The Colour Paradigm

The "Colour Paradigm" refers the principles that the Hecaxian Universe is founded upon. During creation, Lux used the concepts and philosophies of 6 magical "colours" to shape the world, and built these concepts around magic that existed in their world before the creation of Hecaxia. Through their influence, Kakar and Qxm have managed to create a fissure in the 6th colour, splitting in two, creating Gold and Purple respectively.

## WHITE - DIAMOND - ORDER

### WHAT DOES THE COLOR DESIRE? WHAT IS ITS END GOAL?

White wants peace.

White looks around and sees a world of suffering. There are so many individuals that struggle day to day, but the world has the resources to address this suffering. There is enough for everyone to have what they need (as opposed to what they want). Suffering is a by-product of individuals not prioritizing the good of the group.

White wants to create a world where there is no unnecessary suffering, a world where life is as good as it can be for each individual. The key to making this happen is teaching individuals the importance of taking actions which benefit the group as a whole, even if those actions might not benefit them personally.

The problem with this plan is it can only succeed if everyone is working toward the same unified goal. As soon as some individuals prioritize other things, like say their own desires, the plan falls apart. This means that white has to work extra hard to get the group to understand the power it holds and to keep the focus on the bigger picture.

White does want as many as possible to understand its motives and share them. But white realizes that in order to accomplish its larger goal, some individuals will have to be lead down the path rather than venture there of their own accord.

### WHAT MEANS DOES THE COLOR USE TO ACHIEVE THESE ENDS?

How do you get a large number of individuals to all follow the same path? By creating rigid structure. There are simply too many temptations to leave the larger task in the hands of individual choice. As such, white has embraced rules and laws. If the system spells out what each individual can and cannot do, individuals do what they are supposed to.

This structure breaks into two pieces: moral laws and civil laws. The moral laws are defining the concepts of right and wrong. Certain actions are moral and thus need to be encouraged, while other actions are immoral and need to be discouraged. The importance of moral laws is making individuals understand that there is a right and wrong way to think. This frames the larger picture—the need to prioritize the group. Inherent in moral laws is the implication that there is a long-term penalty for failure to abide by them.

Civil laws clamp down on unwanted actions. Do thing X and there will be an immediate consequence, most often in the form of a loss of resources (usually money) and/or freedom. Illegal actions will be punished as soon as they are noticed. Civil laws are usually enforced by the government through police or military.

The moral laws control how people think and the civil laws control how they act. Together, these two forms of structure create a framework that helps ensure individuals are working for the benefit of the group.

I should note that white's influence can also be a bit more subtle, as it introduces the idea of a conscience. The concepts of right and wrong can be introduced in many ways from personal codes to ideals like honour or chivalry. White also makes use of things like guilt to help keep individuals in line.

### WHAT DOES THE COLOUR CARE ABOUT? WHAT DOES THE COLOUR REPRESENT?

Here are a number of things white cares about along with why:

* Religion—While there are different ways to teach moral law, religion has proven to be the most effective.
* Military—White believes that strength comes from many individuals banding together, making a whole that is much more powerful than the sum of its parts. The military is a perfect example where individual soldiers come together to make a powerful army. Also, this plays into white's reliance on the combined strength of a lot of little things, the strength of numbers.
* Law—Civil structure is based upon the creation of rules by the governing body. The law is a powerful tool to help control the actions of individuals in a society.
* Court System—Part of creating laws is ensuring that they are properly applied.
* Politics—In order for laws to be potent and do their necessary work, you have to make sure you are the ones in charge of creating, interpreting, and enforcing them. Politics is just an elaborate structure to ensure that this is so.
* Government—Something that allows white to oversee the military, laws, court system, and politics.
* Community—Looking out for the group means the group will look out for your causes.
* Honour—According to white's definition of "honour," it's another twist on moral laws. It is a system that prioritises individuals acting in the interest of the group.

* Chivalry—Yet another twist on moral laws.
* Defence—White's entire philosophy is about the welfare of the group. This extends to conflict, where white prioritises no one getting hurt. In addition, defence plays into white's strength of using structure as a weapon.
* Self-sacrifice—If you believe that decisions need to be made for the good of the group over the good of the individual, sometimes the right move is to sacrifice yourself for the greater good.
* Cooperation—The power of the group is its ability to work together.
* Light—White believes that secrets are dangerous, in that they allow people to act as if they are working toward the good of the group when in reality they are not. Light metaphorically represents white's desire to bring things out into the open. It also plays into the imagery that white likes playing up, of the idea of good vs. evil. Remember that this conflict is how white likes to frame it, as black doesn't believe in the concepts of good or evil or even the concept of morality itself.
* Purity—White sees its ideals as absolute and shies away from the idea that there are gray areas. White, interestingly enough, sees things in black and white.
* Charity—An important part of making sure every individual is looked after is having those with more help those with less.
* Strategy—Structure can also be applied to warfare and other conflicts. Part of making your army successful is making sure each individual is contributing to the larger goal.
* Organisation—Structure also helps you keep track of what resources you have.

### WHAT DOES THE COLOUR DESPISE? WHAT NEGATIVELY DRIVES THE COLOUR?

White abhors anything which gets in the way of protecting the larger group. The two biggest issues are selfishness and recklessness. The first hurts others because it motivates an individual to not care that their actions are resulting in the harm of others. The second is a problem because it keeps an individual from being aware that they are hurting others. These two issues fly in the face of the two types of laws white uses. Selfishness undermines moral law while recklessness undermines civil law. Obviously this brings white into conflict with black and red, as black is primarily responsible for the first while red is primarily responsible for the second. More on this in a moment.

