Magic is in everything. This magic essence is called velanil (veh-lan-eel). Velanil for all living beings comprises their very existence, body, blood, and bone. Without velanil, nothing would exist.
There are five realms of magic in Calamia: Esoteric, Divine, Alchemic, Latent, and Blood.
Some beings can tap into their velanil and use it to cast magic. These beings are called magus. Magus are born with the ability (Esoteric) or blessed with it by a god (Divine).
Some have learned other ways to tap into magic, such as using magus-crafted magic tools (Alchemic), some innate ability (Latent), or rituals using sacrifices and components (Blood).
Magic Disclaimer
Magic is only sometimes accurate, consistent, or successful in its execution. This can be for many reasons. There are no restrictions when you use magic on open NPCs; your magic can affect the NPCs as you wish. However, for player characters or closed NPCs, the way magic affects them will always be up to their creator. You can always control what your character does and what spell they cast. That doesn’t mean it WILL do what you expect it to.
For magic, we expect our players to play their character appropriately, and communicate about magic and its use if it ever comes into question. Also, consistent God Modding is not fun for everyone, so be reasonable. The exception - and only exception - is for specific GM-run events.
Magic types described are a generalization of what your character could do with it. We don’t want to list everything possible, as we’d be writing forever. This isn’t an MMO, but a creative and collaborative effort. Using your imagination and creating unique ways to use your magic is ok. We simply ask that you keep each magic type within its specific type boundaries. If you are unsure, ask us, and we will help.
Our realm has travel magic, but select GM-controlled closed NPCs can only use this magic. No character can use travel magic of any kind, be it cast or with alchemic magic. This means no portals from point A to point B, no magic gateways, and no portal devices.
Magus
There are two types of magus: esoteric and divine. Magus are individuals who can tap into their velanil and use it to cast magic. The only difference between the two is that esoteric magus are born with the ability, and a god gives divine magus the ability. No matter the magus, magic works the same.
No one knows they are magus until they reach magical maturity. Sages and a rare alchemic device are the only means to test for magic ability. Testing performed outside major cities is rare, so many will live their life never knowing they are a magus. Some may learn they are one by accidentally using their ability.
Magic Skill
Every magus has much to learn. Discovering they are a magus is one thing, casting spells is another. Dabbling in magic without understanding its complexities can come at an enormous cost. Many have hurt and killed others or themselves by using magic without knowing its volatility and consequences.
Magus can self-study and develop their skills, but it will take longer than having a mentor to learn from. Access to texts on magic is difficult to find outside cities and libraries, with any book being rare and costly. Experimenting solo also has a higher mortality risk. Self-taught magus will have a weaker foundation, specifically bridging. Therefore, finding a mentor, joining a guild, academy, school, military, training facility, cult, etc, that will teach them magic is the best course for any magus.
There is no such thing as a born magical prodigy - no one is born with the knowledge or know-how to use their velanil. Everyone learns, in one form or another, and grows in skill with time and experience. Not that someone can’t be talented at learning, but learning is still part of the process. Some will catch on quickly and may learn with seemingly less effort than others. Some may struggle longer and have a more difficult time developing their skill. However, these are just factors about the individual and less about their magical skill.
Magic is also situational, and magic prowess does not determine the outcome of situations involving magic. From duels to battles, there’s always more at play than magic skill alone. Casting spells successfully will depend on many factors, such as their opponent, resistances, shields, boons, banes, distractions, mentality, emotions, multiple attackers, terrain, weather, location, luck, injuries, etc. A battle could not go in a magus’ favor in many ways, no matter their skill or prowess. The intricacies of forming a spell and staying focused can be exceedingly tricky, especially if interrupted in their casting.
Bridging
Magus calls the pathway between their velanil and the world a bridge. Bridging is learning to guide velanil across this pathway and out into the physical realm as magic. For all beginners, this bridge is fragile, narrow, and unfortified. Their bridges cannot withstand large flows of magic, and it is not uncommon for many new and inexperienced magus to push the boundaries and burn themselves out. As magus grow in experience, knowledge, and skill, they also learn techniques and better ways to fortify their velanil bridge.
However, no matter how strong a magus builds their bridge it will never be impervious. Every time a magus casts a spell, they use their velanil and put stress and strain on their bridge. The more a magus pushes across the bridge, the more wear and damage it sustains. This drain and wear will cause fatigue and eventually exhaustion, and why rest is critical so a magus can replenish their velanil and allow their bridge to refortify.
Magi-Drain & Burn
Sometimes, a magus skirts the limits of their velanil or the strength of their bridge. This is called magi-drain. The effects of magi-drain are not lethal but will weaken the magus severely. Magi-drain symptoms cannot heal using magic, but another magus can give their velanil to lessen some symptoms and quicken the natural healing process. A magus must rest for at least a day or two to allow their body to recover fully. The usual signs of magi-drain are:
- A rapid decrease in body temperature
- Cold sweat
- Pallid skin
- Chills
- Fever
- Heart palpitations
- Numbness and tingling
- Joint pain
- Extreme fatigue
- Muscle spasms
- Muscle weakness
- Blurred vision
- Nose bleeds
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Bruising
- Confusion
- Unconsciousness - often, a magus will pass out before fully depleting their velanil pool.
However, history has shown the disastrous and deadly consequences of overusing one’s velanil. Magi-burn happens when a magus destroys their bridge. Once begun the effects of magi-burn are swift, severe, and irreversible.
There are three types of magi-burn.
Type one - A magus forces too much across their bridge, and it crumbles under the stress and weight of their careless casting. These individuals will suffer a multitude of additional symptoms on top of magi-drain, which can include:
- Vision distortion
- Permanent blindness
- Tongue swelling
- Destroyed vocal cords
- Severe burns, welts, and lesions
- Blood coming from the eyes, ears, nose, and stomach
- Difficulty breathing
- Permanent lung damage
- Skin discoloration
- Loss of hair
- Hair discoloration
- Infertility
- Loss of limbs
- Loss of hearing
- Blackened veins all over the body
- Loss of bodily functions
- Seizures
- Coma
Any symptoms brought forth from magi-burn can’t heal through any magical means. This magus loses the ability to cast magic - not even blood, latent, or alchemic. The former magus’ body must naturally heal. Usually, the symptoms are long-lasting, and scarring or damage is permanent. The road to full recovery from magi-burn is long, taking months or even years for the physical and mental damage to heal.
Type 2 - Incineration. This type of magi-burn is where the magus spends all of their velanil and ends in death. The body deteriorates, incinerating itself from existence. Their flesh slowly turns gray, cracks, and crumbles apart like burning wood. These pieces of ash dissipate as quickly as they float away, shimmering in blues, reds, and violets, until nothing remains and the magus ceases to exist. They cannot be reborn through the cycle, as their very being no longer exists.
Type 3 - The rarest type is petrification. This type only occurs when the magus spends the last of their velanil in an extremely powerful spell, causing a snapback or vacuum effect. When a magus casts magic so powerfully and forcefully, it cycles back into the magus’s body, tearing across their bridge and shattering it as it backtracks, leaving the back pulse of energy trapped in their body. This rapidly converts their living flesh into magite stone, killing the magus and leaving behind their frozen form like a statue. These individuals can still be reborn into the cycle, for their prior form still exists.
