Magic

Overview

Magic on Atharen is not incredibly rare. While initiation is a wildly dangerous prospect, claiming the lives of around half of all initiates, the sheer benefit of magic and its connection to the Gods makes it a desirable prospect for many. Many who believe in the Living Gods, and even the Imprisoned, view it as a sort of rite of passage, a proof that one is worthy and has been blessed, and in receiving their blessing they become permitted to use the arcane to perform the God's will. These 'holy' intentions rarely reflect on what becomes of magic, and mages, however: magic is a destructive thing, one that can weaken one's soul to corruption, that can inflict Threshold Sickness that withers one sometimes to a pale of who they once were, and sometimes into a viler thing. Magic also brings with it the corruption of the mind: hubris, the willingness to regard others as lower and expendable, even some belief of God-like providence.

For this reason, many societies rebuke magic as a sinister temptation, a plague on the soul. Religious societies claim that it is a temptation the Gods created only for it to be resisted, or that it is a sin to seek after Divine power. Irreligious ones believe it is the last vestige of rot of a dying Divine order, a curse, or a punishment. Whatever the case, magical and non-magical societies differ wildly, as the art is capable of changing the make of civilization around it.

Mark of Control

The Mark of Control is what allows a mage to harness and control ether towards manipulating a specific magic. It is what gives one access to that specific Raw Magic, acting as a conduit through which its powers may be channeled. Marks are often called Runes, as they appear much like Runic glyphs when inscribed, though they can also appear like tattoos or even scars. They are generally drawn, painted or carved into flesh, and once the initiation is complete they will effectively be branded on, inseparable from the skin. Marks tie to the soul: they burrow in like a worm, momentarily penetrating the soul's outer shell before nestling deep into the conscious being of the mage. If the limb where a Mark was drawn is cut, it will simply appear elsewhere, as it is tied to the mage beyond their body's physical boundaries.

Marks are where mutations arise from. As a mage progresses, they tend to have volatile reactions with the soul they are lodged within, transmuting almost arbitrary impressions upon it and changing the fabric of who the mage is. A mutation will often, for this reason, emerge shortly after a period of what feels like being gutted -- a sort of immaterial emptiness and pain that arise when the Mark transmutes its imprint on the soul. These Marks are not living nor sentient, they are merely divine tools. When a mage Ascends, they do so by allowing the Mark to submerge to the center of their soul, being nourished by the life-giving element of the soul, almost like a child within a womb. The Mark then becomes a living-like thing, the building blocks for a Divine Spark.

Raw Magic

Work in progress.

Common Traits

While the powers conferred by the personal disciplines vary greatly and some have special conditions associated with them, they all follow a few general traits.

Initiation

Initiation is, as is explained in the Mark of Control section, the way in which a mage grafts a Mark onto the soul of an initiate. It is done by channeling ether from that specific Raw Magic into the drawn Mark, and is often described as making that Mark 'come alive', igniting it and forcing it to engrave itself within the soul of the initiate. The dangers of initiation come with the natural grating effect that always comes with ether, and with a Mark so violently seeking to imprint itself upon a soul, the soul is forced to contend with a strange and destructive phenomena. For this reason, first initiations tend to be the most dangerous, with around a fifty five percent mortality rate, with Sil'norai about ten percent more likely to survive, due to their races evolved resistance to the damaging effects of raw ether.

Subsequent initiations become less and less dangerous, around ten percent less dangerous for the second, ten percent less for the third, five percent less for the fourth, and around the fifth, initiation plateaus at around a twenty five percent mortality rate for all following initiations. For this reason, initiation is sometimes seen as a game of numbers and chance, and the vast majority of mages only wield one or two magics. Most feel upon receiving their first magic that they never wish to undergo another, due to the incredible danger and what many view as decreasing gains as one acquires more magics.

The individual process for each initiation can be found in the Magics themselves.

Threshold Sickness

Threshold Sickness is the way the body reacts to the overload of the soul; raw ether essentially whittles away at the soul's integrity, and as the soul gives the body life and continuity within the endless flow of ether, damaging this integrity is what causes Threshold Sickness. What brings on this sickness is often described as filing away at the outer layers of the soul, while Mageblight is gouging out chunks and letting poison flow through, and Straining is striking harshly at the edges. Threshold Sickness is the most common and severe symptom of magic abuse, and it is also the only symptom whose consequences tend to vary based on the magic that caused the overstepping.

