The Essence of Magic
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- Опубликовано: 1 июн 2024
- Iron Vessel is an early-modern period, low-fantasy Worldbuilding project, but with certified organic MECHS!
This time we venture into learning about the "subtle" magic system that differentiates this world from our own, and that provides the foundation for the plant based mecha we all know and love to exist, among many other things that we will explore in later videos!
If you want to support this project you can join "The Grove" here!
/ treelancer
or in these other ways if you prefer:
ko-fi.com/treelancer
en.liberapay.com/Treelancer/
Hope you like it, and see you around!
-MCG
Here are my social media links if you want to follow or see more of my previous work
linktr.ee/treelancer
and my personal website, that holds many of my favorite works, both personal and for clients
www.manuelcastanon.com
All the wonderful music you hear in the background was composed by the talented Jimena Contreras, who has generously given a free copyright license to all the music I used in this video.
You can check her amazing work here
/ @jimenacontreras
www.jimenacontreras.com/
open.spotify.com/artist/2kzc4...
and the tracks I used
Fruits of Life
Mayan Ritual
World's Sunrise
Atlantis Rage
Chiapas Marimba 
Развлечения
Hello! If you have any other questions about the magic system, write them here in the comments! And if you want to support this project you can become my patreon here.
www.patreon.com/Treelancer
And here are all my social media links if you want to follow or see more of my previous work
linktr.ee/treelancer
Cheers!
I have a question, is there some sort of institution that teaches dispersal or sharing? Or is it more of a cultural thing that you just learn from those around you?
It is a very simple skill when learnt early, at least the basic "sharing" way of doing it, and would normally be taught at home or in "schools" in the cultures that see it as normal and beneficial, like learning basic first aid, or other life skills.
In other cultures it is severely repressed, like the Hecaxians, and not only is it not taught, it is actively discouraged, and seen as an impure act.
The more advanced, precise way of doing dispersal to control vines for example, is usually learnt in a case by case basis, depending on one's profession or needs, and there are guilds and institutions that can train people in it, or learnt through trial and error.
I have a couple questions, is there any other plants that can make use of essence in a different way? You already mentioned the vines that can turn essence into physical strength but are any other plants used and how does interactions between humans and animals work using essence(doggo?).
And what happens if multiple people try to control the same vine?
If one side have big plant mechs... what do the other side have to combat it? Regular mechs? They already have an engine using energy sucking crystals.
Do they just...throw the energy sucking crystals at the mechs?
I'm enjoying the much lighter tone than Monster Garden. Both are cool but it's clear you're your own thing and aren't just jumping on a hype train or anything. So happy to be here to see your channel and all your cool new ideas
thank you! It wont be always light though, war ain't pretty
They are literally they’re own thing
I'm not sure what hype train you speak of 🤷♂️ maybe MG advertising something he and his viewers created, which seems fair to me. I feel they both produce amazing content, narrative, and artwork.
That’s a fun avatar
Edit: I just realised
A tree with a lance.
And in an "Iron vessel"! :p
Buff Grandma, love it
eat your dinner or Vine swole grandma is coming to getcha!
I really like the mesoamerican inspiration for the designes. It kind fits in nicely with the story.
Thank you! I appreciate that you picked up on that! :D and even more that you said Mesoamerican instead of just Aztec or Mayan C:
The scripts you write for these videos are so well put together!. It gets to the point and gives just the right amount of information and lore. Also the cute little avatar you made is amazing. Ive though about making one too but havent gotten to it. This might be the time to do that.
Haha thanks a lot man! I thought about doing something like this and whether it fit the idea I have for the channel or not, but I kinda like it and livens up the more "boring" sections, like the outro.
Excited to see what you come up with! And thank you for the kind words, and all the support you've shown me on your streams and discord, I really appreciate it!
Shoutout to illustrators making worldbuilding videos on youtube. Gotta be one of my favorite genders.
Do you mean ‘genres’ 💀
@@Meh-hb6lh no I don't
@@n0vitski IMAO
So true
Little tree cauldron guy! 😃
My day is now substantially better.
Im very happy to hear that! :D
i just like how you took something simple and more or less a one trick pony of a magic system, and turned it into quite a diverse set of schools of magic, not because there are different forms of magic, but rather because its being used in different ways.
its always really cool to see this kind of stuff, especially when its worked into the world like this is
I do love the politics around the use of magic, really adds depth
Thank you! I believe such a big and important, yet vague concept, would inevitably be interpreted in different ways, leading to conflict.
