Introduction

Well, this is the new story I was prattling on about. It is set in a world of my creation loosely following the patterns of Mana. Each magic user in the world is paired with a creature from Sancturia (a spirit world mirroring the human/real one) at birth, their Summoning, and their magic is based upon this creature. The Summonings, once brought into the world by the birth of the human, then reside inside their mind, and can only be controlled when the human passes a test of their choosing. Sancturia often bleeds over into reality, causing dangerous zone filled with Unbound creatures. Also, technology in the world is controlled by magic. More will be explained in the storyline, but I thought it would be relevant to introduce the concept here, as well as the four main factions.

I'm aware that the story starts of slow, and that the story is not based exactly within the official MtG universe, so if that is not what you wish to read then I understand. However, since this is one of my first stories, I would appreciate it if you left constructive reviews. Also, as a recent update, I have been updating this introduction to improve its quality, which is why presently the sizes of the sections pertaining to each faction are disproportionate to one another.

Factions:

Lucael, Kingdom of Light

Occupying the north-west of the super-continent Magnus-Primae, the Lucaelians are a people primarily associated with White mana, upholding the values of unity, community and control. Living in a dark and depressing climate has made them value the light, becoming obsessed with it as there are only a few hours in each day in Lucael, and the vast majority of these will be without sunlight – so much so that any day with sunlight immediately becomes one of prayer and celebration. Only the sunlight in Lucael is good enough for them however, and as such they view the light of other factions as impure and irrevocably flawed, as it doesn't bring the same holy warmth of the Lucael's sun, said to be the divine light of the heavens - not the mere glow of any distant celestial body.

Residing within gigantic metropolis cities of gothic architecture, they have crushed nature and the wildness that comes with it, heavily defending their cities to the point of extreme xenophobia, something they deem necessary for their survival. Their hatred of difference stems from how dangerous Lucael is when one is not in one of the cities – creatures of the night prowl the perpetual darkness. The cities were built by the first King, Matalis Ortus Lucerna, the first Lucaelian with an angel Summoning, and his and his family's descendants became the monarchs after their first recorded ancestor carved out the Kingdom of Light, an unyielding bastion of hope and righteousness against the legions of evil. They have an extremely strict and inflexible society and hierarchy, the noble families deciding much of the fate of the kingdom.

The law is taken extremely seriously, with many painful punishments for crimes enacted upon those with the audacity to break it. However, more often than not repentance is an option, and those who have disregarded the near sacred tenets of Lucaelian society can be accepted once more through a penance that can take many forms - the most popular of which is being drafted into the auxiliary regiments of the army, where the repentant will repay their dept one unholy life at a time.

The night outside is a product of an overlapping zone of the infernal hells of Sancturia plunging the land into darkness, with many violent and deadly Unbound creatures stalking through the shadows. As travelling within the inner darkness is out of the question, each of the major five cities is connected by hallowed pathways upon which the monorails were built, guarded by troops and mages. This also means that vast swathes of land in Lucael are unpopulated (at least by the angel-fearing denizens of the kingdom), as they are far too hazardous for isolated villages and towns without the means to protect themselves.

This uncharted area that resides within the overall territory of the Kingdom of Light is the land of the damned. The forsaken abyss is home to many writhing horrors, murderous beasts and ravenous undead - all addicted to the taste of human flesh. Safe pathways within the perpetual twilight shift and fluctuate; the only constants are the sanctified routes on which the large tracks of the monorails were constructed, though even they are not truly secure.

The further away from the walled cities one travels, the more the evil enshrouding the north manifests. The very soil is permeated with dark, ancient power, the earth shivering with malice. The dead are refused peace, rising up and hopelessly wandering in eternal pain, sorrow and hunger, or shackled to the malevolent will of a foul necromancer. The wildlife - or what little of it survives - is twisted and misshapen, imbued with an unnatural ferocity and savagery. Lurking in the endless night, unspeakable horrors borne of the nightmares of sleeping gods lie in wait for unsuspecting prey, eager to rend the mind as well as the flesh. Worse still are the demons that inhabit the regions of the abyss that intersect more strongly with the darkness of Sancturia, infernal barons of a hellish realm whose sowed temptations and promises of power can lead even the most devoted zealot from their path of righteousness.

