The Flower Brides of the Cruel Emperor Tzon-Chon

 The Flower-Brides of the Cruel Emperor Tzon-Chon

-an Orange Sun/Far-Tomorrows fiction by

Maxx Feral

"Oooh...!" the soft voice gasped....

"You... are an unannounced visitor?"

The woman was standing with her musical instrument in the Forbidden Gardens of one of the many Forbidden Palaces where the Cruel Emperor kept court.  He was rumored to be staying in the palace at this time.

"I am here to see the Emperor..." the man said, standing with his curved Asian sword and wearing a jet black skin tight uniform that shimmered as it created a bubble of counter information.  He should be invisible to any human or mechanical eye.

"Ooohhh...." the beautiful woman said again...  "I was reading from an ancient text while playing an ancient tune.  We are privileged here for the Emperor Tzon Chon has forbidden these works to the rest of his kingdom lest they distract from simple labor or confuse the mind with unnecessary thoughts."

She started playing again and singing...

"Please, woman, I must be on my way..."

"I fear our Emperor might find me to have been rude to a guest for he must have given you permission to enter this garden.  Only a few save he is allowed to even be in our presence?"

"Sisters?  Let us dance and sing for this man!"

She started playing and as if from the many exotic and unique plants in this vast garden a dozen or more women of incredible beauty emerged and danced and sang all around the visitor.  The first woman gave her musical instrument to another who pulled its two strings expertly as she embraced the visitor not caring his sword was still drawn.

"You wouldn't hurt us? Have we displeased you?  Would you hurt innocent women whom the Emperor honored to spend their flowering years pleasing him?  Would you have their families shamed with dishonor and slowly cut apart in front of their village to shame them?  You would not want us used like disposable girls to have many embryos put into our wombs then be cut open so dozens of several week spawn spill out for his soup of immortality?"

"Please...  I have urgent business and must see your Emperor..." he said but she held with great strength as he tried to push past.

"You wouldn't want this innocent but beautiful woman to have been found not pleasing to any guest of great honor in Tzon-Chon's garden?  To see us put to agonies or have our families killed in front of us?  He rarely sends men such as yourself to us but has assured us to tell them they are not a threat to him or his ego no matter their manhood...?

They started to try to undo his outfit, ignoring some sparks as the connections in the meta-material that resembled a silk Ninjustu outfit of ages past were disrupted.  Several women were now holding him and caressing him, pulling off his clothing to reveal a not unattractive man of Greater Kathay.  He noticed his sword had been removed from his hand and now a woman was caressing and sucking on his fingers.

"I must see the Emperor.  I shall speak no ill of you.  The Emperor's wrath will not be an issue after I ..."

"Assassinate him?" the first woman said with a smile and still an expression of love to his face.  "All who are in this garden without permission are considered Assassins and so we are ordered to assume as such..."

She split open as did her sisters or fellow pleasure women.  

From almost invisible creases on their bodies the Emperor's Flower Women expanded into their true selves; Monstrous plant/animal hybrids!  Their beautiful exteriors burst to reveal razor sharp leaves and thick tendrils full of fangs that were hollow to drain blood.

The Assassin had but half a scream before he was enveloped by them...

-----

Later the Emperor was holding a torn bit of the Assassin's metatmaterial stealth clothing and his sword.  The Minister of War was prostrating himself trembling and begging for mercy.

"Calm yourself and be a Man.  I shall not slay you on this day despite your loss of composure for a brief second.  I know full well how many you slay almost daily before they even reach inside the wall of my palaces.  My concubines hold a special place in my heart but I do understand your frustration."

The concubines were all lined up in front of him, fanning themselves, swaying, giving looks of innocent seduction.  They had wrapped themselves back into their feminine, pleasing appearance and even their robes were petals that they had grown.  Save bangles and other jewelry they were entirely camouflaged plant/animal hybrids created to serve and protect the Emperor.

"The Minister of War was frustrated you left so little evidence.  I will not find fault in you either but if or rather when the next Assassin ventures into your reach please do your best to leave some evidence.  A hand or better yet a head...  It will make his job easier for these Assassins rarely act alone.  There is usually a dozen or more Traitors who do not Praise the Mandate of Heaven and my Glorious Empire of pure order and justice involved behind a single Assassin who will recruit more or in desperation try to sabotage some part of my Red Dragon Kingdom before killing themselves to escape justice.  Even if an Assassin acts alone surely there is someone needing punishment for not being alert and ready to report suspicious behavior.  This material and the sword alone I shall put someone to justice for if I can find who gave or made this for them...

"Rise, Minister of War - do your best to find this Assassin, there are bits of him you can trace on the ground for hopefully his DNA is on the public registry at least.  Look for the real ones, no more confessions encouraged by discomfort or threat of it... I want those that did this or I want to know we did not.  I know you do your best for me.  What I seek is knowledge or the lack of it on this day from you.

And I am sure my concubines forgive the 'stupid flowers' remark?"

They bowed and one came over and kissed him.

"Minister of Propaganda - let the News channels say an intruder was executed by my Minister of war before he reached my inner garden.  No news about my private world is to be leaked.  Offer a reward and forgiveness if someone gives us information that leads to the capture of these Assassins but perhaps simply forgot to mention it?

The minister of Propaganda bowed but the Emperor noted he paused but a moment...

"I mean forgiveness for I am generous on this day.  If an Assassin turns in the others I shall make him a Prefect...of the edge of the burning deserts or the Antarctic re-education colonies...station, reward, Honor...and far away and watched to not be a problem.   If some citizen merely did not notice but remembers sale or possession of illegal materials or a sword and remembers later indeed reward them, I fear some might worry that reporting makes one a suspect...?"

The Minister of Propaganda bowed again and left in haste.

"Good.  All is in order again." said the Cruel Emperor Tzon-Chon and he mounted a golden throne in his Forbidden Garden.  "I shall take some relaxation and celebrate another day where an Assassin was at least thwarted before he got within a hundred paces of my Divine self.  You be about your Duties, Minister of War but if you catch the other Traitors sooner than today just leave note with my Secretaries for I shall not want to be disturbed until tomorrow save the direst of reasons..."

The Flower-Women surrounded the Emperor and danced, played, sang and caressed him.  His Other Ministers and guards grabbed the evidence from the scant remains of the Assassin and respectfully bowed and backed out to seal the door behind thick walls of dark Jade like mortar...

-----

In the "Orange Sun" or "Far-Tomorrows" TTRPG setting there are plenty of monsters and by far most were created by the "Wizard Lords" for petty whims.  Especially the mostly female monsters or "Monster-UUU" in an ancient dialect.

The Cruel Emperor Tzon Chon however is credited with creating the first human-plant hybrid, at least the first one functional outside blobs of tissue in a laboratory.  He did this because while making himself biologically immortal with the technology of the time he allowed no other access to it and grew tired of his concubines and how they'd usually try to kill him or run after decades even before age might have faded their beauty.  Only a few lasted long enough to be retired from his service honorably which he would have rewarded with wealth and status.

Thus he turned to technology to create "Maidens of Flowers" where plant tissue was somehow manipulated into a creature that could mimic an idealized human female.  These beings were alien and their behaviors merely survival for at heart they were plants still.  All they really needed was to roam about his private gardens and would pleasure him or keep him company, reading the ancient poetry and literature that was mostly banned to all but he and his inner circle. 

