Post by Myrdraxxis on Sept 30, 2011 22:39:49 GMT -5
Magic:
The magic of Mundus Magica is a diverse and spectacular thing. It can be divided roughly into different schools of practice:
Elemental Magic:
Elemental magic harnesses the raw power of nature to channel the powers of fire, water, earth and air. The power of the elements can be called upon by chanting the incantations of spells. As long as the caster knows the incantation and has the power of mind, he can shape an element to his will.
Generally, most elementalists specialize in one element, though dual or even tri specializations have been known to happen.
The Elemental Incantations always begin with “O Elementals of Magic I Summon….” (in Latin)
Warding Magic:
Warding magic is the ability to conjure protective shields or walls around a target. These Wards are often a combination of runes inscribed on objects, and an activation incantation to prime the Ward. There are many different Wards, all of which have to be created using intent of the caster as a focus for the type Ward being created as well as the specific runes involved.
Scrying Magic:
Scrying magic is the ability to see events before they happen, to determine the future or to use one’s mind to see across great distances. Powerful scryers can even view the events or memories of others by coming into contact with materials. For instance, a scryer can touch a vase, and then see all the events that happened around that vase for a certain range of time. These Scryers are called Empaths and are highly trained powerful warriors. To date, there are only ten Empaths in the world, and five of them are members of the Arcian Battle Magi.
Artificing:
Artificers use magical means to create mechanical or material objects. The power of an Artificer comes from his ability to create currents of magical energy and string them through objects. It is a technique that developed out of Arcane magic as a way to allow Arcia compete with the technological Vaer. In many ways, it appears to imitate science, but it finds its root in the mystical, rather than the material. True Artificing is what most people think of when asked to describe it. Currents or magic and spun and strung through inanimate object in order to animate them. It is a technique developed by, and used almost exclusively in, Arcia, where it powers their airships, war golems, and various other modern conveniences. Magic currents are dangerous and unstable and usually require a mage, or a team of mages, to oversee them. Touching a naked current would be like touching an electric current, but with the added bonus of probably exploding whatever body part touched it.
Enchanting: A subtalent developed much longer after artificing, Enchanting involves using the aforementioned magical currents to imbue objects with magical properties, such as giving electrical properties to a sword, or freezing qualities to a bullet - or giving protecting qualities to a locket. Often, Enchanting an object requires the use of runes, special symbols used to dictate what properties the object will possess.
Alchemy: A relatively new form of artificing, Alchemy evolved out of a combination of True Artificing and Enchanting - it allows the mage to change the physical properties of an object. Rather than imbuing the objects with special abilities, it actually changes the structure of the object. However, even magic cannot change the atomic makeup of the world, rather it allows the mage to rearrange the particles.
Light Magic:
Light Magic (or Holy Magic) is used to heal, and destroy. Healers use Light Magic to heal grievous wounds and to protect against harm. It also has its violent side, however. Templars of Terryna use Light Magic to burn their enemies with righteous zealous fury, calling down searing light spells to burn away the impure.
Necromancy:
Necromancy is the master of death. Necromancers manipulate corpse and raise undead minions to do their bidding. They have the power to control undead, and to some degree, death itself. Necromancers can also be considered scientists, as they are well versed in matters of biology and anatomy.
Necromancy is a Dark art. It has long been considered to be a taboo art alongside blood magic.
Blood Magic:
Blood magic is the bane of life. It is an ancient magic form that corrupts all that it touches. Blood Magic harnesses the power of blood to perform abominable rites, and involves the shedding of blood or a blood sacrifice to conduct spells.
Blood magic can boil one’s blood in their veins, control people like puppets, or even imbue diseases into a person. Of all the magical schools, it is the only one that can be considered evil.
Shadow Magic:
The manipulation of shadows around the caster. Shadow magic can be used to solidify shadows to be used as tools, or hide a person from sight. It is a very difficult and ambiguous school of magic, as not many humans have been able to master it, as it was first practiced by the reclusive Shades.
Soul Magic:
Soul Magic (or Animism) is a school of magic closely related to but distinct from Necromancy. Where Necromancy involves controlling the deceased, Soul Magic deals with the manipulation of the spirits of (often) still living people. To be able to control the spirit of any human, living or otherwise, requires immense power and concentration. Consequently, most arts within the class of Soul Magic equate to Advanced and Master levels of the other classes. Soul Magic can be divided into multiple subsections, conveniently starting with the first letters of the alphabet.
Soul Absorption: Absorption deals with forcibly stripping a soul away from its resident body. While this technique does not offer direct control over a living person, it does offer a lot of indirect control via leverage. After all, any normal person would do anything to regain his/her soul, right? With that said, it is exceptionally difficult to sever a soul's connection to its living host (and who knows what the effects on the body might be afterward?), so this technique is generally done to the recently deceased - those bodies whose souls are making their way to the afterlife. It is possible to have a living person 'willingly' 'sign' his/her soul over to you via a magical contract, which is significantly easier than taking the soul by force. This technique is the basis for all other types of Soul Magic, and as such is the first art that aspiring Soul Mages study, as well as the only technique within Soul Magic that could be classified as 'Novice'. Expert or Master Rank if the mage is seeking to take the soul of the living, on the higher rank if the target is strong.
Soul Binding: After a soul has been taken away from its owner, it needs to be bound to something to prevent it from passing on into the afterlife. Often times this 'something' takes the form of an everyday object like a weapon, piece of armor or a book. Objects affected in this way bear curious magical properties and are generally more powerful than they were beforehand. The next logical progression, then, is for experienced practitioners to bind souls to themselves in an attempt to become more powerful, although doing so can lead to negative consequences. While severing a soul's connection to something is relatively simple, restoring a similar connection takes significantly more effort. As such, Soul Binding is an Advanced level technique, Master in the event of binding a soul to oneself.
