In the beginning there was magic
From it, sprung life - hopeful, vibrant and wondrous
Magic provided for everyone and everything. There was no want or waste.
For millennia, the universe rang with laughter and mirth.
…and then, on a small blue marble of a world, a man walked with a dark and troubled brow. Within the Magic he saw something he believed to be dark and hungry. At first he was alone in his belief, but slowly others came to share his beliefs. For the next thousand years, the Mundane began to turn their back on the Magic and made their own way in the universe.
The Rift had begun to form between Magic and Mundane - two worlds that shared the same space.
One day, a figure moved through the universe and walked the shadows between the Magic and the Mundane worlds. Neither in one world or the other…but a piece of both. He heard the dark muttering of the Mundane as they viewed the Magic around them, and watched the Magic as it light ebbed when in the company of the Mundane. He recognized that neither world was right and neither was wrong but that the war of beliefs would not remain bloodless for much longer.
When the day of breaking came, it came without warning and without mercy. By the end of the day, thousands lay dead - both Magical and Mundane. It was then that the Shadow Walker weaved together the fabric that separated the two worlds and created a veil that masked both worlds from each.
The Rift became the Veil.
For thousands of years, there was peace between the magical and mundane. Slowly, they lost the knowledge of the other. memories of the Magic and Mundanes only survived in myths and late night stories whispered in the night to scare children.
The Shadow Walker continued to travel the space between the worlds. He watched both worlds throughout the years. The Magic world, content with the bounty they had, living each day in joy and meriment. The Mundane world, always striving for more, created science and reveled in it’s miracles of technology. Both worlds were wonderful in their own way, and yet the Shadow Walker was forever sad that the worlds were unable to live together and create even more miraculous wonders by combining science and magic.
At times, the Shadow Walker would wander for outside of the Veil for short periods and visit the inhabitants of the two worlds. Stories often sprang up from those encounters. Through the ages, he went by many names - some were said with reverence, and others with hatred.
While the Magic tolerated in the Shadow Walker, the Mundane came to fear him…and lust after his secrets. Thus was the way of the Mundane. They often desired that which they feared because they saw the power in it and wanted to own and control both the fear and the power.
One fateful day, a powerful Mundane recognized the Shadow Walker as he strolled through a wondrous city. The Mundane bore the name of Killian, and was a powerful man in this city. He followed the Shadow Walker for hours - thoughts whirling in his mind. He came to decision that he would capture the Walker and take from him his powers. As night was falling, he followed the Shadow Walker into the city park and watched him walk into the Arch. Half way through the underpass the lights winked in the gloom and the Shadow Walker disappeared. All that could be seen in the space was a quickly fading mark on the wall of the underpass. Without a thought, the mundane dashed to the place where the mark was fading and, with but a moment of hesitation, reached out and touched the symbol.
The air around him shimmered for a moment. There was a sudden hush throughout the night as if every single living thing had noticed the change. Slowly the song of the night started to sing it’s nocturnal chorus again, but this time, there were new voices in the night. It was the same…but more. Killian stood there in the gloom listening to the night and wondering what it meant.
He whirled when a soft voice whispered into his ear…
“You’ve torn down the veil.”
There, just beyond the edge of the cast light, stood the Shadow Walker.
“ Let’s see if you have yet learned how to live in harmony.” He smiled, a sad and knowing smile, and then stepped back into the shadows.
…that was when the screaming started…and the laughter…
Welcome to a world where Magic and Mundane have been thrown together out of a desire for power. A world, where dreams have become reality and nightmares walk in the daylight. A world where science and magic mingle and become hard to tell where one starts and the other ends. A world where every life has been turned upside down and seeks to find it’s new place in this strange and alien world.
In every world, there are those that always hunger to know more. Some hunger for power - some for knowledge and understanding. Killian created a group to learn how to harness the power of the fusion of science and magic so that he could reign over this new world. This group called themselves The Light - and strove to rid the world of the magical creatures.
There were also those souls that came together because they believed the way of The Light was wrong and would destroy both worlds if they were to succeed. They strove to create a world where both the Magical and the Mundane could live together in harmony. They decided to send 8 individuals out into the world and find the enclaves within all the major cities of the world and see if they could be united to repel the attack by The Light.
The band of adventures were a mix of Magical and Mundanes, scientists and mystics, the faithful and the faithless. They called themselves the Shadow Walkers.
…and this is where our story begins.
The Challenge
The Veil will be a work of fiction. Some might call it science fiction. Some might call it fantasy. Others will definitely say it is a work of horror. No matter the genre, it will be a rich and vibrant world - captured by the mind of the creatives that dare to walk it's streets.
This book takes place in 8 cities:
New York City
London
Moscow
Paris
Tokyo
Barcelona
Rio De Janeiro
New Orleans
Each city will have a chapter that depicts the flavor and life within that city and how the city is affected by the drop of the Veil.
