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((Hiya! Welcome to the Introduction to Arcane Magic! This is just one post out of many that will come!))
"This is not for idle hands, nor prying eyes. Information must not be lost. But it must not be used unwisely. Stay your hand, friend, or proceed—if you know the way."
Arcane (a.k.a. arcane magic, arcane energy, warp energy or arcana), the language of order, is a celestial energy derived from the phase transitions of mana—if mana were water, then arcane would be steam pressure. Chaotic in nature, arcane is so similar to an element it might as well be one, for all magical intents and purposes. Those skilled in arcane magic have learned how to exploit the instability in the universe, being able to control the elements (air, earth, fire, life, water) and other forces (e.g. time in extreme cases).
The Nether - the line between the ebb of Light and the flow of Void - is an ethereal dimension of chaotic magics that connected the myriad worlds of the universe together. In Sevilidan
, volatile arcane magic is concentrated rather evenly throughout the lands, only being more potent in key ancient areas once used for very power Arcanic rituals that where used as catalysts for powerful castings of long forgotten spells and incantations.
Dragons are the foremost experts on Arcane Magic in Sevilidan, having been doing ritualistic incantations and spells since long before Humanity found it's way into the world and are by far the most adept and powerful beings that dwell in the Knowledge of Arcanic powers and the Nether.
The Dragons originally began their manipulation of the Chaotic Energies that reside in the Nether by using rare gemstones enchanted by them to act as Catalysts to call on the stash of Arcanic Magic in the Nether. This caught on eventually once the Dragons had given the gift of knowledge on the Arcanes to Humanity, becoming a trademark almost to the most powerful Mages, the Catalyst Gem standing proudly atop a finely crafted staff of some sort to serve as a complete conduit for the caster to use. By their use of these Gems it gave them the ability to amplify their spellcasting abilities immensely until further on in their advancement, the methods of incantation had changed so much that Hand Magic had even become viable rather than needing to tote around a staff or wand.
After the Dragons spread their knowledge, centuries later the races of Sevilidan adapted it to their own needs and uses, along with it came their own methods of teaching it. The Pinnacle of Arcanic studies emerged from the Guild of Magi. A very selective and orderly gathering of Mages that decided it would be best to keep the use of the Arcanes in very strict guideline, aswell as forbidding certain uses of magics like Necromancy or Blood Magics. Along with this decision came the discoveries and laws of Magic.
There is a set of rules that governs the destiny of every person that chooses to continue down the path of a mage. These guarantees are:
Magic is powerful.
Magic is corrupting.
Magic is addicting.
Magic draws the denizens of the Nether to those who wield the arcane.
Law of sympathy
"When someone handles an item, they leave a part of their own magical aura attached to it."
The sympathy between a subject and the object used by her becomes stronger with a more constant and thoughtful use. As auras vary with individuals, the vibration makes it possible to connect to the individual by affecting the item, and vice versa.
Among its practical uses, sympathy may allow a lock of hair to be used in a love charm, or a coin to be tracked back to its original owner. Similarly, an expert can read handwritten letters or books without having to actually read them.
The Schools of Arcane Magic
The mages of the Magi's Guild have divided the eldritch arts into eight different categories. All schools of magic can be combined to create formidable spells that utilize multiple sources of power. Mages are cautioned about the dangers of combining multiple types of magic.
Abjuration
Abjuration is the study of protective magic. The most generalized abjuration spell is the mana shield, a spell that transmutes raw mana into a barrier that protects the caster from attacks. Elemental armor spells require far less raw energy than a mana shield and are more easily maintained over time, but lack the raw potency of the mana shield. Ward spells are quick, potent incantations to protect the caster against a form of elemental damage, often caused when magic slips out of a mage's control.
Conjuration
Conjuration is the study of magically creating creatures and objects. There is nothing more enjoyable for a mage than creating a fresh slice of bread or a glass of water. Mages can combine water and air vapors into a water elemental for a short time before they deconstruct into their base liquid forms.
Divination
Divination is the school of magic dedicated to gathering information. Powerful divinations can allow the mage to see targets from a great distance, or even view what may normally be invisible. One of the most common uses of divination magic is scrying, which is the art of seeing something that may be far away—perhaps even on another plane of existence. Divination spells can be used to counteract Illusion spells.
Enchantment
Enchanted brooms can be seen sweeping the streets of the Magi's Guild Halls.
Enchantment is the process of imbuing an object—or person—with magical power. Some enchantments are temporary, while others can offer permanent benefits. Disenchanting is the process of dispelling or removing magic. The dispel magic spell is among the most important in a mage's arsenal, as it can potentially reverse the catastrophic effects of a misfired spell. It is also possible to permanently disenchant a magical item. This process produces a unique form of crystallized mana that can be used in the process of imbuing another item with magical abilities. Conjured water elementals can be considered to be water animated by enchantment.
