TITLES AND ABILITIES

The merits you can earn, and how magic works.

The ranking systems

Mercury Isle has two ranking systems to allow horses to show their merit. These ranking systems work together, so a horse aspiring for ultimate greatness can participate in both systems and collect all the best ranks and titles of both. Of course, this would be extremely hard, but certainly not impossible, so if you feel up to it, be my guest.

The systems are seperated roughly by discipline. One is a series of titles, ranks, and the authority that comes with those ranks. This is the War system. The other is the Peace system, and it is a system of quests and the gaining of magical abilities.

Don't let the names fool you, though. Any war horse that wants to gain the abilities of the magic system is welcome to quest for them. And any peace horse that wishes to get the titles of war is welcome to try - although it must be admitted that these systems favor War horses a bit, since the peace horses probably won't want to fight for stars and military ranks.

Okay, without further ado, the explanations of the systems:

Training (War)

The war system hinges on titles won through training battles. These battles are fought in the Ashlands, and judged by any five star horse. If someone wishes to contest a judge's decision, they may request a re-judge, and some other five-star horse can judge.

There are also ranks in this system. The first four ranks (Private, Lieutenant, Captain, and General) must be worked through by training. When a fight is judged, a judge may decide to give the winner a boost in rank along with their star (in cases where both fighters did exceptionally well, judges can also decide to give both winner and loser stars and/or boosts in rank). A win will always get you a star, but may not get you a boost in rank. Keep in mind that forfeits get you neither. Sorry.

In addition to the regular ranks of the military, there is one select group of horses, called the Green Berets. These are the best of the five-star horses, the army equivalent of a Master mage. You cannot challenge to become a Green Beret, the decision of who becomes one of their group is left solely to the Captain of the Green Berets. They can decide to make only a few five-star horses Green Berets in a month, or they can decide to induct all of the horses as they gain their fifth star. Within the group, any Green Beret can challenge to be Captain.

Here is a list of the ranks and their requirements: (listed in order from lowest rank to highest)
RANK: REQUIREMENTS:
Private No requirement

Lieutenant At least 1 star and a previous ranking of Private.
Captain At least 2 stars and a previous ranking of Lieutenant.

General At least 3 stars and a previous ranking of Captain

Inspector General At least 4 stars; this rank can be challenged for.
Green Berets Five stars; chosen by the Captain of the Green Berets
Captain of the Green Berets This rank can be challenged for; challenger must already be a member of the Green Berets.

Magery (Peace)

Magic has been the basis of the island for as long as it has existed. The mythical creatures (like the unicorns) are inherently magical in nature, and are able to live on the island because it has so much magic. Though the magic itself has not changed over time, the ways of tapping into definitely have. At first none of the horses used magic. Then Celtic Storm became the first horse to be trained in magery. During the reign of the Four Realms (Phoenecia, Babylonia, Sentilion and Excelius) the magic was distributed by realm specific abilities. Now the gods have perfected that system.

To start with - anyone can become a mage. It does not matter on birth or rank or age or breed - or even race. All that really matters is perseverence, and a little bit of talent.

Magery Classifications

There are three classifications of mages, and four sub-classifications to the middle of the three.

Witches and Wizards

The first classification is Witch or Wizard. A horse gains this title, plus their first ability, after completing one quest. With each quest the horse will gain one more witch or wizard ability, and by the time they can become an Elemental mage, they will have gained three abilities. Now, there are more than three of these witch/wizard abilities, so you won't get all of them unless you choose to go back and do more quests to pick up the rest. You can do this anytime, at the beginning of your journey toward Mastership, or after you've gained that title. The Gods have also been known to award random powers to horses who deserve it, so you might get some that way.

When you get a new ability, you will also be assigned a power level, either weak, medium, or strong. Your power level WILL affect how much they can use their magery in battles or in everyday life, and it will stay with them forever, or at least until you've gotten Mastership. Once you are a Master mage, you can seek to boost the power levels of your earlier abilities by questing more.

