Magic, also known as Sorcery, the Arcane Arts, the Mystic Arts and the Clever Craft, is the art or ability to alter the world through Mana. Magic is the manipulation of Mana in order to directly control or change reality in some way. The individual casting of this force to form a mystical effect is called a spell. One who works magic is a Mage or Sorcerer. Although all races have magical aptitudes, those with Elvish blood outshine the others. Magic is governed by the Mana and Elixir.
In Edenfell, half the population is Magic Sensitive. A Magic Sensitive is highly attuned to the flow of Mana within and around them. Magic Sensitives can, with training, learn to manipulate Mana to create mystical effects. All races display their Magic Sensitivity in different ways known as the The Schools of Magic. There are four schools of Magic, namely: Summoning, Crafting, Bending, and Wielding.
It is considered illegal to wield Magic in Edenfell without having obtained the Seal of the Order from the Academia of the Arcane Arts first and anyone caught in such an act is considered a Dark Mage. Magic-users can incorporate the arcane into their daily activities and occupations and can also make a living as Imperial Sorcerers, vanquishing, capturing and apprehending wild beasts and Dark Mages for profit.
Imperial Sorcerers can belong to one of any licensed guilds and they must always bear the Imperial Seal of the Order on them (tattooed on the skin and woven into clothing) at all times to show their alignment with the light. The Seal is bound to the sorcerers through a spell and cannot be reproduced or removed (if flesh with the Seal is lost, it reappears elsewhere on the sorcerer). The Seal automatically leaves a sorcerer once they switch their alignment from light to darkness.
The Schools of Magic[]
- Main article: The Schools of Magic
Nota Bene[]
- When two or more mages of the same class try to control the same thing, the one with higher magical power will prevail, and will deplete the normal amount of mana that would be depleted, whereas the one who loses won't deplete any.
- If two mages have equal magical power and try to move an object in opposite directions, the object will split in half and both mages will lose the amounts of mana that they would normally lose for manipulating the entire object.
- When two Mages try to move the same object in the same direction, it can move that distance with half the mana required to move the said object by one person or twice the distance if each person doubles mana consumption.
- Organics Rule: Mana is strongest in the body. The natural flow stops any attempt at controlling or manipulating something that is part of a living being. External magic cannot enter the body either unless willed by both parties.
Abilities[]
Abilities are quantifiable magical effects that, once obtained, are constantly active and increase various statistics and values relative to the person who has them. Abilities/Active Effects differ from Magic in that they do not require activation (passives), are not learned and have zero Mana cost. Some races have unique abilities, but everyone can acquire abilities by completing a quest (event loot), or from armour and other apparel that was crafted, clothes that were made, and/or from unique magical artefacts or relics.
Default abilities possessed by some races include:
- Nords' "impervious to frost" -- All Nords negate 20% of all cold and on the other hand, are 20% more vulnerable to heat.
- Orcs' "heat resistant"-- All Orcs negate 20% of all heat and are 20% more vulnerable to cold.
- Merfolks' "aquatic prowess" -- Merfolk can stay underwater for Extended periods of time not exceeding maximum of 30 minutes in salty waters and an hour immersed in fresh water. When submerged in water, Mer gain a letter increase to all of their Physical stats, and swim using their Physical Speed stat.
- Centaurs' "eagle eye" -- Centaurs can see clearly and telescopically for distances of up to 1km beyond which their sight is similar to that of Men.
- Fey's "feyrie power" -- Fey can alter their height and most have wings which enable them to fly at their Magical Speed stat. Max flying height for Fey is 300 meters.
Blessing/Enchanting and Relics[]
The art of enchanting involves adding magic to a regular item, causing it to have special effects when used. An enchantment is a spell sealed, trapped into an object to confer mystical attributes, which are supported by Mana. To create an enchanted item, one must have an unenchanted item, enough Mana for the desired blessing, and a specific enchantment that is known and can be placed on the item. Any type of unenchanted item can be enchanted, whether it be weapons, armour, clothing and/or jewellery.
