so epic! i love the crystals i need to draw more crystals in my life XD

I do love the way they came out. :)

Is it bad that my first thought was 'dilithium'?

From what I recall they do look similar, but it's a fairly common crystal shape.

I like any stones that have any color or sparkle to them. So tell me, what powers are those crystals capable of giving? Is it the same for all who touch it, or do the powers vary from fur to fur? >:3c

There are twelve distinct types, each with different colors and abilities that go with it. Anyone can use them though it's required by law for everyone to be properly trained before doing so as they can be quite dangerous in inexperienced or criminal hands. They have a finite amount of power but do recharge, the rate of consumption depends on the abilities used. For example, casting a big fireball will drain it faster than lighting a candle.

While the access to powers is the same to each user, the effectiveness depends on the skill of the user. A poorly trained individual can drain an entire crystal with a badly used 'spell' but a skilled user can stretch it if needed.

Abilities range from common elements to fire, ice, water, and wind to more unusual things like opening portals and creating force fields. Each type has a master that oversees training, recruitment, and general operations. Although masters can use crystals they have direct access to the source of their power and therefore can perform greater acts than the common user.

Hm. I guess overall, it requires raw experience. Wonder what would happen if several different stones were all in one place...

Well, you can only use one at a time, so even if you have several types you must switch them out to use them. They are generally mounted in an accessory or on clothing for regular use, or they can be held in the hand.

While an untrained person can use one, they're just as likely to burn themselves as cast a fireball.

I assume if a crystal shatters, its power can't be harnessed or used?

No, and there would be a significant energy discharge when you did, or perhaps a small explosion. The crystals are cut into specific shapes to harness and use the power they gather safely, if one is damaged the energy has to go somewhere.

So in other words: the shards can reconstitute and reshape their power supply accordingly?

No, if you cracked one it would probably explode and injure you. They can be cut into shapes but generally when uncharged. In raw form they're large and unwieldly, but when cut into (usually flat ovals), they can be used more easily. Raw crystals can be used but the effect is less predictable.

Damage to crystals generally can't be repaired, at best the energy might bleed out but at worst they'll explode and release the energy in a mild to moderate shock wave, depending on the type and how much energy was inside at the time.

Better mark the location and tell someone to keep an eye on them, guys. There are far too many who would no doubt love to get their hands on those crystals!

This is a really neat picture, though. It's so pretty, and I love the sense of awe and wonder shown by the trio. Especially Topaz. It shows the kind of reverence the Talwyn have for these crystal, despite being so familiar with them as well. I like that the water crystals have a little pool of water around them, too. That's a neat touch.

I've always theorized that these crystals develop naturally and during most circumstances there are people who would collect them and bring them to a refinery to be cut into smaller more practical shapes for use. More than likely there are illegal places that do this as well, and actually that gives me an idea.

I've always liked it, and I've been trying to make more of an effort to get some of the old art posted along with the newer stuff so longtime watchers don't get bored, but this was definitely one I wanted up since it really encapsulates a lot of the concepts in my head in one image.

The Talwyn definitely respect the crystals, both for what they can do and how deeply embedded in their culture they are. They're weapons, tools, and a way of life for some folks. Not to mention that the Talwyn masters and those who use them do so in service of the people. The Talwyn owe a great deal to the respectful use of these objects, and this is ingrained in them from a young age. All of them are taught about their role in Talwyn society from their early ages, and especially Topaz, who's entire family is involved in their use in some way. With a mother who's a Talwyn master and a father who is in the military, it's hard not to. ;)

I remember at the time thinking that in their natural state the crystals attract their element in some way, water being surrounded by it, light crystals being in direct sunlight, things like that. It seemed to make sense, given the size of the crystals too and the idea that they form naturally before being cut and distributed for use.

Always great to have a story with each picture.

For ones like this I usually like to provide a little background when possible. ;) I'm glad you liked it. :)

So apparently your power is face-centered cubic.

What sort of Ram is Chris? I like the fur colors there and was curious as I try to work out a few of my own Ram characters.

Nice story to go with this too. A good bit of world building.

Dominus tecum

Well, most users anyway. Talwyn masters have a direct link to the power. They don't require crystals but they do if they need to use another's element. Also if Lauren needs to do something that requires a large amount of water she needs a preexisting source, like a lake or river.

