[center][b][u]Of Magic and Mages[/u][/b]


[hider=Intro Guide to Writting Magic]
This is a intro guide for new members in Formaroth/Seikatsu when it comes to writing about magic. While those who's story lines are not directly linked to magic or mages do not need to know the full intricate details when it comes to how magic functions, it is important to remember the following rules when it comes to writing about mages and magic;

 1) Firstly Formaroth is a low-mid tier fantasy world, with magic being relatively weak compared to other fantasy settings. Average mages either require a large amount of time to cast their spells (shapeshifters, illusionists, summoning, etc) or require a group of mages to cast a spell of any significance (destruction, alternation, etc). Those who can either cast spells instantly or spells of significance on their own are considered to be powerful mages within this world. For example being able to fire a large fireball by ones self is a very impressive feat.

2) Mages are rare in the world of Formaroth/Seikatsu with less then 1% being able to utilise magic. While magic can carry through bloodlines increasing the likelihood of being a mage (as well as the strength of the mage) at most this will still only be around 20%. Similarly only creatures with sufficient intelligence can use magic. Animals cannot use magic.

3) Magic can only be 'stored' in living things (plants or animals), inanimate objects cannot store magic. The only way which objects can be 'enchanted' is through Mandrake oil (Fallenreaper can be asked for further details).
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	In the world of Formaroth, magic is an element that has greatly shaped the world, and events that have unfolded within it, despite the fact that only a few in a thousand can wield the power. When an individual is found to be gifted in the use of magic, they aretaken to the Mage’s Circle in the Summer Isles, where they will be taught under the different schools of magic as students. 

	There are many different types of schools of magic each covering a different area of magic (Restoration, Illusion, Destruction, Alteration, Summoning, Shapeshifting, etc.). Once the mage has learned the basic’s in magic, they will focus under a school of their choice. More gifted mages may learn under more than one school. Once a teacher believes the mage is ready, they are sent out into the world, where they put their skills to use. Some of the more talented mages gain a job as a High Magister; where they work directly for one of the great Houses of Formaroth. 

	Certain magic known as dark magic is forbidden from use. If a mage is found guilty of practicing dark magic, then they will be sentenced to death. Dark magic is considered to be of the following: necromancy, mind-control for ill-use, summoning dark spirits for personal gain and the like. As a result, it is rare for mages to practice such magic; however, the law has not stopped all mages from practicing the forbidden arts in secrecy. Mages are positively received over the general populations of Formaroth, as their talents are greatly valued. The general opinion of mages varies depending on the different kingdoms, as occasionally, burning mages at the stakes is still a common practice in some outer-lying villages in the kingdoms.

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[hider=Magic Guide]
[h2][u]Formaroth: Magic Guide[/u][/h2]
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(Note: This is not the limit of what mages can do, just a summary of the known, and practised magic in the world.)


[hider=Destruction Magic]
[u]Destruction Magic[/u]
Destruction is a form of magic that focuses mainly on the offensive use of magic. Mages often use magic in an elemental or primal form. The strength of a destruction spell is based on the skill of the mage wielding it. Like most other magic forms, a destruction spell can be amplified in power and size depending on the amount of mages casting it. The most common ways this form is utilized are as followed:

[b]Force:[/b] 
The most commonly used form of destruction magic, force focuses around using magic in its purest form. Utilised in battle in the form of basic shockwaves, however, mages can train to use it in more sophisticated manners such as telekinesis. Skilled mages can also vary the size of the shockwaves, even direct them, and use them as a way to cut through their opponents. 

[b]Fire:[/b] 
Another common form of destruction spells, fire magic proves to have the most devastating effects when used on the field of battle. Despite most mages having the talent to create fire with ease, battle mages must train for years to be able to control it effectively, as well as being able to extinguish it at will. Though fire can be effective in a battle it is not all powerful, the intensity of the flames depends on the skill of the mage using it. For example an average mage would have difficulty trying to counter a knight in full plate.

[b]Lightning:[/b] 
Lightning magic in its controlled form, is difficult, as it needs pure magic to be converted into this fantastic form of magickal energy. This energy is produced, though not limited to, in the form of lightning. Though lightning is an incredibly powerful form of destruction magic, it is wholly difficult to control, and only those of a magister level can direct it with precision. As a result, mages tend to only use this while fighting on their own due to the high risk of friendly fire to their surrounding comrades.

[b]Ice:[/b] 
Along with force and fire, ice is another common form of destruction that battle mages use. Most mages have the ability to control water via telekinesis. However, during battle this is near pointless. Mages have the ability to change the temperature of different objects including water. Many mages lower the temperature of water until it turns into ice, which they may then use to send deadly sharp ice shards towards the directions of their enemies. Mages also possess the ability to use ice on a much grander scale, however, a large quantity of water must be present. In circumstantial situations, the only water mages have ready at hand, is what they bring with them onto the fields of battle.

