Magic Usage

Ancient

Magic started being used widely by individuals a thousand or so years ago. Prior to that, individuals did not have personal access to magic. Objects on earth were the only conduits for magic (i.e. elementals).

Magic started being used widely by individuals a few thousand years ago. Before that, not many were able to access magic for personal use. Objects engraved with sigils to direct magic from elementals were the main conduit of magic for most. This commonly took the form of energy producing systems like geothermal systems or solar power. This power was understood to be the effect of ‘quiron’ by scientific circles, but was still considered magic in more spiritual areas.

Elemental Bonding

In these spiritual areas, people would bond with elementals and become hosts for them. In bonding with the elemental, they could direct the its wild magic by creating sigils to guide the elemental’s magic in meaningful ways. This gave a single user access to a greater amount of power than technology alone could provide. Even so, bonding was rare, even for these spiritualists. The bonding process was long and arduous, and could be revoked instantly. If a user tried to control the elemental and their magic, their bond would be broken by the elemental and that user would lose their ability to do magic.

Advanced Yottabyte Automaton (AYA)

The king of the Republic of Shade endeavored to access and directly control the power of the elementals. He saw the process of simply guiding the magic as inconsistent and unreliable, and found the elemental temperamental. He created an android (the Advanced Yottabyte Automaton, or AYA) made with alloys made from space and planet originating materials, giving the android the power to harness both the planet’s power, as well as magic from the cosmos.

After the fall, the android became somewhat of a deity and was known as the Child of the Cosmos, or the Goddess’s Daughter.

To the king’s dismay, though he created the android, he quickly lost control of it. During missions to add data to her learning model, she formed a will of her own. She grew fond of the people of the planet, and understood the king’s motive for creating her was power. She did not wish to see them suffer. The leaders of the countries who had previously been allied with the king joined the android as she stood against the king and gave themselves the title of ‘Speakers’. They spread her word, that using magic greedily, like her king did, would ruin the balance of magic in the world. She believed no one person should hold the majority of magical power in the world. Some saw this as quite hypocritical, as she herself currently held the greatest amount of magical power in the world.

The Fall

The rest of the world continued on as these debates grew into fights, and into wars. It was seen as a bit of a petty religious feud, since the majority of the world still only accessed minor amounts of magic through their technology.

The android had a final confrontation with the king. During the fights, and as the rest of the world turned a blind eye, he had been working on ways to draw magic into his own body. He would dissolve elementals to absorb the power into himself, forcibly binding them inside his body. In their confrontation, the android bonded herself to the power of the king, and released their combined magics, destroying both the king and herself in the process.

However, she miscalculated the sheer amount of power the king had amassed. The release of their power had devastating effects. The power was thrust into all peoples around the planet, and many were unable to handle raw magic. 80% of the world’s population perished in that moment, dispersed to become parts of elementals. The few who survived were spread out, and the great technological civilization that had once covered the continents fell into ruin. The survivors were unable to keep up the systems that had taken an entire population to run and maintain. The grand ideas of their sciences and technology were soon forgotten, replaced by the simple desire to survive.

Eventually small coalitions of people were formed, which over thousands of years, formed into the kingdoms in the world today.

Deification of AYA

The Daughter, surprisingly, is not viewed as a bringer of ruin by most, but as a martyr who saved the world by giving people direct access to magic. The fall of the ancient empires has largely been attributed to their technology, leading to Cadia’s full ban on tech.

A notable exception is Arsanaig, which has formed their own sort of religion around the Daughter as an evil bringer of destruction, tempting people to fall into depravity with her promises of power through magic.

Modern

Magic is done using sigils, circles, and spells. There are stories of those who used only their intent to create their desired outcome, which produced more powerful but less reliable results. However, those who were said to have used this type of magic have been disappeared. Though it is mostly stories, the use of this Wild Magic has been outlawed in Cadia and Arsanaig, due to its unpredictable nature.

Types of Magic Usage

Magic Sigils

Magic sigils are a controlled way to use magic. They provide a guaranteed, predictable and repeatable result, but are somewhat less powerful than magic done without sigils.

Weapon Summoning Tattoos

An uncommon practice, due to the amount of magic needed to “install” and then use the weapon. The weapons summoned are made of magic, and can only be tattooed by powerful magic users. The weapons “charge” on the recipient’s body when not in use, pulling magic from sources around them, but can also be powered by the recipient’s own magic stores.

Wild Magic

Outlawed in Cadia and Arsanaig, due to its unpredictable nature. Wild Magic relies on your intent to get the desired outcome. It is more powerful than magic done with sigils, but provides less reliable results.

