| Magic |
Magic is complex and comes in many forms. For almost every type of magic there are several sub-categories therein. When a mage chooses a form of magic to pursue it is considered their path. They may deviate from their path at any time and focus on another type of magic as it interests them. Many mages are born with all of the abilities they will be able to use, however it is up to them to discover which skills they possess. Only Shifters and Fixities are born to set paths and have no other choices. Magic matures with the user.
Most of the definitions below are guidelines and your imagination is the limit. There may be other kinds of magic that I have not noted. If you put an unlisted form in your application I would like a rounded out definition to add to the page. |
| Abjuration |
| Spells that protect, block, or banish. Abjuration boils down to the ability to protect others from varying kinds of magic. It can be used to block or hinder other spells, to make a person's resistance to spells stronger, or to rid someone of a protective spell of their own. Abjuration is best used as defensive magic, but also as prevention. Abjuration can temporarily block some transportation spells [by placing a dimensional lock on a person or area], can make the caster nigh invulnerable for a brief time, and can even make the caster undetectable by other mages. Lesser abjurers can usually protect only themselves, but the stronger the mage, the more likely they are to be able to protect multiple people. |
| Anti-Magic |
| It is a strange sort of magic and is only possessed by the Fixities. It is the anti-thesis of magic, a negative power that balances out any sort of spell and ceases the magic released. Anti-magic can be used on anti-magic (in effect it simply cancels out the original anti-magic). Fixities are prized by magical authority for their help, but they don't like to cooperate much. |
| Daemon Magic |
| The secrets of the ancient race of Daemon have not passed out of time like the original clan. It is magic focused by drawn symbols. Much of it requires memory, but some of it is self-explanatory and the truly gifted can invent their own symbols if they know the basic language of Daemonica. There is a book of Daemonica, a sort of Rosetta stone of all the symbols known to their culture which Enki Chance found and had placed in the Salem Academy library. |
| Demon Magic |
| Demon magic is many and varied and can be defined uniquely according to the character. |
| Elemental Magic |
Most children are born with one prominent element, rarely is any child born with a full compliment of elements. Those few rare children are dubbed "elementals."
There are seven elements: wind, water, earth, fire, wood, iron, and lightning. Each element can be called for a specific effect (flooding for water, landslides for earth, tree growth with wood, so on). Not all use results in devastation, but elemental magic is wild and difficult to control. Each is mostly self-explanatory though earth is specifically dirt or stone (and all the permutations of that), wood is specifically plant life, and iron pertains to all metals. Lightning is considered the hardest element to control; iron is a very close second. |
| Elven Magic |
| Elves have skill with the natural world that is different from elemental magic because they do not manipulate nature. They're highly skilled at enchantments, potions, and healing. |
| Empathy |
| Empathy is an ability by which the mage will feel the emotions of others. At present only one person in game possesses this ability. This ability develops under extremely stressful situations and is difficult to learn how to control. Without focus emotions can stream in from anyone close to the mage; over time the geographical limitations of the ability begin to spread further outward and the mage can feel emotions from people further away. Beyond the Graves only |
| Enchantment |
| Imbues the recipient with some property, or grants the caster power over another being. A mage capable of enchantment magic can in any degree influence the behaviors of another. He/She can bend others to his/her own will, possibly to the extent of making them do something against their own will. The more honest practitioners of this kind of magic will use it to diffuse hostile situations, talk someone out of hurting themselves or someone else, suggest a better idea in a dangerous situation, or stop someone from making a grave mistake. Unscrupulous mages would likely control someone, preferably someone of power, and make them do as they wished. They could cause them to betray others' secrets, hurt others or themselves physically or emotionally, or even kill someone, depending on how powerful the mage, and how weak-willed the victim. |
| Experimental Magic |
| A risky and unknown field. It's magic that's never been tried before. Only really skilled wizards should attempt it, but that's never stopped someone who shouldn't. Sometimes new magic is discovered, or new categories in old magic are found, but typically it results in banned spells and practices because of their dangerous or unstable nature. |
| Faerie Magic |
| Faeries have their own kind of magic. They don't talk about it in the presence of mages, so mages don't know enough about it to record. Only recently has it been taught at Salem Academy. |
| Fortuna Magic |
| The ability to see the future, past, and present, with or without the use of tools. |
| Fortuna Prescience |
| This ability is related to Fortuna magic but is a form unique to Oracles (half-star, half-mage children who manage to survive into adulthood). With this ability the Oracle can see with perfect prescience all events past, present, and future, and every possibility therein. This ability can cause madness if one is not trained to turn it off at will. |
| Healing Magic |
| Somewhat self-explanatory. Healing magic often leads to a career as a nurse or doctor. Some of it involves potions brewed from magic and medicinal herbs (in which case one would be called an herbalist). Some of it involves a more hands on approach (in which case one would be called a healer). Wands may be used to focus magic for use in certain procedures (making incisions, etc.). |
| Illusion |
| To make others see what you want them to see. Illusion magic only affects a person's perception of sight and sound, usually at the same time though they can affect one or the other if the mage using it so wishes. Only a skilled illusionist can make their creations convincing enough to pass for reality. With skill and practice an illusion can last as long as the caster desires. Most performers use illusion magic, whether they're simple street performers or truly gifted illusionists performing for dozens of people. Less scrupulous mages can use illusions to lie, cheat, and steal from unsuspecting marks. |
| Inter-dimensional Travel |
| The ability to travel between planes. Currently only a few people have this ability. It is an incredibly rare gift and not one typically born in Aylasia (most travelers hail from other places). There are many methods of traveling; one of the more common forms is to use the shadow realm as a crossroad. Most importantly: most residents of Aylasia do not know that this type of travel exists. It is kept very secret and only the King and a few trusted others are in the know. |
| Inventions |
| Mostly magical in nature, or to assist with magic. |
| Jinx Magic |
Hexes and curses, Jinx Magic is spoken spells with automatic negative connotations. Hexes and curses require a good deal of memory and few mages master the total catalogue of Jinx Magic.
