Welcome to the Junction!
Allright, sorry I took so long, and how little this may seem. I was originally planning this to be released alongside the main story of 'At the Junction' as a way to help readers understand the world, and also to give an introduction to the rest of the helper files for the stroy. I have another helper on the way, and the first chapter fo the main story is about 3/4 complete. I also toyed with the style of this, so please post if you like it, and I beg you to post if you don't, so that I can improve my writing.
Anyway, enough of this, time to get you introduced to the Junction!
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The Bureau for Connection Control welcomes you, new walker! From our records, you have just realized your potential as a denizen of the shadow world, and you may have a few questions concerning your new abilities. This guide has been compiled to help you find your place in the junction. Inside, you will find information on how the two worlds interact with each other, how you can manipulate the forces of nature with magic, how mages are officially classified in the shadow world, and major institutions of which you should be aware.
SECTION 1. The Two Worlds and You.
The most important thing you should learn is how the two worlds work. From our records, the two worlds exist in separate temporal fields, sometimes referred to as dimensions. It has been theorized that there are an infinite amount of these fields. The fields containing the two worlds seem to be unnaturally close to each other. The ‘shadow world', so named for the proclivity of its denizens towards darker colorings, and the ‘light world', named for similar â€" but opposite â€" reasons, have several legends and customs in common with each other. This has lead some anthropologists to believe that during some period in history, the two worlds were even closer together than they are now.
Although the two worlds share some similarities, there are noticeable differences. In the light world, technology flourished. The advent of the internal combustion engine, the silicon microchip, and other major advances are evidence of the understanding of the basic units of the universe present in the light world. The shadow world, however, studied magical energies, and produced effects on a similar scale. Teleportation, nodes, and personal artifacts are a few of the many effects possible with current magical knowledge. While much of the research in both worlds is working towards similar goals, they are not working in similar fashions.
The existence of the two worlds is known primarily through ‘walkers' among whose company you find yourself. Walkers, put simply, are furs who can physically interact with both worlds simultaneously. Considering the fact that there had been no direct contact between the worlds for at least 700 years, this is a bit of a problem, considering that walls, buildings, even entire towns could exist in one world and not the other. However, it seems that it is an innate ability of all walkers to have a degree of control over their link between the worlds. If you get frustrated with living in two physical worlds, simply dampen your link with the other world and you can literally walk through walls, albeit in only one world. It has been estimated that approximately .05% of the population of both worlds are walkers.
Similar to walkers, ‘viewers' are furs who can see the other world, but not interact with it. It can be disconcerting to see walls and furs that will completely ignore your very existence. They have less of an ability to control their link, but it seems that they can at least turn it on and off. They often help walkers, since they can easily identify them. It has been estimated that approximately .05% of the population of each world are viewers.
SECTION 2. Magic 101
Since our records indicate that you were born and raised in the light world, we do not feel that it is necessary to introduce the basics of advanced technology. However, we feel that you should learn the basics of magic and magical theory. If you so desire, you can enroll for advanced training through the Bureau for Connection Control.
Magic, put simply, is the manipulation of preexisting energies. Despite what the light world media may say about ‘magic', it cannot create anything from nothing. Conversely, it cannot destroy anything. That is to say that magic cannot cause matter to appear or disappear. Mages just need to shape matter to or from base energies. The energy most commonly used is the mage's own life force; which, when used, will fatigue the mage. Some mages, however, prefer to use energies outside of themselves, most commonly the residual energy in the area around them. Very few mages use the life force of other beings, not only is it illegal and punishable by death, but the life force of other beings tends to be unstable and very dangerous.
There are many standard magical effects, from a shield, to a light, to teleporting great distances. However, there are no standard spells. Every fur's energy behaves differently, so the method to get the energy into the form needed will vary from fur to fur. It is recommended that you try some basic effects for yourself to ‘feel them out'.
One thing that you should always keep in mind, magic is only effective in the shadow world. Magic that affects your body will have effects in the light world, but only on your body. Any magic that takes place outside of your body will only affect objects or furs in the shadow world. Just because you can make a magical shield out of the energy in the air, doesn't mean you can stop bullets.
SECTION 3. Mages: How to classify them.
The Magical Legislative Committee has defined a mage as any fur that can use magic in any form without external assistance. However, there are many different types of mages, and a classification system defined by the Magical Legislative Committee to help furs determine magical aptitude.
There are three values used to determine a mage's classification; what type of energy he/she is most apt to manipulate, the amount of energy he/she can manipulate at any given time, and the ease with which he/she can manipulate said energy. Each value is represented separately in the classification.
