All About Magic

[SIARITH]

MANNA
Manna is an ancient form of power gifted to Feyerlun from Caster, "Goddess of Manna." In contemporary culture, the physical form of manna is known as Caster's Sorrow, due to the violence surrounding the substance in 1364 when the dispute between the Mages and the Alchemist's precipitated violence. Afterward, magic use was openly persecuted by a radical organization known as the Rose Court, motivated partly by spiritual piety and partly by political influence, and therefore, magic has become viewed as an unholy, taboo form of power in Toldale. Caster's Sorrow exists freely in the air, and is imperceptible until it begins to crystallize, at which point it forms red-hued crystals that are highly volatile and deadly to the touch.

MAGIC
Magic users are born with "cords" or "veins" that run alongside their blood vessels, known as manna channels. These channels allow free-floating CS to enter through the lungs, skin, and other tissue and travel to the individual's Third Eye, a structure located at the front of the brain. After reaching the Third Eye, CS travels to clusters in the hands and feet, where the magic user is capable of channeling its power. At this point, CS is highly volatile, but not deadly, and typically requires an object aligned with fully crystallized CS to control. Magic users that are more disciplined in the art of magic do not necessarily have to have the fully crystallized CS to control and use their spells. However, to much manna in the manna channels can lead to Manna Corruption. Magic users inherit their abilities, and a person cannot be modified or made to have the capacity to control manna.

MANIPULATING MANNA
Manipulating Manna is a difficult skill to master, and it can only be performed by those who are born with the innate ability to do it. The actual act of Manna manipulation is to blend one's own mental energy with the Manna that exists everywhere in Feyerlun -- in the ground, the air, the sea, the towns and cities and everywhere inbetween. Beginner magic users have to strain to push their mental energy out and combine it with Manna, but those who have practised can do it almost automatically. Sometimes the manipulation requires speech, sometimes hand symbols, sometimes nothing other than concentration; it depends entirely on the spell.

SPELL CASTING
A spell is what happens when a magic user's mental energy, which carries their intentions and desires, mixes with the Manna that is around them and in them, and creates some kind of effect. Literally anything can happen, though almost exclusively powerful spells can only be performed by experienced magic users. Examples of spells include fire-spitting, inducing earthquakes, turning air to water and changing the weather. The effect is limited only by the amount of mental energy the user has, their concentration, and the size of their imagination. The former two can be improved with time, and the latter varies between individuals; some magic users can only think of one spell, but hone it to perfection, others have a plethora, but most fall somewhere inbetween.

There are three known types of spell.
Conjuration: The summoning or creation of things.
Evocation: Controlling summoned items, or the element itself.
Alteration: Changing the nature of something, most commonly one's own body, however most spells can also apply to allies. Alteration spells that make a body non-physical do not last for very long.

Most people can use all three types of spell with some success.

[SIARITH]

Magic Style
Magic users, generally, are proficient in one style. With practice, two can be mastered and combined for incredible effects, but it is extremely rare for a magic user to appear that can use more than two styles. All styles take time and hard work to master, additionally not every magic user will actually be any good at manipulating their style. The four elemental styles are the most common amongst magic users. (The details here are intentionally scarce: feel free to invent your own spells as long as they fall under these broad categories).

Arcane
Arcane magic is that which does not require a change in the style of Manna; it relies on evoking and channelling pure Manna, and the destructive forced contained therein. It is exceptionally difficult to master, as Manna is a loathsome and unpredictable thing, and almost always refuses to change shape unless its style is changed first.
Conjuration: Arcane mages are skilled at drawing Manna out of the air, quicker and in higher quantities than most mages.
Evocation: These mages can change the shape, but not the element, of Manna, as well as its speed, direction and trajectory.
Alteration: Most commonly, Arcane mages shield themselves and allies in a shimmery cloak of thin, volatile Manna. They can turn into wisp-like structures of varying shape and size by reducing their bodies down into base energy and mingling with the Manna in the air.

Fire
Fire spells are generally mid to long range, and obviously involve the creation, manipulation and sometimes the extinguishing of flames.They also have dominion over lava, and some are even capable of moulding the temperature itself to their will.
Conjuration: Fire and lava can be spontaneously summoned at the Fire mage's will. Additionally, alterations in the temperature may fall within their domain.
Evocation: Fire mages can extinguish a fire, or encourage it to burn brighter. The flames can take on different temperatures, colours and forms to suit the mage's will.
Alteration: Scalding cloaks of flame that are harmless to the user are often used by Fire mages. Additionally, they can turn into bodies of flame in a variety of sizes and shapes, or even split up into multiple shapes.

Water
Water spells involve the summoning and manipulation of water, water vapour, and ice. Water users can change water from ice to liquid to gas and back, can create tidal waves or puddles, and extract water from anything that contains it. Rain clouds are at the will of Water users.
Conjuration: Water mages can condense water out of the air, or remove it from any substance. This includes making it rain.
Evocation: These mages are capable of moving water and altering its shape, speed and nature: ice, vapour and liquid are under the command of the skilled Water user.
Alteration: Perhaps the most frustrating of Alteration magics, Water mages who are skilled in Alteration can change their bodies wholly or partially into water, ice, or even water vapour, and then recollect again. The body can also be covered in protective ice crystals.

Earth
Earth users can change the nature of the ground to mountainous, or create ravines. They can also manipulate plants to their will, like summoning roots from the ground to bind their opponents. Metals can also be manipulated by Earth users. Additionally, animals tend to respond better to Earth users, however they're still unpredictable.
Conjuration: Plants and rocks will spring forth at the talented Earth mage's command. Animals may accumulate by their side, though only powerful mages can convince a beast to fight for them. Bees are a common favourite.
Evocation: Earth mages can change the shape and movement of rocks and earth, as well as plants. They can encourage a plant to grow taller, or make more beautiful flowers, or be more potent than an ordinary specimen. Animals are more inclined to behave as an Earth mage instructs them, but a wild beast is wild, regardless of instruction.
Alteration: Earth users are often, but not always, talented shapeshifters. Most have at least one animal form into which they can easily transform, as well as trees (or other plantlife) and rocks. Earth mages can also change the nature of their skin: bark-like or rock-like in order to withstand damage.

Air
Control of the weather, the air currents and air pressure falls within the sphere of the air user. They can create great blasts or blades of air, or simply a cool, pleasant breeze. Air users can summon thunder and lightning, as well as create clouds to blot out the sun.
Conjuration: Air users can create movement of air in order to form wind of varying intensities. They can also create clouds with which to call forth thunder and lightning, or simply make the sky overcast. They can do this even in enclosed spaces.
Evocation: The Air user has an infinite supply of raw material to work with, and so their Evocation spells are often extremely strong. They can move air currents in any direction they choose, at different speeds, as well as create electrical sparks in midair (though those called from clouds tend to be stronger).
Alteration: Infuriatingly intangible, the Air user can turn their body into air particles and move with the wind currents with ease. Skilled Alteration users can also appear to vanish into thin air at critical moments, effortlessly, even when concentration is difficult.

Light
There are two main effects that this style can be used to create: the production of light, and healing. Healing is what most Light users train in. Using Light style, magic users can neutralise poisons, heal wounds, and even improve some mental conditions.
Conjuration: Light users can summon light in the palms of their hands, and most can do so at some distance.
Evocation: By making a slight change in the Manna content of the light, Light users can create a healing balmlike glow that can heal wounds and draw out poisons. When applied to any point in the body, it has a healing, soothing effect. Light users can also, obviously, change the intensity of a light with relative easy.
Alteration: Although the physics of light are not well understood, it seems fairly obvious that when a sword is swung at light, it passes straight through. Light users are capable of turning their bodies into pure light, in a variety of shapes.

Dark
Dark users can blind their enemies in a cocoon of darkness, as well as manipulate shadows and create illusions. Some Dark users can also reanimate dead bodies or skeletons. It's the most difficult style to master, and also the most feared. Details on it are sparse, because it's also relatively rare.
Conjuration: Dark users, although incapable of controlling light directly, can blot out light by creating shadows. Some can summon bones or corpses.
Evocation: The control of these shadows results in complex and intricate illusions, by pummelling confusing messages into the opponent's mind in the darkness. The Dark mage can create cocoons of darkness, so that only one foe is affected, or engulf an entire room in blackness, to take out several people at once. Those that can conjure skeletons or cadavers can animate them and use them as their mindless slaves, driven only by their master's will.
Alteration: By surrounding their bodies in darkness, or indeed turning into darkness itself, Dark mages can move at immense speeds across surfaces and disappear into a dark corner before anyone can lay a finger on them.

OTHER SPELLS OR CURSES

Demesne's Power
Holding the power her mother passed onto her, Demesne has a unique hold over Manna. As the daughter of Caster, she does not rely on Caster's Sorrow. She uses her own imagination to use magic. It is a darker form of magic; offered to those she deems worthy. She has coined it Demesne's Power, and it comes from life itself.

That means you can use your own life force, or the life force of others to cast Demesne's spells.
Demesne promises eternal life to those who become one of her Mages. There are stories of men and women who lived for centuries; bending towns to their will through the sheer might of Demesne's power.
How about the spells? What differentiates Demesne's spells from that of her mother's? Well, once you accept this path, you must devote all your time, and power to Dark Magic.

That's right; Demesne's Power is an advanced form of Dark Magic.

Then why don't all pursue this path? Because once you accept Demesne's Power, you can no longer use Caster's Sorrow to your advantage. This is the result of Demesne's mother trying to put a stop to her corrupted form of magic.

Demesne responded to that punishment with the introduction of passive magic.

Passive Magic is something that is constant. It can range from superior strength to having the ability to walk through fire unharmed. It's up to you. However, you may only start with one form of passive magic. Gaining more requires a gift from Demesne herself. These are usually attained through her quests.