Two Worlds, Colliding

I could never forget the day the sky split open and our world changed. The screams. Anger. Horror. A mourning cry and a revelation.

No one could have foreseen demons charging through the rift. They were myths; nothing more than a deluded fantasy.

What was truly deluded, we would soon discover, was our naive hope that our weapons would protect us. A foolish notion really.

Now... here I am...

An echo, adrift. In my solitude, I watch, I wait...

And I remember.

— Recollections of the Warden

Amalgia is a world in turmoil. Or rather, two worlds: Materis and Dyrethreed.

More than six hundred years ago, a calamity struck both Materis and Dyrethreed, forcing the two worlds to merge into a chaotic amalgamation of what they once were. The people of both worlds were left reeling in the wake of such destruction. Would they band together and try to restore what once was? Or would they try to salvage what little they had left?

The answer was neither. Instead, the people would fall into an endless conflict.

LEARN MORE: Behind the name

The chosen name of the new world, ‘Amalgia’, is a play on the word amalgamation. Though the people of both Materis and Dyrethreed have tried time and again to assert that the new world is their own, eventually both sides grew tired. They had to acknowledge that their worlds had changed forever and so a new name was given.

It took a while for it to catch on, considering the ever present conflict between the two sides, but eventually Amalgia stuck.

The Worlds

Photo by Greg Rakozy

Materis, the Heart of Technology

A world that prides itself on its technological advancement. The people of Materis (known as Materians) are resilient and community oriented.

Before the Coalescence, Materis was a sight to behold. Settlements in regions where danger is fraught and the environment is deadly, colonies of Materians scattered around and sharing their culture with one another. Towering metropolises, technology beyond comprehension. A place where science and development were the heart of it all.

With the Coalescence came a devastating change. Though Materis was the prevailing world to emerge victorious from the Coalescence - its landscapes remained relatively unchanged - the world would be forever scarred. Cities perished under flames and fury, from individuals on both sides of the war. Climates drifted into uncertainty under the newfound magical flow.

And most of all its people found, for the first time in their history, a conflict that their technology could not save them from.

Dyrethreed, Magic and Mischief

The flow of magic - positive and negative - serves to balance the chaotic nature of Dyrethreed. The people of Dyrethreed (known as Dyrus) are wild and value freedom above all else.

The Coalescence hit Dyrethreed hard.

Where once you would find a colourful world, full of vibrant life and totally balanced in nature, now the magic runs rampant. It is uncontrolled, distorted, with an abundance of negative energy being channelled through the Rift in Amalgia’s sky. The landscape has vastly changed. Gone are the expansive plains and mountainous ranges. Now they blend into the unfamiliar horizon of Materis, relegated to playing the part of a scenic backdrop.

But not all is lost for Dyrethreed and its people. They can still wield magic, still utilise their native powers - in fact, some denizens have even grown stronger.

My home before the worlds coalesced was Materis. It feels strange to say it out loud, because as I look down on Amalgia now it feels as though I have always lived here. But that is the truth.

I lived… hmph, where was it? Ahh yes, on the northern continent of Perhl, in a bustling city of cold greys and static blues. The name of the city no longer matters, of course. It crumbled under the weight of magic from the Rift. One of the first cities to fall, but never the last.

I wonder…

Was there more I could have done to save it? Or was its fall a fixed point, an inevitable death, forever destined to be a tragedy?

— Recollections of the Warden

Amalgia

When two worlds became one, everything changed, for both Materians and Dyrus alike. The world now resembles Materis, with a few additions where Dyrethreed has bled through. Perhl, the northern continent, and Diamon, the central continent, were the two locations most affected by the Coalescence as the Rift tore through both of these places.

As one can imagine, having two groups of people suddenly thrust into what they would consider 'a new world' caused a lot of confusion on what to call the continents of Amalgia. Some wanted to keep the names the same as what they knew, but others despised the idea because the lands were different to what they had originally called home. In the end, names were chosen simply based on the popularity of their usage.

Map of Amalgia by SunlanceX

• Perhl - to the north is the continent of Perhl. Medium sized and formed of a large landmass and two smaller landmasses off the south western coast. It was where the Rift originally formed during the Coalescence.
• Emerand - to the west is the continent of Emerand. The smallest of the continents, made from two similar sized landmasses.
• Diamon - central to the world of Amalgia is the continent of Diamon. The continent itself is divided in two - Upper Diamon and Lower Diamon - due to the Rift carving through the centre of the continent during the Coalescence.
• Satiere - to the northeast is the continent of Satiere. Another medium sized continent formed of a single landmass, though it does have a significantly sized island off of its eastern coast.
• Ruberus - to the southeast lies the continent of Ruberus. It is the second largest continent in Amalgia (though some people count it as the largest and argue that Diamon should be officially split into two separate continents) and is formed of a single landmass with a few islands off the western coast.

The People

Photo by Mario Purisic

Materians

Ordinary.

That’s all Materians are. They don’t have special powers, they weren’t born with an inherent ability to control magic. They are just average people.

Some, of course, are stronger than others, or smarter, or more resilient. The scientists and engineers of Materis and Amalgia are often described as the best Materians have to offer. But that is not to say that others are belittled when their skills lie elsewhere.

For Materians, community is everything. So much so that some communities can become insular, or jealous of another.

Strength, mind, heart. These are the foundations of our people. They make us who we are.

Strength defines our physicality. Our fitness, when all else fails, will see us through countless strife.

