Magic and becoming a Spellcaster

Spellcasters

A spellcaster is an individual who has bound their soul to one of the realms from which they draw power. The process of binding is a long and tedious road that the new caster has to follow to gain their magical abilities. The caster has to fully trust the realm and its powers and in return, the realm also has to trust the wielder. The realm wants the caster to treat the powers given to them with the respect it deserves. In order to gain the trust of a realm, the caster has to fully surrender to the element the realm they’re bonding with represents. This is done through meditation, study and trials. Upcoming Geomancers can be found meditating on top of mountains or in deep caves while Pyromancers can be found meditating within a burning forest or a charred building. Spellcasters are influenced by the season and have a deep connection to the magical power sources that exist within Eden.

Becoming a Mage

Becoming a mage or being taught how to become one is a sacred step for every apprentice. Most often such apprentices are chosen by older mages and are taught simple rituals and the rules and laws around the magical arts and crafts. Yet, at one point the apprentice is ready to strengthen their bond with the representing realm. If one wishes to achieve mage hood, they will always have to explore the principles of the realm with their master and be accepted by the realm as they have accepted it. The initial mutual acceptance stage occurs when a mage sets out to find their casting crystal and have it empowered by the realm. The elemental realms have a deep connection with Eden and its brilliance, therefore avoiding those that might seek harm to Eden. Magic powers that stem from other realms or places are more fickle and unpredictable, not having much of a preference but equally dangerous to all who wish to pursue this path.

Strengthening the Bond

After having found a casting crystal and a teacher, the mage embarks on their journey and bonds with the realm. The beginning for a mage are fast-paced as they are guided by their teacher. Upon reaching a threshold where the master has to let their student go, a mage will start to focus on and study their realm and power on their own. Causing them to slowly but steadily become more used to utilizing their magical powers as well as connecting with the realm.

For elemental mages strengthening the bond is only possible when mages travel to the hallowed grounds scattered around the continent. These hallowed grounds are the places where the primordial energy of the moon, the oceans, the mountains and the sun is closest to Eden or places of extreme ties to the elemental realm such as comets from the Ignos or a pond filled with water from Aros. Elemental mages have to partake in a series of trials by the realm which count as milestones for their progression. But the majority of a mage's time is filled with self-studying their realm to deepen their connection. Once the time is right, the mage travels to the Hallowed Grounds and tests their innate bond. If the realm acknowledges their efforts, the mage feels their bond strengthened even further as they take another step further into their pursuit of becoming one with the realm. If the eason is the mage's primal season, they find that their innate ability to comprehend the deeper structures of their realm quicken and they could sometimes even strengthen the bond twice during this time.

For voidal mages strengthening the bond is a much more simplistic but dark undertaking. Voidal mages spend time developing their powers, further corrupting their bodies and minds, only to gain additional power. The process might be faster than that of an elemental mage but it is also much more dangerous due to the volatile nature of the voidal energy that is corrupting the mages slowly. Voidal mages might find themselves unable to resist sudden urges that arise within the deepest of their beings and won’t be able to act rationally upon them. Some voidal mages have been observed to change indefinitely upon strengthening their bond to a high enough degree. Voidal mages too, have to indulge in self-study. However, this is often done through sinister experiments that defy the common laws of the just nations of Eden. A voidal mage strengthens their bond by gaining the approval of the entity which they host or serve. Be it a demon, the Aristocrasy, or even more sinister lords.

Catalysts and Ingredients

The casting of magic is often described as something mysterious since most often a sacrifice or catalyst is needed to open a tear and call forth the energy required to cast a spell. Every caster needs an item to cast their spells, this can be a staff, ring, weapon etc. At the beginning of their travels, the apprentice will most often receive their first catalyst from their mentor, however, during their training and travels the apprentice, like most mages, will often create new catalysts themselves and embed the crystal inside.

These catalysts have a deep connection to Eden and are able to perform minor acts of magic like slightly moving rocks or lighting a candle if the stone is held close to it. If a mage wishes to use the catalyst for advanced forms of casting and opening tears, they have to get the approval of the realm by travelling to a hallowed ground that corresponds with their catalyst. When the mage is approved by the realm, that is when their journey as a mage officially takes off.

While catalysts are most commonly used, a few selected forms of magic are using naturalistic ingredients on top of that. Such ingredients can vary from blood to herbs and more. Due to such, some forms of magic are described as more sinister than others, because the requirements to cast a spell are often seen as unorthodox or inhumane. These additional ingredients are key aspects for certain spells to perform properly. There are catalysts that have the capability to hold such ingredients and can perform sinister rituals using them.

Learning Magic / Spells

When casting a spell the mage will need to open a tear in between the realm of Eden and the realm they desire. Upon doing so the mage can compress the freed energy and release it in their desired shape. To control said energy the mage is often tasked to study new spells from ancient tomes left behind by predecessors or direct teaching from their master. The mage intrinsically knows what spells they may cast whenever their powers are increased and the energy of their realm envelops them.

But that does not mean that all magical knowledge has been discovered yet, mages are able to grasp the concepts of their magical abilities and train with them. Once they are officially mages they may attempt to ponder magic and create their own spells which will add to the knowledge of all mages practising the arts.

The Rules

All rules regarding magic and how to use it can be found by clicking on the following link:

[LINK]

Status Effects

Blindness / Blinded While blinded the enemy can't use any long ranged attacks and their melee attack is reduced by -5 and their defence by -3.

Shocked While shocked the enemy can't attack the caster.

Burning / Burn Damage The target will get 1 extra burning damage per round while burnt, the burning lasts for 3 rounds of combat, and does not stack. The burning effect can be stopped with water of any kind. The burning effect cannot stack / refresh.

Bleeding The target takes 1 additional damage if a condition is met. This additional damage can stack if the condition is met multiple times.

Frozen The target is unable to move, act, or react for the duration until they take any amount of damage from any source, or are thawed out via warmth or fire. Freezing effects cannot refresh the frozen status.

Stunned The target is left unable to do anything, and turn is skipped. The target cannot roll any saving throws or reactions which would require them to do something.

Paralyzed The target cannot move or attack, but can still perform other actions and make use of saving rolls.

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Magic
Elemental Magic	Pyromancy · Aquamancy · Aeromancy · Geomancy
Chaotic Magic	Hemomancy · Necromancy
Other Magic	Currently None