Lore

Love of Magic takes place in a fictional alternate reality. While it has many things in common with our own, there are also many differences and liberties taken with people, religions, civilizations, and history. For example Covid-19 does not exist in the world of Love of Magic.

Sourcing

Entries in the Lore section are pulled from three sources.

1. In game dialogue and scenes

2. Direct statements of the author

- Hearsay or 'Droid said' is not considered unless validated by Droid.

3. Real world references

- e.g. the Scottish clans and tartans. Real world references should be noted as such.

Forum discussion and conclusions, regardless of source, are not sufficient without validation. The forums are rife with speculation, extrapolation, misreads, misremembering, and statements which were correct once but have evolved over the course of the game.

Suits and Scrying

Scrying is a simple spell that allows a spark user to determine a bit about another individual. When the scryer focuses on the cards and then channels a small amount of magic through them while keeping an image of the individual to be scryed in their mind they can find out a bit about them by the card that is revealed. Both the type of magic they command and their relative strength.

Hearts

Healers: Dylan, Dylan's mother.

Diamonds

Enchanters: Emily, Emily's parents, Aoife, Matthew

The Mother is/was the Ace of Diamonds

Spades

Evokers : MC, Katie, Booker, Torman, Keith
The Horned God is the Ace of Spades

Clubs

Other/Hedge Mages : Sarah, Jenny, Diana (Sorcerers if they are scryable, the MC is able to scry Molly)

Unscryable (Jokers, Cardbacks)

Sorcereress : MC, Coven, Nimue, Chloe, Molly, Jannice

The rank of the card drawn is a reflection of the power of the target.

2-10 - Progressively more powerful sparks (non-Powers)
J-A - Power

nb - scrying the MC at different times results in spade (evoker) or unscryable (sorcerer) results.

Sparks

A human's connection to the divine is referred to in Love of Magic as a 'Spark'.

Side note - Cambions can also obviously be mages with a spark. Cambions are born of a human mother.

Humans and Fae with sparks make up the ranks of healers, enchanters, evokers, powers, and gods.
Sparks vary broadly in strength.

Only humans without a spark are able to become Chosen of a god, as only one connection of this sort can exist in an individual.

A human is able to over-run their limits. This is described in game two ways 1) 'exceed the limits of their spark' and 2) 'use more Power than their flesh can hold.' This is seen on day 138. Doing so risks 'burning out their Spark' and will incapacitate the human and can be fatal.

"All sparkies have a focus, though they don't necessarily manifest it" - Droid

"The spark occupies the same part of a person's soul as the Chosen bond, so no Chosen Sparkies, and no Chosen non-humans" - Droid

Ceremonial Magicians

Ceremonial Magicians normally have no spark. They perform in exchange for scraps of power from the more unsavory denizens of Elsewhere, keeping them at bay with magic circles.

Modern Ceremonial Magic benefited greatly from the work of Isambard Kongdom Brunel who developed the Monopath Membrane Circles (Currently referred to as MM 3.0). Prior to the MM Circles Blood was normally required for Ceremonial Magic "it wasn't a very repeatable process for whoever was stuck on the wrong side of the summoning circle." --Sarah Reiner

Ceremonial Magic via Blood sacrifice (Pre MM Circles) was stopped in Western Europe by the Court. "If you tried setting up a summoning circle with a blood sacrifice inside the Hunt's patrol area, you'd be more likely to discover a troop of Hunters emerging from the portal than whatever creature you intended to summon." -- Sarah Reiner

Necromancers

"It's kinda the dark side of Ceremonial Magic." - Katie

Necromancers use circles like Ceremonial Magicians, but do blood sacrifices within the circle and are able to drain the victim's energy themselves. They can draw power and store it in gems, or based on their internal capacity obtain energy and spend it over time.

While there are necromancers with the spark, they are rare.

Creations

Hellhounds - "they're simple things. Anyone with access to dog carcasses and a flexible attitude to human sacrifice can whip up some of those. They're Basic Necromancer pets." --- Torman

Lich - Undead Mages. Very rare and powerful. Powerful enemies and a much more difficult creation. Only currently create-able by necromancers that are Lords of the Cult. Require the sacrifice of several Mages with the Spark. Looks like something a child has sewn together from pieces of dead mages.

Undead Troll - Created by Sarah. These are regenerating undead and very deadly.

Simple Undead - Seen in masses in Mexico directed by the cult there.

Ammit - "The Devourer of the Dead" - Described by Odin as "What every lich aspires to one day be.""Every enemy it devours makes it stronger." In game it is immune to poison and lightning.

Sorcerers

The first sorcerers were the chosen of the Mother.

"The Mother's chosen weren't sorceresses until after she left, they were like Val" - Droid

The bloodlines of Sorcery entered the world when some of the abandoned chosen of the Mother had children.

It is the youngest branch of magic and uniquely human.

The gift is sex-linked. MC is the only known living male sorcerer, although they are possible with a slight mutation.

In Book 2 it appears that Ian is a latent sorcerer.

Although males in the line are typically not sorcerers, they do "often get gifts. Precognition, hunting, weathersense, etc." - Droid

Healers

Healers have extremely weak sparks. This weakness however is a benefit in healing, where a bright personal spark and heavy touch are detrimental.

Healers perform the very delicate and precise task of healing others.

Note that the sorcerous trio in LoM is aligned (intentionally) with aspects of the Triple Goddess 'mother(Jannice)/maiden(Molly)/crone(Chloe).'