White is so obsessed with maintaining its structure that it can dwell on the tiny details. This can cause white to get agitated over what, on the surface, might appear to be a minor issue. White believes that all its rules must be followed, so it will at times treat minor infractions with the same vigor as major ones. White can also take individual losses very hard because it truly does care about the welfare of everyone.

### WHAT IS THE COLOR'S GREATEST STRENGTH AND BIGGEST WEAKNESS?

White's greatest strength is its organization. White is detail oriented and always has an answer to every problem. White has built up a complex infrastructure and is very efficient at using that infrastructure, be it laws, politics, or religion to its benefit. White's division of power, spreading evenly among all its supporters, makes defeating it difficult because no one piece is, unto itself, more important than any other piece. Finally, white has learned how to make small pieces interact in a way where their power is far stronger than the sum of their parts.

White's greatest weakness comes from its reliance on structure. White has no flexibility. It can only adapt to the things it predicted, and has great trouble when something new comes along. This inflexibility makes white slow to adapt so white can often fall behind when an environment changes. White also, at times, has trouble distinguishing how important any one facet is, as it likes to treat everything equally.

Another way to think of it is: white's greatest strength is its effective use of the group, white's greatest weakness is its disregard for the power of the individual.

## BLUE - SAPPHIRE - PERFECTION

### WHAT DOES THE COLOUR DESIRE? WHAT IS ITS END GOAL?

Blue wants perfection.

Blue believes that each and every one of us is born a blank slate with the potential to become anything. The entire point of life is figuring out what you could achieve with the right education, experience, and tools. Note that this is not a task with an end goal, but one that continues throughout your life. There will always be things you can do to improve, change, or adapt. The journey of life is one of constant discovery as you keep seeking to better yourself.

In order for individuals to do this, there has to be a society that accepts and encourages this behaviour. Opportunities for education are vital. Places to experience things through trial and error are mandatory. Access to the top-of-the-line tools needs to be a right of every citizen.

In addition, this way of living requires the right attitude. You have to be open to possibilities, but also not too hasty in action. Blue recognises that there are many forces, even some that come from within, that lead an individual astray. Time is a valuable resource because only with time can one get the things they need to improve. This means that individuals need to be careful and deliberate in all their decision making. It is better to think one's options out carefully and select correctly, than to rush to a decision.

Blue is methodical and exact. Because when one sets out to become the best individual they can be, one doesn't have the luxury of making mistakes. Well, not unless they occur within a controlled environment.

Much as blue wishes to perfect itself, it also wants to perfect the world it lives in. Part of this is to ensure that blue has access to the resources it needs, but part of it is the belief that an element of reaching one's potential is living within a world that has reached its own potential. As such, blue is the color most interested in technology and wants the latest and greatest version of whatever it is using.

### WHAT MEANS DOES THE COLOUR USE TO ACHIEVE THESE ENDS?

If reaching one's potential is the goal, the most valuable tool is information. You have to first figure out what your potential is and then you have to track down the means by which you can reach it. The trick is that you don't always know what information is the piece you'll need, so blue has decided to just collect as much information as possible. Knowledge is the ultimate tool and is most effective in the hands of the person that has the most.

The net result of this way of thinking is that blue values the acquisition of any and all knowledge. Individuals with a blue bent are constantly interested in learning everything they do not know and have an insatiable quest to learn more. To blue, the act of learning is its own reward and is something that must be constantly encouraged.

Information can be used in numerous ways other than as a means of improvement. First, it can be a tool of control. By releasing and withholding pieces of information, you can force others to act or not act. Second, it serves as a key. Access is often open to those that know the proper words or actions. Third, it can be a form of protection. Knowing what threats could appear can keep you safe. Fourth, it can be a weapon. The right secret in the right place at the right time can be just as destructive as the mightiest bomb.

In order to facilitate the flow of information, blue wants a structure that enables information to be gathered. Blue likes universities, libraries, and laboratories. Blue wants to surround itself with others also invested in learning. It also likes a highly structured system where its knowledge of that system will give it an edge.

### WHAT DOES THE COLOUR CARE ABOUT? WHAT DOES THE COLOUR REPRESENT?

Here are a number of things that blue cares about along with why:

* Academics—If education is the key, then having places to learn is a necessity. Blue is a big supporter of any and all educational systems.
* Books & Other Repositories of Information—Blue values any tool that it can use to gather and store information. It treats these items as something special and values them highly.
* Mind/Thought—Blue values intellect, and as such is the color that is most often representative of the brain or any means of thinking. Blue is the color most often associated with the mind and any form of logical thought.
* Memory—Blue is the color most interested in the idea of how one's memory ties into what an individual knows and does not know. A valuable way to deprive others of information or to give them misinformation is to mess with their memory.
* Telepathy—If knowledge is key, then the ability to get it directly out of others' minds is a valuable tool, one blue is willing to make use of.
* Telekinesis—Another means of accomplishing physical tasks with the mind is making use of mental energy directly to perform physical actions. As such, mind over matter is another blue tool.

