Welcome to Gaia! ::

Slowly the group filed into the empty auditorium, soon filling up every seat. The group whispered to each other, speculating as to why they were called there. The group was vastly diverse; many different races were present. Soon enough, a man dressed casually in blue entered and walked up to the podium, as the whispers ceased.

The man smiled and held his arms wide in welcome. "Greetings friends, I'm glad that all of you could make it today. My name is Lex, and I have many things to tell you." He paused and chuckled. "No, you don't have to take notes." There were a few nervous giggles at this statement, but mostly anticipation as to why they were called. "Well, I can see you're eager to find out why you're here. My dear friends, I am a Mage. A Fire Mage, but we'll get into that later."

A teenaged girl in the front row called out suddenly. "But you're wearing blue, wouldn't you be water?"

Lex scoffed at her, a look of mock offence on his face. "What? My dear child, I don't have to be red to have fire flowing through my veins. Blue happens to be my favorite color, and I look quite nice in it, if I do say so myself. But back on track.

"I'm sure you're asking yourselves what makes a Mage. Well first, you can throw out all those preconceived notions of spell casters. While we do have the typical spell casters, some, like me, choose to be fighters with a slight magical bonus. Just because we're called 'Mages' doesn't mean we're automatically amazing with magic, but all of us have a little magic in us.

"The Mage Race is different from the mage class we all know and some of us love. Mages are a super powered race, an elemental race. Our magic makes us stronger, faster, smarter than any average race. We're very hard to kill; we can't die of blood loss or suffocation. But even if we do manage to die, we have the power of resurrection, although it's generally frowned upon to use that skill. All Mages can do the basic things; shape shifting, telepathy, telekinesis, inter dimensional travel, healing magic, and other things, but depending on the Mage's element, he can also control various elements and have certain abilities, such as a Water Mage can breathe under water, a Fire Mage can withstand any hot temperature, Wind Mages can fly, Ice Mages can withstand colder temperatures, Earth Mages can climb anything. But don't let that get to your head, you still have to work to control these powers. No Mage starts out with high level magic.

"Now, don't think that makes us invincible. We all have our weaknesses. Fire Mages are weak to water, of course, and can slip into a coma if kept in cold temperatures for too long. Water Mages dry out very quickly, they need to live in moist atmospheres, which can be hindered by fire. Ice Mages overheat very easily in hot temperatures, so fire is no good for them either. Earth Mages tend to go a little crazy if they can't feel nature's presence, and Wind Mages do the same if they haven't felt a breeze for too long. And we all have an incredible weakness to lightening. You know those little shocks you sometimes get when you touch a doorknob? If that happened to a Mage, we would go unconscious for hours. It's also the most convincing reason to follow the laws set down by the Grand Council to keep us a secret from normal life."

Several people started shouting their questions, 'why do the laws exist,' 'what are the laws,' 'who are the Grand Council,' 'why lightening.'

"Whoa, whoa, slow down, not so many questions. I'll get around to explaining those, and a little more about our history.

"Our laws are just the basic thing you'd expect, don't kill people willy nilly, don't expose yourself to the world, and that includes using your powers for frivolous things around non-Mages. If you break the rules, you get sent to our version of prison, a small chamber boxed in by electricity. If you break them badly enough, you'll get the electric rack, our version of the Death Sentence.

"Now, onto why these laws are important. A long time ago, there used to be another element, the Lightening Mages. There was a schism between the Lightening Mages and the rest of us, and a war broke out. Even though there were more of us, the Lightening Mages were strong. Both sides were decimated, save for one Mage of Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and Ice. That's also where we gained our weakness to lightening; the elders were so exposed to it, any Mages created after that would inevitably inherit that weakness as well. They became the Grand Council, also called the Council of Mages, and they created the laws we have today to avoid unnecessary bloodshed and the further decline of our race.

An older man raised his hand and spoke his question. "How do Mages still exist if only five Mages were left?"

Lex smiled, pleased with the question. "It's rather simple. Mages are indoctrinated, not born. Well, they can be born, but most of them now were once non-magical. What entails the process? It's rather simple. Magical essence is transferred from one Mage to another. Oh, get your mind out of the gutter. Magical essence is rather like a liquid that can be extracted at will. All it takes is for the non-Mage to absorb the essence and they become a Mage. What's it look like, you ask? Well, if you've ever seen a portal, you'd know. It's purple and thick, and shines with the power of magic.

A younger man near the back of the auditorium who had been sitting quietly the entire time suddenly raised his hand. "Sir, if there are laws against revealing yourselves to non-Mages, why are you telling us?"

Lex nodded approvingly. "It would seem you've already gotten that figured out for yourself. For you that haven't, you all have been chosen to become the next generation of Mages.

"And that's all I have to teach you today. If you ever have a free evening, come sit by my fire and I'll tell you stories of the adventures I've been on."

Professor Lex :: Introductory Studies and Fire Elemental Instructor

Teaches: Introduction to Mages, Mage History, Fire

Element: Fire

Personality: Lex is a very friendly person, always happy to chat with his students, whether it be about classes or anything else. He is very enthusiastic about his job, and tries to make his subjects just as enjoyable for his students. He's a big joker, constantly trying to get everyone to smile. Also, he's incredibly gay. Shame on you if you couldn't tell.

Lex hails from Earth, though he's been to so many places he doesn't exactly have a place that he's from.

Professor Jim Sunderland :: Earth Elemental Instructor

Teaches: Earth

Element: Earth

Personality: Sunderland is very wise and loves knowledge. He was always looking for explanations and reasons, and then trying to pass those explanations and reasons to other kids around him. He was a tutor for his area's high school when he was in middle school. He's also very strong-willed, though he's not as stubborn as he was when he was younger.

He hails from a desert world that makes a very good glass trade and uses it to import water from other planets. This doesn't always make for the best situations. It's toughened him quite a bit, but it's also made him appreciate the small things in life.

Dr. Greg Hawley :: Science

Teaches: Teleportation, Portals, Advanced Time Mechanics

Element: Earth

Personality:

Sgt Steve McKinly :: Physical Training

Teaches: Fighting, Weaponry, Advanced Weaponry and Weapon Summoning

Element: Fire

Personality: Sgt McKinly is a military man through and though. He has been in several different branches over several hundred years. He is a very imposing figure, but if you can prove yourself to him, you will earn a permanent spot on his good side.

McKinly hails from early United States, being born and drafted into the American Revolutionary war. He fell in love with the military and stuck with it ever since. He has taken part in every American war since. While he does have a love for his country, that doesn't mean he disregards other countries. He has studied every fighting style in existence, studying in many countries, and learning everything he could from them. He has taken a particular interest in Asian history of war and fighting, specifically for their use of hand to hand combat styles.

Dr. Silvia Black :: Interracial Relations

Teaches: Ambassadorship

Element: Wind

Personality: