Classification

Type White

Among the Confederation’s citizens, over 1.75 billion, an overwhelming seventy percent, belong to what is known as Type White. These individuals are utterly untouched by magic, unable to wield, sense, or resist it in any capacity. No matter how much effort they might pour into unearthing the arcane secrets of the past, their hands will always be empty, their voices forever devoid of the power to shape reality. In the grand hierarchy of thaumaturgic might, they do not even register. 

And yet, despite their lack of magical ability, it is the White-ranked masses who keep the Confederation functioning. They till the fields, build the machines, forge the steel, and drive the engines of industry. They are the merchants, the soldiers, the lawmakers, and the countless bureaucrats whose signatures shape the fates of nations. They make up the armies that march into battle, the workers who ensure that the great manufactories never fall silent, and the scholars who push the frontiers of science forward, carving out new paths in fields where thaumaturgy dares not tread.

But for all their contributions, for all their necessity, the truth remains unchanged. In a world where power is often measured by the ability to wield magic, the White-ranked are the powerless. The Confederation’s laws, its traditions, and its very foundations are built upon this unspoken hierarchy, upon a structure that places those with thaumaturgic aptitude above those without. 

And so, the divide festers. Resentment lingers in the hearts of many who know they will never rise above their station because they were born without the spark of the arcane. Whispers of dissatisfaction grow louder.

Type Green

Type Green thaumaturges make up a quarter of the Confederation’s population; 625 million souls who straddle the line between the mundane and the arcane. They are not entirely powerless, yet neither are they capable of true mastery.

For most, their magic amounts to little more than a curiosity. A flicker of heat in the palm, a spark of static in the fingertips, the faintest ability to sense magical forces in the air; this is the extent of what many will ever achieve. Some can summon weak flames to light candles or cause objects to levitate a few inches for mere seconds, but these are nothing more than party tricks in a world where thaumaturgy is wielded as a weapon, a science, and a divine instrument. Most Type Greens will never develop true fluency in Inärtä, and without it, their potential remains forever locked behind a barrier they cannot cross.

Yet even these minor abilities, these faint glimmers of magic, shape the way the Confederation views them. They are neither celebrated nor scorned, merely tolerated. Unlike the White-ranked majority, who live entirely outside the world of magic, Type Greens exist on its periphery, their abilities acknowledged but never truly respected. They are not seen as equals to trained thaumaturges, nor are they placed in positions of great responsibility. Instead, they serve as an unremarkable middle ground: more than ordinary, yet less than extraordinary.

Some find uses for their meager gifts in their daily lives. A merchant might use a trickle of magic to keep his wares unnaturally fresh, a laborer might move objects with a subtle push of energy, a tailor might sew with uncanny speed. Yet even these applications are often unreliable, inconsistent, or easily replaced by technology and alchemy. Unlike true thaumaturges, whose power defines them, Greens are left with only tools of minor convenience that never elevate them beyond their station.

And should they ever find themselves standing against the might of the United Domains of Gaea, their abilities are rendered meaningless. Grade Alpha ONTOS, the smallest and most widely deployed of Gaean stabilizers, neutralizes their magic entirely, stripping them of what little power they possess. In battle, they are indistinguishable from the White-ranked masses, easily cut down, unprotected, unable to resist the tide of Gaean technological supremacy. Whatever illusions they may have had about wielding magic are shattered the moment they step into the presence of Ontological Stabilization/ONTOS, where thaumaturgy simply ceases to exist.

Type Yellow

Only a fraction (112.5 million, a mere 4.5%) rise to the rank of Type Yellow, the first threshold where one is recognized as a true thaumaturge. This rank is not simply a classification; it is a dividing line, one that separates those with true power from those who merely brush against the arcane.

Unlike the vast multitudes of Type Greens, whose magic is little more than a flicker, the Yellows are wielders of true thaumaturgy. They are the first to be regarded with respect, the first to be entrusted with roles where magic is a necessity. No noble in the Empire of Isornei may hold their title unless they meet this rank. The Church will not elevate its priests to positions of true authority unless they possess at least this level of thaumaturgic power. The elite Poletheurgicae , the Confederation’s war-mages are drawn exclusively from those who can wield magic at this scale.

But thaumaturgy is not an unregulated gift. The Confederation does not permit unchecked magic to roam freely. Every Type Yellow must undergo training and certification, whether under the watchful gaze of the Church or through the institutions of the Confederation itself. Without this, they are unlicensed, unbound, and subject to the full weight of the law. Magic at this level is dangerous, and both state and faith are equally determined to ensure that those who wield it do so within controlled parameters.

