The Encyclopedia

[Maeve]

Uniforms:

|Female Uniform| |Male Uniform|

Since most of the people living at the Academy have been thrown there by portals and didn't have clothes or equipment suitable for their new lives, the Academy's authorities have decided to give a uniform to everyone. The uniform kit contains T-shirts, dressed shirts, knit vests, a blazer, pairs of shorts and pants, socks, ties, black leather shoes and a black leather belt. The girl uniform kit also contains skirts and stockings (though girls are allowed to wear pants if they prefer).

The uniforms come in four color scheme: navy blue and dark grey, deep red and black, dark brown and green and white and grey. Those colors were once the colors of the Academy's houses, but since those have been disable, the students can simply choose the one they prefer.

[Maeve]

The Portals:

Portals is the name given to a form of energy vortex that appear randomly on Terra. Those whirlwinds seem to link many worlds together, though their exact origin and cause are unknown. The most common type of portals are about the size of an average human, normally about 1.5 to 2 meters in diameter. They often emit light and look like they are glowing softly. More rarely, they can emit some sound, a mix between strong wind blowing and the sound of waves.

The portals could be compared to wormholes, a special kind of black holes that is said to link two points in time and space together. The portals often appear like a tornado laying on its side. It generates strong winds that can literally throw people inside the portal. It is unknown if crossing portals have any biological effect, but people on Terra seem to have develop some magical ability.

Portals have started to appear on Earth recently. Since they are random by nature and cannot be controlled, the authorities have declared them dangerous and it is forbidden to approach them. However, since portals can appear everywhere, some people still get in contact with them, and sometimes they get dragged into them. Teenagers seem to be especially at risk of being caught by portals, though the exact reason is a mystery.

[Maeve]

The Battle of the Shadows:

It has been known, since the creation of the Academy, that another organization was recruiting the newcomers. Their exact goal, however, was unknown. Some of its members had tried to conquer the lands and ran havoc on Terra, but overall, they had remained hidden in the deepest part of the world. They had even cooperated with the Academy on certain circumstances. However, all that changed on a cold evening of winter.

As the lights illuminating the courtyard of the Academy started to shine, a strange black fog made its way up the snow-covered hills. Before anyone had the time to react, the fog had covered the lanterns, leaving the yards in the dark. However, by that time, most of the students and employees were inside the school and didn't realized what was happening.

Through the fog, some shadow creatures made their way to the school walls. No one knew exactly how, but they had passed the first wall without being noticed. It has been guessed that they had the ability to hide in the shadows or shape-shift into mist, but those hypothesis have never been proved. The creatures made their way to the school, meeting no one on their way. Or at least they thought so...

A small group of students, braving the cold of the night, had decided to go train that day. Noticing somewhat strange happening, one of them had returned in the school and warned one of the teachers. It took him some time to figure out what was going, on, but as soon as he realized what was going on, the alarm was rang and all the students were called to fight.

The fight lasted through the night and day, until the next sunset. It is said that, because of the fog, the sky of the Academy stayed black during all the day, giving an advantage to the shadow creatures. Finally, the foes were taken down and destroyed, though some probably escaped. However, it was a sad victory, since in the fight, the vast majority of the Academy' inhabitants had been killed,

The few people that remained sworn to never let this happen again. They buried their deaths and rebuilt most of the school. In memory of all those fallen in the fight, they built a large obelisk half-way between the south gates and the entrance of the school, with names of the fallen and disappeared written on a large white marble block in front of the obelisk. Though the school now looks almost like what it was before the battle, it has been weaken by the dead of most of the higher-level residents, who sacrificed their lives to protect the younger members.

Fortunately though, about at the same time, portals started to appear in mass around the school. The amount of new students entering the Academy is as high as it was in it's greatest day, and it is believed that, with a bit luck and a lot of effort, the Academy will regain all its strength quickly. However, the strength of the opposing side and the disappearance of some of the most important people in the school has been worrying the higher authorities, but it's probably nothing important...