* Messing with Time—Yet another resource blue messes around with is the very fabric of time itself. Blue's studies have helped it uncover secrets that none of the other colors are privy to, how to use time as both a resource and a weapon.
* Control—Blue doesn't always have the skills it needs to accomplish its tasks, so it has learned the value of using its resource to control those who do. It's an example of a mental process helping solve a physical problem.
* Manipulation—Similar to control, manipulation is a way to use information as a tool to get things done. Blue feels that it has a better understanding of the bigger picture and thus manipulation is a necessary tool to get those that don't understand it moving in the right direction.
* Trickery—Yet another way to use information as a means of accomplishing a task.
* Subtlety—Blue's obsession with details often allows it to function in ways others might not notice. Blue does not want to risk even the tiniest detail derailing its plans.
* Complexity—Another means of controlling things is to overwhelm others with too much information. Blue is the color that enjoys complex systems and uses them, at times, as a means to disrupt others.
* Artifice—Blue's belief in the value of manipulation and trickery make it willing to create things that are not real in an attempt to confuse others.
* Illusion—This type of magic, which thrives on the ignorance of others, plays straight into blue's strength. It is interesting to blue that this type of magic's weakness is knowledge, meaning it can never be used effectively against blue.
* Construction/Technology—Blue believes strongly in the importance of tools, so it is on the cutting edge of the resources needed to create them.
* Artifacts—As the colour that loves technology, blue is the colour that has the closest tie to artifacts. It both uses them the most and has the easiest time manipulating them.
* Man-Made Items—Blue is the colour willing to manufacture whatever is needed. Blue cares in the function of an item, not its origin.
* Passivity—Blue's reliance in thinking out solutions makes it the colour which most often makes use of inaction.
* Cold—Blue's resistance to emotion makes it metaphorically the coldest, and this thematic connection carries over to its magic. Cold has proven a powerful tool, as a means of preventing things from happening.
* Elements of Water/Air—Air and water represent mental processes metaphorically, and have become physical attributes the colour leans toward. This also plays into blue's conflict with red, which support the elements of fire and earth.

### WHAT DOES THE COLOUR DESPISE? WHAT NEGATIVELY DRIVES THE COLOUR?

Blue is careful and adept at plotting, and thus is resistant to any forces that might force an individual to make a hasty decision. As such, blue dislikes both impulse and instinct. Impulses stem from emotional responses and those are the opposite of intellect. Emotions spur short-sighted actions that satisfy quick-term feelings, but usually at the cost of long-term complications. Blue knows that in order to be successful, you have to keep the big picture in mind and value each decision against the consequences it produces.

Blue dislikes instinct because it represents the shortcomings of biology. Evolution is a painfully slow process, meaning physical reactions are often the result of reacting to problems that have long ago died off. Being a slave to the past is illogical and damaging to blue's larger goals.

Blue also cannot stand any system or process that contradicts the need for progress or change. A big impediment to an individual finding their potential is the denial that such potential either exists or that it has value. Blue thus strongly dislikes traditions and ceremony.

### WHAT IS THE COLOUR'S GREATEST STRENGTH AND BIGGEST WEAKNESS?

Blue's greatest strength is its use of knowledge as a tool. Blue values information and thus prioritises not just its acquisition but also its use. Blue takes the time to examine the big picture and figure out what the consequences are of each action. Blue never acts carelessly or without great thought.

The negative impact of this style of action is that blue can often be very passive. One of the dangers of thinking everything through is the inability to be quick in decision making or be spontaneous in action. Blue will, at times, miss out because other colours have taken the initiative.

Also, blue ends up being very reactive, often waiting for others to take action before doing anything itself. This can cause blue to sometimes have problems when its opponents aren't being proactive.

## BLACK - ONYX - AMBITION

### WHAT DOES THE COLOUR DESIRE? WHAT IS ITS END GOAL?

Black wants power.

Black looks at all the other colours and feels that each of them sees the world as they wish it to be. Black is the only realist, the only colour to look and see the world as it is. An individual is free to have whatever they want, provided they have the power to obtain and keep it. This makes power the most important resource, because it's the one thing that can guarantee your ability to control your life and thus your happiness.

It's important for everyone to understand that black didn't make the world greedy. The world was already greedy; black has just learned how to thrive within it. Black has two big things on its side. One, it understands and accepts the system better than anyone else. And two, black doesn't place any restrictions on itself that make its success more difficult.

Black's philosophy is very simple: There's no one better suited to look after your own interests than you. Therefore, if everyone looks out after their own interests, you've created a system where everyone has someone looking out for them. In addition, black's system allows everyone the opportunity to succeed. Will everyone succeed? Of course not—but once again, that's not black's doing. That's just how the world works.

The weak will fail. That's what makes them the weak. Doing anything to help them is both prolonging the inevitable and risking failing alongside them. It's not personal to black. Black does what it needs to do to succeed. If others can't do the same, well, then they deserve their fate. Others see this as black being heartless, but black realises it's just being pragmatic.

There will always be those who suffer. Once again, this isn't black's doing. It's an inevitability of life. Black's just the one colour that owns up to the truth and acts accordingly.

### WHAT MEANS DOES THE COLOUR USE TO ACHIEVE THESE ENDS?

Black believes the key to success is its ability to take advantage of any opportunity. Other colours come up with reasons why they can't do something; black doesn't have that limitation. If black needs something, it can't let anything stand in the way. This means no taboos, no restrictions, no rules, no morals, no sympathy, no hesitation, and no regret. If you see something that will advance your agenda and help you acquire more power, you take it.

