Magic is used nearly everywhere, but the methods of its use vary dramatically from culture to culture. Some mages have made a study of the various magical disciplines of the world, but very seldom does a mage excel in any discipline other than the one he or she first learned. Some more enlightened cultures and people agree that magic is a malleable force and can be shaped any number of ways--but, once the shaping is begun, it is difficult to alter its course or begin a new discipline of magic.
Aleron, Torrigan, and Islia, though less magic-based than Melanos and some other nations, use a system of magic largely open to anyone, and many citizens of these nations know a few small spells. Though it requires a certain amount of aptitude, there is no mystic Gift one must require to learn magic.
However, this manner of magic does require immense amounts of study to attain mastery of. It is made up of nine schools of magic, each encompassing spells of a certain nature. In order to cast magic one must study a spell until the words and gestures required are learned. Many spells require material components, which must somehow be obtained. And each spell drains away some of the mage's energy--how much depends on how powerful the spell is, how well it was learned and cast, and how familiar with it the mage is.
Generally a mage will specialize in two or three schools of magic, though they can learn spells from just about any of them. The schools of magic are as follows:Abjuration
The school of Abjuration is that of protective spells--wardings, shields, traps, and protections from such things as curses, detection, spirits, and similar. The spells of Abjuration range from the simple Alarm to the Globe of Invulnerability.
The school of Alteration is, as the name implies, that of spells which alter--both existing magic and physical objects. Alteration spells range from spells of Mending and Enlarging and making water from dust to Shape Change and Time Stop.
The school of Charm deals with spells that affect the mind--from Hypnotism and Sleep to spells which cause entire crowds of people to obey the mage who cast them like faithful hounds and spells which cause a man's mind to slowly crumble away or paralyze him where he stands. Charm is the school of the geas and of spells of control, both of man and of beast.
The school of Conjuration is that of spells which create--spells that light candles or start fires, create food or water, raise walls of ice, flame, or thorns, and others along those lines.
The school of Divination is, as its name states, the school of spells of prophecy and knowledge--spells to find, to see the past or the future, to know the nature or history of something, and to read thoughts.
The school of Enchantment involves spells which affect objects--not changing them, the way Alteration does, but laying magic into them--turning an ordinary cloak into a cloak of invisibility, an ordinary ring into a ring of protection. Enchantment, more than any other school, works with other schools to achieve its effects.
Evocation is the school of 'pure magic'--the school of magic for immediate effect, called the school of miscellany by some lighter-witted mages. However, Evocation is one of the more powerful schools as well--its spells include spells of instant death, spells of binding, flying balls of magical force, lightning bolts and fireballs, and wish spells.
Illusion is the school of spells of false seeming--invisibility, false magical auras or the masking of enchantments, making something seem to be something it is not.
Necromancy is, of course, the spell of control of the dead--zombies, vampires, wraiths, ghouls, and ghosts--but it is, conversely, the school of healing, and many study the school of Necromancy solely for the spells of healing within it.
Summoning is the school of spells that, naturally, summon--usually spirits and elementals, but also animals. It is also the school of spells to control and capture what has been summoned, and works a little with the schools of Charm and Evocation to this end.
The elves of the Forest of Kéthiel are so closely attuned to the earth that they can use its energy to work magic. Their earth-magic in some ways resembles the geomancy of the Shenmiri, and in some ways resembles the white healing found in Melanos, but it is very different in many ways.
Kéthiel earth-mages only partially use their own energy, drawing a great deal of their magical power from the earth and the living things around them, and using their own power to channel this energy and augment it. They have less power over the earth itself, particularly stone and metal; their magic is the magic of living things--causing a seed to sprout and grow or a healthy plant to wither, manipulating a living plant, and calling and communicating with the animals of the Forest. Kéthiel earth-mages can grow and heal, or they can kill, but all of them work solely for the good of the earth, their Forest, their people, and their clan.
In order to study magic in Melanos, one must display at least one magical Talent. These Talents generally appear between the ages of eight and sixteen, though they have manifested as early in life as five years of age, and as late in life as twenty, and travelers to Melanos sometimes find Talents flaming to life within them at even greater ages. It is most common to have one or two Talents; no one has ever in written history had more than four, and it is generally accepted that more Talents than that would be too much power for the human body to contain.
There are eight Talents of magic:
The Talent of Enchantment is that of laying permanent or semi-permanent magic into physical objects and beings. Enchanters are the mages who create magical artifacts like rings of protection.
Herb-witchery is the Talent of creating magic with material components; mostly, as the name states, herbs. Herb-witchery is one of the most subtle Talents and, thusly, one of the hardest to block out and guard against.
The Talent of Black healing is that of necromancy and necromantic healing--magic of blood and death. Black healers are generally not to be trusted, but tend to be more powerful than white healers. Unlike all of the other Talents, it seems that a person with the Talent for Healing can choose, to some degree, whether they will practice white healing or black healing--but once the choice is made, they cannot change their mind.
