Esoteric magic is the most known type of magic, where an individual possesses an innate ability to use their velanil and weave it into specific forms of magic.
All magus have spirit magic, which is the foundation of all magic. They will also have one birth element*. This birth element is their strongest magic type. A magus is born with a birth element, chosen by their velanil at creation. Why is genuinely unknown, though many believe that external forces play a significant role in this, such as lineage, place, time, date, cosmic alignments, lunar phases, worldly events, natural disasters, etc. Therefore, there are many superstitious beliefs about Magus, and how many families may try to influence what type of magic their child could be born with.
Rarely will a magus have spirit magic as their birth element, and it will be their most potent magic. These magus are in high demand because they are the only magus who can become a Sage.
Besides a birth element, a magus can learn additional Elemental, Natura, or Extrinsic magic. A magus should make their additional magic choices carefully. Once their velanil connects to a magic type, they cannot change it.
These are the possible magic school combinations a magus can learn:
- Spirit, 4 Elemental
- Spirit, 2 Elemental, 1 Natura
- Spirit, 1 Elemental, 1 Extrinsic
Some magic types cannot be combined within the same magus. Many believe that these magic types are linear or opposite magic. If the magus already knows one kind of magic, they cannot learn the other. These are:
- Light/Dark *
- Light/Necrotic ~
- Dark/Creation =
- Mystic/Blight **
Foundation
Spirit* magic is the very foundation of all esoteric magic. It is also the raw form of velanil in an individual and is where and how magic use began.
Spirit magic can influence, commune, or compel the velanil in the caster, other beings, things, and some minor spirits. This is how other magic began, by communing with the spirit world.
Spirit magic has no proper form; one must look for it to see the spell threads being cast. It is a connection and a force between the caster’s velanil and something or someone else’s velanil. It can push, pull, restrain, block, or shield themselves or other things. They can temporarily block another magus from using their velanil if timed right. It is also the foundation for casting any type of spell with force, as well as casting boons or banes.
Spirit magic can boost natural healing speed with domain over vitality and heal minor injuries and afflictions. Using this same soul effect, they can cast temporary boons or banes influencing to protect the soul and vitality or hinder it. Spirit also allows the magus to connect to another’s velanil - either by funneling it to another while casting or letting another magus pull it from them.
Elemental
Magus can create, control, mold, and manipulate elemental magic. They can manipulate their element in its natural form, even if it has absorbed aspects of another. For example - an earth or a fire magus could both manipulate lava or hot coals. Unless the magus had earth and fire magic, they could not create lava from their velanil, but if they possessed either, they could manipulate it.
Manipulating Calamia’s natural forces of nature is extremely difficult. The more violent the elemental force of nature is the harder it is to manipulate. Magus should be cautious in the size and scope of what they try to control. Many will not even attempt it because of the amount of velanil it will take, and even then, their efforts could be futile.
Magus can also combo their magics for a new or more substantial magical effect. They can also link, and one can use the velanil of another to cast more powerful spells. Linking requires a willing connection. Some magic could bypass this requirement, such as dark, necrotic, and divine magic.
Elemental magic cannot manipulate elements that comprise a living thing. For example, a water magus could not control the body or blood of another humanoid through their blood - which contains water. A fire magus could not control the fire breath of a dragon. This is beyond the scope of the elemental school of magic.
Dark
Darkness, shadows, and void.
Earth
Stone, sand, and soil (Not metals, crystals, or magite).
Fire
Flame, burning, and heat.
Ice
Solid water, coolness, and cold.
Light
Light, Brightness, and Protection. Light magus are also minor healers amongst the esoteric types, healing minor to moderate wounds, minor illnesses, afflictions, and diseases. They are also the strongest in the elemental group for protection and shields.
Lightning
Electricity, currents, and energy.
Water
Liquid and gas water, flow, and healing. Water magus are minor healers amongst the esoteric types, healing minor to moderate wounds, minor illnesses, afflictions, and diseases.
Wind
Air, force, and sound.
Natura
Natura magic is an advanced form of elemental magic. However, it does not create something from nothing. It requires a catalyst, something that the magic commands, alters, influences, or affects. It can find, borrow, influence, command, morph, or change those things and energies differently. The schools of magic that fall under Natura are Plant, Animal, Insect, Mystic, Aurora, Blight, and Metal.