Black watches as others create reasons why something is off limits. Black can have no such weakness. Life is hard. Individuals don't have the luxury of passing by opportunities. One must take advantage of every opportunity, no matter the cost. These choices often come at a steep price, but that's the key to success—accepting that things you need will come with a cost that you will have to pay.

Because of this philosophy, black makes use of many resources that others reject. For instance, one of black's most effective weapons is death. The other colours feel it is "wrong" to meddle with such a force, but to black, not making use of something as powerful as death is the true crime.

This is another reason that black is so centred on itself. Many costs require the sacrifice of others for your own advancement. Because it puts itself first, black is always willing to make this trade. The weak must fall for the strong to thrive.

Others will try to flavor black's choices as somehow inherently wrong, but black understands that results are what matter, not perception. Caring what others think of you is a weakness.

### WHAT DOES THE COLOUR CARE ABOUT? WHAT DOES THE COLOUR REPRESENT?

Here are a number of things black cares about, and why:

* Death—Death is a potent and powerful force that most others write off due to taboos. Black doesn't care about taboos. Black cares about results, and death is an effective tool. As such, death has become a major weapon of black.
* Undead—Death is not an end but often a beginning. Black makes use of not just death but dead things. Others have issues with making use of the dead, but black knows they make great servants.
* Amorality—Black is not immoral, as black doesn't believe in the concept of morality. Morality is a human construction meant to allow the weak to justify a false position of strength over those more powerful than themselves. Life is not divided into good and evil but rather into what must be done and what needn't be done.
* Fear—Of all the emotions, fear is the one that black has found to grant it the easiest time getting what it wants quickly. Fear tends to motivate individuals to do whatever it takes to remove themselves from the situation that's making them afraid. Black has found this to be a very effective tool, and thus uses it often.
* Sadness/Depression—If you need someone to act quickly, you use fear. If you need someone to be inactive, this is black's favorite emotion to get the job done.
* Pain—This is another great motivator shunned by others. If you can do something simple that gains compliance, why wouldn't you use it?
* Torture—Black never shies away from effective tools.
* Darkness—First, no one can tell what you're doing in the dark, which makes it easier for black to get away with things. Second, it scares people, so that's a big plus. Third, the kinds of creatures that black tends to make use of often live and thrive in the dark. And finally, it represents keeping things hidden, which black has found to aid in accomplishing its goals.
* Disease—Like death, disease is a potent and powerful force that most others shun due to silly taboos. It's effective, spreads easily and makes others weak—all things that work in black's favor.
* Decay/Entropy—Things get weaker over time. Black has found this to be yet another natural force that it can bend to its desires.
* Parasitism—The strong feed off of the weak. This is true from the micro to the macro.
* Insects/Spiders—Others shy away from creepy, crawly things. Only more reason for black to use them.
* Vermin—They're scary and carry disease. Win-win.
* Corruption—Individuals are inherently selfish. Black takes advantage of this universal truth, causing others to benefit themselves while helping black out.
* Impurity/Contamination—Purity takes a lot of work, while contamination takes very little. A barrel full of sewage with a thimble full of wine is sewage; a barrel full of wine with a thimble full of sewage is also sewage. A little contamination can go a long way toward helping black achieve its goals.
* Reduction—Black has proven much better at removing things than creating things.
* Deceit—Many individuals put value in truth. They are fools. The illusion of truth as a force to be trusted is just an opportunity waiting to be taken advantage of.
* Manipulation—If others won't do things because you asked nicely, just stop asking nicely. Once again, self-interest can be used to get individuals to do what you need them to do.
* Machevelian Thinking ("The ends justify the means")—The means are meaningless. People who put value in them are wasting their strength in the wrong place. Who cares why or who or how? In the end, results are all that actually matter.
* Individualism—Black's philosophy on self-reliance stresses how important it is for individuals to be able to look after themselves.
* Destruction (calculated)—The weak focus on things that take more time and energy. The strong are the ones that understand where true strength lies. Destruction is far easier than creation. Therefore, black relies on destruction as a tool to accomplish what it needs. Note that unlike red, this destruction is not short-sighted but part of a larger goal.
* Sacrifice of Others—Sometimes it takes sacrifice to get things done. Always starts with those that aren't yourself.
* Sacrifices of Pieces of Self—Note though that sometimes you are going to have to be the one to sacrifice. What sets black apart is a willingness to do this when it is the most efficient course of action.
* Execution—Death can be a motivating force to others if you can make a big show of it.
* Self-Absorption—If you're the most important, why wouldn't you spend more time and energy on yourself?

### WHAT DOES THE COLOUR DESPISE? WHAT NEGATIVELY DRIVES THE COLOUR?

Black can't stand when others seem to reject the basic truths of life. For example, there are those who are willing to do things not for the good of themselves but rather for the good of others at the expense of themselves. Black considers these individuals to be idiots; dangerous idiots, because they take away black's ability to motivate them. Fear, pain, threat of death—what do you do when individuals would rather suffer than do what you want them to do?

Black is baffled by the various self-made forces that get people to act against their own self-interest. On one level, black is intrigued, wondering if there are things it could learn from these forces in order to fool individuals into believing they want to do what black needs them to do. But these forces also scare black, because they undercut many of the certainties black has built its entire philosophy around.