New York City: A city where the fae have taken over the City Park. Neighborhood gangs no longer war in the streets for turf, but rather have banded together under the banner of the Light to try to drive the Magical denizens from every corner of the city. Violence begets violence, and the Magical have formed alliances and battle back. The streets are a battle zone, and the gutters run red with the blood of Magical and Mundane alike.
London: A city that prides themselves on their ability to survive. They have endured wars that have reduced their city to rubble, and have risen above. This war is drawing battle lines unlike any they have seen before. World leaders, from both worlds, gather together in a last ditch effort to save both races from extinction in the war that is raging around the world. In the dusty government halls, there is talk of peace, but in the streets, there is an uneasy truce - one that could blow apart in a moment.
Moscow: A city that is familiar with power - whether it is the power that can be seen in the light, or in the shadows. The Russian Mafia was quick to recognize the valuable skills and potential profit that was possible by aligning themselves with the Magical. In the government, it was realized that world power was once again possible by creating an army such as the world has never seen before. While around the globe people and governments were fighting to survive, the Kremlin was instead silently gathering the forces of the Magical and Mundane in a bid to topple the current world order.
Barcelona: A city both beautiful and wonderful. A city known for it's vibrant and magical nightlife. To that nightlife, have been drawn creatures of the night. Mixing and mingling with the pulse of the city...and drinking from it's lifeblood. But there is a dark undercurrent as warring clans of vampires vie for supremacy even as The Light seeks to exterminate them.
Rio de Janiero: A city divided. A city of the haves and the have-nots. Never before has this been truer than since the Veil has fallen. While some of the Magical enjoy freedom and luxury as they mingle with the Mundane during the Carnival. Many more of the Magical huddle in the favelas, outside of town, with the rest of the lost souls that struggle to live in this mad world. Refugees from oppression and war, the lives of both the Magical and Mundane is one of survival in the ramshackle communities on the hill. Recently though, and man has been seen moving among the favelas and stirring up a movement that promises a better life for all, if they band together and rise up against their oppressors. A blood-red hand mark can be seen on the walls around the favelas, and occasionally in town, to mark the presence of the movement....
New Orleans: A city rich in history and the culture of many peoples. A city with it's own carnival, but with a very different landscape. Voodoo, once a ghost story for many, once again sees it's power and might rise. Ghost stories come to life. Rumors of dark shapes and dark rituals leak out from the swamps...while the facade of everyday life tries to be maintained within the city. In the day, the city sparkles with magic, but at night, the parties in the French Quarter take on a darker tone as anger and resentment bubble under the surface as the two worlds rub shoulders with one another.
Toyko: A city that is a symbol of pop culture and technology. A city that was already a mass of humanity crowded - doubles in population overnight. The youth of the city welcome the Magical with open arms. Relishing their dreams of a different world have come to life in a breath. The Magical, become overnight sensations and captivate the pop culture in a way never seen before. Magic and technology mingle together in a way that is not seen anywhere else in the world. It's often hard to figure out where the glitter of the tech ends, and magic begins. The city is alive, pulsing, alive, but in the shadows...there is a quiet battle raging between factions of Magical that want to leverage their new found popularity into a new found power.
Paris: The city of love. The city of culture. The city of resistance. Overnight, the city was overrun by the Magical. Unlike in many other places, there was a determination and drive that took over the Magical the night the Veil fell. Within days, the city was vacant of most Mundane citizens. Some few remained as "diplomats" or as a new servant class. A powerful and charismatic elf was the leader of the rebellion, and now he hears whispers of Killian and his Light, and plots to defeat them with his own powerful armies. Paris, in the course of a few days, becomes a place of peace and magic and culture again, but this time, with the Magical filling the streets and cafes.
The Book
The intent is to create a naturalists journal - with sketches, drawings and quick paintings that are used to document the world as the Shadow Walkers find it. To show how the world has changed now that the Veil has fallen, and how it hasn’t. To show the harmony and the strife…the light and the dark.
Each Shadow Walker brings with them who they are, who they want to be and is changed by their experience.
The book is intended to be a 120+ page, hardbound book that will be initially available through an ArtOrder llc Kickstarter campaign in the 1st quarter of 2019.
What does this mean for you, the artist that is helping to create this world?
Like the Shadow Walker, you are bidden to explore the world that has grown up when the two worlds come together - when the veil fell and revealed the truth of the world around all that liked in the world.
Pick a city.
Visit that city (virtual visits are encouraged). Find the spaces where the Magical live, where the Mundane live, and the spaces where they both live. Document everything so that the world comes alive for the viewers of the journals. Feel free to take notes as well as visually document all you see. The Shadow Walkers may find the notes of interest.
Try to incorporate actual places into your images...demons gathering in the catacombs below Paris, Fae frolicking with children in New Yorks City Park, hushed meetings in the favelas, etc.
While some work to unite the worlds, others work to tear everything down. The world is raw and real - help to document it.
Mediums:
All 2d mediums are welcome. Because this book is to resemble a naturalists sketchbook, mediums that can be refelcted in a sketchbook are favored - graphite, watercolor, ink, acrylic are just a few to consider> Digital is welcome as well, but those that favor the look of traditional works will be given priority.
