Strongest Among the Heavens

Contracts

One of the great foundations of the White Abyss. Created during the early days of the Heavenly Games by the Old Mage Tower and propelled the organization into godhood. There are five types of contracts employed in the White Abyss. From least powerful to most:

Pledge of Agreements: Basic. White parchment with black text.

Geas of Service. White parchment with black text.

Blood Pact. Grey parchment with blood red text.

Soul Pact.

Eternal Contract. Highest level.

Contract of Obedience. Slave contract. Black parchment.

Currency

3 Points = 1 Bronze Coin

30 Points = 1 Silver Coin

300 Points = 1 Gold Coin

30,000 Points = 1 Pure Gold Coin

300,000 Points = 1 Pure Diamond Coin

Currency Reference

5 Points = 1 Loaf of Bread

5,000 Points = Monthly rent for two-room housing unit

60,000 Points = Average civilian salary

6,000,000 Points = Average player salary

Great Noble Families

House of Plantagenet (Richard III) - An English noble family most closely affiliated with the Templar Order. Known for hatching dragons and are colloquially called the Master of Dragons. Family symbol is an image of twin dragons merging.

House of Yngling - Dynasty of kings, first in Sweden and later in Norway that specialize in close-quarter sword combat. Known for their strange mythical-like hair. Some regard them as monsters, others as kings. Among the nobles, they hold the least amount of land and influence in order to focus their efforts on their collective battle power. Family symbol is of a wolf and sword. 

House of Aisin Gioro - Led by the Kangxi Emperor and the primary members of the Imperial Sovereign Sect. Allied with the Heseri, Niohuru, Nara, and Guwalgiya clans. Family symbol is the Seal of the Qing Dynasty, the Heirloom Seal of the Realm.

House of Suleiman - Led by the current Caliph of the Alhambra Guardians. Includes the Harem. Family symbol is a tughra. 

House of Yamato - Led by the Eternal Emperor and is known as the Imperial House of Japan. Family symbol is the yellow Imperial Seal of Japan. 

Old Mage Tower 

Originally called the Mage Tower, the actual appearance matters little. Throughout history, it has become a home to men and women that have lost themselves in the art of magic. To describe it would be simple: an ever so slightly crooked white tower with architect whose origin cannot be pinpointed. Built in the Chaotic Era, it was a collaborative effort from the Romans, the Byzantine Empire, and the Ottomans as a place of learning. 

Today, it has become an organization with a hierarchy akin to a corporation with investors. Known to rely on generational success, the Old Mage Tower is very traditional and its Lords hold a mild interest in the Heavenly Games. The culture festered in the Tower is around discovery; to patent magic and to be loyal to the cause of using magic to improve the world. Their greatest accomplishments is perhaps setting up the academic fundamentals in the field of magic. For example, inventing and spreading the use of magic circles, identifying the Territory Creations of the gods and the White Abyss, and designating the classification of Supreme Magic.

The Old Mage Tower has a long, overarching relationship with the House of Wisdom. Lots of students participate in tournaments to make money.

"Know your worth, know your rules" is the motto, inspired by one of the Poems of Time.

At the very top of the hierarchy are the Ten Lords of Magic. The Ten Lords are supported by numerous Lesser Lords, followed by Sorcerers, Wizards, and Mages. The influence of Sorcerers, however, vary on ability. Some Sorcerers are said to be as influential as the Ten Lords themselves. 

The Old Mage Tower's influence has waned since the founding of the Tower of True Magic. In fact, it was because of them that they are now called the "Old" Mage Tower. 

Tower of True Magic/Magic University

The university that combines magic and science and founded in the 1782 Heavenly Games, or the Enlightenment Era. The university's founding was coincided by the establishment of the Templar Academy. As a result, the Templar Academy and the Magic University have good relations. 

Like any university, students pay for classes taught by legendary professors. Together, talented students and professors have invented unique types of magic outside the System such as shields literally made of magic circles. There are thirty-seven departments for the many branches of magic and education. Hierarchy goes from the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, Dean, Vice-Dean, Faculty Head, and then the professors. The Chancellor is voted in every eight years.

Semester 1: April 1 - August 31.

Semester 2: September 5 - December 1.

DARK TOWER

The central beacon to the dark streets of the Underworld. Approximately 900 meters (2952 feet) tall. A thousand Sorcerers sit on Floor 100 and remove the law of non-violence from the Underground. Annual spectators of 2 million men, women, children, demons, and everything in between. The Dark is a mini-version of the Heavenly Tower with 100 floors.

Its origins are unknown. A bell rings to signify every morning.

Seven Deadly War Classes 

Also called the Seven Deadly Sins. Conditions are unknown. Origin is unknown. Purpose is unknown. Only one player may wield a War Class at a time. Although there are said to be Seven War Classes, only five have been discovered. Once lost, the skills from the War Class can never be retrieved again. Players with War Classes have almost always gone down as legends. One War Class is equivalent to ten thousand players. 