Illusion
Illusion is the art of deceiving reality itself. The mists of illusion can make a mage invisible or inaudible to the world or twist the image of a location into something entirely different. Illusion can be used for disguise or manipulation, but spells to counteract illusions exist in the divination school. Illusions can be used to trick your enemies into fighting each other and be used to display several images of a mage's body that are nearly indistinguishable from the caster's real form.
Necromancy
Necromancy is the study of magic involving the dead. It is highly illegal and should be avoided at all costs. Necromancers and their followers are the enemies of all living things. Necromantic magic has many functions beyond simply raising the dead. Masters of this tainted field of magic can conjure festering diseases, harness the shadows into bolts of incendiary energy, and chill the living with the power of death. Necromancy can also be used to reconstruct the flesh of undead creatures, allowing them to function again even after the foul monsters have been destroyed.
Transmutation
The ninth and final school of magic is transmutation. It is among the most popular and useful of all of the schools, allowing a mage to manipulate time and space. Perhaps the most iconic Transmutation spell is Polymorph, which allows a mage to temporarily turn something—or someone—into something else. It is possible, but unadvised, to increase the intelligence or power of a creature through polymorph, polymorph into exotic creatures, and polymorph inanimate objects.
The second most famous use is teleportation. The most basic teleportation spell is Blink. Attempts to cast a teleportation "on the fly" often result in one very dead mage inside a wall, chair, or another mage. A properly used portal is just as safe as the average zeppelin trip, but frequent use of teleportation wears down the user.
Spells that manipulate time also fall into this category, such as Slow Fall, Slow, and a spell that increases the speed of the caster. This particular arcane art is known as chronomancy.
The four laws
Magic is Powerful.
Magic in Sevilidan is the difference between a slave and a master, a foot soldier and king. Few races and nations can operate without powerful mages and warlocks. The use of arcane magic is growing; historically, each time this has happened before, a great disaster shortly follows. However, even though the history of the arcane is well known, mages and their patrons invariably come to the same self-serving conclusion: It won't happen to them.
Magic is Corrupting.
Magic corrupts the soul; if the humblest person in Sevilidan became a practitioner of the arcane, there is a chance that by the time the practitioner reached the higher levels in their art, all traces of her humble roots would be lost. Magic breeds pride and arrogance. Magic corrupts the body; it ages the caster before their time and hastens the blight that the world inflicts on things fair and beautiful. Those who claim that only Necromancy and Fel Magic have a corrupting influence are fooling themselves.
Magic is an Addiction.
When one feels the power of an arcane spell coursing through one's body as it's being cast, resisting the urge to cast it again is difficult. Frequent use leads to a desire for more and, eventually, to a desire for the evil fel energy.
Magic attracts the Nether Like Flies to Honey.
The Demons of the Nether invade Sevilidan. Drawn by the power of the Arcane and those who employ it. Magic is a literal gateway drug that allows dark titans such as Demons to bring evil influences to the world. Those who employ arcane magic must deal with demons and other servants of the Nether.
Fel
Fel magic, the language of chaos and the primal force of chaos, is a destructive form of magic often used by members of the Nether. Its use frequently results in corruption that manifests in a physical transformation, such as a change to an individual's eyes or skin color. All of the Nether Demons carry the taint of fel magic within their very blood, allowing them to spread greater evil.
Fel energy works a bit like radiation; it permeates the area and seeps into anything in the vicinity. Anything near a source of fel energy shows signs of slight "corruption". Fel fire cannot be put out by water.
Fel magic is incredibly addicting, far more than Arcane.
The Nether
The Nether (also known as the endless void, and nether world) is the astral plane between worlds, described as the line between the ebb of Light and the flow of Void. It is said that in the beginning there was Light and there was Void and a time long ago, the two collided in the abyss of the Great Dark, which the Nether overlaps with. The Nether is an ethereal dimension of chaotic magics that connected the myriad worlds of the universe. There are a thousand ways to perceive it. Every voyager sees the Nether differently, depending on circumstance, form, and state of mind.
The Nether is separated from the physical universe but there are physical objects. It transcends all realities and is normally imperceptible to mortals. Those that enter the Nether rarely return.
Other quick notes :
Pure arcane manifests as white and/or violet glow. However, when used to bend other types of energy, it takes on the characteristics and appearance of those energies. Examples of this can be seen with element-based abilities used by mages, the bronze light of chronomancy, and the green glow of necromancy.
A disciple of the Arcanes would not be able to do immensely powerful actions with the Arcanes! Only a God or Dragon would be able to do godly things with it and so forth. That is not to say that an Archmage is weak in any way! It just needs to be put into perspective.