White healing is the Talent of true healing, mending body and mind and spirit through magic. White healers often also have the Talent of herb-witchery or work closely with herb-witches. Unlike all of the other Talents, it seems that a person with the Talent for Healing can choose, to some degree, whether they will practice white healing or black healing--but once the choice is made, they cannot change their mind.
The Talent of Illusion is that of creating false seemings, disguises, masks and maskings. Illusionists tend to be showmen and, though illusion is not a very powerful Talent in its own right, Illusionists are often prized within teams of mages for their ability to fool and trick in order to hide more potent magics.
Dream prophecy is the Talent of seeing--the past, the present, and the future. Dream prophets see their prophecies as dreams, while they are sleeping, and are compelled once they have awakened to tell their prophecies to others. Dream prophecies tend to stay in the mind longer than vision prophecies, for some reason.
Unlike dream prophets, vision prophets see their prophecies while they are awake, in visions. Sometimes the visions simply come over the vision prophet like a very powerful daydream with a mind of its own, but more often they require a focus, like fire, crystal, or water. Like dream prophets, vision prophets are then compelled to tell what they have seen, but vision prophecies fade away more quickly, so vision prophets are more urgent in their telling and are often regarded as at least a little mad.
The Talent of sorcery is that of magical effects--usually impermanent ones, like the calling of fire or lightning or a temporary change of shape. Sorcery is rather close to enchantment in that both Talents enable the mage to affect physical objects, but enchanters tend to have more permanent effects than sorcerers, and are less likely to simply change the physical nature of something.Melanan magic tends to be excessively specialized. Enchanters often have materials or objects with which they work best; vision prophets are likely to have a certain focus, like fire or water, that helps them see their visions; sorcerers sometimes find the magic of a certain element or purpose easier than that of another. Healers are particularly specialized--some cannot heal magically at all, but rather, as in the cases of some white healers, are merely highly empathic or able to soothe a troubled mind, or, as with some black healers, particularly attuned to some manner of undead or necromantic magic.
Nevian magic is based in the mind, and is both one of the most restricted forms of magic and one of the least so. There are a number of different Gifts of mind magic that the Nevia display--generally, any one person may have from one to four gifts. Having simply one is the most common, but only having four or more Gifts is truly rare.
There are eight Gifts of mind magic:
Telepathy is by far the most common Gift; in fact, most of the Nevia have the Gift of telepathy to some degree. Telepathy is the ability to hear the thoughts of someone and, if they too have the Gift of telepathy, to speak into their mind rather than speaking aloud.
Telekinesis is the Gift of moving physical objects with one's mind alone. Next to telepathy, telekinesis is the most common Gift.
Empathy is closely related to telepathy, but while those with the Gift of telepathy can hear and project thoughts, empaths sense and project emotions. Empathy is one of the rarer and harder to train Gifts.
Farsight is a fairly common Gift; it gives the ability to see, within one's mind, a place miles away as clearly as though the farseer were there. That is, of course, about all farsight does, but it is invaluable for passing information or learning of far-away events.
Foresight is the Gift of prophecy, the ability to see events that will happen in the near future. Foresight has one of the widest ranges of power among the Gifts of the mind; some foreseers have little more than hunches that prove correct, while others have full-fledged visions of things to come. No foreseer can see much more then six months into the future, often less; among the Nevia it is accepted that the future is a fluid thing that can be changed by actions in the present.
Animal telepathy is almost exactly like normal telepathy except that it allows the telepath to see into the minds of animals rather than people. It is in some ways closer to empathy, for seldom do animals have coherent thoughts; this is believed to be why normal telepaths cannot understand the minds of animals.
Firestarting is an extremely rare and dangerous Gift. It gives the ability to call and, to a limited degree, control fire. Care must be taken when teaching firestarters, for they, more than any other sort of Gifted, have the potential to become afraid of their Gift, and that is a dangerous thing indeed.
The tribesmen of the Ronin Desert are the only culture whom allow only one gender to practice magic. Among the Ronin, only women use magic; men do not, and a man attempting to learn magic would be shamed for his weakness.
Ronin magic is based solely in objects, mostly jewelry and small carved figurines. These are made using special materials and rituals, and are kept until the spell they are used for is needed; then they are triggered by a short incantation or series of gestures. Some can be used many times; some can only be used once and often are destroyed by casting their spell. Because of the method of magic the Ronin use, they have no truly powerful sorcery, but they do not care to have it. Their smaller magics serve them well and are used on almost a daily basis for a wide range of purposes such as calming frightened horses, healing wounds, creating small amounts of water, fire, or wind, mending broken objects, and seeing visions in mirrors or smoke.
Samaran magic relies mostly on ritual; gestures and chants, material components, specific things done at specific times in specific ways. It is partially based in objects of magic, the way the magic of the Ronin tribesmen is, but it also deals heavily with the summoning and commanding of spirits and elementals. Samaran mages generally keep small (or not-so-small) hoards of magical items, and often have one or two spirits bound continually to their service. If they have performed the rituals properly, they can call and bind elementals, the spirits of the dead, and other-planar beings like imps, djinns, efreets, and even demons.
