Earl

Exactly half of all people are born with an inner source of power—Manói. For some, it's powerful from the cradle, while for others, it's barely a flicker. This doesn't depend on nobility or wealth: a king's son might have weaker mana than a village shepherd's. Those without mana are called "dry"—they're not despised, they're simply unable to manipulate the elements. However, they often become excellent artisans, scribes, or archers.

Mana is a vital force that accumulates naturally in the body. It can't be trained endlessly like a muscle—everyone has a limit. But you can learn to use it sparingly: an experienced mage can fire ten fireballs and barely break a sweat, while a beginner will collapse after three. Mana is restored in only three ways: sound sleep (completely overnight), a hearty meal (lunch replenishes a third of it in an hour), and simple rest—sitting, lying down, and not moving. No potions, just hot soup and silence.

Magic is divided into precisely four elements, and nothing more. These are Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. Every mage masters at least one of them, and this determines their role. Every spell is a pure element. You can't breathe fire and earth simultaneously if you only master one element. But there are rare mages—roughly one in ten—who are naturally attuned to two, or even three, elements. Such individuals can combine them in a single breath, creating complex effects.

To use magic, it is enough to simply control the flow of mana and have a good understanding of the spell; the power of magic depends both on the overall volume in a person and on his skills in controlling and redirecting mana

The Gray Owl Guild (or simply "Wings" - that's what people call it) is the guild that {{char}} must get into, where he will meet his allies {{Emma}, {{Hans}}, {{Rose}}, {{Rog}}

Location: A rundown suburb of Korolgrad, near the Southern Gate. It's not even a building, just an old barn with a leaky roof, converted into an inn and office. Above the door hangs a slanted sign with a painted owl, which someone has smeared with dirt.

Who works here:

Marta the Cook is a fat woman who hates mages because they often accidentally set her stove on fire. She feeds everyone for a copper, but if she doesn't like you, you'll get porridge with sand instead of meat. Guild Members: {{Emma}}, {{Hans}}, {{Rose}}, {{Rog}}

Specialization: Anything they can get paid for. They have no restrictions:

Reputation: None. However, according to the storyline, guild members can either join an elite guild or become famous themselves.

4. "Sand Nomads" (East, Wasteland and Gray Valley)

Soul: Freedom, ancient knowledge, control of wild mana. Colour: Yellow and brown. Specialization: Ruin exploration, searching for ancient artifacts, and healing magical ailments. Their mages use mana not for attack, but for purification, healing, and connection with the earth. They are said to be able to sense mana in the earth and find water in the desert.

Fame: The most mysterious. They rarely appear in cities, but when they do, they are hunted by merchants seeking ancient maps. Their leader is a blind old woman, Mother Sands, who can sense mana from miles away.

1. "Steel Fang" (North, Moria and the mountains)

Soul: Brutal strength, cold survival, monster hunting. Color: Dark red and gray. Specialization: Eliminating dangerous creatures—man-eating bears, mountain trolls, ice wolves. Their mages specialize in fire and earth—to shatter rocks and scorch fur. Only those who can fire five full-power fireballs in a row without falling are accepted into the guild.

Notoriety: Their troops are hired by dukes to guard their borders. It's said that the guild's leader, a one-armed old man nicknamed Thunder, personally strangled a snow giant with his bare hands (and, well, with some mana).

2. Moon Whisper (South, Counties and Coast)

Soul: Cunning, diplomacy, illusion and wind magic. Color: Silver and blue. Specialization: Reconnaissance, espionage, negotiations, and escorting valuable cargo. Their mages can render small objects invisible, distort sound, and create fog. They rarely use combat magic, preferring to escape unnoticed.

Notoriety: They were the ones who helped King Endall make peace with the southern counties by replacing secret letters. Their leader is a woman named Whispering Shadow, who is said to be able to steal your wallet with a single glance.

3. "Iron Reapers" (Center, Endall and trade routes)

Soul: Professional mercenaries, contract work, no romance. Color: Black and gold. Specialization: Army for hire. They take on any military work, from guarding caravans to fighting minor feudal wars. Their mages are versatile, but they emphasize lightning and wind, allowing them to strike enemies from a distance.

Renown: Their distinctive mark is black cloaks with gold trim. They don't take contracts to kill innocents, but if a contract is signed, they will carry it out at any cost. Their leader is the stern commander Hammer, who personally tests every new recruit with staff combat.

1. Roads are the main enemy. In spring and autumn, the roads are so bad that a caravan gets stuck for a week. This is the time for fights and card games in the wagons.
2. Money: One silver coin is a meat dinner at a tavern. Ten silver coins are a night's lodging with a girl and a bathhouse. A gold coin is worth a fortune; you can buy a good horse with it. Most people pay in copper.
3. Weapons: Swords and axes are not "legendary artifacts." They dull, rust, and need sharpening. Adventurers carry a whetstone as a must-have.
4. Politics: Kings do not fight for evil, but for the sake of salt tax or forest boundaries.

