The Great Net

Created and written by John Hartinger; illustrated by Adam Otero

Of all the tribes on the hundreds of islands across the Great Net, only the Cida’arians deduced how the Prima’al Arches functioned as point-to-point transports, sending armies out to conquer, reinforced by outrigger navies. The Evokers of the Silent Lodge, natural philosophers who meditate on sun, sea, and sky to coax out their secrets, persuaded Emperor Utu’ual to form a Republic. Utu’ual made the patron class responsible for governing, wearing the carved wooden masks of the island governors and volunteering as senators to the frangipani-draped House of A Thousand Posts, but forbade them to earn a direct profit from their position and the people under their care. Now the Republic is on the cusp of a golden age. Its Legionnaires and Inquirist spies of the Deepest Current travel the Arches from the tropical plantations of the Central Isles to the frozen outposts of the Far Edgelands. With ancient shark tooth clubs and modern steel blades, they search out Cida’aria’s enemies-criminals, barbarian invaders, monsters, pirate clans, Unrepentant renegade Evokers, and imperial pretenders spawned from the patron class. And now the Republic is ready to start asking questions about the Arches' origins and function - and if they are a risk to Cida’aria, the Free Nations, and possibly all of Morta’al…

Hero Types

Evoker - Sorcerers/natural philosophers, esoteric, focused on empowering.
Inquirist - Agents/spies, inquisitive, focused on answering.
Legionnaires - Warriors/soldiers, resilient, focused on battle.
Pirate/Barbarian - Scoundrels, roguish, focused on acquiring.

Hero Affiliations

The Republic’s Legion - the military arm of Cida’aria. Access to weapons and men. Protectors of the status quo.

The Silent Lodge - Explorers and protectors of esoteric mysteries. Finest mystic training and support. Collectors of knowledge.

The Deepest Current - Espionage network of the Republic. Masters of manipulation and stealth. Dedicated to problem-solving.

Unrepentant - Loose confederation of mystery cults. Students of exotic power and odd sorcery. Seekers of freedom with no restrictions.

The Free Nations - Most everyone not in the Republic. Access to better non-Arch transportation. Dedicated to the overthrow of Republican power.

Originally the tribes of Morta’al had shamans, medicine men, witches, priests, and so forth. They believed that the things of the world and beyond had mana, magical essence. The best way to use and protect mana was making sure a tribe obeyed elaborate tapus -exotically complex rules about when to eat, how to act, what to do and not do. Some that survive to this day in Morta’al culture include every village having a sacred grove allowed to grow wild, that only magicians (now Evokers) may enter, only one canoe allowed out on the waters on the first day of fishing season, and no-one stepping on a chief’s (now a patron-governor) shadow.

Then the Cida’arians broke one of the strongest local tapus - stay away from the Arch. It started with kids playing, daring each other about breaking tapus. One of them pushed another through the Arch, and the girl disappeared. Several days later, an outrigger from a fairly distant allied tribe arrived with the girl on board. Cida’arian history talks a lot about the following weeks and months of experimenting and testing to learn how the Arches worked, but they gloss over what happened to the shaman. At best, one can find references to the shaman being ‘persuaded’ to explain that tapus had no effect on magic and were just a way for magicians to control the tribe. At the same time the Empire was beginning, the newly formed Silent Lodge was wading through superstition and misinformation, determining what really works.

Eventually, some solid conclusions came to the natural philosophers. Ultimately, magic is about understanding. An Evoker devotes time to some aspect of nature he/she finds interesting and embarks upon constant contemplation of that thing’s nature, its symbolic nature, its relationship to the rest of the world and even to itself. This is a deep, intense process that can take any amount of time, but the benefits are fantastic. Initially, an Evoker will only be able to influence the thing itself (changing the direction and intensity of wind, making a rock heavier and more solid). Eventually, he/she will be able to create the element and change it beyond its normal boundaries. Next, the Evoker will be able to understand the thing enough to take on its qualities or bestow them on another (disappear in the dark like a shadow, or smell fresh and fragrant like a flower). Finally, an Evoker will understand enough about their chosen focus as a symbol and use that knowledge upon other aspects of the world - a wound could be healed through the comforting warmth of fire’s nature or constant growth of the trees. An angry person could be calmed by the uncaring nature of the drifting clouds, or even the sudden distraction a lightning bolt creates. A master Evoker could create these effects without having their inspiration present or even created. Obviously, even with the four levels of comprehension, there is some overlap and flexibility due to sudden insight.

Other lessons were learned. No Evoker has successfully mastered more than one aspect, although it’s thought of as hubris to even try. Although Evokers contemplated nature, life itself seemed to be outside the scope of natural philosophy. Aspiring animal Evokers have grown aged and even died with nothing to show for it. And many tragic tales tell of humanity Evokers driven mad…The Unrepentant, who defy the Silent Lodge and/or are magicians for Free Nations, seem to use the same techniques, their secrets seem to allow for the “magical” nature of their power-”meta” abilities like ‘spell’ reflection or absorption, or making a change permanent is beyond the most gifted natural philosopher.