Sarceline Circle Mage Tome: Schools of Magic

## Introduction

The **Schools of Magic** chapter of the Sarceline Circle Mage Tome details the seven primary schools of magic and includes descriptions of spells from each school.

As far back to when the first one hundred magi were trained in the arcane mysteries and the founding of Dalaran, Arcane magic has always been classified into eight different schools in order to understand and categorize the magic Azeroth has to offer. These schools are: Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Transmutation, and lastly Necromancy. Each school contains a wide array of different spells, incantations and means through which they are cast. Each school then further have various sub-schools within them. In this chapter are explanations of each school’s purview, and examples of spells from basic to master.

**Credits:**

* **Archmage Manix Ebonfire**, Headmaster of the Ashen Tree Arcane Academy.
* **Archmage Aldrazar Stoneforge**, Master Mage of the Sarceline Circle of Magi.
* **Sir Roy Sebale**, Master Mage of the Sarceline Circle of Magi.
* **Archmage Victrienne Falconheart**, Witch of the Sarceline Circle of Magi.
* **Meriliah Forger**, Mage Guard of the Sarceline Circle of Magi.

## Abjuration

**Abjuration** concerns itself with protective and defensive magics, and as such is often the first school in which mage apprentices are instructed. The staple spells of abjurers are wards, shields, and barriers (sometimes called transitus shields). Wards are weak, easily-cast spells that are primed to resist a single element. Their quick casting time makes them a mage’s first line of defense against the unexpected.

Shields are translucent, impenetrable barriers that are formed around a creature or object. They deflect all elements, and also physical attacks. The most common such spell is the mana shield, which forms condensed arcane energy into a hard bubble around the caster.

An Abjurer also has the ability to take that shell of arcane energy and turn to the elements; either freezing the arcane shield, turning it into a frost shield; setting the barrier ablaze and creating a blazing shield; or charging the barrier with electrical energies, creating a static shield. Because of ice’s natural defensive properties, it is the most common such element. Blood Mages have been even been known to create a shield of blood. As to where Necromancers have been know to create shields and wards made up of human bones or flesh.

The height of abjuration magic is the barrier. These wards are erected over an area of terrain, ranging from as little as a few meters, to spreads of several miles. Essentially, barriers act as enlarged mana shields, preventing access or deflecting attacks. They can also be interwoven with illusion magic to conceal those within the barrier from sight by those without. While useful, large barriers require the caster to remain focused at all times in order to keep the barrier up, and will continue to drain the caster of their mana until they run dry, and pass out due to exhaustion. One should limit themselves to how long they keep a ward or shield up in order to prevent such an occurrence.

An Abjurer must always be cautious to the amount of damage their ward or shield takes, as depending on the strength of the attacker’s strikes, it could potentially result in the destruction of the ward or shield, which can lead to negative effects on the caster, often resulting in injury or death.

**Wards**

Practitioners of the arcane arts are often ambitious, and we frequently find ourselves in situations where magic may slip just slightly beyond our control. It is for this reason that the ward spells exist. Ward spells range anywhere from simple, short duration shields that are highly potent--use little mana but require expert timing to be effective--to large dome like shields that surround an area to block spell effects or physical attacks.

**Mana Shield**

The most generalized abjuration spell is the Mana Shield, a spell that transmutes raw mana into a solid barrier that protects the caster from both physical and magical attacks. If properly executed, this spell can protect the mage against even the most formidable of attacks. But the Mana Shield has a very serious drawback; Mana shields drain the users mana proportional to the amount of force deflected by them. Overuse of Mana Shields can, and will, cause a mage to collapse far faster than using other types of shields. Even worse, using a Mana Shield while already too low on mana can kill the caster by depleting their energies.

**Elemental Shields**

An intermediate level series of spells, elemental shields are like that of the Mana Shield, but combine evocation or conjuration with abjuration. This adds in elemental magics such as fire, frost or even pure arcane magic to fortify a simple Mana Shield. These spells do not drain the caster’s mana like a simpler Mana Shield, but are more complicated to make. Creating an effective elemental shield takes practice and knowledge from multiple schools but the results are well worth it.

**Ice Barrier**

Made from adding frost magic to the base Mana Shield, this barrier excels at deflecting physical attacks. Advanced versions of this spell create barriers so tough that the barrier has an impact resistance like plate armor, making this barrier a good choice for Spellswords to master. Using it on top of already wearing real plate armor would make one a tough opponent for any physical fighter.