And yet, despite all of this, the power of the Kingdom of Light is not to be trifled with, and the armies of Lucael have held back the tides of darkness for over a thousand years since the nation's inception. The blessed angels that grant their powers to Summoners chosen at birth are found at the forefront of the Lucaelian forces, leading the way with their heroic mortal companions and plunging like a holy lance into any danger that faces the kingdom. And none are stronger, tougher, or wiser than those of the First Sisterhood, the direct daughters of the First Angel regarded as a goddess by both the people of Lucael and the luminous creatures of the Sancturia plains. These are the oldest angels, and the most powerful, each aligning themselves with a Lucerna selected by their divine mother and smiting the spawn of the nether with celestial blasts of incandescence.

Technology is reasonably advanced in Lucael, more-so due to recent agreements with the Yentarian Republic, however their military-focussed magic doesn't intersect particularly well with it, so isn't used in combat, reserved only for appliances like clocks and the aforementioned monorail trains. The current king Marik's push for greater technological advances is markedly different to the conservative mindset adopted by previous monarchs, but the benefits of this - most prominently more reliable long range communications and the faster and safer travel facilitated by the monorails - cannot be denied.

The denizens of Lucael are a tall and hardy people, only matched in general stature by some of the more brawny inhabitants of the Erian jungles, their physiques honed by rigorous military training and harsh adherence to the tenets of their faith. The women and men of the Kingdom of Light are pale, as befitting of the lack of sunlight they are exposed to, but the vast majority of Lucaelian individuals are not of a sickly white pallor customary to those living their lives in the dark within the wider world. Only those who have not felt the touch of the holy radiance of the divine sun are extremely pallid, as the blessed rays imbue the faithful with sanctified vitality even as they scorch and sear the followers of evil.

Religion has quite a large part on the lives of the Lucaelian people, with the angels and other powerful manifestations of Sancturia (and by extension, the royal family) being venerated as gods – they are regarded to be the divine messengers of the infrequent sunlight. Powerful mage-priests who are just as comfortable preaching their doctrine of self-sacrifice and courage on the battlegrounds of brutal war as they are in any cathedral have huge amounts of influence. Each city is capably ruled over by a Hierarch and Guardian, the former being the one with more magical power in their Summoning and the latter with more physical, more often than not the leader of that city's armies. These are in turn commanded by the royal family, who reside in the largest city- Capitalia Lux - and dispense orders to the Light-bearers regularly.

Each descendant of Matalis has a birthmark somewhere on their body – a specific symbol associated with a First Sisterhood angel that becomes imprinted when said angel visits them at birth, their own unmistakable sigil of royalty. A few angels have become well known, with several ancestors of the child having the same Summoning, whilst others rarely appear. The next monarch of Lucael is not based upon age order – when the current ruler dies, they will have a vision of one of their children taking the throne, and choose their successor based upon this in their final will.

The magic of the lawful Lucaelians is associated with light and White mana just as the creatures from Sancturia that become their Summonings are, and although other colours frequently appear within the populace the one that is outlawed and never naturally born into is Black, as that symbolises the cloying darkness and evil surrounding the safe cities. Black mana leads to disorder, to selfishness within the selfless ranks of the Kingdom of Light, to the corruption of one's being and the pollution of their ideals, and (with extremely rare exceptions) cannot be biologically obtained within Lucael.

Despite this, several traitors have turned their backs on the divine teachings of the Goddess and sold their Summoning in a ritual known as an Infernal Bargain, swapping the creatures of White for ones of malevolence and shadow. This permanently sacrifices their old Summoning, who is unable to return to Sancturia and dissolves into the earth, the fractured pieces of their essence becoming playthings of the unholy beings obtained from the nefarious ritual.

Similarities: the Abzan Houses, Benalia (even moreso with the new Dominaria set), Bant, Thune and Thraben.

.*.*.*.

The Yentarian Republic

Residing in the north-east of Magnus-Primae, the Yentarian Republic occupy the island-chain of Yentar and some of the nearby continent, and are affiliated with Blue mana. Their entire ideology revolves around the pursuit of knowledge, and as such each part of the territory is vastly different as every League of Thought (or sub-faction) tries to find understanding in their own unique way. They are unified by the Council, made up of elected representatives from each of the individual parts of the overall conglomerate who put aside their differences to interact with other kingdoms in a united fashion. The outsiders to the Republic see a unified front when engaging in diplomatic relations with the inhabitants of Yentar, but in fact the Republic is an amalgamation of many different cultures that are only in accordance with the pursuit of knowledge and the importance placed upon intellect.