They also aided in his defense for there were many Assassins sneaking in to try to kill the Emperor they acted as unexpected guards for the sun on their skins was far too little energy and they relied on flesh to keep active as an animal...  Those who were not him nor a few of his trusted inner circle were legitimate prey.  Their delicate feminine appearance quickly folded away into their inner bodies of fast moving leaves and piercing spines that resembled teeth but would drain blood from prey.

Long after his passing they remained for they were plants and designed to regenerate from near total destruction.  There were natural limits on their total numbers to prevent them over-running the world but they did multiply and spread through the world including into the west.  These inspired the "Wizard-Lords" to make their own plant based monsters of mostly female appearance for aesthetics beyond acting as guards to their castles.  Still some of the more ancient and powerful monsters are the "Flower-Women" and the dreaded "True Alarune"...  There are many other plant based "Monster-Uuu" including confusingly "Rose Girls" certainly created by the Wizard-Lords that came long after the Cruel Emperor of course.

Most of these have a "Backup" where there is a seed somewhere about the size of a loaf of bread and it uses the "Root Network" where plants and mushrooms all link and communicate.  If a Plant based monster is destroyed it usually regenerates on the spot within a few months or years.  If there  is exceptional call to kill it - such as 20+ cubic meters of earth dug up and sterilized or a Dragon's fire on the ground the seed waits a decade or longer and sprouts another one.  Over a long interval of centuries they might produce another naturally but this is done to keep them rare by the Genetic Engineers who designed them.  They can also reproduce on command but those commands are long lost.  Biologically immortal these creatures live to live like any plant.  

They will use their skills from seduction to predation to continue their existence.  While most of the Wizard Lord's plant-women are immobile or limited to a set space the Flower-Women are free to move and do so.  They will sometimes be a mistress or seductress and other times appear as a mostly dead tree resembling a woman but with some leaves growing out and stay still for decades.  They rarely attack without good reason for even though they are near impossible to destroy and will grow back if chopped to bits they do not like to do so.  However they can and will split into a terrible plant monster and kill an opponent by ripping flesh and draining fluid.  This they usually do if no one else sees it fearing being seen as a "Monster" and so will often use their slightly better than average strength to fight off an attacker if witnessed.

These beings are greatly feared in the East for even many, MANY thousands of years after the Cruel Emperor's reign they are a dark memory.  In the West they can be prized concubines of Nobility and Rich merchants;  Perfect beautiful women who mostly stand around and be beautiful at day but can play and entertain and then become passionate at night or in private.  They will not fade in beauty and will usually come back if killed.  They do have their own minds and can and do choose to be a mistress or a wanderer or a near inert plant based on their moods and desires.

Note they are intelligent but in a different way.  They can speak and act but must commit to it so they can rarely act suddenly.  When they do speak or converse for too long their tissues heat up and usually they sweat or their eyes water with streaming tears.  This creates an exotic and sympathetic effect but it is merely to protect the special tissues the  plant uses for its brain usually somewhere in the mid-section.  If this is disrupted by stabbing through the plant is usually immobile for a day but returns to look like a beautiful woman in a statuesque pose.

Note also their hair color, clothing and skin are all changeable.  These are modified "Petals" in effect as hair and fingernails are chitin to animals.  They started out appearing as perfectly beautiful eastern women but they have all learned and shared how to appear as such but by Western Standards.  For Western ones they usually embrace the 'flower' aspect allowing recognizable petals to grow from their heads and their dresses leaves and petals as often as appearing as silk and velveteen.  For easier appearance due to the Negative association they are more formal growing silk like cloth petals and strict long black hair though on close inspection the hair is thin long petals but would be flat and wide compared to a human hair.

A cure for a Malady of the Minde - a tale in which the Wytches of the Eros Cult do a good service for a family...

"Mother!  Father!  Enough...  I'm ...sorry (he choked back tears...) but I love Pietor and he will be my partner for life no matter the Increate said we would be both males in this lifetime.  Let the Speaker try to scare us with Dawgma all day.  And if it be I must seek my own fortune, so be it, I shall go to Tipor the coastal city with Pietor.  He is an artist and artisan and I've learned my trade in Wares to be Journeyman so I shan't ask a sovereign coin from you...

"Son..." his father said, "It is that you are the only Male besides me in our household.  The name must continue.  You can just be best friends with Pietor and once in a while ... go camping.  Some men do that and almost every woman has a friend she shares ...secrets... with...?"

"Like Mum and my non relative Aunte Bernicey?"  he said, "I suppose that is who I got my ... nefarious malady from..."

"Siemoen...!  Don't you dare leave this house...!?"
But the lad picked up his already made pack and left the door closing loudly on the way out.

"I shall pray for him..." said Father Speaker Thomas, the local Agnost Priest.
"What good will that do.  Your Dawgma scared him nothing?"  Simeon's father, Donovam said as his wife held him and wept.

"The Increate has allowed Mankind his Free Will, that is Dawgma.  We speak and interpret his will and counsel men but if there be direct reward for virtue and sure punishment in life for sin then there be no Free Will.  I can give tongues to speak his word, I can smite true enemies but the miracles I am given do not allow me to force one's mind."


A knock on the door and a voice called from the street through the viewing bars, a low soft but powerful feminine voice; "I see your sign say ye be not to be disturbed on this day but I was given word you might need to consult my order...?

"Enter!" Donovam almost shouted,  The door opened and in strode several females in robes that almost covered their strong, voluptuous bodies and shrouded their faces.  They were wrapped for modesty but their curves and especially hips and enormous breasts were neigh bursting the thin soft fabric.   They wore sparse jewelry, sandals advertised their perfect feet and they carried staffs carved into a wooden double phallus cardecus

"Wytches!?  Of the Eros cult!?" Speaker Thomas spat out, "No!  The Church does NOT approve....!"

"You yourself said you can not force free will.  And the Wytches are an option of any free citizen per the treaty...."

"Please...  Your daughters know your craft well and I could find an orphan.  Or we could wait a while?"
"A man must succeed me, Speaker, to carry on my lawful name and I doubt any adult male I could train in my crafts in time could be found.  I know it be a sin to consul the Wytches but I will bear it if need be to protect my household!"

The Agnost excused himself in disgust and walked out the side door to come not near the Wytches who were greeting with kind gestures but of a fleshy kind.  The head witch made an arms out bow and if by will alone the Hausfrau, Donovam's wife was the one to talk to despite it being a matter of defending a Patriarchal issue."

"A quick chat we shall have, Daughter, over obligation and recompensense but we must make reasonable haste...  May I assume the young man running out of the house is the one you wish us to give ... Consul?"


Later - in the forest - the two men were keeping a brisk pace.
"I know these woods well, Siemon, we'll be in HansForge before the moonrise and in a week or so's walk the Coast.  I have coin and hard sausage saved well.  Don't look back, I've shed too many tears also.  Won't it be fun to settle in the coastal city instead of just visiting once every other year and be too busy on business to enjoy oneself?"

They stopped in their tracks seeing a strange green mist...
It wrapped all around them and it was like blackest night had fallen and the only light came from the glowing green mist at their feet!

"Little lost lambs....." a feminine voice cooed.
"Little Sinners..." another spake.
"We are here to cure you..." a third hissed!

"Wycthes!?" Pietor gasped.  Simeoen took front and pulled his short-sword.
"I be of legal age and by guild of Journeyman status...  I may go of my own by right of way and with me..."