**Blazing Barrier**

Through adding fire magic onto the base Mana Shield, a mage creates the Blazing Barrier spell. While not as strong at preventing physical damage as an Ice Barrier, Blazing Barriers can make any opponent wary due to the fact that any attack made against it will result in a backlash of fire, doing harm to them as they attempt to harm the mage. Advanced versions of this spell can draw fire from the spells cast by the mage, or fire from the surrounding area to continuously fortify the barrier, making it even harder for opponents to get through to the mage.

**Prismatic Barrier**

Fortifying a basic Mana Shield with Arcane magic drawn from the ley lines creates a Prismatic Barrier. Somewhere in between the Ice Barrier and Blazing Barrier in physical protection, the Prismatic Barrier hosts another desirable effect beneficial to the mage casting it; Prismatic Barriers reduce the effect of incoming spells by a large amount, even cutting down the duration of undesirable spell effects by cleaving the structures of those spells after they hit the mage. Advanced versions of this spell actually take the barrier back to a structure similar to the basic Mana Shield, allowing the mage to maintain the barrier under heavy incoming damage, while draining their mana to do so. Unlike the simpler Mana Shield, however, the mastered Prismatic Barrier drains the mage’s mana by up to 80% less.

**Reflective Barrier**

A master level barrier, the Reflective Barrier is a spell that allows a mage to block, then take control of an enemy’s spell, throwing it back at them with greater force. Failing to cast this spell properly can cause the mage to empower the enemy’s spell, but fail to reflect it, causing themselves greater injury.

**Elemental Wall**

By channeling the arcane energies that one would use to create a Mana Shield or another of the Elemental Shields, an experienced abjurer can create a solid wall to block an entrance or shield his allies as well as themselves. Master abjurers can even create barriers that are selective in what they block, allowing allied attacks to pass through but block enemy attacks.

The war mages of Dalaran perfected this art. By combining the channeling power of several of their master abjurers, they were able to develop a nearly impenetrable dome of arcane energy around Dalaran city as it was being reconstructed.

**Elemental Armors**

A series of elemental armor spells were invented to fortify battle mages' apparel into magical armor. Maintained by taking up a small, constant portion of the mage’s mana, these spells can be constantly active for a price that is far outweighed by the benefits of these spells.

**Frost Armor**

By encasing one’s armor in frost magic, a mage creates a potent, constant shield on top of their armor or clothes. Any enemy striking that armor will feel a cold shoot through their body, slowing them down considerably if they’re not resistant to the effect. In combat, slowing down your opponent after taking a hit can give the mage ample time for a counter attack. Frost Armor also has the added benefit of increasing the speed at which a mage can cast their spells.

**Molten Armor**

Molten Armor encases the mage’s armor or clothes in fire magic, creating an armor that has similar effects to the Blazing Barrier. Any who strike the mage will face a backlash of fire magic. This backlash can reduce the chance the mage suffers a critical injury due to the enemy possibly being deflected by the pain, or due to not following all the way through on a strike due to the backlash. Fire mages who utilize this armor may find that their spells have a higher chance of overloading and causing more damage.

**Mage Armor**

Utilizing armor made from pure Arcane, Mage Armor has effects that disrupt and block incoming spells from enemies. Acting as a magical buffer, the armor holds little to no use in physical combat, but against enemy spellcasters becomes invaluable in blocking their spells, or reducing the duration of harmful effects. Those who use Mage Armor also find that the Arcane in the armor naturally attracts more Arcane, increasing the mage’s ability to draw in and use that power.

**Combination Spells**

Perhaps more than any other school, abjurers rely on effects from other schools of magic to augment their barriers. An example of this would be an illusionary wall. With just illusion magic a mage could make a convincing wall appear to be in an area, but any discerning eye or investigation would reveal the wall to be fake. Combining this visual with a shield to create an illusionary wall that also has actual physical resistance would create a better defense for a mage attempting to conceal something or hide themselves.

Similarly, this is how many magical traps are achieved, placing trip wards that activate further spell effects when an entity passes through the ward’s perimeter. Abjuration on its own rarely has true offensive capabilities, though the shields and wards from this school can be combined cleverly with other schools to create very potent spells. Typically, however, abjuration spells are meant to contain, disarm, or otherwise incapacitate enemies when used offensively.

