Sign Up Magus: The Fall of Magic

[PWNED]

[i]
The trouble with magic is that there's too much it just can't fix. When things go wrong, glimpsing junkyard faerie and crows that can turn into girls and back again doesn't help much. The useful magic's never at hand. The three wishes and the genies in bottles, seven-league boots, invisible cloaks and all. They stay in the stories, while out here in the wide world we have to muddle through as best we can on our own.

[b]CHARLES DE LINT[/b]
[/i]


The realm of magic and that of the mortals has always possessed a fragile link; any drastic occurrences in one realm would have an equal effect on that of the other world and they exist as somewhat of a symbiotic relationship. They exist parallel to one another and this balance is kept by the Order of Magus, an ancient order of Magic Users who have the ability to move between the two realms. This bond would last until the end of time or until the death of the order. However, such an event may be sooner than any had hoped.

The two worlds have started to fuse, breaching the barriers that existed between the worlds and somehow draining the natural magic of the mortal realm. And with this breach comes something even more sinister, creatures known as Forgotten Beasts and Titans have begun to pass into our world and wreak havoc upon the unsuspecting mortals. The cause for the breaches has to be discovered before the two realms can fully merge as it is theorized that it could result in a massive backlash that could consume both worlds.

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[i]Simpson Desert, South Australia 2016
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It was unknown why the Order had sent Kyle here, an isolated desert in the middle of nowhere. He was more suited to places that were a bit more populated, as opposed to the empty desert. All the field study had concluded five years ago, not long after the first Forgotten Beast had breached the mortal world. A gigantic two headed dragon had headed straight for Adelaide and had razed it before the Order could intercept it. A million people were killed in its rampage before it was destroyed and it reminded the order that it had to be forever vigilant.

"The barrier may have been repaired but it's fragile" he muttered to himself as he remembered something that he had overhead back at the center of operations. The Archmagus had assigned mages to each of the breaches in an effort to buy some time while they continued researching the cause behind the breaches. Each of them was to guard and observe the breach and to report back if anything occurred.

"Are you still there magus?" a voice rumbled in his head, the familiar voice of his mentor Konrad. The old man had been the one to train him and to introduce him to the order although the old man had been quite tough on him

"Aye and there is absolutely nothing happening" Kyle grumbled to himself and the voice within his head. He had neither the temperament nor the patience to act as a guard, he was more of an enforcer than anything else but the order was growing quite stretched and he was more than competent enough to act in this role.

Konrad began to lecture Kyle about being patient and alert because the world could end if constant vigilance wasn't employed. He had heard this a thousand times before and knew how to seem like he was listening. After all, the link connecting them wasn't mental so there was no chance of Konrad hearing his surface thoughts. Time began to pass and a storm began to rise; Kyle began making his preparations to depart when he noticed a shimmering at the edge of his line of sight. He knew this all to well, the shimmering meant that something was passing between realms or that the barrier was being breached.

"Konrad, I'm heading back home" Kyle yelled as he activated a rune stone that would transport him home "things are about to go to hell in a handbasket."[/i]
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Character Creation
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Keep in mind that this is a story set in the real world, just that there is magic in it. Think of it like the Harry Potter novels, magic is kept hidden so that the populace don't find out about it. You can throw around magic but a gunshot to the chest is still as deadly as ever. Also, magic is not infallible. One cannot just click their fingers and make a problem simply cease to exist. It would probably be based upon Equivalent Exchange or that "Magic is consistent. Magic is functional. Magic is not free."

This should keep any story breaking powers from occurring and should result in some form of drama although I will not reveal what this could be.



Name: (Something relatively normal. This is still a real world story, just with a heavy magic influence on it)
Age: (Something reasonable. I'd accept 15 at a minimum if your character was either a prodigy or an apprentice)

Appearance:
Personality:
Background: Go wild with this. This world has magic but the general populace have no idea of its existence so your character could have anything (not including anything science fiction or sword and sorcery based) as their background.

Abilities & Equipment:
Character Snippet: (Not essential but it gives a good idea of the character.

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I'll have something up later today.

[DeLarge]

[b]Name:[/b] Alexander "Alex" Kincaid
[b]Age:[/b] 25
[b]Appearance:[/b] Alex stands at around 6 foot 2 inches, and is well-built but not incredibly muscular. His hair is dirty-blonde and shaggy, and he has a habit of constantly running his hands through it, partly out of habit and partly to stop it from falling into his ice-blue eyes. He is rarely completely clean-shaven, but whether his facial hair is just stubble or a full beard very much depends on his circumstances. A small scar runs through his left eyebrow, just missing his left eye, but other than this small imperfection he is overall a handsome man.
He tends to wear simple clothes, usually just a pair of dark blue jeans, scuffed black boots and a t-shirt or button-down shirt. When he goes out, he tends to wear a grey hooded top underneath a black leather biker jacket. However, he will occasionally dress slightly smarter if he has to convene with the rest of the Order, but usually doesn't feel the need to put too much effort in.

[b]Personality:[/b] Alex is something of a smart-alec, and on a number of occasions his smart mouth has gotten him into trouble. However, he continues to be one with a line or quip, and he is seen as the young rebel of the Order, a reputation he cannot help but live up to.
However, he is passionate and dedicated to the protection of this world, he just disagrees with the ways of the Order, considering them to be stuffy old bureaucrats, although this might be the rebellious side of him talking. He is also loyal to his friends, but somewhat picky in his friend-selection process, preferring to keep a few people close rather than having a larger, less close-knit group of friends. He is also something of a womaniser, but simultaneously has enormous respect for the fairer sex.
His usually jovial manner seems to be hiding a heavy secret, however...