[b]Glyphs:[/b] 
Glyphs are particularly rare when it comes to magic. Due to the complexity of these spells, only the most studious of mages have the ability to wield them. They involve placing down ‘Glyph marks’ (dormant spells) in particular areas, and then setting them off when needed. Glyphs can be put down instantly, but the user has to be close to the glyph ( at least within 100 meters) for it to remain dormant, and even closer to be able to lay it. The number of glyphs that can be place depends on the skill of the magic user.

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[hider=Restoration]
[u]Restoration[/u]
The Restoration School of Magic is the school that the majority of mages enter into, for it provides essential skills. As such, there are mages that operate as healers, and doctors. Restoration involves healing individuals, and repairing wounds. Restoration magic is capable of healing all manner of wounds, from a small cut to a broken bone. The more skilled the mage, the more severe of a wound they can treat and  heal. Restoration magic can also be used to bring life back into dead plant vegetation, for example: if a village were to suffer a loss of crops due to disease or drought, then hypothetically, a mage could resurrect said crops (however this would require a large number of mages for a long period of time). Mages can bring life back into people as well, however, what they bring back are monstrous, and soulless, nothing near to what those that inhabited that body before. As such, "Necromancy", as most call it, is forbidden, and next to no one in Formaroth knows how to perform such a spell. Restoration can also be used to enhance a living being;  for example: large quantities of mages, when together, are able increase the total yield of crops, and increase the the size of plants, nearly doubling or tripling the size of the original plant; though this depends on how long magic is spent on the plant. This magic can also be used to enhance people as well; however, most of these attempts result in abominations, and like necromancy, they are forbidden by the Mage's Circle.
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[hider=Illusion]
[u]Illusion[/u]
Illusion magic is one of the most commonly practised forms of magic among mages, and it is the most common type of magic that mages learn once they arrive at the Circle. However, not many mages continue to learn it to a effective proficiency. Basic illusions consists of nothing more than a few party tricks capable of entertaining people, but not capable of fooling them for long. Advanced illusions can only be pulled off by master's in this field of magic. These illusions require a large amount of intelligence, and imagination. At this level they are able toproduce illusions so powerful that they are able to fool people into believing it is real. These illusions can play tricks on the target's sight, hearing, and in some cases, even smell. As influential as these spells may be, they are not without their limitations. For example, depending on the complexity of illusions used (as well as the size), it is more likely that the illusion will be recognized. Depending on the intelligence of the target, whether they are a Mage or a Mundane (people that do not practise magic), the easier it is for the illusion to be seen. Any physical contact with said illusions will confirm them to be false. Mages who operate as spies or assassins employ the use of illusion magic for obvious, and practical reasons.
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[hider=summoning magic]
[h3]What is it?[/h3]
Of the branches of magic in Formaroth, Summoning is one of the rarest. Only a select few ever master it and fewer still truly understand it. What it does is summon semi-astral beings commonly known as shades. It does not allow for summoning objects, people, creatures or anything like that. Only shades. Typically, the shades take up a shape of some meaning to the summoner, usually some form of animal.
 
Historically, it has been a form of magic that has been particularly unpopular within the Church of Klebithy, where many hold the opinion that the shades are demons. Though no evidence exists to support this claim, the belief has proven itself impossible to completely eradicate. This results in many potential summoners dying before they can receive the training they need to control their talent, or simply in that they don’t receive any training at all and the skill atrophies into a shadow of its potential. The talent for it is known to travel through certain bloodlines, where each successive generation is trained by one of the preceding, though the grade of training can vary significantly between separate bloodlines.
[h3]Origins[/h3]
Very little is known about the origins of this magic in Formaroth, as the first summoners were elves and they are disinclined to share any of their knowledge about the magical arts. If any know what the shades truly are, it is the High Mages of the Elven Imperial Court, and they are even less inclined to share anything magical than the rest of the elven imperium.
[h3]Limitations[/h3]
Shades have a number of limitations, some universal, some individual. The primary limits are range and number. Most summoners can’t summon more than one or maybe two shades, especially when it comes to calling them forth at the same time. The highest known number of shades summoned by any individual, human, elven or other, is twelve. Even master summoners rarely go anywhere close to that number.
 
The other limit, range, is universal. No summoner has ever managed to control a shade more than roughly thirty meters away from himself or herself, and most summoners do not even get that far away before the shade fades away.
 
If a summoner dies, his or her shades will permanently return to whence they came from. If a summoner loses consciousness, his or her shades will fade, but can be summoned back up when the mage regains consciousness, provided he or she can focus upon it properly.
[h3]Appearance[/h3]
Each individual shade takes the shape of one animal. When a summoner calls forth different animal shades, they are all unique shades, as a shade does not change its appearance. The exact appearance is shaped by a number of factors in the summoner, primarily the emotions, but also personality, thoughts, location at the time of initial summoning and desires/morals. A shade will typically represent one aspect of the summoner, and will act that out.
 
