An Introduction to Magic
I am Hector Khada. You may not know my name, you may not know my face. You probably have little idea of who I am. But these are the results of my studies, among my many years on Aloria. This study will break the magic down for you into its different types, and show you the true methods by which the mages control the world.
First, you have many different types of magic, but they can almost all be classified into Void and Exist magic, depending on which energies they tap. Interestingly, they are viewed different socially, but that is a part for a different segment. In this compilation of various studies, you will find all the information you require, whether you're an aspiring mage or one wishing to learn of magical theory. Much of this is delving into the theoretical, but it is all firmly rooted in the established.
The Two Types of Magic—Void and Exist
There are two types of magic in Aloria, and those are Void and Exist. One can further split them down into separate schools, which behave quite oddly when you truly look closely at them. Void magic taps into the energy from the Void, while Exist energy taps into the Exist planes. It all starts with the goddess Estel.
Estel is a goddess of the elves, and from what texts I have managed to pore over, appears to be the source of all magic. Mages reach through something called the Veil in order to cast magic. The singular most important event in magical history was known as the Cataclysm, but we will delve into this at another time.
The Void magic is often seen as vile and dark, and in many ways it is. Deep searching has led me to find terrifying magicks mentioned in history, and at one point I even got to see such magic practiced. However, don't misinterpret this as saying that such magic is bad—Magic is neither good nor bad, that is the first thing you must remember. Magic is soleley a tool for those who can use it. There's nothing good or bad about a sword, or a bow, even though with a bow, someone can kill you from a long distance with minimal work.
The Exist magic is often seen as lighter, and somehow more useful. It contains various spells, some of which actually just as terrifying as the Void, others harmless and in fact helpful. I've gotten to see much of this magic in practice, and I must say, the opportunities are beautiful. Magic is truly a work of art when you look further into it, and it's frustrating that so few scholars of magical theory exist. These studies come from conversation with dozens of mages across Aloria.
Most schools of magic seem to have one spell that stands above all the rest, but this spell is extremely difficult to learn, and as such seeing it in use is incredibly rare. Magic itself is an art, but this piece of the art is incredibly difficult, and as such, holds incredible power. I will elaborate on these spells at another point in this article.
The Schools of Magic – Exist
Currently, we will be focusing on the most interesting magic of the Exist school—Leveia. So many things are unanswered about this magic, but it is a highly utilitarian magic. The first spell learned by many is called Nymphe, literally translating to "Butterfly". Basically, this magic allows one to be protected from any three strikes. The question here is, what is the limit of strikes? My conclusion, after much research, has been that the magic can somehow tell. A punch will be stopped, and a thrown stone will also stop... But a handful of stones will react as though it's a singular attack. That makes this spell already quite intriguing, and quite the anomaly.
When studying magical theory, one may find themselves with more questions than answers. Unfortunately, this is the nature of theory. Another spell within this school of magic is the spell known as Blinding Swarm. This one is quite the intriguing spell, but far more straightforward and less to theorize on. Theoretically, the butterflies are a manifestation of the personal energy of the caster. They always seem to look different, so this appears to be the only potential answer.
This spell creates a swarm of butterflies, and sends them to swirl around a target, effectively blinding them in battle. Truly an invaluable spell, this allows for many, many things. For some reason, both of those spells can only be used once daily. When a mage attempts to cast multiple times in a day, their minds reach out and find nothing there. It often causes them to mentally stumble for a moment, kind of like if you go to walk up the stairs only to find there are no stairs, and it's all an illusion.
The other spells within this magic hold no theories for them, and little insight as to the nature of magic itself. Unfortunately, magic being such a rare and unknown art, we simply do not know enough to formulate good enough theories. However, that won't stop me. In the next section, I will elaborate more on the different types of magic—It would appear there is not much more theory to discuss. You see, my field is very small, and as such I have next to no one to truly speak to about this. All the theory within these pages is all my own. Perchance there will be a second volume of this book, for any who can provide me with theories on the origin of magic? Time may tell.
The Schools of Magic – Void
Void magic is seen as vile by many cultures across Aloria, and for good reason too. It taps into the darker energies inherent in the universe, and uses them to twist and distort reality. Elemental magic, for example, has the power to literally control the fundamental aspects of the world itself, fire and ice, as well as other aspects. The school of Demon magic is a dark, cruel, and twisted magic that often warps the mind of its user, from what I have been reading in my studies. Its spells will not be mentioned in this text, however, as such a magic is an atrocity. Mind magic can twist the mind of an individual, bringing about horrifying illusions and deceptions, a terrifying art at best, and nightmarish at worst.
