DreamerThe Marked are people who were captured when they were toddlers by the Fae. During this time, they were replaced with a changeling. If the parents didn't kill the changeling within 7 days (notice that their child was taken), then the changeling would disappear and the child would never be returned. There is a test for this, but it is gruesome; the child would be cut down to the bone, as a changeling can replicate a human fully, but when it is put through that kind of pain, the bone turns black.
The taking of children happens every year around the planting and harvest seasons. The majority of the children that are taken are those of low economic status as their parents are the ones tending the fields. Over the entire country, roughly 12-15 children are taken and replaced every year, and the locations where this happens are different and random every year (or so it is assumed).
With this in mind, it is actually very rare/odd for a child of wealth and status to be taken, and it is greatly looked down upon the families that this happens to, as the children should be looked after better and it shows how poor of parents they are.
When the children are returned, tested, and proven to be the human children, after about a year, a mark on the back of their neck appears. After 20 years, the mark settles, and they have an ability tied to it. These abilities require a small percentage of power that a regular mage would have to use to cast the circle that would replicate these abilities.
At the age of 22, those who are Marked attend the Academy. This is not a choice, as their marks and abilities are very often catastrophic, and without guidance and learning, they could (and have) killed themselves and those around them. They attend this Academy that functions as a University. They are very few, and the rest of the Academy is made up of mages, those who have studied and dedicated their lives to the study of magic. The mages apply and fight for attendance here to learn the higher levels of magical arts.
The Marks are split into 10 different categories. There are the cursed, those who receive an ability that is detrimental more than it grants power. These individuals are placed in a sanctuary of sorts, monitored by high ranking Marked to let them live as normal a life as possible until they die (which doesn't take very long). Then there is the blessings, these are relatively simple abilities, but depending on usage and study, can become quite powerful. The next 7 are referred to as Highblood Marks, a bit more rare, but also more powerful. These abilities are widespread, following the 7 colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet), with each color being a more unique and powerful ability. Then there is the final one, a Winged Mark, that grants extremely powerful abilities, but are rare enough that they only see this about once a century.
The Marked have a pool of power from the getgo, meaning that, even though it may seem awesome and special, they are pretty much the equivalent of toddlers with machine guns, so they have to be monitored and taught how to control their power.
Upon graduating from the Academy, most remain and are part of the military, but they are free to decide the direction of their life. Leaving does not happen often, and they don't tend to last long outside, as their power makes them a target for nefarious groups and militia.
Example:
Vyne: Female, 23 years old, Red Mark
Ability: Can turn things into smoke, and then turn the smoke back into said thing at her discretion
Specialty: Weapon versatility
Secondary specialty: mobility magic
She usually has a ring of black smoke formed around each wrist at all times. What the smoke can reform into, she doesn't tell people, and changes it up frequently. She is known to carry multiple vials of black smoke. When in combat, she brings the smoke out from said vials, that then swarms the battlefield. The smoke is made from many different weapons, some magically inscribed, some not. She reforms the smoke into weapons that she needs during the fight, switching them out as she sees fit, making her next moves nearly impossible to predict. Her mobility magic makes her movements roughly 4.5x faster than others, as she almost exclusively uses this magic and puts all her study into it.
There is a lot more to this, but I can't reveal everything is one go lol.
What do you guys think?
Edit: there is a reason for why the Fae do this, but that requires an entire other post in of itself. I've got a lot of material, and a really bad case of ADHD, so I'm doing my best to get it all down, but I gotta do it in chunks. If you guys have questions or concerns, please feel free to ask/speculate, I'm looking for honest feedback.
The taking of children happens every year around the planting and harvest seasons. The majority of the children that are taken are those of low economic status as their parents are the ones tending the fields. Over the entire country, roughly 12-15 children are taken and replaced every year, and the locations where this happens are different and random every year (or so it is assumed).
With this in mind, it is actually very rare/odd for a child of wealth and status to be taken, and it is greatly looked down upon the families that this happens to, as the children should be looked after better and it shows how poor of parents they are.
When the children are returned, tested, and proven to be the human children, after about a year, a mark on the back of their neck appears. After 20 years, the mark settles, and they have an ability tied to it. These abilities require a small percentage of power that a regular mage would have to use to cast the circle that would replicate these abilities.
At the age of 22, those who are Marked attend the Academy. This is not a choice, as their marks and abilities are very often catastrophic, and without guidance and learning, they could (and have) killed themselves and those around them. They attend this Academy that functions as a University. They are very few, and the rest of the Academy is made up of mages, those who have studied and dedicated their lives to the study of magic. The mages apply and fight for attendance here to learn the higher levels of magical arts.
The Marks are split into 10 different categories. There are the cursed, those who receive an ability that is detrimental more than it grants power. These individuals are placed in a sanctuary of sorts, monitored by high ranking Marked to let them live as normal a life as possible until they die (which doesn't take very long). Then there is the blessings, these are relatively simple abilities, but depending on usage and study, can become quite powerful. The next 7 are referred to as Highblood Marks, a bit more rare, but also more powerful. These abilities are widespread, following the 7 colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet), with each color being a more unique and powerful ability. Then there is the final one, a Winged Mark, that grants extremely powerful abilities, but are rare enough that they only see this about once a century.
The Marked have a pool of power from the getgo, meaning that, even though it may seem awesome and special, they are pretty much the equivalent of toddlers with machine guns, so they have to be monitored and taught how to control their power.
Upon graduating from the Academy, most remain and are part of the military, but they are free to decide the direction of their life. Leaving does not happen often, and they don't tend to last long outside, as their power makes them a target for nefarious groups and militia.
Example:
Vyne: Female, 23 years old, Red Mark
Ability: Can turn things into smoke, and then turn the smoke back into said thing at her discretion
Specialty: Weapon versatility
Secondary specialty: mobility magic
She usually has a ring of black smoke formed around each wrist at all times. What the smoke can reform into, she doesn't tell people, and changes it up frequently. She is known to carry multiple vials of black smoke. When in combat, she brings the smoke out from said vials, that then swarms the battlefield. The smoke is made from many different weapons, some magically inscribed, some not. She reforms the smoke into weapons that she needs during the fight, switching them out as she sees fit, making her next moves nearly impossible to predict. Her mobility magic makes her movements roughly 4.5x faster than others, as she almost exclusively uses this magic and puts all her study into it.
There is a lot more to this, but I can't reveal everything is one go lol.
What do you guys think?
Edit: there is a reason for why the Fae do this, but that requires an entire other post in of itself. I've got a lot of material, and a really bad case of ADHD, so I'm doing my best to get it all down, but I gotta do it in chunks. If you guys have questions or concerns, please feel free to ask/speculate, I'm looking for honest feedback.
