Guardian Princess Runealy

Origin - Guardian Princes Runealy

(Applicants to this Origin should speak to 'Runealy Waldia' in game first!)

Magical power from Waldia comes from four major sources. The first of them is being part of the Waldian royal line, as the women descended from Waldia's historical First Queen have inherited her magic. They are tasked with learning the rituals and providing the magical power necessary to replenish the world's Barrier, a magic field that keeps most of a Demon army sealed away. Without the Barrier, Demons would overrun Waldia within weeks. This magic appears to be hereditary, and is the basis for Waldia's government.

Second are the Guardian Knights, heroes who make an oath with the Queen (or Princess). Both sides swear to care for one another, to keep each other "safe" - a word Waldians use to describe someone who is both protected and happy. In return, the Knight gains the ability to create and summon a set of magical armor and a weapon (usually something similar to a sword and shield, or an axe, or spear, or bow and arrow, etc.) suited to their preferences.

The other two sources will be covered in the next entry.

The other major source of magical power on Waldia is demonic. Demons themselves simply exist, made of and wielding dark magic. A Demonic character has historically always been a Demon - though they claim there are ways for humans to become one, there is no evidence of this actually happening.

Instead, humans who are tempted by offers of Demonic power agree to become Pact Mages. They agree to accept dark magic within them, using it to summon twisted and foreboding versions of knightly attire or cloaks. Their weapons tend to match this theme, with jagged edges and darker colors emphasizing their corrupted nature. Being a Pact Mage is fatal in the long term - Demonic power is poisonous to humans, and while it may offer power in the short to medium term it will eventually cause the user to become increasingly sick and then die if they are not freed from their Pact.

Demons tend to be ones who were among the few that were not trapped inside the Barrier by the First Queen a thousand years ago. Their numbers are limited, so only a few of them give in to the urge to randomly attack people - the others bide their time and make long-term plans. They frequently try to recruit humans from the remote Waldian province of Lormia, which has historically been mistreated by the royal government (and recent efforts by the late Queen Lene to fix this trend have been sabotaged by a mix of disguised Demons and Lormians who want to stoke discontent for their own purposes). There are plenty of people in that region who are desperate or angry enough to become Pact Mages, hoping to strike down the royal line they blame for their region's problems.

Waldia's Queen and Princess, when transformed, have outfits merging the idea of a royal dress with the usual bows, gems, and ribbons of a magical girl. While most Queens are able to fly, Princesses generally cannot and Rune is no exception. Princesses are capable of boosted jumps and able to glide to some extent. Both fight using a variety of magical wands and staves that produce a mix of typical 'magic sparkles' or beams, plus 'holy/light' themed attacks. All of them have a smaller wand that can emit what looks like an energy blade, and can cut non-living material to some extent, but appears to be unable to cut people - they serve as magical bludgeons.

Guardian Knights wear attire inspired by medieval fantasy, with brightly colored armor and gems mixed in with equally colorful and well-polished medieval weaponry such as swords and spears. Magic Knight Rayearth is a nearly perfect example of their visual style, and "a Dungeons & Dragons campaign with character designs done by the artists for Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha" would be apt too. Sayaka Miki from Puella Magi Madoka Magica is so close to the style of a Guardian Knight that it is very likely a Waldian will mistake her for one at first.

Each Guardian Knight has their own armor, weapon, and an optional shield. They also have one element, such as Fire, Lightning, Ice, and so on - this element can be used as a long-range attack on its own, and infused into their weapon to make it a fire emitting sword or a bow and arrow that crackles with lightning, etc. Guardian Knights generally cannot fly, but tend to develop the ability to do so at the same time their Queen or Princess does.

Demonic and Pact Mage styles are covered in the next entry.

Demons tend to range from 8 to 20 feet tall in their normal forms, but are capable of transforming into a human disguise to blend in better and talk with those they hope to recruit as Pact Mages. They tend to wield a mix of pure 'dark energy' and occasionally dark purple flames, fighting with jagged claws, teeth, horns, and other dangerous body parts that can emit this energy. Most demons can fly. While Demons CAN fight in human disguise by using a mix of dark energy and a 'dark element', only the most powerful Demons can hope to win a fight this way - most of them must revert to their proper Demon form to use their full strength. The rest of them might be able to slow down a typical Magical Girl while disguised, but will generally lose even a 1 on 1 battle against Tokyo's heroines this way.

Pact Mages tend to be dark, corrupted versions of Guardian Knights. Their armor is twisted and features spikes, and their weapons feature jagged edges. Like Guardian Knights, they have a unique weapon that suits them. They also gain a dark version of an element, such as sickly black-purple flames or ice or similar ideas. Pact Mages that do not feature knightly armor instead tend toward varying robes, though some have elegant dresses or suits that suggest ties to nobility. Pact Mages generally are able to fly if the current group of Guardian Knights are able to - this is a narrative decision to keep the two groups in general balance with each other.