Enchanters

Enchanters vary widely in strength and operate through enchantment, runes, sigils, glyphs. They are not strong 'up front' but are extremely versatile and if given time to prepare can be as deadly as any evoker.

Evokers

The brutes of the magical world and very rare as magical types go, evokers are able to command great amounts power and raw destructive force directly.

"Evokers are found only in the mingling of divine blood with human" - Emily

Evokers tend to die young, but if they live long enough they slowly grow into being Powers after 100 years or so.

Blow Out Evokers

Evokers generally build power over years or decades. Blow out evokers come into too much power very early, usually reaching their capacity when they are only 13 or 14. And have not yet developed control, which can lead to messy results.

Paladins

Freelance Evokers. Non Aligned champions of humanity. Generally respected and welcomed.

Paladins do not take sides in humanity's internal political squabbles and will not support one political faction or court over another nor serve any specific king or ruler. They will however join with them in an alliance of convenience in opposing humanity's enemies.

- W Booker

- Andrew Maclachlan

- James Maclachlan

Powers

A 'Power' is an arbitrary demarcation of capability. When an individual with a spark is able to channel power beyond what can be contained in a human/mortal body there are visible signs of this. Typically manifesting as glowing eyes or otherwise visible energy leakage from their person.

When these signs become visible the individual is said to have passed the 'Power' threshold.

Evokers, Enchanters, and Healers can become powers.

Gods and godhood

Above 'powers' are gods.

Most gods are Evokers. Non evoker gods do exist but are rarer. There are no sorcerous gods.

Mantles

There are mantles in the world which represent facets or aspects of reality (war, the hunt, the harvest, etc.) Mantles provide immense amounts of power to those that wear them. When a powerful individual takes one of these up (or is chosen by it) they effectively ascend to godhood.

The Mantle the MC carries is "The Mantle of the Once and Future King." It is unique in that it is artificial in nature, created by Merlin and fed by multiple ley lines for 1500 years. This mantle was first worn by Arthur and links the two of them in a way. On occasion Owyn sees flashes of history from when Arthur wore the mantle. This mantle also provides a strong regeneration effect. Arthur was considered a god, although a much less powerful one than the MC who received the mantle after 1500 years of charging.

Also note that "death is a function in the Love of Magic universe, not a god or a person", there is "no mantle of death."

Evokers, Enchanters, and Healers can become gods.

The MC's mantle is drained at the end of Book 2. Early in Book 3 it is noted that it appears to be refilling. Excalibur has three thoughts on how it is refilling and how it can be refilled further.

1. Excalibur believes it is currently refilling from the overflow from the MC's spark.
2. The mantle might also be refillable by sacrifice similar to what Necromancers and Aztecs do.
3. Faith. Excalibur could feel the mantle charging a little after the MC's 'stunt in London'

Firstborn

Gods that were born to the Mother and Father. The first gods back when the world was younger and ice still covered much of the world.

Odin

True Gods

Samael notes in Book three that Humanity truly has only two actual gods. The Mother and The Father. All the rest attain godhood through mantles, The Quaternary are also true gods in this sense.

Pantheons

Love of Magic

MC - Son of the oldest and Jannice. A combination of Sorcerer and War God.

Jannice - Mother of the MC. A uniquely gifted Sorceress.

Chloe Abbot - Sorceress and (former) Chosen of The Mother.

Celtic

• This pantheon exists in game.

The Horned God - Lord of the hunt and the chase. The oldest. Father of MC.

The Mother - Wife of The Horned God.

Norse

• This pantheon exists in game.
  

Odin - One of the FIrstborn

Sif - Wife of Thor. Did not react well to Fia and Thor's dalliances.

Thor -

Vidar

Tyr

Freyr

Loki - Currently chained under a mountain

Shinto

• This pantheon exists in game.
• "Elsewhere is ruled by the Sun Court, under Amaretsu, of which Fujiyama is one of the Senior Vassals"
• Kirin exist
• Mizuchi exist
• Daemon Foxes exist
  

Daemon

Samael is one of the quaternary and is a god of the Daemons. He is a true god on the order of The Father and The Mother.

He was one of four rulers of Atlan, the Daemon's city in Elsewhere with spires a mile high that constantly changed and reformed themself.

Cambodian

• Per Droid - these are 'not around'

Chinese

• Droid has stated that while the Chinese gods exist in the game, the game doesn't deal with the Eastern hemisphere much other than Japan. He has stated that the Monkey King will not be in this game.

Aztec

• The pantheon was largely eliminated in the current incursion/invasion.
• The Aztec pantheon sacrificed Trueborn and the gods of other pantheons (e.g. the Mayan pantheon) to augment their sparks stripping the life out of Elsewhere itself leaving behind a lifeless desert.
  

Surviving Members

Xochi - Known survivor, healer. Touch Empathy (the ability to sense emotions, grasp images, and share understanding when in physical contact) is one of the aspects of her mantle. Her empathy is consensual, bidirectional in nature, and cannot be forced. Goddess of Beauty, Love and Prostitutes.

Zal - Known survivor, poison based.

Killed by Outsiders

Huitzilopochtli - Likely A war god based on the mythos.

Tlaloc - Rain God. Likely a lightning wielder based on the mythos. Tlaloc participated in Ceremonial magic. His preferred price was babies.

Tezcatlipoca - Likely a war god based on the mythos.