While a shade shares appearance with an animal, it is not restricted by that animal’s dimensions. Powerful shades might be larger than the animal, while weaker ones are smaller.
[h3]Uses[/h3]
While shades cannot go very far from the summoner (individual variances based on power, training and local factors) they have nonetheless got a plethora of uses. They can be used for entertainment, scouting, battle or even simple friendship. A shade is only physical so long as the ruiing emotion/trait demands it. Therefore, while a shade can at one moment pass through a wall or fly up through the air, at the next the shade could bite down on someone to hurt them or to move them. It is not possible for a shade to move someone through objects, for while the shade itself can alternate between physical and nonphysical, it cannot cause such change in others. The shade itself has its own set of senses and is therefore not restricted by the summoner’s line of sight, though the summoner’s senses also affect it. The exact nature of how these tie together is not something anyone has properly studied and is therefore largely incomprehensible to anyone but the summoner.
 
While summoning magic in a trained user can be controlled through spells, the core of it functions on a deeper level than that. It takes considerable training to control properly, and the capabilities of each shade is largely limited by its ruling emotion/trait. A major part of the magical training for a summoner lies in expanding how each individual shade can be utilized.
 
When a shade is summoned forth due to a powerful emotion (like rage, agony, fury, love, etc.) it can be more powerful than a shade summoned forth less overtly, but it is also harder to control. A shade like this can typically go further than the summoner consciously intends, acting out deeper, more primal desires. A wrath-called shade is perhaps the most dangerous shade of all, and can lie at the roots of the Klebithic superstitions of shades being demons.[/hider]



[hider=Shapeshifting]
[u]Shapeshifting[/u]
Shapeshifting is the rarest form of magic, and the School of shapeshifting has the smallest number of students. This is simply because it is the hardest form of magic to manage, and little have what it takes to use the magic properly. Shapeshifting involves changing into an animal of the mage's choice. However, this is no small task. The mage must first study the animal so as to understand it wholly; the way it moves (anatomy), what the animal's diet is, how it breathes, and how it interacts with others of it kind. It can take nearly a year before the user is capable of shapeshifting into a single animal. A majority of skilled mages are put off by this school due to the long learning process. however. those who succeed are noted as being extremely skilled mages, and worthy of respect.
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[hider=Alteration]
[u]Alteration[/u]
Though many mages consider this school to teach the "weakest" spells, the School of alteration offers the widest variety of spells in comparison to any other school. Alteration involves teaching its students spells that will help them in everyday life. These spells can range anywhere between, but not limited to; creating light, improved eyesight, being able to breathe underwater, and even telekinesis.
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[hider=Blood Magic]
[u]Blood magic[/u]

Blood magic is a forbidden magic that requires using one's own or another's life force in order to power spells. Blood magic is often used alongside another school of magic and is used to enhance spells, the more life force that is used the more powerful the spell becomes. 

All living things contain some form of innate magic (the reason why only living things can be used to store magic). Blood magic draws this magic from the blood of it’s living hosts before using it to amplify their spells. While such magic doesn’t necessarily have kill the person it draws it power from, many practitioners will sacrifice their victims in order to yield the best results. 

Understandably such magic is forbidden in Formaroth through the law, church and circle. However blood magic is commonplace in the imperium with many elven mages using the blood of hundreds of slaves just to power their spells. 
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[hider=Necromancy]
[u]Necromancy[/u]

Necromancy is a forbidden magic in all areas of the world, that involves turning the dead into personal puppets for its user. Necromancy is the hardest magic to learn with only a couple of people ever truly being able to master it each century. At most an average Necromancer can only hope to command twenty undead at once, however those few who are exceptionally skilled at using it are able to command hundreds. Within Formaroth the most skilled Necromancer was Ivan Draknof, ‘the scourge of Windermere’ during 153 A.R who commanded close to 200 undead. While skilled Ivan was also a madman who was overconfident in his power, believing that he could conquer Formaroth with his undead, enforcing his ranks by ‘recruiting’ those he slaughtered into his army.

However Ivan refused to believe he had reached his limit and attempted to resurrect the peasants he had slaughtered in the villages that neighbored his castle. This proved too much for Ivan who collapsed from exhaustion causing his undead army to fall. When Ser Gilmore arrived with a host ten times the size of Ivan’s army he found nothing but a field of corpses and a still unconscious Ivan. Ivan was then killed before he even had a chance to wake up.

The most successful Necromancer would be Adamar ‘the undead king of Beilokias’. Adamar was a Arch Sorcerer for the Elven Imperium who, using blood magic, was able to command over a thousand undead at once (an unprecedented achievement). While his work was encouraged by the imperium at first, both the senate and Adamar’s peers became wary of his power. Eventually Adamar turned on the imperium for unknown reasons. Backing him were numerous fellow necromancers and mages (along with a number of other supporters) and at his peak Adamar had close to 1500 undead, 100 shades, 6000 elven soldiers and 12,000 slave soldiers at his command. Adamar wreaked havoc within the Imperium until he and his forces were finally defeated. As a result of this Necromancy is one of the few schools of magic within the imperium that is illegal to practice or learn.
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