Soul Conversion: This refers to the conversion of souls into a tangible energy that can be used to attack opponents, or, more rarely, to heal allies. Accomplished Soul Mages can also form this spirit energy into other shapes, from swords to giant creatures. While its destructive powers are no more dangerous than other branches of magic, its true powers lie in the fact that this energy can quickly be reabsorbed by the caster, resulting in near limitless attacking potential. Transforming souls into energy is an Advanced Rank technique, while shaping this energy can, depending on the shape's form, range from Advanced to Master. Foolhardy sorcerers can convert their own souls into energy, although this can lead to...negative consequences.
Soul Direction: One of the more difficult sub-techniques, Soul Direction refers to directing and commanding (absorbed) spirits, bending them to do your bidding. This can take the form of apparent telekinesis by commanding invisible spirits to move and affect things on the physical plane. Any object that has had a soul bound to it can also be commanded in this fashion. Soul Direction is a Master Rank technique; while manipulating an energy formed from souls is (relatively) simple, controlling the souls themselves (which are often reluctant to being removed from their owner) requires intense focus. Theoretically, it would be possible to direct someone's soul while it was still attached to that person, resulting in effective mind control, although such a technique would take a level of concentration far beyond the threshold of the Master Rank. As with the previous techniques, direction of one's own soul is possible, though it could lead to - you guessed it - negative consequences.
Soul Elimination: The complete and total annihilation of a person's soul. In the event the person happened to be living, not only does this result in that person's immediate death, but in the removal of that person's chances at the afterlife as well. The victim of this technique is essentially wiped from any plane of existence. As well as being the ultimate technique in this class of magic, it is the aforementioned negative consequence that befalls anyone who abuses Soul Magic for an extended period of time. It is significantly simpler to destroy a soul unbound to anything than otherwise, but either case is akin to playing god. As such, Soul Elimination is on the upper limits of the Master Rank, with the elimination of souls still attached to a person in a special rank of its own.
As you can see, while Soul Magic is not necessarily a dark art, its effects - both intended and unintended - cause many to consider it far too close to necromancy for comfort.
Arcane Magic:
Arcanists master the power of pure magical energy, arcane power, to channel their spells. Arcane magic is used to blast enemies with pure arcane energy. Conjuration, a subtalent of Arcane Magic, is the ability to use pure magic to create weapons or armor out of this air. This takes extreme focus and years of practice to master, as well as a sharp mind to remember details and facts. Arcanists are highly intelligent and use their sharp minds to outwit their opponents. Many become scholars or teachers in Arcian colleges.
Nature Magic:
Nature Magic, or Druidism, concerns the ability to commune with the natural world. It is separate from Elemental Magic in that it depends on the existence of living things rather than inert natural forces. Animals and plants are the exclusive domain of Druids, and it is into these two categories that Nature Magic can be subdivided.
Plant Magic, or Floramancy, is the power to use the natural magic in plants and manipulate them to the caster’s will. The most basic forms of this include moving vines and roots to trap and disrupt your enemy, but high level Druids can bend entire forests to their will, which is why many of them choose to make their home in Elborn. On a more pacifistic route, Floramancy can be used to extract poisons and remedies from plants – a practice which is commonly referred to as venomancy. Plant Magic is generally considered to be on par with Novice Rank magic of other schools, although such feats as moving forests falls under Master Level; even so, plant magic is usually the first thing learned by aspiring Druids.
Beast Mastery, or Faunamancy, is a power of Druids to commune with animals, which ranges from simply communicating with animals to actually impressing one’s will upon them. The more complex the animal, the more magic and concentration is required to keep them under heel. For example, a wolf requires more effort than a squirrel. Advanced Druids can take the impression a step further: actually joining their minds with an animal and taking direct control. Such a feat requires tremendous magic and concentration. A single slip-up could cause you to become disconnected from your body forever, and you will become another beast. Beast Mastery is generally considered to be on par with Advanced Rank magic of other schools, as impressing will upon living creatures is more difficult than plants. It should go without saying that the Druidic mind-melding is considered Master Level.
Shapeshifting is the ability of extremely skilled Druids to actually change the form of their body. Most chose to adopt an animalistic form, but plant-based forms are not unheard of. Needless to say, Shapeshifting in all of its forms is Master Level material, as transforming any one part of the body requires a detailed knowledge of the human body. Transformations are meant to be temporary, as prolonged stints in a shift can cause the body to “set” and resist reversion to its natural form.
Chaos Magic:
Chaos Magic is madness incarnate. It is an art that has never even been hinted at in the tomes of Altinor Academy, a lost art that only was recently brought to light by the appearance of the Arkarris. Chaos magic is not like other classes, in that it has no truly set form. Chaos Sorcerers draw eldritch power from the writhing unreality beyond this dimension, and give it shape in the world, such as bolts of lightning or hellfire. Chaos Magic does not adhere to the rules of our reality, rather it tends to warp reality around it. Thus far, no mortal mind has been able to handle the stress of Chaos magic without corrupting themselves and eventually going insane or outright boiling their brain out of their skull.
The avian Arkarris are the only ones who have managed to wield the unstable magic, though how exactly is unknown.
Chaos magic can be roughly divided into three categories:
Channeling: This is the most basic art of Chaos magic. There are no real techniques involved in this form of magic. The caster simply wears thin the reality of the world and unleashes blasts of pure madness and unreality. While this is the most basic and easiest to do, it is by far the most dangerous and destructive of Chaos magic, and can never be used without unfortunate consequences. It is barely considered to be magical skill at all, instead more of a controlled explosion of power within an area. Generally, most acolytes of Chaos magic discover this skill by accident and many of those don’t survive the experience. This has been considered to be almost a crucible to Arkarris Magi to survive this experience.
Manifestation: this is the main use of Chaos magic. The caster draws power from the beyond and shapes it into form in reality in the form of a spell. Unlike most classes, there is no real set boundary for the types of spells used, and is a very free form of magic. However, the caster is bound by his own limitations and capabilities and as such, most Chaos mages tend to keep these manifestations to simpler degrees, such as eldritch fire or bolts of psychic lightning. Masters of manifestation can do a great deal more, limited only by their imaginations, though they are not unaffected by the degradations of their magic. This form of magic is the main type of magic used by Chaos sorcerers.