### WHAT IS THE COLOUR'S GREATEST STRENGTH AND BIGGEST WEAKNESS?

Black's greatest strength is its willingness to do whatever is needed to get what black wants. Nothing is off limits to black, and that makes fighting against it tricky. Black is willing to do things that other colours cannot bring themselves to do. On the downside, black's willingness to do whatever it takes can often get black into trouble. Black will make calculated risks that will at times end up hurting black. In some ways, black's greatest enemy is not the other colours but itself; the colour most likely to be responsible for black's downfall is black.

## RED - RUBY - LIBERTY

### WHAT DOES THE COLOUR DESIRE? WHAT IS ITS END GOAL?

Red wants freedom.

Everyone seems preoccupied with the meaning of life. Red's not, because red already knows the answer. You see, your heart tells you what it needs in order to be fulfilled. All you have to do is listen to it and act accordingly. It's not a mystery. You are literally bombarded with constant feelings that guide you down the correct path. The problem is all the other colours ignore the message.

Life's an adventure, and it's up to each individual to experience it. The key is to embrace your emotions and let them guide you. If you're happy, laugh. If you're sad, cry. If you're angry, hit something. If you're scared, run away. Listen to your inner voice and you will have the opportunity to experience all that life has to offer.

Too many individuals live their life questioning choices they've made. Not red. Red lives in the moment; red is spontaneous; red embraces every adventure put before it. Red knows that on its deathbed, it will look back on a fulfilled life with no regrets. That's all red wants—the ability to live life doing what it needs to.

This doesn't mean red is alone. Quite the opposite actually. Part of living life is embracing relationships. Red knows passion and loyalty and camaraderie and lust. When red bonds with another, it bonds strongly and fiercely. Whether a lover or a friend, red is someone who will always be there when you need them. Well, unless, life has taken them somewhere else for some length of time—but then when they get back, they're definitely going to be there for you.

To outsiders, red might seem a bit chaotic; but that's only because others can't see what's in red's heart. They cannot feel red's emotions guiding them. Living life to its fullest takes a lot of dedication and perseverance, but red is always up to the task.

### WHAT MEANS DOES THE COLOUR USE TO ACHIEVE THESE ENDS?

Red is a colour of action. If you want something, you have to constantly be taking steps towards your goal. You can't cross the finish line if you're not in the race. Red achieves its goals because it prioritises making things happen and it takes the steps to ensure that they will.

A big part of this is red being very attuned to its feelings. Red always knows the next action it has to take, because it listens to what its heart is instructing it to do. Red is never without direction or guidance. Now, that direction can change—sometimes quickly—because the heart is fickle, but red is always ready to act.

Red has a few different tools at its disposal. First, it has the resources to be destructive when it needs to be. If something is causing red problems, red can blow it up. Or burn it down. Or destroy it through a variety of different means. Red's not afraid to get its hands dirty, and it never backs down from a challenge.

Red also has speed on its side. Red's impulsiveness allows it to act instantaneously, and it doesn't ever need time to think through its actions. Red can hit fast and strong before others can even prepare for what's coming.

Red is good at manipulating emotions. Just as red feels every impulse strongly, it can fan the flames of emotions within others—often to powerful effect.

Red can be very tricky. It has an impish nature that it can tap into, which allows it to interfere with the plans of others.

Red is relentless. As long as red cares about something, it will keep trying until it gets what it needs.

Red's focus and energy make it the most driven colour. It knows what it wants and it acts on those feelings without the slightest hesitation. Getting between red and what it wants can be very, very dangerous.

### WHAT DOES THE COLOUR CARE ABOUT? WHAT DOES THE COLOUR REPRESENT?

Here are some things essential to red:

* Emotion—If you're going to follow your heart, that means being in touch with your emotions. And not just some of your emotions, but all of them. Magic is a combat-oriented game, so we obviously focus more on anger and aggressive emotions that make sense in combat. But red is just as swayed by every emotion. Red also doesn't bottle up its emotions, it lets them out. Red loves action, and emotions are great motivators.
* Mood Swings—Not only is red focused on emotions, it's always focused on many emotions all at once. This means that red is more prone than any other color to have emotional swings. Red can laugh one moment and be in tears the next. Others might see this as being unfocused and easily distracted, but red feels it's important to always stay in touch with your feelings—and if that means some emotional swings, then that is just what was meant to be.
* Impulse—Red doesn't have time for thinking. Thinking takes way too long. Red's competitive advantage is its speed and the ability to make big decisions instantaneously. The way red can accomplish this is by relying on its impulses to make the right call. Your gut is just so much faster than your brain.
* Might (Solving problems through brawn)—If red has to choose between letting its mind solve a problem and letting its body solve it, red heavily leans towards the latter. Red has a lot of practice using action to get things done.
* Violence—Red prefers blunt answers. One blunt answer is physical violence. Someone gets in your way, hit them until they fall down. That usually solves it . . . for now. But that's good enough.
* Brutality—Some other colors draw a line between what is acceptable and what is not. Red blurs that line. Red prefers amicable resolutions—but if it finds other, more direct solutions, red has no problem using them.
* Destruction—Red likes easy-to-remember plans of action. If a thing is a problem, there's a simple universal answer: Destroy the thing. To red, destruction is an art unto itself, and those who master the art have a lot fewer things bugging them.
* Chaos—This is white's word, not red's. Red just wants things to run the way they want to run, and as we're dealing with humans, it's messy. But that mess contains the beauty red sees in the world. Each individual is living the life determined for them, and as different people's lives crash into one another, we start to understand the impact individuals have on the group. It seems disjointed from afar, but as you dig in deep you find that the inconsistencies, the variance, the flaws all add that extra layer of humanity.
* Randomness—Life isn't orderly, so why should people act as if it is? Part of finding happiness is recognizing that things don't always happen for a reason; red has embraced randomness as an inevitable component of life.
* Spontaneity—Red recognizes that one of the great joys of life is the ability to do what you want to do in the instant you want to do it. In order to allow this to happen as much as possible, red embraces the idea that things don't have to be planned ahead but rather can be created in the moment.
* Humor—Red loves to laugh, and as such is the color that most actively creates and appreciates humor. The other four colors all have their own form of humor, but none are as blunt, as broad, or as entertaining as red's.
* Mischievousness—Red enjoys doing things to entertain itself. One of those things is messing with other individuals. It's really funny when things don't go as others have planned.
* The Elements of Fire and Earth—Red values the volatile side of these natural elements (lightning, fire, earthquakes, mudslides, etc.), and quite often uses them as the source of its direct damage.
* Fighting (Brawling)—Red does not back down from a fight, but note that these fights are much more unstructured brawling than any formalized combat.
* Romance—Red's a lover and a fighter. Just as red won't back down from a fight, red is also not afraid of letting others know how it feels. Red isn't scared of relationships. It knows that through close bonds with others, some of life's happiest moments happen.
* Hedonism—Red embraces following your feelings. Most of the time, that means doing things you want to do because they're things you'd enjoy. Red sees no shame in delivering on this basic need.
* Barbarism—The offshoot of valuing action over thought is that many times you act in a more primitive manner.

### WHAT DOES THE COLOUR DESPISE? WHAT NEGATIVELY DRIVES THE COLOUR?

Red doesn't like being frustrated or bored. The first happens when someone tries to inform red that it cannot do what it wants to do. Red's default reaction is to just do it anyway, but if something tries to stop red, red will figure out how to remove the obstacle in its way. Red likes to see itself as an unstoppable force that will just keep taking action until it get what it wants.

Red's other pet peeve is when nothing is happening. Red is a colour of action, so anything leading to inaction drives red crazy. Red has no patience nor long-term plan, so the last thing it wants to do is not do anything. Red would much rather fail miserably than sit back and never try.

### WHAT IS THE COLOR'S GREATEST STRENGTH AND BIGGEST WEAKNESS?

Red's greatest strength is its ability to know what it wants. Red has purpose and clarity. In addition, red is committed to taking action to get the things it wants. Others might pine for things; red actively takes the steps to acquire them. This drive grants red a passion and speed that can often overwhelm its adversaries. Red's enthusiasm creates an energy that allows it to do amazing things.

Red's greatest weakness is an unwillingness to think long-term. Red is very short-sighted, trying to accomplish what it wants right now and seldom thinking of the ramifications of its actions. Red often puts all its eggs in one basket, and if that plan doesn't work out, red can easily get itself in trouble. In addition to all that, red is very bad at taking advice from others, choosing to follow its own path even when everyone around it is saying that disaster awaits.

## GREEN - EMERALD - BALANCE

### WHAT DOES THE COLOUR DESIRE? WHAT IS ITS END GOAL?

Green wants acceptance.

The other colours are all focused on how they'd change the world to make it better. Green is the one colour that doesn't want to change the world, because green is convinced that the world already got everything right. The natural order is a thing of beauty and has all the answers to life's problems. The key is learning to sit back and recognise what is right in front of you.

Each individual is born with all the potential they need. The secret to a happy life is to recognise the role you were born into and then embrace it. Do what you were destined to do. The world is this elaborate system, and each one of us gets to play a part. And it's not something we have to guess about; it's imprinted on us, it's in our genes. Just look within.

In addition, you have to learn how you fit into the larger picture. Nature has a beautiful structure. Part of life is recognising what role you play and how that role interconnects with the web of life. You're not alone. You're part of a complex system full of inter-dependencies.

The problem is there's so much going on that it's easy to lose track of what's already there. Too many individuals get so caught up in the details of their lives that they don't bother to sit back and understand the bigger picture. Green truly believes that the rest of the colors simply aren't taking the time to appreciate what is already there.

### What means does the colour use to achieve these ends?

If individuals won't take the time to come to nature, well then green will have to bring nature to them. Green believes that once you understand what life has to offer, you will accept its gifts. The key is to find ways to help others see what green already sees.

Green's greatest tool in its quest to help others appreciate what it already sees is nature itself, and this plays out in a number of different ways.

Green has a special bond with creatures, especially the ones living in the wild that are tapped into the ecosystem. This means that green is more of a creature colour than the others (although white tends to have lots and lots of small creatures that band together for strength). It means green has access to larger and more vicious creatures. Green puts this arsenal of wild animals to good use.

Green is also very connected to life itself and has the ability to rejuvenate. Tied closely to this is green's connection with growth, which it can use to overwhelm others. Green's close bond with the natural order means that it can speed up natural processes that might normally take much more time.

