Crystal Ambition

Crystal Ambitions is set in a world where magic crystals were discovered at the dawn of the 20th century.

Inspirations: Final Fantasy, Mai-Otome, SDs

CA Powers

Setting

History

• 1908: The First Crystal is discovered after it impacts from space.
• 1918: The Second Crystal is discovered, others soon follow around the world
• 1925: Aspects are discovered, the magical properties of the crystals are harnessed.
• 1927: The Great War begins over the crystals, now that their true power is known.
• 1945: The Great War ends.
• 1945: The Concord of National Powers is established
• 1950: The Aspect International Academy is established
• 1970: The Borgova Island Incident
• 2015: Present day.

Paradigm

Magical/magitech near future.

The Crystals

Crystals are dense clusters of exotic matter, usually in the region of 10 to fifteen meters tall. They emit a form of localised emission known as a mana field, in which physical laws can be bent in a myriad of ways, is it by all accounts, magic.

Crystals often have a primary Aspect and a secondary Aspect.

Black Crystals

Black Crystals display the most raw magical power, providing powerful personal magics.

Primary Aspect: Personal Magic, Artillery Knight Discipline

Secondary Aspect: Materia Production

Red Crystals

Red Crystals have shown a bias towards the melding of magic and technology. Red Crystals seem infused with circuitry, each facet reflecting a complex digital pattern.

Primary Aspect: Personal Weaponry, Materia Knight Discipline

Secondary Aspect: Technomagical Devices

Blue Crystals

Blue Crystals are a path into the magical world, through which magical and magitech summons can be 'requested. Blue Crystals are known for ghostly mirages in their crystal facets.

Primary Aspect: Summoning, Esper Knight Discipline

Secondary Aspect: Draft Crap?/more wealth

Green Crystals

Green Crystals are the most dangerous of all, the mutagenic effects of Crystals is most potent in Green.

Primary Aspect: Genetic Enchancement, Monster Knight Discipline

Secondary Aspect: +Beasts

Aspect Soldier

Aspect soldiers are capable of directly using magic and this is most prominently manifested in their Avatar. Avatar's are manifestations of will that result as magitech armour and weaponry. The creation requires dedicated meditation and training, most militaries will direct their Aspect Soldiers to manifest specific armour and weaponry, in order to maintain a unified and disciplined cadre of Aspect Soldiers. The Zhinra Imperial Republic Aspects for example maintain futuristic black and gold power armour, with large oversized gauss rifle weaponry.

Aspect Soldiers are the pinnacle of Crystalium technology, most materia are worn as bracelets, or embedded into weaponry or armour, Aspect Soldiers have a core of Crystalium directly implanted into their body, usually the forehead directly connecting to the brain, or in some cases, an eye socket.

Aspect Soldiers are subject to international treaty and limits. In order to train a candidate for the process, they must first attend the Bahamut Aspect Certification Academy.

Disciplines

All aspect warriors gain aspect to several powers simply by being infused. All are stronger, faster, and more resilient than normal people, all can heal faster, and all have innate ability to conjure and control material. However, devoting time to refining their different abilities gives Aspects access to potent applications of their power.

Artillery Knight: Are those who develop their Aspect with personal magic, focusing on developing battlefield spells to support their allies and ravage their enemies. While not devoted to personal combat, they are capable with swords and other close combat weaponry, as befits their extensive magical abilities.

Avatar Knights: This term refers to those Aspects who focus their Avatars into personal armour. They also hone their physical augmentations, strengthening and fortifying themselves to superhuman degrees. Many develop build-in weapons and other systems into their constructs, and greater Knights increase the Avatar’s size to become giant war machines. Many of them are supernaturally strong, capable of bounding across battlefields or dodging bullets.

Esper Knight: These practicioners devote themselves to the magical aspects of their Aspect, training their minds to summon entities. Most project their Avatar outward as a seperate entity, forming it into fantastic creatures or vehicles that they conjure to fight for them.

Monster Knight: The darkest of the types, these Knights focus on modifying their body, shapeshifting, genetic mutations and controlling monsterous creatures.

Geography

GEO

Kefka

The Continent of Kefka is a large landmass, recently glaciated it is a land of valleys, mountains and vast grassland plains. To the east, the desert mountains rise, separating the lands of the east from those of the west by anything but vehicles. Most of the major old civilizations call Kefka home and some newer powers are born from colonial powers that reside here.