Threshold Sickness is essentially what causes the other two drawbacks of magic. For this reason, it is the gauge that mages use to judge their backlash with, and it is what they are learned to detect and prevent so that they do not accidentally end their lives.

Mageblight

Mageblight is also sometimes called Mage's Corruption. When a mage experiences Threshold Sickness (or 'overstepping') too frequently within a relatively narrow period, they weaken their soul's protection against corruption. Mageblight is in fact what caused the Corruption of the Gods, as -- while they wield 'divinity' -- the Sundering created an explosion of raw, unrefined ether that filled their beings and overloaded their souls. Mageblight essentially punches holes into the soul, allowing corruption to spread among their soul's ether like a cancer. Each time during the frame of recovery that one experiences Threshold Sickness, they only widen these gaps, until they are degenerated beyond repair.

Generally, Mageblight's window lasts around a season, though each feat of overstepping within this time can add a period of days, weeks, even months, growing exponentially as one oversteps more. If a mage oversteps twice within this seasonal time-frame, they will only experience minor corruption. Four to six times, and they will begin to face the truly degenerative effects of corruption. Beyond that -- and especially beyond ten -- and they will begin to face the most grave consequences of Mageblight. The consequences - from minimal to greater - will be detailed here:

Early Stages: Early Mageblight tends to result in illness, most often, vomiting. Mages will vomit out literal, ethereal bile, a physical manifestation of corruption. This is good, as it is the way in which they expunge the corruption from their system. It will come out with their urine and feces as well, and they are advised to eat a lot as the corruption will degrade and break down the food they absorb, requiring them to eat more to gain basic nutrients.

Middle Stages: Middle-stage Mageblight, or intermediate Mageblight, frequently results in discoloration of large parts of the body; the corruption can actually be seen through the skin, as it grows over the muscles like horrific bulbs of mold, causing tumor-like bumps. It is typically colored a purplish-black, though a variety of different colors have been seen and reported. Intermediate Mageblight tends to make one gravely ill, weakening their limbs and leaving them bedridden for weeks, or even months. Usage of magic during this time is dangerous, and overstepping at this point may even be fatal. As a result, most mages who reach this point are forced to quietly recover away from society, unable to physically or magically interact with much of the world.

It is not uncommon for intermediate Mageblight to result in literal diseases for the mage. Due to the way it can damage cells, it can cause chronic illness and actual forms of cancer, indirectly leading to death later in life.

Late Stages: Late Mageblight very often results in death. Even lightly overstepping far too often can result in this effect, making mages far more cautious. The most common effect of late Mageblight is the physical bleeding of corruption into their system, which will kill off their organs and degenerate their flesh, resulting in a slow and horrific death. The most egregious of abusers are even known to literally implode, as the corruptive ether overflows their body like a gas before attempting to push outward, blowing through their physical boundaries. Late stage Mageblight is almost always fatal, making it even more dangerous than severe overstepping.

Strain

Ether always grates upon the soul. This is actually what makes learning new abilities within each magic more difficult: the mage learns to channel that ability cleanly, without damaging their soul or pushing them dramatically closer to corruption. While most describe it as a process of getting to know the ability, it is in fact akin to completing a puzzle, learning to move a uniquely new manifestation of ether through the body and into the external world without it harming the mage or their being.

As one wears themselves down and draws closer to overstepping, their ability to resist strain lessens, and they become a victim to their magic. They will begin to experience pain: first a burning pain, then a blunt physical one, before finally they will experience literal and destructive manifestations of their magic along with overstepping itself. As a mage begins to moderately or severely overstep, for example, they may find their ether literally punching holes through their forearms, a warning to stop before the body destroys itself.

Mutations

Work in progress.

World Magic

World Magic is magic that is enacted through tools, which themselves -- in a way -- act like their own Marks of Control, capable of harnessing specific abilities or features inherent to a magic. Like Raw Magics, the World Magics were created by the Gods, but they were generally not built in a regimented way. They were built to do specific things, tool-by-tool, with early civilizations learning how to build basic tools over time, for individual purposes. Over time, World Magics developed into whole schools of focus, with mages discovering their full potential by wielding the tools collaboratively.

World Magic relies on mechanical skill and knowledge more than anything else. It does not require the wielder of the tool to offer their own ether, as each tool itself acts as a small battery that replenishes over time, via the ether of the world around it. As such, it is a less degenerative, risky form of magic, allowing any mundane man or woman to pick it up and learn.

