Chrysalis

A nation with the most powerful magicians found anywhere in the Realms would seem to have long ago dominated the other nations and bent their people to their own will. The magicians of Chrysalis are so skilled at their craft that for many a mere thought can transform reality. The magic that infuses this land is so strong that most of the people that are born within its grasp have been physically changed. It’s known that the Chrysalii are all human, but a few have been changed so much that this is no longer obvious.

It is a nation of unparalleled beauty, where the normal laws of natural order are ripped asunder and rebuilt every day depending on the whim of the most powerful person in the area. Fiery lights blaze in the heavens, the weather is completely controlled, and the wolves do sleep with the lambs. To some of the people of Miranda this may seem a glorious land of wonder, to those forever trapped within its borders it is a golden cage.

In the center of Chrysalis once stood the last of the Gates of Power. It was upon this spot that many magi sacrificed themselves to close the gate and deny Gelin his power. While they failed to close the gate, or kill Gelin, they did shut the gate enough that he was in a weakened condition when he was later attacked. For years the area around the fallen gate remained empty and the power from the gate continued to seep into the land. It was decades before the first human nomads settled these lands again. Those nomads born with the gift of magic quickly found themselves able to do things that defied understanding. They could raise huge mountains of gold, forge steel with their hands, and fly through the heavens; however, they found out that they slowly died if they traveled too far from where they lived.

As their power bloomed more fully, the nomads raised a great city of diamond from the earth. The streets were as spun gold, the roofs the deep blue of the ocean, and the walls were the dusky shade of the desert to remind them of the land they could never see again. They named the city Chrysalis; although it would later be called the City of Diamond. As word began to travel among the other settlers their reaction varied wildly. Some refused to believe such a thing was possible, while others attributed their acts to living with the devil. However, enough people believed the story and were curious that they traveled to this new city. The new influx of people soon outgrew the city, so the most powerful magicians raised a second city of Emerald.

As the years went by, the power that seeps from the gate has been slowly expanding; however, as the borders expand it takes more power to expand them again. While this process is slow it shows no sign of stopping. There are currently seven cities scattered about the land, each fashioned from a precious stone and each trying to outdo the beauty of the others.

The land is infused with the power of magic, only waiting for the proper spirit to come and fashion that power into anything they so desire. Once a barren land poisoned by the infusion of raw and chaotic magic, the land has been reborn by the will of the people that live there. Because of this ever-changing landscape it is impossible to detail any significant natural geography. Anything created by one magician could be changed by the next magician that wanders past.

By law and supported by all of the major guilds, the areas around the cities are divided into sectors controlled by each of the major guilds. This is to stop any single magician from changing the city so much that the lives of everyone inside are in danger. To enforce this each guild is required to police their area and bring anyone breaking the law before the council for judgment.

This lake is located just outside of the Emerald City. The surface is a perfect mirror, while the water underneath is actually a somewhat liquid form of air. Once you dive below the surface, the underside of the surface looks like a mirror facing down, so nobody’s vision can penetrate from one side to the other. The air under the mirror can be easily breathed for extended periods of time with no harmful effects, in fact some people claim its rejuvenating or a “Fountain of Youth.” However, someone can move around in the liquid as easily as they swim.

Each city is controlled by powerful guilds of magicians, which each seek to advance their own agenda. Each guild gets as many members in the ruling council as determined by the size of their guild. The Ruling Council only has command over the areas claimed by their city - all of those areas not claimed by the city are considered free land and open to artistic achievement. This land accounts for over three-quarters of Chrysalis’s available land; however, the creation of new cities is seeking to reduce this amount.

The guilds hold all of the power in the cities and are seeking to extend that over more of the land as the cities grow. Each guild is made up of members and associates that follow the same ruling code. Those who wield the most power rule the guild, since the power comes from the strength of the magician’s spirit it is often case that the guild is ruled by intellectuals. The only people that are not allowed join a guild are the Children of Iron and the Crafters. These people can only be associate members.

The rarest gift of the power is the ability to permanently create something with the power. Less than one in every thousand people born with a connection to the power have the ability to become Crafters. This makes a Crafter rare enough that the guilds agreed long ago that no guild can claim one as a member - their skills should be available to everyone in Chrysalis.

An extremely skilled Crafter can make things that survive for several years outside of the boundaries of Chrysalis. To accomplish this feat a Crafter must gather together the power, shape it to their will, then cut the ties that bind the power to the central gate. Over time this power will diminish until the item completely disappears. Without the skills of a Crafter most items made by magicians rarely last more than an hour or two outside of the boundaries.