Mind defines our wit. Never underestimate one's ability to devise a new idea and see it to fruition, or outsmart a stronger foe.

Heart defines our capacity to endure and the love that binds us under one banner. Weak hearts can destroy entire communities, but a strong heart can herald salvation.

Materian governments and politics were hit hard during the Coalescence. As such, they are now governed by a number of Barons who meet on occasion to discuss their lands and the current situation. The title of Baron is not inherited; instead it goes to a chosen successor with the relevant experience and skills.

Dyrus

Monsters. Demons. These are the names the Materians give to us, as they reach for anger and fear.

But we are not what they say we are.

We are a free people, capable of love and understanding, of acceptance and friendship. Chaos is our nature, yes, but it is not evil. We bare our fangs because we must. Because we have been forced to do so.

I pray we all remember that.

Each and every Dyrus is different. Not just in hair colour or skin tone in the way a Materian is, but their complete looks.

One might have scales. Another may have horns or a big, bushy tail. Some resemble men and some resemble beasts.

But one thing they have in common is their base desire to be free and their control over magic. The former - well, everyone craves freedom, do they not?

The latter. That magic, powerful and wild, is something that all Dyrus learn quickly to master.

Dyrus have maintained their political ways. They are governed by Lourdants who typically are the strongest among their people. The position of Lourdant can be inherited, or the position can be dictated by a challenge of strength against the current holder, where the winner of the challenge takes it all.

An Introduction To Amalgia…

Welcome to Amalgia, a world based on a mixture of science fiction and fantasy. I hope that this article provides you with a basic overview of the world, including how it came to be and the themes that may be explored in any in-universe stories.

If you’re enjoying what you’ve read so far, feel free to leave a like or a comment on this article, or follow the world to keep up to date with new articles!

Themes

Common themes are important in any piece of work. Below, I've outlined some of the themes that you will see come into play in any written works for the world of Amalgia.

Conflict and Violence

It is hard to escape from conflict and violence when the entire world is at war. As such, there will be many times when stories or world building in Amalgia refer to the horrors of it. The physicality for one - depicting high volumes of gore - alongside how the people of Amalgia are affected mentally.

Hopes and Dreams

When the world is rife with conflict, it can all feel very negative. Exploring the hopes and dreams of the people of Amalgia will bring a little bit of light back into the world. Not everyone will fulfil their dreams of course, but there is no doubt that most people in Amalgia will dream of a brighter future for themselves.

A Scale of Morality

Everyone will view the world, their own actions, or the actions of others differently. Some may be adamant that these choices are black and white with no in between, whilst others will believe that morality comes in various shades of grey.

Discovery

This theme comes in two flavours:

• the discovery of one’s self, and
• finding a place to call home.

Most people in Amalgia have been displaced from their lives and their homes. For them, finding somewhere to settle down, without concern for being uprooted within a week or two, is a common goal. There is also the matter of self discovery and how a person changes based on their journey.

Technology

Before the Coalescence, the world of Materis was renowned for its technological prowess. Now, more than a thousand years on, that prowess has lessened.

Technology still exists - from guns and long range weaponry, electronic based vehicles, communications systems - but their capacity is nowhere near the level of what it used to be. Shields capable of covering the vast expanses of entire cities are now confined to defending a single person or a relatively small sized vehicle. Weapons that once worked wonders as deterrents or shredded through opponents in an instant have had to be dramatically altered in order to adapt to the challenges of the new world.

There are still positives amidst all the downgrades. For example, long distance communication networks are still active all over the world, providing swift and comprehensive messaging between Materian settlements.

Photo by Luca J

Magic

Magic in Amalgia mostly comes from one of these sources:

• within an individual, or
• the Rift.

Both sources require a method or process of tapping into these magic stores. For the Dyrus, they have an innate ability to tap into their Internal Magic Reservoir, which is as natural to them as breathing. Materians however do not possess the same innate ability. They must use specialised technology in order to harness the magic from the rift.

It can be dangerous though, especially now that the magic flowing from the Rift is Charged Negative. Even the Dyrus, who have always been capable of tapping into magic, are wary of the change. Too much magic use can be damaging. More control is required to direct it and failing to control the magic could spell disaster for yourself and everyone around you.

Depictions of violence Mild body horror

Fire. Red hot, burning bright, carried through my veins as it tangled with my blood.

It started in my chest, low, just beneath my ribs. An ache that refused to subside, sinking deeper. Until it finally burst. Within a minute every inch of my being was alight, recoiling against excruciating pain.

Inside, the fire raged. Igniting against the cellular structure of my muscles, sparking against bone and tendon as easily as a tree catching fire. My mind registered in a haze what my body felt so tangibly; that I was being devoured from within by magic left unchecked. I tried to unclasp the converter from my wrist, but my hand refused to cooperate. In horror I watched, transfixed, as the magic ate through my skin, little pockets of light searing through the surface and steadily growing.

The figure in front of me sighed, a large and looming shape… who were they, for my addled mind was struggling to remember.

A Dyrus, yes, they must have been. No Materian could tower so effortlessly.

“Another failure, Warden,” came the low growl, barely eligible over the roars echoing in my ears. “I will see you when you wake.”

Let me tell you, fair listener, the sword he plunged into my chest was a gracious mercy.

— Recollections of the Warden

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Locations Amalgia | Dyrethreed | Materis Inhabitants Dyrus | Materian