The witch/wizard abilities are:

Foresight At weak power level, your horse can see about a minute into the future. At medium, about thirty minutes. At strong, they might be able to see a few days into the future. Masters with Foresight can trance to attempt to see further into the future. Keep in mind that such trancing almost never gives definitive answers...the future branches a lot. One decision can open up many new possibilities.

Empathy At a weak power level, your horse can tell when other horses are feeling strong, obvious emotions (such as hate, anger, joy, fear..etc). At medium level, you can also know when other horses are feeling subtler emotions (mild annoyance, love, apprehension, etc.). At strong, your horse will be able to know exactly what another horse's emotions are, will actually feel the subtler ones to a certain extent, and may become overwhelmed by the stronger ones (this may be a curse as well as a gift). Masters with Empathy can learn to sheild themselves against the effect of their gift, and choose when to pay attention to others' emotions. Masters who have strong Empathy can also project emotions on to other horses.

Thoughtsensing This is a tricky gift. If I see it being misused, I will do something about it! So keep in mind: you can only "randomly" hear the thoughts of horses who also have Thoughtsense, and only if they have stated that they are unsheilded! Otherwise you will only be able to hear the projected thoughts of other thoughtsensers.
At weak power level, you'll hear inaudible whispers from the minds of other horses with Thoughtsense. A couple of intelligible words might get through if they're coming from a medium who is shouting very loudly with their mind, or if they're coming from a strong. The projected thoughts of a weak Thoughtsenser will sound like a very quiet whisper to a medium, and a very quiet talking voice to a strong. Their range is only a few feet, so they must be standing next to the horse they are trying to Thoughtsense with. In medium power form horses can hear everything clearly for about the distance of a couple of wide meadows. Further than that distance, the projections get harder to sense, until they you can't hear them at all. Strongs can hear the normal projection voices of other strongs from about half the island away. They can hear the shouts of mediums at about this distance, too. They have to be couple of meadows-length's away from a weak to understand their projections.
All horses with thoughtsense can sheild themselves. The shields are unbreakable, unless it is a Master of higher power level trying to break them. This, however, is an unforgivable crime in the eyes of all magic-users, and any horse breaking other horses' sheilds may find themselves under trial and stripped of their gifts by the gods. (Note: you may only break someone's shields if they give you OOC permission!).

Telekinesis At weak power, you will be able to cause small objects (small stones, things of that size, birds, if you have a mean horsie XD) to move with your mind. You will only be able to do this for a short time before you get tired and have to rest a while. At medium power, your horse will be able to move larger things (medium-sized rocks, maybe an animal the size of a fox). You will be able to support these things for a little while before you get tired. Horses with strong telekinesis will be able to lift boulders and larger animals like deer and the like. A strong telekinetic will not be able to lift other horses until they have reached Master rank.

Keensight The ability to see things that are far away. At weak power, you will simply be able to see very well - able to see detail from across a meadow when you wish, able to see things far away that normal horses can't. At this level (and medium) it works much like a zoom lens when you focus your attention on something. At medium power, a horse will have the same ability as a horse with weak Keensight, but will also be able to see "past" things like rocks and trees and bushes (in a way, this is more like seeing through the things, except its more a sensation of standing close to what's happening beyond the thing than making it transparent). At strong power level, a horse can see a very long way, and can guide their mind over wider areas to see what is happening there. Where a medium migh see past a thicket of bushes, a strong could see past half a forest. A master mage with strong Keensight could see past the whole forest, or a mountain..etc.

Elemental Mages

Next come the Elemental Mages. These are a big step above the Witches and Wizards. These horses also gain Elemental Abilities with each element they learn. It takes four quests to reach the first stage of Elemental Mage-ship. Then it takes one quest each to earn the other three elements. These quests will be mid-range in toughness. And yes, you get to choose the order in which you learn the elements. You will not get to choose what ability you get for your quest, though.

The Elemental Abilities are:

Fire/Lightning
Lightning Feet: Enhanced speed and agility.
Fire Manipulation: The ability to call up, suppress, and otherwise control fire.