Thanks for the comment!
The last drawing is perfect on so many levels, it has that Aztec decapitation pose, the gold and a surreal back story! You should make it into an oil painting, it's a masterpiece! Love from Tunisia to Mexico, our Morisco lost brothers ❤
As a dabbling worldbuilder working on my own fantasy setting, its a relief when I see someone that knows what they are doing, having similar ideas to mine ngl
Makes it feel I also know what I am doing
Your'e method of illustration is quite elegant, the changing drawings add to the narrative as you reveal it.
Thank you!!
Your world is fascinating, and your art is amazing! Keep it up, can't wait to see more!
Thank you so much! after this video which took a long time I hope new uploads will take less time haha so stay tuned!
I loved this bro, it's really refreshing to see the concept of mana utilized tastefully in a low-fantasy setting. Some great designs are featured here!
Thank you so much! :D
How can you draw like that damn. Even with reference I wouldn't be able to do it that good.
lots of practice! and Ive been recently getting into doing gesture studies again! always helps
Hi! I love the mesoamerican influence you put on the world you are making, from the aspects of the characters, the clothes, the names and the essential idea behind the Essence. Here from Argentina, trying some worldbuilding of my own, I'm really glad when I find other latinamericans making such things and creating such rich worlds, especially because we also can feel identify with different aspects of these worlds and enjoy them as well as we do with the ones created by american and european artists. Hope you continue with it and keep on posting videos about its development!
Muchas Gracias Julian! I agree completely, and good luck in your own worldbuilding efforts!
I have to say this series is so underrated, and I enjoy it a lot!!
TY so much! still early days haha I think it has been received really well!
Absolutely brilliant worldbuilding and great illustrations!
THank you so much! :D
I think it would be interesting if there was a third faction made up of defectors from both sides. Using the vines and soul engines (powered by livestock) to create massive mechs that are unmatched on the battlefield. But they are ridiculed by both sides because they use the "unethical" soul engines and the "heretical" vines.
edit: i also love what you're doing with this world, and this is just a suggestion
Yooooo ! Love your new lil character you speak through. I have to say your world is facinating, and I'm starting to realy love it. ❣️
Haha thank you! I was unsuer which reception it would get haha, Im glad to hear you like it! :D
Wow! I love this system! It's so simple, yet full of depth, story, and really feels like a natural part of the world and soceity
The mech armor, are awesome. There could be legends about people being absorbed into the armor. Like an empy suit of armor that is still in the battlefield, alive or kinda "undead".
Not the body, but its soul, and it would begun to develop "quirks", as akin to habits and ticks that the former pilot used to have.
And, depending of the mech, there could be akin to "lineage" of mech riders.
This is, you know It, Amazing! Not only your art is beautyful but It can clearly show what you are explaining too. Your voice character is very cute. This magic system is very cool, i'll be sending some essence to this project!
Wow!! SO well made and well explained. It’s amazing. Congrats Treelancer ;)
Thank you so much! C:
Great project. I love the art. And the Magic System looks simple and affective
Thank you! :D
Honestly the more of your work I see the more I can’t get enough of it I can’t wait to see what else you make
When I was watching this video and saw the art depicting the characters and the way you refer to the factions, I almost lost it. I very rarely see people working with fantasy and use anything else than the setting of medieval Europe. Don't get me wrong, I like it as much as the next nerd, but with how saturated the fantasy genre is with it, it's so refreshing to see someone do something new with it.
I think we need to have more stories like that, and I cannot wait to see more of your vision for this world that you are building.
I agree! Im tired of Mesoamerican cultures being under-represented, or whenn they are they just somehow stuck to stone age tech and aliens xD
Thank you for the support! more to come!
Great video, and what an amazing project! I'm so glad to see more and more people sharing their worldbuilding on RUclips. Best of luck to you :)
What a lovely system and packing of information. I'm so excited about this man!!!
Dude this is so fucking cool, I'm so excited to see all this new project has to offer! In time of course. Though I may be very excited, PLEASE keep taking as long as is needed to really make this what you want it to be. It's genuinely so amazing and truly inspiring so far!
Tree huggers got the tree hugging on a whole new level.
nice to hear lore from your humble project. i hope great success comes your way!
You are awesome. Never stop believing in yourself.
Thank you! C:
Yeah I found the next worldbuilding channel ✌️
Absolutely in love with this world! All of your content is so inspiring, dude
no words, just awesome!!!
