World

The Mirror World is an artificial dimension which was created after the world, and as a surrealist copy of it. There is no sun or obvious source of light in the Mirror World, but it is not pitch black despite this. Everything is lit as if in the light of a full moon. While plants don't appear especially strange here, the 'animals' do. The Mirror World is the natural home of Monsters and is where they reappear upon their 'death'.
At present, the Mirror World is not well known, and those who do know of it tend to hate it, as one of the portals is located in Hou'lu, where people view Monsters as inherently evil.
There are others who have made strong use of it, however.

#### Tehom

Tehom is a natural dimension, fully separate from the main world of TTF. It is a very dark world with red skies and a thick, humid atmosphere. The biomes there tend to be much more swampy and full of shallow water than most places in the main world. The Tehoman's have patterned skin of true black and white, with fixed pupils that glow in the light. They have heat pits on their face and pointed teeth along with glowing green patches on their skin, which some carve into tattoos.
Among these people are strange machines that can be hard to control and seem to have a mind of their own at times.

#### Between Dimensions

It is possible to travel to a space between dimensions, though it's not anywhere you would personally want to go. Between dimensions there is nothing, not even time. Technically there is not anything to see either, not light or dark exactly, to be there is akin to being blind and deaf for these reasons. There is no air, but because there is no time, the body doesn't have much chance of dying from it. Consciousness has been proven to be possible despite these factors, or a type of it anyways.
There is no natural way to get here, but mankind has always proven, where there's a will there's a way.

## Races and Species

### Biao-juhn

Biao-juhn are humans without innate magic. There are considered to be three races among Biao-juhn. Races in TTF are determined by innate magic, and if they lack that, by ear type.

#### Gaodi

Gaodi have tall, pointed ears. They are considered to be of Hou'luan descent, though this is not always the case, necessarily. Historically, they viewed themselves as the most spiritual race, and some of that stereotype has survived to present day, though to a much less condescending extent.

#### Butzu

Butzu have short, but pointed ears and have historically been the most mistreated for being seen as being halfbloods. While Butzu can be the result of a Gaodi and Yien parent, it can also occur as its own, distinct race, or even be a result of Sha'li or Harpy ancestry, in which case the Butzu style ear would be innate magic. This distinction is impossible to detect if no other innate magic traits are present however, and so they would still be considered to be Biao-juhn.
The term Butzu itself was an insult long ago, but the origin of the term has almost been entirely forgotten, with only a few telltale signs it had ever been offensive. In Sunobor, a Butzu majority population, they use the term Punkt to describe the Butzu race due to this history, though the people of present day assume it is simply a dialect difference.
In Hou'lu where Butzu were treated the worst, the term Chien exists as an overly polite way to refer to the Butzu race. This term is hardly ever used in modern times, as it's seen as polite to an extent of being almost demeaning, but in the past it was the only way to refer to a Butzu's race in a way that placed them as an equal.

#### Yien

Yien have round, short ears, what we would consider a standard human. Yien were not considered better or worse in history and have escaped much difficulty because of this. The most they had to worry about was the Gaodi and Butzu holding grudges with them if they didn't 'pick a side' and then deal with any fallout from the 'other side' if they did side with one.
A Yien could be a descendant of a Gehinnan, though it's unlikely, but the people of this world have no means to tell if this is the case, and so with no other signs of innate magic, such a person would still be considered a Biao-juhn.

### Sha'li

Sha'li are a race of human that have tended to self isolate themselves from other races and keep a Sha'li culture separate from the Hou'luan culture. They are native to Hou'lu, and around the world are considered even more Hou'luan than the Gaodi.
Sha'li have had low numbers even before the war, relative to the general population of Hou'lu, and unlike Gaodi did not move outside of Hou'lu.
The Sha'li culture teaches that the royals have been put in place by God, and thus must be served and protected. They are very loyal to the crown and dedicate their lives to this cause.

Sha'li have innate magic which gives all members white hair, red eyes, and pale, often albino-like skin. It gives them the ability to see through illusion magic and to turn 'invisible'. (In actuality they make themselves hard to focus on, so people can't notice them. It is more to do with effecting peoples senses and mind than it is effecting the light around them)
Under the innate magic, Sha'li tend to be what we would call Asian, though not all are even despite their isolationist culture.

