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The World of Atercia |
Magic is an energy that exists all over Atercia; everything holds some magical energy from the elements to plants and even humans. To use magic, you must learn to control this energy and shape it into a useable form. Different magic requires different energies and complex spells require a lot of concentration. If a mage is distracted midway through casting a spell, wild magical energy is released that will attempt to disperse to its natural habitat. If a large amount of magic has been gathered for casting, the wild energy could strike at the caster injuring, or even killing, the mage. Because everything exerts magical energy, scholars have studied many items and discovered various catalysts that hold a high amount of energy. Many mages carry several of these items with them, some adorned to their staves, to aid their spells. A catalyst can be drained of energy but will regain strength over time, as all energy will eventually return back to the world. There are five types of magic:
Black mages use destructive magic, including elemental spells, vicious poison spells and dark soul rending magics. Many people consider these spells to be evil as they are used to cause as much pain as possible; however black mages maintain that it is not the magic that is evil but simply have it is wielded. White magic is typically restorative and holy magic, although the mages also have talents with wind and water based magics. The mages of the White Tower generally believe in non-violent methods of resolution, although many accept that this can not always be the case so they vow to heal all those they can after battles, no matter which side they are on. White magic has a darker side however. Some mages attempted to push their healing abilities further and brought people back from the dead. Those brought back did not come back wholly human and their morals had all but disappeared. The Tower vowed that necromancy would be outlawed and experiments never allowed to be repeated. Red robes are mages that uphold the balance of the magic and therefore study both destructive and restorative spells. This makes them a popular choice for battles, as they are able to help both in attack and defence. However, attempting to learn two forms of magic at once means they have lesser skill in both. Grey mages are those that able to manipulate the physics of time for a short period on themselves and others around them. This is generally used to assist other mages, especially those who are using long-casting spells. The senior mages of the Tower play a dangerous political game with the other Towers. They do not see the world in a distinct good and evil division so play the Towers against each others beliefs. Their greatest achievement was the creation of a time-travelling device, however this was sealed away for obvious reasons. Natural magic is the form of magic that is seen in nature. Many animals and even some plants cast simple spells that help them to survive. Illusion spells to camouflage or basic elemental spells for attacking predators and prey are the most common. Technically anyone can become a mage. However, there are those that no matter how hard they try will never have the natural ability to get very far. On the other hand, there are those that can pick up spells moments after being taught them. The simplest way to learn magic is to travel to one of the Mages Guilds around the world. Entrance to the guild requires a minimum of a years attendance in their schools, where simple spells are taught to hopefuls. Afterwards, a gruelling test is set that stretches the limits of your physical and mental abilities. If this is passed, students are judged on their best abilities and assigned to a specific Tower that will best suit them. Unlike mages, psychics are born with their abilities. Their talents usually first express themselves during puberty, though a person may never realise their powers and it could lie dormant for their entire lives. Those who have mastered their abilities may be able to sense others with the same skills and so many psychics are trained on a master-student basis. Commonly psychics express one major ability, while some also have a few minor ones as well. Psychic abilities include:
Alchemic powers, like pyshics, are genetic. However, the presence of alchemic power denotes a lack of magical talent. Performing alchemy requires use of transmutation circles; circular arrays that are transcribed with various symbols of alchemic nature. The alchemist then typically places one or both hands down on the circle and focuses on what they want to form. Alchemy follows a strict but simple principal, Equivalent Exchange: You never get more than what you put in. Generally, when an alchemist transmutes items, the materials transmuted must be of a similar density to the materials you are trying to make. Also the more complex and the larger the transmutation, the more complex the transmutation circle needs to be, and the more tiring the transmutation is. Lastly, while few alchemists are skilled enough to transmute without a circle, many alchemists use tattoos or pre-inscribed parchment or gloves to quicken transmutation for battle purposes. Alchemic training isnt so much training, as it is the pursuit of higher knowledge in the areas of physics, chemistry and biology. For a transmutation to take place, the alchemist must understand exactly what is taking place. In ancient times, a mage managed to summon a demon forth but as the creature stood before him, the mage managed to bind himself to the demon. And so the Demon Mages were born. As a Demon Mage their life span extends indefinitely and makes them much stronger than a regular mage. They have increased strength, stamina, speed and agility. Specific abilities depend on the type of demon your body is tied to. Demon Mages can also access a pocket dimension, a training ground that exists on another level of Atercia. This allows them to unleash their powers without anyone noticing them and also allows them to hide. However, it is far from a unassailable fortress. If anyone with magic training witnesses a demon mage open a door to their respective training ground, they will be capable of accessing it themselves. The Demon Mages that do exist in the world tend to hide their true powers from view as they are regarded as crude creatures for sacrificing their soul to an enemy of the Gods. There is no way to tell a Demon Mage from a regular person, unless they decided to show themselves to you. Demon Mages occasionally choose to take students to extend their powers. They could select anyone with magic abilities; although the stronger they are, the more likely they are to survive the transformation. There is nowhere to go to become a Demon Mage; they choose you. | |||