Foundational Data਀ The Magic World of Lunar਀ - - -਀ Ahres and friend's world Lunar, where the Blue Star shines in the heavens - when seen though our eyes, it seems like quite a strange world. So then let's examine all of the magic world of Lunar['s history] from the past to the present.਀ It is said that once Lunar was a world of death; the earth was without a single stalk of vegetation, and there was not even air. In those former days now become legend, the Goddess Althena decended upon this world and resolved to a paradise here for the people.਀ The first Dragonmaster and the Four Dragons, the recipents of the Goddess' will, traveled about the world. The dead earth absorbed the Goddess Althena's vast magic powers, changed into a green land rich with blessings, and overflowed with life.਀ The Goddess Althena blessed our world, which had become a good and beautiful land, and dwelt there.਀ The Four Dragons and the Dragonmaster swear eternal loyalty to the Goddess, and continued to protect this world and the Goddess forever afterward.਀ This was our world's beginning.਀ (From folklore surviving in Vane)਀ - - -਀ 1. The Goddess Althena, Protectress of the World਀ The Goddess Althena plays a pivotal role in this magic world, and is the source of the magic that holds the world itself together. The Goddess resides alone in the Goddess Tower, which mortals cannot easily approach, and while reincarnating again and again, she has watched over the people constantly from the beginning of the world until the present.਀ In the villages, it is customary that on the day of the Goddess Festival, girls whose songs are the pride of the town raise their beautiful voices in praise to the Goddess Althena, who is believed to possess a beautiful singing voice.਀ Yet, the Goddess Althena has not shown herself before the eyes of the people for a number of generations now, and is seems thatthere are many who regard her as some manner of mythical deity, rather than as a deity possessing a physical body.਀ It is possible that if the Goddess Althena's magic power weakens, this world will once again revert to a dead world.਀ 2. The Supreme Magical Beings, the Dragon Clan਀ The Dragon Clan, which has existed since the time of the world's creation, are the greatest of the magical creatures that guard Althena. The White Dragon, Red Dragon, Blue Dragon, and Black Dragon rule over the various spirits of wind, fire, water, and earth, and are emobdiments of those magic powers. As they are not flesh and blood creatures it is believed that they do not grow old or die.਀ Ordinarily the Dragons sleep deep in caves located in the east, west, north, and south, with the Goddess Tower in the center. Thier powers form a stong barrier which protects the Goddess Tower.਀ Those who attempt to become Dragonmaster must first pass through the caves of the Four Dragons and overcome their trials.਀ 3. The Dragonmaster਀ The most powerful magical warrior, who shoulders the burden of protecting this world and the Goddess Althena - that is the Dragonmaster. The Dragonmaster has powers that surpass even the Four Dragons who stand at the top of this magic world, and only those whose courage and passion are acknowledged by the Four Dragons can become Dragonmaster.਀ Clad in the 5 peices of equipment that are proof that he has been approved by the Dragons and capable of using the strongest of dragon magic, the Dragonmaster is the very image of a legendary hero.਀ In every age, becoming Dragonmaster is the dream of those with talent in magic, and tales of the adventures of generations of Dragonmasters are told and retold again and again, in place of childrens' lullabys.਀ 4. The Four Heroes who Saved the World਀ The newest of the adventure tales to which the children aspire is the story of the Four Heroes - Dragonmaster Dyne, Mel, Lemiria and Ghaleon. Excluding Dyne, the other three of them are alive now. Their journey began when a wicked sorcerer revived an ancient devil that had been sealed away, planing to defeat an aged [incarnation of] Goddess Althena whose magic power had weakened. Dyne acceded to [the position of] Dragonmaster during the adventure, and with the help of the other three and the inventor Myght he defeated the devil and the sorcerer ane restored peace to the world. But why had the goddess, who should have been reincarnating constantly, grown old? In the usually circulated version of the legend, nothing is said about this.਀ 5. Magic in the World of Lunar਀ In this world magic is an utterly everyday thing, and the majority of humans are able to use magic, albeit with varying levels of capability. It manifests in many different ways depending on the person, from useless ones like magic that stops sneezing, ones that incorperate magical power into songs, up as far as attack magic thatu nleashes tremendous destructive force in battle. The source of the magic is - like the air, water and all else - the magic power bestowed by the Goddess Althena, which fills the earth and the atmosphere.਀ Incedently, there are also people who are completely unable to use magic from birth, though they are very few. There seem to be a few among them conduct research, trying to substitue magic with the power of machines. The people do not trust these mechanical alternatives very much.਀ 6. The Legend of the Magic Empire਀ There is a legend of a Magic Empire that once reigned over this world. In an age when the world was filled with far more magic power than it is today, the Empire tried to overrun the world with the power of it's strong magic. The ruler of the country called himself the Magic Emperor, and opposed even the Goddess Althena. His actions saddened Althena, and it is said that the world was purified by the tears of the Goddess, which fell for 7 days and 7 nights. From that time until the present, Vane has floated in the sky, and it is said that the Guild which oversees [the use of] magic was created so that something similar might never occur again.਀ Some claim that the frontier zone which sprawls in the interior of the continent was the location of the Magic Empire, but the truth or error [of the claim] is not certain. At least, oral traditions remains telling of a vast land somewhere where the Blue Star does not shine in the heavens - that this is the location of the Magic Empire of old.਀ 7. The Magic City of Vane਀ The Magic City of Vane is the headquarters of the Magic Guild, which regulates the world's magicians and the use of magic. It is a vast city that floats in the air, revolving around the Goddess Tower where Althena resides on a fixed interval. This floating began in an incedent 1000 years ago, and seems to have a connection to the legendary Magic Empire, but the exact nature of it is a mystery.਀ For a span of 1000 years Vane has continually been the heartland of magic, and a majority of the wizards and Dragonmasters spoken of in legend studied in Vane.਀ The current Guildmistress, Lemilia Ausa, was once one of the Four Heroes. Ghaleon, one of her fellow Heroes serves as Premier and advises her.਀ As many as two of the Four Heroes are central figures in Vane, and it seems the people are speculating that now may be Vane's era of greatest prosperity.਀ 8. Racial Organization of the World of Lunar਀ The races that live in this world are largely divided into humans and beastfolk. Humans live primarily in cities, villages, and other settlements, and make lives for themselves with magic as a tool of thier livlihoods. The beastfolk live in the forests and wild places, and they did not often associate with humans, but in recent years exchange [between them] has been gradually increasing. The two groups are capable of marrying and producing children, and it is said that originally they were all one race, but the truth of it is unknown. Additionally other races exist, such as small fairy-like creatures and people whose language has become song. Though their appearances differ, all demonstrate gratitude and loving devotion to the Goddess Althena, and strive to get along as people living in the same earth. All, except the Vile Tribe...਀ 9. The Vile Tribe that was Banished to the Frontier਀ The Vile Tribe is a race of beings that have horns and wings on their black bodies. 500 years ago, the Goddess Althena banished them to the distant land called the Frontier for bringing suffering to the people.਀ It is said that it was not because they had loathsome forms, but because they had evil hearts even more hideous than their appearances [that they were banished]. However, the banished Vile Tribe hates the Goddess Althena intensely, and they wish to take back the lands from which they were cast out someday as its rulers.਀ According to one explanation, they are the decendants of the lost, ancient Magic Empire, while others have said that they are creatures that were created by the Magic Empire, but nothing is known of the truth.