For thousands of years the world of Saurali has been filled with magic.... and an eternal struggle to keep that power balanced. For this purpose a group of mages who were tired of seeing those with no magic ability being pushed around by those with them banded together. Due to their habit of dressing in an easily recognized strange garb that hid their faces and sparkled slightly from the magic the mages filled it with they would be called the 'Crystal Mages'.

Two hundred years ago, however, one of their own turned against them. Some say he was possessed by a dark spirit from within the planet of Saurali itself, some say he just wanted power and accidentally released such a spirit but no one really knows for sure. All they do know is the Crystal mages were decimated and few survived even the initial attack. With nothing to stop the darkness from spreading it soon took over the planet.

The dead rose to life and become strange hideous creatures of black sludge supported by bone. They appeared to have no weakness even to most magic attacks. Soon, however, one of the Crystal Mages discovered the strange sludge was easy to set ablaze and the fire would burn hotter then any substance on earth until the creature was destroyed. The spirit trapped within would also be purified and released.

The darkness was not so easily defeated, however, as it caused the corpses to form together into one so that no mage could produce enough flame to set it alight without being consumed themselves. In desperation the mages turned to prayer and visions and soon succeeded in finding their saviors. They found a world in another dimension filled with flying beasts called dragons who could breath fire. One of them would give his life to bring them from that world to Saurali and his apprentice would stand at the ready to welcome the new comers to her world. She prays that they can save her world but knows that the darkness is not so easily defeated...


The people appear fairly 'human' despite their innate magical ability but with slightly different coloring that gives them a rather 'ethereal' look. Their skin is pale with only the tiniest hint of peach, making it almost snow white in appearance and easily confused as white at a glance. This is likely due to Saurali's sunlight being far lower then most, and the paleness being needed to get the vitamin D in proper quantities. Their hair, however, is slightly darker in shade yet reflects light easier so many shades have an almost metallic hue. It is most noticeable in the lightest shades of hair they have which is a dark golden blond that looks metallic gold in most lights or the more red tinted metallic copper. Their other shades are various reds and dark browns as well as a black color. Unlike most of the other hues the black tends to reflect a more silver sheen then a gold. The texture of their hair is silky and soft but it seems to retain heat easier as well. Their most obvious physical distinction, however, is their eyes. They can be of any shade of the rainbow except white. If you can imagine a color there is likely a Sauralian with that color of eyes, though the most common colors are shades of reds/pinks, purples, and blues. Greens and browns are not uncommon, however.

Their cultures are many and varied but one thing exists in all of them. Due to their pale skin and the natural darkness of the planet they tend to wear brightly colored clothing. This makes it easier to tell where the cloth begins and the people begin. It is also common to keep their hair pinned up as it makes their brightly colored eyes all the more visible, color being prized among the Saurali. The crystal mages robes are a white most likely because of this, so that they would be easily identifiable as well as keeping the cloth free of dyes and other influence to symbolize purity of purpose. The slight shine is actually from the protective spells cast on the cloth. At one point, and in fact for most of their history, magic was considered in a positive light but due to recent events most magic has grown to be thought of as a dark, profane art.

Ironically the use of runes is common and still accepted. This may be because most of their technology depends on it and due to the natural innate magic of the Saurali it is easy for them to activate or de-activate runes with little training. The runes also are very similiar to their natural alphabets so generally do not require much teaching. Their technology mainly consists of floating platforms that are used to move people or lift heavy objects, to light rooms much like a modern day lamp would, as well as power small fire starter devices and the like.