[MelancholyMelody~]

Higher Level Monster: Angel

Angels.
Categories - Primary: Light and Holy. Secondary: Healing, Flying.
Angels are a race of humanoids with bird-like wings upon their backs. They are as different as humans or Demons in personality and looks. There are many types of sub-categories of Angels who have powers over and/or are protectors of certain things or areas. The only thing they all have in common is that they share the same Primary element, all have some sort of bird-like wings, and are all good, caring creatures who dedicate their lives to helping others. They have a very large amount of Holy magic and power.
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[MelancholyMelody~]

Higher Level Monster: Centaur

Centaurs.
Categories - Primary: Earth. Secondary: Depends on tribe/location.
Centaurs are creatures with the upper body of a human attached to the entire body of a horse. They are usually stubborn creatures and anger easily, but they have a strong tie to their origins, race and land. They are in touch with nature in the same way as Elves, but rarely use magic. They are very capable of harnessing the powers of magic, but simply prefer not to, and when they do it is more closely related to Faerie magic than anything else. They are very strong warriors who are skilled in archery as well as melee weapons. They study nature and the stars, being very in touch with the cycle of the world and often having mild psychic abilities that they would use to read crystal balls, tea leaves, cards and other similar things.
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[MelancholyMelody~]

Higher Level Monster: Demon

Demons.
Categories - Primary: Darkness. Secondary: Fire, Flying.
Demons are a race of what used to be all evil creatures. However as time has gone on many have begun to lead normal, peaceful and civilised lives. They mostly blend in with other communities rather than live in tribes of their own, due to the huge amount of variety among them. There are many types of Demons and many sub-species, from animal-like Demons to those who are representations of certain evils, or even just things that are enchanted with evil Dark magic. However there are many, many Demons that simply do not fall into just one sub-species or even any existing ones at all, due to a lot of interbreeding with their own races sub-species and many other races.
Demons are as different as humans, the only thing they all have in common are their affinity to Darkness.
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[MelancholyMelody~]

Higher Level Monster: Dwarf

Dwarves.
Categories - Primary: Earth/Rock. Secondary: Metal, Fire.
Dwarves are a race of small, strong humanoids that have a great skill in mining. Though at absolute most reaching only four feet tall they are incredibly strong and able to wield larger weapons than one would at first imagine. They have a strong tie to the category of Rock due to being skilled miners who spend a lot of their time in caves underground. Due to needing Fire as a source of heat and light over time they developed an affinity to it, along with Metal with which they craft their unique and powerful weapons.
Dwarves are seen as usually being quite grumpy, but it's mostly just that due to their size they have a history of being underestimated, and so they get annoyed when people judge them by this. In truth Dwarves are just as fun-loving as any other creatures. They love battling and celebrating a good haul in the mines or victory in a fight.
They are primarily not a magic using race, at least not the extent of others, and depend upon brute strength heavily. However different tribes/settlements have different magical strengths. Though capable of learning spells not under the Categories of Earth, Rock, Metal and Fire, it is rare to see them use such things.
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[MelancholyMelody~]

Higher Level Monster: Elf

Elves.
Categories - Primary: Earth/Plant. Secondary: Depends on tribe/location.
Elves are a race of humanoid creatures that are most often taller than humans and always slender and lithe with pointed ears, often longer than humans. They are skilled archers and magicians who are tied strongly to the earth. They are at most at home in the forests, though many have settlements out of the trees, but always close to nature. They are very skilled with magic, though what magic they excel at is based upon where they grew up/were taught. They are a great variety of Elves, from those with darker skin and hair in hotter regions, dealing with Fire magics, those with the palest complexions and hair in colder regions, dealing with Air and Ice magic. They will also make settlements beside the sea, those tribes often dealing with Water magic.
They are highly intelligent beings with a great amount of wisdom and knowledge of lore. They can live for extremely long times.
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[MelancholyMelody~]

Higher Level Monster: Faerie

Faeries.
Categories - Primary: Depends on sub-species, location.
The Fae are perhaps the race with the widest variety of types. They come in all shapes and sizes, live in all sorts of places, use all sorts of magic and can range from very good to very evil. One thing they all have in common is being playful by nature. They are the strongest linked to magic, using no other types of fighting. Some settle in little communities, others remain alone. There are a huge list of sub-species dealing with all kinds of magic, usually to do with their location. Intelligence varies from sub-species to sub-species. The most common type of Fae are around a foot tall and range in all types of magic, live in forests and in groups, and are of the same level of intelligence as humans.
More info/examples to give an idea:
A small race of Fae that live in forests and gardens, are able to make themselves invisible, are generally peace-loving but love to explore and play tricks on people. They will try to remain hidden from people but if caught will happily make friends, though still be very reluctant to let themselves be shown to any others. They often dress in things such as leaves, petals and other plant-related items. They are magical beings but don't really practice magic and are usually fairly weak, only using their magic to play tricks and simply survive.
There are many Faeries of specific affinities, but rarely anything other than elements (Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Lightning, Ice). Many Faeries that do not have a specific affinity but are skilled in mostly one category will often be able to have a talent for magics of other elements in that category, so a Faerie of Earth would most likely also use Poison, Rock or even Metal magic.
The nastier Faeries act playfully about more sinister things, seeing it as only a game to kill humans and other races. They drain them of their energy afterwards as this is the main purpose of murdering other beings, though most of the time they do it for fun.
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[MelancholyMelody~]