## Conjuration

**Conjuration** relates to the transportation and creation of matter. Such a definition encompasses much of the schools of abjuration and evocation within it: conjured water is not fundamentally different from the ice used in an ice ward. Indeed, it is a matter of much debate amongst scholars as to whether evocation and abjuration are more properly defined as subschools of conjuration. However, as a matter of tradition and the different uses to which each school is put, the three remain distinct.

Conjuration spells can be divided into two areas: summonings, which allow a mage to call an existing entity or substance to her; and creations, whereby the mage creates something wholly new (for example, weapons, elemental constructs, or food and water). Summoning spells often involve complex rituals or extensive knowledge of the summoned entity in order to function properly. Because of their placid nature in comparison with other elementals, the most commonly summoned beings are water elementals. Warlocks and other practitioners of dark magic summon demons from the Twisting Nether. Such practices may not be inherently evil, but they are dangerous in the extreme, and highly corruptive to all who engage in them. It is therefore the recommendation of this author that such things are avoided altogether.

When transmuters summon objects, they bend space and time to move and change matter. Amongst the magical truths of Azeroth, magical energy and matter cannot be created nor destroyed. Conjuration, thusly, is converting and molding arcane energy into physical objects.
Those who practice this magic are called conjurers. Stormwind is known for its infamous sect of conjurers which mastered the school.

**Conjured Duration**

As items conjured from volatile magical energies being molded and formed into matter, they soon begin to decay and dissipate back into pure Arcane energy. The effect is completely harmless to the physical, non-magical world.
However, there are drawbacks to this duration. Conjured food and water dissipate even after they are consumed, and contain only temporary nutritional value. Thus, real food must be brought with or summoned on the field. One should not doubt the ability to summon food, however, as its existence is able to sustain individuals long enough for real food to be brought.

**Conjured Items**

While drawing from a source of arcane power, mages can mold that energy into matter of any shape or size - taking into consideration the abilities and stamina of the mage in question. Almost everything and anything can be conjured. Skilled conjurers have been known to even conjure intricate alcoholic beverages. A mage is required however, to be able to know exactly what it is that they are conjuring. For example, if one were to conjure a glass of water, they would need to physically have the sense that the glass and water are individually summoned but are together in the final product. If one were to conjure just the water without the glass, unintended side effects could occur. Of course in this particular example, the mage who did this blunder created the means of conjuring water elementals.

Another limitation of conjuration is that the item conjured must remain in the realm of reality. For example, if one wanted to conjure armor, that would be entirely possible. However, no one would be able to conjure an indestructible set of armor as such a thing doesn’t exist in reality. This feat is impossible because the mage would need to know the exact details necessary as well as be able to input whatever magical enchantments are necessary.

It is this limitation that makes conjuration such a difficult task to grasp. One must memorize all the essential parts of the spell or else it may explode in their own face!

**Conjuring Elementals**

By summoning large quantities of water and imbuing it with arcane energy, mages are able to conjure 'living' water constructs that bend to the mage's will.

Furthermore mages of a more advanced degree have been able to summon elementals made from raw arcane energies.

A summoned elemental is a formidable ally in combat, and can take the brunt of the blows of a melee attacker while you cast spells in its wake.

Be mindful that elementals too have a limited duration, as the arcane energy holding them together decays rapidly. It is for this reason that some elementals have been seen with a large physical mass. This is to allow the elemental to stay in the current plane for a longer period of time before it disseminates into nothingness.

Conjurers who have demonstrated great skill are given permission to join battles. Skilled and practiced conjurers have been known to summon scorpions, rain of fire, and other elemental and wild forces into battle. In fact, unlike traditional mages who focus on the arcane aspect of magic, summoners focus more on manipulating elemental energies to summon creatures with immense destructive potential..

However, for those who wish to join this intense art be warned. Many conjurers end up becoming warlocks as the magics involved in conjuration overlap with demonic summoning and other darker magics.

**Conjuring vs Summoning: What is the difference?**

The biggest difference is the difference of application. A conjurer manipulates magic in order to create creatures and elemental forces that obey him. A summoner does not do any of that. Although conjuring and summoning is sometimes used interchangeably in the common language, summoner’s perform a different role. When one uses summoning magic, they displace an already existing item from it’s original location to a different one through arcane channels. One cannot summon something that does not exist and one must know of the item that exists in order for a summoning spell to be successful.

