Ranks & Battle Form
An Arcanus is measured first by the size of their core — and second by what that core can pour into the world. From the lowest Worker to the 3 Kings, and from a flicker of false armor to a full bone-hard suit, this is the ladder and the form that climbs it.
The Arcanus ranking system is no more than a status — measured by the size of an individual's core energy. It isn't awarded by any authority. Ranks are earned through a combination of hard work and talent, and they can be hereditary; a lineage of Warlords often produces another. That said, a less impressive heritage is no barrier — effort outpaces blood often enough that the Archive stopped tracking it.
Chapter I The Rank Ladder
The higher the rank, the rarer it becomes. Every Arcanus reaches a personal ceiling eventually. Some never master an element and remain at the Worker rank for life—that, too, is a path.
Elemental Prefixes
E · Elemental
Stands for 'elemental' — the individual is able to use one element.
DE · Double Elemental
Stands for 'double elemental' — the individual is able to use two elements.
ME Multi Elemental
Stands for 'multi elemental' — the individual is able to use three (and sometimes more) elements.
Lifespan rises with rank. The higher the core energy, the longer the body endures. At the top of the ladder, time stops mattering altogether.
Average Lifespan
| Rank | Average lifespan |
|---|---|
| Worker | +100 yrs |
| Soldier | 100 – 150 |
| Knight | 150 – 200 |
| Warlord | 200 – 250 |
| Legendary | 250 – 300 |
| Epic | 300 – 350 |
| Ancient Elder | Immortal |
| 3 Kings | Immortal · ruling |
Chapter II · The Battle Form
The battle form is a form that makes it possible to summon armor — a physical manifestation of the core energy. It opens glands the armor pours from and reroutes the airways toward the neck. The form also boosts physical strength, endurance, and elemental power. None of the armor is required to be in battle form; some fight with only a mask, others summon a full suit.
The form is expensive. A fairly powerful and experienced individual can hold it more than 24 hours without summoning any armor; once armor is called, the duration drops to a few hours up to a day, depending on how much core is available. The armor can liquefy back into the body to save energy, but re-absorption takes time.
- 01
Liquid
The energy flows from the glands as a viscous core-fluid.
- 02
Shaping
The fluid pulls into the shape of plates, masks, and spurs.
- 03
Solidifying
The material hardens into a bone-like plating that repairs itself when re-summoned.
Glands & Airways
The light areas mark the glands where the armor comes from. They open as the form sets in, allowing core-fluid to flow to the surface and shape itself into plating. The airways shift in battle mode because the mask would otherwise suffocate the wearer. Two pairs of holes open along the neck, letting the body pull in shorter, deeper breaths — useful, since battle mode is hungry for air as well as energy.
As an Arcanus grows in rank, they unlock new pieces of armor. Each new piece adds to what they already had — Worker, Soldier, Knight, Warlord and beyond — building toward a full suit only the highest ranks can manifest.
Every suit is unique. All armor is hard and bone-like; if broken, it repairs itself the next time it's summoned.
True Armor
Designs can extrude from the body, but no more than a small horn or spike. Armor can take many designs, but usually follows the color palette of the individual.
It is made of two parts: a hard, inflexible plating, and a body-tight under-layer that is soft and gives easily.
False Armor
False armor is a coat of energy that isn't strong enough to manifest itself into true armor. It still offers protection — less than real armor, but it can be summoned at any rank and costs less core to call. Most often it's worn by individuals at Warlord rank and below, who can't yet manifest the full real set. False armor can take any shape, but must cover most of the body.