Their roles stretch across the breadth of civilization. Some are warriors, their abilities honed for the battlefield; their power allows them to strike down dozens of foes with a single command of Inärtä. Others are industrial thaumaturges, bending matter and energy to forge weapons, build machines, or enhance the efficiency of manufactories. Some serve the Church, where their magic is wielded as an extension of divine will, healing the faithful, banishing corruption, or purging heresy. Others take on roles within bureaucracy, espionage, or academia, where their knowledge of the arcane shapes policy, war, and progress alike.

Yet for all their might, they are not invincible. To the Gaeans, who have built their dominion upon the rejection of thaumaturgy, Type Yellows are nothing more than targets. Where a Type Green thaumaturge may find themselves effortlessly suppressed by a simple, personal stabilizer, the Yellows require a greater measure of control. Grade Beta Ontological Stabilization/ONTOS, carried by anti-thaumaturgic specialists within the Gaean ranks, is designed specifically to counteract them. Wielded at the squad level, these devices create nullification fields that strip Yellows of their power, reducing them to little more than well-trained but ordinary combatants. A squad of Type Yellow thaumaturges, mighty by the standards of the Confederation, can be reduced to helplessness the moment they step within the suffocating radius of Gaean stabilization.

The gap between the lowest and highest of this rank is vast. A newly risen Type Yellow who straddles the threshold of true thaumaturgy might barely manage to bring down a single pillar with their power. But a greater Type Yellow, one whose mastery has been sharpened through years of discipline, can shatter entire structures, bringing down walls, bridges, and fortifications with a mere exertion of will. Those born as Type Greens, through unwavering study of Inärtä and relentless refinement of their skill, may ascend into the lowest tiers of this rank, but they will never match those who were born with the potential from the beginning.

Type Orange

Only a rare few ascend beyond the level of common thaumaturges and into the ranks of the elite. These Type Orange thaumaturges number no more than 12.5 million, a mere half-percent of the Confederation’s population. Yet within that fraction lies an influence that encompasses the highest echelons of governance, warfare, and arcane authority.

The authority granted to those of this level is not merely symbolic. In Isornei, only those of this rank may rise beyond the lesser peerage. A viscount who cannot wield Type Orange thaumaturgy is no viscount at all. An archduke whose magic is insufficient is stripped of his right to rule. The empire does not entertain weakness among those who claim dominion over others. This standard extends beyond mere governance and into the battlefield, where the Paragon Knights, the most exalted warriors of Isornei, are drawn exclusively from those who wield magic at this level. These knights are living weapons, trained from youth to wield both steel and sorcery in perfect unity.

But Isornei is not the only dominion where their power is recognized. Throughout the Confederation, Type Oranges are seen as the officers of the Poletheurgicae , commanding legions of lesser thaumaturges and coordinating devastating magical assaults upon the enemy. Whether in war or politics, they are considered tactical or even strategic assets; they are potent enough to reshape the battlefield or dictate the course of an engagement. The difference between a lesser thaumaturge and a Type Orange is the difference between a soldier and a siege weapon. Those at the lower bounds of this rank can bring down small buildings with their spells; their destructive force is enough to level fortifications and erase companies of infantry in moments. Those at the higher bounds can annihilate entire city blocks, and their presence alone capable of altering the fate of a conflict.

This power does not come without cost. The Confederation, ever wary of unregulated thaumaturgy, imposes strict oversight upon those who reach this level. They are bound by law to undergo training and certification, whether through the ecclesiastical structures of the Amarian Church or under the direct authority of the state. No Type Orange is allowed to exist outside the system, for magic of this magnitude is not merely dangerous, it is civilization-shaking. An Unbound Thamaturge of such caliber is not a criminal but a catastrophe in waiting, an unbound force capable of toppling governments and reducing entire battalions to ash.

Yet even they are not invincible. Grade Gamma ONTOS, mounted on the vehicles of the United Domains, was designed to counteract even these formidable thaumaturges. These devices, deployed at the company or battalion level, create anti-thaumaturgic fields wide enough to smother the power of a Type Orange. Where a lesser thaumaturge might be countered by personal stabilizers, and a Type Yellow neutralized by squad-level ONTOS, the Orange-ranked demand entire armored units to contain them. And yet, contained they are. No matter how powerful, no matter how fearsome, they are not beyond the reach of Gaean precision and suppression.

Their longevity is another marker of their separation from the lesser ranks. Thaumaturgy, when wielded at this level, bends the very limits of life itself. A fully realized Type Orange, one who has unlocked their full potential, will live on average to 150 years; their bodies are sustained by the forces they command. Though not truly immortal, they are figures of legend even within their own lifetimes.

(WIP...)