Mayan

Chaac - Mayan God of Rain. Sacrificed to feed the Aztec pantheon some time in the past.

Assyrian

• Taken out in a previous incursion.
  

Egyptian

• Taken out in a previous incursion.
  

Hindu

• Around but not part of the story. Although there are people who are Hindu, like the Ghurkas.
  

Greek

• Not mentioned.

Roman

• Not mentioned.

Judeo-Christian

• Judaism, Islam, Christianity and various offshoots are being avoided in the game. Notably the religions exist, for example there are people who are Christian such as the Ambassador and Jenny.

The Ascension of the Fae

Elsewhere

Prior to approximately 10,000 years ago, Elsewhere was purely chaotic and there were only two gods in existence, The Mother and the Horned God.

This changed with the Ascension of the Fae and birth of the new pantheons. Various other pantheons were created as various progeny linked up. The gods (such as The Horned Lord) present at the time chose not to discuss this event.

With this change, Elsewhere became a place bound by rules. It is still "constantly changing, constantly in flux" but is now "bound by rules, and while the paths might shift the Places do not (note: A 'Place' is a part of Elsewhere that does not shift.)"

"The Ascension took thousands of mages, and hundreds of years..."

"Mab mentions she was one of the thousands of battle mages working on the ritual under the Mother's guidance. / no, this was 8,500 years before Camelot"

"The Ascension was basically the household troops of Horney and some of the key inhabitants of the First City going througha ritual."

"[T]he Ascension of the Fae is one of the big departure points [between] the Mother and [The Horned God.]"

"The Ascension takes place at the tail of the last Ice Age" - Droid Productions.

The ascension allowed humanity to take the fight to the Daemons in elsewhere. The humans/Fae carved locations such as Tir na nOg and the fortress housing the Unseelie Court out of Elsewhere, and in the process changed it permanently.

"It was a massive undertaking. Hundreds of years of preparation, the great ley lines of Olkhon Island tuned to turn Lake Baikal itself into a magical reservoir." "It was the Mother's doing, of course..." "The Firstborn labored alongside Master Artificers of the First City, and tuatha Battlemages. All working together on a Construct few of us could imagine, never mind understand."- Mab

The Fae

"The Fae were a tribe that worshiped [The Horned Lord], and then Ascended to Elsewhere 10,000 years ago, irrevocably changing the place in the process"

The Ascension of the Fae "changed them into something not quite human and changed Elsewhere from a realm of pure chaos into the world it is now."

"Before the ritual maybe one in ten had some form of spark. Afterwards... we were all mages" - Mab

"During the Ascension, the Fae gained "An inate sense for Elsewhere, the ability to read the order underlying the chaos, and come to peace with it." - Mab

The Daemon War

Started thousands of years before the ascension and completing thousands of years after it. In the beginning Daemons raided humanity with impunity, treating them like cattle.

The Fire River Warband

Lead by Mab and later with Aoife rising to be her second in command. "In the War with the Daemons the Tribes would split into smaller tactical units. The Fire River Warband was one of the most elite of these, the cutting edge of the Spear." - Cu

"[Cu] rode with them many times, as did the Horned Lord" - Cu

Aoife joined the Warband as an adolescant, and over time rose to become its second in command. - Cu

"When [the Horned Lord] needed a Warband, it was [the Fire River Warband] he called upon" - Mab

"When the Tuatha De Danann burned Atlan, [the Fire River Warband] was the first through the breached gates." - Mab

The First City

Before the Ascension. The Horned God gathered warriors around him, found allies, armed them...gave them teeth. This enabled humanity to hold its own and defend its territory. With that came the birth of the First City in the Old World.

There are/were steppes around the first city.

The First City stood between the Tigris and Euphrates.

• "The First City was a Fortress City"

• "humans huddled in the middle, the nomad tribes shifting around it for protection"

• "the Ascension (as Mab and Samael describe it) was them taking the fight to the enemy"

• "a large chunk of the mages, craftsmen, and others that made up the Court went with them, settling in Tir na nOg"

• "others spread out, following the Firstborn that shifted to spread the seeds of human civilization"

Fae Horses

When the Fae ascended to Elsewhere, they took their horses with them. Horses were the only companions the Fae brought with them that fully adapted to Elsewhere

"Teeth like an alligator, not to mention a bloody unicorn horn"

Diet

• Human horses, if they are not careful
• Daemons, gladly
• Any other creature foolish enough to offer up a morsel
• Fingers if they are feeling peckish
  

Chosen

The chosen of a god are bonded and linked permanently to a god, and they are able to draw power from that link. A particularly strong draw by a chosen can actually temporarily weaken the god. While there is no known way to break the bond between a Chosen and their god, they can stop pulling energy from it to maintain themselves and quickly age and die. Freya mentions that most Valkyrie chose this path between 250-300 years in age and the end comes within weeks.

Chosen are loyal only to their god and do not stray. If the bond with the god is romantic in nature they will be true to the god. If it is not, they may engage in outside romantic activities, but this will not affect their loyalty regardless.

In referring to Molly becoming Chosen, Droid noted that his goal was not to change her personality but rather to change her goals so that they were now focused not on her own personal advancement, but on that of the MC. This seems consistent with how other Chosen are written before and after choosing as well.

If the god a chosen is bonded to passes away, different chosen react differently; some waste away, some go dark, some suicide... and some keep following along with whatever mission or goal was already being pursued by their deceased master.

