Setting:Mosaic

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This article is related to the Mosaic project.

This is one of the gazillion projects Earthflame has started. /tg/ has joined in, and is making progress with the setting and system.

Mechanics

Mosaic is based on the Unisystem, scaled down to four main stats (Physique, Reaction, Intellect, Essence) and six magical stats arranged in opposed pairs (Life/Death, Matter/Energy, Knowledge/Faith).

Setting

Map of the World of Mosaic with cultures and places noted

In Mosaic, the players assume the roles of magicians and warriors using mystical runes to bend and influence the structure of reality. Runes can be used in a myriad of ways, many of which draw upon an innate knowledge or intense training to understand how to use. These different ways to use the runes broadly define the classes of the game.

The world of Mosaic is antique-medieval in style and level of civilization, with humans as the main driving force of order and structure in the world (as well as currently being the only playable race). The current level of civilization in the world is largely attributed to the Njord, a race that arrived at the eastern coast of the world and discovered the runes. Tapping into the amazing power the runes allowed them to wield, the Njord gave rise to an Empire that ruled over a quarter of the world. As the knowledge of magic wormed its way into the lower classes and sparked a civil war, the Njord turned to the secret dark runes to restore their power. The result: a cataclysm that destroyed the entire Njord civilization overnight.

The lands the Njordic mages had carved were reclaimed by the ocean, and the rebellious remnants of their empire fled to the inland to rebuild. The city of Nerud was founded, and its lords went out to reclaim the fragmented nations the Njord had left behind, founding the Second Empire after a century of strife. The Emperors of this New Njord were greedy, however, and spelled their doom when they sent their armies to force the non-humans to submission. Entire legions of men were lost as they entered the forests of the Others, the plains of the Centaurs and the deserts of the Shifters, and it was not long until the suppressed masses stood up to cast down these lords.

Today, the core lands of Njord are held by a single king elected from the rulers of the land’s regions, exercising little real power with external factions ensuring a peaceful diplomacy. In the archipelago created in the Cataclysm, the Old Njord still linger, sitting in the great city of Ordii, gathering the scraps remaining of the Old Empire. Some whisper that they have grown sick and twisted in their isolation, and that the thing that drives them still is a hunger to restore their ancient power.

Diagram of the runes used in the magic of Mosaic, by Random Caps Guy

In distant lands, civilization has budded in the wake of the Empires. The city of Amenai, jewel of the desert and celebrated Anchor of the World has for centuries spread knowledge of the runes to distant nations to allow lucrative trade to grow. Around the desert and surrounding plains, many prosperous nations and dynasties have spired, and they all know the way to Great Amenai.

Despite the Njord being hailed as the bringers of order and discoverers of the runes, the world is littered with ruins and monuments that must be far older than the Old Empire. The pyramidal mountains of carved stone in the Amenai desert, the brooding towers that stand silent vigil of the lands of Tzeng and distant Jangxi, and the mysterious citadels that gaze out over the ragged coast of Vestarc all hold secrets that many seek but few can even catch a fleeting glance of before the power overwhelms them.

Sections

(pending systems finalization, but still fun:)

Stuff that still needs doing (or clarifying)

Sources

These threads contain all the current information on the system, much of which has changed since its conception and may yet change further. Anyone who has enough time and related knowledge is encouraged to copy currently relevant information from the following threads to this page.

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