Magic

The use of magic uses up the body’s
resources. Magic users tend to eat a lot to replenish these resources.

There are races on Keverynn that
depend on magic for their well-being. Dragons, wyvern, Ryuutenshi, and the
Chume’taly all use it on a regular basis simply by existing.

In
the case of dragons, it’s used to aid in changing shape and in their breath
weapons and the special skills associated with each color type. Wyvern utilize
it to produce the toxins for which they are well known. Blacks use it to
facilitate shape shifting and reds are capable of actually manipulating fields
of magic. Ryuutenshi require it to fly. Chume’taly would not be able to assume
a full feline or a full human shape without its existence.

All peoples of Keverynn have the innate
potential to use magic. Spells as we know them do not exist to the average
person. Written spells in books exist only for the highest of magics. Among
these spells is the one used to aid the Ryuutenshi in finding a successor for
their Queen. Nearly all of these books are kept within the halls of the
Sisterhood of Sword and Sorcery, though some are also kept by the Ryuutenshi
Tower Masters and it is rumored that the Darkriders also possess a few.

The magic that is taught is simply
manipulating the fields of magical energy that surround the user as well as the
user’s personal energies. All magic can be classified into four basic elemental
categories: earth, fire, air, water. There are some that fit more than one
elemental type but those ones are higher up on the scale of difficulty.

Healing, for example, is primarily
classed under earth, but it can be used by any element with varying degrees of
success. Earth elements make the most effective healers but some waters are
nearly as powerful. Regarding air and fire it really depends on the individual.

Students are tested to see which
element they will be more able to use. Some are more easily identified than
others. These tests deal with a large number of factors including personality,
family, background, and race. Most users can only tap into the element in which
they have an affinity for.

When a user is manipulating their
personal power, it often comes out as a physical manifestation of their
element. An air type, for example, if angered can lash out with a whip-like
blast of wind.

Manipulating outside energies, a
user can do things such as calm the weather, bring rain to a dry field, help
plants grow, and burn fields to replenish the soil. There are countless
applications for it and not all are beneficial. Like all tools, it can be used
for harm. Hurricanes, torching houses, earth quakes, and flash fires are
negative applications of the same power.

The offensive use of magic isn’t as
common. This is simply due to the fact that most schools have taboos against
using magic to fight someone who can’t defend themselves against magical
attacks or even against people who have little to no knowledge of magic and its
uses. The combat form is reserved for duels between magic users and, on rare
occasions, it has been sanctioned for use in war.

The main problem with magic is that
it’s a female dominated art. Men are capable of practicing but it doesn’t come
to them as easily and they are mostly weaker than the female of the same
experience level. There are two schools that men can attain real power in,
power that isn’t just base elemental power: the Four Winds school and the
Sisterhood of Sword and Sorcery which, despite it’s name, does accept men into
its ranks.