Other Custom Headcanon - Applications

[Isfet Lethe]

The relevant changes to arcanium have been made!

[Dregran Entropy]

Custom Symbol threads have been set up. Well done to everyone involved!

[Sovereign Ceadus]

New Review for the updated Arcanium

Key:
Sovereign’s comments/suggestions
[text] A question or comment
{text} My wording suggestion
“text” The source of focus for a suggestion/question

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Arcanium

Authors: Isfet Lethe, Skullpony Pleasant

Name: Arcanium
Pronunciation: ar-CANE-ee-oom
Location: Arcanium is not common, having only discovered in four places so far; Iron Knob - Australia, Pittsburgh - America (much of which lies in land owned by Samuel Armour), the Wuhan Province - China, and throughout the continent of Africa. ”Small deposits - too small to mine pop up all over the continent of Africa, though not in large enough quantities to be worth mining. Some large deposits in Africa have been discovered in Central Africa and Northern Africa, particularly within the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Southern Egypt.” [You wrote “too small to mine [...] not in large enough quantities to mine. You also say “deposits in Africa, in Central Africa, and Northern Africa”. There’s too much repetition. It would read better as ”Small deposits - too small to mine - pop up all over the continent of Africa, with some larger deposits being found in Central and Northern Africa“]
Atomic Number: 119
Stable Isotope: Arcanium-264 (non-fissile)
Other Isotopes: Arcanium-265 (fissile)
Primary Property: Arcanium absorbs magical energy when below 47°C. {Full stop} When its temperature exceeds 69°C, it radiates the magical energy. The colder it gets, the faster it absorbs magic. The hotter it is, the faster it radiates the magic it contains until there is no magic left to radiate out of it. Between these temperatures it merely keeps whatever magical energy it has already absorbed. The reason for the changes in properties is because of the vibration of the atoms. As arcanium rises in temperature, it becomes harder for the element to absorb and then store the magical energy to the point that it eventually can’t absorb any more and then, cannot retain it. In its natural state, Arcanium only has a “decent” [As I asked before, what constitutes a ”decent” level of magical energy? You say a few lines later that 1lb can store up to 1’046’000MJ, so how much is a decent level? (also I don’t like the word decent)] level of magical energy - which is what's required to form a core and grow a Corundumakili when near a compatible gemstone. Arcanium can however store a much larger amount of energy - 1lb of arcanium can store up to 1'046'000MJ of magical energy -  giving it other applications such as forging to make weapons for necromancers or biomancers and it has an isotope that can fuel a specialised reactor. It must be exposed to magic before it can begin fission. Thus, prior to being forged, arcanium must be heated slowly to siphon off the magical energy. The more energy it contains, the more slowly it must be heated. It only usually contains anywhere near this level of magical energy however when left in an area saturated by magical energy or if a powerful mage or mages have poured their magic into it.
Secondary Properties: Enriched arcanium releases a large amount of energy when split, and if a reactor that utilised arcanium exploded, it would produce between 1 and 2.65 kilotons of force, depending on how much magical energy was absorbed by the element prior to the explosion. The more magical energy is present, the more destructive the resulting explosion would be. There has been speculation by those in the science-magical community as to the potential to weaponise this element into a pure explosive device, however nobody has successfully managed this, due to numerous logistical, theoretical, legal and political reasons. One of these reasons is the fact that it has been a minor ingredient in the Desolation Engine, which is not as destructive as an arcanium bomb would be. When releasing this magical energy via radiation, arcanium can have the effect of prolonging the lifespan of mortals by 5-10 years or supercharging a sorcerer by increasing their magic by up to tenfold for a period of up to 10 days at the cost of their mental health. For either of these to happen, a person must spend 1-12 days with the arcanium depending on how charged it is. The more magic it contains, the less time is needed. Conversely, when cold enough, arcanium can absorb the magical energy from anyone nearby, with the effects being more drastic the colder the arcanium is and the longer the being is exposed to it. Any magical energy it absorbs from a person is returned to that person when the arcanium is heated to the point where it radiates the energy or when the arcanium is broken down into pieces smaller than 5mm^3, though they must be present when this happens. Otherwise, they'd need an experienced magiphage to absorb the magic and return it to them. If kept intact within the correct temperature range however, refined arcanium can keep the magical energy forever. Raw arcanium, however can only keep the magic for 27 months. A mage that has been exposed to arcanium for too long will find their magic is reduced/gone until they have taken steps to change this.
When exposed to certain gemstones (for a list, see the Corundumakili), arcanium will cause these gemstones to grow into a humanoid, and encase the arcanium, forming a sentient Corundumakili. While encased like this, it is much less reactive and will animate the Corundumakili until it dies.  IT takes from 6 weeks to 8 months for a Corundumakili to form, depending on how much magic is in the arcanium and the temperature. Higher temperatures will speed up the process.
Basic Properties: Arcanium is solid at room temperature, It has a melting point of 1,286°C and a boiling point of 5,121°C. Arcanium is harder than steel, with a Brinell hardness score of 1100 HB (HBW 10/3000). Its density is 2679kg/m^3
Appearance: Arcanium is opaque and resembles polished brass in appearance. However when picked up and felt, it has the texture of iron.
Other notes: The mining or deliberate removal of arcanium from the ground or any purpose is a contoversial issue. This is because it is this element that causes certain gemstones to grow into Corundumakili. To remove this substance is therefore sacrilegious to all Corundumakili.
As previously mentioned, arcanium has also been a favoured material by mages such as biomancers and necromancers, who store their magic in an item forged out of arcanium because of its ability to absorb magical energy. Young necromancers only get items lined with Arcanium, but upon experiencing their Surge, they are forge a new item ”forged completely of arcanium” {created using larger amounts of arcanium}.