Now, on to magic itself. You see, the Void and Exist magicks are varied and special, each one serving their own purpose. Intriguingly enough, one cannot learn more than ten spells. It's just been found to be simply impossible. Past that, it also takes an ever-increasing quantity of time to learn a new spell, as you need to broaden your focus. One may wonder, why is it like this? Unfortunately, as for most things... I don't know. The schools of magic can be separated mostly into Void and Exist, and are as follows:
Exist magicks consist of Leveia, Celestial, and Soul. And for those of us who wield our rings proudly, keep fighting.
The Void magicks consist of Kathar, Elemental, Mind, and the deadly Demon magic... I have heard rumor of another type, a type that controls life and death itself... However, any attempts to get close to this shadowy rumor have resulted in ruin.
Then, there is an oddity among magic. It is known as Construct magic, interestingly enough, and is practiced widely among the Qadir. It functions off of Binral energy, which is basically the innate energy of Aloria. One must wonder, if the Cataclysm were to happen again... Would this magic also cease to function, or only the Void and Exist? My theory is that it would still function, as the Cataclysm affected the void and exist realms, however I would rather prefer that we don't test this theory.
Magic and its Learning
So, now we are going to go on into magic, and how it is learned. One can learn magic via many methods, the most common of which being to find a specific teacher for your desired type of magic. This is straightforward enough, though not as simple as it seems—Many cultures have a distaste for magic, and so that makes finding an appropriate tutor nigh impossible. As such, many teachers will grant their students a certain identifying item, which allows students to recognize one another. This is often something subtle, such as a ring or an amulet, sometimes even a tattoo.
Another method by which one can study the arcane arts is via books. Said books are often rarer than teachers, yet can provide valuable information. Many books, however, are purely instructional, and therefore do not provide practical information, rather strictly how to cast and utilize magic. If possible, it is always best to find a firsthand teacher.
Some learn by various other methods, however it is generally accepted that those are the two best ways to learn magic, in and of itself.
OOC note: I know, some of this information is incorrect. That is in large part due to the fact that there are many misleading texts on magic that would be within Aloria, stemming from the ignorance of many who would be writing such texts. If there are any large things that are incorrect, bring them to my knowledge.
I am Hector Khada. You may not know my name, you may not know my face. You probably have little idea of who I am. But these are the results of my studies, among my many years on Aloria. This study will break the magic down for you into its different types, and show you the true methods by which the mages control the world.
First, you have many different types of magic, but they can almost all be classified into Void and Exist magic, depending on which energies they tap. Interestingly, they are viewed different socially, but that is a part for a different segment. In this compilation of various studies, you will find all the information you require, whether you're an aspiring mage or one wishing to learn of magical theory. Much of this is delving into the theoretical, but it is all firmly rooted in the established.
The Two Types of Magic—Void and Exist
There are two types of magic in Aloria, and those are Void and Exist. One can further split them down into separate schools, which behave quite oddly when you truly look closely at them. Void magic taps into the energy from the Void, while Exist energy taps into the Exist planes. It all starts with the goddess Estel.
Estel is a goddess of the elves, and from what texts I have managed to pore over, appears to be the source of all magic. Mages reach through something called the Veil in order to cast magic. The singular most important event in magical history was known as the Cataclysm, but we will delve into this at another time.
The Void magic is often seen as vile and dark, and in many ways it is. Deep searching has led me to find terrifying magicks mentioned in history, and at one point I even got to see such magic practiced. However, don't misinterpret this as saying that such magic is bad—Magic is neither good nor bad, that is the first thing you must remember. Magic is soleley a tool for those who can use it. There's nothing good or bad about a sword, or a bow, even though with a bow, someone can kill you from a long distance with minimal work.
The Exist magic is often seen as lighter, and somehow more useful. It contains various spells, some of which actually just as terrifying as the Void, others harmless and in fact helpful. I've gotten to see much of this magic in practice, and I must say, the opportunities are beautiful. Magic is truly a work of art when you look further into it, and it's frustrating that so few scholars of magical theory exist. These studies come from conversation with dozens of mages across Aloria.
Most schools of magic seem to have one spell that stands above all the rest, but this spell is extremely difficult to learn, and as such seeing it in use is incredibly rare. Magic itself is an art, but this piece of the art is incredibly difficult, and as such, holds incredible power. I will elaborate on these spells at another point in this article.