He was standing alone in the mist, though shadows of voluptuous ladies seemed to dance around him.
"Ye be young madmen...  Your parents both asked us to cure your sickness of the Mind..."

"No!  I will..." - Simeoen grunted as the short sword was knocked from his arm by an unseen hand.  He could tell that the had had such strength and speed it could have pierced his chest casually if it had wanted to.  Immediately two of the Wytches were holding him and he heard a suppressed scream of his lover Pietor off somewhere in the mists..  "You cute little Sinner!" a Wytch giggled.  She reached into his pants and undid the leather straps to hold his front but her other hand was on his head and held him in paralyzed shock, sparks from her body entering his mind.  Another Wytch had grabbed him by his arms but when her syster had held his mind had moved to his legs, helping her fellow manipulate between his legs.

 

"It is not your fault, little Sinner..." the Wytch cooed, her breath breathing into his from sweet lips and he noticed her curly red and auburn hair - the smiling lips, the short kisses...  "Oh, some perhaps are born your degenerate way, others choose to sin...  But no matter, we are here to help you..."
Simoen gasped as his manhood became full and started quivering.  He noticed again the sweet breath, the kisses, her enormous breasts squeezing against his chest.  Milk squirted when pressed and the warm milk soaked onto his skin through his clothes and seemed to burn.  He'd have tried to fight but his body was held without his will as both Wytches held him and manipulated his body.

Simoen screamed as his manhood erupted and kept erupting in a wave of pleasure and pain as the strange magicks from the Wytch's hand burned his brain.  He lost consciousness...

Later, in the Donovam household.  A bed and darkened room.  A dim fire with some books and Pfennig-dreadfuls of questionable lifestyle advocacy burning.  In the room with Simoen were his parents, the Agnost speaker, the Wytch and now Anette, the young woman whom Simoen was betrothed...

"So we've worked with Pietor's household, he'll go to the Pine Mountains and a year's stint in the guards but the unit he's in is strict and there are ... women there?"

"Yes, and thus he will not meet Simeon for quite a while to complicate things.   His parents owed me a lot or we'd be sending our son off but better the bond with Pietor be broken and heal in a normal presence."

"I must take my leave now.  Have the young lady hold his hand.  She should be careful, he'd be the last to hit a woman willfully but might thrash in nightmare.  The spell I cast will take time and better he form a bond to her than chase any woman with newfound passion.  May I assume that as she was matched with him, an excellent one at that besides his malady, you consent with him cohabiting with her?  Excellent.  He may be needy in an obvious way.  Blessings of our God be upon this household..."

"I still oppose this utterly." the Agnost Speaker said to the Father of the household.
"I know it be a Sin, to turn to the Wytches, but I'll risk my judgement to protect my household."
"It is not that," said the priest, "I did not think your household could easily afford the Wytches...  Consulting a Wytch for a fortune is bad, paying for a lesser service is also bad but such a service costs very much...  More than a tradesman even of your good status can easily afford.  Did you...?"

"Suspect them not." said the young woman at Simoen's side, a raven haired lady in a nice tradesperson class dress.  "I took the full price." and she bore her chest with breasts only small in comparison to the Wytches.  The mark of Luna in crescent form and tiny dot of her daughter was upon them, small and almost under the left breast.

As the priest gasped and stared she said - "I was his betrothed.  I'd asked my parents to set me up with him as I had eyes for him since we were children.  We tried to make it work, even ... did things before just to see.  But he only had passion for his male friend.  I paid the price so if you denounce anyone as Apostate it be me!"

The priest held his own staff out, the Cross of the Great Wheel in the Sky with its twelve houses for the drivers of the Age in between its spokes, the cross in the center representing the Great Son.  He tapped her lightly on the head;  "I grant thee lesser Martyr status.  You threatened your soul and status in pure love not greed nor evil.  You must increase your efforts to behave in accordance with universal law but I shall not denounce you for this deed."

The priest bowed and left.  They noted the Wytch was still there.
"What will you ask in exchange...?" she started, covering her bosom up.
The Wytch helped her with her dress and put her hand back on her Beau's as he twisted in uncomfortable dreams.
"Nothing that will hurt another or even embarrass your poor Speaker.  You'd think he only knew of us from fairy tales wanting you to drug the sweet juice at the party and tuck curse-dolls under beds.  We'll only ask mild favors for our order now and again, nothing too taxing nor illegal or any of that.  And we'll check in from time to time to make sure your Husband's malady does not return, it is not a debt but a bond and obligation.  I have many myself and must be off." - and the Witch left the room, leaving a relived set of parents with their 'cured' son and his bride to be.

As she left the door her voice carried, "And you may even bear a Hero of this age amongst your children...!"

---End

---FYI - "Mark of the Wytch" in this far age vs a simple crescent as in the past (and a REH story!)

Luna under its thin atmosphere in the waning period with the rare and either malefic or benign appearance of her 'daughter' a new satellite that's usually invisible.  When the tattoo is done by a Wytch proper, taking some materials and secret techniques it appears as a blue ink but will shine under the moonlight and the dot for the Moon's "Daughter" will sparkle.

-----Note - the two illustration images are cuts of a larger image - which will be in the full book.  A commission by "Gulavisual" for this project - if you wish to see the full image earlier and perhaps more images from this project I have no problem with you logging into his site and signing up to see these and many more erotic and fantasy/science fiction based drawings!

Gulavisual's Patreon

The Witches of Eros

A cult in the Far-Tomorrows of immense power and influence, the Witch cult guards secrets and provides services to society in pursuit of its long term goals.  It centers around worship of the Elder God, Eros, once depicted as an infant in an ancient Pantheon of Gods from Man's pre-dawn age now an elder being usually only depicted as a face from an ancient statue and these are often crumbled with age.

Most of their social influence revolves around women, femininity, harvests, festivals and health especially that of women.  They provide many services for free or a trifle, such as advice on harvest, health, cycles of nature and of body, simple potions (non-magical), women's health and services of, fortune telling, fitness and martial arts.  They have little if any official political power but it is said they can whisper into half the ears of all women and influence them greatly so that the beds are burning for men who tend to have the power decide in the way the Witches suggest.  What they ask directly is rarely anything that seems to affect any power structures or economies so officials usually cater to them.

The Greater Path

A Witch of Eros is not just about spooky behavior, sexual feats, transformations, secret rituals in deep elder forests - though that's a good part of it.  A With has a lifelong mission to fulfil long term goals that are secretive to all but the heads of the order and perhaps the God Eros himself.  It seems to be around mostly breeding humanity so that he stays largely human as he was in the past but slowly might be ascending to a transcendant state.

A Witch of Eros thus sometimes needs to explore ruins and wildplaces to collect samples and perhaps enrich herself with treasure for her own comfort and to donate to her order for minor status.  However she is always working on the order's goals - thus she has a steep cost in actions she must perform or face higher ego loss and some power dampening until corrected.  There is always a "Witch Mother" who trained her and can control access to greater ascension in the ranks and greater powers who seems to know her every move and somehow suggests what she needs to do.

There will be tables of suggestions for in dungeon adventure conditions and between adventure missions.  They can't only just relax, play, have sex waiting for the next Dungeon Crawl.

Role-play advantages:

Witches of Eros are a good effective Fighter+Magic User+Cleric combo - powerful both with magic and combat

They get to be "As sexy as they want to be"

Have lots of perks and powers

Disadvantages

High responsibility - so most between adventures are mini-solo adventures to regain ego and if missed have a reduction in ego, even powers until the balance is met.