[Other Comments and Suggestions]
Sovereign
   - You're almost there - just a few more changes to make!

[Isfet Lethe]

I have addressed all those issues now

[Sovereign Ceadus]

Wonderful. I'm now happy to give it my approval. I'll move it over to where it needs to go after it gets another approval.

1/2

[Mad Murdock]

I was asked to read over Arcanium and I suggested a few formatting tips via Skype. Otherwise I believe Arcanium is set to go!
It's very detailed, some might say overly, but too much detail is never an issue here!
Lethe, Limitless, you've done really well

2/2 approved.

[Sovereign Ceadus]

Moved Arcanium to the Approved Headcanon

[Isfet Lethe]

Woo thanks guys! you rule!

[Nathan Archer]

I thought you guys might enjoy the content I've been working on. This is about 1/2 of what I have so far, but it's the most concrete stuff. It's written from the perspective of Ophelia Overmorrow, director of the AECs and prominent Psionicism expert. This would be the first chapter in a book about psionic magic, detailing the recent historical events salient to them. Other chapters would include history of the magic itself (i.e. how it has changed and evolved) and detailed information about psionic disciplines.

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The War on Psionicism

Westminster Trials
Stanley Milgram, a mortal psychologist, conducted experiments following the Second World War that concluded that a regular man can be made to kill if you apply the right pressure in the right setting. The sane man would arduously rebuke this claim, he does not wish to believe he would kill an innocent. But in both mortal and magical wars, casualties are made by those who simply followed orders.

However, this was a conclusion reached by the Court of Elders several years before Milgram conducted his experiment at Yale University. In 1948, after the dust was settling from World War II, twenty-five Elders from thirteen countries sat at the Westminster Trials for three years, investigating the most horrific events of the War. Many were exalted, many were prosecuted, and many were absolved. Psionics, in particular, tended to fall into the latter category.

There were numerous tales of psionic mages being treated especially harshly, as commanders knew how dangerous they could be. Not only could a mindwalker be employed to infiltrate the enemy, they would be used to torture and condition prisoners. There were reports of enemy agents walking into their camps and detonating bombs, because a mindwalker had told them so. These acts, many believed, should condemn psionic magic. The conclusions of the Trials, however, did not agree.

Not unlike some German officers in the Nuremberg Trials, mindwalkers were ardent to state that they did what they did under orders, to save magefolk from more suffering in the long term. The Court recognised this, and many psionic mages from both sides of the War were absolved of their crimes, or faced minimal punishment. For five years, some semblance of peace was achieved.

Modern Witch Hunts

The First Wave
The first two killings took place two-hundred miles apart, and the victims appeared to have no connection to one another. They were overlooked, dealt with by mortal police and eventually ruled cold cases. Three months later, another body. Two more months, another. And again. And again.