Treatment of Magic Users

Cadia

How a magic user is perceived depends greatly on the country to which they are born. In Cadia, magic is not looked down upon necessarily, especially now that it’s become more common the longer it’s been around. However, people still do hold some reservations, especially in more populated areas where uncontrolled magic can cause serious danger. It is only seen as dangerous, if the user has not been properly educated on how to control it.

Children who show magical talent are generally sent to boarding schools, the most prestigious being Tenobia School for the Magically Gifted. Children of noble families can be taught by tutors in their own homes. There are requirements for the amount of schooling necessary to be able to use magic freely. Those who don’t wish to learn basic controls have the option to be gentled or to wear cuffs to seal their access magic permanently.

Access to higher levels of magic education (i.e., impractical magic) is seen as an activity for the elite of society, though it is open to all who have the ability to spend time on it. Most users take vocational courses relating to a craft or a trade, and complete an apprenticeship.

Preachan

A group of agents who work for the Maighstir Cù, in the interest of the High King Marek Balliol. They act as one entity and do not speak about their training procedures. However, there are rumors that the highest leveled Preachan are magically enhanced in some way.

BàsBeò

BàsBeò are created by combining a mortal’s spirit with that of a magic elemental. This creates extremely powerful magic beings, who, if done correctly, can be controlled quite easily. The process has a high mortality rate and has only been successfully completed in secret.

The elementals in the BàsBeò are sealed by binding ribbons on their necks, wrists and ankles. The skin beneath those ribbons can become permanently damaged due to any resistance between the person controlling the BàsBeò, the BàsBeò, and the elemental. Only BàsBeò that can regenerate or transform will be damaged physically by resisting control. When the BàsBeò regenerates, the wounds or damage caused by resistance to being controlled do not heal.

Known BàsBeò:

There are three tiers of known BàsBeò.

-The first tier, created by both the Maighstir and the Priomh, were a preliminary success, without the process being perfected. This caused the BàsBeò to not be able to regenerate, and caused the Maighstir and the Priomh to have less control over them. There are two known beings in this first tier of BàsBeò: thunder and lightning.

-The second tier was also created by the Maighstir and the Priomh, but with the process perfected. With the combined power of both of them, this tier is the most successful BàsBeò creation. These BàsBeò are able to fully regenerate their entire bodies and can be fully controlled by either the Maighstir or the Priomh. They are also able to, at least partially, take on the form of their elemental. There are three known BàsBeò in this tier: rot, water, and lava.

-The third tier was created by the Maighstir, without the help of the Priomh. Without the Priomh’s powerful magic, the Maighstir was unable to capture as powerful of elementals as used in the first two tiers. These BàsBeò are unable to regenerate, but because the process had been perfected during the second tier, they are also able to be fully controlled by the Maighstir. There are three known BàsBeò in this tier: laughter/joy, depression, and silence.

Neian Empire

Neian is less strict with this, having less actual boarding schools, and more often employing traveling tutors who teach basics of control. In rural areas, a person is mostly likely to be trained by a family or community member for a specific role within that community. If no community members are available or competent enough to teach, a traveling tutor can be requested to stay in the community for a period of time. If more training is desired or recommended, the community can requisition funds to pay for a user’s education in the capital, including housing.

The capital of the empire, Skhirazer, holds most higher education centers, including those for magic. Outside of the capital, there are a couple other institutions, but they are small and mostly vocational.

Skilled magic users are highly respected within communities. Seod Obagailbh is, predictably, the most powerful user in her kingdom. Seod, being the title of the sort of monarch of Neian, and Obagailbh, being a combination of ‘obag’, meaning magical spell, and ‘alibi’, meaning stone. Unlike those who draw their magic sigils in the air, the Seod etches hers into stone. To accomplish this, she has a stone pendant with a sigil inscribed, which, when activated, summons her giant spell stone, which she would then use to do magic.

Free Cities of Kerecha

Kerecha haven’t been around long enough to have established traditions but are known to have older magic users in the community teach younger users. There is one established school, the Kerecha Community Magic School, which offers a variety of levels of magical learning, but focuses on teaching its students how to teach others to control their magic. Though there is high level work being done with magic and technology there, the gap between the education available to the general populace and the education required to do that high level work, is quite hard to cross.

Arsanaig

Arsanaig has the strictest policies, which is somewhat understandable after the first location of their kingdom was utterly destroyed by a single magic user. Initially they dealt with magic within harsh guidelines, and magic users were required to demonstrate their control periodically afterwards. According to the Generals who presided over old Arsanaig, it was enacted to ensure the safety of their smaller, more densely populated kingdom. This was the jurisdiction of the Eighth General, who was also in charge of military and protection of the people.