Set of rules - and tables - on what to do/not do

Hierarchy of power and command - has "Witch Mother" direct line that can control or command

Higher experience/levelup and while the highest levels are certainly in "Epic" category the "Archmages" or free traditional magic users are certainly more powerful.  They need more XP to advance but have more demands so they are challenging but not a long grind to get powerful.

neutral:

Spells are non-"Vancian" meaning can cast more based on other factors (HP, Blood, special rituals or components) than the study, use, forget method but also less flexible.  Note this game tributes back to original source where the limited spells had more flex for focus versus power.  A "Shield" spell could be tweaked to be 10x more powerful say against metals at the cost of being vulnerable to wood or anything else really and it'd be the Mage's gamble to do it.

ONLY female characters to be a Witch of Eros.  Males certainly are part of the "Eros cult" truly anyone bound to them in any way is a welcome part, but plenty of laypersons live their lives with the religion being their background but those with power are women priestesses.  They have Dawgma to not see themselves superior to men, it is a matter of Men's roles and Women's roles.

Role-play tips:

Be mysterious and feminine - 

They have great influence but it is carefully used for some far in the future goal and so care must be taken in each step.

Avoid direct fighting and initiating combat unless it is clearly the right action.  Being able to shape-shift into a warped but pretty hyper feminine powerhouse after a few levels helps said confidence.  Be direct and deadly when force must be used.

You drip sex and sexuality but are not a whore or a slut.

You are a woman's potential best friend and even a man's if they will come to you and be of use to the Cult.  Certainly one they want as an ally and never an enemy.

You also certainly are not without personal desire - and as long as it doesn't hurt the cult and might help it you may indulge - such as a liaison or going on a fun trip with explorers.  On the latter, gold, jewels and artifacts aid personal luxury but sometimes some deep secret is found and it is great status to share it with the Mothers...

Bridges of Time - bringing characters into FarTomrorrows

"Still Waters run Deep" from Rick Wakeman's 90s "Return to the Center of the Earth" album.

One advantage of embracing the Jack Vance and Gene Wolfe paradigm (1) is that a "Fantasy World" of the Far-Future can deal with many things a real "In the mythic past" or "Alternative world" (even if IN a basement universe!) simply could not.

"Heroic Adventurers" are tolerated as long as they don't turn to banditry, robbery or killing non-monsters without legit cause because mankind realises that there always will be people who can not stand nor will fit in their station and must seek more.  It's a rare thing which most envy as children but thank the Increate it was not their fate as an adult.  Likewise though the Children of Adam still fill the Green Hills of Earth with their tragedies and triumphs, laughter and tears they understand the "Long cycle" history is in and though they mostly live in a late Renissance or Pre-Industrial time there is no hurry on progress for they somehow know they've done this many times now.

Also - and this is one of the best parts - you can put in a character from almost ANY campaign... (2) 

Gunslinger?  They know about guns, some use muskets.  He'd better save bullets and know how to self-load cartridges and find metals to cast them and likely need to adventure to find materials to make them - notably the high quality steel as most of the planet has been mined deep.  But if he's civil. and polite might get offered a guard job and would be welcome at most farms or ranches.

Space-Man?  As he's wondering how "Boned" he is looking over his crashed ship a local farmer will ride up and invite him in for dinner, likely forgiving him as charity if his ship landed in part of his field.  He'd know about Man's children amongst the stars in neat blcok printed "Wonder Tales" books tucked away in a small bookshelf - those are bizarrely distorted tales that loosely resemble 40s to late 80s sci-fi and fantasy.  The farmer will point to the moon and talk about how it's green now with shallow oceans and its shimmering atmosphere and how man used to sail on the moon.  This won't "Change the World" - the local Boyar will try to help him get started (3) finding some parts to repair his ship.  Yes, he's found "Mankind's lost homeworld...!" but when he gets back officials from his society will quietly lecture him not to rave about it because they are NOT going to fight a "Galactic War" over an ancient world that's been mined to the core along with most of the Solar System stripped for a populace of "Primitives".  Also there are some odd defenses put up with near Level 4 tech...they'll shut themselves up and go "Uh, classified"...  Then they'll finish it by saying "This is Mankind's backup plan.  IF we get wiped out we'll emerge from this world every few  ten thousand years.  If we need genetic legacy or to find some history, it's there."

Frozen person?  Unpack and thaw and ready to be mind-F*cked!  (4)  There are TONS of Frozen people who pop into place.  They wander around and usually by charity of fellow men, especially through the Agnost Church they are placed.  Their stories of their past life often help them work with their new family group and sometimes make fodder for new "Wonder Tales".  A few can become "Adventurers".

Dimensional shift or exile?  Maybe the science experiment went wrong.  Maybe they were some space overlord dictator who froze himself to escape the legacy of his crimes - launching himself into space or burying himself in the tallest mountains....  Perhaps they are a gentle exile of a society based on reason but their philisophical views while too advanced for most were just slightly off and created such a disturbance they had to be put into a time field.  These are like (and often are) the "Frozen Persons" except those deliberately exiled were done so as a good reason - from crimes of being a world conquerer who eventually lost the battle for domination to gentle philisophical exiles - they are sent Aeons into space and time and end up on Earth.  These rarely are able to acclimate like "Normal" people from another time.  Many do try to start where they left off as Warlords or great thinkers of new ages now long past - but the oppression of the long hand of time wears their ambitions down.  Most conquerors find themselves mere "Boyars" and more than satisfied while many great thinkers join the Agnost Church as a Scribe to spend their lives reading the vast weight of history.

Adventurers - Getting to this - yes you can bring your older or current "Murder Hobos" to this game.

Maybe they stepped through a portal or a Dimension Door spell went awry.  Maybe they died and got re-incarnated?  Maybe they died long ago but somehow were re-created as if they were still alive by devices hidden in the deadliest Entropic Ruins called "Flesh Looms"?  Or perhaps they visited the Chronal Shrine or a strange house on the borderlands or found an odd Lighthouse on the edge of a desert...

It's a Late Renissance or Pre-Industrial feeling world - NOT "Mideval" like functional D&D basically is - just the far future.  If your characters from any baseline RPG world they can adapt and thrive.  Unlike the REAL far past there's not the high level of Xenophobia of really anyone outside town or nation regardless of racial issues that'd make a standard RPG town crawl into a gruesome public execution in a heartbeat.  They can still have that happen to them if they go "Murder Hobo" such as killing a shopkeeper who tells them to leave after being rude but if they treat people with basic respect they'll get it in return and only have negative consequence if they are disruptive.  Most 'common' people will like to hear traveller's tales and the nobility will just make sure they aren't a threat then perhaps hire them if need be.  The same with Magic or odd cultures - these get more attention but not instant hostility without good reason.  This is something near unthinkable if set in a real past era.

Again, this is a tribute to Vance, Wolfe and others - (1) - in great thanks.  This is not "Science Fiction" though it is - rather it's what a far future might be.  One both unrecognizable from today and at the same time familiar.  Magic of tranditional #ttrpgs works as such - but the people while looking pseudo mideval are not they'd be more compatable with a 'modern' person beyond the surface.