Because of this, Yentar is made up of people from many alternating backgrounds and spans a huge swathe of territory - the influence of the Republic stretches from the rain-swept coves of the north that near the border of Lucael to the sun-kissed oases of the south that frequently trade with Welkas. Each sub-faction supplies the overall republic with resources and arms, and those who would invade thinking the researchers to be easy prey would be in for a painful shock as their aggressive forces are systematically dismantled by the arcane mastery of the Republic's magi and their plans of attack rendered null through genius counter strategies that exploit any and every weakness. Technology is extremely well-developed in Yentar, as several Leagues believe that only with superior technology, equipment and machinery will true understanding be found.

Yentar itself is the result of a Blue mana associated part of Sancturia overlaying onto the material world, causing immense floods to the vast ancient empire that once controlled the formerly mainland territory. Although the submerged cities of the civilisation that once ruled the north-east of the super-continent many millennia ago are the subject of great interest, the cataclysm that brought about the domain's end remains unknown. What is known however is that the underwater ruins are great repositories of ancient knowledge, and that many old magicks and spellcasting rituals that have been lost to the passage of time are hidden within its archives.

The Yentarians have the most communication with other kingdoms, the League of Isak believing that knowledge will be found through each faction working together and by learning from each. Although there are still some dangerous Unbound lurking in the waters between the disparate islands, Yentar is mostly peaceful as war has become unnecessary – weapons have been created that would end wars between Leagues at the mere threat of activation. It has been quoted that a more cognisant royal of the south-westerly Empire of Passion once said: "The Yentarian Republic may revere peace, but to rouse them to war would be suicide."

As each of the philosophies of each League of Thought is vastly different, so too are the Summonings from each. Blue creatures are by far the most common, although each colour is utilised to some extent. However, Red and Green are viewed with the most disdain, the latter far more than the former, even though is used by one of the sub-factions. Red is disliked because of the tendency to ruin carefully lain plans and investigations, while Green on its own is abhorred as it represents the regression of technology and learning. This means that most of the Yentarians feel antipathy towards the Erians, as they wish for everything to be under the rule of nature and would rather that progress was halted and science abandoned. The Conclave's belief that every living being has a predetermined purpose and destiny clashes violently with the Republic's assertion that one will find their own path in life.

There are four main Leagues of Thought in the Yentarian Republic that wield the most power and influence within the nation, although there are far more than just this prevalent quartet that make up the ranks of those tirelessly exploring the knowledge laden within the twinned worlds.

The League of Isak believe that learning should be done through one's own mind and with others, rather than using technology to create insights into the world. They regularly exercise the mind and body to keep it open and healthy, clear and ready to be filled with new thoughts and concepts. Their main Summonings are enigmatic elementals of natural essence. It was their idea that the Scholaria Magnus was created, which is an education facility for prominent and important teenagers from each kingdom that will soon begin its first term - a preliminary step on the path to open communication and peace between the four great nations.

The League of Uveria maintain that enlightenment will be obtained through the purity of the machine, often foregoing using biological-physical force to achieve their goals. They Summon huge constructs of metal and wise sphinxes that aid in their endless pursuit of perfection through artifice. Logic and order, concepts already championed throughout the vast majority of Yentar, have been taken to extremes by the aloof and dispassionate Uverians. The more an aspiring artificer advances through the ranks of the League, the greater proportion of their biological body will be replaced by unyielding metal, often by the scientist's own hand. This results in the most exalted and successful members of the League of Uveria possessing greatly elongated lifespans which they will use to perfect their own creations as they ascend even further into self-proclaimed genius - even if that genius is often indistinguishable from madness by those outside of Uveria.

The League of Xechun teaches that the flash of realisation after an explosive experiment is true understanding – they are the most fiery and passion-driven of the leagues, and are famed for causing huge amounts of damage with their "tests", so much so that they have received numerous warnings from the council in the past and almost had the Republic fall into all out war when one particularly catastrophic trial run of a new combination of otherworldly substances resulted in the destruction of a prized construct shaped by a leading artificer of the League of Uveria. Alongside rational and investigative Blue mana, those who obtain membership of the League of Xechun employ Red magic, valuing the spontaneity, creativity and sudden revelations gifted by the mana of fire and emotion. Those of the League of Xechun wield their emotions like they would any other knowledge, and have a reputation for being more impulsive than other Yentarians - though nowhere close to the impetuousness of the Welkalites. Usual creatures consist of drakes, djinn and the occasional Blue-associated dragon.