[b]Background:[/b] Alex was born to a magical mother and a non-magical father in England. However, his mother left when he was just five years old, for reasons he was never able to understand. His father raised him as best he could, but was unable to teach him anything of his magical background, until he turned 15 and accidentally set fire to his school classroom. At this point, his father essentially turned him over to the Order of Magus to teach him how to utilise his gifts.

Alex adapted to this enormous change remarkably well, doing well but not necessarily excelling in his magical training - he had a lot of power but very little control, a combination which would inevitably end in someone, probably himself, getting hurt. His mentor, a powerful middle-aged Mage named Jared, introduced him to the idea of magical foci, allowing him to channel his less-controlled abilities, and he took this idea to heart, fashioning a number of these objects for himself.

At 21, he became a full-fledged member of the Order, and began going out on assignments with Jared. However, after a few months with his mentor, he noticed that he was beginning to act rather strangely, becoming more distant to Alex and more aggressive in his methods. This strange behaviour reached a climax as he attacked Alex, a bizarre rage having taken control of him, his eyes turning blood-red and his previously controlled magic lashed out in a maelstrom of fire. Alex tried to protect himself from his mentor, but with a lucky counter-attack he killed Jared.

However, unable to prove that Jared had been acting strangely and therefore prove he was acting in self-defence, the Order came down hard on the young man and gave him a severe warning - if he ever put a foot wrong again, he would be considered a rogue Mage and would have to face the consequences. As such, he has become extremely disillusioned with the Order, and only continues to work for them because he feels it is his duty to monitor the breaches and protect our reality from attack.

[b]Abilities & Equipment: [/b]Alex is still relatively young for a Magus, and as such he tends to have some difficulty focusing his magical abilities. In an attempt to counter this problem, he carries a number of 'foci', objects which allow him to focus his magical abilities. The first is a pair of silver rings which he wears on the index and ring fingers of his right hand, which help him to both conjure concussive blasts of energy and also to attempt to shield himself from attack. The second is a small arrowhead-shaped pendant on a black leather thong which he wears around his neck through which he can focus protective charms, and the third is a sturdy wooden rod, around 18 inches long and about a thumb's width, tapering to a much narrower end and covered with spiralling runes, which he has christened his 'blasting rod', which allows him to focus energy, whether concussive or elemental, into a narrow yet extremely powerful beam. Some of the other Mages have started to call it his 'magic wand', somewhat disparagingly.

He also carries a small, snub-nosed revolver with a few extra bullets, just for emergencies.

[b]Character Snippet:[/b]

Rain lashed down from the dark skies as Alex stood in front of the small, run-down building, his hood pulled over his head and his clothes drenched with rainwater. Great clouds of vapour billowed out from his mouth as he breathed in and out, displeasure etched across his face. He lifted his cup of coffee to his face and took a hefty swig, feeling the hot, strong liquid pour down his throat as he did.

The Order always gave him terrible assignments, still carrying out his punishment for an incident that happened over three years ago, and this one was no different. Other Mages were sent out to Australia, some to Thailand and other such far-off, exotic places. And where did he get posted?

Muir Island, just off the north coast of Scotland, and not a million miles away from the Arctic Circle. Freezing, cloaked in perpetual rain and altogether a bloody horrible place to be. Unfortunately, there had been activity around a breach situated on the Island, and the Order needed no more excuse than that to ship him off.

[b]"Hey, buddy, how's it going?"[/b] a voice burst into his head, excitable and brimming with youthful energy and vigor.
[b]
"Keep it down, Ramirez,"[/b] replied Alex, wincing a little at the volume of the vocal intruder, his friend Joey Ramirez,[b] "It's not like this is a dodgy connection, moron."

"You are a charmer, Alex,"[/b] replied Ramirez, and Alex could just see his grinning, gloating face, sat in the comfort of his apartment,[b] "No wonder the Order keeps sending you off to such glamorous locales."[/b] Alex couldn't help but grin at this - Ramirez, while something of a straight arrow, was no real fan of how the Order was treating his friend, and sympathised greatly with his situation.

[b]"Are you kidding? I'd much rather be here than somewhere...nice,"[/b] replied Alex,[b] "Plus, I was getting a little bored of being dry."[/b] This last comment was greeted with a hearty laugh from Ramirez, and Alex laughed along with his friend.

[b]"So...anything to report?"[/b] sighed Ramirez.

[b]"Sweet F.A., my friend, sweet F.A.,"[/b] grumbled Alex,[b] "It's difficult to tell with all this rain, anyway."[/b] He sighed, squinting through the downpour towards the shack, when suddenly a ripple in the air caught his eye.

[b]"Hang on..."[/b] he murmured, [b]"We could have a live one here."[/b] He reached into his jacket and pulled out his blasting rod, aiming the tip at the ripple. He concentrated, and heat began to channel into the very tip of the rod, which quickly became red, and then white-hot, the air around it rippling like heat off a concrete road, the rain vaporising around the super-heated rod.

[b]"Alex, you're supposed to report back,"[/b] said Ramirez, panicking a little with theknowledge of his friend, [b]"Alex, you can't risk it - they'll use any excuse to throw the book at you again!"[/b]

Alex paused for a moment, weighing up his options. However, his choice was made for him as the ripple passed, leaving the air in front of the shack intact, if still a little damp. He lifted the rod, allowing the energy to dissipate from the focus, and slipped the miraculously-cold rod back into his jacket.

[b]"Right, I'm coming back,"[/b] he replied,[b] "The rupture's straining but it should hold for a few more weeks."[/b] He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, jet-black stone, a single rune carved on it. He rubbed the top of it, and the rune flared into golden light, and Alex vanished with a loud crack, leaving the wet Island for now.

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Hope this is all ok, let me know if there's anything that needs changing.