On Kethadros, the world of bright summers and endless forests, there dwell the spirits that elude us here on our planet. These are the spirits that control magic, who live in the basic elements themselves: Earth, Air, Water, Fire, Light, and Dark. Many of the inhabitants of Kethadros feel these spirits, but only the strongest can control them, direct their energy, and release their power.

Among the people who wield the strength of the spirits are the essedarians. These are the elite fighters of the world, trained in prestigious academies and employed by the richest of the rich for carrying out whatever treacherous violence the highest-paying client desires. Most live as renegades, roaming the countryside until they stumble upon someone who needs their services. They live by the creed “Companions over patrons, diligence over sloth, life over death.”

The magic they perform is complex beyond our wildest dreams. Subtle control in the mind yields spells as simple as producing flame, or as intricate as illusions. The basis for all spells, however, lies in the common practice of energy channeling.

Most commoners don’t bother with channeling; they believe only the essedarians are capable of this “magic”, although it really isn’t magic at all. The energy in the body can be easily transferred and concentrated with the will of the mind. This flow feels like the streaming of blood, and matches the bodily rhythms. Energy naturally gathers in different areas, convening at injuries or pulsating through muscles as they are used.

In magical spells, the caster concentrates energy at a desired place, then calls the spirits through cycle connections, formed by the fingers on each hand. The right hand casts Light spells; the left hand casts Dark spells. The two sides are similar, but it is difficult to use both naturally, just like someone born right-handed finds it difficult to learn to write with the left. On each hand, the thumb closes the cycle connection with one of the other fingers, calling upon the spirits of Earth (index finger), Air (middle), Water (ring), and Fire (pinky). By calling them in a certain order, the caster melds the combined energies to form a spell. To complete a spell, casters often squeeze their hands into a fist for aid their minds in the melding process.

The essedarians refer to the various spells that change existing items as part of channeling, and most spells fall under a category, based on the element emphasized in the spell. Earth corresponds to growth, Air to illusions, Water to healing, and Fire to destruction. For example, a spell to increase the healing rate of a cut would contain mostly water cycle connections. Other spells like Omniscience, which allows the caster to see through things, have no particular emphasis and equally use all four base elements. In addition, Light and Dark are often seen as “good” and “evil”, although few essedarians believe that a person is possessed with only one or the other. Similar to our planet’s Chinese belief of Yin and Yang, the essedarians believe that a certain amount of Light and Dark is balanced in every person.

Now, you shouldn’t think of the essedarians of a separate race, for they are the same as any other being on Kethadros. Their abilities can be taught, although it is generally easier for those with parents who are essedarians. Many children without any magical traces in their ancestry find themselves very capable of channeling and magic.

Also in Kethadros, there are various ruling families that preside over their own kingdom. Wars are common between the kingdoms, and many essedarians are hired for the brutal fights that occur. Perhaps because of the high esteem that essedarians are held in the royal courts, many are married into the royal family itself. Two cycles (or twenty four years) after the inter-kingdom wars began, most of the royal children were born with the natural ability of channeling and magic. As a result, many of the royal children today are sent to academies for training. Often they become the most celebrated heroes of their kingdoms after leading their people to victory.

However, the essedarians have always been poorly organized and easily become traitors if bribed by opposing sides in a war. One boy saw this problem, and this is how the story begins…