Animal
Animal magic can communicate with, borrow senses, influence, and control many animals. They can communicate with and form a pact with animal spirits to gain shapeshifting abilities. They can bond with animals and communicate with them. Creatures such as dragons, magical creatures, creations, corrupt beasts, and many intelligent animals are outside Animal magic’s scope, but the magus can still communicate with these beings.
Blight
Blight magic is natural magic that allows people to find, manipulate, grow, control, and use fungus, spores, venom, and toxic substances that are a part of nature. Those with blight can call upon or temporarily control select poisonous creatures, plants, and fungi. They can also make antidotes and cure most natural poisons and illnesses caused by fungi and mold.
Crystal
Crystal - This magus can mold, manipulate, and control crystals, including any raw, unrefined versions of crystals. Crystal magic also allows for scrying, detecting energies, and amplifying energies. Crystal magic acts as an amplifier for an elemental type and can strengthen it, making it more precise and casting more efficient. They can also refine raw magite, a stone often used in alchemic items and for focus.
Insect
Insect - Insect magic and can control, assess, communicate, and summon nearby insects. They can also borrow some senses and abilities from insects. These individuals can also influence fertility in soil and some humanoids. Some can morph into insect hybrids, gaining pincers, wings, etc., for a short duration.
Metal - This magus can mold, manipulate, and control raw metal. They can utilize raw, unrefined metals and any regular craft refined metal of that type. Alchemic items, cursed objects, alloys, and magite combined items fall outside the metal magus’ realm of magic.
Mystic
Mystic - Mystic magic is an advanced type of protection and healing. It is more potent than elemental magic healing. Mystics delve into the body and can do miraculous things. Mystics can heal minor to major wounds and injuries, stop bleeding, heal bone, reconnect tendons and muscles, and increase natural healing. They can ease pain and cure illnesses, some diseases, and afflictions. They have moderately robust protections and are often field medics and town healers.
Plant
Plant magic can grow, assess, and control living plants. They can also commune with nature spirits and shapeshift into living plants. Plant magic can use plants to reach out and locate water and plant food sources. If within a few meters of a plant, they can assess its properties - if they are poisonous, edible, or have health benefits. They can detect sources of pollution to plants and bring dying plants back to health.
Extrinsic
Extrinsic magic is the most advanced type of magic and deals with energies that are part of Calamia and beyond. They are the most challenging magic schools to learn because they are much harder to teach as they involve the mind and spirit of the magus and the spirit and energy of external sources. While all magic has risks and dangers, this magic school is by far the most dangerous as it is the most volatile, and least explored and studied. These are Illusion, Creation, Summoning, Necrotic, and Sage.
Aurora
Aurora magic is enchantment magic targeted specifically to humanoids. It heavily influences physical attributes, like strength, agility, stamina, etc, and emotions, like passion, desire, happiness, anger, fear, sadness, pride, etc. This magic can calm, enhance, allure, persuade, and attempt to direct or manipulate the hearts and minds of those it affects. Aurora magic is a purely defensive type of magic, where it lies in boons, banes, and enchantments. It has no attack magic of any kind. It can enhance protection against the heart and mind and possibly weaken them. Aurora magic can affect single, multiple, or even areas depending on complexity and what the spell should do.
Creation
This magus can manipulate the velanil inside existing elements to transmute them into something else - at a cost. Advanced creation magus are called Alchemists.
Simple, small-creation magic spells only require velanil as the initial cost and a base component to transmute. The more complex a creation spell is the larger the velanil cost, along with additional components, resources, and time. They cannot transmute a non-living object into a living one, or vice versa.
Creation magus can make semi-permanent objects from components and use them as they would any object until the spell dissipates and the components revert to their original form. This duration depends on the object, its size, the components used, and the amount of velanil the magus used in the creation. Minor items could last for a day or two, medium-sized items for hours, and larger creations may last just a few minutes.
Creation magus can also create permanent transmutations. Permanent creations are called alchemic magic. Permanent transmutations require multiple components that become part of the cost, not just velanil. Magite stones are a common component for permanent transmutations. Creating a permanent transmutation is time-consuming, and success depends on the magus- their skill level, how much velanil they use, the components they are manipulating, the size of the item they are making, and any outside magic sources (magite stones/magic cast by another magus, etc). The more used, the more time it takes to create something. A small object can take a few minutes, medium objects ten or more, large objects an hour or more… it all varies. Magic items, their intended abilities, and use will vary (ANY magic item creation requires GM permission to do what the item does).