Finally, the mysterious and almost outlaw League of Thrazek maintain that true wisdom can only be achieved after the subjugation of all life, so that it can be controlled and manipulated to become the ultimate being. They practice body modification and often use Black and Green mana to achieve their goals, the only League of the Yentarian Republic willing to wholeheartedly embrace the latter to further their own quest for enlightenment - although it is whispered that the League of Thrazek merely subverts the magic of life and nature to its will instead of employing it in its natural form. They Summon horrors, fey creatures and shapeshifters from the strangest regions of Sancturia. However, even more disturbing is that members without a Summoning that would aide them in their objectives often modifies their own creature, creating terrifying cross-breeds and mutants. There are some dissenting voices within the Republic that advocate the removal of the League of Thrazek from the official rosters, stripping them of their ability to conduct their experiments and investigations into the nature of life itself, but so far none have wielded enough influence to catalyse any change and the enigmatic Thrazeki continue to act with relative autonomy within Yentar.

Similarities: Esper, Jeskai, Simic, Izzet, Meletis and Neurok.

.*.*.*.

Eria, Conclave of the Wild

Living in the lush jungles of south-west Magnus-Primae, the Erians are a hardy people that have to contend with all manner of immensely dangerous predator Unbound that would hunt their tribes to extinction given the chance. The forests of Eria are extremely hazardous, as although there is plenty of food there is also a huge amount of competition. Instead of trying and failing to change the landscape around them to fit their needs, the Erians have learnt to adapt to nature, as such they are perfectly complementary towards Green mana. They are led by a group of secretive shamans and druids that hold together the diverse tribes populating the forest and maintain the ancient rituals of their magic.

They mostly live in villages and towns located in the canopies of mind-bogglingly gigantic trees, high up in the air to avoid predators, though this is not a set precedent and many take up residence upon the ground of the Deep Forest. The Erian humans live off of the bounty of the land, and seek the emulate the multifarious animals which exist within the vast jungle bioscape. They are an insular and secluded people, much preferring to remain within their gigantic forest in lieu of leaving and interacting with outsiders. Attuned with nature, the Conclave does not take kindly to others who are not as respectful of the Deep Forest as they themselves are, and many a raiding force from Welkas or a research party from Yentar has been repelled violently from the jungles over the centuries.

Each tribesmember has a specific purpose in the tribe – whether that is a hunter, artisan, warrior, gatherer or something else - decided when they reach from skills that they have displayed in life. "adulthood". As life for the humans in the great forest is difficult, the average age of Erians (excluding the shamans) is much lower than that of other factions, and a child is considered an adult when they reach their tenth birthday. Youths of exceptional mana borne power that are born are taken away from their tribe to become shamans, who hold great influence over the disparate clans of the forests as they are reputedly able to communicate with the personifications of nature itself.

Unlike the Summoners of other nations, many of those who obtain the power to call a creature of Sancturia that selected them at birth to their side are comparatively few, and such individuals are soon adopted by the mysterious shamans. Instead, the majority of those who would be named Summoners within Eria gain the aid of a powerful denizen of the twinned realms, an Unbound of the Deep Forest, by interacting with the beast as it roams the jungles.

Through hunting down the creature and branding it with their Summoner's mark, or completing specific missions for the being, a prospective Erian can form a bond with a beast of the wilds that some would say is stronger than that of the relationship between master and pet of other Summoners. The Unbound Now Bounded will remain at its Summoner's side within the lush greenwoods of their home, but will retreat to the Mind Realm if its physical form is eliminated or the Summoner leaves the Deep Forest, ready to be called upon once more in the more conventional manner of foreign wizards. There is no limit to the number of preternatural animals that may be tamed in this manner (though many proud beasts will have to be forcefully brought to heel if they are made to work with another), and it is whispered in tales around tribal campfires of great hunters with legions of mythical fauna at their command.

The most stable and permanent dwelling of the reclusive Erians is Geansse, a large city on the outskirts of the forest that has had several dealings with outsiders – in the past, it fended off many assaults from the impulsive Welkas Empire and either desperate or prospective Lucaelian armies attempting to escape from their eternal darkness, but presently it is a trading point and a place of interaction with other kingdoms.