The Shenmiri do not follow gods, but they do have a high respect verging on worship for the world around them, particularly the elements, and if the Shenmiri can be said to have a religion, then this is it. Very often, even among those who do not practice magic, a Shenmiri will choose to follow a particular element, and that element dominates their life from then on.
There are seven elements, arranged in a circle: earth, water, ice, air, light, fire, and lightning. Each element has complements and opposites in the other elements, though some of these alliances and oppositions are milder than others.
Shenmiri sorcery is based on the circle of elements; it is uncertain if this system of magic was derived from the elemental circle or if the circle was derived from the disciplines of sorcery. It is typical for a Shenmiri sorcerer to follow only one discipline of magic, though there are particularly dedicated sorcerers who work in as many as three. There are eight disciplines, as follows:
Geomancy is one of the easier magical disciplines and, at the same time, one of the most powerful. A geomancer has power over all aspects of earth, from dust, sand, and dirt to the rocks of the ground. Gemstones and metals fall under Earth's power as well, and can be altered and worked by Earth's magic. A powerful geomancer can open deep rifts in the ground or bring solid stone from the bedrock into the air, press rock and dirt into flawless gemstones, cause a blade of tempered steel to crumble like charcoal, and even invoke the great power of an earthquake or rockslide.
Hydromancy is one of the easiest magical disciplines, but to attain Mastery in it is somewhat more difficult than most of the other disciplines. Hydromancers have power over water in its liquid form and can manipulate anything that contains water, either by moving the water within it or by pulling the water away. Hydromancers, along with geomancers, are often called upon by Shenmiri farmers to aid with their crops--though Water mages cannot bring down rain from a clear sky, they can hasten it along or dry it away, and they can bring underground springs bubbling to the surface. A very powerful hydromancer can enable him or herself to breathe water, rip the water from a person's body and thus kill him, or call up great tsunamis from the sea to batter the land.
Cryomancy, like hydromancy and geomancy, is one of the easier disciplines. It is easier to attain Mastery in than hydromancy, and is favored by those of logical mind. Cryomancers have control over ice, from tiny snowflakes and crystals of frost to immense glaciers and icebergs. Cryomancers also control cold. Cryomancers can turn rain into sleet or snow, freeze a bridge of ice over a lake or river, shatter metals and glass with intense cold, cool a sticky summer wind or freeze a man to death. More powerful cryomancers can create weapons and armor of ice that are as hard as steel, though eventually they will melt.
Aeromancy is more difficult a discipline than geomancy, hydromancy, and cryomancy. Aeromancy gives control over air, every aspect of it. Aeromancers can call winds to blow or to calm, bring up mists to obscure or banish them, disperse a storm or bring one close on a wind. An aeromancer can steal the breath from one's lungs and suffocate them. Powerful aeromancers can cause themselves to fly or call fantastic gales into being.
Spectramancy is the mildest discipline, and the least draining, though it requires more concentration than most--light is a subtle sort of thing. Spectramancy is the magic of illusion, and is often taken up by showmen, less serious types. Spectramancers create beautiful effects of color and light, can make things--including themselves--invisible to the eye, create magical sources of unwavering light or plunge an area into darkness, enhance someone's vision or blind them. The most powerful spectramancers can step into a pool of dark shadow and travel through it to another, equally shadowed area, up to one hundred yards away.
Pyromancy is one of the most powerful disciplines--and, largely because of this, is one of the most dangerous and one of the most difficult to master. Pyromancers can call and control fire--from the small flame of a candle to the raging fury of a firestorm. They can warm a chilly room, bring a fire built even with damp, green wood to crackling life, drive a fever from a person's body, or char a man to nothing more than a pile of ash. Despite its danger, pyromancy is one of the most popular disciplines among younger Shenmiri, particularly young men. Many are persuaded to choose different disciplines--many are injured in their attempts to master pyromancy, and some even die.
Electromancy is perhaps the most powerful and most dangerous discipline of magic, and, along with Cryomancy, one of the least popular. There is the very real danger of death or injury with any misfired electromantic sorcery; only pyromancy is anywhere near as dangerous. An electromancer can kill with a gentle touch to the throat or chest, even if the target is wearing armor--especially if he or she is wearing metal armor. He or she can call a bolt of lightning from the heavens, blasting walls to rubble and creating great craters in the ground, firing thin bright streams of energy from his or her hands or backing an arrow-shot with a flash of power. The most controlled and dedicated electromancers can create and maintain balls of bright silver-white light in their hands with which to light the darkness. However, more electromancers have died from miscast spells than have followers of any other discipline.
Necromancy is the control of the dead--both their bodies and, for more powerful necromancers, of their souls. It is outlawed by Shenmiri law, and necromancers are as often summarily killed as they are cast out. Those who practice necromancy can animate corpses, trap and control spirits, and control the undead (such as wraiths, ghouls, vampires, and zombies). However, necromancers can also heal the living, and some well-meaning Shenmiri have studied it in secret for this purpose.
Copyright © 1999 Abigail Laughlin and the members of the Circle of Stone.
