Ethurun is home to several different styles and forms of magic. One may say that the forms of magic are as varied and as numerous as the subcultures that this continent is host to. Outlined below are the most common forms, along with a short explanation of each.
To start with, the most common form of magic is magicka-based casting. Wizards and mages have a store of magical energy that they can channel, shaping it into a well-defined and established spell. Experimentation outside of clearly-established spells is dangerous, as the energy is unpredictable and can turn on its caster. Most spells cast in this way require a physical component. For example, the well known Sleep spell requires the caster to have a cricket on hand. Magical energy is channeled into the cricket, and is transformed into the proper type of energy required to cast Sleep. Only then is the caster able to cast the spell in question. A fairly recent development for this type of spellcasting is the use of an arcane focus. Through creating or shaping an arcane focus, a caster is able to fine-tune different areas of the focus to correspond with specific spells. This invalidates the need of a specific component such as a cricket, as the energy can be channeled into the focus and transformed from there. Some spells require material components that are consumed, however; For example, a teleportation circle requires the use of special chalks and inks, which are then used as literal, physical materials for the circle.
Another fairly common form of magic is a form employed by alchemists. Most people know that alchemists require reagents to create potions. Sometimes those ingredients are common and easy to find, and some may be practically unobtainable. What most do not realize is that the reagents are not actually brewed into a potion per-se. Instead, the alchemist consumes them. Then, in a days-long ritual, they concentrate and meditate on a suitable vessel that has been filled with pure water. As the alchemist digests and absorbs the ingredients, they emit a magically infused aura, which is then absorbed by the water in the vessel. The most gifted of alchemists are not gifted with any special magic power. Instead, the best alchemists have the strongest stomachs, and the ability to stay awake and alert for days at a time while the potion brews.
One form of magic is used by clerics and paladins, often termed "Holy magic". Despite its popularity, this is the least understood form of magic; half because it is ephemeral and hard to pin down, and half because clerics and paladins are typically reticient to being studied in such a way. Through their religious training and studying, paladins and clerics learn to emulate the actions of their saints in an extremely precise way. These actions are then mystically imbued with power, with the potency correlating with the accuracy of their mimicry of the saints. For example, by laying his hands on a wounded man the way Saint Rilms was accustomed to do, a cleric may channel some small part of that sainthood and heal the man.
The Druids of the Circle also have their own form of magic. They are also guarded about their knowledge, but through interviews a few things have been made known. The vast majority of their magic comes from their Familiar; a fae creature that the druid has made a pact with. The two work together to cast magic. The familiar acts as a store of energy, and the druid then shapes that energy into a spell. To be able to see the fae without training is a rare ability, and most druids spend years learning under a teacher before they react the point of allying themselves with a Familiar.
There are other forms of magic other than these, of course. Warlocks, for example, or the Thunder Sorcerers of the Orenian Mountains. Other books and texts have been authored about the more obscure aspects of magic, along with more in-depth descriptions of the previous forms. This merely serves as an overview for the most common and most encountered forms of magic.
Written by Drastel Ravazor, 778KE