Early Devs

Long before the rise of the Ismat empire, dev magic revolved around single color usage. The colors of the rainbow, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, correspond to the seven chakras- the energy centers of the body. Devs became specialized at projecting one of these seven colors externally and internally, which allowed them to empower the corresponding chakra as well.
This specialization of color and chakra empowerment led to the forming of villages and tribes with identities based on these skills. Thus there were multiple tribes and settlements dedicated to each of the seven chakras and their color. There was as much fighting as there was trade between these early societies. The consensus among scholars is that these societies were never sustainable, for they relied too much on the neighbors they fought with. Because though there were benefits and specialized talents that came out of towns focused on a single chakra, none of these talents were enough to sustain a society on their own. Root, or red chakra towns were very good at providing basic necessities, but lacked the ability to innovate when change was needed. Sacral or orange chakra towns were happy places, but easily fell into disarray over the constant search for pleasure over practicality. Eventually, small kingdoms formed out of these societies as it became understood that civilization needed people with multiple skills to survive.