Magic

> To those who touch the Weave, magic is as natural as the breath they draw. It is not something to be feared, only something to be understood. It is a gift we have been given, and one that could be taken away more easily than some think.
>
> Unknown

**Magic** is one of the pillar stones of Magmell, and the wider extra-planar cosmos. Sometimes referred to as **Magick**, or **The Weave**, magic is as natural to the world as any other law, like gravity or physics.

Magic has been around as long as recorded history has been, no doubt even longer than the first stirrings of the Mortal Races. Every life is touched in some way by magic; The houses of the Kingdom of Talamhor are all closely-tied to magic, referred to as the High Gift; druids of the Northern Freehold use magic in conjunction with portals to the Feywild to build the Vellatorum; entities like the Archaics and the Witchmen are thought to be born of magic themselves. Anomalies such as snarls and Star Arches were formed after the Junction, a powerful meta-magic event that saw Magmell briefly intersect with another plane and led to other magical occurances, like the arrival of the Tiefling people.

Many institutions exist for the teaching and study of magic, such as privatized schools in Arian's Wings and the infamous Strixhaven University, located on the Isle of Forlost.

## Known Forms of Magic

All magic can be quantified into different forms, or variations. As magic is by its very nature an undefined source, it is up to the wielder to give it shape and definition. The way one accomplishes this varies from practice to practice, and even form to form. Some call upon the power of their gods, and others merely draw the strength from within themselves.

### Unique Forms

Some forms of Magic are utterly unique from Arcane or Holy sources; these types are difficult to explain, but surely exist within the Weave for a specific reason.

#### Talamhorian High Gifts

The High Gifts of the houses of the Kingdom of Talamhor are unique hereditary powers that often-times do not require training on the part of the user to master. High gifts vary from house to house; House Lanaur has a latent ability to detect magic in all forms, or House Corwyll has the gift of shadowmancy.

### Arcane Schools

Any magic that didn't originate from a deity was defined as arcane magic. The use of arcane magic was referred to in day-to-day speech often as just 'magic', and a wide variety of people were able to practice it, to a small or larger extent, though the way in which they accessed the Weave differed dramatically.

Wizards, the most archaic form of smellcaster, spend long years researching their art, gathering spells to their personal book, and each day they could only memorize a small fraction of these due to the mental fortitude required.

Sorcerers, a more modern interpretation, were not required to research spells. They tapped into the Weave in a more direct manner, but because of this, the selection of spells available to a sorcerer was more limited than those available to a wizard.

Warlocks, as ancient as their patrons, gained access to their arcane power by forging 'pacts' with supernatural beings of the Realms, such as powerful aberrations from the depths of the Underdark, or even the ancient fey of the Feywild. Even bards of the Realms had access to the Weave to use certain magical abilities. Some, such as assassins and swordmages, could blend their arcane gifts with martial prowess.

All arcane magic falls under eight general categorizations, referred to as 'schools'.

* **Abjuration:** A collection of spells of a protective or defensive nature.
* **Transmutation:** Spells could transform the nature of the physical world or objects in it.
* **Conjuration:** Spells created or transported people, energy or objects.
* **Divination:** Spells that allowed the caster to see things that they normally would not be able to.
* **Enchantment:** Spells that specialized in manipulating the minds of others.
* **Evocation:** Spells drawing raw power from the Weave to create and affect.
* **Illusion:** Spells that fool the senses.
* **Necromancy:** The study of life and death; healing spells and undead summoning.

#### Elemental Magic (Evocation)

Elemental magic, the manipulation of elemental forces like fire, wind, earth and water, was often classified as Evocation magic, spells that manipulated energy or tapped an unseen source of power in order to produce a desired end. Not all elemental magic is evocation, though it is nominally considered to be under the school's umbrella.

Users of elemental magic drew on the power of the Weave to transmute raw energy into a tangible elemental power. House Maightor's High Gift is elemental evocation, able to summon lightning at will, though that was only one expression of the art.

Prismari College of Strixhaven University infamously is a college of Elemental evocation, almost exclusively, though no student is limited to just that. The Prismari principles of expression and perfection are reflected in the untamed yet orderly style of evocation, and nearly all of the twelve disciplines of Prismari utilize elemental evocation.

#### Shadowmancy (Conjuration)

Shadowmancy, also called Shadow Magic or Umbramancy, is but one of many ways of accessing and controlling the natural energies of the Weave, and was strongly tied to it intrinsically.

Most users of shadow magic used the Weave to connect to the Plane of Shadow and channeled their magic directly from there, in a manner similar to typical conjuration spells, and thus it is considered a Conjuration school of study. However, not all Shadow Magic works like this; the High Gift of House Corwyll was a type of Shadow Magic that was not drawn from the Shadow Plane, and how it works is currently unclear.

Other forms of Shadowmancy are taught at Strixhaven University, by Silverquill College in the form of their Duskmages, Inkcasters and Shadewings, all disciplines of Silverquill that revolve around different forms of shadow manipulation.

##### Duskmage (Strixhaven)

Duskmages were a discipline of Shadowmancy taught by Silverquill College. Duskmages conjured inky voids of shadow magic and wielded them in defensive and offensive spells. Dean Embrose Lu is often mistaken for a Duskmage due to his command of inky shadows, when he is in reality a Bantermage.

##### Inkcaster (Strixhaven)

Inkcasters were a discipline of Shadowmancy taught by Silverquill College. They are a true conjuration profession, summoning 'inklings', shadow-creatures appearing to be made of ink, to aide either in peace or in battle.

##### Shadewing (Strixhaven)

Shadewings were a discipline of Shadowmancy taught by Silverquill College. Shadewings are a more brutal class of Weave user, forming weapons from shadow itself to slice and stab at foes, often with brutal, if not spectacular, results. High King Branwen Corwyll of the Kingdom of Talamhor is often thought of as a Shadewing, as his magic is similar, but it is not the same.