It's a good thing i chose to stay up late, I would have missed this otherwise. Amazing stuff!
thank, you, glad you like it!
These are great! Keep it up, you and Monster Garden are doing outstanding work.
These ideas are so inspiring
This is fascinating. Love the lore, art and the magic system. Keep up the good work!
Its like I'm watching the intro to a video game series, fantastic.
As an avid gamer that warms my heart, glad you enjoyed it!
Your designs are so refreshing. Not many ppl out there doing fantasy that isnt extremely european, much as i can still enjoy that. This is a breath of fresh air. And those prosthetics! I was hoping the vines could be used that way! The potential for medicine in soft fantasy is incredible. Not quite "i regrew your lost limb with this scroll and raised your friend from the dead withan expensive ritual spell", not quite our medicine either, and its something that interests me a lot! I hope youll explore it more.
This is incredible!
Enjoy your work
Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Magic plant mechs and stuff, this is so cool! Just found this channel, and I'm already in love with it. Thank you for your hard work! Looking forward to more amazing lore and art!
I really like this. The base concept of magic coming from within isn't new, but I really like how you expanded on it, made it have physicality, it has drawbacks that are reasonable and compelling, learning or that lack of learning it all makes sense. Its well explained and I can imagine what it would feel like to have this kind of magic. I also like what you're able to do with this kind of magic.
Simple magic system, but well integrated with elements like your vines. Very solid!
And the art was great as always; both style and the storytelling.
TY so much! glad you enjoyed the video!
I love this project of yours.
Thank you very much!
Your magic system intrigues me. =D
Like always fantastic job! Sigue así!
This is so magical! I've found another RUclipsr who I would strive to be ❤️
awww thank you so much, that means a lot!
sorry it took so long to answer I was going through some stuff Cx
I really love the magic system and how much thought was put into the logistics of those machines.
But personally I really hope the factions will be more nuanced when it comes to their morals and motivations than just: good nature respecting villagers and an evil industrial empire.
If we look at real world history, it's very rare to see conflicts in which one side is clearly in the wrong/right.
I understand that the The video is short and most of it was about the magic system, so i presume there's a lot-lot more we don't know about the factions, so please don't take it as a critique, but more of an observation, and my personal hope for how the story will develop.
Ultimately it's your world building project, and I do not wish to sway you from your intended vision.
Anyway, I'm really excited to see more of the world you created, and more of your amazing ideas. Keep up the good work!
Certainly! and thank you for the comment.
It is like you said, the world is rarely so black and white, but many cultures since the dawn of history, have behaved to others in ways that were un-debatably villainous, or even within the same culture, how some of its members treat the others can be almost unapologetically evil, and dehumanizing. That is not to say Zemshevans or any culture is perfect, for that matter.
However, there will be more nuance than is shown in this video, as one of the main protagonists of the first story is in fact a young Hecaxian noble, fallen from grace, which will shed more light into Hecaxian culture from within.
But sadly its still going to be a long time before the narrative itself, which is all planned and plotted, starts to be discussed in the channel in any depth.
some day though! I hope!
Thank you once again! and I hope you will like what is to follow!
I completely agree with your point. I guess I was thinking more about an empire on empire conflict when I wrote my comment, like European kingdoms fighting each other, but there certainly are plenty of conflicts in which one side is clearly the victim.
That first story idea sounds really interesting.
I know it may be too early to ask, but in what format mainly do you plan to present those stories.
Just lore videos like this one? Or can we expect some written works, or Comics?
@@Tree.lancer
@@nylittlekiler that's precisely the thing! I'm on the fence still.
My original idea was to make an illustrated novel, then I thought about a comic, and even to make some animatics for the most epic sequences, maybe a TTRPG book, who knows! As of right now, I have no clear answer yet, but plan to find out! It also will depend on community feedback to some extent, so hopefully it will be something we can all enjoy C:
I have no real experience in the logistics of creating media, so please take what I say with a grain of salt, but I did think about a similar problem once.
I would say that one of the key factors in choosing a proper medium is the ratio of “amount” of story to work hours, like for example, describing one scene in writing will generally take much less time then drawing said scene in a comic.
But presentation is also important, a more labor intensive medium like comics would let you directly convey those cool designs of mechs and world directly to the viewer without the degree of separation present in written work.
I personally think that comics with a simpler art style (less detailed outlines and simple colors, grayscale or hatching rendering) would strike a good balance between story, work and presentation for this project.