All of this, though, is green using the elements of nature as a means to show off what nature can do. Because once again, green truly feels that the one thing keeping individuals from accepting the truth of the world is a lack of understanding. There's an inner harmony that's necessary in order to be able to take in what's all around you, and green works hard to allow individuals to tap into that harmony.

### WHAT DOES THE COLOUR CARE ABOUT? WHAT DOES THE COLOUR REPRESENT?

Here are a bunch of core things important to green:

* Life (birth)—One of the most potent forces of nature is the creation of new life. Green recognises this as a key strength, and does everything it can to foster and honour the ability.
* Growth—Green is not about doing nothing. Nature itself is very active. As others twiddle their thumbs, the world is slowly but constantly growing. This unstoppable force of change is another very powerful element of nature, and it's something green taps into whenever possible.
* Nature (and natural things)—Green makes a big distinction between things that are naturally made and things that are artificially made. The first is a great gift from the world, and the second is an abomination. The world is creating amazing things. Green admires them and is always on the lookout for ways to make use of them to aid in green's quest.

* Reality (in contrast to illusion)—Truth is another potent force in the world. Green promotes truth because it reveals what actually is. Other colors try to misrepresent life, using lies and propaganda to mislead individuals to keep them from seeing the truth. As such, green is adamant about shutting down anything that misrepresents reality.
* Community—We are not isolated individuals but an interconnected web. Part of embracing green's philosophy is understanding the importance of how each of us figures into the lives of the others. Grasping the role this larger group plays is a vital piece in understanding how the world works.
* Interdependence—Nothing exists in a vacuum. Each individual's actions have consequences to the individuals around them. Part of accepting the message that green is trying to share with the world is realizing that you co-exist with so many others.
* Spiritualism—Green leaves religion to white, but it very much believes in the importance of accepting higher forces at play. Things don't just happen, they happen for a reason. The interconnectivity of nature doesn't just occur on a physical level, it happens on a much higher plane of understanding as well.
* The Past—Of all the colors, green is the most backwards-looking, as it believes that your future is very much determined by your past.
* Wisdom—Blue looks to the future and seeks knowledge, green looks to the past and seeks wisdom. Green believes that the secret to success today is understanding the successes and failures of those who came before you.
* Ancestry—If who you are is in your genes, then who you come from is of utmost importance.
* Tradition—Green believes that we need to be constantly touching the past, and a great way to do that is through traditions where you get to continue activities passed down through time by your ancestors.
* Instinct—Nature provides motivation through biology. Most creatures, for example, don't think about what they're going to do. They just do what comes naturally to them. To embrace green's philosophy is to understand that that those feelings are found not just in animals but in every living creature.
* Animals—The less civilized you are, the more you instinctively understand the role of nature. Animals, especially wild ones, connect with nature in a way that is hard for more sapient creatures to understand.
* Plants—Green's connection with living things doesn't stop with animals. Green is just as concerned about the flora as it is about the fauna.

### WHAT DOES THE COLOUR DESPISE? WHAT NEGATIVELY DRIVES THE COLOUR?

Green accepts that change is a part of the natural process. What green can't stand is unnatural change, where an outside force alters something that was not meant to be changed. This comes out in two different ways. The first is when someone creates something that was never supposed to exist. This dislike of man-made things is a big reason that green hates artifacts (and to a lesser extent, enchantments). There is no greater slap to the face than someone trying to usurp the natural process of creation.

Second, green can't stand things being removed from nature inorganically. The ecosystem is so carefully balanced that the unnatural removal of a component can throw everything off. Kill a bunch of predators and, all of the sudden, the prey start growing in number. This can have devastating consequences if left unchecked.

Basically, green feels a strong connection with the status quo, so any attempt to change it through artificial means makes green very angry.

### WHAT IS THE COLOUR'S GREATEST STRENGTH AND BIGGEST WEAKNESS?

Green's greatest strength is its absolute, unwavering belief in the natural system. Green embraces nature and is able to connect with it through that bond and use it in ways that are primal and very powerful. This connection also allows green access to many giant creatures that serve as muscle to help green push forward its agenda.

Green's weakness is its over-reliance on this system. For example, green is so focused on using creatures that there are a number of problems green simply can't deal with when it doesn't have creatures. In short, green puts too many eggs in one basket—and when that basket doesn't have the answer, green is often at loss for solving its problems.

## GOLD - AURUM - DESIRE

### WHAT DOES THE COLOUR DESIRE? WHAT IS ITS END GOAL?

Gold wants… everything.

Gold looks around in the world and sees opportunity. Empty space. Potential. Gold wants to create and create and create until there is nothing unique left to be had and then it wants to create some more. Gold sees lethargy and apathy as a crime, and the universe as an art, an unpainted canvas yet to be filled in.

Gold is possibility. While Gold is like White in that is has a vision of unity, Gold wants to break all of the rules that restrict gold’s vision. While Gold is like Blue in that it believes in attaining perfection, Gold’s pursuit of perfection is not logical or reasoned, but emotive. Gold may be as ruthless as Black in this pursuit, but Gold’s motivation is truly that it believes what it is doing is a greater good, damn the consequences. Like Red, Gold prioritises Love above all else, but in Red’s philosophy, love is a pure thing to be shared with people close to you, whereas Gold’s love spreads like water, or a disease, to all reaches, slow and lumbering rather than hastened and emotive. As with Green, Gold believes that everyone has a place in a grand design, that people have turns in their fate, but Gold believes that designing that fate is part of that structure, and is willing to override even natural laws to achieve what it wants.

