Secret City: Difference between revisions

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In the world of ''Secret City'', all sentient races, or "families", as they are called, arrived on Earth from other worlds. The strongest family took power over others, making them its vassals; such formation is called "the Great House" and named after the chief family. The Great House ruled the world for millenia, only to be eventually overthrown by a younger race (who, in turn, established its own Great House) and seek sanctuary in the place, known as the Secret City. Things repeated themselves several times; eventually the planet was seized by humans, or [[Muggles|Chels]] (short for "Chelovek" - "Человек", "human" in Russian), and the outnumbered remains of all other families and Great Houses, each reduced in population to several ten thousands, hid in Secret City, which was later swallowed and surrounded by growing Moscow. Outnumbered nearly by 1:10000, Great Houses accepted the loss of the world and blended into mostly technological Chel society ([[Magitech|using its achievements as well]]), but still intrigue and struggle for more power within the city.

In the City, families sorted into Great Houses by type of magic energy, which they can use. Energy is provided by the Sources - [[Exactly What It Says On the Tin|energy-generating artifacts]].By now, only three {{spoiler|(actually, at least five)}} families managed to keep their Sources (and thus became the Great Houses), and others have to buy energy from them.

In the City, families sorted into Great Houses by type of magic energy, which they can use. Energy is provided by the Sources - [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|energy-generating artifacts]].By now, only three {{spoiler|(actually, at least five)}} families managed to keep their Sources (and thus became the Great Houses), and others have to buy energy from them.

There are such Great Houses and families:

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** '''Shas''''. Big-nosed Shas are the merchants and bankers of the City. They are in charge of a Trade Guild and masquerade-maintaining Utilization Service. Headquarters - Money Tower.

** '''Erli'''. Erli monks are the best doctors in known universe, combining magic and technology in their work. HQ - Moscow Monastery.

** '''Masan'''. They are vampires, and the deliberate [[Expy]] of ''[[~~Vampire: The Masquerade (Tabletop Game)|~~Vampire: The Masquerade]]'' (they even have mostly same clan names and traits). Bloodthirsty vampires often endanger [[The Masquerade]], so they are given under jurisdiction of Navs (because Navs are the only family immune to Masan's Blood Magic, and their blood is poisonous to vampires).

** '''Masan'''. They are vampires, and the deliberate [[Expy]] of ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade]]'' (they even have mostly same clan names and traits). Bloodthirsty vampires often endanger [[The Masquerade]], so they are given under jurisdiction of Navs (because Navs are the only family immune to Masan's Blood Magic, and their blood is poisonous to vampires).

** '''Os'''' are primitive people who dwell in the sewers, where they farm rats and mushrooms.

* '''Great House Lyud' (The Green House)'''. Lyuds eventually defeated Nav' and took its place. They are blonde, mostly beautiful people, men tend to be very large and muscular. Their signature color (as well as their blood) is green, since their magic comes from the Nature. Only women of Lyud' are capable of utilizing magic, so Lyud' society is matriarchal. Men, however, compensate with great physical prowess. The territory of Lyud' is divided into several Domains, each controlled by Baron. All barons obey to the Queen, who is aided by the council of Priestess, the most powerful sorceresses (the Queen is elected from Priestesses). Their Source is the Well of Rains, and their HQ is called The Green House.

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** Nav' - [[Casting a Shadow|Darkness]]

** Lyud' - Life and Nature

** Chud' - [[Playing ~~With~~ Fire|Fire and Rage]]

** Chud' - [[Playing with Fire|Fire and Rage]]

** Asur - [[Light'Em Up|Light]]

** Tat' - [[Pure Energy]]

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* [[Fiery Redhead]]: Chood' are this, though only men. Their women are... less active. And, of course, Inga.

* [[Fireballs]]: Called "Ball lightning"

* [[Foreshadowing]]: In fifth book, it's said that no magic is allowed near the Red Square and the [[Vladimir Lenin|Mausoleum]]. In the next book, it's [[Sealed Evil in A Can|revealed why]].

* [[Foreshadowing]]: In fifth book, it's said that no magic is allowed near the Red Square and the [[Vladimir Lenin|Mausoleum]]. In the next book, it's [[Sealed Evil in a Can|revealed why]].

* [[Fragile Speedster]]: Hvan. A subversion: while their main advantage is their superior speed, they are still inhumanly strong and can shrug off a bullet in a head, but when compared to Navs, Moryanas and Lyud men, they are, indeed, Fragile Speedsters.

* [[Gambit Pileup]]

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* [[Immune to Bullets]]: see [[Healing Factor]]. Also, at least Hvans and Pristaviniks can shrug the headshots off.

* [[Invisible to Normals]]: Morok (illusion) grants this.

* [[Kill It ~~With~~ Fire]]

* [[Kill It with Fire]]

* [[Klingon Promotion]]: Red Hats.

* [[Lightning Bruiser]]: Nav' and Moryanas are basically the races of Lightning Bruisers, virtually able to chase down a car and rip it open like a tin can.

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** Geomancy, which "Arcane of Desires" was based upon, is the art of [[Reality Warping]] through well-timed mundate actions. <ref> Say, you bury the knife under the tree in Moscow at 12:00 (by local time), some girl in Australia you paid kisses her lover exactly at 15:00, some Berliner you called before throws a stone in a river at 17:24, a girl puts a rose on a wet floor in Moscow at midnight and everyone standing on that wet floor are erased from existance. </ref> An epitome of [[Difficult but Awesome]], geomancy is very hard to learn (it requires the ability to "sence the world" and find yout what will alter it in the desirable way, hence the name) and it's rituals take time and efforts to perform, but once it fires, it is unbeatable.

* [[Redshirt Army]]: Lyuds and Choods qualify.

* [[Sealed Evil in A Can]]: Azag-Toth and Yarga.

* [[Sealed Evil in a Can]]: Azag-Toth and Yarga.

* [[See-Thru Specs]]

* [[Super Serum]]:

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** Golden Root is even greater one, able to induce great magical powers in Lyuds and Chels, but at price of [[Rapid Aging]] or horrendous mutations.

* [[Super Speed]]: According to the in-universe statistics, combet mages are able to move at speeds from 68 km/h (female Lyuds) to 87 km/h (Navs). Choods and vampires are somewhere between. Even faster Hvans reach 92 km/h, yet still are outclassed by Moryanas, whose speed, while not specified, is at least 120 km/h.

* [[Take That]]: Since author is an anticommunist, the series is full of [[Take That|Take Thats]] to communism. The biggest is that [[Vladimir Lenin|Lenin]] is the hatred personified and the immortal [[Sealed Evil in A Can]].

* [[Take That]]: Since author is an anticommunist, the series is full of [[Take That|Take Thats]] to communism. The biggest is that [[Vladimir Lenin|Lenin]] is the hatred personified and the immortal [[Sealed Evil in a Can]].

* [[Teleporter Accident]]: A ''weaponized'' version: a mage powerful and/or skilled enough can crush other mage's portal mid-teleport, grinding anything passing through to Pink Mist at best.

* [[Too Dumb to Live]]: Nearly all Red Hats. Some Chel, Lyud and Chood [[Red Shirts]] also are this.