Ether vs. Divinity

What separates man from God is a topic and question worth debate, and one might find a wide plurality of answers within each and every corner of the population. Immortality, wisdom, faith, rite of birth. Many mages would answer -- and they would do so correctly -- that the separation between man and divine is actually that of ether, and divinity. Divinity is not an abstract concept within the planes: it is a real and tangible thing. It is the energy that powers creation; it is what powers the Gods' ability to form, warp and meld over reality. It is through divinity that they are able to terraform, create races, build their realms, forge planes and much more.

Gods can filter the ambient ether of the universe through their Divine Spark to create divinity, refining the unrefined. What ether is, is merely the untampered building block of the universe: it is chaotic and accidental, and it grates upon the body and soul as it is abused. Because Gods wield divinity rather than ether, they have no limits and cannot overstep; the pure and perfect energy is not harmful to them, but instead appears to benefit them, creating their perfect physiques and God-like vitality. On the inverse, ether appears to often do the opposite, degenerating the mind and form through Threshold Sickness, and withering one's resistance to corruption as one oversteps, thereby inviting Mageblight.

Perspectives on Magic

 Importantly, this section tends to focus on the mages who have progressed notably into magic, or those who identify with being a mage. This is not meant to encompass all mages, or all cultures, but moreso to illustrate how more visible mages are perceived and perceive themselves. 

There is no sweeping or overarching sentiment on magic throughout the world of Atharen. Typically, opinions on magic tend to be divided by religion, nationality, race and even the particular region or area one resides in within a greater national footprint. Some areas or peoples are strongly inclined towards intolerance and fear of magic, while others may view it as a blessing or a boon. The point of this section of the article is not to provide a blanket, definitive view of how magic is perceived on Atharen, but to describe the framework from which most views eventually vary and grow.

Magic is, regardless of one's culture, typically viewed as mysterious or enigmatic; responsible for much of the world's profound ideas and the crux of most of the world's history. With the Gods of Atharen mostly absent, magic has proven to be vastly transformative to the world and remains a major aspect of global discourse, such as the balance of power between nations. Many national governments and their civilians tend to view magic as a weapon or tool provided to protect them from the dangers of the world, with mages existing as individuals chosen by fate to serve their nation and protect their interests.

Many others view magic as unnecessarily dangerous, with the degenerative risks to culture and stability too much to accept. Some still view it as dangerous, but overall more beneficial than it is not; they will be quick to find interest in a mage, privy to asking them of their many curiosities, but will be just as quick to dismiss a mage as a rogue or anarchist if they appear to diverge from the public good. Magic is in many nations a political issue, and perceptions of it are often in flux based on ongoing or recent events. For this reason there tends to be some presence of magic globally, even in nations that have outlawed it, as these laws tend to change based on need. It is undeniable to the people of Atharen that mages are incredibly useful, and that they often provide benefits that no others can. Of course, this has considerably shaped mages' conceptions of their own purpose, and role.

Mages And Themselves

Mages are known to be somewhat eccentric in comparison to the people around them, often having more divergent opinions and viewpoints that tend to rest considerably outside of the norm of their peers. They are also known for being open individuals, who tend to find little meaning in arbitrary divisions, particularly because magic itself is so diverse. For this reason, they are favored for often being somewhat more adaptable than others, more well-traveled.

Of course, there are other less jubilant behaviors that frequently appear in magi. Mages can often be arrogant individuals. They also tend to carry an austere air to them, a sort of elitism that permeates their demeanor and their treatment of others. There is no doubt that this has shaped their global perception over time, and while not all mages possess these characteristics, enough do that it is a commonly held stereotype. Mages tend to congregate among other mages. They often view the uninitiated as generally mundane individuals, to the point where "mundane" has even evolved into a slur.

Due to the nature of magic - with the survival of an initiation appearing to be based on fate - mages and the common populous tend to believe they were somehow "chosen" to become sorcerers. This feeling of a higher purpose can act to motivate mages, and they tend to be heavily involved in their respective communities, often contributing to them a great deal. But coming with this perception is frequently a form of hubris that can consume many arcanists in time, and often early on. While experienced mages - and generally those that survive the longest - tend to be cautious and often make their decisions based on risk, young or inexperienced mages often find themselves mesmerized by their own power. This often leads them into attempting more and more initiations, as well as making decisions prone to plunging them into the depths of overstepping.