Gestahl

South of Kefka, Gestahl is a collection of large floating landmasses, above a series of islands and long expansive lagoon and reef systems.

Jecht

The distant land of Jecht is viewed with some mystery, even in modern times. Discovered by Kefkan Explorers around four hundred years ago, this southeastern continent has had limited colonization along the northern and northwestern coasts. The continent is primarily jungle, breaking off into temperate rainforests at the north and into a harsh spot of badlands in the southeast. Dangerous wildlife teems in its reaches, made all the more dangerous by untapped quantities of Crystalium resting amid its branches.

Aside from the coastal nations along the upper beaches, there are several tribal entities that dwell in this region, often living simple, nomadic lifestyles, amid the ruins of ancient human civilizations. Not all of these stone ziggurats are abandoned, though; the Rixoi people survived the past turmoils to maintain a stable civilization. These dusky-skinned humans cover the eastern portions of the jungle regions. Mining crystalium from nearby sites and developing their own unique uses of material technology. Though insular and somewhat reclusive, they are aware of the other nations and loosely participate in the global theatre from their pyramid-shaped cities.

Races

Humans

You're human. Shut up.

Vitare

These beautiful, winged individuals are the primary residents of the floating landmasses of Isla, where they once built a great empire upon these flying rocks. Their empire is long gone, collapsed due to its insular nature and vicious infighting, but they still maintain several cities on the flying continent of Ascend and on other smaller sky islands. Most of these cities are shared with humans; either descendants of former slaves (who often now rule the ancient settlements) or recent immigrants looking to live in the clouds.

Vitare are light-boned humanoids with slender limbs and long, talon-like fingers. They have human faces and features, though their ‘hair’ is actually crests of feathers, which merge with their wings. While capable of flight on their own, they’re only about as fast as a bird. With modern crystal technology, they sheathe them in crystal-lined fins that allow them to hover and fly at considerable speeds.

Mitare

An offshoot of Vitare, these feathery beings look nearly identical to their airborne cousins, except that they have wings of only a foot long. Therefore, they cannot fly under their own power, and have been traditionally ignored by their airborne cousins. The advent of crystal technology allows them to use wing-sheathes, much like their other cousins, but these are expensive and are mostly used for military and exploration purposes.

Mitare are known for training chocobos, and often can be seen herding the creatures along the plains of their homelands to new grazing pastures. Many Mitare are trained riders, and breed all colours and types of the bird. The most prized are the flight-capable black chocobo, which allow them to circumvent their vestigal wings without resorting to expensive crystal-pinons.

Djinnae

The physical features of a Djinnae are unknown to most, due to their cultural dress. Every member wears some form of full-body cloak or robe, along with gloved hands and a mask or hood of some kind. Their clothes are often decorated with multiple knick-knacks and are sewn together with seemingly-random fabrics. They’re shorter than most people, and their limbs seem longer than normal for humans. Beneath their robes, they resemble human-sized monkeys, covered in brown hair, but with human faces and hands, and no tail.

Djinnae are keen-minded and have a love for technology and exploration. Many are scavengers or merchants, finding deposits of crystals or lost treasures and selling them in cities. They also work as craftsmen, producing various goods for sale to others. They’re quite communal, and many richer ones have the company of the Marione, their own creations. They’re particularly fond of crystals, and many great alchemists or magicians are Djinnae.

Marione

Created by the Djinnae as servants, these beings look like fleshy marionettes, complete with segmented joints and near-featureless faces. Their mouths are barely slits in their face, and they seem to have no eyes (though they see fine, as their ocular organs can see through the skin around their face). Designed as labourers and bodyguards, these beings are extremely quick and dexterous, capable of great precision. They also learn quickly, picking up tasks by rote.

Marione are not entirely sentient when first created, most quickly develop sentience. Upon discovering this, Djinnae treat them as servants and employees rather than slaves, paying them for their work. Many are used as crafters and haulers, or to guard their masters; most have remained as such. They are loyal and straightforward, but very quick to learn and adapt. The Djinnae have given the Marione the process used to create them, allowing them to ‘birth’ new members of the species.