Binding: to bind magic or the physical form so that it can't be used, often focused specifically on one part at a time.
Alteration: a mean sort of magic that alters a person physically, usually to make them ugly or unwieldy.
Control: jinxes that control certain parts of the body, setting, or environment. They can set things to move indefinitely, or erratically. |
| Merrow Magic |
| Merrow have their own kind of magic. They can manipulate water to their will (akin to water element magic, but with more natural control, they don't even need to think about it and the water does what they want). They can shift form to walk on land, losing their fins for legs (usually only used by Merrow women), and can shift form to appear human, altering the appearance of their skin and eyes (some more successful than others). They can manipulate their vocal chords when singing to produce multi-tonal sound (one merrow can sound like a chorus of 2 or 3); the sound is mildly enchanting and can catch one off guard. |
| Necromancy |
| One of the darkest of dark arts. Necromancy concerns the study and manipulation of death. It is not an encouraged art, though the brave soul who asks would be surprised at who could teach them. Necromancy can also be used to communicate with the dead. |
| Pan-Magic |
| Another rare and strange sort of magic, it is only possessed by Shifters. Pan-magic is the ability to perform any kind of magic, as if having a vast library at your command. However Pan-magic is difficult to control and rare is the Shifter who can call upon exactly the kind of magic they desire. |
| Shape-shifting |
| The ability to shift into different forms. There are three primary types (animal, persona, and object). Only shape-shifters have this ability (though technically so would shifters). Also called Dodges or Sliders. |
| Specific Spells and Magical Workings |
| Not exactly overriding types of magic; these are more specific spells and magical workings. |
| Spellbinding |
| It's a form of magic discovered in the industrial age. It's the literal binding of spell magic to objects. Some objects are bewitched to amplify the magic or to gain ability (like a walking toaster that delivers your toast to you in the morning). Some objects are enchanted simply to store magic so it's accessible later. Avid practitioners of Spellbinding are simply known as Spellbinders. See also: spellbound secrets. |
| Spell Magic |
| Spells are invented on an every day basis. Some are well known and there are libraries full of spell books. There are just as many unknown spells as known. Most every one can master a handful of spells and over half the population has the kind of skills to write their own (only some are very gifted and actually write amazing spells). |
| Star Magic |
| A peculiar type of magic that only stars work. It is outside of the understanding of mages and unlike any sort of magic they work. In particular stars have control over light and their bodies can emit it. They can fly, or hover in the sky and have the ability to exist in the vacuum of space. Stars don't need to eat or drink, some chose to do so in the company of humans to put them more at ease. Stars do not tell others, but they have the ability to hear wishes (even when they are not spoken aloud) and to grant wishes if they choose. They may have other abilities as well. |
| Wand Magic |
| All magic cast with a wand. Wands were considered a great invention, as they were easily accessible (any switch of wood would do, particularly when smeared with potent magical herbs or faerie dust) and helped focus any user's magic, regardless of their path. Most wand magic is accompanied by the incantation of spells, but some very gifted mages can cast without verbalizing their intent. |
| Weaving |
| Weaving is dream magic typically practiced by women with long, dark hair. They are known as Weavers. Vicious Weavers will put someone into a deep sleep that they never wake from. Nicer Weavers make nightmares. The best kind of Weavers are the sort that weave pleasant dreams, but these grow rare with age as most Weavers have bad luck and are often not treated well by life. Some Weavers are particularly nasty and make false prophecies in the dreams of Fortuna mages. Laws are being discussed now that would limit and or monitor the use of Weaving. |