Types of enchantments include strength, speed and durability. Blessings are enchantments placed on living things. This can only be done by Fey and it is the process of transferring their mana to others either supplying them with extra or using an enchantment (strength, speed etc) on them.
Enchantment/Blessing takes time and concentration and leaves the Mage vulnerable to attack in the process. The larger the object or the amount of Mana required or being transferred, the greater the time it takes to complete an enchantment/blessing.
Unlike many spells, enchantments are permanent, while blessings (placed on people) are only temporary and will run out with mana.
An enchanted item is called a relic and can be used to great effect depending on the type and strength of the enchantment conferred on it. Relics can be bound to tribes within each race, making it impossible for someone of another tribe or bloodline to tap into the blessing and use it.
Relics can be used by any individual in Edenfell, not just Mages or Magic Sensitives, as long as they belong to a tribe and rank to which the enchantment is accessible.
Relics can be sold for profit in Edenfell and people often pay to have items blessed by Mages. In the Academia of the Arcane Arts, Enchanters can be found whose sole task is to sell relics to Mages at exorbitant prices.
Nota Bene[]
Enchantments/blessings must be approved by a Game-Master or Approvals Mod. Both enchantments and spells must be put in #wiki_requests when gained, and spells, when lost, need to be put in the channel again, so they can be taken off the wiki page.
Enchantments are rank-locked and very expensive and even more so if done as a relic. You can either perform an enchantment yourself and use a lot of elixir in the process, or you can get them done for exorbitant prices.
Elixir[]
Elixir is a highly valuable and quite rare liquid that can be acquired in every kingdom of Edenfell. It is used mainly by adventurers to replenish their mana during long and tedious quests, all though it has also seen quite a lot of popularity in circles of nobles and monarchs.
Elixir isn't something that one can simply brew. The only people that can produce it are the elixir merchants. They have a monopoly over the elixir and use that fact to their advantage when making trades or selling it to various guilds, academies and noble houses.
A bottle of elixir costs 50,000 gold coins and it can replenish 25% of your maximum mana capacity. Due to how unnatural it is to replenish mana so quickly and in such large quantities, it is recommended to only drink two bottles per day. Drinking more often causes the person to go into a seizure and pass out. Elixir also cannot give you more mana than your natural capacity. Any excessive mana is simply lost.
There is no law as to how much Elixir one can possess at once, but trying to resell it can get you in serious trouble with the Elixir merchants. Those guys don't fancy anyone interfering with their business.
Magicking[]
Licensed Mages bearing the Seal of the Order can go Magicking. This is a bounty hunting craft in which a Mage goes searching to capture, kill or apprehend, as the case may be, a wild beast or Dark Mage according to the bounties they bear. Magicking is the craft of Edenfell's Mages besides protecting the kingdoms and the Imperial city and it is a means by which wages are earned.
If a Magicker is good enough, they can earn a fortune from bounties. Magickers are ranked and often when quests arise, they are dished out to Mages according to their ranks (Apprentice, Acolyte etc). Fame/Infamy may also be increased by duelling; friendly combat in which the winner takes a given number of their opponent's Fame/infamy points (such terms must be decided in advance). Fame/infamy signals reputation and the more a mage's fame/infamy, the more popular they become in all the lands.
All Licensed Mages obtain a Gimmick upon graduating from the Academy.
A gimmick is an invaluable arm device that all Mages must bear on them to properly go Magicking. Gimmicks display Mages' rankings, fame/infamy, Elixir storage capacity and content, Mana, currency (gold and silver) and bounties rankings. When a Mage finds a bounty, they initiate Magicking by casting the Vow of Merdes (by simply saying the words vow of Merdes) spell with the help of the Gimmick which signals the capital that said Mage has entered combat with intent to gain profit from a bounty.
The Gimmick creates an invisible field (not a barrier) around the location of the hunt to alert other Mages (through their Gimmicks) of the ensuing fight once they enter the range of the field.
If a Mage defeats the bounty, they simply wave the arm bearing the Gimmick over the captured bounty, breaking the Vow and thus alerting the capital once again, that the bounty has been fulfilled. The Gimmick then teleports the bounty to the Imperial prison or morgue in a cloud of blue smoke and the Mage's funds are immediately transferred to the Gimmick which then displays the new amount of both currency, XP and fame points.