It took nine dead bodies, however, until someone finally noticed a connection. Lance Gilt, British Prime Detective from 1949 to 1965, had been filing paperwork when he noticed one common trait in every death - psionicism. Each victim had been a psionic mage, and, upon further investigation, were psionics who had in some way been involved with the War. Their records had been initially redacted, due to their willingness to co-operate with Sanctuaries during the Trials, making them harder to identify previously.

Though the Councils were initially unwilling to admit that any action against psionics would still be occurring following the rulings of the Westminster Trials, a small task force of detectives was set up including notable mages from around Europe and America, determined to seek out the perpetrator. However, once word about this force spread, the killings appeared to stop.

The Second Wave
Fourteen months after the last victim had been found, three psionic mages were reported missing from a mage community in Northern Scotland. This time, the Sanctuary wasted no time in pursuing the killer and re-opened the 1956 cases. Any British psionic mage who had been involved in the War and subsequently absolved was taken in by the Sanctuary and thoroughly questioned. There were no leads.

Aldren's Lot
Months later, after the thirtieth confirmed victim, a man named Kristof Aldren came forward to express his involvement. Aldren was a War veteran and Sanctuary operative thought to have been killed by Nefarian Serpine in the second sack of the British Necromancy Temple. He detailed every murder, claiming he orchestrated a group of mages calling themselves Aldren's Lot, out to eliminate what they termed `the psionic threat.' Sanctuary interviews of the individuals involved concluded that these were all men and women affected in some way by psionic magic during the War, many of whom had testified against psionics during the Westminster Trials.

The Sanctuaries, still recovering from the War, decided not to convict Aldren, and said of his crimes:

`They are evil and inconceivable, but Aldren is not. He is a man scorned by psionic magic, as many of us were. He took out his anger through improper means, and for that he will suffer punishment in the magnitude of his crimes. We shall be working to dismantle any remnants of Aldren's Lot, but the Councils do not think they will be a threat any longer.'

Aldren faced no jail time, and it is suspected that several former Sanctuary agents were involved in Aldren’s initial campaign. But of course, the Council were wrong, and with his new-found fame, Aldren's Lot cultivated a massive following. The killings escalated and as many as ten psionics were being found dead weekly. And yet, it was not until the secrecy of magic was threatened that the Sanctuary made the Witch Hunts a priority.

The Last Trial
In 1960, a sleeper agent gave word on Aldren’s whereabouts. A task force was assembled and stormed the base of operations, taking in Aldren and several other high-ranking Hunters. It took nine months before the trial was finalised and Aldren was imprisoned. However, it was a further seven years until the Sanctuary reported that the Hunts were `well and truly over.' The Hunts had killed the clear majority of the psionic population around the western world, and many non-psionics had been caught in the cross fire. But, it had ended.

Psionic Accords

The Panmagic Council
Following Aldren’s trial it was revealed that many mages, though did not support his cause, agreed with the underlying principle that psionics were threats to everyday life. The events of both the War and the Hunts had shaken magical society to its core and the world knew it would only take another radical like Aldren before another Hunt took place. Thus, the International Bureau for Magic Regulation (IBMR) drafted the very first Psionic Accords.

These laws prevent the use of certain psionic techniques and prohibits psionicism as a tool for harm. The Panmagic Council, a group of respected psionics, mathemagics, biosorcerors, elementals and other magical beings, was formed to settle on fair and just laws regarding the reasonable use of psionic mage.

The Psionic Accords have been active for fifty years now with no more than ten killings attributed to Hunt motives, and so are largely considered successful. Alterations are yet made, of course. As new techniques are discovered, the council gathers and discusses whether to intervene.

Student Riots
Many mages, including myself, have protested the nature of the Accords, claiming that to police one school of magic and not others is akin to racial discrimination, or that we should not be policing magic at all. The council never acknowledged these claims, however, further angering the community.

In 2003 we faced the student riots in Arcane Education Centres globally. This turned the council’s attention to our schools and the riots were bought to a swift end, though no change was made to the Accords themselves. Rather, the council opened the ability to practice prohibited techniques in certain, sanctioned environments for research purposes.

These allowances placated some, though groups around the world still protest the policing of psionicism. As it stands, it seems the Panmagic Council have no intention of releasing its grip on our community, and we are to be neutered for the foreseeable future.

[Charlotte]

^^ why did no one review this!! this is amazing!!