You know, originally I just told the artist a ram, I don't think I had a breed in mind when I created him but subsequent internet searches seem to support the idea that he's a mouflon sheep. The colors and pattern look about right.

And thanks, it's always been in the back of my mind and was a moment I really wanted to illustrate.

Makes sense there. Can't turn on a flashlight without a battery.

I think the artist made a good choice for sheep-type there. Rams and sheep are totally underrepresented. I've recently been inspired to do more stories featuring such characters. I'll have to remember mouflon sheep because I really like the look.

Dominus tecum

Exactly. All power has to have a source, preferably with rules and limitations to make it interesting. :)

I think so too, I really like Chris's pattern and of course love the look of rams with those curvy horns. :) I always try when designing my casts to use a variety of species and especially ones I haven't used before. If you look across my various casts I'm all about diversity in the animal kingdom.

Without limitations they get boring, so good to set those up!

Rams are pretty neat, and yeah, the horns really help there. The story I'm currently working on is centered on a Ram character so they're big on my mind at the moment. Good to try and use a bunch of different species when you can, although the trick is to not introduce too many that the reader will have to go to Wikipedia to figure out what they are.

I also find the question of how different anthro species can develop and live together an interesting one so that does tend to imply that in many parts of the world the number of species would be pretty limited.

Dominus tecum

I find they sometimes provide avenues for the story to go. :)

Hooray for rams. :) Yeah, I typically end up favoring common species most folks would know, though I try for variety among my projects.

Indeed, I had something to say on this but it slipped my mind. ;)

Like I said, I don't want to have to wikipedia an animal used for an anthro species! It breaks my sense of the story. Rams and sheep in general are often overlooked because of the way they are usually portrayed in media, or so I find. I had Dark Natasha do the sketch for my Ram character and I just posted it the other day. You might like it: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/32503416/

*chuckles* I just don't see how thousands of intelligent species could live together unless most of them were just different ethnicities of the same species. Otherwise natural selection and competition for resources should have doomed a lot of them. Just like neanderthal. You'd have to have groups of a handful of species develop symbiotic relationships in order for them to thrive together.

Dominus tecum

Indeed, though for me I love the look of rams and sheep so I do have a few. :)

Maybe, but I like my message of diversity. :) My characters conflicts rarely have anything to do with gender or race.

As Americans we are definitely very conscious of race and how it is perceived. But in an anthro setting that is not intended to be a parallel Earth, I just see the differences as more than skin deep and it feels a shame to lose that as a world-building aspect or source of conflict.

Dominus tecum

For me, I prefer to focus on other aspects of story. :)

Fair enough! It's just with the dynamic of multiple intelligent species, there is bound to be conflict because of that. Even if it's not the focus of a story, there are subtle clues and nuances to the relationships I like to work out.

Dominus tecum

You might see more of that in my Were project, but for sure. :)

There I think the interactions between the distinct were species and their different cultures is a key part of the conflict.

Dominus tecum

Indeed. My idea was that each species would serve a particular function. The werehorses for example control the purse strings, since they can race their males w/o detection and control the odds. The werewolves are the administrators/enforcers because they have the greatest numbers, and so on.

I think you've done a decent job illustrating the different cultures each have as well. They've developed a quasi-symbiotic inter-dependence, but each is very clearly their own species.

Dominus tecum

Thank you. ;) It seemed logical to me, since they all share a mutual secret (their existence), so they all sort of work together but yet don't really societally integrate since they all maintain their own cultures. They work together, for the most part, but each one puts their own kind first. The exception being the mysterious and elusive werebirds.

Werebirds, eh? I would like to hear more about them. There's such a variety of birds that it seems a shame they'd all be lumped together.

Dominus tecum

Well, logistics kind of force me in that direction, since I want a bunch of different ones but I can only have 12 groups and logistically that's tricky enough since most of them don't get seen until later. But the werebirds and werecats allow me some flexibility to the limitations of 12 since they're variations on a theme.

What I've established so far in my head is that the werebirds along with the other species a long time ago tried to control humans. They perceived their 'powers' as being gods, and we get Ancient Egypt. Bastet, Anubis, etc. But these were not gods, simply Weres posing as them. After this eventually fell, they went underground, and the next time the Werebirds appeared was during the Black Plague or somewhere around there, when they used their partial shifting abilities to pose as angels, manipulating the church to their will.

