Lore – Sederan Magic
Sederan magic is closely tied to its gods: each god has its own corresponding school of magic. Practice of magic requires a certain aptitude, but it also requires being in the right mindset, which is why certain types of magic are intrinsically tied to certain gods’ philosophies. One who upholds the Accian philosophy finds it easy to practice Accian magic, but impossible to conjure Leorus’s tricks. Some talented mages are able to dabble in other related arts, such as an Omenian practicing a bit of Malechite or Rexelian magic on the side.
Here is a chart, for easy reference:
The first magicks discovered were the primal arts of Lyren, Leorus, and Rexel. As science and society developed, other forms of magic began to develop, such as that of Iona and Omenus, eventually producing the conventional arts of Nomius, Accia, and Malech. Transcendent arts are dedicated to a higher purpose: improving life, protecting life, and championing freedom. Ascendant arts are dedicated to holding power in a variety of means.
Ionan Magic
Ionan magic mainly revolves around healing and improving life. Ionan healers devote themselves to studying anatomy in hope of finding new ways to use Iona’s blessings to protect life. There is no defensive Ionan magic to speak of, although a few creative Ionans throughout history have found ways to debilitate their foes.
Ionan healing works by enhancing or augmenting the body’s natural healing processes. Inexperienced healers can do things like speed recovery of a broken bone or common cold; more experienced healers are able to stimulate the body to repair organs or replenish blood; some talented healers can repair nerve damage or breathe life into a recently deceased person (assuming the body is fit to live). No Ionan can bring someone back after their soul has moved on, however.
Ionan magic draws some of its energy from life itself. When the caster is surrounded by life—such as in a dense forest or a crowd of people—it becomes easier to heal. When surrounded by death, especially recently deceased, an Ionan’s powers greatly decrease.
Lyrenite Magic
Lyrenite magic, not surprisingly, focuses on overcoming the limitations of the human body. Talented Lyrenites are able to greatly augment their strength, speed, and agility, far surpassing any athlete or soldier. Lyrenites are banned from competing against non-Lyrenites in sporting events, although they have their own leagues, which usually draw far greater crowds.
Because Lyrenite magic is essentially physical, Lyrenites fall into roles ill-suited for most other mages, such as hunters, soldiers, or acrobats. It’s highly uncommon for a Lyrenite to not also learn to use a weapon. While bows are usually the choice among traditional hunters, Lyrenites enjoy the challenge that comes with hunting with spears or swords.
Leoran Magic
Dwelling primarily in the mind, Leorus’s magic focuses on conjuring up illusory images and apparitions for a variety of purposes. Talented Leorans are able to mentally construct uncanny likenesses of things in the real world, although their creations are scarcely able to interact with the world around them. The most advanced Leoran magic produces illusions which can have a tangible effect on the world around them, although their reach and weight are still very limited.
Rumors exist that Leorans can peer into the minds of those around them, with or without their knowledge. These rumors are entirely false. Leorans are very astute and are prone to noticing things that others miss—the small inflection of the voice or the slight tic of the face. This leads some Leorans, including non-mages, to great insight into those around them.
Rexelian Magic
Rexelian magic focuses purely on destruction. The most common forms are fire and concussive blasts, although some have stretched the art to create lightning or even turn solid objects into dust. Forms other than fire and concussive blasts tend to be unstable and difficult to produce, however.
Rexelians can find work in mining, demolition, or anywhere that requires a ready supply of fire. Most Rexelians are drawn to combat, however, and this is where they excel. An experienced Rexelian mage is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, and many armies have fallen to their might.
Omenian Magic
Omenian magic deals exclusively with death. Some anatomy is studied for the practice of killing humans or animals; but there are practical uses for the art too, such as sanitizing food or water, or even killing an infection. (Omenian magic is responsible for the hypothesis of microorganisms in Sederan medicine.)
Omenian magic is able to essentially bring about death of natural causes, such as a heart attack or brain aneurism, making Omenian assassins very difficult to trace. This takes great skill and control. Other, more crude methods of killing are easier to perform, but still require adequate knowledge of the anatomy involved.
Omenian magic also grows more powerful when life is extinguished. Casters are known to sometimes sacrifice animals or even humans to achieve greater magical acts. The practice of bloodletting also grants a small but significant boost to an Omenian’s powers, which makes it a dangerous art to practice for power-hungry Omenians.
Malechite Magic
Just as Malech believe that the weak should be at the mercy of the strong, his magic focuses on weakening opponents, cursing their strength and stamina to make them easier to defeat. Of all the schools of magic, this is the least practiced, as it is very difficult to practice with any significant effect.
Those cursed by Malech suffer a residual effect, meaning they do not recover immediately when the magic is lifted. The time to recover depends on the severity of the curse, ranging from several minutes for light fatigue to several days for a curse nearing death. There is no recorded case of a Malechite curse ever directly killing a person, however.
To honor their contracts, Malechites also conceived of a Bond of Malech. This represents an unbreakable vow, settled with a detailed contract read aloud by both parties. If either side breaks the contract, they are cursed greatly until the wrong is righted. The curse eventually leads to death, the speed of which depends on the strength of the Malechite that invoked it.
Accian Magic
Accian magic was invented to prevent those with magical power from tipping the scales of justice. Magic from this school neutralizes magic from other schools and protects against it as best it can. For this reason, Accian mages are often looked down on by other mages, but they usually have pride enough on their own.
Accians are able to neutralize magic in a field around them, the size of which depends on the skill and aptitude of the caster. The effects of magic, however, are able to penetrate this field. Rexelians in particular are able to cast their magic from afar and launch attacks at Accians. Some advanced Accians are able to filter out particular kinds of magic—for instance, neutralizing destructive Rexelian magic, but allowing Ionan healers to practice their art.
Nomian Magic
Nomian magic serves to better society and is very utilitarian in use. Simple things like creating light, refrigerating food, and fortifying building materials are accomplished with Nomian magic. It is unique in this regard in that it focuses on enchanting objects rather than flowing directly from the mage’s hands. While there is some potential for defensive Nomian magic, Nomians take a vow of pacifism to dedicate their art to building society rather than destroying it.
Large-scale enchantments such as lighting streets require the work of a number of Nomians, and are thus only available in larger cities. The number of Nomians employed in a city is the single greatest predictor of a town’s quality of living.
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