In many recognized circles of summoning, it is believed that summoning requires assistance of a magical focus. For example, demonologists cannot successfully summon demons without the use of a soul shard. This soul shard acts as a conduit of power to reach and pull a demon across worlds1. This theory has been confirmed by the practices of the legion where they would summon demons with the use of fel crystals. It should be noted that crystals are not always required. Some summoner’s instead have used certain platforms that radiate energy. Another important item used in this arcane art is summoning stone. These stones would then serve as the focus for a mage to displace an ally from one location to the location of where the Summoning stone is. Furthermore, some mages have even mastered the art of summoning Summoning stones!

If one wishes to summon a living creature, that is a viable means of magic as a conjurer however. It would be difficult to conjure but the creature could be summoned. For example, conjurer’s in the first war were given liberties to summon scorpions; these scorpions would work for the conjurer till death. What makes this spell interesting is that although these arachnids would have been summoned from the desert, they are willing to obey and serve as if they were mere constructs.

## Divination

**Divination** is the school of magic that delves into seeking knowledge, revealing unseen secrets, dispelling illusions and even reading minds. The mortal races of Azeroth have an innate curiosity and a powerful desire for guidance. These two drives are at the root of divination. It has been practiced since prehistoric times by shamans and druids, guided by the spirits that lie unseen within the fabric of the land. The arcane practice of divination is more recent, and scholars will note that a spectrum of practice exists amongst arcanists, beginning with auguries and invocations to higher beings, and ending in the scrying techniques that are widely practiced today. The School of Divination is often considered one of the hardest and most difficult schools of magic to master, few achieving the rank of a Master Diviner. This is due to the amount of focus and discipline one must have in order to perform such feats.

Over the vast ages and across the worlds, countless divination techniques have developed. The practices that follow are those which are discovered during the early stages of mortal societies. They tend to draw strongly on the Law of Sympathy, and it is likely because of the apparent symbolism underlying the rituals that they are among the first divination practices to emerge.

A diviner is one who specializes in the acquisition of knowledge by magical means. Diviners tap into their pool of mana to interpret spiritual or cursed dreams, see blots of land hundreds of miles away, or even peer into different dimensions. Few Magi have ever become extremely fluent in Divination, aside from the great Medivh, who was regarded as the master of the field; discovering an entire world, Draenor, through his own scrying.

**Omens**

An omen is an event or occurrence that is taken to foretell the future. The movement of a particular star, a king’s crown slipping from his head, a fierce storm, a vivid dream, or a blooming flower can all be omens. Indeed, an event becomes an omen simply by being perceived as such, regardless of whether there is any magical truth behind the event.

It will be readily apparent to practitioners of the arcane that many omens are not the subject of their craft. Some will simply be happenstance or coincidence. Others may be the working of divine magic, wherein an Eternal or powerful being is beseeched to give guidance. But that is not to say that omens have no place within the arcane.

Early arcanists first stumbling into the practice of divination would have comprehended the essence of the Law of Equivalence. This law forms the basis for the use of omens in arcane magic. The law states that, for the arcane to alter the physical world, something must be exchanged that is of equal value to the effect that will be produced. Thus, for an omen to have any truth-telling power, it must be induced by the arcanist yielding up something of value. Thus rituals were performed, sacrificial in nature, with the intent to bring about a magical omen.

However, even when an omen can be induced by magic, this does not mean that it will be obvious. For one thing, the arcane works subtly: the event that comes to pass as a result of the omen-seeking ritual may be missed by observers, or not recognized as what it is. Or, if noted, the meaning behind the omen may be misinterpreted. The interpretation of omens is an uncertain discipline, relying on the Law of Sympathy and trying to decipher the symbolic meaning behind the event or occurrence.

Thus we see that omens represent the most rudimentary form of divination. They are precarious because of the inherent uncertainty of the message received, and the likelihood that no message will be received at all.

**Augury**

An augury can accurately be considered a form of omen-reading. They take the form of reading an omen from the examination of a particular thing. Entrails, flights of birds, tea leaves, and the position of special cards are all commonplace objects. The belief is that these objects are infused with magical power and consequently form themselves in ways that have symbolic meaning. Indeed, arcanists who rely on augury must meditate upon the object that they will use, infusing it with their own mana in order to empower it. The augur will then perform some action that frees the object to be manipulated by the arcane. Shuffling and then laying out cards, swirling a liquid, letting blood spill from an organ, releasing an animal to move as it wills, and so forth. He can then interpret the resulting action, deciphering the meaning behind it to see glimpses of greater truths.