Poems and Stories

As people and history cultivated in the White Abyss, so too did myths and stories, distinct from Earth. Today, the most popular of these children's stories are "The Boy and The Hydra", "The Lovely Princess of the Tower", and "The World Above The Tower". These stories are famously based on poems originated from the Chaotic Era known as the Poems of Time. Only some snippets of these poems exist and academics believes the remaining snippets can be found in the Heavenly Tower. The author of the poems is not known. 

However, nearly every man, woman, and child native to the White Abyss knows of them, even those of the Underground. Not knowing them is a sign of being a player; an outsider. For the White Abyss, they are akin to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Cinderella or Little Red Riding Hood in the west or the stories of the Monkey King in China. 

The Templar Knights

In the Chaotic Era, kings led their communities in the name of God. One of the few that worked independently of nobility were the Latin Templars, founded by William Marshal, Saint Hildegard, Phillipe de Plessis, and several Grand Masters of the Earth Templar Order. Being a constant in the White Abyss, they accrued communal wealth via donations and earned the good will of the nobles. They were said to have reached their peak during the 1882 Heavenly Game (140 of the Heavenly Era). No Kingslayer to tarnish their strength and murder their Marshals, a divided Muslim community, and a Templar Academy churning strong, loyal knights. This culminated into the founding of the Holy Lights, those deemed to be the strongest knights. 

The Templar Order grew and grew until the 1921 Heavenly Games when Jack the Ripper began terrorizing the Nebulous Bazaar and allegations of corruption emerged. The Holy Lights were the strongest group of the Templar Order and thus held responsible for stopping Jack. After a series of incidents, the Holy Lights became disillusioned with the Grand Master, Alexander IV. And so, in 152 HE, the Great Schism occurred, forever fracturing the Templars and the Christian community as a whole. 

Today, they are still the strongest Christian community. The current Grand Master is known not for his power but his political maneuvering. It was he who allowed Marshal Margaret, a woman, to be allowed into the Order. It was he who allowed students of the Templar Academy greater freedom, earning their loyalty and respect. 

Marshals, the highest-ranking knights under the Grand Master, wear cloaks with coloured fur alongside black Templar armour. Below the Marshals are Commanders that wear black Templar armour. Ordinary knights are divided into Classes I-IV and wear white armour with minor differences. Squires are knights designated under Marshals, Commanders, or the Grand Draper. Every Templar must complete a missionary. Many stick to the overworld but the exceptional few go to the Underground to spread their faith.

The Templar Order are host to three three primary locations: the Jacques Sanctum, the Templar Academy, and the Templar Castle. They own a slew of churches and cathedrals as well. Wherever Christianity is, the Templar Order will be there. 

Alhambra Guardians

The Islamic guild of the golden crescent moon. The Alhambra Guardians do not function like other guilds. It does not serve the people or the Islamic community but the whims of the Caliph who in turns serves Allah and therefore his people. The Caliph is protected by the ten Haras, personal body guards that act similarly to the Marshals of the Templar Order and have their own political agendas. Politically, the Guardians are divided into four informal factions: Mughal, Ottoman, Safavid, and the Abbasid. In previous eras, the Caliph would be limited in authority due to these factions. The Caliph of the current era is not bound by anything or anyone. He is the strongest Muslim in history and his status and authority among the Alhambra Guardians reflects that title. 

The army of the Alhambra Guardians are managed by the Caliph's Harem although none of them actually meet or see them. Ghazis, the lowest ranked soldiers, are divided into specialized squadrons and are led by a selected leader called the Sipahi. Akin to a higher squadron rank are the Janissary who are regarded as the most elite of squadrons. There are twenty Janissary squadrons. All Janissaries are equal. The thousand some Janissaries report directly to the Caliph. 

In accordance to Riba, banks under the Alhambra Guardians do not involve interest in their financial activities. As a result, the Islamic banks have grown to become the primary banks that everyone in the White Abyss uses. It would not be an exaggeration to say their banks are more vital to their image and power than their army. 

The Harem: A location that houses the women of the Caliph's family. Most vital are the Wives of the Caliph who run the guild's administrative side, including managing the army and the bank facilities. The wives all live in the Harem which cannot be accessed by any man of any rank unless specifically invited. Any that dare to touch the Harem's walls without permission will cease to exist. Currently, the Caliph has three wives. He plans to take one more. 

Sapphire Order

An alliance of powerful, like-minded guilds that believe in strength over belief. The ten leaders of the allied guilds are called the Spectres. Spectres must tattoo their personal guards with numbers indicating their strength levels. Specters do have people outside the "Numbered". Some members are loyal to the Sapphire Order as a whole rather than their Spectre. Due to the variety of leadership among the Spectres, their influence spreads far and wide. 

Spectre 1 - ?

Spectre 2 Saint Hildegard (Black)

Spectre 3 Fróði/Frode (Red)

Spectre 4 Perdana (Orange) 

Spectre 5 - ?

Spectre 6 Shadow Blade (Dark Green)

Spectre 7 - ?

Spectre 8 - ?

Spectre 9 - ?

Spectre 10 - ?