Gimmick
If a Mage is defeated while collecting a bounty, the Vow automatically breaks and the capital is alerted to the fact that a bounty is on the loose at the expense of the defeated Mage and if the opponent is Dark Mage, currency, XP and infamy points travel in the opposite direction. Stealing a Mage's Gimmick implies stealing their money and Elixir, nothing else. XP and fame/infamy points cannot be stolen.
To purchase items with currency stored on a Gimmick, the device's handle is simply turned and the amount to be withdrawn is chosen by pushing buttons. The Gimmick releases the coins by transporting them from the capital (or the Brood, as the case may be) to the point of withdrawal, in a cloud of blue smoke.
The Dark Arts[]
Every unlicensed/outlawed Magic-user is considered a practitioner of the Dark Arts. Once outlawed, Dark Mages, as they are known, become unable to replenish their Magical essence with Elixir and instead, they use blood. Dark Magic is as old as the first Elves that wielded sorcery and has since become a part of Edenfell that will never leave.
The clandestine organization that controls the Dark Arts of Edenfell, known only as The Brood, ensure that Dark Mages are occupied and as equipped as their lawful counterparts.
Symbol of the Brood
The Brood provides Gimmicks for their Mages that function like the Order's and they provide payment for bounties fulfilled by Dark Mages as well. Dark Mages come from all races and have as many different motivations as they have faces. Their intentions may be misunderstood or simply evil but essentially, in Edenfell, they are the "bad guys". Dark Mages are also ranked.
Obtaining blood implies hunting for beasts, the larger the better, purchasing the expensive substance from exploitative dealers and often murdering individuals if need be. Blood works as an essence in the same way Elixir does. Only blood from creatures and individuals with mana (Edenfell's magical beasts and Magic Sensitives) can serve as the magical essence for Dark Mages.
The only real way to tell a Dark Mage from an Imperial Sorcerer is by the lack of the Seal of the Order on either their attire and Gimmicks or the presence of the Symbol of the Brood on them (they choose to bear this, unlike Imperial Sorcerers).
Adam Forged Steel[]
"Nothing cuts like Adam's Iron."
Adam Forged Steel (sometimes called Adam's Iron) is a form of metal that was forged in the days of the first men, long before the Alfen and the Anthros of Edenfell. When fashioned into bladed weapons, the steel can hold an especially keen edge, remaining sharp forever without the need for honing.
Aside from its sharpness, Adam's Iron is recognizable by its strength (twice that of regular steel) and lightweight in comparison to ordinary steel, as well as by a distinctive rippled pattern visible in blades made from it.
Adam Forged Steel sword
Adam Forged Steel is one of the few known substances that can completely repel magic and its effects. Adam's Iron blades kill any magical creature they pierce, dispel all forms of spells and mystic arts fired at them and when well-aimed (head and torso), negate an individual's sorcery for as long as they remain in contact. Wounds inflicted by this metal cannot be magically healed.
It is thought that the metal contains elements with powerful abjuration abilities but no-one truly knows for sure.
Godsbane, the Imperial Kings' blade, is made of Adam Forged Steel.
Scholars believe the first men were able to take the lands from the giants and beasts alike with the help of this mysterious metal. The secret of forging Adam's Iron is unknown, making the creation of new weapons impossible. The material is expensive (costing at least a million gold coins) and difficult to obtain.
Skilled smiths can reforge Adam Forged Steel weapons by melting down existing ones, but it's a difficult process. Two smaller Adam's Iron swords can be made out of a larger greatsword, or a large greatsword made by melting down multiple smaller swords, but the amount of Adam Forged Steel in the world is finite and extremely rare.
The master-blacksmiths of Summerwind are noted among the few who can successfully reforge it - though even they don't know how to make entirely new Adam's Iron.
Since the destruction of most Adam's Iron swords during the Great War, the majority of the surviving steel weapons either serve as heirlooms in the various noble houses of Edenfell, can be purchased at outrageous prices from few merchants or are in the possession of the Kingsguard and the crown.