Only those without a 'spark' can become a Chosen. Those with a spark have their own connection to the divine.

There is no limit on the number of chosen a god can have, however more chosen makes the god and the individual chosen progressively weaker.

While Chosen start out as human (or near-human) they may be given different names after becoming Chosen. For example Freya's chosen are referred to as Valkyrie's and are granted the ability to manifest wings and used as tools to resolve conflict.

Those that are known to be able to become chosen are all human or human-derived and include:

Can Become Chosen

- Those with quirks
- Sorceresses
- Seers
- Everyday humans
- Were-humans
- Valkyries (Valkyries are originally everyday humans)
- Orcs

Per Droid "orcs could go chosen" however DP has also indicated there's no room in the story for one.

Cannot Become Chosen

Those that have been explicitly stated not to be able to become chosen include: (Any with their own magic, or their own spark, or original denizens of Elsewhere)

- Evokers
- Enchanters
- Healers
- Demons (including Fox Demons, and Cambions)
- Pixies/Faeries
- Pure blooded Fae (likely because all pure blooded Fae have innate magic.)
- Bog Hags
- The Trueborn
- Dragons
- Fae Horses
- Schwartalf
- Trolls

Those that may or may not technically be able to become chosen (Droid hasn't told us specifically) include:

- Undead (Necromancers)

Becoming Chosen

The requirements for becoming chosen are

- Fluid transfer from the god (most commonly blood drinking, but seed from sex works as well.)
- A magic circle
- Intent on the part of the chosen.
- Intent on the part of the god.

Shadow Hunters

ShadowHunters are a 'normie' fighting class that serves as guardians and protectors of humanity in Japan, defending outlying locations against the beasts and monsters of Elsewhere.

They do have some capability tied to manipulating the fields of magic that surround us. They can use this to hone their ferocity and speed.

In Akane, once acquired, this Shadow Hunter ability manifests as a combat ability in Elsewhere, a new 'Shadow Hunter' capability which allows replacing cards for various effects.

Demon Foxes

Fox Demons swear allegiance to Hoori. Specifically his hunting aspect.

"They're not mages, everything is physical. They move like nothing you've ever seen, and they hit like a garbage truck. Only way to fight them is to nuke them from a distance." - Katie

Aside from their speed, Fox-Demons have heightened senses compared to humans, this allowed Kitsune to detect the veiled Sarah Reneir and foil her sneak attack. Fox-Demons are physically robust and can survive and recover from injuries that would kill a human.

By nature Demon Foxes are solitary creatures and most of their time is spent roaming their own mountain.

Daemon Foxes are physically compatible with humans and naturally attracted to strong partners, but are not biologically compatable, so there are no half-demon foxes running around.

Design wise Droid views them as Yakusa daemons. This is why Hakone no Kitsune seems to act less like a professional soldier or bodyguard and more like a hired thing.

Fox Daemon power scales with the number of tails they display.

• 1-2 Tails - juveniles
• 3 Tails - Once this starts growing the need for solitude becomes unbearable and the fox daemon will find itself a range. Their mountain.

Over time, through training and mediation fox daemons can become more controlled and able to return to the society of others, however they remain solitary creatures by preference and do not like heavily urban areas.

Fox Demons seen or mentioned are:

Hokone no Kitsune

The Demon Fox from Mt. Hokone

3 Tails (2.5 tails initially)

Aino no Kitsune

The Demon Fox from Mt. Aino

5 Tails

Fuji no Kitsune

The Demon Fox from Mt. Fuju.

'Grandmother'

9 Tails (god level power)

Faeries/Pixies

"I'm operating on the assumption that they fairies are essentially immortal. They might squash, but they don't break" - Droid

"You hear nothing about faery children. So I assume those are few and far between, though not for lack of trying" - Droid

Were Humans

All Were-creatures are hierarchical in nature. They are human with an associated animal type. Speculatively a result of humans inter-breeding with something from the Deep Elsewhere. Droid has also noted that they are all carnivores, and realistically 'big sexy mammal predators'

Were-creatures have a supercharged metabolism. Bones and muscles are far denser and stronger than normal. Their body temperature is higher. Their heart beats faster. All regenerate and heal most injuries in minutes. They grow old fast.

It is not known if a were-human can have a spark and it has not come up in the game. Droid has stated that whether they can have a spark is still 'an open question.'

Population Demographics

Were creatures are geographically located, primarily to the northern hemisphere In Europe and in Russia they made their own deals, if a little late, with the Great Families

In China they are almost extinct, squeezed back into the mountains, and pretty much still feral.

In the Indian subcontinent and the 'stans they still live a very similar life to what they once did; most of them hide from the central government and otherwise do what they wish.

The Change

When a Were-creature 'changes', they consciously let go of their human side, embracing the animal. Doing so makes them stronger and faster and boosts regeneration further. When changed, a Were-creature is able to keep fighting long after they should be dead, however the animal is in control while changed, not the human. This can be unfortunate for nearby allies.

Different individuals in game view the change differently. Bella hates it. Kathleen Kerr, who looks up to Bella, avoids it accordingly. Jalsa embraces it.

In Act VIII we see the first in-game example of a were-creature changing. The change is both physical and mental and includes a call-out to the physical changes of Pak Protectors from Larry Niven's 'Known Space'. It is not however the complete animalistic transformation of modern werewolf lore. "While changed her mind is much more animal like, much more physically aggressive and prone to animal instincts. Bella hates it, Jalsa is largely okay with it and considers it just another weapon in her arsenal." - Droid

Known Types

The following types of Were-creatures have been mentioned in game.