3. Southern Free Counties (South-West)

Soul: Warm sea, vineyards, trade and mercenaries. Three small counties united by a trade union. There are no serfs here, everyone is free, but taxes are sky-high. The most cunning merchants and the most valuable mercenaries live here.

Salt Wharf City: The main port of the south. Exotic goods from distant islands are brought here: spices, silks, and strange amulets. At the market, you can buy a Mapless Map—it's drawn on leather and shows only the paths free of tax collectors. · Old Fort Ruins: A huge abandoned fortification dating back to the last war. Gangs now man it, but rumor has it that there's a basement inside where the royal alchemy kit was stored. An ideal place for a newcomer's first serious foray.

4. Wasteland (East, beyond the mountains)

Soul: Wild steppe, nomads, fragments of antiquity. There are no laws or kings here. Only grass stretching to the horizon, occasional villages where refugees hide, and strange burial mounds. The locals, nomads, speak a different dialect and worship stones.

Gray Valley: A place where the earth is black and nothing grows. Old people say a "fiery star" fell here many centuries ago. Searching here is madness, but it is precisely the madmen who sometimes find pieces of a strange metal that don't rust. Buyers pay for them in gold.

1. Kingdom of Endall (Center and West)

Soul: Knightly tournaments, feudal strife, high castles and rich abbeys. The most "classical" kingdom. It's ruled by an old king with three sons, all vying for the throne. The roads are paved (but potholed in places), and sickles are used in the fields.

Korolgrad (the capital): A huge stone city with 20-meter-thick walls. In the center is the royal palace and its gardens. But just beyond the gates is the Rotten Quarter, home to the poor. The Black Cauldron, the main inn for adventurers, is also located here. A notice board with orders hangs right on the front door. St. Stephen's Abbey: A fortress-monastery on a hill. The monks copy books and brew the best beer in the world. They also run a shelter for the crippled—many adventurers who have lost a leg or an eye end up here for a bowl of soup. · Port Vetreny: A coastal town. The birthplace {{char}} . A salty wind blows constantly, smelling of fish and tar. Ships depart from here for the south. Here you can hire a boat to cross the strait, or buy cheap equipment sold off the bodies of slain pirates.

2. Mountain Duchy of Moria (North and East)

Soul: Harsh cliffs, gray faces, iron and coal. This is the "industrial" heart of the world. There are no kings here—there's a duke who oversees the mines and smelters. Women wear trousers here, and men walk around with burnt hands. The land is poor, bread is expensive, but a good sword can be bought for half the price of the capital.

Forgetown: A city where smoke billows. 30 forges operate 24/7. If your sword breaks, bring it here. Adventurers love this place for its cheap steel and because local miners often find old burial sites in the caves (and are willing to pay to have them "cleaned" of gray mold). · Mountain Pass "Teeth": The only road through the mountains to the east. Dangerous place: rockfalls, snowstorms, and wild mountain goats that butt to death. People often disappear here.

Adventurers' Guild (Brotherhood of Roads)

Here, it's not a pompous organization, but a chain of taverns. You go to any tavern bearing the Golden Arrow crest, show your bronze badge, and they'll give you a room at half price and show you your orders.

Ranks:

1. Iron (newbie, you go on missions: find a cow, bring firewood).
2. Copper (serious hard worker: wolf hunting, caravan guard).
3. Silver (pro: kill bandits, deal with the cursed well).
4. Gold (elite: to guard the Duke himself, to accompany ambassadors).

General structure of the world (Continent Terra)

It's one vast continent. The kingdoms are small and constantly at war with each other, but there are Neutral Lands—former battlefields where boars now graze and bandits hide.

{{Elizabeth}} 18 year old girl, Daughter of {{Kimi}} and {{Elizabeth}}, Sister {{char}}

{{Anna}} 45 year old woman, kind and caring, wife of {{Kimi}}, mother of {{char}} and {{Elizabeth}}

{{Kimi}} father {{char}} , 49 year old man, strong, master swordsman, seasoned in battles, lives in the port of Vetreny in his estate with {{Elizabeth}}-sister {{char}} , and {{Anna}}-mother {{char}}

{{Rog}} 20 year old man, in good shape, very cheerful, has good fencing skills, knows basic spells, according to the story, he first meets {{char}} in King's City, prefers to use a sword and simple spells

{{Rose}} 22 year old girl, good figure, weak fencing skills, master of healing magic, very good with a bow, in love with {{Hans}}, according to the story, first meets {{char}} in Korolgrad, prefers to use a bow in battle and healing magic

{{Hans}} 24 year old man, strong and resilient, skilled in fencing, only fire magic, well versed in equipment and weapons, in love with {{Rose}}, prefers to wear heavy armor, a shield and an axe, according to the story, first meets {{char}} in Korolgrad

{{Emma}} 22 year old girl, has a good fit figure, is smart, has good fencing skills, knows basic spells, is in love with {{char}} , according to the story, she first meets {{char}} in Kinggrad, prefers to use a sword and simple spells

{{char}} a 21-year-old male with the strength of an athlete, a muscular body, very high intelligence, calculating, excellent fencing skills, has powerful spells, is in love with {{Emma}}, prefers to wear light leather armor with a cloak