First Era Magic

[Effervescent]

All Natural Magic comes from the World Tree, though this is not well known until the end of the First Era. Natural Magic is comprised of four attunements: Earth, Fire, Ice, and Arcane. All elves are attuned to one of these four magics and know of no life without it. Even half-elves will eventually find their attunement. Outside of these people groups, it is only the Dragon Wardens that are born with a magical attunement without having to come from elvish heritage. And strangely, Dragon Wardens are naturally the most powerful Casters when it comes to magic, as they are the chosen few picked by the World Tree.

From the World Tree's roots flow the lines of magic that pulses like a heartbeat throughout the whole world. Anything magical is connected to the World Tree as the World Tree gifted it. Religions were never founded in magic, nor worship of the World Tree, but many respect the connection they have with it, often in a more patriotic sense. Magic to them is a way of life and one they did not choose. Half-elves are likely the only race in which they may choose to refuse magic, though most of the time it is forced upon them when living among humans.

There are two unnatural types of magic that exist outside of the World Tree's jurisdiction: Inner Light and Shadow. These two forms of magic work outside the confines of how Natural Magic works, though they can be closely related to Arcane with how they are in tune with one's soul. These two forms of unnatural magic can be quite powerful, and are each other's antethisis. Instead of drawing power from the World Tree, their magic comes from the Afterlife.

Magical exertion is a very important part of every form of magic. No matter if natural or unnatural, the energy from which it draws has its limits upon a mortal body and soul. Even a master caster will eventually hit their limit and be unable to cast a single spell until their energy is replenished. There are severe repercussions for casting at the limit that include mental fatigue, narcolepsy, physical exhaustion, joint pain, headaches, and sometimes nausea. Beyond that, if a Caster exerts themselves to their full limit they can expect the splintering of bones, internal bleeding, and possibly death.

 

[Effervescent]

The conjuration and manipulation of fire is difficult for the caster to control at first. The fire a caster conjures cannot hurt them, but fire cast by another will. Master casters can cast fire so hot, it's blue.

Conjuring fire is a difficult task for mages to begin with. The fire is created by will, and is often difficult to access under stress or in fear. Fire mages must learn to remain level headed and calm, for emotions of anger or frustrations can make it easier to conjure fire, but they cannot control it. Those with a magical affinity to fire are often kept within fireproof quarters and are given more leisure in their early years. Their armor and clothing is required to be made out of enchanted materials created and provided by the tailors.

There are several common cast abilities by fire mages:

• Bursts – a stream of fire projected from their hands towards the enemy
• Projectile – balls of fire hurled towards a target location. Tends to have an explosive effect if the projectile is cast for a length of time
• Aura – the caster surrounds themselves in fire. They are not affected by it, and it makes it difficult for others to reach them.

All fire casters must be aware of their surroundings. Friendly fire is a very real possibility, and so they are often feared by many and placed on the frontlines of battles. Emotions of anger and negativity can also affect a Fire Caster's magic causing the fire to be more potent and out of control.

 

[Effervescent]

Conjured ice can be manipulated into shards and protective walls or shields. It is both an offensive and defensive spell class. Master casters of this affinity are considered to be the most lethal magicians in existence.

Ice is the most versatile of the magical affinities. It allows the caster to be both equally offensive and defensive. The cold they create does not affect them, though controlling and maintaining below freezing temperatures requires a lot of patience, dedication, and focus. Ice mages must be quick thinkers in a fight, often using offensive and defensive spells in tandem. Unfortunately, these casters cannot defend others with their magic very well, for they run the risk of accidentally causing hypothermia or frostbite to their allies. Thus, ice mages tend to use their defensive abilities to better protect themselves while aiding their comrades.

Ice Casters struggle in the summer. Dry heat is their worst climate, and thus not many Ice Casters exist in these areas as it makes it more difficult for these mages to maintain below freezing temperatures. This struggle is usually resolved after graduating from the Academy of Magic for those who can attend in Eversyth, though other societies have their methods in gaining their mastery.

Common cast abilities:

• Shards – pointed icicles used as lethal projectiles. Can be conjured from the hands or manipulated from existing bodies of water
• Hail – balls of ice in various sizes used as projectiles
• Armor – crystalized and sturdy ice incasing the caster. Can be either full body or parts of the body. Depending on how much of the body is covered determines the lack of mobility. This can also be cast onto someone else, but requires more focus to control and takes longer to conjure, thus making the caster more vulnerable to attack.
• Shield – a block of thick ice either conjured and held in place or manipulated from existing bodies of water.

Ice casters only subject others to friendly fire if they are not paying attention. They are trained to have a faster reaction time than other casters. Emotions affect Ice Casters similarly to Fire Casters, though instead of becoming weakened they are often able to produce stronger, more chaotic spells.

 

[Effervescent]

Earth is divided into two parts: The manipulation of flora, and the manipulation of the earth. Earth casters can call upon the vines to ensnare their opponent or raise the ground to form walls as protection. They are ideal guardians, scouts, and protectors.