### Gehinna

The Gehinna race matches the name of the country they are from, as they are not accepted in other countries, and the two concepts became inseparable.
Gehinna have innate magic which gives them all dark skin, round ears, tall stature, and red hair. Their eyes will be either green or yellow. They are only capable of birthing females, which is largely why they are not accepted in most countries, as this is considered a world ending problem if allowed to integrate too thoroughly into a culture.
They have the abilities of extra physical strength (this is magically influenced to a degree that wearing nuln would sap them of this extra strength) and some resistance to heat and sun.
Gehinna, under the innate magic are thoroughly mixed by our standards of race due to always needing to find men from outside their own country.
Gehinna rarely move outside of Gehinna due to the lack of acceptance, and almost no man would be willing to move to Gehinna to marry a Gehinnan woman, so the Gehinnan culture is largely framed around this obstacle. Gehinnan women rarely marry, and instead sustain their population through the next most effective means.

### Harpy

Harpies are considered a non-human species in TTF, though how true this is can be debated. Harpies consider themselves to be humans and find it offensive to be told otherwise. They dislike being compared to birds for this reason.
Historically harpies were treated worse than even Butzu, seen as non-human and thus often viewed as second-class citizens or worse. They fled to live isolated from 'humans'.
Due to population troubles on their island, they have sent groups back throughout history to find other places to live, but in modern times have lost contact with all of them.
Harpies have innate magic which gives them red or white hair, red or gold eyes, the growing of wings, a mid-range skin tone, and marks by their eyes. While they do have tail feathers, talons, and beak-like noses, none of these are innate magic and can fade within a few generations of mixing with any non-harpy.
Harpies only ability can be considered to be flight, though they must visit Valron to gain this ability. They almost all lack the ability to use any kind of magic outside of their wings which magically lower their weight to make flight possible.
Under the innate magic, harpies skin tone isn't much different, likely having dark hair and dark eyes, though at this time it's not confirmed.

### Mer

Mer are considered non-human, and unlike harpies they tend to agree with this assessment. Mer of course live under water, considering all of the ocean to be their territory. As such, any human ships must have their permission to pass. Much to the wider worlds chagrin, they consider Hou'lu to be their allies of a sort. This gives Hou'lu a significant advantage in maintaining their role as superpower, though the Mer don't care.
The Mer have their own society underwater which is the only place their concerns lie.

Mer have two legs with long feet, fish-like skin, black eyes, and tails. They notably share many features with a jellyfish, using these perks to gather food.
They can walk on land with some difficulty, and even breathe air for a limited time.
Mer do have innate magic, though it can only be determined through coupling with a Biao-juhn how these would effect humans, which is not a common occurrence.
The innate magic that would be displayed on a human is red hair, green eyes, gills, poor eyesight out of water (which is to say good eyesight underwater), and typically an ability to use a limited type of lightning magic without effect on magical stamina.

### Special Cases

It is not uncommon for people to be of a mixed race which would make them unable to be called a Biao-juhn, but still keeps them from looking like any of the races or species described. There is no official word to describe these cases.
When it is known or obvious what the person is descended from, they will simply be referred to as that race/species instead of Biao-juhn, whether that race/species accepts them as their own or not, and no matter how many Biao-juhn in the family line there are.

When it is not obvious, people will likely not realize they aren't actually a Biao-juhn, and so use those terms to refer to them.
It's not uncommon at all for the people of TTF to not know the true race of someone, and so refer to them incorrectly, due to the large amount of crossover within innate magic.
Red eyes are a Sha'li trait, but also a harpy trait, so the wrong assumption is easily made. Butzu style ears can be innate magic, or a standard ear type, and so can be easily misattributed if the parents or further back aren't known.
Referring to someone as the wrong race is almost always done out of ignorance, and often the person themselves won't know what the truth is.

The only word that exists in TTF which acknowledges mixed race is Butzu, which are not always the result of a Gaodi and Yien pairing, but in verse are considered to be by default.