The Schools of Magic – Exist
Currently, we will be focusing on the most interesting magic of the Exist school—Leveia. So many things are unanswered about this magic, but it is a highly utilitarian magic. The first spell learned by many is called Nymphe, literally translating to "Butterfly". Basically, this magic allows one to be protected from any three strikes. The question here is, what is the limit of strikes? My conclusion, after much research, has been that the magic can somehow tell. A punch will be stopped, and a thrown stone will also stop... But a handful of stones will react as though it's a singular attack. That makes this spell already quite intriguing, and quite the anomaly.
When studying magical theory, one may find themselves with more questions than answers. Unfortunately, this is the nature of theory. Another spell within this school of magic is the spell known as Blinding Swarm. This one is quite the intriguing spell, but far more straightforward and less to theorize on. Theoretically, the butterflies are a manifestation of the personal energy of the caster. They always seem to look different, so this appears to be the only potential answer.
This spell creates a swarm of butterflies, and sends them to swirl around a target, effectively blinding them in battle. Truly an invaluable spell, this allows for many, many things. For some reason, both of those spells can only be used once daily. When a mage attempts to cast multiple times in a day, their minds reach out and find nothing there. It often causes them to mentally stumble for a moment, kind of like if you go to walk up the stairs only to find there are no stairs, and it's all an illusion.
The other spells within this magic hold no theories for them, and little insight as to the nature of magic itself. Unfortunately, magic being such a rare and unknown art, we simply do not know enough to formulate good enough theories. However, that won't stop me. In the next section, I will elaborate more on the different types of magic—It would appear there is not much more theory to discuss. You see, my field is very small, and as such I have next to no one to truly speak to about this. All the theory within these pages is all my own. Perchance there will be a second volume of this book, for any who can provide me with theories on the origin of magic? Time may tell.
The Schools of Magic – Void
Void magic is seen as vile by many cultures across Aloria, and for good reason too. It taps into the darker energies inherent in the universe, and uses them to twist and distort reality. Elemental magic, for example, has the power to literally control the fundamental aspects of the world itself, fire and ice, as well as other aspects. The school of Demon magic is a dark, cruel, and twisted magic that often warps the mind of its user, from what I have been reading in my studies. Its spells will not be mentioned in this text, however, as such a magic is an atrocity. Mind magic can twist the mind of an individual, bringing about horrifying illusions and deceptions, a terrifying art at best, and nightmarish at worst.
Now, on to magic itself. You see, the Void and Exist magicks are varied and special, each one serving their own purpose. Intriguingly enough, one cannot learn more than ten spells. It's just been found to be simply impossible. Past that, it also takes an ever-increasing quantity of time to learn a new spell, as you need to broaden your focus. One may wonder, why is it like this? Unfortunately, as for most things... I don't know. The schools of magic can be separated mostly into Void and Exist, and are as follows:
Exist magicks consist of Leveia, Celestial, and Soul. And for those of us who wield our rings proudly, keep fighting.
The Void magicks consist of Kathar, Elemental, Mind, and the deadly Demon magic... I have heard rumor of another type, a type that controls life and death itself... However, any attempts to get close to this shadowy rumor have resulted in ruin.
Then, there is an oddity among magic. It is known as Construct magic, interestingly enough, and is practiced widely among the Qadir. It functions off of Binral energy, which is basically the innate energy of Aloria. One must wonder, if the Cataclysm were to happen again... Would this magic also cease to function, or only the Void and Exist? My theory is that it would still function, as the Cataclysm affected the void and exist realms, however I would rather prefer that we don't test this theory.
Magic and its Learning
So, now we are going to go on into magic, and how it is learned. One can learn magic via many methods, the most common of which being to find a specific teacher for your desired type of magic. This is straightforward enough, though not as simple as it seems—Many cultures have a distaste for magic, and so that makes finding an appropriate tutor nigh impossible. As such, many teachers will grant their students a certain identifying item, which allows students to recognize one another. This is often something subtle, such as a ring or an amulet, sometimes even a tattoo.
Another method by which one can study the arcane arts is via books. Said books are often rarer than teachers, yet can provide valuable information. Many books, however, are purely instructional, and therefore do not provide practical information, rather strictly how to cast and utilize magic. If possible, it is always best to find a firsthand teacher.
Some learn by various other methods, however it is generally accepted that those are the two best ways to learn magic, in and of itself.
OOC note: I know, some of this information is incorrect. That is in large part due to the fact that there are many misleading texts on magic that would be within Aloria, stemming from the ignorance of many who would be writing such texts. If there are any large things that are incorrect, bring them to my knowledge.
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