Daemonology: There is a saying that many Arkarris sorcerers take to heart ‘When you stare into the abyss the abyss stares back.’ Just as beings live in this plane of existence, there exist beings in other dimensions. The Arkarris discovered these beings of ethereal energy, abominations of magic that claw at reality, which the Arkarris labeled daemons. Some Arkarris sorcerers discovered how to summon these creatures into reality, binding them into objects, people or even themselves. These sorcerers, or Daemonologists, are a small and somewhat ill-reputed sect of the Sorcerers. The daemons that are summoned are often devious, malicious things, which have to be bound into service forcefully lest they become free and cause catastrophe. When bound to a host, daemons can offer inhuman qualities and gifts to the host, at a corrosive price.
Illusion magic:
Illusion spells deceive the senses or minds of others. They cause
people to see things that are not there, not see things that are there, hear phantom noises, or remember things that never happened. This is the magic of misdirection and control. However, all forms of Illusion magic (especially Patterns and Glamours) carry the risk of permanently affecting the victims mind, causing permanent mental damage.
Phantasm: This is what most people think of when asked about Illusion magic. Phantasms are images created by a mage that are not truly "there". They are an incorporeal projection made with magic. In order to properly fool the victim, such Phantams must include all of the necessary details associated with them - or at least enough to deceive from a distance.
Patterns: False sensations created by an Illusionist upon a victim. These sensations are generated in the mind, and thus feel real to the victim, but do not actually affect the physical being. For example, if someone is given the Pattern of suffocation, he or she will feel (and act) as if they are suffocating, but are not actually suffering from suffocation. Patterns of pain or broken bones can cripple entire armies if enough magi are present.
Glamours: Glamours are a more advanced from of Pattern, in that they still affect the mind of a victim, but cause them to see, hear, or feel a false sensation, in order to make them behave a certain way. A mage could Glamour the victim into thinking he is someone of authority, and that they are in a situation where such authority is warranted, and thus order the person around.
Summoning:
Summoning Magic: Summoning magic involves drawing spirits from another plane of existence to this world and binding them to the summoner’s commands. There are three types of summons: Familiars, Elementals, and Guardians. Moreso perhaps than any other magic type, Summoning requires extensive research into which spirit you intend to summon. Each Spirit has their own unique name; the names were once compiled in various tomes – many in the Altinor Academy – but almost all of them have been lost. Modern Summoners spend a great deal of their time rediscovering the lost spirit names, usually by performing incomplete Summonings, which is incredibly dangerous since missing any aspect of the summon incantation can result in any number of consequences, from a magic backlash, to an incorrect summon, to pulling the witless caster into Mundas Spiritas.
Familiars are spirits tied to a particular family bloodline, usually following a branch with the most magic, or the firstborn child. The method of summoning and binding Familiars is currently lost to the world, leaving only the Gae’om Familiars as possibly the last (and oldest) Familiars in Mundas Magica. So long as the bloodline continues, the spirits will remain in the mortal world.
Examples: Jorsin (a Twigman), Raefe (a Fury), and Hesseppatt (a Roc)
Elementals are creatures associated with a particular aspect of nature, ranging from fire, water, and earth, to moon, sun, and blood. Said creatures can be humanoid, vampires, dragons, or any other range of animals, real or mythical. Elementals remain in the mortal world until for 24 hours, or until they are defeated. The spell for summoning an elemental involves, in order, the Tier, or Level of the Summon (Novice, Advanced, Master – or 1, 2, 3) the Element of the spirit, the type of creature, and the name of the spirit.
An example: Advanced Tier, Ice Dragon Hyorinmaru
Guardians are almost exclusively humanoid spirits. They are associated with Heroic Virtues and weapon types; their style of fighting is then based on the elements. Guardians, when summoned, are bound to the Summoner by a Seal that cannot be released unless via the Summoner’s own command. There is no set limit on how long the Guardian may stay in the mortal world. Also, unlike Elementals, Guardians can be killed. Unless the Seal is released, the Guardian will remain after death. The Seven Heroic Virtues are: Valor, Chivalry, Courage, Berserk, Resolve, Justice, and Furtiveness.
An example: Furtive Fire-type Knife Dancer Carroway.
Full incantation:
Incola Mundas Spiritus, custodite mandata mea et responde mihi dicere: venerunt ad me: Full title and name of spirit
Time Magic:
Otherwise known as Chronomancy, Time Magic is the power to manipulate the flow of time in localized areas, causing it to speed up, slow down, reverse, or stop. While not considered a dark art, like blood magic and necromancy, chronomancy is easily one of the most dangerous types of magic, perhaps only a few rungs down from Chaos Magic. Time Magic, while not a lost art, is seldom practiced because of the danger it presents to the caster, as well as the world at large.
Unlike other magics, the ranks of chronomancy are determined, not by the effect of the spells, but by the area affected by the spells. Novice level spells only affect single object, or a radius of up to five feet from the targeted area. Expert level spells can affect an area up to a square mile. Master level spells go up from there. Progressing from Novice to Expert to Master is incredibly difficult for Time Mages, and the magic requires an incredible amount of will power and magic. Of all the practiced forms of magic (Chaos aside) time is frequently quoted as being the most difficult. Few who learn ever make beyond Novice Level. Most, if not all, time magic requires the caster to keep the spell going, but the energy required increases exponentially.
Stasis: Stopping, or freezing things in time is a basic technique of Chronomancers. This technique works in two ways: either stopping the flow of time in that particular area, or diverting the flow of time around it. They both accomplish the same end, and require similar amounts of effort, but different masters teach different ways.
Acceleration/Deceleration: Speeding up or slowing down time. A slightly more advanced time magic technique that involves direct manipulation of the flow of time. This can be used to age things faster or slower, or to speed up or slow down opponents. While more difficult than a stasis, since it requires careful monitoring, it is used more often than stasis.
