My original vision for Arcanium technology was one that hinged on magic. Arcanium itself was to be a mysterious mineral that was mined from the earth, albeit carefully. Arcanium is extremely volatile in it's naturally recurring form. One misplaced strike from a pick ax you'd be liable to lose an arm, if you're lucky. Before the "Golden Age," the people of Giaos didn't think much of Arcanium, to most it was just some dangerous material that was better left alone. If an average person found an Arcanium vein, they were required to report it to the authorities for quarantine and extraction.
Scholars studied Arcanium and theorized upon it's potential properties. These theories allowed inventors to attempt it's use in their devices, but they were always limited by their initial understanding that it was volatile. Arcanium became a form of coal/oil; something that released energy, but never efficiently and only because that's the best people could come up with.
Then came the first discovery of what would later be regarded as Technomancy. Over two hundred years ago Archaeologists discovered a ruin unlike anything anyone had ever seen. It was ancient by all accounts, but technologically far more advanced than anything modern society could have achieved.
This archaeological site will have to be named for it's significance. Scientists, engineers, inventors and just about anyone with anything to gain from it's study would travel from all over Giaos for a chance to learn it's secrets. In the decades following this monumental discovery Technomancy was born.
The city of Ontierre was built around this ancient ruin and the Ontierre Academy was erected directly above it. For the longest time the Academy was one of the most advanced buildings in all of Giaos, benefiting directly from the study of the site and sharing this knowledge with the world through the tutelage of it's students.
Questions:
Is Technomancy Magic or Science? If it's magic, can anyone wield it's power? If it's science than technically anyone could, right? But can't the same level of "access" be argued across both magic and science? Not everyone in the real world can explain the theories surrounding the bozon particle or string theory; it can be regarded as magic to the uninitiated. For the sake of the fantasy genre, lets assume Technomancy is science so advanced that it may as well be regarded as magic to the masses. And that only a rare few of elite individuals can understand and "wield" it. These people would be feared and respected and the most powerful of them would be in a position of great power.
So the true question is what exactly is the nature of this advanced ancient technology. How does it exist? Where did it come from? And most importantly, what are the limitations? Is it everywhere? If it is then what does that mean for the society of Giaos? Does it have an environmental cost? Pollution? Does it cause damage to the user? Radiation poisoning?
Then there's the cube... It needs to be defined within the context and rules of Arcanium. All of these questions will lead to answers that will only beg more questions and so on and so forth but eventually the questions will become mere exercises in Symantec and at that point we will be prepared to invite our readers to the world we have crafted.
