Artificing

Perhaps one of the most difficult of the arts of magic to master is artificing, the creation of magical artefacts. Far from all magical artefacts stem from the work of mages, many are created through the works of extraordinarily skilled craftsmen, for example, blacksmiths whose swords can cut through steel with the same ease it cuts through flesh, Alchemists whose strange items and potions are the envy of many, the amazing automatons of the Teslans and so on. Certainly the skills of a mage at this art may be enhanced by knowledge of some crafts, but it is hardly a necessity.

Artefacts are usually broken down into five categories: power sources, items with certain spell like effects, items intended to sustain certain environments, items intended to transform one type of energy to another and containment vessels.

Vital to the creation of artefacts is the use of Sigils and Prime Words. These two serve as power sources for lesser magic items and ways of channelling energy and containing energy in some of the larger items.

Simple Magic Items

These are the most basic magic items, the ones that people usually think of when they hear of magic artefacts. They are simple items with spells written into their very fabric. Usually they draw on either the Numen of the person using them, or they draw their power from other sources. Though they can potentially be very powerful items, their size usually means their power source is relatively limited. They usually serve a single function, with some serving several. An example of a simple magic item would be the Ring of Therean, which rendered the wearer invisible as long as he wore it.

Containment Vessels

These vessels are intended to contain power sources or extraplanar entities and spirits. They can take on many forms but are relatively simple of construction. Sigils, true names and prime words serve to power the containment itself; the more powerful the entity inside the vessel, the more powerful, difficult and intricate the vessel needs to be. The containment vessel is often a part of larger magic items which are powered by whatever entities are trapped inside these vessels.

Power sources

There are quite a few artefacts which may be used to power spells. Creating such items, however, is one of the more difficult things a mage can do. Often power sources require at least one extraplanar item or entity which serves to produce the power necessary. From there the power source also needs to contain this energy and transform it into a useable kind of energy. The heart of the Fire Giant Eld, for instance, makes up the core of the Eye of Fire, a coveted vessel which is said to be constantly on fire. The ceramic vessel which contains the fire giant’s heart is a piece of art in itself, laced with wards of cold and secret signs designed to keep the heat of the heart from escaping. In addition, there are outlets on the vessel where the energy may escape along with spells woven to turn the energy into something a mage can use.

Transformers

Transfomers are magical constructs which transform energy of the surroundings into a more useful form. These can be anything from spells which translate the heat of a volcano into a circle, creating a power source of sorts, albeit one dependent on the environment, to the murder machines known to have been created by certain necromancers which are fuelled by constant sacrifice.

Sustainers

Sustainers are advanced pieces of magical machinery which require a constant flow of energy. Typically they maintain a spell which causes a certain effect in the environment, such as creating a field which causes spontaneous regeneration or which makes those entering it confused. Often sustainers are used as an alternative to the use of Enclosing in cases where appropriate Ley Lines are unavailable or not powerful enough.

Replicators

A replicator is a magical device which shapes magical energy into a certain spell without the need for the oversight of a magi. Replicators are usually made to accumulate a certain amount of energy before creating a spell.

Creation

Creation is generally separated from Necromancy in that it is the creation of magical creatures which do not involve dead bodies or the use of a Fetish to mentally control these creations. Creation is more difficult than Summoning and Necromancy and often involves greater effort than either, but is generally more socially acceptable.

Sub-categories

Flesh Forging

The art of Flesh Forging is generally considered to be a sub-grouping of Creation as it is involved with making some of the more tortured creations. Flesh Forging involves the painstaking and inherently painful process of shaping flesh and bone to suit new needs. This is usually achieved through a series of cuts and alterations to the flesh, for example stretching the skin and flesh over new bones, then allowing this to heal, before doing it again and again. Flesh Forging is an excruciating process to go through and most mages keep their subjects asleep while they go through this process. Flesh Forging is usually used for creating new limbs, replacing lost ones, or implanting magical devices in people’s bodies.

Mind Crafting

Whereas Flesh Forging is a brutal and ultimately very messy process, Mind Crafting requires a much more subtle touch. It is normally achieved by putting the subject through a process similar to a forced astral projection and then carefully carving Prime Words and Sigils into the spirit or mind of a person. As this is an inherently difficult process, the compliance of the subject helps in ensuring that the procedure is both successful and more effective. If the subject struggles against the procedure it may distort the Prime Words and Sigils. While it is not impossible to use other forces to alter the mind, doing so can often lead to highly volatile and dangerous experiments. Mind Crafting is essential for making such things as Egregores and Sleepers.

Creatures Made Through Creation

Gargoyles

Gargoyles are generally stone creations, created from statues inscribed with Prime Words. They exist in a multitude of variations, some capable of shooting fire, others made of molten lava. They are generally capable of obeying basic commands but are rarely more intelligent than a dog.

Servitors

Servitors are the most basic creatures mages are capable of creating. They are creatures created by the pure willpower of the mage. These thought constructs gain more form and substance the longer they stay alive. They are generally known for being both mercurial and mischievous of nature and may eventually turn on their creators. Servitors are generally difficult to get rid of and are a constant drain on their creators while they live.

Egregores

Through the subtle manipulation of the auras and minds of several individuals, a magi can bind their minds into one Egregore.

Enclosing

Enclosing is one of the Magical Arts, specifically dealing with closing off and/or altering environments. The primary purpose of Enclosing is to either hinder or allow access to a place, or altering a space.

Wards & Barriers

Wards and Barriers are perhaps the two most used effects of Enclosing. A Ward is a semi-permanent spell intended to keep someone or something out, whereas a Barrier is intended to keep something or someone in. They are usually relatively simple constructs, consisting of Sigils and Prime Words, although they may sometimes be enhanced by other means.

Breaking Wards & Barriers

Breaking these magical creations are not always easy, they may sometimes be broken, though this is a difficult process, often involving a lot of knowledge of the Barrier or Ward itself. It involves writing the opposite Prime Words on the other side of the Ward, thus cancelling out the power to the Sigil, once enough Prime Words have been through this process the Barrier or Ward will fall apart.

Alteration & Ley Lines

Occasionally, very skilled practisers of Enclosing may choose to alter an environment. For this purpose, Enclosing typically employs Ley Lines. These Ley Lines are gathered and worked into the spell to power these spells. Ley Lines can typically be moved from their current paths by implanting extremely potent Sigils and Prime Words into the ground where the Ley Lines reach, to divert them, or divide them into smaller lines. The spells themselves, primarily decide what manner of effect one achieves in these environments, though some Ley Lines are better suited to some environments than others.

Types of Ley Lines

For all intents and purposes there are three major forms of Ley lines, White, Black and Yellow.

White Ley Lines are best for breaking down things, they can be used to create environments where things break down faster or where things fail to grow and may even take a turn for the worse. Those accidentally living on a White Ley Line may be more prone to diseases, will die earlier and are generally in poorer health than those not living on one.

Black Ley Lines are generally seen to have the generative properties, they cause things to grow faster, defend against disease and make a man more hale. Those living on Black Ley Lines may experience a long life and good health to a greater extent than their neighbours.

Yellow Ley Lines generally preserve things the way they are. They do not make things worse, but they do not make them better either. Yellow Ley Lines are perfect for spells where preserving something is the object of the alteration, such as trapping something in time or keeping armour placed within that environment from rusting and blades from dulling.

Example Spells

Ward of Resolve

The Ward of Resolve is a simple circle written in chalk, or simply in the dirt. With the insides of it filled with Prime Words. The Ward of Resolve keeps scrying spells from seeing whatever is inside it. As a passive spell it hinders all randomly looking scrying spells and most of the dedicated scrying spells.

Naming

Creating this spell is generally considered to be both a dangerous and a difficult affair. It involves closing off a space with sigils and then cutting a series of highly potent Prime Words into the ground, the air and the spirit of the place, ending with a phrase of the mage’s invention. This spell creates a True Name for a place, which has uses in a great deal of scrying and travelling spells and other sundries.

Everyday Magic

Everyday Magic

This article concerns the impact magic has on the daily lives of the inhabitants of Adylheim, explaining the various definitions of magic and also explaining some of the major ways in which Adylheim separates itself from the real world.

Defining Magic

The major problem with explaining the kind of impact magic has on the every day life of the inhabitants of Adylheim, we have to understand the meaning of the word magic. Generally when speaking of magic in Adylheim, we're talking about Low Magic and High Magic, however when compared to our normal world, there are several phenomena which we would also term magic. We have specific instances such as the miracles produced by priests, the mischief of spirits and fairies and other instances of strangeness. And also what might, to some extent, be called Folk Magic.

Low Magic and High Magic

Low Magic plays a limited role in the lives of most inhabitants of Adylheim. Some can go their entire lifetime without seeing a wizard or sorceress or their ilk. More rural practitioners are sometimes called Shamans and might be seen in smaller communities. The rarity of such users of magic means that the undead and necromancers is hardly something for the average village to worry about, strange magical phenomena caused by wizards is also a rarity.

That said, villages and even towns which have been entirely taken over by wizards do exist, though these are the exception rather than the rule as wizards rarely apply themselves to political paths and ruling over others.

Users of High Magic are somewhat more common, being relatively randomly scattered genepool. However, while High Magic talents can be very flashy and impressive, most never even notice their talent.

Magical Artefacts

If seeing a wizard is rare, magical artefacts are almost even more so. Though rich nobles may occasionally afford to purchase artefacts from wizards, outside of the wizard's towers there are few artefacts to be found. Certainly they may appear in temples and long lost crypts of dead wizards or legendary warriors and similar, but for most a magical artefact is never going to be able to lay their hands on.

That said, there are some artefacts that have a distinct effect on the world around them. One such is the Master Book of Elron, an artefact of immense power, without which the priesthood of Elron would not be able to support their banks throughout the fiefdoms. Few others have such a direct impact on the life of Adylheim, and primarily serve as inspirations for legends and songs.

Religious Events

It is a well known fact among the inhabitants of Adylheim that the Gods are a good way to get the edge over others with. The practise of praying or sacrificing things to the gods is present in just about every inhabitant of Adylheim. As a result of this, you will find small shrines to Gaern in most farmsteads and to Elron in most merchant houses. However, few turn their attention to just one god, finding their life somewhere between the myriad of powers of the Gods. Though it should be noted that some races, such as the Dae'vol and the Dragonkin, do not participate these kinds of things and remain attached to the worship of the Sleeping God and the dragons respectively, neither of which answer prayers.

While normally prayer and sacrifice will just tip the scales of chance in their favour, priests who have dedicated their lives entirely to one god or another is capable of performing miracles through the power of their belief. Priests are much more widespread than wizards and the religious miracles they are capable of performing are often seen by the commoners of Adylheim. It would be a mistake to think miraculous cures to diseases and such are the majority of their enterprise though, the powers of the priests are as diverse as the gods they pray to. Priests of Gaern would be well equipped to bless a farmer's crops, but no good at healing the diseased, priests of Thissies may call the rain or cause drought but are equally bad at healing the sick and so on. Divine magic such as this is usually relatively subtle and its influence on the lives of those who see it is equally subtle.

Magical Creatures

Another cause of what may be considered magical intervention in the lives of the inhabitants of Adylheim are magical creatures. This can be a host of creatures, from ghosts, to fairies and genius loci and more besides.

You could probably include elves in this category thanks to the strange glamours elves are capable of casting, these illusions are commonplace wherever you find elves and cause many of those who deal with them to have a piece of iron on them to make sure they're not being cheated.

Fairies are seen less often in urban environments, though they are a terror in the countryside. Though they are by no means a common occurrence, a single fairy can terrorise an entire village, easily. Stealing their babies, terrorising the men and women of a village in a myriad of interesting ways is all easily within the grasp of a fairy. Though, when they are appeased, they may even prove useful by helping with the work around the farm and similar. Even the most ignorant farmer knows not to trust the fairies though, for even if they may occasionally do them a favour, their morality and reasoning is wholly alien.

In the cities and towns of Adylheim, especially those with some age to them, one of the more frequent problems is ghosts. Ghosts can be found in all manner of places though and are hardly restricted to cities. These ethereal presences can be a plague in all manner of ways, from rendering buildings uninhabitable, to possessing the still living and many more besides. Ghosts are a relatively common presence, especially in cities, though they may be either impossible to tell from the locals or so ethereal as to be outside the sensory range of all but sensitives and wizards.

While sensitives are hardly a magical creature in their own right, they are a somewhat common occurrence among the populace. Sensitives are people who in some way or another are more susceptible to magical forces than others, they may never even notice that they are sensitives, but those that do are often more aware of ghosts and other creatures and all manner of magical effects.

Magical Diseases and Effects

Another malady which may affect the common man of Adylheim are diseases and effects which are magical in nature and differ highly from similar things in the real world. A prime example of which is the illness of lycanthropy, which causes a person to slowly become wolf-like and feral as a wolf grows within them, till the wolf bursts out of the man's skin, leaving him for dead. Such diseases that might seem strange to us are, if not commonplace, then at least not considered to be strange among the inhabitants of Adylheim.

The presence of ley lines under a village or town may affect the entire town, causing it to slowly degrade no matter what, or remain a bastion of sameness or even grow and change wildly depending on what manner of ley line passes beneath it.

It should be noted that sensitives can be found in most villages and they are, to varying degrees, more susceptible to various magical effects and will be the first to feel any such effects, even if others are unaware of them.

Folk Magic

Folk Magic comprises small tricks and things which are considered so commonplace in Adylheim that they're no longer considered to be magic. There are hundreds of these tricks in a myriad of forms and while they draw on the exact same forces as Low Magic they're rarely considered a part of it. Usually such tricks are simple things which grants one a modicum of safety from fairies, ghosts or other magical creatures, or they're intended to dabble in the affairs of love, ways of improving the harvest or foreseeing the weather or other things to come.

Farmers may place a bit of iron (often horseshoes) over a door to keep any fairies from entering it. This keeps fairies of both the hostile and the non-hostile fairies from entering though so it may not always be advantageous. Placing a marigold under your pillow on the night of the full moon means you will dream of the person you will marry. If a sheaf of wheat or barley whispers the name of the person you love then you know that they love you back.

High Magic

By far the least common version of magic, High Magic is never something which one can pick up. It is innate, either one has it or one does not. Part of the elitist thinking of the magi is that only those born with this trait make truly great mages. There is, however, no proven link between proficiency at High Magic and proficiency with Low Magic.

High Magic is divided into several Talents, each of which is separate from any other. Of course, due to the fact that it comes from the attunement of the soul, or the Numen, it is not possible for a person to attain more than one Talent of High Magic.

The most common Talents are the Four Elements. These consist of Fire, Water, Air and Earth and represent the vast majority of the users of High Magic. The more rare Talents are Plants and Life. It is often said, among those who have studied High Magic intensely, that the Talent a person has attained is usually connected to the spirit of the person receiving it. A man known for his temper might have Fire, for instance, a woman who is very compassionate may have Water as her Talent and so on.

At its most basic, High Magic is the manipulation of a nearby Element or Energy. Compared to Low Magic, High Magic has hardly anything one could call a spell. It is all about different ways of manipulating the energies around oneself. On the whole, it is considered a thankless skill to pursue by some as it offers a lot of power early on but lacks much by way of power as one increases in the skill, rather it increases in finesse. Using High Magic for wide scale destruction generally runs the very real risk of burning out or killing the caster.

High Magic users share a weakness with elves, they lose all control over their magic when an iron object is introduced into their bodies. For this reason those hunting High Mages often carry iron arrowheads or iron weapons and slavers occasionally give their slaves iron piercings to keep them from utilizing their Talent to escape. Unlike elves however, merely touching them or their magic with iron will not be enough to dispel it.

Magi Society

There are in fact very few underlying facts which can be held to be generally true concerning mages and their societies. A few simple things can be said, however. There are generally considered to be three classes of mages, the Magi, the Apprentices and the Hedge Mages. Magic societies usually cluster around a single coven or mage who teaches apprentices, some of which end up as Hedge Magi as they prove ill equipped to handle the tasks required of a magi.

Apprentices

Apprentices are generally the bottom rung of the magical ladder in any given society. They are the ones who end up doing those chores which are left outside the purview of servants and such. They are still being taught the basics of magic and are studying under a mage.

Hedge Mages

Hedge Mages are apprentices who have quit their apprenticeship before being fully trained in the magical arts. They know some tricks, but are generally considered to be mere dabblers and incompetents. They often serve in important positions performing small feats of magic to earn their keep. Though their positions are often important, they lack the respect a true magi receives.

Magi

Magi go by many names; Sorcerors, Shamen, Warlocks, Wizards, Magicians, Mages, and so on and so forth, depending on the personal preference of the magi. Some experienced magi may even don the extra mantle of Arch, referring to themselves as Archmagus or Archwizard, depending on their level of experienced when compared to their peers and their own self-conceit. They are the top rung of the magical society though they come in as many varieties as there are people.

Magical Servants and Tools

There are several magical servants which may be summoned up by skilled magi. Though the more usual extraplanar imps and similar used for this are one solution, some magi have found other ways of acquiring servants for other purposes and in other ways. Some are merely there for communication purposes, such as the Egregores, others are less subtle, such as the Magorgs.

Egregores

Egregores are humans which have been joined together mentally. An Egregor is never alone, their mind permanently connected to the other members of their group, Egregores in the same group are always fully aware of what the others are doing and what they are sensing and feeling. This renders them especially vulnerable to such things as torture. Egregores in one group are always the same gender.

Magorgs

The name Magorg can refer to humans or humanoids who have had magical implants in general, though they usually refer to the sect of Magorgs which are found in the Duchy of Starkwater.

Sleepers

Sleepers are humans which have been implanted with a specific spell. When given a set trigger, this spell will activate, usually replacing the human with an extraplanar entity of some kind. As the spell uses its host’s Numen as the power source, it only activates once and costs its host its life. Those implanted with this spell are often unaware of it. Sleepers often work as servants or otherwise near the mage who cast the spell and are used as a last resort defence if the mage should come under attack.

Magic of Adylheim

Magic in Adylheim is divided into two categories; High Magic, which is dependent on an innate ability and usually has a relatively limited effect, and Low Magic, which requires ritualistic spells, but can achieve effects of a much greater magnitude.

Basic Rules

1. Nothing comes from nothing - Magic cannot create something from thin air, magic is the art of manipulating the forces around oneself.
2. Something must come from something - All magic requires a source of power. There are a multitude of these found throughout the Multiverse, the foremost among which are the life force of the magi, the Numen, as well as Ley Lines, Artifacts, Divinity and other beings.
3. Magic is effecting change - Magic takes on several forms, but they all work to alter the environment around the mage, or to alter other things forcibly to the mage’s advantage. Magic is manipulation, not creation.

The Divide of Magic

High Magic deals with the manipulation of reality through using the Numen to manipulate the forces around the Magician. High Magic is divided into Talents, where each Talent manipulates a certain phenomenon. Some manipulate life, some manipulate fire, some manipulate plants and so on.

As High Magic uses the Numen, or life force, directly, it may have adverse affects if a mage overextends himself using High Magic. These effects can range from premature aging, dizziness and exhaustion to outright death. High Magic usually relies on immediate, localized effects. Sometimes the innate abilities of certain races may be categorized as High Magic.

Low Magic is a catch-all phrase for things that are close to High Magic in effect, or which are vastly different but are still considered magical. Low Magic often relies on rituals to unlock the potential of the Numen or outside forces. Examples of this is such practices as Alchemy and similar. Most crafting skills when reaching a certain level will be considered Low Magic. Low Magic is the primary source of artefacts, High Magic is not capable of producing artifacts.

Artifacts

Artifacts are items which have some supernatural function. They are primarily created by those who dabble in Low Magic. Artifacts can also be created by gods and other deities.

High Magic

High Magic relies on the manipulation of certain forces. There are very few spells in the repertoire of a High Magician, those that exist rely on the manipulation of nearby phenomenon or elements. The traditional sense of a spell which you find in Low Magic cannot be found here, as the more one develops their Talent the better their ability to manipulate whatever their talent allows them becomes. A Fire Talent would be able to change the size of a fire at a relatively low level, whereas later they might be able to shape this fire into specific things or even keep it from burning someone. However, due to the manipulative nature of High Magic someone with a Fire Talent would be more or less powerless in an environment where there is no fire to manipulate.

There are many forms of High Mages, the more common choosing to apply to the Four Elements. The rarer Talents include Plant manipulation, Life itself, temporarily increasing the abilities of others, or some are even capable of manipulating the Numen, allowing them to change the spells cast by other High Mages and even some Low Magic spells. No one can have more than one Talent. It should be noted that the Talent someone is born with often reflects their temperament and demeanour; someone with a Fire Talent will often be rash for instance.

Low Magic

Low Magic is also known as Ritual Magic. Ritual Magic allows one to tap into stronger forces than High Magic, but the spells invariably take much longer to perform and have much more precise costs and effects. Where High Magic cannot be said to have any set spells in any sense of the word, Low Magic relies on elaborate rituals taught from master to apprentice to create specific spells with specific effects.

Ritual Magic is divided into several different Arts: Alchemy, which attempts to activate the Numen in others through potions and elixirs as well as strange items. Summoning, which creates portals to other worlds and brings creatures into this one, either for knowledge or for service. Mantra, which can create miracles through extensive prayer, sometimes seeming to be the closest to High Magic, though some argue that the power from this comes from the Gods and not the Numen. Artificing, which specializes in creating items with strange and intense powers. Artificers are are the producers of the vast majority of magical items. Necromancers, who deal with the dead and the undead, raising them through elaborate rites. Enclosing, which temporarily or permanently create magic fields with various purposes and Creation, which endeavours to create or manipulate into being magical organisms.

It should be noted that mages are not bound to pursue only one Art, though it should be noted that Mantra is rarely used by those who claim to be mages and is rather used by priests and religious figures. The Arts are the tools of the magus, not the path of the magus.

Though it is rarely spoken of outside the practitioners of Necromancy, most users of Low and High Magic can boost their efforts through the illegal use of sacrifice to ensure that they do not expend their own Numen too much.

Spells and Rituals

The casting of spells in Low Magic is heavily ritualized, usually requiring several steps to be taken before any effect takes place. Most require hours, if not days, to cast and the general rule is that the more powerful and delicate the spell is, the longer it will take to get it ready and to cast it. These rituals are ways of harnessing the energy which is necessary to cast the spell. As a rule of thumb, the advancement of a mage depends on what kind of energies he has learnt to safely handle. The weakest and simplest spells usually merely require the use of Numen and Prime Words whereas more potent spells often use the power of leylines or sacrifice to power the spells. It should be noted that while ritual and spell may be used interchangeably, spell usually refers to the effect, while the ritual refers to the effort necessary for creating this effect.

Scrying

The Scriers rely on meditation and the Numen to aid them in their art. They send their spirit out of their bodies in a process they call “Witchwalking”, often sending them to other places, so they may perceive things that are happening elsewhere in distant places. They can also send their spirit to other Planes of existence. Scriers are also adept at bi-location and therefore are favoured servants of rulers in need of efficient messengers.

Mantra

A series of prayers that create miracles which often needs acts of sacrifice or days spent praying. Mantra is something of a special case as it is rarely used by mages themselves, but rather by priests. Though it is a form of magic, it is not usually used as such. Typical results include: healing, plagues, great strokes of luck, etc.

Alchemy

Items and Elixirs which may affect the body to produce temporary or non-temporary effects of a wide ranging nature. Alchemy too is a special case, much like Mantra, and though it uses some of the trademarks of Low Magic, such as sigils it is separate enough to be its own skill.

Summoning

Using ritual chants and summons to bring beings from other Planes to this one.

Necromancy

Uses sacrifice and dead bodies to create horrors. Involves the creation of a fetish as a control mechanism, and elaborate rites which deal with the awakening of the undead. If the fetish is destroyed, the necromancer loses his power over the undead he is controlling.

Artificing

Can create magical devices which can produce a number of effects, their power is entirely in their ability to create such devices. The prime producer of magic devices/items. Alchemy is seen as a branch of Artificing by most Magi, though Alchemy has developed separately from other magic arts and there are Alchemists who claim no part of magic. Artificing is perhaps one of the most diverse arts out there, it encompasses a wide variety of approaches, some create magical machinery, others create wonders out of meshing clockwork and magic, others again create out and out magical items, such as staffs and swords.

Enclosing

Creates environments wherein the normal laws of nature do not apply, these can be either temporary or permanent. Usually these will have specific effects, such as a light healing, incapability of using high magic and so on. Enclosing also incorporates the easier but somewhat less powerful practise of creating Wards.

Enclosers utilize the power of Leylines, transforming the natural power coursing through the earth, diverting it at critical junctures and restructuring it through intense rituals, creating zones wherein all manner of effects can take place. Leylines may also naturally create places of bad influence, in which cases Enclosers are sometimes called upon to fix it.

Enclosers usually work with loadstones and iron rods which they drive into the earth.

Hexing

Hexing is hard to quantify as a magical Art, it is a collection of spells which don't really have a common quantifier so much as that they don't fit under any of the other arts.

Creation

This Art is one of the more difficult of the magical Arts, it is the creation of magical organisms, usually through the use of Mind Crafting and Flesh Forging.

Geomancy

Several Magical Arts employ the use of geometric shapes to create their spells and this art employs the study of such recurring phenomenon in magic and why they’re important. Not a very practical field of study, but could potentially lead to a greater insight into the field of magic. This is also occasionally referred to as Gramarye.

Auramancy

The study of auras, given off by everyone and everything and how they interact. Also lacks a practical upside, but can theoretically be used to tell a lot about the world around oneself. Requires specific equipment/skills to see auras.

Racial and Non-racial Abilities Similar to Magic

Glamour

The Elves produce glamours which make them appear prettier to others, glamours depend on the elf being conscious so it will disappear if the elf is knocked unconscious, but not if it is sleeping. With more training Elves can also make themselves look like other people.

Telepathy

Having no mouth, the Dae’vol rely on telepathic communication, though they can only sense thoughts which are specifically directed at them. With more training though, they are capable of grabbing surface thoughts of others, using their telepathic ability as a radar and eventually becoming capable of looking through their memories and understanding things.

Transform

Bear men are a race cursed by the gods, they can shift between bears and humans, though their race is a highly unstable one, with babies often being killed because they were not right. They can transform into bears at will.

Death Curse

Magical beings and magicians of various kinds have learned the power of the Numen as it leaves the body is extremely potent, thus they may throw a curse at someone as they die. Being on the receiving end of a Death Curse is not a pleasant prospect.

Great Work

A Great Work is the equivalent of a Death Curse, where a mage uses the remainder of his Numen to create a powerful spell. Producing a Great Work can mean making something so powerful it drains one of the remainder of one’s life.

Miscellanies

Cats

Cats are naturally sensitive to magic and will often make friends with magi.

Iron

While Alchemists and Artificers make use of Iron in their work, certain forms of magic have proved to be hindered by its presence. Ley Lines may be halted by them, Scrying through Iron is also impossible. Iron has also proved to be a failsafe against most of the Glamours which elves create, while it will not keep someone from seeing the Glamour, touching the Iron to it will make it cease to exist till the elf remakes it. Elves are not fond of Iron for this reason and do not carry any on their bodies, though steel strangely gives them no problem. Iron is also especially useful for hurting extra-planar beings, Iron cannot be manipulated through High Magic.

Thunderstone

A rare substance which is impervious to all magic and may be considered the antithesis of magic.

Mantike

Mantike is one of the arts of Low Magic, it deals primarily with the modification of bodily processes. Advanced students of Mantike usually delve into Creation as a part of their teaching and their knowledge makes them excellent Flesh Forgers.

Field

Mantike covers a lot of different things though it primarily deals with enhancing the body in some manner or another. It may cover anything from causing wounds to heal faster or improve eyesight or anything of a similar note.

Wizards specializing in Mantike typically make excellent Flesh Forgers later in life as their spells often require a relatively detailed knowledge of anatomy. While some wizards may use the spells to aid themselves, most use them to help or hinder others in some way or another. Short of those priests who use their Mantra to heal, Mantike Wizards are typically among the greatest healers available in Adylheim.

Techniques of Note

Spells in this art are primarily powered through Prime Words though some of the more permanent spells may draw power from a person's Numen, Mantike only very rarely makes use of other power sources. Mantike spells are primarily performed by drawing Prime Words on the body, reagents often used are the blood of the person in question or ink of various kinds. Advanced users of Mantike may create magical tattoos which have permanent effects, though these often have the side effect of draining some small portion of their wearer's Numen.

One of the primary challenges of Mantike is often finding ways to squeeze Prime Words onto relatively small body parts, this requires deft penmanship from the wizards employing this particular school of magic.

Example spells

Healing Words
Power source:Prime Words
Effect:Causes wounds to heal faster than normal.
Ritual:A sigil is drawn around the wound in question and Prime Words are written around this, once the spell has started it may take a day or more to heal the wound completely, depending on the severity of the wound.

Darksight
Power source: Prime Words
Effect: Allows a subject to see in the darkest of nights, may leave a person vulnerable to blindness if strong sources of light appear.
Ritual: A sigil is carefully drawn around a man's eyes, directing the flow of power into the eye itself, with Prime Words added as needed.

Glowing Bands
Power source: Prime Words, Numen
Effect: Increases the strength of the subject, with some sacrifice of stamina. This spell has been known to glow slightly in the dark.
Ritual: Powerful tattoos of Prime Words are written all over the body of the subject, Prime Words are added so as to keep the power of the Prime Words from fading, once the Prime Words have been finished sigils should be drawn to cover every part of the body desired for such changes.

Wracking Pain
Power source: Prime Words
Effect: This spell causes the subject intense pain while it is active. It does not, however, leave marks on the body.
Ritual: Prime Words are written across the body of the subject, along with a Sigil which allow the power of the Prime Words to flow to the appropriate locations on the body where the mage wishes to inflict pain.

Insensitivity
Power source: Prime Words
Effect: Renders the subject oblivious to pain for the duration of the spell.
Ritual: Sigils are drawn down the spine and around the head of the subject, along with Prime Words which keep pain signals from reaching the brain.

Iron Fist
Power source: Prime Words, Numen
Effect: Makes the subject's fist almost impervious to harm for the duration of the spell, it has been known to significantly tax a person's Numen though.
Ritual: A sigil is drawn around the fist of the subject, along with an extensive array of Prime Words, once the spell is applied it should only last about half an hour to an hour or runs the risk of killing the subject.

Mantra

Mantra is the art of asking for divine interference and being granted it. It is treated as separate from Low Magic and Alchemy and is not treated as a skill, but a lore.

Mantra as a Lore

Mantra is treated differently from Low Magic, Alchemy and similar skills, it is in fact not a skill at all, but based around Lore. Unlike these skills Mantra has very few spells, each of which are usually specific to a granted deity which the PC would need to follow at least fairly faithfully in order for the spells granted by the deity to work. Those wishing to play priests of a specific deity may choose to equip themselves with two spells specific to their deity, and will be rewarded with more as moderators see that they act in their gods best interest during in character play.

Spells of Mantra

Mantra spells are similar to Low Magic in that they take a lengthy ritual to complete before having an effect, often these rituals involve prolonged prayer with the possible inclusion of sacrifices to the appropriate god. Due to the necessity of involving a god, Mantra spells will vary in power depending on the person casting it, the situation and if the god approves of the use the spell is being put to.

While there are few common denominators in the effects of spells, they will vary according to the deity that is being worshipped, one of the things priests have been known to do is bless various objects. However, the items blessed have different effects, objects blessed by priests of Erina (who typically bless water) have been known to protect against sea monsters, the nuts or seeds blessed by Priests of Akar are effective at warding off the undead, the wine blessed by priests of Lapis is said to be both an aphrodisiac and sure to turn hate into love, the mushrooms blessed by the priests of Il'unno is said to give visions and so on.

Apart from this though, the spells available to practitioners of Mantra will vary not only based on the deity they follow, but also the specific cult they are a member of, the Thissies cult of Spire City has a healing spell which works somewhat like a snake shedding its skin, whereas the Thissies cult in Fort Resolve has a spell which brings rain to the fields. Spells will typically fit the deity to which the cult is related though, a priest of Maadrth would never have any kind of healing spell.

The Extent of Mantra

For the most part Mantra spells are limited to the clergy of a certain god. Spells are passed down from priest to priest and the demise of a cult is often the demise of their spells. It should be noted that warrior priests, or paladins, often have Mantra spells too, cults which revolve around warfare usually have spells which aid in battle and the paladins cherish these as gifts from their specific gods.

Outside of cults and their holy men and women Mantra spells are rarely seen, they may occasionally be granted by the gods to especially favoured children though.

Exceptions

Dragonkin and others who worship dragons do not use mantra magic as it has no effect for them, along a similar vein, the Dae'vol who worship the Sleeping God do not use mantra for fear of waking him. Demi-gods and lesser deities such as the Walkers also do not answer to mantra spells, though they are occasionally worshipped.

Example Spells

Snake's Blessing: After a full two nights spent in prayer, the Priest may remove any trace of venom or poison from a man's body through the grace of Thissies.

Erina's Calming Hand: By ritually sacrificing their own blood and gifts of alcohol to Erina, a devotee of Erina may calm raging seas.

Future Sight: After spending a fortnight in constant meditation and prayer a priestess of Il'unno may be granted visions of the future.

Charn's Departure: By sacrificing a local leader and two vultures in an elaborate ritual involving prayer and meditation, a priest of Charn may remove the blight of pestilence from a village or town.

The Blossoming of Love: Through extensive prayer and the burning of incense a priestess of Lapis may turn hate to love and end old quarrels between neighbours.

Necromancy

Necromancy, sometimes also referred to as Fetish Magic or Black Magic, centers on communing with and raising the dead. Unique among practitioners of Low Magic, the masters of undeath bind their Numen inside a semi-corporeal object called a fetish with which they control their summoned creatures.

History

According to legend, the very first instance of necromancy occurred when Maia, goddess of Death, summoned the shades of fallen gods to fight alongside their living brethren against the Chaos giants. Her brethren were understandably disturbed by her display of power; forbidding the Grey Lady from ever practicing the dark art on her fellow deities. Their edict, however, had no purchase on the created races. Maia soon began rewarding her mortal worshipers with a measure of control over the bodies and souls of the deceased, trading worldly powers for sacrifices of luxuries and art to enlighten her dreary realm. While necromancy has slowly evolved away from its divine origins, many would-be necromancers are careful to work sacrifices to Maia into their spells.

Necromancy in the Kingdoms & Beyond

Necromancy is forbidden by all seven kingdoms in Adylheim on pain of death. The wizard-lords of the Grand Barony of Teslan are particularly noted for the zealous persecution of practitioners of the darker art in the name of the “greater good”. Elsewhere, allegations of necromancy are commonly used by jurists and lords as a pretext for sanctioning the execution of a particularly troublesome mage. No university—at least no university in good standing—teaches spells of necromancy as part of their normal curriculum.

True necromancers are rarity amongst the small fraternity of mages. Most operate in hiding or beneath a façade of normalcy, masquerading as mediocre practitioners of Low Magic while secretly pursuing their clandestine studies. There is a measure of hypocrisy in the seemingly universal distain toward necromancy. Powerful wizards and sorcerers frequently have at least a passing knowledge of necromancy; so much the better, they argue, to combat true practitioners. The worshipers of Maia also often work necromantic rites into their services. Paladins, priests, and the generally lawful are usually reluctant to interfere with the followers of the Grey Lady lest she extract a particularly unpleasant retribution for robbing her of her sacrifices. The prospect of an undying, utterly obedient army has frequently dwelt in the minds of power-mad nobles in the past. There are even rumors that several Dukes quietly sanction a handful of necromancers in case of an apocalyptic civil war.

Techniques of Note

Compared to the complex laboratory equipment of the alchemists or the magical machinery of the artificers, necromancers focus their spell-casting abilities on their fetish. The bound portion of their own Numen makes the spectral object a considerable source of power even when casting spells not directly involved with the raising and control of the undead. They also learn the ability to sacrifice living beings to power their eldritch magic; apprentices generally contenting themselves with farm animals while the most powerful necromancers can consume a small village for their dark purposes. Unlike more socially acceptable forms of magic, there is no single college or body of magic to formalize (inasmuch as one can formalize the teachings of a few hundred egotistical and generally antisocial masters) the study of necromancy. The rituals apprentices learns—and at what level—depends very much on their masters.

The Fetish

At the centre of necromancy is the fetish, a semi-corporeal object fashioned from such various objects as gems, hair, bones and the Numen of the necromancer. Through the fetish the necromancer is capable of controlling those undead he has raised or created. If the fetish were to be destroyed, the undead slaves would have their original minds returned and would likely revolt against their keeper, with predictably messy results, before returning to their graves. The fetish therefore remains both the greatest weakness and the greatest strength of the necromancer.

The necromancer can also, through an advanced rite, create a secondary fetish which may render him immortal until the secondary fetish is destroyed. Naturally, even with the ability to return from the grave, even the most powerful necromancers avoid the rather unpleasant experience of a painful and often quite delayed death. For this reason, necromancers and those believed to be necromancers are often burned and their ashes scattered to prevent them from recuperating and seeking their vengeance quickly.

Creating a fetish requires a lengthy and painful process wherein the necromancer permanently ties part of his Numen to an object which will act as the focal point for his control from there on out. The Numen will remain within the Fetish until such a time as the ethereal object is broken. When this happens the Numen will return, temporarily making the Necromancer appear more youthful. Keeping the minds of the dead controlled is, however, a very taxing and energy-consuming task. As such, most necromancers rarely keep more than a handful of undead active at any given time. More can be created in a pinch but at the risk of exhausting the power of the Numen and releasing a necromancer’s servant from his control.

Sigils

Necromancers find numerous applications for sigils in their spells. Some use the carefully drawn geometric designs to contain and direct the power of their fetish, using the dark energies to bolster and alter their minions. Others use basic sigils whist summoning the undead which are the staple of their craft. Whether for containment or for protection depends very much on the mage.

Sacrifice

Other mages employ animal sacrifices as part of their spells; the death-throes harnessed to power their eldritch rituals. Necromancers, too, use sacrifice. Apprentices learn far more quickly than normal students to harness the lifeblood of animal sacrifices to aid in raising their undead servants. More experience mages commit one of the greatest taboos in magic: sacrificing human life. There are whispers among the orders of magic of even more forbidden forms of sacrifices practiced by the greatest of necromancers. Ones that consume the very soul to empower their dark sorcery.

Scrying

Long before they solidified their grasp over the undead, necromancers served the ancient tribes and empires as scryers and soothsayers. The raising of spirits for interrogation is one of the oldest facets of the discipline.

Spells

The following is a description of common Necromancy spells as well as examples of the rituals and techniques used to cast said spells.

Creation of the Undead

Summon Zombies
Power Source: Prime Word (or more advanced power source), Fetish
Effect: What many refer to as zombies are souls bound to their decaying flesh. Newly deceased bodies (or those preserved through magical or alchemical means) generally move faster than their more decayed relatives.
Ritual: Sigil drawn around the necromancer for protection. Soul bound to obey the fetish.

Summon Skeleton
Power Source: Prime Word (or more advanced power source), Fetish
Effect: While zombies rely on the animation of the physical body, skeletons derive their strength and speed from the power invested during their creation.
Unlike their shambling relatives, skeletons can remain ‘active’ almost indefinitely.
Ritual: Disinterment of the grave and placement inside a sigil.

Control Ghoul
Power Source: Fetish
Effect: Ghouls are cannibalistic sub-human monsters that are, most commonly, associated with the grisly aftermath of battles. No one knows the precise origin of these creatures, but the ability of necromancers to claim their obedience hints at their magical origin.
Ritual: Ghoul-speech ritual while holding the fetish.

Create Wraith
Power Source: Sacrifice, Prime Word, Fetish
Effect: By sacrificing a living person, necromancers can create an undead spirit forever hungering to return to the warmth of flesh. They are largely impervious to physical harm except for silver weapons and, conversely, enjoy tearing and ripping at the living in a vain attempt to regain their form. Wraiths are naturally afraid of light and fire and, thus, are active almost exclusively in the night.
Ritual: Slaying of a guard on an obsidian altar.

Create Phantasm
Power Source: Sacrifice, Prime Word, Fetish
Effect: Like wraiths, phantasms are created through the sacrifice of the living. However, while wraiths are generally slain with the full knowledge of their fate, the unfortunate victims destined to be phantasms are lulled into the final sleep. After awakening, they use their powers to create illusions and images as commanded by their masters.
Ritual: Slave drugged with alcohol and herbs before sacrifice at the intersection of crossroads.

Create Vampire
Power Source: Sacrifice, Prime Word, Fetish
Effect: Vampires are undead constructs not unlike wraths and phantasms. While undead, they do not decay and maintain an unholy strength and vitality even as their bodies grow pale and gaunt. Most are feral and hard to control; skeletal phantoms using stealth and speed to close with a better armed opponent to rend and tear with their fangs and bony claws. As a note, the popular misconception of vampires drinking blood is due to their tendency to, literally, go for the jugular with their sharp fangs.
Ritual: Drive a stake through a living person’s heart and bury alive inside a coffin. Construct sigil above the grave and wait for the subject to die.

Create Golem
Power Source: Prime Word, Fetish
Effect: Through elaborate rites the Necromancer may create a shambling creature made of clay which will follow his every command. The golem is created around dead body parts which control the motions of the golem, but with far greater strength and power than ever known in life.
Ritual: Encasement of dismembered body in clay. Sigils and spells carved into the soft surface.

Create Abomination
Power Source: Prime Word, Sacrifice, Fetish
Effect: Necromancers can sew together different parts of different corpses to create a truly perverse specimen of unlife. Rather than control a menagerie of souls, however, they usually imprison the mind of a sacrifice inside the sculpture of flesh.
Ritual: Sew together the abomination from several different corpses. Sacrifice bound to fetish.

Create Displacer
Power Source: Sacrifice, Prime Word, Fetish
Effect: A displacer is an undead created through an act of sacrifice. A displacer looks just like they did before they were killed, their mind is enslaved to the necromancer however and they require much nourishment, usually in the form of raw meat. Displacers will work to hide this though and not deviate from their normal behavior, displacers are the foremost spies of the necromancer. If not given raw meat or blood Displacers will quickly begin to decay. It should be noted that Dae’vol cannot be subjected to this rite. Displacers are possessed of inhuman strength, speed and endurance. Unlike most undead, Displacers can hide among the living with relative ease, their bodies do not decay unless they are kept from their blood and they also do not age, this has made some postulate that Displacers are trapped between life and undeath. Displacers cannot be detected by the same means as other undead, but they die as easily as a normal human, though they may take several days to die even though their heart is pierced or their head cut off.

Ritual: Victim chained to an altar and slowly and meticulously embalmed while still alive.

Alteration of the Undead

Bloated Zombie
Power Source: Prime Word
Effect: The spell transforms a relatively fresh zombie into a bloated, shambling monstrosity. Upon command, the fetid gasses inside the body will explode and shower anyone nearby with gore, ichors, and viscera. While not directly damaging by itself, the bloated zombie can quickly spread panic among the tightly-packed ranks favored by the kingdoms.
Ritual: Zombie(s) left in the noonday sun while ritual performed.

Bone Shaping
Power Source: Prime Word
Effect: The necromancer uses a zombie as an incubator; molding and shaping the bone to take a desired form from a sword to a dinner plate. More proficient casters can alter the material properties of the bone, forging swords of bleached white bone as strong as steel.
Ritual: One zombie cocooned inside a shroud and surrounded by a sigil. Life-sized model of object to be produced. The zombie isn’t actually killed during the spell leaving a Crawling Zombie.

Poisonous Infusion
Power Source: Sacrifice
Effect: Infuses the blood of a zombie with poisons and toxins. The exact kind is heavily dependent on the ingredients of the ritual performed.

Ritual: While performing a spoke ritual, the necromancer swallows the still-beating heart of a venomous snake.

Tunneling
Power Source: Prime Word, Sacrifice
Effect: Imparts the undead creature of choice with appendages suited for tunneling through the earth beneath their feet. Generally also imparts close-combat weaponry upon their creations.

Ritual: Ritual including the tools of a miner and the sacrifice of an earth-dwelling creature.

Mending Flesh
Power Source: Prime Word, True Name, Sacrifice.
Effect: By binding the soul of the deceased inside their dead flesh, the necromancer can create a neigh-indestructible construct. Wounds simply mend themselves; broken bones are restored in a matter of moments. They, however, remain vulnerable to magical effects.
Ritual: Torture of the spirit until it reveals its true name. Ritual binding of the soul again to the flesh.

Scrying

Scrying is one of the more subtle and disparate arts of magic. It contains mainly spells which deal with gathering information in some manner or another. It can cover anything from detecting energies that are not usually seen, to astral projection, to finding someone, to gaining glimpses of the future or far away places.

Location in Scrying

Location can be a tricky thing in scrying. As Prime Words are the main interface in many spells, it requires knowing distances and height from the central area from which the spells are cast. As such, mages often set aside Scrying rooms where they have extensive records of such things.

This can be got around by the use of True Names or items which have Resonance with a specific person or area. Of course, since areas rarely have True Names it is hard to focus on them, making spells which focus on people, rather than specific places somewhat easier to cast.

More advanced scrying spells may use Numen rather than Prime Words and True Names to choose a target, and may therefore forego this problem.

Spells

The Dark Mirror

The Dark Mirror is perhaps the most basic spell of Scrying and one of the most common spells available. It involves the use of a bowl filled with black ink, with Prime Words written inside a circle around the bowl, preferably in blood. Using a silver bowl is recommended for the best effects, and iron shavings in the ink or having an iron bowl will ruin the spell. Varying the words or adding extra spell ingredients to the ink will cause the spell to alter focus.

The Dark Mirror can be used to glimpse distant places, with the view depending on the words used in the spell. As the spell takes effect, the image will appear in the ink. The spell is usually dependant on where the Dark Mirror is set up, with the spell usually requiring one to set distances from the mirror which are to be viewed, for instance, 200 metres north of the location of the mirror. This can be varied through the use of True Names to the Prime Words or something which shares Resonance with the target for the spell being added to the ink.

Astral Projection

Astral Projection is one of the more advanced spells available to those practicing Scrying Magic. It requires both a solid grasp of the Numen, Sigils and Prime Words. Usually the ritual will involve creating a circle or pentagram, within which the mage will use Prime Words suitable to the location within which the mage will sit and meditate.

The circle will allow the mages image to be seen in another location, the mage’s Numen allowing him to control the image and the sounds it makes.

Sources of Power

There are a myriad of mystical forces and principles in the world which may be taken advantage of by those who dare. Many of the more known Magic Arts take advantage of at least one of these forces.

Chaos

Tapping into this one force is considered extremely hazardous, it is nonetheless an extremely potent form of energy and there are always those who have been tempted by it. Chaos magic is potent, but it is a highly fickle form of magic. Chaos magic is prone to do things of its own accord and may often work against its user, or stop working entirely at crucial moments. Chaos magic also wears out the body of those using it, as mortal bodies are not meant to harness the power of Chaos. With potential for tearing holes in reality itself, Chaos magic is outlawed and its users are generally hunted down by mages.

Deodate

Deodate translates roughly to the Will of the Gods, and is similar to the Planar powers. These powers exist only as an extension of a deity. They are principally used in the magic art of Mantra and accessing them involves prayer and sacrifice in most cases.

Familiars

To explain what a familiar is, it is generally much easier than explaining how one manages to get one. Familiars are a creature which has been attuned to a particular magician, the exact manner of the creature depends entirely on the magician. A traditional choice is cats, those with less of a traditional bent may choose imps or gargoyles or any manner of strange creature that they can bend to their will. There are both advantages and dangers in having a familiar, many use them as messengers and with the special bond that comes with having a familiar comes being able to see through its eyes and feel what it is feeling. The negative side of this means that if the familiar is in pain, the magician will feel it, if the familiar is killed the magician will be grievously injured through their mental link and may be ill for days. Familiars are created through an intricate ritual which is known to most magi.

Geis

The precise nature of a geis is one that is difficult to understand. At its most basic, it is a magical contract forcing the one it has been placed on to do certain tasks or avoid certain things. While a geis can constrain someone from doing something they would otherwise do, it is always dependant on the willingness of the one it is cast on for its effectiveness. For a person to enter into a geis, he has to be willing to enter into it, using coercion or lies to make someone accept the geis will lessen its effectiveness. A completely voluntary geis will render the one who has the geis placed on him unable to not comply with the points of the geis. Some cults use a geis to keep their followers from doing things they should not. There are also examples of mages who will not let anyone into their towers without a geis being placed on them to not destroy or hurt anyone inside.

Leylines

This is the very power of the Earth itself. The Enclosers tap into it to create their powerful fields. It runs in veins through the Earth and some places may be more potent than others. An Encloser can do many strange things through halting or increasing the flow of certain parts of the energy of the Leylines.

Numen

The Numen is mystical force which resides in all sentient and non-sentient life forms. In some the Numen is more potent than in others. These are those few who can manipulate the art of High Magic, and indeed it is the pinnacle of High Magic. Use of the Numen through High Magic has varied results, such as exhaustion, nose bleeds, death through overuse and also slowed aging. Others also rely on the Numen to sustain their Magical efforts, though these forms of Low Magic use the Numen in wildly different ways. Necromancers, for instance, pervert the Numen and turn it into something they can control. Alchemists make use of Elixirs which temporarily alter the Numen of those who drink them, causing many strange effects. The bleed off of the Numen is what causes the creation of Auras, which may say many interesting things about persons. High Mages are immediately recognizable by their Auras.

Planes

Many strange things can be found on other Planes. There are those who like to seek out these things and summon them through opening portals to these Planes and bargaining with them. Planes are not countries, they are more akin to alternate existences and may vary extremely from Plane to Plane.

Prime Words

Certain words are believed to hold inestimable power when uttered, though merely possessing them may cause horrible effects. Geomancers believe that words of power are merely a stronger version of sigils. Alchemists believe they originate from the gods themselves, that they are part of the make up of the world. Words can be used by anyone, though they are extremely hard to find as they cannot be written down or spoken aloud without triggering them. Even keeping a Prime Word in one’s head can have profound effects on the caster.

Prime Words are in almost all cases divided into two camps; the Greater Prime Words and the Lesser Prime Words, the former being words of inestimable power such as described above and they are what is usually referred to by Prime Words. The Lesser Prime Words are words containing focusing power, such as what is used in Summoning and Mantra, these words not actually capable of performing feats on their own, but getting the attention of someone who can. It is believed that Lesser Prime Words are related to True Names. It should be noted that when one refers to Prime words, it is usually the Lesser Prime Words which are being referred to.

Known Greater Prime Words

Klaatu: stops time, temporarily
Nikto: death (causes all who hear it to die)
Plugh: opens a dimensional rift

Quintessence

Quintessence is believed by Alchemists to be something similar to a Numen residing in all things. It is the acting agent in the majority of their Elixirs and items. The Quintessence remains something of an elusive myth to others, though the Alchemists claim it is the equivalent of an echo of the power of the Numen or the Divine Principle which was used to make it.

Resonance

Resonance is one of the oft used forces in magic, the basic idea is that things which are similar will affect each other. It can be used for a variety of purposes, the most common is that of using something which a person held dear to track their whereabouts, or the construction of magical fetishes which allow one to inflict harm to a person from afar. It can also be used to find other things, such as water, precious minerals and similar. Resonance can be hindered, though doing so means undergoing several painful processes to painfully alter oneself so as to become disparate from the object through which the Resonance magic is used.

Sacrifice

By a process called “Bleed off” by the Auramancers the creation and ending of life creates energy which may be used for a variety of purposes. Nefarious necromancers have been known to create magical machines which require a constant stream of sacrificial victims to operate. Most capture this energy by trapping it inside sigils and channeling it towards specific purposes. While it is theoretically possible to gain the same energy by having a birth take place inside a sigil, such events are much harder to time than death due to their nature. Using human sacrifice to power one’s spells is generally outlawed though lesser forms of it. Using animals or plants, are generally frowned on, but not immediately illegal.

Sigils

There is said to be power in certain geometrical shapes, the most powerful of which is the circle. The Circle is a repeating phenomenon in magic, be it from the necessity of protecting oneself from others or for creating prisons. Other geometrical shapes also have power and are often used, especially by Enclosers and Summoners. The study of these Sigils and similar recurring phenomenon is referred to as Geomancy. Though Sigils are employed especially by Summoners and Enclosers, they are a part of nearly every form of Low Magic to some extent.

True Names

Some creatures can be bound by their True Names. This is especially true of extra-planar entities such as demons. It is also true of mages however, and those mages who lose their true name to a hostile entity may find themselves in dire straits. To most people however their True Names have little significance.

Wizarding Paraphernalia

Clothing

Most mages choose to dress themselves in robes expressive of their station in life, however, some choose to dress otherwise though this makes it harder to identify them as magi. The robes themselves may vary from the relatively simple robes of apprentices to the elaborate robes of true magi and according to local fashions. Experienced magi often have extensive protective spells woven into the fabric of their robes though, though it should be noted that there are very few spells which protect against physical harm, most hindering spells from having an effect on the wearer instead.

While hats, hoods and such are common among magi, they carry little by way of significance for them. There are several other items of clothing magi wear, but apart from the robes they rarely have any significance and are only rarely enchanted in any way.

Staffs

While not a necessity, most mages make use of a staff to aid them in spells. For most apprentices and hedge magi this is merely a piece of wood which occasionally serves as a weapon. The more advanced magi though implant powerful spells within their staffs, using them in a variety of ways, some make them into reservoirs for Numen, others make them a repository of powerful spells while some ancient wizards merely use them as walking aides.

The staff is another piece of a wizard's attire and is sure to give any wizard wielding one instant recognition for his rank. Sadly as often happens among wizards, when the particularly powerful die, their staffs quickly become highly attractive items for wizards who are still alive.

Rings & Jewellery

One of the more common items to be enchanted for the wizard's own benefit are rings. Usually these offer some subtle benefit to the wizard wearing them, such as the ability to see any spells located nearby or heightening the wizard's intelligence or any number of other similar effects.

Other pieces of jewellery are often enchanted too and worn as amulets, often these have protective properties and function to ward off offensive spells. Some wizards have a fondness for this, while other consider them too gaudy. Generally, to avoid spells interacting with each other in ways the wizard cannot expect, they will avoid wearing too many enchanted items while casting spells.

Spellbooks

One of the things which identify a wizard are his spellbooks, these grimoires are often warded with spells to keep others from making use of them. A spellbook will contain everything from a wizard's spells and notes to his diary and often contain information on spells no other wizard has in their possession.

These books can be anything from small personal books to large tomes, most contain spells and notes on magic which contain the wizard's personal research and spells. While wizards can usually remember their spells without needing an extra reference, for the less used spells and rituals the spellbooks are often handy. As a consequence of wizards wishing to keep their spells secret often write their spellbooks in code or in long lost languages.

It is also fairly standard practise to leave small traps for those reading it to keep the random dabbler from pillaging a wizard's work.

The Tower

While not every wizard has a tower, their abodes are often referred to as such. Most towers are immense places of power, wherein the wizards have spent years placing wards and barriers and all manner of spells of advantage. Generally speaking the older the wizard, the more potent the defences a tower has.

It is generally considered to be very ill advised to attack or act against wizards in their tower as this is where they are at their mightiest and hold all the cards. Despite this, there are often several rooms in a wizard's tower wherein no spells have been cast. Usually these rooms are used for allowing other wizards to communicate with them and for summoning things from other planes.

While towers often have specific rooms like magical laboratories and storage rooms and similar, each tower is specific to the wizard who lives there and will usually be made to fit the residing wizard.

After Death

Once a wizard is dead it often becomes a race for other wizards to get at their belongings, powerful enchantments, their towers and their spellbooks are all considered up for grabs, especially among the more mercenary wizards. For this reason, wizards often implant a Geis in their apprentices to bury them in prepared vaults with potent defences, to keep their bodies from being desecrated in death.

Often wizards also leave towers and other paraphernalia to their apprentices, though, just as often it is a case of some other wizard coming along, slowly destroying the defences and settling in where the powerful wizard once lived.

Generally speaking, the more powerful the deceased wizard, the sooner their counterparts will come to loot his treasures and research. Of course, the more powerful the wizard, the more potent the spells they will have left in place to protect their belongings once they are deceased.