Reversal: True to its name, reversals reverse the flow of time. By far the most difficult technique to achieve, since time naturally flows forward. Chronomancers have long since theorized this as the gateway to eternal life – by reversing the aging of someone, but so far it has been unsuccessful as it is incredibly difficult to undo the age for every part of a living organism without erasing memories.
Memory charms: Not true charms as it will, but Time Magic can be applied to an individual’s memory in order to erase certain memories, or to revert their minds to a previous state. However, such a technique is incredibly unreliable and more often than not ruins the mind of the victim. Skilled time mages can indeed tamper with memories.
Spatial Magic:
Also known as Choramancy (for you Greek enthusiasts, from 'χώρα' meaning 'space'), Spatial Magic involves manipulating the spatial location of an object by creating space, distorting it, moving it or - for the diehard Choramancers - destroying it. Like its magical relative Chronomancy, Choramancy is not a dark art, but is definitely among the more dangerous magical classes. One minor slip up can cause a practitioner to banish himself to an alternate dimension or worse. Much like Time Magic, Spatial Magic poses enough threats and dangers to dissuade too many potential students from pursuing it.
Spatial Magic, while still very hard to learn and master, ranks just under Time Magic in terms of difficulty. Whereas time is ever flowing and requires ongoing concentration to manipulate, space exists as is, non-moving and ready to be bent by those willing to study it. As with other branches of magic, Choramancy can be subdivided into various techniques.
Distortion: The first technique aspiring Choramancers learn, and naturally the simplest. Spatial distortion involves the small scale bending of the space around an object, to the effect of altering its appearance or even rendering it invisible. Similar to Novice ranked magic
Teleportation: The next step up for Choramancers, but substantially more difficult. Teleportation requires casters to contract the space in front of themselves and expand the space behind them. This creates a sort of 'space bubble' around the caster, allowing them to freely travel through space nigh-instantaneously, unaffected by objects (or time) around them. Teleportation requires the utmost mental clarity and focus - not only does a caster have to bend two regions of space at once, but he/she also must be able to unbend that space (into the exact 'shape' it was before) upon arriving at his/her destination or risk being trapped in this 'space bubble' forever. As such, teleportation is on the upper end of the Expert rank, with Master level practitioners able to teleport themselves and many others across large distances at the same time.
Creation: A technique that only a handful of mages have ever learned. Spatial Creation refers to creating space. That is to say, someone who knows this technique could create another spatial dimension entirely. This person is then free to do whatever with this dimension - send objects to it, warp to it for a quick escape, etc. The more powerful the caster, the larger this dimension can be. 'Mage of the Beginning' ranked casters could potentially create a dimension as large as that of Mundus Magica. It's one thing to bend pre-existing space, but another to create space from nowhere. For this reason, Spatial Creation is a Master Rank technique.
Inanism: Literally, 'Empty Magic', a Choramantic technique that presumably no one (alive, anyway) has mastered. Consequently, it is classified well above the Master rank. Where Spatial Creation would make new space around the caster or somewhere else, Inanism causes it to be removed entirely.
This is the ultimate technique in Choramancy - used for both offense and defense - and is so powerful that Choramancers who do learn it inevitably succumb to its more sinister uses. In the past, those who have mastered it (known as Nihilists) have lost their grip on reality and gone insane, much like the students of Chaos Magic.
Inanism allows the Nihilist to harness the 'power of nonexistence', as it were, and erase the space around or of anything they choose, essentially wiping the target from existence. Not kill, not destroy, but complete and total annihilation. Theoretically, Nihilists with absurd levels of control over space could simultaneously use Inanism with the other techniques to merely remove the objects within space, but most just end up wildly erasing the space around them, eventually to their own destruction. Accomplished practitioners can create and sustain barriers of 'nonspace' to defend themselves from projectiles (by removing them from reality), or weapons of 'nonspace' (beams of 'energy', swords, etc) to delete their target. Notably, anyone who is killed in this way does not get an afterlife, as they have been effectively rendered non-existent.
As you can see, Choramancy is as powerful as it is dangerous. One wrong move and a Choramancer could banish himself to another dimension indefinitely, trap himself between realms of space, completely remove himself from existence, or outright go insane. As with Time Magic, Choramancers pose a risk not only to themselves, but to the very reality around them, and for this reason Spatial Magic is rarely pursued as a study.
Musical Magical:
Humans of Mundas Vertias have long since expounded upon the on the mystical quality of music. As it turns out, they were right. Musical magic involves either the voice or an instrument to bend the flow of magic to the musician's whim. Instrumental magic is generally more powerful than Vocal magic, but is more inconvenient, as it requires the caster to actually possess and instrument. However, for either, the ability to sing or play is required in order to move the magic (which itself requires the ability to sense magical flows). While Instrumental and Vocal are techniques, they are not true subcategories.
Plucking: The most basic of all Musical Magic, Plucking involves affecting a target's emotions. While absolute beginners can only affect one person, more advanced mages can Pluck the emotional strings of entire crowds and play them like puppets. Plucking does not actually control individuals, but uses the music to invoke a certain emotion in listeners, causing them to feel a certain way. The better a musician is, the more powerfully he can invoke the emotion. Plucking is Novice level in almost all of its forms.
Projection: Advanced level Music Magic can create quasi-solid manifestations out of the magic and use them to affect the physical world. This branched off from Plucking, as it behaves in a similar way - but is not limited to living things. Basic projections are barely visible, but can push or pull things. More advanced ones can move buildings and mountains. More often than not, the Projections take the form of musical notes or a staff bar.
Realization: One of two Master level types of Musical Magic, Realization is the epitome of projection magic - it forms an actual object out of magic, shaped by the music, and made real by the mage's will. This type of magic requires massive amounts of magic and control. Because of it's nature, it is sometimes referred to as a "wishsong" as it essentially makes a mage's wish come true. Legends tell that the Celestials sang their civilization into existence.
Ruination: If you can create something, you can destroy it. Ruination magic exists opposite Realization magic and deconstructs existing objects. This can range from simply exploding an object apart to actually picking it apart, but by bit. This is classified under Master level magic because, while it can be done accidentally and easily, controlling the destructive force of ruination takes years of discipline.