Cat

Lifespan: ?

Reside around the Caspian Sea. "Who the hell needs a housecat? Sir." - Kath

Fox

These are known to exist. "werelynx and foxes are quiet, and rarely stick out"

Slower metabolism (and less healing) than wolves.

Lynx

Lifespan: 40 years (grey at 40, but could live to 50 or even 60)

Slower metabolism (and less healing) than wolves.

Wolf

Lifespan: 30 years (wolves hit the wall at 30, die of system failure in 2-3 years)

Slower metabolism (and less healing) than Lions and Tigers.

Extremely Hierarchical, even for Were-creatures.

Bear

Lifespan: "Werebears are among the oldest of the big changers; slower metabolism and a prodigious regeneration rate keeps them running longer than the other big predators. When it fails, it fails hard." "Jora's old.. pushing 40"

Large, brutish, not particularly bright. Extremely fast healing.

These are from Northern Europe and Russia.

Katie: "Ah, she's a werbear; feed her enough Vodka and she'll be happy as a lamb. Slow to anger, and unless seriously angry, easy enough to defuse most of the time.

Owyn: "And if they're seriously angry?"

Katie: "Then they will stay angry for years. Nae good enemies, werebears."

Lion

These are known to exist. "Tigers and Lions run the hottest" (have the shortest lives and highest metabolisms and healing)

Tiger

Lifespan: 25 years

"Tigers and Lions run the hottest" (have the shortest lives and highest metabolisms and healing)

Were Tigers are from East of the Caspian Sea (Asia)

Referred to as 'borderline psychotic' and 'claymore mines on two legs' considered the most dangerous Were-creatures. Generally able to out-muscle anything short of a god.

"Solitary, territorial and too prone to casual violence for their own good." - Emily Pendragon

Possible

Couger

Droid indicates that "there probably are werecougars"

Hyenas

"Sound[s] likely if you're in the right area"

Coyotes

"Sound[s] likely if you're in the right area"

Unlikely but Possible

Wereferret

"I guess a wereferret could be possible :-)" - Droid

Do Not Exist

Were-Hamster

(not a carnivore)

Were-Bunnies

(not a carnivore)

Familiars

Droid has stated that familiars exist in the game, although we have only a few hints about them and what they can do.

Thor mentions that 'a little bird told me' when asked how he knew about the minotaur and was likely being literal.

Odin mentions in Dresden that one of his "...familiars..." found something and he was able to see through its eyes.

Other

Vampires - "As for vampires, yes... all kinds of undead horrors are real"

Factions

Opposed Factions

The Cult

Lords of the Cult gather their power from The Outsiders and work to hasten their return. They live in flesh vessels that they animate and shape from the dead. Each Cult lord maintains, and is linked to, a backup vessel they can jump to if their life is threatened. This provides them conditional immortality.

To truly kill a Lord of the Cult it is necessary to either take them completely by surprise killing them immediately so they cannot jump to their backup, or track down and kill the backup very quickly so that they cannot prepare another backup vessel. According to Jora, to kill them you need "Surprise. Takes them five to six seconds to invoke the transfer. Cut the spine or pulp the skull; either works."

The typical cult lord's intent is to rule the world following in the wake of the Outsiders, not to destroy it entirely.

Aoife notes that Cult Lords can be difficult to detect while they are still in their original body.

Droid has mentioned that while The Cult has Seers, it does not have Sorcerers. Presumably this would be because the voices would not align with Cult goals.

Sarah Reiner

Cult Necromancer+. Originally ceremonial magic instructor at Edinbergh before her mind was fried for trying to blackmail Owyn.

She is described as 'something more' than a standard Lord of the Cult.

Oleg

A cult necromancer. Brought slaves to Sept Malgraleth for use in breeding Cambions. He is referenced again in the Payback quest where Katie finds mention of him in some some documents found in a tent in the staging area. In book 3 we learn he is a member of the Seelie court and a retainer to one of the Seelie Court Lords (In Book 3, that Lord falls at Tir na nOg)

Owyn reaches him through one of his creations, killing him remotely, while on an expedition contrived by Owyn wherein he hopes to allow Dylan and Fiadh to get a chance to talk.

de Vinsgau

An old family aligned with the Cult that fought the Clan and Allies losing badly in the Second World War. They return in the War when one of their number is in a group Owyn recruits to assist Katie.

The Demons of the Deep Elsewhere

Demons look forward to the coming war with The Outsiders and hope to emerge after the destruction of humanity and become the rulers of the planet.

Cambions

Cambions are half-demon assassins. Created by demons by gathering humans and breeding with them. Typically this results in the screaming death of the human mother as the Cambion claws its way out.

There are two broad types of Cambions; Mage-Type and non Mage-Type. Mage Cambions are created when the mother has a spark.

Daemons and Daemon Clans

A daemon 'Clan' controls a given part of the Deep Elsewhere. Each 'Sept' of a clan consists of a single Lord and his slaves, harem and followers. Before the Great War and the ascension of the Fae, there were once ten thousand Septs that ruled from the Deeps to the Ice, less than a hundred remain today. During this daemon cities and civilization were destroyed and they were reduced to barbarism. Daemons easily defeated the first humans before the gods, and The Horned Lord, interfered.

Daemons predate the Fae (and others predate them.)

