Arukan: Meiji

Introduction to Meiji
Meiji, or Mages in Britain, are Humans who possess vast and near limitless magical capabilities, governed only by their imagination and their reserves of innate magic. Meiji are born with their magic, it is a part of them, a part of their life force, and it is tied in to their life force. If a Meiji ever loses access to his or her magic (either by exhausting their magic, use of Superus powers, or any object designed to seal off a Meiji's powers) they will die.

The process is slow, starting out with them feeling faint or sick and gradually progresses until, after six hours without magic, they pass away.

The Gift of the Meiji, or the Gift of the Magi in Britain, is an uncommon ability that is not completely understood, even by the Meiji themselves. Inherited genetically, it is a gift that presents itself in approximately 10% of all Maleficus and 30% of all Arukan, all of whom will start to show signs of possessing the gift between midnight on their fourth birthday and midnight on their fifth.

Meiji are not required to use foci to channel their magic, as it is a part of them.

While it is possible for there to be many Himitsu in a Magical family, the Meiji gene only presents itself once in a generation. Given how long Meiji live, it is possible for five or six generations of Meiji to be alive at any given time, though if one dies, there will not be another in their generation.

Meiji are not immortal and their magic cannot be used to make them immortal. It is possible to extend a lifespan (though it comes with a hefty cost) or to make oneself temporarily invulnerable if the speciality allows for it. Neither of these can prevent death by natural causes for long, however, and eventually death will claim the Meiji as it would anyone else in Atarashi.

Species Breakdown
There are four different species of Meiji all characterised by different physical features (species may have different options in their powers). The species of Meiji consist of the following.

Fokasumeiji
Fokasumeiji, referred to as Focus Mages in Britain, must always concentrate on their spells after casting. If they lose concentration then they lose control of the effects. While this might not be terrible if they conjure a small litter of puppies, it can become significantly more dangerous. While concentration must be maintained in order to cast, Fokasumeiji have a more fine grained control of the after effects of their spells while they are active.

Rajimeiji
Rajimeiji, known as Dual Meiji in Britain, have a larger magical core than most. They don't get magically exhausted often and have a larger magical reserve. With this larger core, however, comes an increased chance of magical overload (and whatever effect that weakness has on the Meiji as per your choice in the weakness below).

Subspecies: Batorumeiji
Batorumeiji, in Britain known as Battlemages, are a group of elite warriors who are often looked upon favourably in Atarashi. While they do not have noble status, they are well respected, and are paid well for their expertise. There are currently 12 Batorumeiji in existence at the present point in time, and the majority of them are bound to the crown, which is how they get paid. Batorumeiji harness their magical abilities and channel them through a favoured weapon when utilising them in combat situations. Batorumeiji have not existed or trained in Britain for a long time.

Read about the Batorumeiji in detail

Sumorumeiji
Sumorumeiji, or Light Mages, have a smaller magical core than most other Meiji. Unfortunately, this means that magical exhaustion is likely to take them a lot faster than most other Meiji. Fortunately for them, however, their chances of magical overload (and whatever effect you have chosen for that weakness) is reduced significantly.

Gishikimeiji
Gishikimeiji, referred to as Ritual Mages, are some of the best Meiji at ritual and runic magic. Their magic is more permanent than standard Meiji (a ritual that might normally last for a month might last for a year if cast by a Gishikimeiji). On the other side, however, every spell (including cantrips) that a Gishikimeiji performs is considerably slower; they are not designed to use magic in life threatening situations.

Special: Roiyarumeiji
The Roiyarumeiji, also known as Royal Mages, are Meiji who exist within the Royal Family of Atarashi. The title is a term of respect for Meiji within the Royal Family and was coined some three hundred years ago by King Silas Kothas I, the first Kothas Meiji to sit upon the throne of Atarashi.

Meiji Magic
A Meiji's magic will present itself between midnight on the child's fourth birthday and midnight on their fifth birthday. It can present in many ways but, more often than not, the display is completely accidental. Some Meiji have explosive displays tied to their emotions, while others simply desire a task to be completed and it will be. A Meiji's magical capability is limited only by their species and their imagination (and of course their magical core).

The Arcane Totem
Every Meiji family has an animal totem that is a unique, physical manifestation of their magic. This totem is unique to their family and will never be duplicated by another, even if the line were to go extinct. Additonally, this totem can appear during ritual casting though its purpose is not entirely clear. The totem that represents a Meiji family is usually symbolic of the first Meiji within any family line. It becomes a part of the family's crest and occasionally name until such time as the last member of the line perishes.

While Meiji can do almost anything with their magic, they are not without limitation. In addition to the weakness supplied by their Species, Meiji possess the following weaknesses as well:

Magical Core
Meiji possess a magical core (think of it like a magical battery); whenever the Meiji uses their magic, they drain a portion of their core and whenever they rest, the core is replenished. If a Meiji drains their magical core completely they enter a state known as magical exhaustion. If their core cannot replenish itself to at least one quarter within twelve hours after entering this exhaustion state, the Meiji dies. Some Meiji are capable of meditating in order to view their core and manage its levels (and Batorumeiji are taught to do this during their training).

Magical Overload
While completely draining their magical core is dangerous for Meiji, letting the core overflow is equally as dangerous. When you create your Meiji, select one of the following effects. Whenever your Meiji's core is too full (that is, they don't use their magic often enough) this will affect them:
 * Magical Overload: magic tries to use itself in order to return to normal levels. This character is prone to accidental magical outbursts that they cannot control.
 * Magical Poisoning: magic is a toxic substance to the character. Whenever their core overloads, it starts slowly killing them, poisoning them until they bring it under control.
 * Magical Weakening: magic cannot handle being so tightly packed. Whenever this character's core overloads, their magic starts poisoning itself, making their magic weaker over time.

The Laws of Magic
Though the legends are that Meiji are all powerful and extremely versatile casters, this does not mean that they are without limitations. Meiji must, as indicated above, always use components when casting their spells and they are bound by the Laws of Magic like all casters in Atarashi.