Only the Chrysalins would consider this structure to be a city. The city is a large oblong semi-circle that rises over two kilometers into the air. This arch is divided into three sections. &quot;Heaven&quot; is on the outer part of the gate, “Earth” is on the inside of the gate, and “Darklands” is the city inside of the gate. There is rumored to be a mirror world below the earth, but this is simply a rumor. When someone first visits the city, they are given a special pair of ruby slippers. These slippers will ensure that the gate becomes the center of your gravity. This reduces the normal disorientation of standing upside down while in Earth and keeps you from falling while in Heaven.</P>

Located completely on the sea, this floating city of sapphire and pearl is pulled along by two enormous sea turtles upon ropes made from silverglass. The buildings are shaped according to the curved and flowing nature of the sea, making it seem to be just a large wave. Its ports are open to all ships and it has become a major stopover between ships traveling between the Western Realms and Turan.

The Hashan will have nothing to do with the city, claiming it has become a central pool for the magic of the gate in the area. They say that it’s corrupting the fish that live in the nearby waters and upsetting the natural balance of the sea. There are many creatures found within the city’s aqueducts and pools that cannot be found anywhere else, including a gigantic sea dragon that sleeps beneath the city.

The first, and most magnificent, city is based upon the famous elven city of Illithian. However, since the original humans had only seen paintings and tapestries of the city they couldn’t reproduce it perfectly. Even so, it is still a joyous sight to behold and many elves pilgrimage there just to get a glimpse of something that can no longer exist. It is believed the gate of power resides somewhere within this city, but to date nobody has found it.

This is the name given to any of the people that are born inside of Chrysalis that cannot tap the flow of power. This can be both a blessing and a curse. It is a curse because their land is centered around the people that can manipulate the power as easily as walking down the street; however, it is also a blessing since they can survive outside of their nation's boundaries as being without the power has no effect on them. Since they can survive for extended periods of time outside of the boundaries these people often serve as the land's merchants as they sell various magical goods produced in Chrysalis to the other nations. They negotiate trade deals, conduct meetings, and do all tasks normally accomplished by a nation’s ambassadors and larger merchant houses. However, since the guilds hold all the power they must insist that all national contracts be negotiated in Chrysalis.

See also: Carthia

There is nothing but animosity between Chrysalis and the various tribes of the Carthins. The Carthin's cultural dislike for magicians is magnified a-hundred fold when they are forced to deal with those from Chrysalis. While the Carthins are not foolish enough to attack Chrysalis itself, they will take every opportunity to harass and attack those who find themselves outside of the boundary.

See also: Selcaria

While their markets are not so large as those in Irill and few of the people have the extra wealth to spend on magical trinkets there is still a great deal of trade that passes between these two nations. Some of the most interesting magical research taking place outside of Chrysalis is done in the various kingdoms of Selcaria, which make it very important for the magicians of Chrysalis to keep tabs on any new discoveries. On the rare occasions that Chrysalii magicians travel outside of their lands they will almost always travel to the Selcaria.

See also: Republic of Irill

Chrysalis’ largest trading partner so much trade passes between the two nations in a few months that it surpasses the yearly trade of many other nations. Irillian merchantmen brave the stories of magical horrors that wander the land to sell their goods in Chrysalis for a large profit - they return with magically created items that cannot be found anywhere else. The fact that many of these items last only a year before the magic fades simply drives up the demand from those with the money for the latest fashions.

See also: Kith

Chrysalis remains one of the few nations the Kith will trade with on a regular basis. The Kithkin believe in living off the land and each pride achieving independence from any outside source for their survival. Instead, the Kith trade for small trinkets that are not necessary for survival - in return they trade lizard hides and those rare items recovered from the Shifting Sands. Many of the trinkets found in the sands date back to the Age of the Ancients and are impervious to the effects of Chrysalii magic - which make them very valuable to a people that can just about anything they can dream.

There are several guilds dedicated to the creation and use of the power for the purposes of war. While it is very difficult to conceive of someone foolish enough to attack Chrysalis, if such a being did conquer their nation and gained control of the gate it would have unlimited power. These guilds often hold elaborate &quot;war-games&quot; among themselves to hone their skills. During these practices neutral parties watch the entire battle from a central viewing core and determines who lives and who dies.

It must be understood that the military has little practical use outside of their borders. While the military guilds could have Crafters make them objects to harness their power outside of their border, several attempts to do so have caused the items to become unstable and explode violently. For this reason, the Chrysalis military is purely defensive.