Far Tomorrows / Orange Sun will of course have much more details and some fun tables for suggestions and mechanics for these transitions.  A complete cross of all RPGS is quite impossible but to any experienced player the guidelines should be easy.

Notes -

1 - and Clark Ashton Smith, William Hope Hodgeson, 

2 - Well Kaijiru characters might end up hunted by NPC adventurers as "Monsters" with local authorities placing a bounty by reaction...  AI beings might be confined to the bottom of VERY dangerous "Entropic Ruins" with already existing and far more advanced AI (think "In the year One Hundred thousand twenty five twenty five...") that are ancient and nearly transcendent in ability in their decaying but active ruins of some far future now far past civilization...

3 - Via the "Murder Hobos" or the Player Characters!

4 - Disclaimer - IF cyrogenics becomes a legit option do NOT freeze yourself for many thousands of years - you'll die.  I mean if you can get the resources for a freezer tube that will last that long, make a chamber where you can wake up for a while and have food, drink, stretch out and exercise lightly for a few weeks then go back in if whatever you are seeking hasn't come yet...  Natural radioactive breakdown in your own body will kill you unless you thaw out for a few weeks every thousand years or so.  Hopefully this will be corrected.  Since this world is set in the very far future we'll assume it has somehow.  Most of us accept a "Transporter" concept thanks to Trek, this would be less difficult save the long times needed to keep active.

5 -  Fantasy, Wild West, 70s Era Science fiction feel, Post Apocalypse, super spy

Elves, Orcs and Morlocks in the world of Far-Tomorrows...

 Will this thing have Orcs and Elves....?

Yeah, but NOT like you think - even if on the surface they are like you think...

Just to piss off the "Woke" this scenario will have plenty of room for Orcs and Elves - including Dark Elves, savage hugely endowed lusty Orks who might assault women, etc.  I'd have actually tried to move away from them without it so credit the "Social Justice Warriors" bleating and shrieking to get a "Trope" not only perpetuated but LOCKED IN... 

Having said that, one trope I want to break from is the leeching off of Tolkien the "baseline" TTRPG uses.    Really I think they whacked off to fantasies about sodomizing little hobbits and the Tolkien coffin feeders brought in their lawyers in self-defense sometimes...

No disrespect intended to JRR himself, his impact on fantasy and literature is unquestionable and deserves great thanks... - matter of fact I like his "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" translation and the Sean Connery movie "Sword of the Valiant" made from it.  However for "Old School" fantasy I prefer Lord Dunsany - heard of him?  No?  Shame - try "The Fortress Unvanquishable save for Sacnoth" arguably the first modern Sword and Sorcery pure fantasy (vs historical) story...  Quite debatable but he was a level above so many others...

Most of this TTRPG paradigm is to borrow from Gene Wolfe and especially Jack Vance - that such a world is that of the Far, FAR future to explain the Magic, the creatures, the overwhelming number of Dungeons and wild places and the seemingly primitive/mideval but "Modern" people and attitudes...  Another reality - well if a cosmological constant is changed the universe is either thinner than two atoms across all space as we know it or is a burning rock a tenth of a milimiter across.  The past as it never was, no way...  The future remembering the past in long cycles however....

I'm not stealing from Dunsany here, or Vance, rather H G Wells for an explanation for any Orcs, Goblins, Dwarves, Elves and such creatures in this fantasy TTRPG setting...

H.G. Wells, rather!

You see this is set about a million years in the future and the Elves are akin to the Eloi envisioned by Wells in "The Time Machine" and the Orcs and underground races are the "Moorlocks".  Given later knowledge of real genetics and technology we can deviate a bit from Wells's story meant for social analogy more than real speculation of the future.  I recommend reading it, short novel and should be read as an adult but NOT forced on a kid in school.

The Elves are the inheritors of some "Upper Class" of perhaps five hindered thousand years hence but that also before the 'current' year.  They managed to establish some kind of system to keep themselves in power and wealth but free of the need for any labor that lasted a long time even enduring the latest "Wizard Lord" era between that and the present time.  Like the joke of the American Businessman and the Hispanic Fisherman what would you do if worked really hard so you were so rich you didn't have to work?  They made a new Garden of Eden that stretched over many many miles that their descendants could run and frolic in beauty the environment protecting them from danger and aiding them.  They lived in great Jade cities that were almost immune from the ravages of time while "Deep Elder Forests" served them and protected them.  Now the Jade Palaces are just large domes and mostly open structures but the woods live and breathe and respond to them and ensure always nice weather and bountiful food and protection.

Unlike Wells's vision they did not degenerate mentally or evolve completely outside humanity - too many safeguards built into their DNA including secondary mechanisms in their cells kept them stable.  Like the movie "The Fifth Element" a being from this age would give a modern genetic test a crash for there have been countless edits over the Eons.

These "Elves" as known in this far age also came about in a civilization post - magickal development by the "Wizard Lords" so indeed they and their forests had this advantage built into them too - effects we would consider Magic in this day and age.  Per Clarke any technology sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic.  This is also why elves have both a natural affinity but an upper limit for the Magic they can weild - the safeguards that allow them some level of power but prevent them from fully ascending to perhaps challenge the Wizard Lords but most likely disrupt their existing "Eden" with foolish abuse of 8th level and above spells.

YES - in this game if your character's "Race" is "Elf" you have natural affinity for some Magic most being able to cast at least a cantrip without studying - BUT - you have upper limits on spells and won't ever become an "Arch-Mage" and don't even think about being a "Wizard Lord" even if this setting gets an "Epic Level".  It'd be easier to get a Goblina's skin not to have a tinge of green.  Ten times.  This is in "Unfair Balance" with other classes that do have a higher magic affinity but none of the Elven legacy of Nature, Natural Magick, Nobility template, Wisdom, beauty and ability to fight with speed.

The Eloi or Alloi or Elves did not become mentally retarded but over Eons lost their identity and now they merely assume they are a superior race perhaps only loosely linked to mankind living in their elder forests and ancient now crumbling Jade domes overcome with special breeds of trees that keep these from falling apart and grow into vast cities in the deep forests and excrete nourishing sap and fruit.

The Orks, the Goblins, the Dwarves are the Morlocks... The latter are "The Great Northern Whites" a playable race of northern beings that live in the frozen north and inside great underground Liminal Arkologies...  

However, like Wells the Moorlock races were the "Workers" - unlike them they weren't really some mass underclass.  Most were highly skilled professional workers who were well paid.  Since the elites wanted a new "Garden of Eden" they accepted well paid positions maintaining it.  They liked the endless high tech corridors, having more credits than they knew what to spend at the great shopping malls, occasional vacations to the Islands though the sun seemed harsher and harsher till they stopped going...

Most of the machinery was self-repairing and artificially intelligent.  Over time the "Ghosts" in the machines became "Guardian Spirits" that guided them in their labors.  The great underground machines mostly kept the endless corridors inhabitable and boosted the environment for the "Great Elder Forests".  These machines might also be part of some ancient systems that slowly move the earth as the Sun gradually grows brighter to help keep the climate stable and can trap or emit carbon and countless other operations as needed.

Instead of Moorlocks proper there are "Great Northern Whites" who mostly live underground and/or in the frozen north.  They are not stunted but tall, muscular, beautiful humans who can stand cold to 80F below casually with no fear of frostbite.  Their skin is usually white along with their eyes being mostly white save tiny pupils which widen to turn jet black in near total darkness to see with minimal light.  They do NOT like high heat or harsh sun and can get heat fatigued or sunburned easily if and when they venture south.

