Blood magic is based on rituals, symbols, time, season, cosmic alignments, events, components, and sacrifice. It is also sometimes called rune magic, shamanic magic, and witchcraft. No matter what someone calls it, it always requires fresh, living blood, as part of the cost. Just as blood sustains life, it also contains flows of velanil in its raw form. This velanil is used to create a unique form of magic.
Anyone, magus or not, can use blood magic. Some people have performed rituals without knowing. It can be little unknown moments of magic, that seem odd, but also unexplainable. It always pre-faces misfortune, as all rituals require blood. A person may injure themselves, prick a finger, get a paper cut, and somehow, stumble upon an old ritual that does some kind of magic. Usually, these sorts of incidents are small, short-lived, and not typically repeatable. However, many people might note how their day started poorly with a minor injury but had some uncanny good luck the rest.
It was unknown when they discovered blood magic, but it predated the magic of magus. Most magus would disagree out of pride, but the fact remains. Some say its discovery was by accident. Others believe evil spirits brought it to mortals to corrupt them. When, where, and however it began, is still a debated and controversial magical practice. This does not mean it is evil, just as many can argue dark magic is not evil. It is far more complicated than that. However, despite its longevity in history, it is a complex magic that isn’t easy to replicate and is often associated with dangerous powers beyond mortal comprehension. This is because blood magic calls upon unknown powers - from spirits of this world and beyond.
Some rituals are repeatable consistently, some every so many days, weeks, or even every few years. Many blood magic rituals are not repeatable or require years to cultivate a result. It all varies on its purpose and complexity. Abuse of blood magic comes at a heavy cost, and often, the world pays for it. There are many stories of blood magic’s cost… Selbein is one of them.
There are some, such as shamans and even priests and priestesses, who use some forms of blood magic - which most instead call rune or shamanic magic to quell fear and separate themselves from the negative connotations of blood magic. However, they are still the same thing. Blood magic can make simple talismans, such as those people get during festivals for good luck, or talismans used to disburse an evil spirit or keep evil spirits at bay - often crafted with ink, specific components, paper, and blood. Shamans often use bones to foretell the future and create runes and potions crafted from blood magic. Witches (also called Herbalists to ease people’s minds and reduce fear) use potions, tinctures, and crystals for scrying and spells, and can predict weather using blood magic.
Blood magic is a ritual, not a cast spell. It can be a short incantation with hand gestures, carved runes, or other specific components and blood. It can be a grand and complex ritual, requiring many sacrifices… which is foretelling the spell's purpose. Rituals produce simple talismans and potions, imbue objects with effects, or summon other planar beings and spirits to bind them to the caster and objects. This is where blood magic gets exceedingly dangerous. Some rituals are to summon other planar beings to this plane to rule and worship, because of the power or promise of power the spirit/entity had granted or ‘promised’ it will grant with blood magics.
Cursed items come from blood magic using bound spirits. Item-bound spirits require a price to use their abilities. Many times this is blood from the person using the item. Sometimes, it is blood and an additional payment. The volatility of blood magic involving spirits or other planar beings is complex and experimental, so spells can go awry quickly or not go as intended together.
Conjurers & Einhydal
Magus summoners can call on einhydal using magic to bring them into the world, temporarily and contractually. A conjurer can only call an einhydal through a complex ritual and bind it contractually. Conjuring requires two rituals: binding and conjuring.
The binding is a drawn pattern that can come in assorted shapes and designs but has a never-ending complete edge. It could be a series of circles, squares, or triangles with loops, swirls, symbols, words, letters, and runes. Bindings are drawn on a surface, preferably stone for its durability. The more complex the binding is the stronger it will be. Size also determines how large an einhydal can be. Material for the drawing can be an assortment of liquids, chalks, powders, and materials. The conjurer must use their blood in the center of the binding, along with other components and a sacrifice. How much blood depends on the ritual - a few drops, a small vial, or even a pint. Depending on the ritual, a binding can take a few minutes, hours, days, or weeks to prepare, and the blood loss for the sacrifice can weaken the conjurer so they cannot perform another binding circle for days, weeks, or months until they recover. This binding will hold the einhydal and become the foundation for a contract. A break in the binding’s drawn form could cause the ritual to fail, or allow the einhydal to break free.
If the conjuring is successful a strong einhydal may come through, and the binding circle holds the einhydal in a magical cell so that the conjurer can negotiate a contract safely. Not all conjuring is successful, but sometimes it is very successful, and the conjurer will pull an extremely powerful einhydal. Therefore, the binding is necessary; without it, the einhydal could quickly kill the conjurer. The einhydal would then be free in the mortal realm to do as they please. Conjuring powerful einhydal is extremely dangerous and should be done with utmost caution.
Unless a conjurer knows what specific einhydal they are calling, based on research or lore, the type will always be a gamble. They could summon any kind of einhydal of any element. Whatever einhydal they conjure will remain within the binding until the contract is complete. Otherwise, the conjurer can rescind it to its realm, and the binding burns away. Salt is used to rescind as it negates the binding. The summoner must stay focused during the ritual, for the longer the binding circle holds the einhydal the weaker it grows. Einhydal knows this and often waits out a magus, hoping they slip up or bargain foolishly under duress. Weaknesses show in the binding's illumination, and it will grow dimmer and begin to flicker or spark the closer it is to breaking.
A binding agreement is serious, and the conjurer must weigh every word. How long the einhydal is in service depends on the agreement. It could be minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, or forever. The price of conjuring the einhydal after the agreement matters. Will the conjurer pay that price every time they seek the einhydal’s aid? What must they sacrifice? What must they give to receive the einhydal’s power? Words matter. Depending on the einhydal, their demands may be simple… they might require a sacrifice every time they are called. It could be gemstones, gold, magite stones, or rare objects. Some may want a freshly killed sacrifice or to kill things on their own when summoned. Others may desire teeth, bones, body parts, or other disturbing things. Part of the cost may be stealing days of life from the conjurer, their youth, their blood, or more. Their demands will often be outlandish and costly, and rarely, if ever, anything simple, even for einhydal, is considered good. Einhydal have tricked many conjurers during this process. They will exploit loopholes and take advantage wherever they can. It is essential that the conjurer truly understands their contract, or it could cost them their life or even worse.
Should the Einhydal accept the contract, the conjurer must uphold their agreements each time they call their contracted einhydal. To call their einhydal they must say their true name and have the cost ready.
