The Forces that Divide Us
Magic is a touchy subject in the world - it can best be broken down and separated into two predominant types of magic. There is the practical magic that follows laws and rules, guided by a faction's leader or learned by way of scroll and tome - even the force that is considered to be the antithesis of the arcane is in itself a form of this type. The second type is for lack of a better word, individual magic. Magic wielded by those individuals gifted - inherently or otherwise. This magic is both splendidly strange and spectacularly wondrous: magic exorcised in this type seems to be each unique to itself, channeled from something greater.
Fox's Faction
Mages
The wind swirled and whipped through the air at his fingertips, as if the sky was bleeding pressure. The ground shrieked and bellowed out in defiance, ringlets of grass tugged ruthlessly to the sky, pieces of foliage fluctuating like a ribbon in the air.
The flames curled around his arm and sizzled burning embers, sending sparks dancing against the moonlight as if the faint glowing light from lightning bugs.
The earth growled and quaked like a vengeful god, cracks forming within the ground and pieces of stone splintering out like a shock wave in a cacophony of tearing and ripping, breaking and crushing.
The tamers of elements. Mages are masters of elemental 'spirits' - whether they be fire, water, or even cloud spirits. These spirits are tamed by the mage and are subsequently subservient, although the spirits are semi-intelligent beings that are able to affect the emotions of their mages. When a mage uses magic, the familiar fuses with the mage and allows the mage control over the element the familiar is made of.
These familiars are not fully of this realm, but also touch the Neverworld - a place where other spirits and demons live. Should a mage overexert themselves or their familiars, demons will prowl in search of the weakened familiar and use them as gateways into our world. Any demon who is successful will possess the foolhardy mage. This is the true danger of using magic. Many mages who are not trained and taught properly end up as abominations - beasts of the Neverworld prowling the real.
Illusionists
The corners of reality delve into itself, they bend and stretch as the world twists and turns unbelievably. The line between what's real and what isn't fades into nothingness and the world becomes nothing but a distorted lie. Deception is the foundation of all illusions, a web of strategically made lies and nothing more. Fishes speak the language of birds, seas bring forth waves of lava and flowers grin menacingly at one another as the stones whisper of death to all who pass.
Deception and lies are the foundation of an illusionist's powers. They create illusions that trick the five senses. From giant frogs that sing of death to an infinite darkness that spreads and swallows up everything it comes into contact with. These illusions do not hurt their target physically, but are designed to do mental damage which can be far more terrifying than anything physical. The stronger an illusionist's powers the more real their spells will seem. Very powerful illusionists have spells that are almost concrete, but still nonexistent.
Escaping the web of lies is a difficult task and one that would need a strong will and determination. However, do not fret. The longer an illusionist holds up their facade the higher the risk of their sanity being devoured and their humanity stripped away. Illusions can eat away at their caster's mind, cloud it with lies and rob it of all sanity.
The corners of reality delve into itself, they bend and stretch as the world twists and turns unbelievably. The line between what's real and what isn't fades into nothingness and the world becomes nothing but a distorted lie. Deception is the foundation of all illusions, a web of strategically made lies and nothing more. Fishes speak the language of birds, seas bring forth waves of lava and flowers grin menacingly at one another as the stones whisper of death to all who pass.
Deception and lies are the foundation of an illusionist's powers. They create illusions that trick the five senses. From giant frogs that sing of death to an infinite darkness that spreads and swallows up everything it comes into contact with. These illusions do not hurt their target physically, but are designed to do mental damage which can be far more terrifying than anything physical. The stronger an illusionist's powers the more real their spells will seem. Very powerful illusionists have spells that are almost concrete, but still nonexistent.
Escaping the web of lies is a difficult task and one that would need a strong will and determination. However, do not fret. The longer an illusionist holds up their facade the higher the risk of their sanity being devoured and their humanity stripped away. Illusions can eat away at their caster's mind, cloud it with lies and rob it of all sanity.