A few often do venture south, their warrior skills and instinct for machinery and problem solving helping them out.  Sadly there is an ancient racist stereotype that "Whites from the North" are murderous conquerors and slavers so they face some social penalties.  Very few if any delude themselves to be "Superior" at anything save their own adaptation to the far north.  They find the darker, shorter people of the wider part of the world to be very cute and like to have sex with them, but only voluntarily.  They'd fight to defend themselves and slay any real threat no matter the race, species, skin color but rarely if ever start a fight.

The interaction between Great Northern Whites and Elves is usually not favorable.  It is rarely hostile because their lives are so far apart now they do not hate each other but want to be distant.  Many "Liminal Arkology" tunnels lead right beneath Elven glades but when discovered both sides expertly seal these connecting portals.  Sometimes in foreign ground the Great Northern Whites joke the Elves look "Tasty" but there hasn't been any such incident and even such a remark is only after a LONG diatribe about them being "Savages"...

The other Orcish/Goblinoid are the lesser workers - those assigned the true worst jobs such as being above ground or outside after world wars and epochs of poison - where the surface of the planet was mostly toxic (save the protected Elven Glades) and the sun beat harsh and deadly.  The Green is a self-reinforcing symbiote derived from Blue-Green Algae that gives a microscopic boost (.01% food energy if in the sun) but also absorbs excess radiation and filters toxins from the body growing darker until nearly black green.

Sadly the social conditioning did not hold and the Orks, Goblinoids and miscellaneous "Lessers" are indeed savage and dangerous.  Bandits.  Ambush predators.  Violent tribal savages.  They do target Elves out of some deep seated jealousy not knowing why while Elves tend to be very cruel to them somehow knowing they are 'lesser' beings.

These types, Orcs, Goblins, and Dwarves also have both stricter limits on Magic use but also a high resistance to its effects.  Magic that affects the world such as lifting up a rock and throwing it would still do the damage a rock thrown by natural means would do but trying to charm them or use a bolt of 'magical' energy might work less.  Dwarves have the most resistance, Orcs and Goblins the least and various other creatures different levels.  They also have that from great to mild penalties for learning it themselves.  Most "Magic" from these peoples are "Shamans" who call on lesser Gods and spirits to give them powers aka "Clerical" spells.

In between all of this - almost inexplicably (A Wizard did it!!!) the "Baseline" humans exist and might slowly again outnumber the "Old Races" even though said groups are divergent from Humanity proper.  Humans act as a bridge because Elves and Orcs cannot interbreed but they can with Humans and "Great Northern Whites" are accepted as a race of mankind.  

Humanity proper tends to be enthralled by the Elves who seem to be aloof ancient guardians of wisdom and nature - though their "nature" is a construct and far removed.  They tend to conflict with and hate the Green races and this reduces racial conflict among baseline humanity -like an ancient bard of the dim past mentioned - "Black and white team up on Green".  The Great Northern Whites tend to be treated with awe and fear but once they establish they are not going to "Conquer" them become nice curiosities and welcome partners for adventure or friendship.

The recent addition of the "Domesticated Goblina" - tiny petite sexual slaves created by a depraved Archmage from female goblins and human male breeding is upsetting a lot of "Traditional" notions for it proves that all of these beings clearly come from baseline humanity but were edited somehow in the past in ways their "Sacred texts" do not tell about at all.  Most simply deny this and if disgusted simply chock it up to a Wizard's sick experiments and creations.  These petite sex slaves are quite disruptive - mostly from eligible women facing tiny easy to obtain competition.  They are usually sold as sterile but this is due to a "Womb Tattoo" enchantment that is defeatable and most seek to have this undone so they can bear more human children when they have a master who is kind to them.  Most human males are unthinkably kind compared to Goblinoid behavior as they tend to not be violent to them, attempt to please them during sexual interactions, provide good food for them and shelter.  I'll not describe regular Goblinoid behavior but it is the opposite of the last sentence especially to their women.  The Goblinas being bred in the depraved Archmage's dungeon 'factory' are repeatedly told this by Grand-Mothers and Great-Grand-Mothers so they urge them to be the best and find a Human Male, any one save legit brutes or freaks.

Mention of a Goblina girl or seeing one of his flock carrying one in tow is often enough to set an Agnost Orthodox priest into the proverbial "Heebie Jeebies".  More on that great faith and their "Clerics" will come later.  However Dawgma is that it is a good deed for them to encourage a marriage and family if there is a stable sexual relationship between two people under their influence - a town, region, band of adventurers.  They have often dealt with tearful conversations telling that normal human and Beast-Person can NOT marry by strict ancient Dawgma.  There is no Dawgma on goblinoids so it is not forbidden, just it was unthinkable until recently as normal goblins are quite hideous in appearance.

This is also hipocritical as they tend to bless Elven - Human unions if it seems stable after much councilling and rarely give the "Closer-Abhumans" such as Northern Whites, Super-Persons, Tall Folk too much trouble save to test resolve.  Goblins have in general a negative history of interactions with the other races so the stigma is there and very unfair to the Goblinas.  There will be a chapter on these of course, in Orange Sun and Revealed Vulgaria. 

This is far from the first time humanity has done such a questionable deed of course.  The "Half-Size" races were created as diminutive servants for amusement and sexual relief.  Like the origins of the Elves and Goblinoid races this is lost in the weight of endless time and if confronted by "Historical Archives" they'd angrily assure it was "Balderdash and some vile fiction...  Surely Humans are just those of us who got restless and ate too much, grew too big for a proper hill home and ran off to conquer the world.  Some of us might take a fancy to you but we are so different, how would we ever introduce you to our clan as a deep friend?"

Oh, and yes there are rumors of "Dark Elves" the Eloi or Elven who in the past committed some unspeakable sin so were banished with the "Gods" burning their skin BLACK to warn others of their evil and making them so intolerant of the sun and most light they fled into the darkest depths of the earth where even the other subterranean humans fear to tread to practice the darkest of rituals.  YES if an "Elf" becomes truly evil such as the greater range of evil on the "Planar" spectrum and commits atrocities they can wake up after a night of hellish nightmares of being judged by the "Gods" and find themselves a Dark Elf that runs screaming as his or her skin and eyes burn in even the full moonlight into the nearest cave to try to reach the darkest depths.  They flee screaming past any Great Northern Whites they find the "Liminal Arkology" tunnels too bright and with "High Elves" in pursuit, the pursuers pleading a "Truce" and aid in capturing to kill "The evil one judged black..."  Most Dark Elves only hang out in "Entropic Ruins" as only there in areas the sun seems never to reach the surface proper and among horrific abhumans can they hope for any brief respite as Elves and Humanity, even Orcs fear to tread there...

This can also happen to the worst of the Dwarves, Orcs, Goblins forming truly terrifying things - again usually confined to "Entropic Ruins" as so evil almost all seek to instantly destroy them.

Also, rare as it is, there are "Dark Elves" who have rejected their depraved society of sickest perversions and evils and have braved the Sun and done all possible to redeem themselves.  They have a very LOW survival rate as the Entropic, dark forces do not release their hold casually and the others fear their enclaves secret location might be revealed.  The few who have redeemed themselves the sins of their Fathers have turned Light skinned and been welcomed back to the Elven Glades as "Pure again"...