The magic of Mundus Magica is a diverse and spectacular thing. It can be divided roughly into different schools of practice:
Elemental Magic:
Elemental magic harnesses the raw power of nature to channel the powers of fire, water, earth and air. The power of the elements can be called upon by chanting the incantations of spells. As long as the caster knows the incantation and has the power of mind, he can shape an element to his will.
Generally, most elementalists specialize in one element, though dual or even tri specializations have been known to happen.
The Elemental Incantations always begin with “O Elementals of Magic I Summon….” (in Latin)
Warding Magic:
Warding magic is the ability to conjure protective shields or walls around a target. These Wards are often a combination of runes inscribed on objects, and an activation incantation to prime the Ward. There are many different Wards, all of which have to be created using intent of the caster as a focus for the type Ward being created as well as the specific runes involved.
Scrying Magic:
Scrying magic is the ability to see events before they happen, to determine the future or to use one’s mind to see across great distances. Powerful scryers can even view the events or memories of others by coming into contact with materials. For instance, a scryer can touch a vase, and then see all the events that happened around that vase for a certain range of time. These Scryers are called Empaths and are highly trained powerful warriors. To date, there are only ten Empaths in the world, and five of them are members of the Arcian Battle Magi.
Artificing:
Artificers use magical means to create mechanical or material objects. The power of an Artificer comes from his ability to create currents of magical energy and string them through objects. It is a technique that developed out of Arcane magic as a way to allow Arcia compete with the technological Vaer. In many ways, it appears to imitate science, but it finds its root in the mystical, rather than the material. True Artificing is what most people think of when asked to describe it. Currents or magic and spun and strung through inanimate object in order to animate them. It is a technique developed by, and used almost exclusively in, Arcia, where it powers their airships, war golems, and various other modern conveniences. Magic currents are dangerous and unstable and usually require a mage, or a team of mages, to oversee them. Touching a naked current would be like touching an electric current, but with the added bonus of probably exploding whatever body part touched it.
Enchanting: A subtalent developed much longer after artificing, Enchanting involves using the aforementioned magical currents to imbue objects with magical properties, such as giving electrical properties to a sword, or freezing qualities to a bullet - or giving protecting qualities to a locket. Often, Enchanting an object requires the use of runes, special symbols used to dictate what properties the object will possess.
Alchemy: A relatively new form of artificing, Alchemy evolved out of a combination of True Artificing and Enchanting - it allows the mage to change the physical properties of an object. Rather than imbuing the objects with special abilities, it actually changes the structure of the object. However, even magic cannot change the atomic makeup of the world, rather it allows the mage to rearrange the particles.
Light Magic:
Light Magic (or Holy Magic) is used to heal, and destroy. Healers use Light Magic to heal grievous wounds and to protect against harm. It also has its violent side, however. Templars of Terryna use Light Magic to burn their enemies with righteous zealous fury, calling down searing light spells to burn away the impure.
Necromancy:
Necromancy is the master of death. Necromancers manipulate corpse and raise undead minions to do their bidding. They have the power to control undead, and to some degree, death itself. Necromancers can also be considered scientists, as they are well versed in matters of biology and anatomy.
Necromancy is a Dark art. It has long been considered to be a taboo art alongside blood magic.
Blood Magic:
Blood magic is the bane of life. It is an ancient magic form that corrupts all that it touches. Blood Magic harnesses the power of blood to perform abominable rites, and involves the shedding of blood or a blood sacrifice to conduct spells.
Blood magic can boil one’s blood in their veins, control people like puppets, or even imbue diseases into a person. Of all the magical schools, it is the only one that can be considered evil.
Shadow Magic:
The manipulation of shadows around the caster. Shadow magic can be used to solidify shadows to be used as tools, or hide a person from sight. It is a very difficult and ambiguous school of magic, as not many humans have been able to master it, as it was first practiced by the reclusive Shades.
Soul Magic:
Soul Magic (or Animism) is a school of magic closely related to but distinct from Necromancy. Where Necromancy involves controlling the deceased, Soul Magic deals with the manipulation of the spirits of (often) still living people. To be able to control the spirit of any human, living or otherwise, requires immense power and concentration. Consequently, most arts within the class of Soul Magic equate to Advanced and Master levels of the other classes. Soul Magic can be divided into multiple subsections, conveniently starting with the first letters of the alphabet.
Soul Absorption: Absorption deals with forcibly stripping a soul away from its resident body. While this technique does not offer direct control over a living person, it does offer a lot of indirect control via leverage. After all, any normal person would do anything to regain his/her soul, right? With that said, it is exceptionally difficult to sever a soul's connection to its living host (and who knows what the effects on the body might be afterward?), so this technique is generally done to the recently deceased - those bodies whose souls are making their way to the afterlife. It is possible to have a living person 'willingly' 'sign' his/her soul over to you via a magical contract, which is significantly easier than taking the soul by force. This technique is the basis for all other types of Soul Magic, and as such is the first art that aspiring Soul Mages study, as well as the only technique within Soul Magic that could be classified as 'Novice'. Expert or Master Rank if the mage is seeking to take the soul of the living, on the higher rank if the target is strong.
Soul Binding: After a soul has been taken away from its owner, it needs to be bound to something to prevent it from passing on into the afterlife. Often times this 'something' takes the form of an everyday object like a weapon, piece of armor or a book. Objects affected in this way bear curious magical properties and are generally more powerful than they were beforehand. The next logical progression, then, is for experienced practitioners to bind souls to themselves in an attempt to become more powerful, although doing so can lead to negative consequences. While severing a soul's connection to something is relatively simple, restoring a similar connection takes significantly more effort. As such, Soul Binding is an Advanced level technique, Master in the event of binding a soul to oneself.