Higher Level Monster: Ghost

Ghosts.
Categories - Primary: Undead. Secondary: Holy.
Ghosts are the spirits of those who are either unable or have chosen not to move on to the afterlife. They come in a wide variety and are all completely individual, having their own appearance, personality and reason for their spirit still lingering in this plain. They can also be very dangerous as some reach great levels of power, this can be due to having existed a long time or being driven by strong emotions, and of course not all Ghosts are friendly, many of those who are unable to pass on to the afterlife are very angry about it and/or are hanging around because of some terrible tragedy that lead to their death, even driving some insane. Naturally these characteristics paired up with great amounts of power are deadly.
Though most Ghosts are classed as Undead some fall under the Holy category also due to either reaching a certain level of power and dedicating themselves to good, or having been Holy in some way before death, such as a holy warrior or priest.
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[MelancholyMelody~]

Higher Level Monster: Mermaid

Mermaids.
Categories - Primary: Water. Secondary: Depends on location/sub-species.
Mermaids, Mermen or as a whole Merfolk are creatures with the upper body of a humanoid and the lower body of a fish. Naturally this means they all originally come from somewhere with water. Their types vary depending on where their origins lie, along with their other categories and magical abilities. Anywhere were there is a large enough body of water for something of their size to live you can usually find them. They generally fall into two sub-categories though, Ocean and Inland. Also, like many species, their magic is to do with their origins, certain communities being more skilled in one type and others in another, so though all Merfolk are skilled in water magic any others abilities they have depend on their background.
They are kind and peaceful creatures who enjoy music and are romantics at heart. When a Mermaid or Merman sings there is a hypnotising quality to it, and if another creature of a similar level of intelligence is lured to them, they see it as fate and fall in love. Their blood is also said to prolong lives, meaning they are sometimes hunted by less peace-loving creatures. They will give their blood to a non-Merfolk mate who does not naturally possess the ability to live as long as them, so that they may be together until they both die.
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[MelancholyMelody~]

Higher Level Monster: Naga

Nagas. Also known in some parts as "Lamias."
Categories - Primary: Earth/Poison/Fire.
Nagas, or Lamias, have humanoid upper bodies and the lower body of a snake. They come in several varieties and their skills depend on their origin. Nagas that come from forests are often of the element of Earth and/or Poison, whereas Nagas from hotter areas in the deserts are of the element of Fire as well as sometimes Earth. They used to be of a much lower level of intelligence and simply monstrous "animals", however over time they evolved to a higher level of intelligence. Some live in tribes and other prefer to live alone. They are extremely dangerous creatures due to their strong magic and great amount of strength. They are fast and the snake part of their body can sometimes be incredibly long.
They are divided into two types: Peaceful and non-peaceful. Many are happy to live their lives even as a part of a community of many other creatures, but some, mostly those who enjoy living alone, are violent murderers who give in to their animal instincts like their ancestors rather than their higher level of intelligence. Those who are considered "evil" are much less educated and much more barbaric, whereas their good counterparts are intelligent and educated, and live normal civilised lives.
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[MelancholyMelody~]