There are three types of energy, protective, destructive, and restorative. Protective energy is used to protect objects or furs from harm or influence. The most common use for protective magic is a shield. Protective energy can also be used to teleport yourself or others, or to protect against unwanted teleportation or charm effects. Destructive energy is used to cause harm or influence. The most common use for destructive energy is a fireball or lightning bolt, or similar effect. Destructive energy can also be used to charm others, making them do as you please. Restorative energy is used to heal damage done to yourself or others. The most common use for restorative energy is to close wounds or detect injury. Restorative energy could also theoretically revive a fur from death, although there are no recorded incidents of this occurring, and the process is unknown.
The second value, the amount of energy that a mage can manipulate at any given time, is represented by a letter value. The value ranges from D to S, where D is the lowest, and S is the highest. A D rank mage is only able to manipulate small amounts of energy at a time, roughly enough to slide an unloaded bookcase across the floor. A C rank mage is capable of manipulating more energy than a D rank mage, but still only about as much as needed to pick up and move a loaded bookcase and move it any reasonable distance. A B rank mage is able to do even more, up to and including moving a small car any distance. An A rank mage is capable of impressive feats, such as lifting a fully loaded eighteen wheeled truck. An S rank mage has very little limits on how much energy they can use. At S rank, there are more limits posed on just how much the mage can concentrate than any other limitation.
The ease that a mage can manipulate energy is by far the biggest difference in mages. A D rank mage can, with enough time, manipulate as much energy as an S rank mage. The ease with which a mage can manipulate energy is represented by one of three words: ritual, action, and thought. Ritual level mages are the lowest tier, and thus have the hardest time manipulating energy. They must spend considerable amounts of time to get the energy they want into the form they desire. Their magic is generally worked by long incantations lasting anywhere from five seconds to several weeks, and often include hand gestures and objects to help direct or store energy. Action level mages have a considerably easier time manipulating energy. Their magic is done by a simple action, such as a wave of a hand or a pointed finger, or they could a single word or short phrase. Thought level mages have the easiest time manipulating energy. They have an instinctual knowledge of magic and can manipulate energy with a single thought. Thought level mages are extremely rare, only one is born every century. Whenever a thought mage is alive, the understanding of magic progresses by leaps and bounds.
SECTION 4: Some furs you should know.
There are many powerful organizations that exist in either the light or shadow world, but there are few in both. They regulate the resources and commodities that are unique to walkers. There are three main groups that have power over most of the juncture of the two worlds.
The Inter-World Connection is a privately owned corporation that has a very unique purpose and structure. The Inter-World Connection, or IWC for short, is responsible for many advances in both technology and magic, but has not received any credit for them. They are interested primarily in research and development, and only make enough money to keep the scientists and research mages employed. The upper management is almost entirely walkers, but the lower levels of the company are mostly regular light or shadow worlders, most of whom have no idea about the junction. The IWC's research focuses on advancements that duplicate effects that have been done in one world but not the other, like cell phones and nodes (based off of the remote message magic effect and computers, respectively). Outside of the junction, very few furs, if any, know of the IWC. It sells its inventions to other companies or organizations which are popularly known as the progenitors of what the IWC created.
If the IWC is responsible for many of the new ideas and conventions in the junction, then the Nest is responsible for guarding the junction from threats, both external and internal. The Nest is a mercenary organization that is known for their impressive track record. If you can afford their price, then no one will do a better job than a Nest operative. Very little is known about how the management of the Nest works, but it is believed that there is no central building or area for the Nest, just a series of locations where any fur can request a job. For the most part, operatives live separately from each other, rarely interacting in any meaningful way. The missions are offered on an internet service that is available to each operative, and the operative chooses which missions to take. If a mission is something especially difficult, or the client paid an exorbitant amount of money, then the mission may be exclusively offered to certain operatives. No one knows exactly how many operatives the Nest has, but they are handpicked from the various walkers that inhabit the junction. It is believed that there are no ritual level mages and no mage below B rank in the Nest.
Finally, we have the Bureau for Connection Control, a multi-governmental organization that regulates the power of the Nest and the IWC, and also is responsible for maintaining a list of all know walkers and viewers. We also provide training, and informational packets, such as this, for any fur that is interested.
Hopefully this packet has helped you understand the junction and has given you a good look into what you may be interested in and may want to pursue in the future. If you would like more information, please contact the nearest BCC office building. See the attached sheet for a list of offices in your area.