Chime

The Origins

Centuries ago, it is said that the Wind Dragon, Kimon, held a Draedan as a dear friend. The Draedan, a woman named Seohan, became the first Empress of Kisei, an island archipelago between Atharen and Icheron. Years before her reign, she discovered a fledgling drake, trapped within the long coil of his mother's body. His windpipe was crushed, body nearly unmade by the pressure of his progenitor's form. With great pain, Seohan cut the female Wind Dragon's cadaver apart, prying Kimon from beneath her and carrying him to her village to be healed. Years before Kimon was born, a great plague swept through the Wind Dragon population, manufactured by a Scourge who wished to bring them to extinction. Within weeks of Kimon being discovered, it was determined by Kisei's council of elders that he was the last of his kind.

Over the years, Kimon and Seohan became dearest friends. As Seohan raised him, she occupied the role of both his companion and mother, guiding him through life. She had little idea how a Wind Dragon was meant to live and be raised, but tried to teach him the virtues and tenets of the islanders, many of which were informed by his own ancestors, who acted as their early shepherds. They accomplished much together, learning how to fight and collaborate, becoming an effective and deadly team. Over decades, as Seohan matured in her capabilities as a Draedan and Kimon became an adolescent, they became a duo famed across the isles for their strength and moral character. They resolved local issues, purged bandits and gave alms to others, their unshakable characters resonating until they forged themselves into public icons.

A decade later, and Seohan united Kisei, turning hundreds of individually managed villages into a functional nation-state, based on language, culture and faith. As none of her feats would have been possible without Kimon's aide, Seohan added her companion to Kisei's divine pantheon as a deity, naming him chief among his peers, a replacement for his grandmother who was killed centuries ago. For a time, Seohan's administration and Kimon's prominence over the archipelago's faith saw a time of unmitigated peace and prosperity across the isles. That was, until the Scourge who had slain his ancestors saw his term in prison end. The man, Shun Iharu, had slain the Wind Dragons under the directive of one of Kisei's old states, a small conglomeration of villages led by a brutal chieftain. When that state was conquered by Seohan and Kimon during the Kiseikan Unification Wars, Seohan had persuaded the Wind Dragon to allow him to live, as he was a local hero to the people of the northern island. He was sentenced to one hundred years of imprisonment for his crimes against the Wind Dragons, enough to assure his death.

But he did not die. In prison, Shun learned of western Necromancy, frequently visited by a Daravinic scholar who taught him how to become a Strigoi, extending his life for centuries. When his term ended, he was still alive, and Kimon imagined that Seohan would simply kill him in quiet. She did not. Shun was invited to her War Council, the powerful mage serving as an advisor to her as she set her sights on conquering northern Icheron. The dragon became enraged, confronting her; Seohan argued that his act against the Dragons was merely an order from his chieftain, who they had slain long ago, and that he had served his century as proper punishment. She argued that by killing him, she would be dismantling the importance of the rule of law, and that when someone served their sentence they deserved to be free.

Kimon would not listen. His body writhed with a need for vengeance, which he violently acted out. The dragon attacked Shun's estate as he slept, devouring his entire room -- with him in it -- and swallowing him alive. Wind Dragons were known for their ability to vacuum their prey into their bowels, an inescapable pit where they became absorbed for energy. Upon killing Shun, Kimon gained access to many of his powers, holding providence over poison, decay and disease. Kimon was furious with Seohan even after enacting his violent justice, and refused to forgive her. He returned to the cave where his mother had died, wrapping around her calcified corpse and sobbing, full of lament. There, the centuries-old Draedan visited him, and the two wept together until -- without warning -- the Dragon devoured his old friend, gnashing her within his bloodied maw and consuming her power.

With this act, Kimon became something alike to a Draedan, and gained the ability to create Raw Magics... a feat only Adac have ever been able to perform. As Kisei reforged itself, free of the Empress and her foundational ideals, he began to initiate others who claimed loyalty to him, often without oversight or care. By the Age of Industry, Chime became so widespread on Kisei that it leaked onto the other continents, and has since become one of the core Raw Magics known.

