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Wolfsbane706
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Original poster
You are a Court Mage, one of ten of the strongest spellcasters ever to grace this world. Your rank is determined not only by your power, but by your ambition. More than one powerful mage has been the Fifth of Ten due to lacking ambition. You selected your own title, as tradition demanded, but you never realized just how difficult keeping your position would be. Not only do you have to deal with other mages that are just as powerful as you are (and some, more so) but you also have to deal with magic outside of your studied branch. The life of a Court Mage can only get harder . . . .
Right, so in this RP you will be playing a Court Mage, one of ten. There should only be about 8 players, though, since the first two ranks (Witch-King and Witch-Queen respectively) not only have static titles but will be NPCs controlled by me. If there's less, that's fine, I'll just set up more NPCs. This RP is going to use a system called the "Branch System". Your mage will study under one of those branches, and as such, will be forbidden to practice magic outside their branch. The branches are as follows:
- Warcaster: Warriors-turned-spellcasters that deal in physical enchantments and weapon construct spells. Their fighting prowess is second to none, but their enchantments can be easily dispelled by a skilled Sorcery user.
- Sorcery: Mages who can cast pre-prepared high-level spells in quick succession, provided they got the requirements right. If a Sorcery has lived for more than a few centuries, odds are they're powerful and they're skilled. Their massive mana reserves and casting speed might make Sorcery seem a good choice, but the spell requirements are still present, and as mentioned, the spells being cast have to be prepared and "stocked" somehow before being cast in succession, both of which are difficult to do under duress.
- Tetramancy: Mages that use elemental-based magic. Some mages choose to study only the Cardinal Elements (Fire, Water, Earth, Wind) but others combine them for interesting effects. This reliance on elements can backfire if the Tetramancer doesn't know what they're doing, or is trying to cast "out of their element", to put it simply.
- Summoning: Exactly what the name implies. You can summon a beast or spirit from somewhere else, provided you meet the beast or spirit's requirements. There are three parts to a summon. The first is the spell itself. That's simple, as all that's needed is to connect with the summoning in question and create a path of sorts that they can cross to get to the field. The second part is the Collateral. You have to offer something up in exchange for the beast or spirit's services. For dumb beasts, this usually extends to a free meal and little more. For spirits and intelligent beasts like dragons, expect to have an empty purse for the next few days. Few summoners are dumb enough to try and summon a Demon. The third is the Order. What do you want the summon to do? And for how long? The Order tends to determine the Collateral required by the beast, depending on the task and the duration.
- Necromancy: Mages dealing in death. Some Necromancers will carry around their favorite corpse with them, sometimes in a coffin, sometimes exposed to open air. Necromancy is powerful, but requires that actual death be near, and is thus regarded as impractical. Necromancers can call on spirits and ghosts for assistance, but only those of the dead.
- Alchemy: Considered a fall-back by most, Alchemy requires very little natural talent to perform. Most Alchemists are apothecaries, but one famous Court Mage used actual spells as the reagents for her Alchemy. Despite the fact that little natural ability is required, Alchemists do need to be good with numbers. Inaccurate amounts for the regents and insufficient time in preparation can lead to rather explosive results.
- Mindmolding: The only branch of magic held in worse regard than Alchemy and Necromancy due to the "intrusive" and "offensive" nature of the magic. Mindmolders deal in magic of the mind, altering memories and perceptions. Mindmolders are powerful, but they have to touch or make eye contact with their victim before their magic can actually take effect. That, combined with the general negative view of Mindmolders as a whole, tends to lead to many mages simply not choosing Mindmolding as their branch, despite any talent they may have for it.
EDIT: It seems people are misreading the setup. There can only be ten Court Mages at any given time, but the number of Court Mages studying under the same branch of magic can be as many as ten (the odds of this are pretty much nil). Branch selection has no bearing on the position.
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