Gargoyles

These stony-skinned creatures are the natural product of crystal buildup, stone animated by material growth and given life. No two gargoyles are alike, but most are animalistic forms, hybrids of seemingly-random creatures. Most are incredibly strong and resilient, though they’re often a bit lumbering (this is not always the case). They have no uniform size; some are truly gigantic.

Only a few gargoyles are sentient, but those that are tend to be predatory and domineering. They often lead hordes of gargoyles to attack nearby villages, and take the crystal sources as their own.

Sergia

These hulking, hairy figures live in forested and swampy regions, forming tribes and fighting territory wars. Standing seven to nine feet in height, they’re notable by their obscured faces and fur-like coats of hair. Fiercely secretive and territorial, they often keep to themselves and resist attempts to colonize their forests. Still, some become mercenaries and travel (notable exiles).

Moogles

Standing at about thee feet tall (without ears), Moogles are furry, rabbit-like humanoids with long ears and tiny vestigial bat-wings. Their fur ranges from white to dark grey, with rare members having colorations such as red. Despite their stubby limbs, they can be quite nimble.

Moogles are originally native to Kefka’s western grasslands, but have spread through the continent and to others. Curious and perpetually wide-eyed, many travel if they can, take up in other nations. They are nearly universally loved by most civilized races, and many nations sport Moogle populations.

Chocobos

These chicken-like birds wander the Kefkan plains in great herds, feeding on grass and other plants. Large enough to carry two riders comfortably, these intelligent animals are often used as mounts by sentient races. Most are flightless, though a few varieties are capable of sustained flight. Chocobos are strong and nimble, and can carry heavy loads with surprising stamina. They can be easily trained for domestic or war-time uses.

Two natural breeds of Chocobos exist: Yellow Chocobos are the most common. Black Chocobos live near hilly or mountainous areas, and have functional wings that are strong enough to carry riders – these have been exported to Gestahl by the Vitare, and are also cultivated by the flightless Mitare. In addition to these, exposure to crystalium can lead to different-coloured breeds, with unique and often magical traits. Control and cultivation of such traits is an immensely prized science.

Making a Nation

Regions are areas of similar geography, in which sites are housed.

Region Modifiers

Wild Countryside

Untouched land, a national park or just yet to be developed wilderness.

10 points

Beasts

Countryside

A mix of land uses exist in countryside, from parkland, farms and forests

10 points

Supports 2 Population, 5 wealth

Developed Countryside

Developed countryside is almost entirely unnatural and covered in mechanized farmland.

10 points

Supports 4 Population

Woodland

Large expanses of trees, ranging from temperature forests to tropical jungles

5 points

Mountain

5 points

Wastes

Deserts, tundra, swamps, ice fields

1 point

Sites

Sites are areas of human activity, either constructions or areas of habitation. They are placed in Regions.

Fortifications

Fortifications take the place of tank ditches, bunkers, mines and other fortified positions. They are useful for delaying the enemy while you respond to attacks.

10 points

Must be seized and captured before the associated Zone can be conquered.

Military Base

Large fortified staging areas, barracks, vehicle pools and command centres.

30 points

Requires 1 Population, 10 Wealth

Provides 10 Training Points

Must be seized and captured/Destroyed before the associated Zone can be conquered.

Maintains 2.5 wealth/month of units free of charge, so long as they remain in the Zone.

Town

10 points

Provides 2 Population

Produces 20 wealth

Metropolis

Much larger than Towns, Metropoli are centers of finance and industry.

50 points

Provides 5 Population

Produces 100 Wealth and 30 Training

Production sites for all Mechanized units.

Mega-Metropolis

Huge sprawling or towering centres of humanity, Mega-Metropolis are bustling centres of international importance and power.

150 Points

Provides 20 Population

Produces 300 Wealth, 90 Training

-1 Population Support for Zone

Production sites for all Mechanized units.

Tower Farm

Large skyscaper sized greenhouses which provide food regardless of outside conditions.

10 Points

Supports 4 Population

Requires 10 Wealth

Biological Weapons Facility

This is where animals are exposed to crystalium and mutated into weapons of war. Usually expanse sites with tight security

10 points

Requires 10 Wealth, -1 Population to Zone.

Produces 25 Beasts

Crystalium

Black Crystalium

50 points

Each Crystal provides 125 Materia