| The Shades and Shadows Universe |
| When the continuing threats from other evil mages are too much for Keenan and Elayne to abide, they begin to consider their options. Keenan decides they should move to one of the Cygman colonies and Elayne agrees. They settle in the quiet land of Equisetia. Elayne is pleased that the children are now safe from harm, but Keenan grows restless away from the intrigue of the Dark Castle. Then, much to his surprise, Keenan is offered an opportunity to lead a new and quite experimental team for Shynonian Intelligence, a team that will be base in Equisetia and answer to the Director of Shynonian Intelligence and the President of Equisetia. He learns that maybe he should be careful what he wishes for as he and his team are called on to put a halt to the growing threat the Berklians pose. So begins a new chapter in the life of Keenan Meadows! |
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| The Alpha Team |
| A year after the formation of the Alpha Team, the experiment is declared a success. However, that doesn't mean the threat from the Berklians is gone. Far from it, in fact it seems that there are new and worse threats against the safety of Shynia cropping up every day. To combat these threats, Alister commishings four new teams, each headed by a different prominent member of Shynian Intelligence. While Bertram and the Beta Team remain in Equisetia, the Alpha Team is called to Shynia, to aid in the transition the new teams will be feeling. |
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| The Beta Team |
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| The Gamma Team |
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| The Delta Team |
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| The Epsilon Team |
| Stories Encompassing Multiple Teams |
| Murphy's Law Applies to Conferences Too |
| The Flood |
| An Elaborate Affair |
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| General Information Star channels are a rare type of mage that, in addition to doing spells of their own, can be used by other mages to tap into a portion of the weave that normally cannot be accessed. Because this part of the weave is not used by most mages, it holds more magic energy than the normal parts of the weave. Accessing it gives a mage nearly unlimited power and the ability to do any spell imaginable. A Star channel can only be used after linking to them through close physical contact. It could be something as simple and innocuous as a hug or a handshake or as personal as a kiss or sexual intercourse. The only proviso being that the Star channel has to feel the connection. That is, even if you hug them, if they don’t return the hug, you are not linked to them. A Star channel can only be linked to one person at a time. The link lasts until the channel into the weave is used or the Star channel ends the link. Unlike most types of magic, the ability to be a Star channel is not passed on through genetics. Instead, a Star channel will chose a successor and imbues them with the gift. When the Channel dies, their chosen successor gains their abilities. There is a way for the Star channel to ensure that their powers are passed on to their children, however, it is quite difficult. In order to pass their powers genetically, the Channel must find their Key – a person (usually of the opposite sex), with whom they share a special bond. Any children a Star channel has with their Key will be Star channels. Dangers to Star Channels The danger is that tapping into this portion for too long puts a tremendous strain on the channel. They can be come so exhausted that they fall into a sleep they never awaken from. Also, if the mage is not skilled enough to control the spell, they can “shatter” the channel. A shattered channel essentially goes insane. Under the care of an extremely skilled healer, the channel can be healed, but it’s not an easy task. In addition to this, there is a group of mages that believe that the ability to tap into this portion of the weave is so totally wrong that they seek to stop any who would try it. Rather than attacking the mages, they seek to destroy the Star channels that allow access to this portion of the weave. Because of their close connection to the weave Star channels are vulnerable to attacks sent through it. They react quite badly to magic shockwaves, typically falling unconscious the second it hits them and sometimes going into a comatose state. A simple dispel magic spell causes them to experience severe dizzy spells and disorientation, rendering them helpless until they cleanse their aura. At present, there is only one known Star channel. All others are believed to be dead, either through overuse by other mages or through attacks on them by people who seek to destroy all Star channels. Recognizing a Star Channel Being imbued with the potential to be a Star channel causes an altering in the genetics of the individual. As a result, Star channels usually possess certain traits that help them stand out from the people around them. First, and foremost, a star channel would sense to mages as if it were another mage, although they would not seem to use any magic. (This is true of most channels) They also tend to warp or change any spells used in their general vicinity, even when they aren’t aware of spells being used. Physically, they are of average height and build with hair that is neither dark nor light. The shade of their hair might seem to change from day to day, as might its length. Their eyes change with their emotions, often without any control from the channel. When they are feeling no strong emotion, they tend to be a very dark color, variably described as black or cobalt blue. They have the ability to change pitch and timber of their voice at will and are often very musically talented. In addition to these physical attributes, there are other noticeable traits. Star channels eyes do not adjust to changes in lighting levels as quickly as most people’s do. Because of this, they may act photosensitive when they step from a dimly lit area to a brightly lit one. They may also have difficulty seeing obstacles when moving from a brightly lit area into a dimmer one. This deficiency may also cause them to seem clumsy, because they do not see obstacles and fall over them as a result. Star channels tend to be rather shy and quiet, stuttering or stammering when become nonplussed. They have definite ideas about what is right and stress truthfulness and can be rather unforgiving of deception. Their ideals may make them seem to have a rather short fuse and a quick temper. Actually, they merely seek to make things equal between themselves and those around them. Common Eye Colors Gray – channeling, using magic Lavender – bored, tired Blue – happy, content Teal – scared, upset Green – confused, embarrassed Hazel – angry, frustrated Brown – serious, concerned Golden – aroused, excited Red – lying (only when they actually speak the lie) Types of Star channels Earth – Using an Earthstar channel a mage would be able to tap into very strong Earthlines. Prolonged use would cause earthquakes and landslides in the general area of the spellcasting, as well as possibly causing crop failure. Light – Using a Lightstar channel would give a mage access to both Firelines and the portion of the weave that gives light (aura). Prolonged use would make the climate change to perpetually overcast skies and cold weather. Fires in the area would not provide as much light or warmth as they should. Wind – The use of a Windstar channel gives a mage access to powerful Airlines. Prolonged use would make the weather unpredictable and cause the air to feel thick and heavy. River – By using a Riverstar channel, a mage gains access to strong Waterlines. With prolonged use, the area of the spellcasting would experience drought and what little water remained would become unpalatable. Dark – The Darkstar channel is the most versatile and powerful of the channels, since the mage would gain access to the life force in the area. It is also the only one that causes little harm to the environment with prolonged use. The only danger would be to the channel themselves or to people who come close to it. People in the vicinity of a Darkstar channel that has been used for a long period of time become sick and weak, sometimes seeming to age faster than average. (The only Star channel currently known to exist is of this type.) Spells of Star channels In addition to giving mages the ability to tap into a special part of the weave, Star channels are mages. As such, they have spells of their own. Star channels can change their appearances to a small degree. They can change the color of their eyes, the length and shade of their hair and the pitch and tone of their voices. The Channel may use this as a disguise to evade capture or to sneak into forbidden places. Star channels also have the ability to perform other spells using their ability to tap into their specific potion of the weave. When the Channel taps into this portion of the weave for themselves, there are no ill effects from prolonged use. The spells are of the same power level as any mage of equal level to themselves, but can be sustained far longer than would be expected. The spells of most Star channels, when performed may be confused for elemental magic spells. For example, Earthstars can perform the same types of spells as most Earth elementists, except for a longer time. The difference would be that they perform no incantations. Instead they tap directly into the weave and draw magic out of it. The spells of Darkstar channels are much more subtle than the spell of other Star channels. Rather than doing what seem to be elemental spells, Darkstar channels create illusions and do spells of conjuring and transfiguration. In addition to changing their appearance or tapping the weave, a Star channel has the ability to control the temperature, wavelength and resonance of their aura. Using this ability, they can cleanse themselves of poisons or break spells that have been cast on them, by the strength of their will. |
| Star Channels |