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The Fae Changelings

Imagine being torn from your normal family and being forced to spend your life living with aliens, never really knowing how to act correctly or what is normal and expected of you. This is the lot of the Changelings.
 Children of Fae whom have somehow ended up in mortal society, Changelings have never learned truly the ways of their people and in adverse to the “Feral Children” of mortal society, have absolutely no clue where they belong in this world and what they are. Their time with mortals has lessened their Fae abilities so much that they usually pass for human at a glance.  They often get adopted by mortal or mage families unknowing of their true descent, and potentially becoming a true problem for their new family.
Their latent magic is a danger to them and the people around them, for there is only a matter of time until their urges become almost unbearable to deal with, and their magic starts showing in different ways, dependant on the tree they are most specialised in. There have been tales of these children causing large damage to rural areas in fits of anger or fear or just any random teen outburst, causing the mage society to look down on them as children that need help as soon as possible, or rehabilitation. The Fae society often sees this aspect of the Changeling and considers them as tools to be used against their enemies (if they are patient enough with this method -- for which, you’d have to be a particularly callous person).

The Visions of Kismet

 All Changelings know, deep down, that they are not truly mortal - or human - and end up spending their lives attempting to get to the truth of their identity. This oftentimes takes them on weird and alternate paths in their time on the Earth. Whether they become artists, soldiers, or even successful businessmen, Changelings will always have one thing in common: they are plagued by dreams and visions of their true identity.
 Due to the magic that lays latent within them, they know of the Fae; though whether they are convinced that this is some form of psychosis or are self-aware is entirely up to them. Being stuck in a mortal society often means that they end up getting some form of treatment that they do not truly need for these thoughts.
 These visions tell them of their Fair descent, and the irresistible call to follow this path and find their true society often gets many Changelings hunting down their people -- and normally results in their death.

The Reactions to Changelings

Many mages try not to acknowledge the existence of these creatures; as they are so easily able to integrate into a society that is not their own and pass as just a quirky or odd child that many mages start to worry if the people they know could be this terrifying being -- and if so, how much time do they have left?
 The Fae, however, actively hunt these people for sport, many finding it a mercy to put these Changelings “out of their misery”. They are viewed as “half-breeds”, Fae that have been broken and unable to reintegrate into their society. To have a Changeling in your bloodline is considered the greatest dishonour among many courts. The idea of these creatures terrify the Fae so much, as they don’t like to think of the idea of their magic being so useless and unstable. They view the Changelings as if they were terminally ill: with pity and disdain.

Links to Contemporary and Ancient Mythology

It is worth noting that Changelings have always been considered a thing both in ancient society and - to a degree - modern society. Almost all societies have their own take on the Fae, or the “Fair Folk”, likening their horrific nature to something as simple as “mischevious” at times, or even separating their complex court structure into two types -- the Seelie and the Unseelie. It is said in many different mythologies that Changelings were sick faerie children that had been swapped with a mortal child. In past, this was a practice that many Fae would indeed partake in with a child they did not wish for; to merely take a human child to kill and leave the mortals with the Changeling they believed were weak. These changelings were said to be demonic in nature, and always had different tell-tale signs of their original heritage -- though this was also used as an excuse for ignorance over unexplained diseases or afflictions that a mortal child may have suffered with.
 These signs were often as simple as “they are prone to evil”, and many Changelings were considered unruly children that grew into horrific people, committing crimes against society at the time.

Nowadays, with very little belief in the idea that these Changelings exist, they are often simply slapped with different labels and disorders to explain away their heritage, and only mages and Fae can truly tell a Changeling apart from its mortal companions.
No matter what, all Changelings will hold some form of physical (and mental) attributes that reveal their true nature; this may be sharper teeth, claw-like nails, odd eyes, or even physical markings on their body.


Notes: While it is not impossible for a Changeling to live a happy life, it is highly unlikely that they will live a happy and normal life. A lot of Changelings end up in a mortal prison or a Sanctuary Gaol before long.
Considering their threat to more or less any society they come across, many Changelings are doomed to be outcasts for the remainder of their usually short lives.

[Mad Murdock]

I'm happy with both of these-  Both are sound and very informative. 

The War on Psionicism has been added in alongside AEC in Approved Headcanon, and The Fae Changelings have been added in alongside The Fae in Approved Afflictions and Diseases.