Olmodan Clan

Sept Malgareth

Known to take humans as slaves. Off the Northern Trench. 'Particularly unpleasant *holes"

Sept Dernath

Known to take humans as slaves. Once raided Sgarba Eilean (near Bellanoch) resulting in the destruction of their fortress by James, Andrew, Fia and others of clan Maclachlan

The Outsiders

Creatures from outside our reality who see all life as a snack-bar. Outsiders have an effect similar to the electronic disrupting effect of Elsewhere, only Outsiders 'know things', the effect is significantly stronger than Elsewhere and consciously directable. Complex technology does not work around them. Anything mechanical will function. Electronics will not.

The anti-tech zone the Outsiders can direct is huge. An Outsider has taken down planes in the middle of the Atlantic.

Note - This is why the voices decided Jannice should stay in Edinburgh in Book II.

Notes from 'X' on them:

Outsiders are tougher than anything living or undead has a right to be.

Arthur occasionally went for the Achilles tendon.

The Gem. In their forehead...that is the source of their power. Destroy that, and they seem to dissolve.

Notes from Melusine about them:

The invaders do not bargain, Winter King. They take, or they destroy... there is not enough left of their minds to think deeper thoughts.

Notes from Merlin about them:

[T]hey are not creatures of this plane... this reality. They exist outside the bounds set by the arch of time... your guns can no more kill them than you could stab a shadow.

How do you kill a shadow? You turn the lights on, of course.

Braaxath.

Dubbed "The Destroyer of Hope" by the Assyrians when the City of Mardaman fell.

Referred to as "Anomaly Theta" in Book 2. Was not present when Merlin and Arthur defeated the Outsiders.

Reappears in Houston battle even though previously killed in Mexico by Owyn.

House de Vinzgau

One of the First of the Old Families, traces it's house back to fall of Rome. Strongly magical. Instrumental to Charlemagne's rise. Hilde de Vinzgau was Charlemagne's second wife (his first was repudiated and exiled.) Hildegard was reportedly an extremely capable and attractive Enchanter. Charlemagne was an Evoker. The de Vinzgau family sided with the Nazi Party and faced Emily's parents and her allies in combat. The family has various holdings, including near Frieburg in Southern Germany, as well as Alsace, Switzerland, and Eguisheim in France.

Allied Factions

The Clans

Several (real) Scottish Clans are seen in the game and can be considered allied. Prior to the ascension of the Winter King the Clans stood with the Norse. They now stand with The Winter King.

Clan Maclachlan

Type: An enchanter clan. Recently added an evoker line from Fia and Thor.

Motto: Strong and faithful

Characters; Katie, Fia, Andrew, Keith

Clan Hume (Home)

Type: A were clan

Motto: True to the end

Characters: Bella

Clan Kerr

Type: A were clan

Motto: Late but in ernest

Characters: Kathleen (Kath)

The Fae

The Fae run the gamut of spark types, but do not have the uniquely human magics (Sorcery, Seeing, Quirks). The Fae all have innate magic.

Seelie Court (Fae) - The Court of Light

Tuatha De Danaan (Fae)

Among the most warlike of the Fae. Aoife is their emissary.

Most of the Fae Powers swear fealty to The Horned Lord.

They are one sept, a tribe, within the Fae. Younger than some tribes, fiercer and more primal.

They are primarily of the 'Seelie' and are the most likely to interact with humans and make up the largest contingent of the Hunt.

Of all the Fae, they are closest to the horned lord.

The Tuatha glory in the hunt, and the kill.

• the Tribes (the Tuatha Dé Danann, or the Folk of the Mother Goddess) are proto mongol / scythians from late ice age, so the assumption that the Father convinced most of the warrior tribes that lived along the tundra between the ice and the south to join them

Unseelie Court (Fae)

While the Seelie Court embraced civilization, the Unseelie Court did not. It is less tied to the Fae's human cousins and still holds faith with old allies from the Daemon war

• Trueboarn allies that joined their war.
• Selkies
• Puca
• Banshees
• ...and others.

The Unseelie Court and its allies tend to be dismissive of human laws. Volatile and frequently violent. They know that there is no such thing as a permanent peace and they will one day be called to arms again. They know not to become fat and complacent in the mean time.

The old Fae (Fae)

The Solitary Fae

- It is speculated (by Emily, Book 1) that Matthew is living in the chaos on the Paths as one of the 'Solitary Fae'

The Court in Exile

Matthew and Emily's mother left the Seelie Court and joined this.

Aztec Pantheon

Initially targeted by the Outsiders in the war and largely wiped out.

Non-Aligned

The Schwartalf

Not precisely a faction, the Schwartalf are somewhat aloof and primarily interested in themselves. The Schwartalf are an old race of master crafters (they predate the Fae) and make armor that develops its own awareness and personality over time.

They consider their craft perfected and any thought of change is considered perversion. Schartzalf armor can take a century or more to craft and is esteemed above all other armor. A set of armor typically easiy survives whatever kills the wearer and is passed down generation to generation. The Schwartalf are quick to anger and, like other extremely long lived beings, suffer from ennui as the ages roll past.

The Schwartalf are not numerous. Early in Act VII you learn that the 9,320 employees of Pendragon Enterprises is "far more than there are Schwartalf alive."

The Trueborn

The natural inhabitants of Elsewhere. Not a cohesive faction as they are mostly simply out to help themselves, similar to the Schwartalf.