Stories of this might make some humans with brown skin of that far future age wince without knowing why, but if they inquire the Elves and Northern whites will say has nothing whatsoever to do with them...

Thus - up to the DM and players - but we can put Elves, Orcs, Hob-wer short people, Dark elves, etc. into the game.  No real issue there!

MaxxFeral - new writer on the project.

What is Magic? (for TTRPG systems) For Far Tomorrows

Level 1 Mage - "I cast Magic Missile!"

DM - "But you are in a farkin' Tavern and there aren't any Monsters you dumbass!"

Level 1 Rogue - "I roll charisma to charm the ladies."

Level 1 Mage - "I said I cast Magic Missile..."

Level 1 Fighter - "Can I roll a die to see if I'm drunk yet?"

DM -nods to Level 1 Mage with a sigh, to Level 1 Rogue

Level 1 Rogue Rolls a 3

DM - "The Mirror and a number of objects shatter, the ladies leave the bar posthaste and the Barkeep pulls out a crossbow and demands recompenses..."  Note DM had decided random chaos for Magic Missile spell vs NPC deaths...

DM - The Sherriff shows up - he was following you Murder Hobos the moment you stepped foot in town.  He says "How in Pholtus's perfect plan is it possible a moron like you knows basic Magic?!"

---

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic..."

Arthur C. Clarke - third law

What IS magic?  The act of will/ritual to somehow alter reality.  But, really, what IS Magic?

As it applies to a TTRPG game of course...

Balderdash, superstition.  Gygax himself noted he never met any "Mage" even in the super Occult 60s, 70s aftermath who could even approach a first level spell in an early Draconic Magazine article on how he worked out the first Magic Spells system for the game and why he kept with it.

So why - in this Far Future themed RPG do we still plan on having the "Vancian" system from Science Fiction Writer Jack Vance as the default?  Spells ancient lore.  Mages search them out, covet them, memorize them, fire and forget?

The first reason is the "Old School" roleplay feature.  And that the revered Gary Gygax made a perfect but imperfect balance with that - wizards were very powerful but had strong limits so it wasn't a game of "Wizards and non-important assistants" like competing systems from alternatives in the 70s, 80s to modern over-powered "Politically Correct" corporate regurgitation.  Vance's system WORKS, simple as that - wizards are powerful but not unbeatable  Per Robert E Howard "A few sword thrusts" can still end an Archmage.  Its getting close enough that's the challenge.

The second reason is that the "Magic" of the world of far-tomorrows is NOT any magick system of today (1) but rather it is a product of the far future.  Is this meaning they are just using ray-guns and some kind of force field and this is just sci-fi?  NOPE.   Its fantasy but a more mature fantasy.  There will be no trick to this system, the Mages will still be using Magick - just if they went to a time portal to today I strongly doubt their magick would work.

This is to be a TTRPG set in the world of the far future, the Far Tomorrows.  At least One-Hundred Thousand years ahead of now, possibly a Million.  Think Wells's "The Time Machine" or Gene Wolfe's "Urth of the New Sun" cycle...  It is not yet entropic like Jack Vance's "The Dying Earth" or Clark Ashton Smith's "Zothique", Lin Carter's "Gondwane", C.S. Lewis's "Charn" or Hope Hodgkin's "Night Land"... - but it is a very old, matured earth with many eras of rise and fall of civilization so the oppressive weight of history creates a resigned Zen-like acceptance of the impermanence of life and Man's Achievements.  Most are content to live simple lives in this long shadow, save the "Heroic Adventurers" of course!

A "Titanomachy" a war of Gods, Titans, which destroyed all civilization as Men knew it and re-shaped the earth itself.  As in the dim forgotten past so it will be in the far future...

It takes longer but civilizations still rise and fall and rise again.  Every five to ten thousand years the world is wiped clean, some upheaval, civilizations die along with most of the populace and then survivors rebuild, try to remember but it is largely distorted.  There are archives but this is so far ahead that it is buried in thousands of "Histories", many of which conflict with themselves or are outright fabrications.

The base world of Far Tomorrows is set in a Confederated Fiefdoms; A quasi Renaissance to pre-industrial tech era if left on its own with no interference would take a few thousand years to get to the space travel age again versus a few centuries.  It's seen as part of an eternal cycle that is both inevitable and unavoidable but there is no hurry, it's happened before and will happen long after.  Men rarely try to interfere with the flow of history but rarely push it forward faster than it seems to be going.  It will reach heights and then fall and that is the cycle.

During some of these heights man achieved a very high level technology.  All the goodies of "Science Fiction" and beyond even that.  No need to go on many pages on that issue.  And rather than some "Future History" of many thousands of years its best to examine it by a very harsh but simple standard.

Kardeschev's levels - meant as a thought experiment on how 'advanced' a civilization was by how much energy it could generate to power something like a signal into space to see if there's any reply back...

Level 1 - they control all energy on their planet

Level 2 - they control all energy in their star system

Level 3 - they control all energy in their Galaxy

(unspoken by K but extrapolated)

Level 4 - they control all energy in the UNIVERSE

Level 5 - God - by definition would have to be - in theory transcending the universe and any 'multiverse' creating or destroying at will the heartbeat and breath in both a long cycle called a Kalpa and in the rotations of sub-atomic particles and fluctuations of the space-time foam...

This set of levels is wildly scaling high and quite debatable (also has been broken up into 10+ levels by thoughtful Sci-Fi geeks) but like an ancient mythic saying there's a lot of truth into it.  Mankind right now is near .8 of level 1 - but once we get to Level 1 we could build a Stapledon Swarm (NOT a "Dyson Sphere" - bad name, bad idea) and effectively harness all or most of the Sun's output.  Once we do that we could get to Level 3 and work out ways to advance to Level 4.

Huge rates of scale - for instance if the "Bootes Void" is an emerging Level 4 civilization covering entire galaxies of star systems with Stapledon Energy collection clusters it's a Level 3.01 civilization.

Clarke's 3rd law states that any technology sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from Magic...

How does this relate?

Since mankind is still alive about a Million years in the future I think it's not too much to extrapolate he's gone out into the stars and achieved Level 3 a few times and more.  The "More" is when the "Wizard Lords" emerged at the earliest Fifty-Thousand years hence.  They had advanced technology that made them at Level 4 in at least capabilities, though they spent more time making bizarro beasts and their own gardens of pleasure than "Conquering the Universe".  And really, why the latter, want to see two odd aliens arguing over some 3rd alien that might be a sheep and who owns it, with a line of petitioners going on so long the entire surface of an 'imperial world' is a pure line all over it?  I'd rather make bizarro worlds, crazy monsters, beautiful monster-girl mistresses and do crazy games like make titans that ravage worlds and fight other Wizard-Lord's titans...

Anyways the "Spells" as we know them were some of the end results of the Wizard-Lord's play with Level 4 technology.  A recent and not well received edit to a famous Space Opera had a quasi-supernatural force come from a natural source - sub-microscopic machines...  That 'proved' in Cannon a 70s "Fan Theory" that said galaxy had Level 4 tech but somehow pretended to be a failing Level 3 civilization.  Being able to "Edit" the literal "Laws" of the universe to add a "Force" is the definition of Level 4 range technology.  Think a character who's all powerful but about as stupid as smart from another popular space opera...bossing and bullying 'lesser' beings he's sent to study because they have potential.  In principal an amazing character but he came off as a comical foil for a popular superhero.