"This is not for idle hands, nor prying eyes. Information must not be lost. But it must not be used unwisely. Stay your hand, friend, or proceed—if you know the way."
Arcane (a.k.a. arcane magic, arcane energy, warp energy or arcana), the language of order, is a celestial energy derived from the phase transitions of mana—if mana were water, then arcane would be steam pressure. Chaotic in nature, arcane is so similar to an element it might as well be one, for all magical intents and purposes. Those skilled in arcane magic have learned how to exploit the instability in the universe, being able to control the elements (air, earth, fire, life, water) and other forces (e.g. time in extreme cases).
The Nether - the line between the ebb of Light and the flow of Void - is an ethereal dimension of chaotic magics that connected the myriad worlds of the universe together. In Sevilidan
, volatile arcane magic is concentrated rather evenly throughout the lands, only being more potent in key ancient areas once used for very power Arcanic rituals that where used as catalysts for powerful castings of long forgotten spells and incantations.
Dragons are the foremost experts on Arcane Magic in Sevilidan, having been doing ritualistic incantations and spells since long before Humanity found it's way into the world and are by far the most adept and powerful beings that dwell in the Knowledge of Arcanic powers and the Nether.
The Dragons originally began their manipulation of the Chaotic Energies that reside in the Nether by using rare gemstones enchanted by them to act as Catalysts to call on the stash of Arcanic Magic in the Nether. This caught on eventually once the Dragons had given the gift of knowledge on the Arcanes to Humanity, becoming a trademark almost to the most powerful Mages, the Catalyst Gem standing proudly atop a finely crafted staff of some sort to serve as a complete conduit for the caster to use. By their use of these Gems it gave them the ability to amplify their spellcasting abilities immensely until further on in their advancement, the methods of incantation had changed so much that Hand Magic had even become viable rather than needing to tote around a staff or wand.
After the Dragons spread their knowledge, centuries later the races of Sevilidan adapted it to their own needs and uses, along with it came their own methods of teaching it. The Pinnacle of Arcanic studies emerged from the Guild of Magi. A very selective and orderly gathering of Mages that decided it would be best to keep the use of the Arcanes in very strict guideline, aswell as forbidding certain uses of magics like Necromancy or Blood Magics. Along with this decision came the discoveries and laws of Magic.
There is a set of rules that governs the destiny of every person that chooses to continue down the path of a mage. These guarantees are:
Magic is powerful.
Magic is corrupting.
Magic is addicting.
Magic draws the denizens of the Nether to those who wield the arcane.
Law of sympathy
"When someone handles an item, they leave a part of their own magical aura attached to it."
The sympathy between a subject and the object used by her becomes stronger with a more constant and thoughtful use. As auras vary with individuals, the vibration makes it possible to connect to the individual by affecting the item, and vice versa.
Among its practical uses, sympathy may allow a lock of hair to be used in a love charm, or a coin to be tracked back to its original owner. Similarly, an expert can read handwritten letters or books without having to actually read them.
The Schools of Arcane Magic
The mages of the Magi's Guild have divided the eldritch arts into eight different categories. All schools of magic can be combined to create formidable spells that utilize multiple sources of power. Mages are cautioned about the dangers of combining multiple types of magic.
Abjuration
Abjuration is the study of protective magic. The most generalized abjuration spell is the mana shield, a spell that transmutes raw mana into a barrier that protects the caster from attacks. Elemental armor spells require far less raw energy than a mana shield and are more easily maintained over time, but lack the raw potency of the mana shield. Ward spells are quick, potent incantations to protect the caster against a form of elemental damage, often caused when magic slips out of a mage's control.
Conjuration
Conjuration is the study of magically creating creatures and objects. There is nothing more enjoyable for a mage than creating a fresh slice of bread or a glass of water. Mages can combine water and air vapors into a water elemental for a short time before they deconstruct into their base liquid forms.
Divination
Divination is the school of magic dedicated to gathering information. Powerful divinations can allow the mage to see targets from a great distance, or even view what may normally be invisible. One of the most common uses of divination magic is scrying, which is the art of seeing something that may be far away—perhaps even on another plane of existence. Divination spells can be used to counteract Illusion spells.
Enchantment
Enchanted brooms can be seen sweeping the streets of the Magi's Guild Halls.
Enchantment is the process of imbuing an object—or person—with magical power. Some enchantments are temporary, while others can offer permanent benefits. Disenchanting is the process of dispelling or removing magic. The dispel magic spell is among the most important in a mage's arsenal, as it can potentially reverse the catastrophic effects of a misfired spell. It is also possible to permanently disenchant a magical item. This process produces a unique form of crystallized mana that can be used in the process of imbuing another item with magical abilities. Conjured water elementals can be considered to be water animated by enchantment.