The cost for creations can grow exponentially and not just require velanil. Velanil will always be a part of the cost, but it may also include other things to be this new creation. Creation magus can fall to temptation, push the boundaries of creation, and become corrupted.
Corruption occurs when a creation magus uses living beings or spirits as components in creation magic. Schools do not teach living transmutations, as it is a forbidden practice. These spells are more difficult to cast and take significantly more velanil, time, additional components, and one or more living catalysts. The more significant the difference between the living catalyst and the desired creation, the more components and velanil are required. Living creation magic is dangerous, though, as the caster has no control over the living catalyst and they have to be in contact with that living thing long enough to enable the transmutation - depending on the size, it can be a few minutes, hours, or days. Living beings and spirits have different velanil structures than non-living components, and the magus risks their transmutations leaching into their body as a side effect. This can corrupt a creation magus’ mind, body, and velanil over time, which can cause many mental disorders and even physical mutations. The subject of the transmutation does not need to be willing. Living transmutations can become permanent, but like any creation, take a great deal of velanil, time, and a significant amount of components.
Illusion
Illusion magus can manipulate the mind and perception of others, tricking the senses into seeing, feeling, touching, smelling, or tasting something that is not real. It can create a fantastic fantasy, entertain, entice, allure, and make the impossible seem real. It can be playful, fantastical, and inspiring. In other ways, it can trick, entrap, and drive one mad. Strong illusions can even make one feel pain and inflict physical injuries.
Lunar
This magic draws its energies from the moon and grows more potent at night with its presence and phases. These magus can bend and command moonlight and have power over gravity, the psyche, and dreams.
Those who study lunar magic can wield moonlight as a tool, a weapon, and a protection. Lunar magic does not contain heat like light magic, and is cool to the touch. Moonlight can be cast in many forms, such as beams, discs, blades, and crescents, but unlike most magic, the magus can manipulate its trajectory more precisely. The damage done by lunar magic can manifest as physical damage, but it is not physical. Lunar magic attacks the velanil and mind, dealing psychic damage. For this reason, Lunar magic is also sometimes called Psychic Magic. Lunar magus can create mirror images of themselves out of moonlight, mirroring their physical moves. This mirror image is not an illusion, but it is also just a reflection and can be destroyed. The mirror image's damage is psychic, even if the magus uses physical damage.
These magus can also create webs or shields of moonlight, blocking magic effects that can distort perception and physically block attacks. Lunar magus can also use psychic blocks to stop a magus from casting magic. If they are strong enough, they can seal another magus’ ability to cast magic by placing a moonlight gate on their bridge. Unlike other magus, Lunar Magus can tie off this effect, leaving a magus incapable of casting. The gate remains until removed by a lunar magus, broken by another magus, worn down by the sealed magus, or by other magical means.
These magus can also access psychic spells that influence rest, rejuvenation, and sleep. They can help relax the body, calm unease, and even put people to sleep for a specific duration. Lunar magus has the power to influence the mind. They cannot distort reality like an illusion magus, but they can enter the mind and read, interpret, manipulate, and create dreams. They can enter the dreams of others and help calm nightmares, influence inspirations, distort truths, create terrors, and even cause harm or death in dreams. They can enter the realm of Uneiri, the realm between wake and sleep, where minds can go while the body rests. Lunar magus can enter Uneiri while sleeping or awake. While in Uneiri, magus are vulnerable. If their physical body is injured or harmed while in Uneiri, they will be expelled from the dream realm and returned to their physical body. If they die in Uneiri, their physical body also dies.
The ability to control gravity to an extent is also part of their spell-casting abilities. Like the push and pull of tides caused by the moons, Lunar Magus can affect the gravity of themselves and things around them. They can affect individual items or an area around them, temporarily causing things to be lighter or heavier.
Necrotic
Those who study Necrotic magic cannot have light or water magic. Necrotic magic connects the magus to death and spirit. Often necrotic magus are called necromancers.
They can see dead spirits still lingering in the world that are trapped or not crossed over and can compel these spirits, command their aid, capture them, or help them ascend to their proper place in the spirit cycle of rebirth. They can commune with all sorts of spirits, including spirit entities of Calamia, einhydal, and agheon. They can compel malevolent spirits and give them temporary corporeal forms to attack on their behalf.