Thus in the world of Far Tomorrows there is "Magick" much like the fantasy worlds of today and the superstition and mythology of the far far past.  And it is real.  And it works.  It's also magic because of all who spend their lives studying and studying it to barely scratch the surface, perhaps one in ten-thousand of those that achieve "Arch-Mage" level have any idea WHAT they are doing.  An "Arch-Mage" while VERY impressive (At the cusp of Epic Level) is about 1/100th as powerful as a "Wizard Lord".

The Wizard Lords whom had three known "Ages" are now long gone.  Some are in other realities, some have transcended to the greater universe of which this one is akin to a soap bubble frothing on the edge of an endless cosmic sea...  Most are dead, killed by wars with other wizards or self-destruction of despair and boredom, perhaps one or two by "Several Sword Thrusts" and not having a backup plan.  There are rumored to be a very few left but these hide themselves, acting as 'guides' to carefully give a push where needed.  Of these only the name Merlin is well known, a Magician of times far more ancient than the Age of the Wizard Lords whose power was much greater than most but from far before the known 'spells' and if any connection it is debatable.  

Their legacy is the "Magic" they left.  A hundred spells and a legendary thousand more.  Or ten thousand spells and a million more, depending on who you talk to.  These are ways they built to quickly access whatever system they added to the Space-Time reality that let them shape worlds as easily as handling clay and paint, to twist man's form into beasts and monsters, to master space and time like a mathematical concept.  A student of Magic spends years to learn the basic concepts, by mentor, by school or rarely some innate talent and more fantastically  the most guarded thing in the world - a "Spell book" falls into their hands.  But after study they can learn a "Spell" and then study it to use it later but must re-study it to prepare it again.  It is fantastic and frustrating, humanity on the cusp of Godhood when even the most simplest of spells is used but then is 'forgotten' even if the Wizard could recite the verbal component a hundred times he still must memorize it again properly...

Truly this - the "Vancian" system is best explained by a far future science fiction setting - what "The Dying Earth" by Vance is really.  It works great in a ttrpg because wizards can still become incredibly powerful but they need to manage real risk and work with others to get that far.  The game is not "Wizards Only" as many alternative systems have let themselves become.

The Magic in the world of Far Tomorrows in base will be traditional then.  There are others with different types of "magical abilities" not requiring years of study and books - but these will be limited and have different sets of rules.  A mage is the definition of possibility.

This will also be the main difference in the "magic" between this and the "Core" TTRPG;  Mages have far more control of spells here.  There might be at start fewer but it will be meant to include spells from 3.5 of "Core" and earlier if DM/Setting allows.  However the Spells are more flexible.

For instance - Duration vs power - Power versus focus-

For "Bolts of Smiting" aka "Magic Missile" the mage should be able to modify if not unreasonable the use of the spell.  They could spend it all in a 1.5x stronger single burst against a single target.  They could make them last for ten minutes per level of caster unless cancelled circling around and hitting anything that comes near at a cost of being .75% as strong.  With the chain of a "True Name" or "Warding" spell they could seek out specific targets or wait as a limited trap such as attacking anything going through a doorway unless a word determined by the caster is given.  These would still be limited effects until the mage got "Enchant" level and at greater time and expense was able to set up permanent wards if needed.

Another spell which is new for this setting and not from the classic sources (core RPG, "Draconic" magazine...) is the spell "Bowman's Paradox" where it uses an absurd thought paradox - that for a bow to reach its target, it must travel half the distance, and half the distance of that - causing the opponent to make many "Rolls" in attacking and if one fails the attack misses.  This too can be modified or combined - so a long hall can seem to stretch forever, a lock resets after being picked many times 

The best 'rule' to use for these more flexible spells is that usually greater specialty or limited focus increases power/duration while expanded options reduces power/duration.  A lone, low-level Mage might cast "Shield" and seeing the Orcs attacking him have metal weapons so he focuses it on metal so they can bang and slash at him for a prolonged time with no effect while he spooks them trying to convince them he's a Master Wizard and they should run.  Good strategy, but perhaps their Goblin friend has a long wooden stick he likes to try to hit things with...?

Off-Camera boost in power

There is a difference between the modular, mobile fire and forget "Spells" and the abilities magic use and 'spellbooks' give.  Ever notice how mages in stories seem so powerful but they aren't able to make magic missiles or clever cantrips unless it's genre specific fiction?  Or how in Vance's dying Earth while the mages have great power they can do things off camera that no way would any normal DM allow - especially on-camera?

Magic Users of the study kind should have access to as they rise in level and experience to much more powerful magics that simply take longer to set up.  While making a fortress wall would be handy in combat if it takes a day of casting it isn't worth memorizing.  This should start at level 5 but Magic User characters should have a wide berth on how they decorate and defend their homes, of greater magicks they cast if they can do it unopposed and take time and resources.  Constructing a fortress.  Mass charming of creatures.  Creating new Gestalt creatures. Making automata...  Really, this is a good portion of why there are so many "Dungeons" to explore adding to the layers of ruins monsters, treasures and things more relevant than many thousands of years past.

THUSLY:

• Magic should start with the "Vancian" based system for the base "Magic-User" classes.  No "Mana Pools" no power battery - this is not a video game.
• Players need a source of spells, such as their starter "Spell Book" and new spells are NOT easy to obtain or buy.  These are keys to reality, they are coveted and held so tightly.  This is why they adventure into ancient ruins and risk death versus staying at the crumbling but cozy family manor or the 'college' with the lonely and touchy professor.
• Players need to memorize spells, choosing which they might need to use - that are then 'forgotten' after use and require study/preparation to use again later.
• Players that get their Spells from other sources (Paladin, Cleric, 'sorcerer' if DM allows...) still need to spend time in ritual, prayer, delving inside themselves...etc.
• The spells for classic casters are VERY versatile - they'll come with some suggestions but these are not to limit the use.  The DM is to reward creativity not whine "You are trying to expand your character's Horizons..." in a pathetic huff.
• Gestalt - spells can be combined creatively - this should start at Level 3 or above as the new casters need to learn how to use single spells in the dangerous environment.
• Characters, NPCs, Monsters with "Spell-like" abilities are usually more limited in use to compensate for no need for study and possible higher frequency of casting.  The exception is transcendent beings, Aengeliac or Daemonik or other advanced spirituality/extraplanar beings  - these have the spell abilities and also control and versatility.
• Off-Camera the Magic Users have effectively greater power for projects, experiments, home defense, etc.  This costs time and money and shouldn't be allowed until a few levels have been gained.

Notes:

1 - I've actually been into "The Occult" in real life.  WON'T get into that in this project and will NOT incorporate any "Real" magic system save necessary surface only items.  This is a far far future and likley a RL mage from today (One BIG exception) would be powerless and also likely mages from then travelling back in time.  However a branch of it - "Chaos Magick" does use "Sigils" in a very similar way - of investing power, research, work then "Fire and Forget" - it might be the pre-pre-PRE-history of the system of "Far Tomorrows" akin to an Ape coming out of a tree. Like Vance for the RPG Spell system, like Olaf Stapledon for Sci-Fi coming up with what we call (wrongly) a Dyson Sphere a RL Artist/Mage named Spare created this system... (or codified it at least) I say that ONLY for amusement.  As a knee-jerk defense I separate real "Occult" from RPG practices due to being a survivor of the 80s Psychic Wars over RPGs...