For me a big draw-in is seeing those amazing mecha designs “come to life” and not just imagining them from description, a comic would let you keep that aspect while still letting you tell a bit longer story in a reasonable amount of time, so if you can keep the scope of a narrative in check the comic would be really cool to see.
BUT, if you have a lot of ideas for stories or a multiple book spanning grand narrative, that you really want to put out into the world, then the illustrated novel would be a better choice.
Of course ultimately you're not bound to any one medium so experimenting and seeing what works for you would be the best choice, but you probably already know that.
@@Tree.lancer
@@nylittlekiler yup! Ive considered that too
For now my plan is to use YT to provide a good base of content, kind of like making my own lore channel for the project, use it to grow interest and hopefully be able to make it into my main job, then once that groundwork is done, hopefully I will have a better idea of my chosen medium for the story.
At this time I only have one major plot outlined, but have also vague ideas for stories set in the same world. although in different regions, with different factions and even time periods. but that's more in the very long term.
Thank you for the advice! it is really well thought out, and appreciated :)
This looks super interesting! Looking forward to learning more about this world and its people!
Wonderful.
Yay algorithm for this video
I just found this video and I am amazed.
I love the magic system you created. I love the art you're making to visualize it.
I subscribed immediatly because I want to know more!
Hope there will be more video's about the magic system and maybe more concept art?
Definitely more! not sure if there will be more videos about the magic itself, as I have so much to cover already.
Alsoo eventually I will shift from this worldbuilding base to a more narrative focused content, which will in itself contain lore bits, but in a more inmersive presentation, thank you for the kind words!
Great setting!
this would be a cool setting fore a dnd campane
This us fascinating!
This is my claim that I was here before you become super popular
hahahaha I hope! and thank you for being here!
This is awesome stuff. Keep it up!
I absolutely love this series so far! You and Simon from Monster Garden are really inspiring me to finally make my own world building series 😁 now I just need to actually draw it 😅
A very cool concept!!!
this is awsome
This is soooo cool!
Fantastic Art and Amazing Video!! :) 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 💖❤️💖❤️
Ay me encanta la plantita
Muchas gracias! :D
This is really cool😊👍👍
AWESOME
This is a very intriguing magic system
Amazing work! really inspiring. I hope to also take on my own world building project after I finish my current. this is so fun to see :D
Please do! Worldbuilding projects are so fascinating to see!
@@Tree.lancer thanks! I'll let you know when I do 😁
Have my subscription sir, this is excellent
really interesting!
This is so cool! I've also got an idea for a power system based on plants, so it's really cool seeing your take on it. The plant mechs idea is so cool and original. I love your designs, I hope to be able to design like you one day.
Good work
This is awesome
Ty so much! :D
Amazing art and concept. More videos plz 🙏
More incoming! already got a lot planned and partially done :D
Interesting how this system feels similar to the one I am crafting. In my own, those who can innately use magic in their own bodies cannot produce magic, while those who cannot innately use magic in their own body will radiate it out constantly. The magic is only containable within living cells and greater multicellular structures or crystal lattices such as seen in clear quartz.
I am exploring how a fundamentally dependent relationship between magic users and magic producers might shape a world. Adding to that, the magic warps magic users to become more in line with how they see themselves. More extreme mindsets and personalities are a common result for magic users.
It has since turned into an arms race of magic users fighting to maintain access to and secure their relationships with magic producers and magic producers rebelling against their exploitation through the advancements of crystal-magic technologies and alliances with more agreeable magic user factions.
That sounds very interesting indeed, and what can I say, great minds and all that! ;)
Godspeed on your worldbuilding projects!
Wow amazing, bro keep consistent every one is craving more content!
Thank you! Will try!
Awesome stuff! Very underrated.
haha I dunno about that, thers not much out yet
But thanks a lot! :D
Love the new mic quality
Thank you! its the same mic but I learned a bit of audacity, took a million retakes, and edited it again in Premiere
Took a lot of work, so I'm so happy it paid off! :D
...ABSOLUTAMENTE GENIAL...
Such a good video, but the moment he said hello, I thought I clicked on the “Hello! And welcome to the Las Poyos Hermanos family. My name is Gustavo but you can call me Gus.” 💀
x'D
Cool!
Wow its amazing how similar this magic system is to mine.❤
very interesting magic, looking forward to more details of your world
TYy so much! working on it!
I'm stealing a LOT of this for my next D&D campaign, thanks!!
Have at it! and have fun!
This is such a cool world!