Soul Conversion: This refers to the conversion of souls into a tangible energy that can be used to attack opponents, or, more rarely, to heal allies. Accomplished Soul Mages can also form this spirit energy into other shapes, from swords to giant creatures. While its destructive powers are no more dangerous than other branches of magic, its true powers lie in the fact that this energy can quickly be reabsorbed by the caster, resulting in near limitless attacking potential. Transforming souls into energy is an Advanced Rank technique, while shaping this energy can, depending on the shape's form, range from Advanced to Master. Foolhardy sorcerers can convert their own souls into energy, although this can lead to...negative consequences.
Soul Direction: One of the more difficult sub-techniques, Soul Direction refers to directing and commanding (absorbed) spirits, bending them to do your bidding. This can take the form of apparent telekinesis by commanding invisible spirits to move and affect things on the physical plane. Any object that has had a soul bound to it can also be commanded in this fashion. Soul Direction is a Master Rank technique; while manipulating an energy formed from souls is (relatively) simple, controlling the souls themselves (which are often reluctant to being removed from their owner) requires intense focus. Theoretically, it would be possible to direct someone's soul while it was still attached to that person, resulting in effective mind control, although such a technique would take a level of concentration far beyond the threshold of the Master Rank. As with the previous techniques, direction of one's own soul is possible, though it could lead to - you guessed it - negative consequences.
Soul Elimination: The complete and total annihilation of a person's soul. In the event the person happened to be living, not only does this result in that person's immediate death, but in the removal of that person's chances at the afterlife as well. The victim of this technique is essentially wiped from any plane of existence. As well as being the ultimate technique in this class of magic, it is the aforementioned negative consequence that befalls anyone who abuses Soul Magic for an extended period of time. It is significantly simpler to destroy a soul unbound to anything than otherwise, but either case is akin to playing god. As such, Soul Elimination is on the upper limits of the Master Rank, with the elimination of souls still attached to a person in a special rank of its own.
As you can see, while Soul Magic is not necessarily a dark art, its effects - both intended and unintended - cause many to consider it far too close to necromancy for comfort.
Arcane Magic:
Arcanists master the power of pure magical energy, arcane power, to channel their spells. Arcane magic is used to blast enemies with pure arcane energy. Conjuration, a subtalent of Arcane Magic, is the ability to use pure magic to create weapons or armor out of this air. This takes extreme focus and years of practice to master, as well as a sharp mind to remember details and facts. Arcanists are highly intelligent and use their sharp minds to outwit their opponents. Many become scholars or teachers in Arcian colleges.
Nature Magic:
Nature Magic, or Druidism, concerns the ability to commune with the natural world. It is separate from Elemental Magic in that it depends on the existence of living things rather than inert natural forces. Animals and plants are the exclusive domain of Druids, and it is into these two categories that Nature Magic can be subdivided.
Plant Magic, or Floramancy, is the power to use the natural magic in plants and manipulate them to the caster’s will. The most basic forms of this include moving vines and roots to trap and disrupt your enemy, but high level Druids can bend entire forests to their will, which is why many of them choose to make their home in Elborn. On a more pacifistic route, Floramancy can be used to extract poisons and remedies from plants – a practice which is commonly referred to as venomancy. Plant Magic is generally considered to be on par with Novice Rank magic of other schools, although such feats as moving forests falls under Master Level; even so, plant magic is usually the first thing learned by aspiring Druids.
Beast Mastery, or Faunamancy, is a power of Druids to commune with animals, which ranges from simply communicating with animals to actually impressing one’s will upon them. The more complex the animal, the more magic and concentration is required to keep them under heel. For example, a wolf requires more effort than a squirrel. Advanced Druids can take the impression a step further: actually joining their minds with an animal and taking direct control. Such a feat requires tremendous magic and concentration. A single slip-up could cause you to become disconnected from your body forever, and you will become another beast. Beast Mastery is generally considered to be on par with Advanced Rank magic of other schools, as impressing will upon living creatures is more difficult than plants. It should go without saying that the Druidic mind-melding is considered Master Level.
Shapeshifting is the ability of extremely skilled Druids to actually change the form of their body. Most chose to adopt an animalistic form, but plant-based forms are not unheard of. Needless to say, Shapeshifting in all of its forms is Master Level material, as transforming any one part of the body requires a detailed knowledge of the human body. Transformations are meant to be temporary, as prolonged stints in a shift can cause the body to “set” and resist reversion to its natural form.
Chaos Magic:
Chaos Magic is madness incarnate. It is an art that has never even been hinted at in the tomes of Altinor Academy, a lost art that only was recently brought to light by the appearance of the Arkarris. Chaos magic is not like other classes, in that it has no truly set form. Chaos Sorcerers draw eldritch power from the writhing unreality beyond this dimension, and give it shape in the world, such as bolts of lightning or hellfire. Chaos Magic does not adhere to the rules of our reality, rather it tends to warp reality around it. Thus far, no mortal mind has been able to handle the stress of Chaos magic without corrupting themselves and eventually going insane or outright boiling their brain out of their skull.
The avian Arkarris are the only ones who have managed to wield the unstable magic, though how exactly is unknown.
Chaos magic can be roughly divided into three categories:
Channeling: This is the most basic art of Chaos magic. There are no real techniques involved in this form of magic. The caster simply wears thin the reality of the world and unleashes blasts of pure madness and unreality. While this is the most basic and easiest to do, it is by far the most dangerous and destructive of Chaos magic, and can never be used without unfortunate consequences. It is barely considered to be magical skill at all, instead more of a controlled explosion of power within an area. Generally, most acolytes of Chaos magic discover this skill by accident and many of those don’t survive the experience. This has been considered to be almost a crucible to Arkarris Magi to survive this experience.
Manifestation: this is the main use of Chaos magic. The caster draws power from the beyond and shapes it into form in reality in the form of a spell. Unlike most classes, there is no real set boundary for the types of spells used, and is a very free form of magic. However, the caster is bound by his own limitations and capabilities and as such, most Chaos mages tend to keep these manifestations to simpler degrees, such as eldritch fire or bolts of psychic lightning. Masters of manifestation can do a great deal more, limited only by their imaginations, though they are not unaffected by the degradations of their magic. This form of magic is the main type of magic used by Chaos sorcerers.
