Flux Province
Tried to stand still in Flux once. Got reclassified as a statue.
Culture
To outsiders, the people of Flux—often called Warpers—are perceived as loud, not merely in voice or fashion, but in the vivid assertion of self. In this land where abundance is shared and need is rare, the pressure to be distinct is omnipresent. Uniqueness is not merely valued—it is demanded. To be unremarkable is to court social death.
Among the affluent, transmutation magic serves as a canvas for daily reinvention. Appearances shift not by season, but by the hour, reflecting the ephemeral moods of the elite. This ethos of constant transformation permeates every level of society. Even those of modest means will toil and save for months, even years, to afford aesthetic updates that reflect their evolving identities.
One of the most defining customs is the coming-of-age celebration. These events are not mere rites of passage, but declarations of existence. A child who reaches maturity without such a celebration is considered neither adult nor citizen—socially invisible, even exiled. To avoid this fate, families of limited means may coordinate joint ceremonies or, in some cases, combine them with arranged marriages to consolidate costs and secure communal legitimacy.
The region is also renowned for its affinity for chimeric and shapeshifting companions. Creatures such as mimics are commonplace, seen not as curiosities but as natural extensions of the Warper philosophy: that identity is fluid, and change is not only inevitable but sacred.
History
Year 2600 – The Fracturing of Flux
- After the collapse of Old Presidium, the once-fluid unity of the southern lands shattered into dozens of shifting factions, guilds, and visionaries.
- Transmuters, alchemists, and elemental cults fought over control of the Everflowing Wells and Redvein’s mineral wealth.
- City-structures changed with the whims of their leaders—buildings with legs, rivers rerouted overnight.
- The chaos led to widespread instability, ecological mutations, and territorial fluxstorms that erased maps overnight.
Years 2600–2647 (47 years) – The Age of Rebirth
Warlord Avessa “The Chrysalis” Thorn
- A once-reclusive jungle druid who embraced arcane transmutation, Avessa preached transformation as healing—of land, spirit, and self.
- United the major southern enclaves under a philosophy of controlled change: "Become who you were meant to become, not who you were told to be."
- Founded the Verdant Spiral rites: mandatory child-blessing transformations performed under ceremonial moonstone light.
- Oversaw the regrowth of jungles damaged during the Fracturing, introducing shape-shifted treants as guardians.
- Vanished during her 200th personal transformation—last seen entering a chrysalis of living stone.
Years 2647–2702 (55 years) – The Artisan’s Ascendancy
Warlord Cassin “The Artisan” Mell
- A polymath architect and master of material transmutation, Cassin with aid from the Born New Military Academy formalised the foundation of New Presidium atop the ruins of Old into a city of fluid geometry and evolving purpose.
- Designed the Glassroot Canals, a self-cleaning waterway system that adapts to population shifts and seasonal demand.
- Instituted the Festival of Forms, where citizens publicly embrace new identities, appearances, and vocations.
- Founded the Transmutative Arcanum of Flux, a sprawling magical academy fused into the living rock of the Mirror Bluffs.
- Commissioned the Bridge of Becoming, a sea-spanning structure linking New Presidium with the Born New Military Academy.
- Died when one of his personal projects—an experimental reality dome—collapsed during a storm; whispers of sabotage linger to this day.
Years 2702–2751 (49 years) – The Unraveled Doctrine
Warlord Imra “The Unraveled” Yelven
- A philosophical radical who believed true peace could only be achieved by dissolving fixed identity.
- Enacted the Identity Unbound Edict, removing legal names, hereditary titles, and occupational boundaries.
- Under Imra, the capital began to "breathe"—entire districts reconfigured weekly based on civic emotion surveys.
- Created vast Reflection Pools, magical surfaces that revealed symbolic truths about one’s internal state to inform future transformations.
- At the height of public confusion and reverence, Imra melted into a pool of mercury during a solstice speech—interpreted either as transcendence or murder.
Years 2751–2810 (59 years) – The Era of Tempered Iron
Warlord Nero “The Forge-Mind” Calven
- A battle-hardened transmuter and graduate of the Legion Order Academy, Nero ushered in an era of structure and defence.
- Created the Chimera Protocol, breeding magical shape-shifting beasts for border defence and elite warfare.
- Banned unstable public transformations, instead issuing licenses for sanctioned alteration.
- Reinforced Flux’s military ties to the Born New Military Academy; opened specialised transmutation combat training.
- Reclaimed the lower Redvein caverns from rogue alchemical factions and established permanent trade routes.
- Killed in the Mimic Surge of Redvein, sacrificing himself to seal an infestation of apex mimics before they reached the capital.