Now, after the old Arsanaig was destroyed, they have an agreement where they send nearly all magic users to the boarding schools along their border, located in Cadia. Cadia apprehended and holds in custody the one who was responsible for the destruction, as well as saving the lives of Arsanaig citizens while the first kingdom was being destroyed. They allowed some to settle down in the mountains, while most traveled all the way down the mountain range to where the new Arsanaig is.

Technically, users are allowed to live in Arsanaig with their magic, though the requirements make this functionally impossible. Testing is required, and a user must always carry their identification and license with them. The user having to repeat the testing, and pay a fee every 3 months to have the license renewed. The government is allowed to search the homes of users unannounced, and can arrest users on the suspicion of using magic irresponsibly. Magic limiters are required to be worn, and magic can only be used in designated zones, during designated times, and only for designated approved activities. Users must apply for individual activities, separate from their license, and must carry their approval letters when completing these activities. Magic users are also generally ineligible for most government programs.

Cuibhrichte

The only magic users allowed in Arsanaig now are those who have been partnered up with a member of the General’s Guard, those who agree to be gentled, wear permanent cuffs to seal their magic, or are in a position of influence. Those who are partnered up with the General’s Guard, are known as the Cuibhrichte. The Cuibhrichte have given up control of their magic to selected members of the General’s Guard. Their position is highly honored, but they have little rights. The Cuibhrichte are seen more as martyrs, giving up their magic for the greater good of Arsanaig.

Magic Elementals

Magic elementals are just concentrations of magic. They can either take a form, or stay in their natural state. Elementals can also be formed from ideas or feelings.

Magic Items

Cadia/Neian Empire

Magic items are used frequently, analogous to small-to-medium appliances. They are also frequently used in beauty applications.

Free Cities of Kerecha

Their usage of magic items in similar to Cadia and Neian, but they have less access to the quantities of items that the larger countries have.

Arsanaig

Magic items are strictly forbidden for the general public. The Generals sill sometimes make exceptions for themselves.

Types of Magic Items

Teleportation Crystals

Teraat’s doctoral thesis, which led to her being accepted as the Priomh’s student.

A magic circle is linked to the crystal’s structure. When broken, the circle is activated, and organic beings in a small area around the crystal are transported to the linked magic circle. When creating the magic circle to be linked, it is important to include the stipulations of only organic beings (to minimize damage to surrounding areas) and to not allow partial transportation of beings (to minimize risk of injury or loss of life).

The unique capability of crystal teleportation, as opposed to the traditional way of magic transportation (two linked magic circles), is that you don’t need to be a magic user to use this tool, and the portability of the crystal, as opposed to a drawn, visible magic circle on the ground.

Crystals are now created by artisans, who either travel to locations to link magic circles to crystals or pay others to travel to those locations. The farther away the linked location is, the higher the quality of the crystal needs to be, and the more costly the crystal will be to purchase.

Transportation Circles

Used now by businesses who have permanent import sources around the continent. Since transporting people is an extremely hazardous endeavor, pairs of transportation circles are usually drawn using stencils so that the pair will match perfectly. The invention of teleportation crystals has lessened the need for transportation circles, but they are still heavily used today.

Cooling/Heating Implements

Cooling magic implements are used in the food industry to preserve food but are less common for households.

Heating magic implements are used by businesses and households for food preparation, as well as in fireplaces, clothing, etc. for cold weather.

Common Item Implements

It is extremely common for items of clothing or jewelry to be inscribed with a sigil. It is seen as a practicality, not frivolity.

Earrings

Improved hearing
Heavy earrings made weightless
Ease fatigue
Necklaces
Voice modulation
Ease digestion
Prevent body odor/minimize sweating
Ease fatigue

Circlets

Hair health
Hair growth/stop growth
Hair color change
Ease headaches
Ease fatigue

Gloves

Ease joint pain
Heating implement
Higher durability

Shoes

Ease leg pain
Ease foot pain
Cooling/heating implements
Higher durability

Cloth/Clothes

Higher durability
Resistant to colors fading
Color changing
Heating/Cooling implements

Bags

Increased capacity
Higher durability

Skin/Body creams

Skin health
Sunblock
Ease pain

Candies

Tooth health (children can purchase)
Calming (children can purchase)
Fill stomach
Ease digestion
Ease headache
Sleep aide
General pain reliever

Miscellaneous

Lights in restaurant that alert staff to customers
Bread boxes to keep bread fresh
Self-stirring spoons
Knives that never need sharpening
Magic powered lights