The Trueborn of Elsewhere all have metallic eyes.

It is noteworthy that the Puca Daemon that impersonated Cpt. Keith Maclachlan referred to himself as one of the Trueborn.

Wild Fae

Wild Fae are not part of the courts.

In General, Wild Fae:

Reject the settled nature of the Courts and live life on the move.

Some are darker in nature, some lighter (they draw from both the Courts.)

Characterized by a general dislike of being pinned down and forced to stay one place

Don't swear oaths of fealty to anyone. (Including to The Horned Lord.)

The relationship of Wild Fae with the Brotherhood is an alliance of convenience.

Dragons

Dragons are:

the apex predators of Elsewhere.

inherently magical creatures.

eventually able to fly and breath fire.

intelligent, have their own language 'Draconic'

able to learn and understand human speech but are not physically reproduce it.

very much 'don't tread on me' types with the breath to enforce it.

Diet

"Anything that has potential for magic and intelligence."

Humans are good

Orcs are good

Trolls are inedible

Some Arachnids may be poisonous even to Dragons

Daemons are a pleasant snack or meal depending on size

Necromancers and Liches are true treats

Outsiders are a superfood.

Mer

Not exactly friendly and more prone to eat a wandering human they run across than anything, they are also no friends of the Cult or Outsiders.

The Brotherhood of the Paths

This is a loose association of those who walk the paths of Elsewhere. Zenia can be considered one of its leaders (in so much as it has leaders.)

It is the nature of the Brotherhood that people dip in and out again. For example: Matthew left with no harm, no foul

Divine Weapons

According to Excalibur, divine weapons are indestructible, the only way to break one is if the weapon itself makes the choice.

Excalibur

Sword wielded by MC

• The only divine weapon to stick with humanity. Never wielded by a god until MC.

Mjolner

Hammer wielded by Thor (Book 1)

• "a bitter, twisted bastard with nothing but hatred in its heart for all of creation."
• "hateful and self-destructive"
• Mjolner hated Thor with a passion.

Hammer wielded by Bella (Book 2)

• "quite pleased to be here, and pleased about its new wielder, and just happy with the world in general."

Longinus

Referenced by Booker as capable of handling MC's link to Magic. This is likely a reference to the 'Lance of Longinus', a holy relic also known as the Spear of Destiny, Holy Spear or Holy Lance in Christianity.

Svalinn

Referenced by Booker as capable of handling MC's link to Magic. This is a legendary Norse shield that stands before the sun and keeps the world from burning.

Gungnir

Spear Wielded by Odin

• "A stuck up bitch"

Gáe Bulg

• Mentioned by Cu in Book 3. In Irish Mythos this was the spear of Cú Chulainn, so it assumed to be the weapon he wields.
  

A'Chaid

Spear wielded by The Horned God

Travel

Travel is broken into a few areas. Travel itself does not advance time.

Walking Around Town

This is done by walking. It does not advance time.

Transiting Portals

Portals connect Elsewhere and the old world. Traversing a portal does not advance time.

Traversing ElseWhere

Running or riding. Movement in Elsewhere does not advance time.

While it is relatively easy to 'punch a hole' from somewhere in Elsewhere to the Old World, it is not easy do so in the other direction.

Teleportation

Teleportation occurs in scripted events (e.g. to the Dark Mansion, to the Sonora Desert) in game. It is instant and does not advance time.

History

Timeline

Historical Timeline of Love of Magic

Time	Detail
	Humans arise
	Daemons hunt humans for fun and profit
	Mother and Father Arrive
	Daemons now occasionally meet human resistance... you're no longer hunting deer, you're hunting lions
	Humans start banding together
	Daemons now occasionally get ambushed, and human strike-teams start hunting daemon hunting parties
	Horny gathers the nomad tribes of the Ice Wall, and the Mother Arms them
	Daemons now get into pitched battles with humans entirely willing and able to meet them 1:1
	The First City is formed, and the Pantheons created
Over 12,000 Years Ago	The First Outsider Incursion
~10,000 Years Ago	The Ascension
	The Fall of the First City
	The rise of the Courts
	The destruction of Atla, and the beginning of the end of the great War
~5000 Years Ago	The Accords
5000 Years Ago to Present	After [the Accords], it's another 5,000 years of Fae frolicking in the sun until Camelot and the Winter King.
1819 Years, 6 Months, 7 Days	Disappearance of The Mother
1500 Years Ago	The Last Outsider Incursion - Driven off by Merlin and Arthur.
22 years, 52 days ago	Rush order for Schwartalf armor placed

The Coven

The Mother was a non-evoker god.

"The [C]oven were all [the M]other[']s [C]hosen" - Droid Productions

According to Chloe the Coven were among The Mother's abandoned chosen.

The Horned God had the Coven as his chosen during Arthur's time.

The Horned God had no chosen before the Coven. Members of the Coven died with Merlin and Arthur fighting the Outsiders.

There were three Original Members that all died facing the outsiders with Merlin and Arthur, 'one of each type' of Sorceress (Mom's, Chloe's, and Molly's)

Founding Members

• Ailidh
• Conwenna
• Keitha

The original Coven members become chosen of the Horned God just before going off to die with Merlin and Arthur.

Nimue was the romantic interest of Merlin, she was a later generation Sorceress and a student of the original coven, but not a founder. Nimue was later made chosen of The Horned God after she mourned the passing of Merlin and was put in charge of maintaining the MC's Glade to charge its mantle.