Alteration
Flesh as hard as stone, the ability to breath underwater and eyes that detect the living and the dead. Alteration breaks down the wall between what is possible and what is not. An opponent turns to stone and the rules of the physical world crumble into nothing but dust.
Alteration is different from illusion because it bends the rules of physics and does not simply trick the senses of the person on who the spell is being cast on. Alteration is a much higher and more complicated form of magic, similar to illusion yet very different at the same time. With the use of this magic people can breath under water, turn their flesh into stone, summon balls of light to guide their way and many other unusual things.
Alteration is dangerous for one requires absolute concentration. A water breathing spell gone wrong would drown the caster and a stone flesh spell gone wrong would turn them into nothing but rock until the day they crumble away. Altering the rules of normalcy is not something that should be taken lightly.
Flesh as hard as stone, the ability to breath underwater and eyes that detect the living and the dead. Alteration breaks down the wall between what is possible and what is not. An opponent turns to stone and the rules of the physical world crumble into nothing but dust.
Alteration is different from illusion because it bends the rules of physics and does not simply trick the senses of the person on who the spell is being cast on. Alteration is a much higher and more complicated form of magic, similar to illusion yet very different at the same time. With the use of this magic people can breath under water, turn their flesh into stone, summon balls of light to guide their way and many other unusual things.
Alteration is dangerous for one requires absolute concentration. A water breathing spell gone wrong would drown the caster and a stone flesh spell gone wrong would turn them into nothing but rock until the day they crumble away. Altering the rules of normalcy is not something that should be taken lightly.
Ty's Faction
Summoners
They strained their eyes to see the man swathed in blue. He flickered as if at any moment he would fade into oblivion, never to be heard of or seen again. Lights danced around him, covered him and made him appear as though a ghost. His eyes took on a cat-like gleam, he flickered again and a roar echoed throughout the valley. From within the depths of his soul came forth an animal. It prowled around him protectively and snarled. The man flicked his wrist and the apparition obeyed his every order.
Summoners manage to reach into the Neverworld and call spirits of all shapes and sizes to aid them in battle. However, they must pay a price. When fighting for them a spirit merges with the summoner's mind and soul. The stronger the spirit the stronger their presence. They will also share qualities they have with their summoner, so if one were to summon a wolf spirit they would become faster, stronger and more bestial in appearance. Summoning while useful is quite a dangerous trade. If one were to summon a mischievous spirit or a spirit far too powerful for the human mind to comprehend then said spirit would devour their soul and leave them as nothing but useless husks of flesh. Which is why pacts are made to lower the risk of one's soul being whisked away. A summoner can make a pact with one entity. That entity becomes loyal to the summoner and merges with his very being, following the summoner wherever they go; in essence, they become physically manifested into the world. Other entities can be summoned without a pact but loyalty and safety are never guaranteed, and they disappear after death or upon completion of their task.
A summoned spirit and their master become one during a summon. They share their thoughts, feelings and emotions. A summoner who summons a spirit far more powerful than himself, is doomed and nothing but a fool.
While summoners may indeed make pacts with creatures on their own, -anywhere in the world- young summoners (usually at the age of thirteen) that are loyal to their faction are brought to Summoner's capital city where they undergo a ritual. This consists of placing part of their being into the Neverworld for a duration in order for them to find their Pact Creature. A summoner older than the age of fifteen without a Pact Creature is considered weak and shunned by most mages throughout the world.
Alchemists
Clean light sources, modernized waterworks, high-quality glass, all products that mark Alencia's decor and bathe the land in the beauty that is at its heart, a result of alchemy. Weapons that kill, potions that heal, knowledge that both wounds and cautions, all come from the power held by the alchemist. The pounding of an anvil, the yellow candles and blue fire that keeps cities from eclipsing, burn from the alchemists and their power.
