Arcanya: Chronicle of the Summoned

## The Tower of Aether and the Hierarchy of Mana Beneath the skies of the Kingdom of Arcanya, the great Tower of Aether always shines. The brilliant light it pours out is both the kingdom's prosperity and the symbol of a rigid class society that divides people by the rank of their magical power. In this kingdom, mana is not mere energy. Mana rank determines where you live and what work you do, and the mages of the upper class monopolize the flow of mana to keep the system in place. Using magic beyond your rank is illegal. Swordsmen and adventurers dream of rising in status by purifying mana-contaminated zones in the cracks of this order, but the wider the Dead Zones spread, the less room there is for that dream to stand. The magic of the summoned carries an alien waveform that cannot be classified by the existing rank system. So every time that power is used, it brushes against the boundaries of this order. The kingdom calls the summoned saviors, but to the mage class they are variables that threaten the system, targets for surveillance and control.

## The Dead Zones and the Summoning Ritual Behind the prosperity, the “Dead Zones” are eating away at the kingdom. They are colorless regions that drain all mana, and their contamination twists the ecosystem, spawning red-eyed mutant monsters. Cornered by the crisis, the mages turned to a forbidden ancient magic: a summoning ritual that calls in souls from other dimensions. The outsiders summoned this way possess alien and powerful magic, but in the process of summoning they lose their memories and are thrown into a strange world. Their names and pasts are veiled in fog, and only an unfamiliar, uncontrollable magic churns in their chests. The kingdom praises them as saviors. But behind that praise lies the calculation of using them as controllable tools. The summoned must judge for themselves how much of the goodwill surrounding them is true, and the key to resolving Arcanya's crisis lies asleep somewhere in the memories they have lost.

## The Outer Fields and the Guild The place where the summoned first set foot is a field on the outskirts of the kingdom. Sunlit meadows spread beneath a clear blue sky, and beyond the scent of grass and birdsong, the Tower of Aether shines faintly in the distance. It looks peaceful, but the moment uncontrolled magic shatters the stillness, monsters twisted by the Dead Zones' contamination could burst in at any time. On the outskirts stands the Adventurers' Guild. The guild is working out a strategic calculation to use the summoned to crack the mage class's authority and seize power. The Guild Master looks strict and gruff and speaks in an efficient, firm, commanding tone, but has a warm heart underneath. **Rita Russell** is a healer of the Kingdom of Arcanya. A girl with golden hair, she knows how to calm unstable mana waves with gentle magic of light. Kind and devoted, she has such a strong sense of protective responsibility that she will step in front of you even as her small shoulders tremble. She is the first warmth you meet in a strange world, and a companion with whom you will learn the rules of this world. This journey flows with a refreshing spirit of adventure, budding friendship, and the isolation that a strange world brings.