Daemonology: There is a saying that many Arkarris sorcerers take to heart ‘When you stare into the abyss the abyss stares back.’ Just as beings live in this plane of existence, there exist beings in other dimensions. The Arkarris discovered these beings of ethereal energy, abominations of magic that claw at reality, which the Arkarris labeled daemons. Some Arkarris sorcerers discovered how to summon these creatures into reality, binding them into objects, people or even themselves. These sorcerers, or Daemonologists, are a small and somewhat ill-reputed sect of the Sorcerers. The daemons that are summoned are often devious, malicious things, which have to be bound into service forcefully lest they become free and cause catastrophe. When bound to a host, daemons can offer inhuman qualities and gifts to the host, at a corrosive price.
Illusion magic:
Illusion spells deceive the senses or minds of others. They cause
people to see things that are not there, not see things that are there, hear phantom noises, or remember things that never happened. This is the magic of misdirection and control. However, all forms of Illusion magic (especially Patterns and Glamours) carry the risk of permanently affecting the victims mind, causing permanent mental damage.
Phantasm: This is what most people think of when asked about Illusion magic. Phantasms are images created by a mage that are not truly "there". They are an incorporeal projection made with magic. In order to properly fool the victim, such Phantams must include all of the necessary details associated with them - or at least enough to deceive from a distance.
Patterns: False sensations created by an Illusionist upon a victim. These sensations are generated in the mind, and thus feel real to the victim, but do not actually affect the physical being. For example, if someone is given the Pattern of suffocation, he or she will feel (and act) as if they are suffocating, but are not actually suffering from suffocation. Patterns of pain or broken bones can cripple entire armies if enough magi are present.
Glamours: Glamours are a more advanced from of Pattern, in that they still affect the mind of a victim, but cause them to see, hear, or feel a false sensation, in order to make them behave a certain way. A mage could Glamour the victim into thinking he is someone of authority, and that they are in a situation where such authority is warranted, and thus order the person around.
Summoning:
Summoning Magic: Summoning magic involves drawing spirits from another plane of existence to this world and binding them to the summoner’s commands. There are three types of summons: Familiars, Elementals, and Guardians. Moreso perhaps than any other magic type, Summoning requires extensive research into which spirit you intend to summon. Each Spirit has their own unique name; the names were once compiled in various tomes – many in the Altinor Academy – but almost all of them have been lost. Modern Summoners spend a great deal of their time rediscovering the lost spirit names, usually by performing incomplete Summonings, which is incredibly dangerous since missing any aspect of the summon incantation can result in any number of consequences, from a magic backlash, to an incorrect summon, to pulling the witless caster into Mundas Spiritas.
Familiars are spirits tied to a particular family bloodline, usually following a branch with the most magic, or the firstborn child. The method of summoning and binding Familiars is currently lost to the world, leaving only the Gae’om Familiars as possibly the last (and oldest) Familiars in Mundas Magica. So long as the bloodline continues, the spirits will remain in the mortal world.
Examples: Jorsin (a Twigman), Raefe (a Fury), and Hesseppatt (a Roc)
Elementals are creatures associated with a particular aspect of nature, ranging from fire, water, and earth, to moon, sun, and blood. Said creatures can be humanoid, vampires, dragons, or any other range of animals, real or mythical. Elementals remain in the mortal world until for 24 hours, or until they are defeated. The spell for summoning an elemental involves, in order, the Tier, or Level of the Summon (Novice, Advanced, Master – or 1, 2, 3) the Element of the spirit, the type of creature, and the name of the spirit.
An example: Advanced Tier, Ice Dragon Hyorinmaru
Guardians are almost exclusively humanoid spirits. They are associated with Heroic Virtues and weapon types; their style of fighting is then based on the elements. Guardians, when summoned, are bound to the Summoner by a Seal that cannot be released unless via the Summoner’s own command. There is no set limit on how long the Guardian may stay in the mortal world. Also, unlike Elementals, Guardians can be killed. Unless the Seal is released, the Guardian will remain after death. The Seven Heroic Virtues are: Valor, Chivalry, Courage, Berserk, Resolve, Justice, and Furtiveness.
An example: Furtive Fire-type Knife Dancer Carroway.
Full incantation:
Incola Mundas Spiritus, custodite mandata mea et responde mihi dicere: venerunt ad me: Full title and name of spirit
Time Magic:
Otherwise known as Chronomancy, Time Magic is the power to manipulate the flow of time in localized areas, causing it to speed up, slow down, reverse, or stop. While not considered a dark art, like blood magic and necromancy, chronomancy is easily one of the most dangerous types of magic, perhaps only a few rungs down from Chaos Magic. Time Magic, while not a lost art, is seldom practiced because of the danger it presents to the caster, as well as the world at large.
Unlike other magics, the ranks of chronomancy are determined, not by the effect of the spells, but by the area affected by the spells. Novice level spells only affect single object, or a radius of up to five feet from the targeted area. Expert level spells can affect an area up to a square mile. Master level spells go up from there. Progressing from Novice to Expert to Master is incredibly difficult for Time Mages, and the magic requires an incredible amount of will power and magic. Of all the practiced forms of magic (Chaos aside) time is frequently quoted as being the most difficult. Few who learn ever make beyond Novice Level. Most, if not all, time magic requires the caster to keep the spell going, but the energy required increases exponentially.
Stasis: Stopping, or freezing things in time is a basic technique of Chronomancers. This technique works in two ways: either stopping the flow of time in that particular area, or diverting the flow of time around it. They both accomplish the same end, and require similar amounts of effort, but different masters teach different ways.
Acceleration/Deceleration: Speeding up or slowing down time. A slightly more advanced time magic technique that involves direct manipulation of the flow of time. This can be used to age things faster or slower, or to speed up or slow down opponents. While more difficult than a stasis, since it requires careful monitoring, it is used more often than stasis.
Reversal: True to its name, reversals reverse the flow of time. By far the most difficult technique to achieve, since time naturally flows forward. Chronomancers have long since theorized this as the gateway to eternal life – by reversing the aging of someone, but so far it has been unsuccessful as it is incredibly difficult to undo the age for every part of a living organism without erasing memories.