Years 2810–2881 (71 years) – The Copper Reign
Warlord Temir “The Copper Mask” Rulaan
- Once a street alchemist from the molten forges of Redvein, Temir rose to power after exposing a plot to poison the city’s ley-line wells.
- Wore a burnished copper mask at all times, claiming he had once transmuted his own face away in a moment of reckless ambition.
- Introduced the Principle of Cost—a social and magical law that demanded all transmutations come with an equivalent sacrifice or contribution.
- Created the Forge Court, a tribunal of master alchemists and ethicists who approved major societal transformations.
- Instituted the punishment of mensa factus for major criminals: not death, but forced transformation into useful—but non-human—forms.
- Known for practical policies that favoured artisans, builders, and the working class over arcane elites.
- Died in his workshop, supposedly after finally removing his mask. What was beneath was never recorded. His mask now hangs in the Hall of Consequence in New Presidium.
Years 2881–Present (10+ years) – The Alchemist’s Equilibrium
Warlord Chaiya “The Alchemist” Vannak
- A prodigy transmuter and former apprentice to the legendary sage Vethari the Weaver.
- Known for his calm precision and refusal to act hastily—even in war.
- Reintroduced the Doctrine of Flux Equilibrium—balancing personal reinvention with social continuity.
- Oversees Redvein’s Crucible, a civic initiative where citizens reshape and refine failing systems through direct magical intervention.
- Renegotiated the Neutral Accord with Shield Province, easing tensions by offering mineral transmutations in exchange for abjuration wards.
- Presides over a golden age of adaptive reform, self-guided change, and magical innovation—though murmurs of stagnant evolution are beginning to stir.
Education
- Transmutative Arcanum of Flux - Second-best only to the Born New Military Academy, this school leads the way in both druidic and arcane transmutative forms. Well known for some of its most famous creations such as the Thesis project/campus caretaker known as House Mother (sentient White Willow tree) and the weather-adaptive thousand-mile long bridge across the ocean that connects New Presidium to the Born New Military Academy.
- Legion Order Academy - Founded by mages who returned to Flux from the Born New Military Academy, only the most elite soldiers of this academy are known to undergo a series of painful and dangerous alterations to their bodies and minds. Those that survive are hailed as heroes and use their supernatural skills to protect the Flux province, while those that die in the process are honoured by having their bodies transformed into their brethren's arms and armour so that they may join their comrades on the battlefield in body if not in spirit.
A tapestry of river deltas, terraced paddies, and rolling highlands, Flux Province is a land where nature and society converge. Every city blends natural and unnatural structures flawlessly due to the artistry of the transmuter builders. Emerald jungles give way to intricate canal networks, and transmuter stations dot the countryside, happy to reshape the landscape for a few (or many) coins.
The dense, technicolour cacophony of plants and animals is pierced by three major cities where the will of the people shape the flow of nature to their will.
- Polius - Polius is a city of petrified trees, transformed for strength and stability. It sits at the center of a vast, magically accelerated tree farm, where mature trees are reshaped into whatever material is needed. Workers haul resources back by cart or hand. The Legion Order Academy lies at the midpoint between the city’s upper and lower halves, symbolizing the belief that service is the path to elevation.
- New Presidium - Presidium is a city of arcane luxury, built on canals and divided into four elemental quarters. At its center stands the Transmutative Arcanum of Flux, a renowned center of magical learning. Gondolas move silently through the waters, enchanted for those attuned to magic. Built after the destruction of Old Presidium by plague and famine, it was designed by transmuters as a monument to renewal, seamlessly merging with the local mangroves and sea.
- Redvein - Named for its red bauxite and gold mines, Redvein was once the economic heart of Flux. Though the mines have dried up, their legacy remains. The city now struggles, isolated by dragon incursions and overlooked by the south. Locals live close to nature, with a growing divide between rural north and urban south. Celebrations here are quieter—less about excess, more about survival and quiet achievement.
The Warlord
With a focus on life's experiences, a council of Elders tailor laws and punishments with the intent to deliver restorative justice for any lawbreakers. For those few who cannot or will not change their ways, the council will instead declare them "Perditius", a terrifying title that deems them only worthy of a mysterious ritual known only as "mensa factus". Those who undergo the ritual are never seen again.
A 'Hue-and-Cry' system wherein local community members are expected to capture wayward souls to bring them to the councils for restorative justice.
In situations with rogue mages or dangerous individuals, there are many methods to contact the Born New Military Academy, who handle the capture and punishment of such dangerous and unpredictable individuals. This threat is enough to deter most violent crime. For crimes with no leads, agents from the Legion Order Academy are called instead.
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