Big Stories Have Small Beginnings -- Behind the Veil of the Civilization · 4:06am Mar 22nd, 2014
"Gather 'round, Children of the Stars. Let us tell you a story about how the Magi Civilization came to be."
Upon reading Magi Chronicles: Fires of Equestria, you may find yourself asking some fundamental questions:
What is the Magi Civilization?
The Magi Civilization is an inter-galactic colony that spans across several galaxies. The civilization cultivates and spreads peace and serenity amongst the majority of its inhabitants, while protecting weak, growing colonies and enabling them to thrive in an age where interstellar space travel and mysterious magical powers coincide. The racial diversity of the civilization enabled diplomatic relations to connect individual colonies together to strengthen and unify the civilization together. They believed in the saying, “United, we stand; divided, we fall.”
Much of the civilization consists, primarily, of the Magi, the biological byproducts of the collaborative efforts of Cosmos and the Precursors. The Magi developed an innate ability to wield the Elements—powers of the universe and of nature that kept the Dimensional Divide in a stable rate of change. The Dimensional Divide served as a gateway for Cosmos to communicate with his fellow advisors and collaborators, and it served as the workhorse for the foundations of the universal bonds that kept everything in a steady and lucrative motion. There are other races that the civilization consists of the reluctant Humans, the wise Eagorans, the feeble Pudgeys, the charismatic Shadowcon, the mighty Rygoliths, and many more.
If the civilization utilizes magic, why do they use technology?
As the civilization grew, it became progressively more difficult for the primary races to keep up with the categorization and organization of information. Even the knowledge of the worlds could be lost within the expanses of the Divide. Advances in technology allowed the information to be stored and preserved for future generations. The assistance of technology has, also, made deep-space exploration greatly possible for more specialized groups. In essence, the civilization gains the benefits of both technology and magic.
Who is this 'guardian,' and why is he important?
Asura, the main protagonist of the story, is the aforementioned Precursor guardian. Every 100 years, a citizen of the Precursors is chosen, at their time of birth, to fulfill their rightful place as a guardian of the wealth of knowledge bestowed upon by the Precursors. Without the guardians, the Precursor traditions would, eventually, be lost in the mists of time. It is the guardian’s role to protect and preserve all that the Precursors have accomplished. This included monitoring the presence of the Dimensional Divide. It is a way for other divine beings to communicate and is where the majority of all the meetings and gatherings take place.
What caused the civilization to succumb to the civil war, and who are the Rygoliths?
The civil war, or Great War, was foretold by the eldest of the Precursor ancestors. The elders felt the presence of the Dimensional Divide breaking once again. This crack in the dimensional void separated many of the elders from each other—departing far-away colonies from view. This, also, had the unintentional side effect of reducing the power of the elements. The Rygoliths saw this as an opportunity to strike the civilization at its weakest.
The Rygoliths were once a nomadic race, who lived alongside the civilization. They were the wise sages and had developed their own tradition. The Sentinels, a small sect of devout Rygolith clerics, were the guardians of the civilization. They did not have as much influence as the Precursors, yet they provided safety, as long as the civilization promised them their own land to cultivate. Being nomadic meant that they had to keep on the move between habitats.
The separation of the Rygoliths began with the seventh ceremony of the ascension to the Altars of Sorran—the Rygolith’s coronation to spiritual leadership. One of the select members, by the name of Saekar Kor, took his oath before the Altars. Then, he forged a coup against his own people. Having grown restless of the civilization’s lack of prosperity by granting them their ‘promised land,’ he branded them as ‘enemies of the faith’ and sworn to crush the civilization with an iron fist.
From there, relations with different portions of the civilization preceded towards a downward spiral. The Rygoliths fed off of the civilization’s insecurity, until the Dimensional Divide, itself, was compromised.
Who, or what, is this 'powerful entity,' and why did this individual disappear?
The powerful entity mentioned in the summary of the story is the worshipped over-deity of the civilization-- Cosmos. He is the proclaimed creator of the universe and the patron of life. He sought to set his ideas into motion by giving the dark, desolate world around him some change. He was extremely inventive—often times creating unique creatures that would entertain him while he set motion to more important societies. He created the Dimensional Divide—a sort of sandbox that allowed him to construct vast ideas and gargantuan monsters, without affecting the primary world in which he prized.
The Dimensional Divide was forged under the elements of Light and Dark, creating balance and overseeing the protection of the universe as it continued to flourish. Being that it was a crack in the void, Cosmos had to make repairs to the divide on a constant basis. He created the Precursors to continue carrying out his work. Upon sending his new insurgents out to the world, his care for the Divide dwindled, as he became infatuated with the works of his assistants. Over time, the crack in the void worsened and had become unstable, threatening the developing worlds and destroying Cosmos's confidence in his upcoming empire. Faced with only one option, he cast a spell that divided his essence, which was then used to halt the intergalactic destruction that was threatening to be released from the Divide.
Why did the guardian choose to go to Equestria?
In earnest, he did not make that decision willingly. He had not, even, known of its existence since the disappearance of Cosmos, and the separation between the civilization's elemental workhorse and Equestria.
What are the 'Elements of Nature?' Do they bear any resemblance to Equestria's Elements of Harmony?
The Elements of Nature are powers that influence the natural world and grants strength to each and every living being. All energy is shared between the inhabitants of the civilization and the wildlife that encompasses each world. The strands of the elemental essence flows between worlds to keep the Dimensional Divide ever-changing. The Brother elements, Fire, Ice, and Lightning, and the Sister elements, Wind, Water, and Earth, makes up the most influence of the elemental domain.
The Elements of Harmony and the Elements of Nature accomplish similar goals, yet their implications are far apart. For one, the Elements of Nature are widely used by the populace, whereas the Elements of Harmony are used by a select few individuals. Both forms of magic are represented by physical personas—guardians of the elemental energies that they represent.
Cool lore trip I'll have to read the story