Air

Reflection: You can reflect someone else's ability back onto them.
Teleportation: You can teleport objects, animals, yourself, and other horses.

Earth

Shove: You can push things with a wall of force. You can also erect barriers in front of other horses to slow them down - for them it will be like swimming through molasses.
Earth Maniuplation: You can make the earth shake and move, you can make it rocky and difficult to stand on, and you can open small fissures and create ditches and landslides. You won't be affected by your mischeif, as the earth will remain steady and smooth for you.

Water

Shapeshifting: You can shift into any shape you please, and stay in that form as long as you please.
Weather Manipulation: You can control the weather, making it rain, making it storm, making the clouds go away. You cannot call lightning down from the heavens, but you can create a thunderstorm. Be careful, though, for even though water will never hurt you, Lightning is not under your dominion and it will strike without discrimination.

Master Mages

The last rank of mages are the Master Mages. They are the best of the best. Once a month Laurelyndel will post a special master's quest for all of the horses that have finished learning all of the elements. How well the horses do the quest will influence whether or not Laurelyndel chooses them to join the ranks of the Masters. There is no limit to the number of horses that become Master Mages each month.

Once a horse becomes a Master Mage, they will live in the herd that Laurelyndel lives in - a community of the elite. They are welcome to visit the other realms (provided the leaders of those realms have no quarrel with them). If they wish, they can boost their power levels by continuing to fight or complete quests. This will affect how much they can do with their Elemental powers (and their original Witch or Wizard powers too). However, the battles and quests at this level will be designed to be very difficult, so powering up won't be easy.

There are a few perks that come with mastership. Firstly, as long as its passive (not attacking/happening to someone else) or not a self-enhancing ability (no invisibility, no flight for those who don't have wings), you're allowed to do whatever magic you want. For instance, one rainy night Laurelyndel came upon a mare and her two foals. Laurelyndel created a sort of shelter for them, and made a spell that warmed everyone up. Or you could create illusions of things, that sort of stuff. I trust you to have good judgement. After all, if you've made it to Master, you're no fool. ^_^

Here's a quick guide to the mage rankings, from lowest to highest rank.
RANK: REQUIREMENTS: POWERS:
Witch/Wizard 1 successful quest Foresight, Empathy, Thoughtsensing, Telekinesis, Keensight

Elemental Mage 4 sucessful quests
(1 successful quest for each other element) Fire - Lightning Feet, Fire Manipulation
Water - Shapeshifting, Weather Manipulation
Earth - Shove, Earth Manipulation
Air - Reflection, Teleportation
Master Mage Chosen by Laurelyndel All of the above, plus some other magics.

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RANK:	REQUIREMENTS:
Private	No requirement
Lieutenant	At least 1 star and a previous ranking of Private.
Captain	At least 2 stars and a previous ranking of Lieutenant.
General	At least 3 stars and a previous ranking of Captain
Inspector General	At least 4 stars; this rank can be challenged for.
Green Berets	Five stars; chosen by the Captain of the Green Berets
Captain of the Green Berets	This rank can be challenged for; challenger must already be a member of the Green Berets.

