Magic used to be a lot more powerful in the world because of the ley lines. The ley lines were a web of powerful magic channels that people could tap into and do really powerful stuff. Then something happened and the entire web was destroyed and dissipated into nothing. Without the focus magic is more prevalent in the air (you used to only be able to do it by ley line access instead of anywhere you wanted) but it's a lot weaker. People think that a mage went insane and sacrificed himself to destroy them, but nobody knows the exact source. (As random trivia, the cataclysm happened at the same time as the crucifixion of Jesus.)

With your latest image "Missing Piece", I guess I am wondering what a sniffer/scent seeker is. Is that a familiar with better olfactory senses than the rest, or something else?

It's a race (usually a canine) that has an innately good sense of smell. Consider them to be sentient cadaver dogs.

I am curious about the rat's partner who is now a relic. Did he die in the line of duty and was then turned into a relic? Or was he sacrificed to become a relic? If the later, was it voluntary? and if so why did he agree?

thanks.

In countries like China and India and a few in South America (basically all the countries we know where life is often treated as next to worthless), people are kidnapped, or taken from slums, or handed over as unwanted children and turned into relics. While in others the practice is outright outlawed and banned and only police and military own them. Since someone has to die to make a relic, nobody in 'civilized' countries is allowed to volunteer anymore than they can volunteer to give their heart to someone else while still alive.

Kryst's relic came from a policeman killed in the line of duty. It's much like being an organ donor. Bennet was on a routine traffic stop where he caught someone driving a little erratically and speeding. When he went to the driver's window he was shot dead before the driver turned the gun on himself. (It's based on an incident that happened out here. I have a priest that's a policeman and it was so sudden and brutal that it jarred the whole police community.)

Many policemen and military sign up for it like one would sign up for a patriotic or brotherhood duty; although some religions are against the practice and usually the ones who decline do so for religious reasons.