The First Outsider Incursion

(The information on this has differing characterizations between game characters speaking and Droid in chat.)

The first Incursion was more than twelve thousand years ago in the final days of the First City. The Horned God and the tribes pushed them back, but not without losses.

It occurred 2000 years before the ascension and after the first city was founded.

The Last Outsider Incursion

Approximately 1500 years ago. Driven off by Arthur and Merlin. This was the first incursion to ever be driven off. Arthur took the blow meant for the Fae. They have not forgotten this and remain allies to the Pendragons and Camelot to this day. Previous Incursions

• Odin recounts of an incursion the was fought in or around the city of Djanet.
• "A long time ago, in a desert hot enough to boil lead, another charismatic young God convinced me to join a divine war against the Outsiders."
• "The sand has swallowed their cities, and their pantheon is broken and gone."
• Note: In Real Life, the city of Djanet is located in Southern Algeria.

The Prophecy of the Knights

There is a sorcerous prophecy on day 38 which refers to the MC's companions and chosen.

The bonds of family will break you, and the power of love will make you.

This refers to Emily's bonds of family leading to Act IV's end and MC's ascension to godhood.

Your senses are weak. MC. Rely on them, and you will fail.

Your eyes see nothing. You must find one that can peer through the darkness for you.

Akane

You are scentblind. You must find the one that will follow the trail.

Bella.

Your arm is too weak. You must find the one that will make you strong.

Katie (note, when told, the MC speculates this is Torman)

Your hearing is flawed. You must find the one that can track your prey.

Kitsune

Your heart is too soft. You must find the one that will guard it with naked steel.

Emily

Your mind is closed to the voices. You must trust the one that will help you understand.

Molly. Possibly also Chloe.

World War 1

This was not a 'magical' war.

World War 2

In game, this was a magical war that came about because Hitler flirted a lot with the occult.

It involved the Cult & The Old Families (Axis), and Camelot, some Fae, The Clan(Allied side)

The Clan is noted to have fielded several fists

Various gods intervened to stop it from going full scale, the Norse, Fae, etc. coming together to agree to return to behind the veil before the normies woke up and realized what was going on. In game, Fia, Katie, and the ambassador all have different looks at it. Particularly Fia who fought in it. Booker never mentions it.

The War

Beginning

The War begins on the last day of Act VI with the Outsider incursion into Mexico.

Before involvement by the Winter King, Norse, Clan, and Fae, the Aztec pantheon gods are largely wiped out by the Outsiders in Mexico. Known fatalities include Tlaloc, Huitzilopochtli and Tezcatlipoca. Xochi and Zal survive the initial destruction of the pantheon.

Operation Card Trick

You learn of NATO's Operation Card Trick on day 137 when Valery Reine arrives at the court.
Four Norse gods have been sent to Arizona leading a fist each. Their initial instructions are to observe.
Thor, Vidar, Tyr and Freyr are the four gods.
Valery suspects Thor and Vidar are both likely to ignore their instructions and engage the Outsiders if opportunity presents.
This is confirmed later as Thor and Vidar's fists (backstopped by Tyr's fist) engage and kill an Outsider. The outsider kills some of the non-god members of the fists and they need to recuperate and rebuild their fists after.

The Changer Guard

Initially introduced on day 156 the Changer Guard is tasked with protecting the MC. It consists initially of

Bella Hume (leader)

Jora Kemppainen

Kathleen Kerr

Jalsa Dahiya

It is noteworthy that the core of the Changer Guard is all female. This is justified by the increased aggressiveness of changer males which would cause friction.

The Attack on Dresden

On Day 166 The Horned Lord takes down the shield over Dresden and the Army of Light attacks. The MC, along with Chu, Lugh, and Odin drop directly into the city. There they discover and defeat an 'Ammit' a sort of uber-lich created in an ancient ritual that grows in power the more it kills.

The Black Sun

The Black Sun was a nuclear based device which affected outsiders and was detonated at the end of Book 2. Destroying all Outsiders in its vicinity and trapping the remainder in their reality they currently inhabited.

Alternate Realities

Awareness

- Dragons are aware of multiple realities

- It appears that The Horned God may be cross reality aware

- Merlin was cross reality aware

- Fujiyama is not cross reality aware. "Fujiyama (while not able to see across the worlds) can reach a friendly Mizuchi or Kirin that might be able to"

• Mizuchi - Japanese Water Dragon/Diety. "The Mizuchi has had 10,000 years to get used to the Sun Court" -Droid
• Kirin - Japanese chimerical beast resembling a deer or horse with dragon scales.

Chosen

- The link of Chosen to their God is cross reality in nature. If the link is broken (through the death of a God in one reality) it will be reformed when the chosen comes into the presence of their God from another reality. When reformed, memories will be instantly shared across reality between a Chosen, and the God's original chosen, This sharing will not continue after the reforming of the bond however, making it a one-time sync-up.

Oaths

- In the world of LoM, oaths to a God can carry across realities. The oath of the Brotherhood of the Paths to Owyn pulled Zenia to Owyn and they reformed the Brotherhood's oath.

Quantity

- Droid has stated that

• I'm not going for infinite branches
• The branching points are few, and the number of realities quite limited
• The Winter King dying was an inflection point
• There's definitely more than two realities out there
• We're not going to deal with more than two

The Future

On day 237 During dinner Owyn has a future memory of Elanora playing with Bella's twins overlooking Camelot.