Many mages, unfortunately, do leverage their power on the mundane. In some settings they are essentially allowed this privilege as a right; they are viewed as necessary, and therefore free to pursue their desires. This is especially common in societies of low technological development. Skilled mages tend to be something of celebrities among their communities, often holding nicknames, titles and reputations based on the things they have done for the benefit of their community. As a result of this, the common mortal reaction to power and influence often plays a role in their behaviors, and the less beholden to the people a mage tends to be, the more these behaviors tend to come out.

Of course, that is not to say that all mages are rotten, or that all mages are viewed in such a way. Many mages are also paragons to their community; their actions can bring a sense of safety and prosperity to their peers unmatched by any others. Mages also often play a role in politics as a result of their power, and almost universally hold some involvement with the military of their respective nation.

National Differences

This is a general, brief over-view of the perceptions on magic in every nation. It is not an end-all statement; within these nations, opinions can vary based on region. The best resource to use when looking to discover the perception on magic in a particular country or city is to read the lore of that place.

The Gelerian Imperium: Magic is outlawed in the Imperium for most citizens. However, there are a select few that are allowed to practice it with government authorization, and these are typically servants of the primary Houses of the Imperium. This is largely a hypocrisy, and is a reason for some discontent with reigning nobility. In general, the vast majority of the Imperium's population views magic as a corrupting influence that always manages to rot the fabric of society and bring about calamity.

Their citations go as far back as the First Age, when Ascended mages known as the Light-Touched sacrificed their followers by the thousands to achieve faux divinity. They cite the fall of Silor, where hubristic Ald'norai attempted to use magic to acquire immortality, only to face the wrath of the Gods, overseeing their Empire's collapse; an Empire built on the brutality of magic in the first place. They cite the Clockwork Empire which used magic to conquer and repress, only to then use it to nearly destroy the world.

The Imperium views its disposition against magic as a form of compassion and rationalism. Magic is viewed as a corruption of the soul, and burning mages is seen as a mercy, exorcising them of the rot that has seeped into them like a parasite. It is the Imperium's belief that most mages lose control over their mind upon acquiring a Cardinal Rune. Their is no rationality to their actions; only megalomania, one that must be stopped at all costs.

To this end, the Imperium funds mage-hunting organizations all over the continent, as well as research into anti-magic.

Daravin: Daravin, or the Daravinic Empire, is the world's only magocracy and therefore has among the most unique views on magic in the world. In Daravin, magic is viewed as an expression of one's spiritual purity and their closeness to Ulen, who is their God. For this reason, only the most 'pure' - mages, and especially powerful mages - are allowed to rule, with the unitiated often considered impure beings fraught with limitations and sin.

Nearly fifteen percent of Daravin's population is composed of mages, which is an extraordinarily high ratio as compared to other nations. The cost of this is obvious and grim: around twenty to twenty five percent of every generation is lost to initiations, having a very real effect on the Empire's many communities. Sadly, these deaths are often viewed as God's will playing out, the impure being refused his gift. Many of these dead are not even given burial rites, discarded into piles outside of their locale. They are not publicly mourned.

The existence of Daravin is often seen as very negative on the global view of mages: many use Daravin's example as a precautionary tale as to what may happen if magic is allowed to proliferate unimpeded. It is used as an argument to disallow mages from government and politics, as most scholars claim that Daravin was made a magocracy simply by mages taking advantage of the post-Sundering power vacuum to impose their will.

Lorien: Lorien outlaws magic just as the Gelerian Imperium does, but not due to the same level of fear. Instead, Lorien views magic as a threat to the established political and social order, and only allows one specific group within society - the Pact - to learn and utilize it. Lorien's views on magic tend to be suspicious if not verging on paranoid, though many anti-Kindred elements of society are increasingly looking to it as a method toward liberation. Unfortunately, mages in Lorien are hunted with exceptional efficiency, making all mages but Artificers extremely rare in the country. Artifice is different in that all Lustrians are allowed to learn it, as it is necessary to produce Hollows, the backbone of Lorien's economy, military and infrastructure.

Sil-Elaine: Magic is banned in Sil-Elaine, except for among Dranoch. Dranoch may use magic fairly freely, and are even allowed to learn and practice Blood Magic. Sil-Elaine is, in fact, the only nation on Atharen that allows the utilization of Blood Magic among the public. However, as noted earlier, only Dranoch are allowed to be mages in the realm and all others are fed on upon discovery. The way the government justifies this is by anti-Sundering propaganda, as the Sundering - caused by magic - has evidently left an irreparable stain on Elainian society, forcing the Siltori into abject conditions.