Foresight	At weak power level, your horse can see about a minute into the future. At medium, about thirty minutes. At strong, they might be able to see a few days into the future. Masters with Foresight can trance to attempt to see further into the future. Keep in mind that such trancing almost never gives definitive answers...the future branches a lot. One decision can open up many new possibilities.
Empathy	At a weak power level, your horse can tell when other horses are feeling strong, obvious emotions (such as hate, anger, joy, fear..etc). At medium level, you can also know when other horses are feeling subtler emotions (mild annoyance, love, apprehension, etc.). At strong, your horse will be able to know exactly what another horse's emotions are, will actually feel the subtler ones to a certain extent, and may become overwhelmed by the stronger ones (this may be a curse as well as a gift). Masters with Empathy can learn to sheild themselves against the effect of their gift, and choose when to pay attention to others' emotions. Masters who have strong Empathy can also project emotions on to other horses.
Thoughtsensing	This is a tricky gift. If I see it being misused, I will do something about it! So keep in mind: you can only "randomly" hear the thoughts of horses who also have Thoughtsense, and only if they have stated that they are unsheilded! Otherwise you will only be able to hear the projected thoughts of other thoughtsensers. At weak power level, you'll hear inaudible whispers from the minds of other horses with Thoughtsense. A couple of intelligible words might get through if they're coming from a medium who is shouting very loudly with their mind, or if they're coming from a strong. The projected thoughts of a weak Thoughtsenser will sound like a very quiet whisper to a medium, and a very quiet talking voice to a strong. Their range is only a few feet, so they must be standing next to the horse they are trying to Thoughtsense with. In medium power form horses can hear everything clearly for about the distance of a couple of wide meadows. Further than that distance, the projections get harder to sense, until they you can't hear them at all. Strongs can hear the normal projection voices of other strongs from about half the island away. They can hear the shouts of mediums at about this distance, too. They have to be couple of meadows-length's away from a weak to understand their projections. All horses with thoughtsense can sheild themselves. The shields are unbreakable, unless it is a Master of higher power level trying to break them. This, however, is an unforgivable crime in the eyes of all magic-users, and any horse breaking other horses' sheilds may find themselves under trial and stripped of their gifts by the gods. (Note: you may only break someone's shields if they give you OOC permission!).
Telekinesis	At weak power, you will be able to cause small objects (small stones, things of that size, birds, if you have a mean horsie XD) to move with your mind. You will only be able to do this for a short time before you get tired and have to rest a while. At medium power, your horse will be able to move larger things (medium-sized rocks, maybe an animal the size of a fox). You will be able to support these things for a little while before you get tired. Horses with strong telekinesis will be able to lift boulders and larger animals like deer and the like. A strong telekinetic will not be able to lift other horses until they have reached Master rank.
Keensight	The ability to see things that are far away. At weak power, you will simply be able to see very well - able to see detail from across a meadow when you wish, able to see things far away that normal horses can't. At this level (and medium) it works much like a zoom lens when you focus your attention on something. At medium power, a horse will have the same ability as a horse with weak Keensight, but will also be able to see "past" things like rocks and trees and bushes (in a way, this is more like seeing through the things, except its more a sensation of standing close to what's happening beyond the thing than making it transparent). At strong power level, a horse can see a very long way, and can guide their mind over wider areas to see what is happening there. Where a medium migh see past a thicket of bushes, a strong could see past half a forest. A master mage with strong Keensight could see past the whole forest, or a mountain..etc.

Fire/Lightning	Lightning Feet: Enhanced speed and agility. Fire Manipulation: The ability to call up, suppress, and otherwise control fire.
Air	Reflection: You can reflect someone else's ability back onto them. Teleportation: You can teleport objects, animals, yourself, and other horses.
Earth	Shove: You can push things with a wall of force. You can also erect barriers in front of other horses to slow them down - for them it will be like swimming through molasses. Earth Maniuplation: You can make the earth shake and move, you can make it rocky and difficult to stand on, and you can open small fissures and create ditches and landslides. You won't be affected by your mischeif, as the earth will remain steady and smooth for you.
Water	Shapeshifting: You can shift into any shape you please, and stay in that form as long as you please. Weather Manipulation: You can control the weather, making it rain, making it storm, making the clouds go away. You cannot call lightning down from the heavens, but you can create a thunderstorm. Be careful, though, for even though water will never hurt you, Lightning is not under your dominion and it will strike without discrimination.

RANK:	REQUIREMENTS:	POWERS:
Witch/Wizard	1 successful quest	Foresight, Empathy, Thoughtsensing, Telekinesis, Keensight
Elemental Mage	4 sucessful quests (1 successful quest for each other element)	Fire - Lightning Feet, Fire Manipulation Water - Shapeshifting, Weather Manipulation Earth - Shove, Earth Manipulation Air - Reflection, Teleportation
Master Mage	Chosen by Laurelyndel	All of the above, plus some other magics.