Memory charms: Not true charms as it will, but Time Magic can be applied to an individual’s memory in order to erase certain memories, or to revert their minds to a previous state. However, such a technique is incredibly unreliable and more often than not ruins the mind of the victim. Skilled time mages can indeed tamper with memories.
Spatial Magic:
Also known as Choramancy (for you Greek enthusiasts, from 'χώρα' meaning 'space'), Spatial Magic involves manipulating the spatial location of an object by creating space, distorting it, moving it or - for the diehard Choramancers - destroying it. Like its magical relative Chronomancy, Choramancy is not a dark art, but is definitely among the more dangerous magical classes. One minor slip up can cause a practitioner to banish himself to an alternate dimension or worse. Much like Time Magic, Spatial Magic poses enough threats and dangers to dissuade too many potential students from pursuing it.
Spatial Magic, while still very hard to learn and master, ranks just under Time Magic in terms of difficulty. Whereas time is ever flowing and requires ongoing concentration to manipulate, space exists as is, non-moving and ready to be bent by those willing to study it. As with other branches of magic, Choramancy can be subdivided into various techniques.
Distortion: The first technique aspiring Choramancers learn, and naturally the simplest. Spatial distortion involves the small scale bending of the space around an object, to the effect of altering its appearance or even rendering it invisible. Similar to Novice ranked magic
Teleportation: The next step up for Choramancers, but substantially more difficult. Teleportation requires casters to contract the space in front of themselves and expand the space behind them. This creates a sort of 'space bubble' around the caster, allowing them to freely travel through space nigh-instantaneously, unaffected by objects (or time) around them. Teleportation requires the utmost mental clarity and focus - not only does a caster have to bend two regions of space at once, but he/she also must be able to unbend that space (into the exact 'shape' it was before) upon arriving at his/her destination or risk being trapped in this 'space bubble' forever. As such, teleportation is on the upper end of the Expert rank, with Master level practitioners able to teleport themselves and many others across large distances at the same time.
Creation: A technique that only a handful of mages have ever learned. Spatial Creation refers to creating space. That is to say, someone who knows this technique could create another spatial dimension entirely. This person is then free to do whatever with this dimension - send objects to it, warp to it for a quick escape, etc. The more powerful the caster, the larger this dimension can be. 'Mage of the Beginning' ranked casters could potentially create a dimension as large as that of Mundus Magica. It's one thing to bend pre-existing space, but another to create space from nowhere. For this reason, Spatial Creation is a Master Rank technique.
Inanism: Literally, 'Empty Magic', a Choramantic technique that presumably no one (alive, anyway) has mastered. Consequently, it is classified well above the Master rank. Where Spatial Creation would make new space around the caster or somewhere else, Inanism causes it to be removed entirely.
This is the ultimate technique in Choramancy - used for both offense and defense - and is so powerful that Choramancers who do learn it inevitably succumb to its more sinister uses. In the past, those who have mastered it (known as Nihilists) have lost their grip on reality and gone insane, much like the students of Chaos Magic.
Inanism allows the Nihilist to harness the 'power of nonexistence', as it were, and erase the space around or of anything they choose, essentially wiping the target from existence. Not kill, not destroy, but complete and total annihilation. Theoretically, Nihilists with absurd levels of control over space could simultaneously use Inanism with the other techniques to merely remove the objects within space, but most just end up wildly erasing the space around them, eventually to their own destruction. Accomplished practitioners can create and sustain barriers of 'nonspace' to defend themselves from projectiles (by removing them from reality), or weapons of 'nonspace' (beams of 'energy', swords, etc) to delete their target. Notably, anyone who is killed in this way does not get an afterlife, as they have been effectively rendered non-existent.
As you can see, Choramancy is as powerful as it is dangerous. One wrong move and a Choramancer could banish himself to another dimension indefinitely, trap himself between realms of space, completely remove himself from existence, or outright go insane. As with Time Magic, Choramancers pose a risk not only to themselves, but to the very reality around them, and for this reason Spatial Magic is rarely pursued as a study.
Musical Magical:
Humans of Mundas Vertias have long since expounded upon the on the mystical quality of music. As it turns out, they were right. Musical magic involves either the voice or an instrument to bend the flow of magic to the musician's whim. Instrumental magic is generally more powerful than Vocal magic, but is more inconvenient, as it requires the caster to actually possess and instrument. However, for either, the ability to sing or play is required in order to move the magic (which itself requires the ability to sense magical flows). While Instrumental and Vocal are techniques, they are not true subcategories.
Plucking: The most basic of all Musical Magic, Plucking involves affecting a target's emotions. While absolute beginners can only affect one person, more advanced mages can Pluck the emotional strings of entire crowds and play them like puppets. Plucking does not actually control individuals, but uses the music to invoke a certain emotion in listeners, causing them to feel a certain way. The better a musician is, the more powerfully he can invoke the emotion. Plucking is Novice level in almost all of its forms.
Projection: Advanced level Music Magic can create quasi-solid manifestations out of the magic and use them to affect the physical world. This branched off from Plucking, as it behaves in a similar way - but is not limited to living things. Basic projections are barely visible, but can push or pull things. More advanced ones can move buildings and mountains. More often than not, the Projections take the form of musical notes or a staff bar.
Realization: One of two Master level types of Musical Magic, Realization is the epitome of projection magic - it forms an actual object out of magic, shaped by the music, and made real by the mage's will. This type of magic requires massive amounts of magic and control. Because of it's nature, it is sometimes referred to as a "wishsong" as it essentially makes a mage's wish come true. Legends tell that the Celestials sang their civilization into existence.
Ruination: If you can create something, you can destroy it. Ruination magic exists opposite Realization magic and deconstructs existing objects. This can range from simply exploding an object apart to actually picking it apart, but by bit. This is classified under Master level magic because, while it can be done accidentally and easily, controlling the destructive force of ruination takes years of discipline.