The Old Wars:

Between the terraformation of Mars and the eventual Demonite Wars, the nations of Earth were in a state of constant upheaval. Nobody could seem to agree over what territories and natural resources belonged to which nations, and countless battles ensued in order to "solve" the issues. The majority of the division, give or take a few countries, was between the eastern and western continents. The Old Wars have since ended, due to the Demonite Wars bringing the nations together for a greater good and opening the eyes of many to the importance of trying to work together. Now, the nations hammer out treaties in an attempt to compromise with one another and make a better society for all. Unfortunatly, there are still many who harbor old hatreds and rivalries despite the general flow of the world. As such, predjudice of easterners against westerners and vice versa is all too common in the more remote parts of the world. Though general for the Cylin, the Keleth have slightly more specific predjudice, using the derrogatory terms "Long Ear" and "Short Ear" to describe western and eastern Keleth, respectively.

 

The Demonite Wars:

The short but bloody war against the mysterious beings known as the Demonites. Though wrought with loss and sorrow, especially for the people of Mars, it managed to bring together the people of Earth and end the Old Wars for good.

 

Psionics:

Simply put, Psionics is a general term for the powers of Telekenetics (Mental-to-Physical interaction) and Telepathy (Mental-to-Mental interaction). Such powers have been available to humanity since as far back as history goes. Though viewed in a very scientific manner, it couldn't help but pick up arcane terms to describe its many qualities, such as the different "elements," each which require their own unique focus in order to control, or the process of "casting," that is, using a psionic ability. Though it isn't completely understood how psionics work, it is believed that the human mind has "limbs" just like the body does, and they can be utilized to interact with their environments in such intricate ways that make the deftest hands look clumsy.

Technical: The above-stated Elements are divided into three categories: The Matters, which are anything made up of atoms, the Energies, which are energies that require Matter as mediums in order to exist, and the Forces, which are energies that require no mediums to exist. The Matters are: Supersolid, Solid (arcane: Earth), Liquid (arcane: Water), Gas (arcane: Wind), and Plasma. The Energies are: Heat (arcane: Fire), Electricity (arcane: Lightning), and Sound. The Forces are Gravity, Magnetism, and Light. What's more, each element has three aspects: and aspect of Order, and aspect of Chaos, and an aspect of Absence. Order deals with the element being held and controlled in tight order, Chaos deals with the element being controlled in a separated and disorganized state (which, in most cases, is the element's natural state), and Absence deals with the element not existing. A good example is Light: Order would be as with a concentrated laser beam, Chaos would be normal light rays, and Absence would be darkness. Sometimes, Order and Chaos are lumped together into a simpler aspect known as "Existance." Furthermore, two of the elements extend far beyond what their name imply. Light actually encompasses the entire electromagnetic spectrum, all the way from radio waves to gamma radiation (though anything beyond ultraviolet is quite difficult to control). Sound encompasses all ranges of sound, even above and below that of human hearing.