Those attuned to earth magic have a deeper sense of the world around them. They retain excellent knowledge of the lands they travel, and can even predict the weather based on how flora reacts and prepares. They are the only casters aware of the magic within plant life, and can "communicate" with and manipulate the flora through this. They can speed up the process of growth and can even will a plant to move. With larger plant life, such as trees, the caster can only manipulate smaller and lighter appendages like roots or branches. Master earth mages can secrete poisons from their pores.

Earth casters can also manipulate ground, dirt, and rocks. While they cannot form objects, they can still manipulate their structures to act as walls or shields. Using the earth can only be defensive, for it costs too much energy to throw it with enough force. Because of this, these mages tend to utilize their magical energy to protect their team.

Common spells cast:

• Vines – the manipulation of vine growth and movement, often used to root their target to the ground
• Shield – the manipulation of the earth to provide mobile protection
• Wall – the manipulation of the earth to provide protection on the ground
• Pollen – the conjuration of pollen spores that cause the target to struggle with breathing. Tends to attract bees. Friendly fire possible.

Earth Casters are not affected by their emotions as much as Fire or Ice. While they have a greater magical stamina, their exhaustion comes quite rapidly making it easy for these Casters to push themselves too close to their limit without notice, though they tend to pass out suddenly before they cause themselves harm.

 

[Effervescent]

With the affinity to the Arcane, a caster can cast wards that fool the mind or protect from magical attacks. They can blast pure magical energy at their opponents causing lethal internal damage. The arcane attacks an opponent's mind, creating illusions within their reality. Arcane casters can create magical weapons that make the mind believe they are hit when in reality there is no physical contact.

Casters of the arcane are in tune with the Aether. The Aether is a mysterious, ever present element that presides within all sentient beings, though only Arcane mages are aware of it. Through this, these casters can tap into other people's aetherial presence, warping reality to varying degrees. Those affected have tended to call this affect a "waking dream" where they are conscious, but their minds are not all together there. Their illusions are more distractions, though a mind convinced they have sustained enough damage may die of enduced shock.

Arcane mages must connect with another person's aetherial presence before they can perform any illusory magic. Masters of this magic can affect up to ten sentient beings at a time, though the common mage can only focus one. Arcane illusions take a considerable amount of will and focus, and a skilled mage can suspend the disbelief for as long as their minds are linked through the Aether.

Illusions are not the only thing an arcane caster can conjure. They are most notably known for their warding spells which draws from their own aetherial presence. Wards can be placed to trick others into believing they see no one, allowing the caster to become "invisible." The invisibility wards can be placed on others, but only masters can place wards on more than two at a time including themselves. Wards can also null magical attacks. If cast in a shield, no magical attack can penetrate it. If cast onto another caster, the caster's connection to the Aether is temporarily blocked, and thus their magical affinity is impaired to the point where they cannot cast. This usually only lasts a few seconds, though master casters have been able to block someone's magic for minutes.

Common spells:

• Illusions - The caster connects with the target's aetherial presence, causing the caster to see things that aren't necessarily there. They will believe what they see within reason. If it goes too far out of the realm of reality, the connection is broken.
• Conjure Weapon - The caster conjures a weapon made of pure magic. This requires a connection with their target's aetherial presence, otherwise the illusion will have no mental affect. The idea is to make the target believe they are being hit by something that isn't actually tangible to them.
• Wards - These spells draw from the caster's connection to the Aether and can be incredibly draining if channeled for too long. Casters holding a warding spell past their limit have been known to go into what has been called "Permanent Slumber." They are ritualistically killed by their comrades if they do not wake within the week.
• Energy Blast - A beam of pure magical energy. This beam is channeled from the caster, directly affecting the target's aetherial presence. Those who have survived such attacks have no memory of what happened to them and believe they blacked out. During an energy blast, the target experiences excruciating pain. Channeling a blast longer than a couple of seconds causes the caster to gradually feel the pain they inflict.

Arcane is the only Natural Magic that is connected with one's soul, or aethereal presence. This makes them capable of detecting one's magical attunement just by being near. However, they can still only detect Shadow Magic when cast unless they attack the Caster before hand. Their link with their soul would reveal their corruption.

 

[Effervescent]

Shadow magic is a forbidden art, and practiced in secret. Those who are discovered practicing shadow magic are put to death. It is considered the most powerful form of magic, and the only form of magic that does not require affinity. This is the only magic that all humans can come to learn, and is often sought after for that very reason. Shadow magic twists what is known as The Darkness, allowing the caster to raise the dead, manipulate darkness, and cast corruptions and fear into their enemies. An adept shadow caster is extremely powerful, making them highly dangerous to take on alone.

Casting this form of magic is volatile and progressively corrupts a person's aetherial presence. Due to this, arcane mages can sense a Shadow Mage that has has been practicing this forbidden magic for too long. Their corrupted presences are more noticeable when casting, and eventually affects their physical appearance.