Illusion
Illusion is the art of deceiving reality itself. The mists of illusion can make a mage invisible or inaudible to the world or twist the image of a location into something entirely different. Illusion can be used for disguise or manipulation, but spells to counteract illusions exist in the divination school. Illusions can be used to trick your enemies into fighting each other and be used to display several images of a mage's body that are nearly indistinguishable from the caster's real form.
Necromancy
Necromancy is the study of magic involving the dead. It is highly illegal and should be avoided at all costs. Necromancers and their followers are the enemies of all living things. Necromantic magic has many functions beyond simply raising the dead. Masters of this tainted field of magic can conjure festering diseases, harness the shadows into bolts of incendiary energy, and chill the living with the power of death. Necromancy can also be used to reconstruct the flesh of undead creatures, allowing them to function again even after the foul monsters have been destroyed.
Transmutation
The ninth and final school of magic is transmutation. It is among the most popular and useful of all of the schools, allowing a mage to manipulate time and space. Perhaps the most iconic Transmutation spell is Polymorph, which allows a mage to temporarily turn something—or someone—into something else. It is possible, but unadvised, to increase the intelligence or power of a creature through polymorph, polymorph into exotic creatures, and polymorph inanimate objects.
The second most famous use is teleportation. The most basic teleportation spell is Blink. Attempts to cast a teleportation "on the fly" often result in one very dead mage inside a wall, chair, or another mage. A properly used portal is just as safe as the average zeppelin trip, but frequent use of teleportation wears down the user.
Spells that manipulate time also fall into this category, such as Slow Fall, Slow, and a spell that increases the speed of the caster. This particular arcane art is known as chronomancy.
The four laws
Magic is Powerful.
Magic in Sevilidan is the difference between a slave and a master, a foot soldier and king. Few races and nations can operate without powerful mages and warlocks. The use of arcane magic is growing; historically, each time this has happened before, a great disaster shortly follows. However, even though the history of the arcane is well known, mages and their patrons invariably come to the same self-serving conclusion: It won't happen to them.
Magic is Corrupting.
Magic corrupts the soul; if the humblest person in Sevilidan became a practitioner of the arcane, there is a chance that by the time the practitioner reached the higher levels in their art, all traces of her humble roots would be lost. Magic breeds pride and arrogance. Magic corrupts the body; it ages the caster before their time and hastens the blight that the world inflicts on things fair and beautiful. Those who claim that only Necromancy and Fel Magic have a corrupting influence are fooling themselves.
Magic is an Addiction.
When one feels the power of an arcane spell coursing through one's body as it's being cast, resisting the urge to cast it again is difficult. Frequent use leads to a desire for more and, eventually, to a desire for the evil fel energy.
Magic attracts the Nether Like Flies to Honey.
The Demons of the Nether invade Sevilidan. Drawn by the power of the Arcane and those who employ it. Magic is a literal gateway drug that allows dark titans such as Demons to bring evil influences to the world. Those who employ arcane magic must deal with demons and other servants of the Nether.
Fel
Fel magic, the language of chaos and the primal force of chaos, is a destructive form of magic often used by members of the Nether. Its use frequently results in corruption that manifests in a physical transformation, such as a change to an individual's eyes or skin color. All of the Nether Demons carry the taint of fel magic within their very blood, allowing them to spread greater evil.
Fel energy works a bit like radiation; it permeates the area and seeps into anything in the vicinity. Anything near a source of fel energy shows signs of slight "corruption". Fel fire cannot be put out by water.
Fel magic is incredibly addicting, far more than Arcane.
The Nether
The Nether (also known as the endless void, and nether world) is the astral plane between worlds, described as the line between the ebb of Light and the flow of Void. It is said that in the beginning there was Light and there was Void and a time long ago, the two collided in the abyss of the Great Dark, which the Nether overlaps with. The Nether is an ethereal dimension of chaotic magics that connected the myriad worlds of the universe. There are a thousand ways to perceive it. Every voyager sees the Nether differently, depending on circumstance, form, and state of mind.
The Nether is separated from the physical universe but there are physical objects. It transcends all realities and is normally imperceptible to mortals. Those that enter the Nether rarely return.
Other quick notes :
Pure arcane manifests as white and/or violet glow. However, when used to bend other types of energy, it takes on the characteristics and appearance of those energies. Examples of this can be seen with element-based abilities used by mages, the bronze light of chronomancy, and the green glow of necromancy.
A disciple of the Arcanes would not be able to do immensely powerful actions with the Arcanes! Only a God or Dragon would be able to do godly things with it and so forth. That is not to say that an Archmage is weak in any way! It just needs to be put into perspective.
Last edited by Oaker on Tue Sep 06, 2016 2:36 pm; edited 1 time in total