Potions and runes are their specialty. Alchemists come in two flavors. One of them is the potion-maker who captures wild spirits and houses them in special solutions and gases. The second is the runemaker who traps a spirit into a solid - usually a gem or metal - and carves intricate runes into the solid material. Both achieve the same outcome: they alter how the familiar moves and interacts with the world. A fire familiar trapped in runed steel will coat the sword in swaths of flames when activated and a nature spirit in a Laumspur solution would heal any injuries a person has after drinking it.
Alchemists are known for their ingenuity and imagination, but not so much for their reliability. Their potions and runes regularly malfunction or - Urius forbid - explode.
Naming
Naming is the magic in which one perceives the True Name of a being. Naming is a special art only known to a select few trained Summoners - and only then are they able to learn to the basic names of spirits. Having the True Name of a being allows you to tame them - bend them to your will. Naming is split into parts: the naming known to alchemists, which would be the names of stone and wood and such things, and the naming of Summoners, which would be the names of spirits and animals. The True Names of people cannot possibly be comprehended by anyone other than Urius and his disciples, and anyone attempting to learn more than a syllable will..suffer in ways best unexplained. Most Summoners and Alchemists learn the basic True Names needed for their craft, but the rest must be discovered on their own - particularly during Initiation.
Naming is the magic in which one perceives the True Name of a being. Naming is a special art only known to a select few trained Summoners - and only then are they able to learn to the basic names of spirits. Having the True Name of a being allows you to tame them - bend them to your will. Naming is split into parts: the naming known to alchemists, which would be the names of stone and wood and such things, and the naming of Summoners, which would be the names of spirits and animals. The True Names of people cannot possibly be comprehended by anyone other than Urius and his disciples, and anyone attempting to learn more than a syllable will..suffer in ways best unexplained. Most Summoners and Alchemists learn the basic True Names needed for their craft, but the rest must be discovered on their own - particularly during Initiation.
Sob's Faction
Mage-Hunters
The clashing of steel and the sound of a mage's disgruntled cry as he realizes his magic is not taking effect is what alerts one to the beings that are Templars. Not much can be said about their arts, which are crowded and swarmed with secrecy, but all Magi know the one basic tenet of their craft:
Don't fuck with a Mage-Hunter.
Masters of order and human physical condition. Mage-Hunters train for years to perfect their body with martial abilities and fight who they consider heretics. Once they are powerful enough, they'd be taught how to banish familiars or spirits back to the Neverworld at the cost of their own blood. The very strongest are able to project an anti-magic field around them. Templars know where to strike and can momentarily stop the flow of a magi's magic with a well timed jab to a pressure point. It is rumored that their leader has the same ability, but can steal a magi's magic permanently.
What they lack in magic they make up for in skill and weaponry. Templars might not have magical abilities but they can and will bring mages to their knees.
Hemalurgists
Life. There is no other greater power than life. The gift of life holds power that even the gods could not withstand and they withered away in the face of the power it held. The tonic of life grants us a passageway to utilizing life to its greatest extent.
Hemalurgy is the usage of blood – whether an individual’s own or another’s – in order to create strange and powerful effects. A simple hemalurgic spell uses spilled blood to track other people, whereas a stronger hemalurgist is able to burn his own blood to create clouds of acid. This ‘blood magic’ is not considered to be magic by most as it doesn’t utilize spirits or any ethereal source of energy – but rather the life essence of living beings to fuel its workings.
Hemalurgists mainly focus on two different forms of their craft. The first is the creation of bonds between the blood and others like the tracking spell that a hemalurgist can utilize if they have their victim’s blood. The second is the usage of blood to fuel unique and usually dark spells. Mage-hunters that learn how to banish spirits have learned but a small portion of the diverse art that is hemalurgy. The fresher the blood, the more powerful the spell is - which is why most hemalurgists prefer to use their own blood to fuel spells. The usage of others’ blood to fuel spells is a rather tough and inefficient process.
Life. There is no other greater power than life. The gift of life holds power that even the gods could not withstand and they withered away in the face of the power it held. The tonic of life grants us a passageway to utilizing life to its greatest extent.