This is a much safer and more civilised place than the other villages scattered throughout the forest, however the tribespeople of those view the Geansseans as soft and not used to the hardship of the "true" wild. The fact that their lives are arguably harder, having to repel many invasions and raids from the ever aggressive Welkas Empire, does not dissuade them of this belief. Communications with the tribes and the leaders of Geansse is stunted at best, though some druidic circles interact with the city-dwellers.

In recent years, the Erian Conclave has begun to reach out of its vivid green shell of leaves, the single commercial agreement between Lucael and Geansse joined by a select few others. This fledgling exploration into the rest of the world not residing in the shadow of massive trees has captured the attention of the other nations - but none moreso than the Yentarian Republic. Whilst the Lucaelian rulers watch from their walled cities, with wariness if not quite outright suspicion, and the Welkalite people launch a contradictory array of proposed trade deals and marauding raids, the island-dwellers observe with rapt curiosity. The culture of the Erian people and the uncharted reams of biology and magic within the secluded depths of the Deep Forest that have escaped documentation for so many years - with many intrepid researchers entering Erian territory and suffering horrible demises at the hands (or claws, fronds or spines) of whatever dangerous organism they encountered first - are an explorator's wildest fantasies come true.

The shamans that lead the Erian Conclave are immensely powerful, with some of the most mana-intensive Summonings known to man - gargantuan, elemental manifestations of nature's wrath and gigantic Sancturia creatures that can flatten entire villages in one powerful slam. They venerate these Unbound behemoths, most of them completely unaware of its human worshippers.

Similarities: Naya, Setessa, Selesnya, Mul Daya and Temur.

.*.*.*.

Welkas, Empire of Passion

The final kingdom of the present world is located within the arid and hot plains and mountains of eastern Magnus-Primae, and is home to a fiery and emotional people known as the Welkalites. Indigenous to the deserts and sierras of the continent, the citizens of the Empire possess a warrior culture founded upon waging constant wars and raids – they believe that violence is one of the best methods for proving one's own strength over othrs, and are always itching for a good fight, taking offence at perceived insults and using it as an excuse to start a scrap that all parties involved enjoy. They primarily utilise Red mana, as it reflects their desire for individuality and doing whatever they want, unrestrained by the petty and imaginary rules of society.

The populace of Welkas are a free-spirited people that, whilst considered to be hot-tempered and impulsive by many in the other kingdoms of Magnus-Primae, have a penchant for creation just as much as they enjoy destruction. There are different religions and deities within Welkas, with the people free to worship whatever they wish - be that the legendary dragons of the western mountains, the

This nation's entire philosophy revolves around achieving individual goals and each person doing what pleases them most – in that respect, they are very hedonistic, but adversely they are extremely free people that will help fight against those they believe to be bullies or oppressors. This stems from their not too distant past – Welkas was a kingdom ruled by an autocratic and repressive monarchy of tyrants who strictly controlled the free spirits of their subjects, forcing them under their rule with the power of their Summonings, unstoppable yet majestic Sancturia dragons.

While the first in that long line was a brutal military general, they became ever more decadent and corrupt with each generation, hoarding huge amounts of wealth and pleasure to themselves. As the emperors became more debauched and indolent, their bloodline tainted through generations of arrogant inbreeding, their once tight grip on the reigns of control gradually slackened. Twenty-two years ago, the last of that line of corrupt tyrants was slain by Jarred Redhand after a bloody insurrection, an inspired revolutionary that led a large rebellion against the fracturing control of the Empire.

Free from the yoke of control, the Welkalites were able to do whatever they wish – there were no rules, anything was fair play. As he saw the society begin to tear apart after he had spent so long trying to free them, Jarred knew that something would have to be done to prevent the utter collapse of order, as chaos would reign and the streets would run red with blood. To this end, he established the Orders of Passion, carefully controlled groups that each pursue a different type of hedonism without devolving into madness that would tear the empire apart.

By far the largest is the Order of Violence, which also forms the main army of the New Empire. It is comprised of hot-headed youths who wish to achieve martial glory, and older veterans who are addicted to the rush of combat. They are led by generals who have established themselves by proving to be stronger than all competitors, most of which have deadly Summonings. They often attack other kingdoms, which has made the New Welkas Empire extremely unpopular – especially with the Lucaelians, who view them as impulsive and ridiculous.

The cities of Welkas are famed for the fact that anything can be purchased there for the right price, and are often visited by representatives of other kingdoms, who are dazzled by those in the Orders of Entertainment and Rapture.

Similarities: Xenagos, Rakdos, Mardu, Kolaghan and Gruul.