Equilibrium and Chaos

Magic energy is theorized to be compsed of two forms: "Light" and "Dark." The Light aspect creates heat, motion, and light, while the dark cools, slows, and works as an anti-light. Most magic energy in nature is in a state of equilibrium, where there is an equal amount of light and dark. However, there are multiple forms of stability: Dead, Battery, and Oscillating.

Dead equilibrium is when magic is in an inert state. It does nothing in its current form, and is completely stable.

Battery equilibrium magic is a more volatile state, which is often found in living organisms that can manipulate magic energy. The magic energy is charged with force (that has yet to be identified) that can temporarily seperate the light and dark, allowing one of the polar ends to effect the environment, while the other acts as an opposing force that stops an equal reaction ("for every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction") from taking place outside of the range of the two forces. This means that it is entirely possible for magic energy to create heat or cold without creating the opposite temperature somewhere else.

Oscillating equilibrium is the most dangerous form of equilibrium. Rather than being in a static state of balance, oscillating constantly shifts back and forth between light and dark, often times causing other magic energy around to oscillate as well. The 'cancer' effect dissipates the further it travels, and eventually oscillating magic stabalizes into battery or dead equilibrium. Naturraly occuring oscillating magic is usually too small to cause any noticeable effects to its surroundings, but artificial oscillating magic can be more powerful and potentially extremely dangerous.

The opposite of stable magic is Chaos (also known as corruption), where the balance of light and dark is greatly disrupted. This can be the result of powerful oscillation that tears apart the light and dark, seperating the two, or a powerful battery stability that degrades rapidly into dead, forcing apart the light and dark at extremes. Corruption is extremely prone to spreading, as it causes oscillation in magic energy that it comes in contact with.

Magic Shortcuts

Most mages are not masters of wielding the dark and light aspects of magic (Pure Mages), and because the act of processing the thoughts/runes necessary for operating magic branches into paths based on what you're doing, several major magic branches have been developed. These branches have been labeled as "shortcuts," since they act as a simpler path towards a specific set of actions and don't require completely mastery of magic.

The 4 branches are: Kinetic, Electric (Pathic, Lightning), Thermal (Fire, Ice), Bending (Air, Water, Earth)

Chirop generally mature physically and mentally faster than humans, and the point where they are considered "adults" is 15 human years. Many will continue to grow, however, until they are 17 for females and 20 for males. The adult height for males is around 6 feet (1.82 meters) while females are a shorter height of 5 feet (1.52 meters). Weight ranges from 90-150 pounds (41-68 kg) for females and 100-170 pounds (45-77 kg) for males.

An interesting, if morbid, detail about the ratio between males and females is that females tend to outnumber males 4:1, due to a high infant-mortality rate in males (approximately 75%). Due to this large imbalance, the gender-based roles commonly seen in human-society is flipped in chirop: females do large amounts of physical labor, make up almost the entire military forces, and have strong politcal and economic positions. Strangely enough, males do NOT appear to take the roles of care-takers, but do work in academies and shops.

As well as possessing the ability to fly, Chirop have the potential to be powerful magic-users, due to their body's naturally high production of magic energy. It has also been examined that the frontal lobe of their brains is proportionally larger than that of a humans, which is theorized to be the cause of their ability to control magic at a more advanced level when compared to humans.

Chirop architecture is tall and towering, elegant yet sturdy, their buildings are said to have been constructed so that even if an entire side would collapse, the building itself will still stand. Their cities have the appearance of giant spider webs with a large array of cat-walks and beams connecting scores of towers.

Lupus, unlike Chirop, mature slightly slower than humans, reaching the point of adulthood around the age of 25 in males and 22 in females. Male Lupus are enourmous, ranging from 6-8 feet (1.8-2.4 meters) and can be from 200-800 pounds (90.7-362.8 kg), while females are smaller and lighter, being 5-7 feet (1.5-2.1 meters) and 180-400 pounds (81.6-181.4 kg).

Male Lupus, like humans, are generally in control of society. Females, however, are the ones who choose their mates.

Unlike any other species, Lupus are extremely limited in their ability to cast magic to the point where they are unable to even lift a pebble off of the ground or heat a drop of water. However, their bodies still produce a large amount of magic energy that is directed towards their muscles, giving them extreme strength and speed, and acts as a shield that prevents external magic energy from damaging them directly. They are also capable of detecting and locating miniscule traces of magic energy, allowing them to evade numerous magic attacks and hunt down mages.

Lupus don't have large, dense cities like humans or chirop, but small villages and sprawling towns with dome-like clay structures.