Niipshemja

Niipshemja is my worldbuilding project. It is the setting for a story about an irritable young phylomancer, a pathetic boy with divine power, and whatever the hell Glass is trying to save their home from the clutches of an empire.

Niipshemja literally translates to "large land of people", and refers to a part of a larger continent cut off from the rest of the world by a mountain range until relatively recently. However, the part not cut off is almost entirely formed of wetlands, meaning that transportation is quite simple, and few instances of cultural isolation exist. This has also resulted in relative linguistic uniformity, barring a few exceptions.

In Progress

Within Niipshemja, a plot is brewing, to take the world over. The only soldiers there to fight it are a couple of really messed up kids.

Khthanii is a difficult name to translate. It can literally be read as "catgirl", though the reading that is far more accurate is either "loving person", "personable and loving", or, if you want to be blunt, "wife". Of course, the fact that Khthanii was named that was because nominative determinism is a cultural superstition, and Khthanii comes from a less than high standing family who wanted her to become high ranking by marrying the chief when it came time for him to choose suitors and lift them up too. She worked hard and got there in the end, but realized that she hated the job. She was a competent wavecaster and absolutely stunning by societal standards, but not the best at civics. However, she couldn't exactly quit. Divorce was not societally acceptable, and her parents would kill her if she tried anyways. So, she simply took a boat and sailed off to find a new home for herself.

Hand does not remember his real name. His memory has been failing ever since the one moment in his childhood that remains crystal clear: the day he became a freak of nature. He was born in a nameless tourist town, famous for a few things: the artisans, who make some of the nicest things in the region, the Temple of the World Cycle, in which aforementioned artisans make masterworks to deteriorate and be moved from the chaotic imbalance side to the orderly balance side, and the scams claiming divine power. Hand was the son of a family of stoneworkers, and he was an apprentice. However, one day he was looking through the temple and accidentally fell through a wall into a set of winding catacombs behind the temple. He found a large white crystal and touched it, imbuing himself with the raw power of Balance. He can harness it whenever, but it also has the side effects of stunting his growth, making him unable to bulk up, and making him very very forgetful. None of these qualities look good on stoneworkers, and the scammers didn't like someone showing off actual divine power, so he was run out of town at the age of around 17. Since then, he has been searching for a purpose, a place to call home.

Glass was born a member of a very unusual race. They are protandrous hermaphrodites, meaning that the males of the race transition into females through certain biological stimuli. Glass's mother had died long ago to a dragon, and the society was matriarchal, not to mention that Glass is blind, so Glass and their father were essentially assigned to the dregs of society. Glass's father made a plan to assassinate the current leader so that he would transition and become the new leader. It failed. They were both banished. In the wilds, Glass's father taught them the secret of their family: magnetic wavecasting. He also bestowed upon them the ancient family relics of gloves with neodymium inserts and iron knucklebones. Shortly thereafter, Glass's father was also mauled violently and grotesquely by a dragon. Glass, alone, scared, and traumatized, finally shattered, in a sense. Now they are two. Glass, a perpetually anxious aggressively prepared teenager, and Fingers, a confident and egotistical gentleman (gender neutral) thief. Their body is 18 years old, but Glass is mentally still 15. Fingers is mentally 18. They both want to keep their family's memories alive, potentially find others using magnetic wavecasting, and eventually take control of their broken society and rebuild the social structure from the ground up.

This is by no means everyone relevant to this story. Side characters will be added later, once I write up their blurbs.

Niipshemja is home to a great amount of genetic variety. There are several societally defined "races", as well as mixes between them. Listed are all of the races, as well as their attributes.

Wavecasting is a power available to all people in Niipshemja. It allows an individual to bend a specific aspect of physics to their will. In addition to the base form, every type of wavecasting has additional specializations available, which are usually biased towards one of the aspects.

The Aspects of Wavecasting

Before one may wavecast, it is important to ensure that one is in possession of all three attributes of wavecasting.

Knowledge

Knowledge is likely to be the most familiar aspect to outside observers who have never used wavecasting. Put simply, you have to know how to wavecast in order to do it. In more advanced techniques, the required knowledge component might not be how to use the technique but a piece of knowledge to alter your perspective on exactly what you can and cannot manipulate. Disrupting knowledge is nigh impossible without incredibly careful planning.

Will

Will is in fact representative of one's ability to focus during a given use of wavecasting. If you cannot focus while wavecasting, chances are your cast will fail. More complicated techniques require more will to bridge the gap of abstraction. Also note that will is the easiest aspect to disrupt, and often the one that those less experienced with wavebreaking will focus on.

Emotion

Emotion is straightforwards in understanding but incredibly complicated in actual use. It represents a caster's emotional state. Certain techniques require a certain state of mind for someone to even conceive of using them. Emotion is not a linear amount, but a vast spectrum, and thus it plays a greater part in techniques used on reflex. It is also useful to disrupt emotion, as emotions are far more difficult to correct once changed. Experienced wavebreakers can psychologically manipulate targets to have certain emotions and therefore use techniques that are easier to counter.

The Forms of Wavecasting

Wavecasting lets one influence a variety of natural elements in order to change the world around them to their benefit. The different types involve manipulating different elements.

Manipulates charge distribution, mainly through induction. Wielders usually carry a staff of conductive material to induce and shock people with. However, one may alternatively shock directly with ions from oneself.

Redirects and amplifies or reduces magnetic fields. Wielders carry knucklebones of magnetized iron and wear gloves with neodymium inserts.

Transfers internal kinetic energy.

Redirects and amplifies or reduces gravitational fields. Wielders often carry golden knucklebones.

Stores and releases energy in materials. Wielders carry slingshots or bows.

Stores and releases the energy of motion.

Redirects and modifies electromagnetic waves.

Modifies atomic bonds.