Of course this also eventually failed, leading the werebirds to rejoin their were brethren sharing control with the Werewolves as the two largest populations. In time, the werebirds, for reasons shared with no one, disappeared about 20 years prior to the planned third installment. Without explanation every werebird was ordered to return home. All except one.

And where exactly is home then?

As for were-birds, are their bones hollow in were-form too? I'm sure that fact would have significant impact on their culture.

Dominus tecum

Home is a hollow mountain called the Aviary. Originally I was going to call it the birdcage but I felt that was a bit too inappropriate for them so aviary fit better.

I hadn't thought about that but it might result in for example their fighting style being more about misdirecting momentum, than the werewolves brute force.

Eyrie is another term associated with birds, usually referring to a mountain perch overlooking the land. If it's inside a cave though then Aviary is better.

I've been on a bit of a bird kick lately and so these guys have my attention at the moment. Tai Chi or something similar which is about redirection and energy flows might be suitable inspiration for their fighting styles. I also imagine that, depending on the types of wings they have, group tactics would involve aerial bombardment or strafing; not effective once fighting is in close quarters, but they can weaken the enemy before things get that close.

As much as I love the Rito from Breath of the Wild, with hollow bones, they'd need to really make their bows compound if they wanted to use them effectively too; otherwise the tension required to fire arrows any serious distance would snap their bones. Slings and bolas would be more likely.

Dominus tecum

Indeed. Something to think about when planning future ideas. :)

How big is this hollow mountain they live in? Exactly how many werebirds are there?

Dominus tecum

I suppose that might limit their population size but it's assumed they are the second largest population of Weres. At one point in their history the werewolves and werebirds fought for supremacy until such time that the werebirds simply disappeared, leaving the werewolves the de facto leaders.

Being the second largest is nice for comparison, but how does it compare the overall human population?

After getting my woodpecker Rito pic, I keep getting images of a young woodpecker fellow and some friends of his flying through the eyrie longing to find a way to see actual sky for the first time in their lives.

Dominus tecum

Very small. It's estimated there are no more than 20,000 werewolves globally, so the werebirds are probably a little under that at 16-18K. However, they have been in isolation for a few decades and not reporting in so the actual numbers may be somewhat different.

That's time for one generation to grow up, so depending on their fecundity they may have surpassed werewolves. Why are there so few? Is it because they don't breed true all the time?

Dominus tecum

What do you mean by breed true? Do you mean among their own kind? Ie, werebird and werebird?

I mean that the children of werebirds are werebirds themselves.

Dominus tecum

From what I remember I've sort of been treating it genetically like a recessive gene. You only get were children if both parents are weres of the same type. Ie, werebird and werebird. If they breed with humans or another of their type like werebird and werewolf you'll get a standard human.

Though a lot of were children are grandfathered in, turned by their parents if they are born human, but usually not until the age of consent.

If the werebirds are in self-isolation (boy did that trend), then wouldn't they in all this time be having parents who are both werebirds? That's a lot of werebird kids to manage.

Dominus tecum

Well, they'd probably not be hatching their brains out too much because they're trying to stay under the radar for now. :)

Perhaps, but life finds a way and you cannot stay in close-quarters isolation too long without little ones showing up! In fact, for many, that would be such a source of joy they couldn't resist. Their solace in a time of restriction. I imagine the hatchlings would be indulged a bit and would get very comfortable in their bird forms.

Dominus tecum

I bet so. I have this image in my head of the inside of the mountain being this large hollow space where they can fly around unobserved. :)

And yeah, I expect there are lots of side caverns for them to practice their aerial acrobatics!

Dominus tecum

Not to mention spots to perch. :)

Exactly. If I had the time I'd totally try to write something.

Dominus tecum

Right now it's overcoming anxiety long enough to work on things that's my problem.

I have to make myself sit down and work on things a lot of the time. Too easy to just play more video games right now. I want to play the games some still, just not for as long as I have been.

Dominus tecum

Preach, absolutely. I have been guilty of this as well.

Well, I assigned myself a writing task for the next two weeks so I should get something done.

Still like the idea of some younger birds eager to stretch their wings in the sun.

Dominus tecum

YAY!

Did not get as much done as I wanted, but working on it now. Went back and looked at the picture this conversation chain was in and laughed; I had totally forgotten what it was. Great pic!

Dominus tecum

HEHE, it's always been one of my favorites.

And it's easy to see why!

Dominus tecum

Nice story, even nicer pic.

Thank you!