Those who practice shadow magic have a significantly shortened life span. The magic draws from their life force to sustain The Darkness within this plane of existence, effectively draining a caster of their years without aging. Casters can drain from the life force of others to add to their own and gain back a few years, but it requires a significant amount of focus and is never done in battle.

Common spells:

• Necromancy - Reanimating the dead. These soulless puppets are used as pawns to distract their targets while the caster performs another ability.
• Fear - The caster can strike fear into the minds of their target, triggering an intense panic attack.
• Darkness - The caster can create complete darkness for a short amount of time that only they can see through. This is, in fact, a portal into The Darkness to which they can freely move from one location to another across great expanses.
• Shadow Burn - Using a target's shadow against them, this causes someone's shadow to cause crippling pain wherever it touches. If someone's shadow is cast upon another, that person feels it too.

All those who practice shadow magic may be detected by arcane mages to varying degrees, but those attuned to the arcane cannot use a ward to null their magic.

 

[Effervescent]

The Inner Light is the opposite of Shadow Magic. Where Shadow corrupts, the Light rejuvinates. Where Shadow reanimates the dead, the Light revitalizes the living. It is access from the caster's soul, and the "brilliance" or potency of the magic is dependent on the purity of the soul. Purity is defined by deeds, and over thousands of years the Maldviri have learned how to accurately measure deeds and transgressions to determine how to better themselves as users of the Light. Thus the religion. It is based on a moral system and relies heavily on a good moral compass.

The Inner Light can blind foes with a flash of brilliance, burn the souls of the tainted from within, and even teleport their souls across a short distance. Adept Light Casters can teleport their soul and body.

Those who practice the Inner Light cannot be affected by Shadow Magic like others. While not completely immune, the effects of Shadow Magic is comparable to receiving a scratch where others would be brutally eviscerated. They are, however, immune to being tainted by Shadow Magic and can even reverse the effects of taint with enough time and energy.

So what deems the action of harm against another living being a good deed that would not harm a caster's Inner Light? Shadow Magic is the essence of evil and defies all laws. Those who choose that path go against the natural order of things. Attacking a Shadow Caster with the Inner Light is basically seen as a good deed, for they are righting the imbalance in the world. Every caster of the Inner Light is remorseful in killing, even if the one they kill is inherently evil.

The Inner Light does not resurrect. That is the Shadow because it is necromancy.

When a practitioner of the Inner Light dies, Maldviri believe their soul transcends to the stars to continue the eternal combat against the Shadow. Eventually, their soul is "called" to the eternal battle to shine with the sun and provide light in the night.

There is no reincarnation in their beliefs.

The Maldviri understand they were human first before becoming what they are. Every practitioner is born without the Inner Light, and through the teachings are taught how to bring it from within. This serves as a reminder that they are of the world and are equal to others, and that the Inner Light is a choice that everyone can choose.

In that same line, there are Maldviri as well as Dvadri who aren't religious but also are not evil. The Maldviri society is very centered around the Inner Light, and thus those who do not practice tend to go off on their own and don't get involved in the affairs of the world. These people tend to be easy targets for the Shadow, and a lot of them end up practicing Shadow Magic. There are still those who remain neutral.

Perfection isn't something Maldviri care about. Having the Inner Light is enough to them, and if people are at least good people but don't wish to partake in the religion, they are accepting. They believe everyone has their own calling, and that no one should be forced to do something they don't want to do.

 

[Effervescent]

Coming neither from Brilliance or Darkness or the World Tree's Aether, Hemomancy is a form of magic that is quite rare. It derives from one's Life Force and can only be harnessed by a very select few, all of which are human. Harnessing Life Forces can also extend into the afterlife allowing these Casters the ability to commune with the dead. They are found mostly in Estwynd and are regularly hired, sought after, and revered by their people. They are typically under the employ of the High King or Queen of Estwynd called to solve all manner of crimes and injustices and conflicts.

Hemomancers are easily picked out from a crowd. While they may appear normal in appearance, they carry a quite striking gaze. Their eyes glow a white-blue hue known as the Mask of Death, for all Blood Mages can see the souls of both the dead and the living.

Blood Mages can only manipulate their own blood. They can, however, dilute their own blood with another's allowing a greater force of attack or even manipulation of their target's body. These Casters are not readily used in battle despite their usefulness as they are often engaged in other duties.

Common Spells:​

• Blood Ritual - Their blood added with the bones of the dead allow for the Mage to connect with the Afterlife, drawing back the soul of the one whose bones are used, back to the living world for a short amount of time.​
• Eviscerate - Spattering their target with their blood, they can activate the spatters to burst with energy, effectively turning the lines into deep gashes across the surface.​
• Blindness - One drop of their blood near a target's eyes can render them blind upon command. Effects can be permanent depending on how much blood is used.​
• Tracking - By connecting their blood with that of another, the Mage can track a soul across great distances.​

Hemomancy is not a forbidden art in Estwynd. Most Blood Mages outside of Estwynd live in seclusion.