We've been handling sex and pregnancy on a case by case basis in the game so far. So let's open up the discussion further. This is what I (and some of you who've spoken with me) have been thinking:

( Magical Prophylactics )

This is definitely player knowledge and NOT character knowledge.

Because of the surplus of magic AND the fertility spell cast on Isadore, ALL mages can have children at a younger age.

The phenomenon will start cropping up more and more as the young mothers start seeking prenatal care and eventually it'll get press coverage.

My thinking is that the fertility spell (cast by the mystery NPC) broke the universal law about fertility which became compounded by the surplus of magic around New Meridian. The result is that the one, very pointed spell expanded and altered the world so that now mages can have children younger (the cusp I would say is 18-19). I don't know what other ramifications this might have yet (considering that mages will be giving birth before their magical gifts are fully realized and before they've had a real chance to discover them). I can already see Salem Academy building a daycare wing to help their young parents get through school.

This applies more specifically to Beyond the Graves since Cam and Kat are definitely unstuck in time.

( Time Travel is Risky Business )

I've been working on this new overarching plot idea for a bit now, sort of letting it stew in my brain. It's been 300 years in the making actually. And it works into both Graves and Beyond.

It explains why some of the weirder stuff has been happening.

( Essentially put: )


So. What does this all mean for the game?

Your characters could quite possibly develop a new, peculiar type of magic. Among other possibilities: this extra magic is affecting how things work, making things that were improbable more possible. It's not only affecting mages but magic itself. There are a multitude of ways this could be played out.

It's not necessarily all inclusive, but if you have a character who needs something interesting to happen to them this might be the plot to jump on. It's up to you how you want to play it, however it won't be explainable. While your characters will know something weird is happening they won't know why or how. So if you want, hop on the crazy train.

This is something I've discussed with a few players off the record. I figured anyone could weigh in if they wanted.

( It is possible for magic to be renounced or bound. )

Faeries in Aylasia came from "Faerie" to settle at one point. They lost touch with their ancestors and developed in different ways. Over time they lost some abilities, changed some abilities, added some new ones, retained old ones. You get the picture. Both types of faerie magic will be listed here.

Of note: Faerie has been spelled fairly consistently, but we each have our own variations of the shortened form: fey or fae. Either is fine and could be excused by region, or family tradition.

Something else important to note: while Faeries outside of Aylasia have the seelie and unseelie courts, those lines have long since blurred in Aylasia and there is no distinction or court in existence.

( From the realm of Aylasia )

( From the realm of Faerie )

The prophets knew that most mages had four major phases of magic. The first began at age seven; most children were born with every magical ability they would ever be able to tap, few could gain more. At age seven the average mage could decipher their direction and begin to explore the magic they would like to practice. From that age on to age thirteen the exploration was in full sway. At age thirteen, the end of puberty, most mages attained a burst of power, a strengthening that they could then begin to master until the age of nineteen. At nineteen a mage was considered at their full strength, though they might still learn of other abilities they had not tapped into, it was a rare mage who would ever gain more strength after coming of age.

The last two stages were longer and not as clearly defined as the first two. From nineteen until a certain age, which was different for each mage, their grasp on their magical abilities would plateau. Then from the certain age until the time of their death their magic began a slow decline. Some mages never experienced the final stage of magic and few would argue that it was an unlucky thing. To lose your magic was to lose an integral part of yourself.