The Empire of Aselia: The dominant nation on the Mainland, and the largest and most powerful country in all of Earthland. It is ruled by the Royal Family, led by Emperor Severen Vigarde, and the Imperial Senate, which is made up of nine Senators elected by the people. The capitol is Victoria, and is called the City of Water. While the High Council operate out of their own HQ, they do have a large office in the Imperial Capitol, and there are a few Magic and Warrior Guilds located in the capitol. The Imperial Army is a different entity than the Empire's special police force, which is an organization known as the Silver Hand, for the emblem on their helmets. The Silver Hand is made up entirely of Mages, and there is a fierce rivalry between them and the Imperial Army.
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So, S-Class. The title of S-Class Wizard is a title granted only to the most powerful Mages. Once you're S-Class, you can take S-Class jobs and quests, 10 Year Quests, 50 Year Quests, and 100 Year Quests. You also get special treatment and recognition and become eligible to participate in the S-Class Games, a tournament in Pergrandia that is even larger and more intense than Fiore's Grand Magic Games. Basically, S-Class Wizards are the baddest mothertruckers around.
The process of becoming S-Class varies upon where you live and what Guild you're in. In Pergrandia, Mages have to compete in the annual S-Class exams, where thousands of people enter and only a few emerge victorious. The Exams consist of various tests and trials, but the final trial is always to defeat a S-Class Wizard. The Exams may be undertaken alone or in pairs, and the S-Class Games are always fought in teams of 2. Only the last team standing wins the Games.
In Fiore and Aselia(And everywhere else), the process is much simpler. Each Guild has their own unique test that members must pass before they can be promoted. This test is solely up to the discretion of the Guild Master. Once a member passes, their name is passed up to the Council of their region, and they are officially considered a S-Class Wizard.
For Warrior Guilds, the highest rank is Champion, and becoming a Champion means winning a special tournament. Thief Guilds have their own version of the Grand Magic Games/S-Class Games, but do not have a special 'rank' like S-Class or Champion.
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Also, just for GP, here's a brief overview of the geography in Aselia: Fiore, Pergrande, and the other nations around them are located on the Southern peninsula. The North and South regions of the Mainland are separated by a giant mountain range known as the Serpent's Spine. The capitol of Aselia, Victoria, is located just north of the central half of the mountains, near a very large lake called Lake Serene.
The High Council's HQ is located in a large castle on a cliff on the Northern Coast, overlooking the Windy Sea, directly north of the capitol. Most of northern Aselia is thick forest, rocky cliffs, and wide open plains. There is a sizeable desert south of the Serpent's Spine, but other than that, most of southern Aselia is hills and grasslands. The northwestern peninsula is dominated by a large, nameless swamp, that most people tend to avoid. There are actual roads leading to and from most cities, and a very long railroad called the Imperial Highway, that goes from Southern Aselia to Northern Aselia, crossing over the mountains. The railroad begins in the City of Ambrosia, a very large city several miles Northeast of the port town, Rosebud Hills.
The capitol Victoria has fairly futuristic technology, with a lot of magic powered devices, and has a large population. The city largely resembles Grand Chokmah from Tales of the Abyss, or the Imperial Capitol from Brave Story. The city is right on the northern edge of Lake Serene, and as a result, numerous canals stretch throughout the city, making travel by small boats and canoes commonplace in the city. The architecture is mostly made of glass, white stone, and steel, and because of this, the city often seems to sparkle. Magic Powered cars and hovercrafts(small three person vehicles powered by Air Magic) are also common in the city.
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Technology is fairly advanced and modern in most nations. This is achieved using Magictech; things that run on a Wizard's innate Magic Power and magical Lacrima Crystals. Examples are Magic Mobiles(Cars), Magic Bikes(Motorcycles), Magic Guns, Airships, Hoverbikes, and Hovercrafts. Even normal people can operate Magic Vehicles, as all Magic Vehicles have a Lacrima Engine. But Magic Weapons require some form of innate Magic Power to be used.
Lacrima Crystals: large crystals of condensed, concentrated ether, or Magic Power. Powerful Enchanters can shape and mold Lacrima Crystals into many different forms- like engines.