Necromancers can animate, control, and manipulate the sinew and bones of deceased humanoids, animals, beasts, and most spirits. They can manipulate bones into weapons, spikes, shards, obstructions, walls, or golems. They can also cause deceased corpses and skeletons to explode, creating a shower of shrapnel and gore.
Necromancers can also call forth skeletal remains or zombies to do their bidding. These constructs vary in their purpose and abilities. Skeletons are the easiest for a necromancer to utilize, as they are nothing more than unintelligent puppets, an essential kind of golem, animated with magic and given instructions. They can command up to five unmodified skeletons at one time. They can also create modified golems by constructing monstrosities from bones and flesh, which take more time and velanil. Zombies are much like skeletons, yet take more velanil to animate as they are more complex structures. These undead atrocities are made from recently deceased humanoid, animal, or beast remains. Over time, these bodies will deteriorate and rot slower than a normal corpse, given the magic fueling them.
Any created undead will remain animated until the magus releases the spell, runs out of velanil, the undead is wholly destroyed, or the necromancer dies.
They can also create permanent undead in the form of a corrupted creation. The first kind is that they can create mindless golems that remain active and follow their directive. The second type is created by injecting lesser spirits into the undead creation. This process takes more velanil than standard golems. Depending on the size, complexity, and spirit used in its creation, the necromancer can create one or two undead per week. It could take a necromancer a great deal of time and energy to create an army of permanent undead this way, but it is not impossible. Injecting a captured soul into an undead gives them intelligence and the capability to think critically, learn, and react beyond a general command. This undead can act on the necromancer’s behalf, even without the necromancer present. It can be dangerous, for a soul could think for itself. While they cannot kill their necromancer or defy their initial directives, they can and will find loopholes and do as they please otherwise. These beings will continue existing even if their necromancer dies and will continue following their directives until destroyed.
Sage
A Sage is an individual who delves further into spirit magics, not just in the world but in themselves and others. These specialists are the most potent healers and enchanters amongst the esoteric magic users and are equivalent if not more skilled in healing than Evithanon’s blessed. Individuals born with spirit as their elemental type can become the most powerful sages. A sage can cure minor to deadly illnesses, diseases, and afflictions, heal major wounds and injuries, reattach limbs*, and bring a person back from the brink of death. They can use spirit to force toxins and parasites from the body, kick start natural healing, and boost velanil restoration.
While a sage can heal some extensive corruption, they cannot heal significant corruption. Sages can repel, remove, and banish spirits from places, people, or things they possess or attach to, including agheon (but not Forsaken and some exceptions). These spirit magic specialists can fortify the mind against attacks, explicitly targeting perception, mentality, or ability to see reality. They can give some velanil to other magus to reduce their magi-drain fatigue and symptoms (does not work for magi-burn), form some of the strongest boons and banes, and can communicate with all spirits of Calamia and most other planar spirits.
(*Limbs - 24-hour limit. They cannot regrow a limb, attach someone else’s limb, or attach any limbs lost after 24 hours. The individual has to be alive.
*Brink of death - a Sage can bring someone back from almost dying, but not after they have been dead.)
Summoner
Summoning is the calling of einhydal to aid the magus. Einhydal can perform unique magic and abilities beyond that of a magus.
Summoning is typically a temporary use of an einhydal and their abilities. The einhydal acts on the caster’s behalf for a short period, giving the magus an ally with access to magic. A magus uses spirit magic to summon an einhydal, and they can only call upon an einhydal with whom they share a magic type. Einhydal summoned in this way are much like animal spirits, and while intelligent, have simplistic thoughts and desires. These einhydal are mild to moderately strong and will remain in the world for a duration based on the size of the velanil and offering given.
The price for summoning and borrowing an einhydal’s power is velanil and some kind of item of value to the einhydal - gemstones are common, gold, silver, platinum, and even bone, hair, horns, or ivory. The duration depends on the price, but einhydal summons do not stay active for more than an hour. This time lessens based on the einhydal’s size and power. Every einhydal is different, and each will ask for other things. A summoner may summon up to five small minor einhydal, a few minor and a moderate one, or one strong einhydal.
A summoner can also form a contract and bond einhydal to them. This makes calling the same einhydal possible. This summon is done with a bonding insignia powered by magic, and becomes the contract. The summoner and einhydal then form an agreement. Every einhydal’s cost is different, see einhydal for more information.