Higher Level Monster: Vampire

Vampires.
Categories - Primary: Undead. Secondary: Psychic, Flying.
Vampires come in a variety of types, but there are two main sub-categories.
"Old" Vampires: The original Vampire. Pale skin, dark hair and fangs. They would feast upon the blood of humans. They could take the shape of a bat or wolf, turn into smoke and use a variety of Dark magic for trickery along with being able to fly. They often had Psychic abilities, being able to manipulate others, go into their dreams and even mentally torment them. They have no reflection and sleep in a coffin. They often have long claw-like nails. If you were bitten by a Vampire, you would turn into one and usually serve as their servant, slave or even lover for eternity, there was no cure.
They can only be killed through a stake through the heart AND decapitation, while asleep during the day in their coffins. Crosses and Holy Water burn like fire, as does the sunlight. Even in the shadows, "Old" Vampires are at great risk, so they only came out at night.
"New" Vampries: A race that came about mostly likely from Vampires breeding with other creatures. These Vampires are not so pale, don't always have dark hair and although being skilled in Dark magic they do not possess the ability to fly, turn into smoke, bats or wolves. They have lesser Psychic abilities. They have a weaker connection with their victims, and if treated soon enough after a bite from a "New" Vampire you won't turn, nor do they see their victims that survive as being their slaves, whether they turn or not, they see them simply as a meal.
They also have no reflection, though they do not all sleep in coffins, nor do they have claw-like nails. Crosses and Holy Water do not harm them unless imbued with strong levels of Holy magic. They are able to go out in the day, as most do, as long as they cover their skin, stay to the shadows and/or wear something to protect their eyes as they are more sensitive than other races. They can be killed by a stake through the heart or decapitation alone, both do not need to be done.
Old Vampires are very rare these days, and seen as a great foe of most creatures, as they are a parasite. New Vampires however are much more common, and though there is still a lot of prejudice against them they are accepted more, and many live happy, peaceful lives. Some feed upon creatures who are willing, others upon the blood of other monsters obtained from a butcher or something of the sort. It is seen more as a disease, and though some view it as nasty others are sympathetic, seeing it as not being their fault if they were bitten or born that way. Of course, some New Vampires are still completely evil and follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, as a whole most are rather dark and evil beings, but that does not always mean they are any more of a danger than other monsters.
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[MelancholyMelody~]

Higher Level Monster: Werewolf

Werewolves.
Categories - Primary: Earth/Darkness. Secondary: Darkness. Possibly light due to moon transformations.
Werewolves are a race of humanoid creatures said to have evolved from wolves or come from Demons that mated with wolves. They come in two main types also, though it's not so much a sub-species as something that varies from wolf to wolf. It is usually to do with whether you were born or turned.
Those who have claw-like nails, fangs, the ears and tail of a wolf and a preference for very rare meat are often those born from Werewolf parents. Those who appear human unless in their transformed state are often those who have been turned. However those who only had on Werewolf parent more often appear like this than the former.
Upon the full moon a Werewolf will turn into a large, muscular, humanoid wolf that goes on a rampage, killing and feasting upon the raw flesh of anything it can find. If you are bitten or scratched by a Werewolf then you gain their affliction. If you are bitten or scratched by a Werewolf in their non-transformed state then you often only mild side effects, such as liking your meat rare, slightly heightened wolf-like senses and possibly a small growth in the size of your canines(teeth) and slightly sharper, pointier nails.
There is no known cure of Werewolf-ism, though there are many spells and potions to aid in dealing with transformations, from keeping the normal state of mind (at least stronger than the Werewolf instincts so one is able to fight against them) while transformed to simply knocking the subject out for the time in which they are transformed.
Though it is seen as a disease Werewolves are still very feared and often discriminated against due to how dangerous they are. Though most are normal "humans" living their lives some embrace their wolf/Demon heritage and enjoy killing, even when not transformed.
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[MelancholyMelody~]

Lower Level Monster: Baby Dragon

Name: Baby Dragon.
Level: Bronze.
Habitat: Mountain/Cave/Forest/Mire/Jungle/Lake (living nearby).
Element: Every Element, varies from Dragon to Dragon.
Frequency: Common.
Intelligence: Average/Above average.
Danger level: Green to Yellow.
Description: Baby Dragons are simply the juvenile offspring of Dragons, meaning that the information is the same, aside from some small differences. Baby Dragons are obviously not as skilled as fully grown Dragons, and depending on sub-species or even individuals they will grow at different rates. Some babies do not yet have wings, other do, some are timid, some are playful and some are even a little violent, however, due to their size they are much easy enough to handle if you know what you're doing. They make great companions and grow very attached to those that take care of them, making lifelong friends. They are loyal and most often quite good fighters and/or intelligent. Still dangerous due to their level of power, one must still take care and train them well; like children they will tend to grow up with values and beliefs that have been influenced by those around them.
There are ways of helping a baby or adolescent Dragon grow quicker, using different types of magic that are often catered to the type of Dragon in question. So when a pupil upgrades their badge, if their Baby Dragon is a little behind in strength and needs a boost, or simply wishes to become stronger, magics can be used to help them grow to a new level of power. This can include more power, better control over magic, more intelligence, and if they had not yet grown their wings the growth of them.
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