Concepts

Hedron Currents: Core to the magic of chime is Windwalking, the practice of moving through altered currents of wind. It is this ability where Chime magi draw their name as Windwalkers, and this art is performed through the creation of and movement through Hedron Currents. Hedron Currents, known in Kisei as Hanmen, are invisible geometric shapes, whose boundaries are formed by incredibly thin streams of ether. Within these boundaries, the wind will cycle through in an endless repetition, revolving through the shape at what is typically a constant rate set by the Windwalker. There are four possible geometrical configurations for Hedron Currents: Vaalu (Pentahedron), Kina (Hexahedron), Tenno (Octahedron), Mansu (Decahedron). Each Hanmen alters the Windwalker's connection to the wind within the shape, resulting in changes to the qualities of their Windwalking.

Vaalu (Pentahedron): The standard for most Windwalkers is Vaalu, the five-pointed Hanmen. Within Vaalu, wind will improve the alacrity of the Windwalker, and as long as they move within the wind's current they will experience improved agility and speed. This Hanmen is learned with the ability Chime.

Kina (Hexahedron): Kina is the six-pointed Hanmen. Within Kina, wind will allow the Windwalker to float on its edges, allowing them to be lifted by the air, which will aide them in aerial maneuvers. They can suspend themselves within the air, land safely from great heights by dispersing the resistance of their fall, and can even perform leaps or complex acrobatics while mid-air. This Hanmen is unlocked at Apprentice.

Tenno (Octahedron): Tenno is the eight-pointed Hanmen. Within Tenno, the Windwalker will find that they can easily perceive and predict the movements of their opponent, whose every move will be etched by the wind. So long as the opponent was touched by the wind current while they began their movement, the Windwalker will experience lightning-fast reflexes in responding to them. For this reason, most Windwalkers fight in an incredibly tight space with their opponent(s) while inside of an Octahedron. In addition, Tenno improves the senses of the Windwalker within it, amplifying their sense of smell and even hearing, as the wind carries sensory impulses within it. This Hanmen is unlocked at Journeyman.

Mansu (Decahedron): Mansu is the ten-pointed Hanmen. Within Mansu, the Windwalker will find that their manipulation of wind itself is enhanced, and integrated into their martial style. So long as they walk within the current, wind will follow them, and they may punch, kick and otherwise weave dense concentrations of air into their movements. They will find their movements to be more graceful, valuing precision over reflexes, acrobatics or raw speed. This Hanmen is unlocked at Expert.

Windwalkers may freely move in-between Hedron Currents, meaning as they move through a battlefield, they may wade into different configurations. This often means Windwalkers are constantly changing their movements and acrobatic behaviors, their combat style incredibly adaptive, evolving. Hanmen are not able to overlap, but will instead connect to the edges of the other, forming complicated tapestries across the field of battle.

Windwalking: WIP.

Initiation

Windwalkers. Work in progress.

Overstepping

The drawbacks listed below do not always come in pairs, and certainly not simultaneously. Some may come and others may not.

Lesser: Nausea, fatigue, headaches, muscle spasms, dehydration

Moderate: Bleeding through the nose, eyes and ears, intense cramps, seizure-like shocks and spasms, internal bleeding, vomiting and weakness

Severe:

Abilities

Current: Novice. WIP. Wind manipulation.

Chime: Novice. WIP. Move within the Hedron Current.

Gale: Apprentice. WIP. Wind blast.

Recall: Apprentice. WIP. Return wind to you.

Bound: Apprentice. WIP. Greatly enhance jump and acrobatic force and distance with wind.

Shear: Journeyman. WIP. Pressure blast.

Embrace: Journeyman. WIP. Sphere of wind.

Recourse: Journeyman. WIP. Redirect something with wind.

Featherbend: Journeyman. Create a chain-linked weapon of wind, with incredible precision.

Mindgale: Expert. WIP. Propel anything with wind, greatly increasing velocity.

Oppress: Expert. WIP. Pressure dismantlement.

Weightless: Expert. WIP. Perfect flight.

Void: Expert. WIP. Create a vacuum, rendering others breathless.

Tempest: Master. WIP. Create the Hedron Vortex.

Maelstrom: Master. WIP. Create a tornado.

Last Breath: Master. WIP. Channel the power of Kimon into a dragon of wind.

Listener Abilities

Work in progress.

Ascension: The Listener

WIP. Void Element.