Areomancer

Areomancer is a classic Martian science-fantasy/solar opera film that has achieved cult status and spawned a sprawling expanded universe. The franchise achieved the peak of its popularity in the 2250s, though by the end of the century it had been reduced to a fringe curiosity.

Conceived by the visionary director Jorge Abalos in the post-Traxus Crash recession of the early 23rd century, the original Areomancer film tells the story of Abel Patera, a Martian slum kid who, in a forgotten ancient alien cave, discovers the gift of Areomancy, or magic that taps into Mars' esoteric "planetary energy field". Armed with this newfound power, he rallies the rest of the Martians, many of whom eventually go on to learn how to wield the power of Areomancy. Thus ensues the Areomachy, the great battle for Mars, and one for the entire Solar System. In the sequels, the main characters remake the Solar System in their image rather than that of Earth. The story of Areomancer is often dismissed as hackneyed and simplistic, on top of being a rather obvious Martian power fantasy. Most commentators attribute the latter to the inflamed socio-political context that spawned the original film.

In 2249, Abalos, facing controversy for several of his later entries in the series, sold the rights to the Areomancer franchise to the Earth-based Verikul Media Company. The acquisition was at first enthusiastically received by many fans, who longed for a return to the glory days of the early films. However, the changes Verikul's team made to the property proved controversial among the fanbase. The follow-up films, released in the form of a multimedia serial popular at the time, were commercial successes, but polarized the fans for their treatment of the source material; fans argued that the new serials ignored the series' worldbuilding and shafted the returning characters. One controversial choice was the removal of the Martian monopoly on magic powers, with each planet seemingly having their own forms of magic. While this had been hinted at in some prior expanded universe material, it had never been canonical in the original films proper.

The Areomancer franchise has long faded from public relevance. Part of this is due to the nature of its central conflict; a strong juxtaposition between Earth and Mars is now largely seen as anachronistic, taking the back seat for more relevant conflicts in the interstellar stage. Still, the original Areomancer remains well-known cult classic among the Areophile or "Martiaboo" subculture, though the post-Verikul era of Areomancer media is usually ignored.