### WHAT MEANS DOES THE COLOUR USE TO ACHIEVE THESE ENDS?

How do you foster hope and love in the world? How do you create your utopia? Through promises, of course. Gold plays the long game, manipulating pawns for its grand scheme, but doing so out of love. Everyone serves the purpose, ultimately, but Gold can promise you paradise or your deepest desires, and genuinely mean it.

Gold’s methods are reminiscent of the Wish Gone Bad scenario - where someone is rewarded with all their hopes and dreams, only to have them rot away before them, or crumble to a bitter dust in their mouth - because Gold deals in just that, dreams. Dreams have no substance, and Gold cannot have much of a solid impact on the world, working solely through concepts.

As a result, Gold’s magic is often illusory - the oasis in the desert promising water so you’re motivated to stay alive and keep marching, or the thought that someone loves you and that’s who you’re doing these hardships before, despite everything.

Gold is very “ends justify means”, but instead of being callous about it, Gold genuinely believes it. Gold will go to the ends of the earth and beyond to ensure its vision, regardless of who gets in the way in the process.
Morality is for other people, but Gold recognises its power, thinking it is above it itself, it can use culture or religious constructs to create systems to keep people in line either through guilt or promises of reward.

Finally, I should note that Gold is rarely sapient - rather, a force of creation acting throughout the world, and very few actually adopt a Gold approach to living life, as a result, it is not moral, or amoral, abmoral or immoral, as such concepts apply to those of conscience, not the dreams of creation shaping the universe.

### WHAT DOES THE COLOR CARE ABOUT? WHAT DOES THE COLOR REPRESENT?

* Creation—Gold wants to create for creation’s sake, not just artistically, but from scratch. This can represent both a need to have a profound impact on the world all the way up to the institution of cosmic building blocks.
* Religion—While there are different ways to teach moral law, religion has proven to be the most effective.
* Love—Gold’s love is genuine, but often corrupting. It cares deeply, but can often hold too tight and suffocate those its trying to protect. Gold’s love is total, but destructive.
* Honor—Unlike white, the Gold twist on Honor is not the reward one gains from it, but the concept of ‘Do Good for Goodness’ Sake’.
* Necromancy—When Gold has you, it never lets go. It prefers to bring back its best tools through the methods of reincarnation or restoration, but Gold is not above raising the dead in a more traditional sense.
* Self-sacrifice—If you believe that decisions need to be made for the good of the group over the good of the individual, sometimes the right move is to sacrifice yourself for the greater good, unless you yourself serve a higher purpose, in which case, it is correct to ask another to do so in your stead.
* Murder—If you ask nicely, and they refuse, you can always make an executive decision.
* Manipulation—If others won't do things because you asked nicely, just stop asking nicely. Once again, self-interest can be used to get individuals to do what you need them to do.
* Machiavellian Thinking ("The ends justify the means")—The means are meaningless. People who put value in them are wasting their strength in the wrong place. Who cares why or who or how? In the end, results are all that actually matter. It must be stressed here that Gold’s perspective of this is global, whereas Black’s is self interest.
* The Sun—Burns hot, causes cancer, cannot be approached and will eventually devour all in its orbit, however, serves the greater purpose of sustaining life, providing opportunity and potential, and making meaning in an otherwise vast, empty expanse.

### WHAT DOES THE COLOUR DESPISE? WHAT NEGATIVELY DRIVES THE COLOUR?

Gold cannot abide waste. Wasted potential, wasted emotions, wasted effort - for Gold, its sacrifices have to mean something, or there is nothing left. The death in the world around it, the entropy eroding away at the corners of the world, these are Gold’s greatest enemies, and unless it can create purpose and meaning in an otherwise unfeeling world, Gold itself cannot be motivated. This explains Gold’s fervour for an “any means necessary” approach when it comes to sacrifice, asking of people, and manipulation.

Ironically, Gold is negatively motivated by everything Gold stands for. It lacks awareness of its hypocrisy when it stands against organisations and contenders who would use people for their own gains, or kill - even in some of Gold’s religious structures methods are ‘banned’ or frowned upon until Gold itself needs to use them to achieve an aim. It does not recognise this hypocrisy, only its One True Purpose.

### WHAT IS THE COLOUR'S GREATEST STRENGTH AND BIGGEST WEAKNESS?

Gold’s strengths come from its ability to be pragmatic about situations that would otherwise incur emotional stress. If Gold loses loved ones, it can console itself in the fact that they died for or because of the cause. If Gold needs something done, it can unify its resources, both human and otherwise, to accomplish the task.

Gold plays the long game, meaning that many setbacks to Gold’s plan are perfectly minor - Gold is perfectly willing to wait eons to achieve what it needs to achieve, and will probably be still standing at the end of the universe, measuring opportunities to strike. This is partially down to the fact that no individual cog in Gold’s plan is as important as the blueprint, and pieces can always be changed, improved, or removed if they hinder the ultimate goal. There is, however, no haste in achieving this goal, as long as it is achieved.

If Gold is exposed for the puppetmaster it is, however, its illusions lose a lot of their weight, as many of its followers become disenfranchised with the cause.

## PURPLE - AMETHYST - THE CONUNDRUM

Purple is entropy. Purple is a vortex. Purple changes the rules.