Domo arigato Senpai! :P
So I'm wondering why one couldn't just grow yeast in a vat in the same way we brew beer for sacrificing life essence in powering machines? Is that a consideration you've thought about at all and have addressed or are planning to address in the story?
I'm guessing the ultimate reasoning would have to do with how little essence there is in the yeast, but I feel that given the exponential growth of the yeast and given the fact that the dead yeast remains would be chemically similar and therefore a potent feedstock for future batches or other microbes like lactobacillus as well as their creating necessary products such as vinegar and alcohol, this would quickly overcome the differences in total essence unless the equivalent biomass to essence doesn't proportionally scale when comparing yeast or bacteria to, say, a mouse, but even if you needed 100x the mass to get the equivalent essence, it would just be more efficient to grow yeast.
Really looking forward to this series. I love hard magic systems
that's a really interesting idea I hadn't thought about, thank you!
but I guess their preference for expansion is that renewable as life essence ought to be (although its a bit different the way Hecaxians do it) its still cheaper to go take new "batches" of living matter than growing your own at home
still, interesting point to be addressed though! maybe there are competing schools of thought regarding life essence, even within Hecaxian culture.
graet video full of information i love your art and your voice is perfect for this type of video. this serie is so cool i can't wait to know all of what you've and you'll write and draw about it ❣❣
Thank you! C:
Imagine the following scenario. There was a war between two clans, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people. After this, the victorious clan decided that all magic related to 'life essence' must disappear, and ceased to teach the young how to use it. Their obsession led to the destruction of all writings and treaties on the subject. Over the millennia, the manipulation of 'life essence' was forgotten. No one remembers those skilled warriors anymore, and the great mechs have been destroyed. It was during this time that Nil was born. In his era, an empire rose to power following the discovered writings of an ancient culture, which they considered their sacred book-a book that escaped the destruction of the archives. It speaks of ruling with an iron fist, and of something related to extracting essence from living beings. As a result, they began to massively fell trees and extract minerals from the earth, reverting to powerful firearms and dominating the world. With his family plunged into absolute poverty, Nil begins to realize that he feels a special connection with living beings. He feels that nature is calling him. He feels the essence of life.
Your little pot guy made me sub in like the first 5 sec
All according to Keikaku
Awesome work, can't wait to see who is the Hecaxian god and how he influences society
I need more
damn this is a really cool concept
Glad to see more of this, but what is the prefer armor type and body plan of the shanshevas and the heckasens?
dont know what you mean by body plan
But to answer the armor questions, pretty much similar to what it was in the 1600's in Europe, the rise of gunpowder brought down the use of heavy plate armor, except for the mechs of course, most soldiers use demi-armor or 3/4's armor, a thick cuirass, or no armor at all!
@@Tree.lancer oh interesting, but what i meant was the type of shape they use for the suits (lean,bulky,hunched), with the essence engine, i imagine the heckasens are able to make quadrapeds (four legged) calvary support.
@@richardtimothihimbawan69 Interesting! and very good and clever conclusion
in terms of the vinemechs, there is a certain limit to size as the square-cube law still applies to the vines, however there are many variations in body types, although in this channel Ive only shown the more "standard" build, humanoid, but with big legs to support the weight, however depending on their function and time period the will look very different, for example if they are meant for warfare in general, charging, raiding or just to defend a city, those builds would be very different, and different pilots have individual preferences as well.
In terms of the Hecaxian machinery, you have made a very good assumption, and there will be a video dedicated to how they deal with the mechs, and their technology in general, however I dont want to spoil too much yet!
Thank you for the comment!
Here's an example of how one of the earliest mechs looked like, basically just a bucket with arms lol
instagram.com/p/CpvPnaSo85w/
@@Tree.lancer cool !,a walking box of death. Also, while i atmired you decision to show the prosess of you drawing, i think its smoother to just show the end product (make it more like a slide show, and less like a timelapse).
Wow this is amazing! Your artworks are soooo good and I really dig 1. your world in itself and 2. also the storytelling you did in this video.
In some parts my magic system of my current project is actually pretty similar to yours which i find quite funny.
Will support you on patreon when I have the money and am looking foward to explore your world and also your way of thinking as a worldbuilder through upcoming videos! Keep up the great work and greetings from germany :D
Thank you so much! It means a lot to me, sorry for the late response!
Yooooo I found a new worldbuilding youtuber! I love fantasy settings that take place is unconventional time periods, like the early modern period! I hope you don't mind if I shamelessly borrow these ideas for my homebrew campaign!
This is super cool, definitely subbing ^^