When the world can be shaped to whatever someone wills, their is no real economy remaining. Instead it is imported goods from the outside that drives the only true economy remaining. With everything made in the land tainted by the power of the land &mdash; anything from outside of the land is unique and incapable of being copied. The only problem is that even the most iron-rich object it is only a matter of time before the power of the land finally taints it. This makes all things from the outside transient, so there is a constant need for more things.

In order to pay for these goods the guilds employ crafters to create object of artistic beauty and functionality that will last as long as possible. In more simple term everything coming in and going out of Chrysalis is transient. So that the outer world is always demanding more goods from the Chrysalii guilds and the guilds are always demanding more goods from the outer world. Entire merchant families have made their fortune on simply transporting goods across the border. The danger is that all of the merchants must get off the land as soon as possible and not return immediately or they will become too infused with the power to ever leave.

The Chrysalii are a human stock that have been completely changed by the power within their lands. As each new generation is born, the people become less human and more like those that lived during the Age of Legends. The only limit to the power seems to be their inability to travel in either time or space from their land. Having so much power at their disposal has led to more than one person declaring themselves gods. While people like these are usually ignored, occasionally the guild may have to strip the ability to use the power from them. This process is one of the most closely guarded secrets; however, many scholars believe it involves to removal of something inside their body. If someone undergoes this process it is rare for them to live more than a few years as their mind falls apart and their spirit weakens.

The ease of using the power makes the perfection of the mind, body, and spirit far more important than the accumulation of any physical goods. Since anything imagined could be created - a Chrysalii’s highest goal is the perfection of their own spirit.

However, there are always those born, for some unknown reason, whose bodies reject the magic that is all around them. In a land populated by those that can do extraordinary feats with just a thought, these people are the most precious. They can freely travel to the outside world and return home with trade goods. Those born in Chrysalis without the spark of power will never be changed, or become dependent upon, its power.

The small part of the populace who’s body denies the magic appear as short and stocky humans with typically chocolate colored eyes and a dusky brown skin. This is very close to what the original inhabitants looked like before the magic changed them. One part of their body, typically a ear or arm, will have been changed by the magic environment in which they were born; however, this is miniscule when compared to many of the changes that most Chrysaliis go through.

No religion has ever survived within Chrysalis more than a few years. Most of this is due to the fact that many religions rely on faith and acceptance of outside influences on someone’s life. Chrysalii pride themselves on their own intellectual superiority and the power that flows through their veins. This individualism and new thought has slowly been edging across the border and many scholars agree it has greatly influenced the newest philosophers, thinkers, and artists in the Irillian Empire.

A common belief among Chrysalii is that both the gods and devils are actually the magi that left the world originally &mdash; therefore, when they unlock the secrets of the magi, they will become as gods. This belief is as close to a religion as found within Chrysalis. Therefore the power is neither good or evil; it is simply a tool to be exercised by the user. It is the magician that determines good and evil, not through actions but through intent.

The power used by the Chrysalii is unlike anything seen on Miranda since the magi and the Age of Legends. In fact, most outsiders believe that some of the Chrysalii are actually magi that didn’t leave the world, but instead choose to stay behind and still influence worldly matters. From the inside, the Chrysalii believe their power is the basis of the magi, but they have the crutch that they cannot control it fully. Most guilds have several members working on the ability to tap into the power without being hampered by its locality.

The power used by the Chrysalii is manipulated only by the will of the user. Some guilds teach their apprentices how to use a physical device as a crutch. All of the guilds require a member to drop their physical crutch before becoming a journeyman. To become recognized a master the magician must have complete control of the power to the smallest detail.

While I use the term magicians to talk about the Chrysaliis, this is not the best term since their magic is nothing like the magic in the rest of the world. In fact, it is very dangerous for true magicians to visit Chrysalis for any length of time. The magic that infuses the world will more quickly begin to influence those that have already opened themselves up to the worlds natural magical flows. Magicians that come to Chrysalis will at first find their raw magical power more than doubled as the pull from both the worlds natural flow and the chaotic magic of the land. However the longer they stay there the more difficult it will be for them to leave the land. Their body will begin adapting to the flows of the land and they will find their traditional magic more difficult to work. Within a short period of time, typically 6 weeks for most magicians, they will no longer be able to leave as the magic will be as a poison in their system.

The magicians from other lands that refuse to practice even the smallest spells while inside of Chrysalis' boundaries can slow this process, but it cannot be stopped completely. Those who have traveled through Chrysalin have remarked that leaving the land is similar to stopping all use of lotus flower after becoming hooked upon its unique properties. If the magician is to survive they must fight against the yearnings and physical changes. Those that survive the first six to eight months will typically find most of the Chrysalii magic purged from their body.