In the areas of Sil-Elaine held by revolutionaries, magic is increasingly common. Sigilic Pyromancy is widely considered a tool of God - Wraedan - to liberate the Siltori, and is revered as a divine gift for this reason. Mages in Sil-Elaine, among most Siltori, are viewed as warriors of the revolution, liberators of the people. For this reason, its uncontrolled growth continues in areas no longer controlled by the governing authorities.

Atinaw: In Atinaw, perspectives on magic are highly varied and tend to be considered somewhat 'neutral', with many shades fluctuating between fear and admiration. The one commonality between most Atinorin in their views of magic is that it should serve the interests of the people, and the Clan. For this reason, many Atinorin mages serve in the military or advising the political class, or in industries that can effectively utilize their talents. Atinaw's highest nobility - the Finla - are also known for their prestigious mage-advisers, who are envied and feared by many in court. Raellon is, among all of the Clandoms, particularly fond of magic... which it views as a necessary tool in defense against the Imperium.

Auris: Magic holds many mixed notions in Auris; it is seen as a connection to the past, a gift of the divine, a key to understanding and mastering the world and the tool used by the nation's many myths, monarchs and heroes long gone. However, it is also viewed for what it often is: a tool sought after by those with ambition, who often wield it unchecked, who sometimes begin to believe themselves beholden to no moral principles. Magic was the root of Ald'norai greatness, and also their downfall. While the Hytori retained magic even in the aftermath of Silor's collapse, they did so with the reservation that it should never be used to defy the limitations set by the Gods, or as a tool to dominate and subject others or the natural world.

For this reason, while magic is allowed in Auris, it is also somewhat limited. Rarely does Auris ever tolerate the existence of an Ascended mage. They don't tolerate Aldir summoners, who they view as traitors to the Elven Gods, and potentially even a corrupting threat upon the vulnerable Lachrann. Prototypal-Liches and Strigoi are patently outlawed, their existence punishable by death. Necromancy in general is somewhat feared, as while it possesses incredible healing capabilities, it was a Hytori Necromancer that created the Dusk Elves and who engineered the prototypal-Lich, bringing ruin to their civilization and effectively causing the Elven schism. It is not, however, strictly illegal. Instead, Necromancers tend to be audited by the government, with agents sent to examine their studies and activities, sometimes without their knowledge.

Radenor: Mages in Radenor are viewed as a threat, and one that must be monitored and kept in service of the crown. They are forced to either join a government-run institution known as the Guild, or be exiled from the Kingdom. Mages tend to face a level of weariness and bigotry throughout the Kingdom, though they are often commended by the noble class, which tends to favor their integration. For this reason, Radenor's mages are known for being posh and particularly entwined in political affairs, though they would be appalled at any comparison with the Entente.

Roleplaying Magic

• Magic is common enough to be seen by most in their lifetime, however it is not something that is commonly understood. Possessing magic is not the norm, and the character's surroundings will likely react to it with a variety of awe, confusion and fear, particularly as one develops in their art.

• Magic carries with it great risks and unless utterly insane, sorcerers are a cautious bunch. It takes a keen mind to command magic, lest one be consumed by it. The risk of Threshold Sickness is always high when learning new abilities, and an overly confident mage can quickly exhaust their resources.

• Consider carefully where your character’s magic came from. Who gave it to them? Why did they give it to them? What was your character taught?

• The various authorities of the world, while generally open to the services of sorcerers, tend to keep a very close eye on them. No government wants to be usurped by those with paranormal abilities that pose a threat to law and order, however loose. They will take steps to discourage the abuse of magic. If you are looking to cause trouble and you are not careful, you will quickly be made an example to dissuade others.

• Don’t assume your character knows everything about magic because it is explained in the lore pages. These pages are comprehensive to serve as reference material but the vast majority of the population know next to nothing about how magic works. Unless your character is an experienced sorcerer, they likely know very little as well. Even most sorcerers are knowledgeable only in that which they practice.

• Mutations can change the mage - and being a mage can change one's perception by society. Be aware that the deeper your character goes into the arcane, the more their personality and lifestyle - as well as society's treatment of them - will be altered.

• Do not assume that a sorcerer will be eager to teach your character magic. Most prospective students die during initiation. That is a heavy weight to carry on the soul. Even if the prospective student survives, it takes a considerable amount of time and energy to teach them. The taking on of any student is a large investment with only the slim hope of success. It is not done lightly or frivolously.