Hemalurgy is the usage of blood – whether an individual’s own or another’s – in order to create strange and powerful effects. A simple hemalurgic spell uses spilled blood to track other people, whereas a stronger hemalurgist is able to burn his own blood to create clouds of acid. This ‘blood magic’ is not considered to be magic by most as it doesn’t utilize spirits or any ethereal source of energy – but rather the life essence of living beings to fuel its workings.
Hemalurgists mainly focus on two different forms of their craft. The first is the creation of bonds between the blood and others like the tracking spell that a hemalurgist can utilize if they have their victim’s blood. The second is the usage of blood to fuel unique and usually dark spells. Mage-hunters that learn how to banish spirits have learned but a small portion of the diverse art that is hemalurgy. The fresher the blood, the more powerful the spell is - which is why most hemalurgists prefer to use their own blood to fuel spells. The usage of others’ blood to fuel spells is a rather tough and inefficient process.
Beastmasters
No, the worst part wasn’t the fact that he bit Mark’s head off with his bare teeth. It wasn’t even the part where he flung his body ten feet into the air. The worst part was when a freaking gryphon came out of the sky and started hauling us up into the air.
Masters of the wild. They are individuals with a form of connection with nature and are able to call them to their aid. They are born with the ability to sense animals and their moods. If they continue to hone this skill, they are able to communicate and in some cases even command fauna in an area. Beastmasters almost always have a beast that they form Symbiosis with. Symbiosis is a ritual of blood sharing that forms a connection between an animal and their master.
When such a connection is formed, several traits of the animal are implanted on the beastmaster, making him or her faster or having keener senses. In return, the animal will be much more intelligent than their counterparts and some are even capable of understanding human speech. The beastmaster and the pet are able to share emotions and even information with each other, dependent on the amount of trust they have for each other. They have to be careful, however, because many have been known to lose their minds altogether and join their companions in the woods.
No, the worst part wasn’t the fact that he bit Mark’s head off with his bare teeth. It wasn’t even the part where he flung his body ten feet into the air. The worst part was when a freaking gryphon came out of the sky and started hauling us up into the air.
Masters of the wild. They are individuals with a form of connection with nature and are able to call them to their aid. They are born with the ability to sense animals and their moods. If they continue to hone this skill, they are able to communicate and in some cases even command fauna in an area. Beastmasters almost always have a beast that they form Symbiosis with. Symbiosis is a ritual of blood sharing that forms a connection between an animal and their master.
When such a connection is formed, several traits of the animal are implanted on the beastmaster, making him or her faster or having keener senses. In return, the animal will be much more intelligent than their counterparts and some are even capable of understanding human speech. The beastmaster and the pet are able to share emotions and even information with each other, dependent on the amount of trust they have for each other. They have to be careful, however, because many have been known to lose their minds altogether and join their companions in the woods.
World Magic
Arcanism
The world dimmed to fleeting blues and browns as the Arcanist's body spoke words its mouth could not, as its mouth performed actions its body could not. Birds watched in awe at the spectacle - hoping for a scene, remembering days of old where clashes like these happened daily, a result of man's hubris. But just like that, it was over, and the Arcanist was devoured by his own power.
Arcanism is the more direct term for the magic that can not be fully described by the physics of the world or by the demons and angels and spirits that also employ its use. It is perhaps the most universal magic of the races - only practiced by skilled humans without them destroying the world or themselves. It is in essence, a magic that does not belong to humans, and thus so is unique to the individual.
The world dimmed to fleeting blues and browns as the Arcanist's body spoke words its mouth could not, as its mouth performed actions its body could not. Birds watched in awe at the spectacle - hoping for a scene, remembering days of old where clashes like these happened daily, a result of man's hubris. But just like that, it was over, and the Arcanist was devoured by his own power.
Arcanism is the more direct term for the magic that can not be fully described by the physics of the world or by the demons and angels and spirits that also employ its use. It is perhaps the most universal magic of the races - only practiced by skilled humans without them destroying the world or themselves. It is in essence, a magic that does not belong to humans, and thus so is unique to the individual.