Introduction to Lore

### **The Abyss**

The Abyss is an otherworldy realm which all Arcana, a type of magic, is extracted from. Not much is known about this plane, but it plays an important role to the Grimyte Faction as the source of their power.

### **Malmarax**

An otherworldy being that Grimytes consider to be God. Malmarax does not appear on the mortal plane, but He can make contact with His followers, self-named "Heretics", through worship or with the help of chosen few who can converse with Him directly. Malmarax is believed to have harnessed the Abyss and brought Arcana to the mortal plane for His followers to harness. During a Covenant, a ritual power pact with Malmarax which grants a portion of His power, followers may choose from schools of magic called Animastics.

### **Runes**

A type of equation or language for the nature of Arcana. Much like math, these symbols must be discovered rather than invented. Arcana can perform different actions depending its structure, and these structures are what form the appearance of a rune. Some runes can be conjured with Animastic abilities quite easily, but most runes must be handcrafted with decades of study. Runes are the root of all Arcanic powers, a way to use the Arcana for spells to harness is seemingly random and volatile effects. Grimytes carve runes on their bodies to receive Arcanic powers from their God. This type of rune is called a Glyph and can have a unique, customizable appearance unlike other runes. These are primarily only known to by Enchanters, who were gifted this knowledge by Malmarax and trained extensively in recreating these symbols correctly.

##### **Other Types of Runes**

Most animastics have one runic spell that can be used to perform a minor task, such as preserving flesh or teleporting. While Animastics are ancient classes of power, Animastic Runes are a somewhat recent discovery, so its potential is in its infancy. These runes are usually placed at a location or object, but some runes, like summoning runes, are a permanent feature of its user.
Outside of Glyphs and Animastic Runes are Meridian Runes which are types of runes whose purpose it so transfer, connect, and distribute Malmarax's power to locations. There are also Mechanical Runes which are any rune with a utility purpose, such as locking a door or lighting a path.

### **Qui**

Qui is a fraction of essence from a life form that is infused with Arcana. It is a pebble to egg-size kind of mineral that glows in color depending on its type and rarity. Grimytes use this to bring animastic creations to life. Qui is harmless to extract from living things, but they vary greatly in potential and only certain Qui can be used for certain projects. Because of this, they inherently have a value and are commonly used as a type of currency. Their value is quite hard to identify, so they are commonly wrapped up by a skilled appraiser and sealed according to their value, which are then authentic enough to be traded for goods and only unwrapped when to be used to bring something to life. There are three types of Qui: Mortal Qui, which is noted as personable to the soul it was taken from; Demonic Qui, which is noted to be highly volatile as it's taken from a Demon, and Abyssal Qui, which is not found originally in a life form but is rather just a cluster of Arcana that decided on its own merit to mimic life. It would not be rare to say a family member's Qui is kept as an heirloom, or that the Qui of a powerful being is a show of wealth in the Village.

#### **Animastic Houses**

The village hosts 3 covens which a Grimyte can go to learn one of the nine Animastics. Each house teaches three of them, separated by their nature: Flesh, Bone, and Blood, within a small miniature society dedicated to learning, teaching, and making new discoveries about their Animastic's history or use. Although not all Grimytes choose to learn an Animastic, the history of these houses is complex, hostile, and continually relevant to one's general life within the Cult. You can learn the history of each Coven on its page, but one essential take-away is that most older Grimytes have not adapted well to the newer and seemingly more dangerous interactions with magic and there currently seems to be some divide in what types of spells ought to be used. Those who live close to a particular Coven tend to be patrons of that Coven, and it is sometimes unwise for the patron of one Coven to meddle around the district of another.