Magic

Magic is the energies used by individuals in order to produce specific effects.

History


"Magic is only as evil as the man who wields it."

- Proverb

Nouspharia's culture is as much a part with magic as the air is to supply air. Rich within the cultures enrapturing many different cities, villages, and isolated oasis and havens, magic has been refined and honed over the course of many millenia. Whether it involves things as creative and beneficial to the people as a whole as forms of alchemy, rune crafting, or enchanting, to things as intricate and elaborate as archaic spellcraft, object attunement in the form of weapons or tools, physical transformations as well as universal energy mastery, magic can be one man's boon or another man's curse.

Properties
While magic itself can be generically termed to anything of the unnatural or not made by flesh or bone, magic is quite easily utilized within Nouspharia. Each field of magic requires a particular type of unique recipes or ingredients in order for it to be readily available, or special incantations or energy mediums for them to be safely operable. While going through these properties, each field of magic must be discussed about its base origins and what is required in using it.

The origins of some of the most ancient magic arts belonged to an ancient race that originally spanned across Nousphaira, their affinity to magicka of kinds many practitioners have yet to dabble into is beyond anything the majority of humankind can achieve at this time and age.

Types
Alchemy: While one could say this is the most maddening in figuring out, its origins of crafting is quite simple when one begins studying alchemy. From simple utilization of many herbal remedies, to intricate mix and matches of the most obscure items and minerals, anyone can craft a form of chemically originated magic to their liking. Whether its potions for self-healing, regeneration, temporary boosts of physical aptitude or immunity to certain properties, to poison-lacing, explosive-generative, and luring scents, alchemy is a craft used by the intelligent and the crafty, capable of being used by the most unseemly individuals for their own profit or personal employment in battle.

Runes: Simply put, these are special minerals in the form of cut-out ore or composite pieces of radically altered earth. Depending on the origins of these said minerals, these runes can be utilized for any number of reasons, for setting up a magically attuned healing auras, repelling or gravity-based barriers or fields, to specially crafted "minefields" as well as spell-casting. Rune stones are often jocularly labeled, "heavy weight" magicka, as the minerals can sometimes weigh as much as fifty pounds when only the size of a chisel or ironically as light as a feather when they are the size of a boulder.

Enchantment: A byproduct effect from either of the two prior fields of magic, enchantment can be utilized from anything short of "gift-giving" properties upon a particular focus object to acquire particular abilities or increase one's physical aptitude in some fashion or another. While capable of casting spells of their own, these focus objects can potentially utilize Universali Reditus of any sort, from harnessing the elements to empowering one's physical being or even burdening a target of choice, enchanting an object is quite capable of enabling many advantages. This can also be theoretically possible for any object of choice, requiring it to be inanimate of course, from chariot wheels being able to possibly be reinforced with a mineral composite that doesn't weigh it down by endure much harsher climates and forces, to armor to erect magical fields of repulsive or gravity-based fields to protect the user from incoming attacks or forces of nature.

Metamorphosis: also called "Physical Adaptive Magicka," Metamorphical magic is seen as more of a chemically originated form of powers or a form of bestially inflicted curses, self-inflicted or otherwise, has been seen sometimes as one of the most unpredictable and most advantageous form of magic used. While it could be as subtle as a simple genetic re-write to allow the body to regenerate tissue or organs in a rapid amount of time, the more commonly known Metamorphic magic is seen to physically transform parts if not all of the body of the user. Either bearing a mark of power, much like a rune, or derived as a "Time-Set" interval moment of change or even a performance of using sheer will alone to cause the changes, one could theoretically transform into any creature or entity within their choosing, provided with the necessary training and knowledge in order to keep from damaging their minds, bodies, or spirits.

Universali Reditus: The ability to "channel" or "harness" the power of the energy flow that runs through all living and nonliving objects. Scholars debate where the energy comes from and if there is a real limit to how much magic one could use. People who derive to use this source of power mainly have to embody their medium through a magicka control device, either being seen as a "Mark of Power" which can be forcefully tattooed or branded upon the body, a form of ancient Rune magicka, or most commonly seen as a "Magicka object" like a weapon or a tool, often taking the form of staves or other wooden objects. This energy can channel either the elements to even spiritual forces, as well as empathic fields that wrap all beings within them. The possibilities are endless, if a entity can find the right focus object and they are taught or learn vigorously about that one particular art of magic. It is nearly impossible for a being, human or otherwise, to learn multiple forms of Universali Reditus, in a single lifetime.

Sanctae Artium: Often called the "Literature of Magicka," is considered the most old, and ancient form of incurring spells, summoning entities and beings, and understanding magic as a whole altogether. While the majority of Sanctae Artium is unable to be read by even the most versed magical users, one must learn the "Tongue" or the "Old Language" that can be found by venturing into old ancient catacombs or ruins of the once powerful race of entities that once spanned the corners of Nousphaira and beyond. Once learned, the letters within the words act as a form of medium to "Harness" its residual powers or the powers stemmed from Universali Reditus. While mastery of Sanctae Artium allows practitioners to preform the spells without speech, possession of a focus object or medium is required in order to employ it by memory. Power is never a difference between spoken and unspoken "Words of Power", but just reaction time and speed.

Vitae Sanguine Artes: While nearly half of the magically attuned community believe it to be taboo, or being accurately possible to be clinically dangerous to use, Vitae Sanguine Artes is the particular use of one's own life force as the medium or power source for any number of spellcraft. While any number of arts can be traced back to this form to some degree, Vitae Sanguine Artes is the ability to channel one's internal energy and utilize any number of spellcraft without limitations or objects needed. Interestingly enough, while the more mundane, if not morbidly depicted, use of using one's lifeblood is using their own blood to cause a number of unpredictable reactions, substances, or minerals to form, is the most practiced of Vitae Sanguine Artes. Other forms utilize specially gifted and empowered abilities within themselves to perform feats as simple as physically enhanced abilities, to ones that can be paralleled to god-like powers. Surprisingly, unlike Universali Reditus, Vitae Sanguine Artes practitioners may appear as if they have no limit to their own life force when mastered its arts and can appear nearly incapable to be defeated or destroyed by normal means. It is said, ironically, that this is the only form of magicka humankind has developed that is originally their own and not derriving from the ancient race's magic arts.

Corpus Artium: A form of magic where the user learns to project his own energies in the form of magical techniques. It is most prominent in the martial arts communities, where the use of magic coexists with the study of combat skills. An interesting fact is that much of Corpus Artium can be tied into the arts of Vitae Sanguine Artes, as they can use internally based magicka as their source of power in sync with their martial artistic prowess.