As with the interpretation of omens, the results are never entirely clear. The augur must read them as containing a deeper meaning, searching for subtle signs – a shape forming, one object among many coming to the fore, and the like.

Auguries are still commonplace within Azeroth, despite their uncertainties. Many races and cultures offer up sacrifices with the intend to gleaning information on the future from the results. Fortune-tellers at the Darkmoon Faire use strange decks of cards. Perhaps the reason why auguries exist is because, where an omen must be spotted, an augury occurs within a defined and contained substance or object. The only challenge is that of interpretation, not of location.

**Astromancy**

The reading of the celestial bodies for signs is, essentially, a form of advanced an persistent augury. The stars and planets in the sky are themselves infused with magic and driven according to the patterns of the Titans. Thus an arcanist need not infuse them with his own mana (nor could he if he tried in his hubris to do so). He need merely look to them and read the signs that they offer. I have written before on this subject, and so I will say no more of it.

**Dream Reading**

It is said that, where the waking mind is contained and limited, the dreaming mind drifts and weaves itself freely between the flows of mana. The dreamer may perceive glimpses of a divinatory nature. These often manifest as glimpses of his own future, or a flash of a far-away event. Sometimes a mage will be called upon to interpret the dreams of another. This is a common task of the court wizards to nobles within the human courts. A mage may also induce his own magical dreaming in an attempt to induce visions. In such cases, he will meditate before sleeping, and often surround himself with implements of the arcane in order to draw magic to him. Some diviners prepare special draughts and potions which, when imbibed, allow the drinker to dream magically and remember his dreams with perfect clarity.

**Invocation**

An invocation is a call to higher magical entities. Invocations can be understood as the very basis of divine magic: a mortal calls out to an exceptionally powerful entity for assistance and is granted a portion of that being’s power. However, the arcane can also reach out to spirits, be they elemental lords or the wisps that flit unseen around us. However, where a divine agent asks, the arcane demands. Such power has many uses across many schools. For divination, it means that an arcanist can call upon a magical being and compel it to divulge certain knowledge.

Needless to say, such spells are dangerous. Spirits do not take lightly to being forced into submission. They will often seek revenge upon those who even attempt to do so. A wise mage who wishes to invoke a spirit to obtain information will provide it with an offering in a show of respect and veneration.

**Scrying**

Mages trained today will often believe that scrying is the entirety of the divination school. Scrying spells are so often the exclusive focus of diviners because they offer what other varieties cannot: certainty. Whereas auguries, omens, and so forth provide only hints and signs, scrying can reveal actual visions of the past, future, or distant places. Moreover, it can do so without directly invoking dangerous spirits.

At its most fundamental, scrying is when an arcanist accesses the fine threads of mana underlying the worlds and mentally transits across these threads, thereby transferring his senses to another location or even another time.

**The Scrying Ritual**

To do this is no easy feat. Because of the immense complexity and the sheer number of concepts and variables which the arcanist must hold simultaneously in his concentration to manifest the spell, scryings are almost always performed ritually. The arcanist will seclude himself from all disturbances. Many mage towers have dedicated chambers with thick walls and secure doors, while others choose a sheltered glade, mountaintop, or similarly isolated location. He will also equip himself with a scrying surface – a body on which his visions will appear. The most common is a scrying orb or ‘crystal ball,’ but smooth water, smoke, embers, or glass panes also see use.

Once isolated, the mage begins the scrying ritual. He may draw a ritual circle to assist him. If so, the circle will be a symbolic ‘map’ in which the mage plots the journey that his consciousness will take. It will contain repeating, regular patterns that assist with meditation and concentration. When this is complete, the mage will sink into a deep trance, looking unwaveringly at his scrying surface. He will murmur an incantation repeatedly, using it is a mantra to aid in parting his consciousness from his body.

Gradually, the scryer will begin to see images through his surface. These are cloudy or indistinct at first, clearing and solidifying as the mage immerses himself in the vision. While immersed in the scrying, the mage will see, hear, and otherwise sense the location or time on which he scries.

It should be needless to say that the greater the physical distance, or the further forward or backward in time, the more difficult and taxing the spell will be. Especially with scrying that transits through time, seeing vast distances will often be impossible without risking insanity.

**Scrying After a Being**

Sometimes, scrying spells are not used simply to view a location or time. Instead, they are used to locate or watch a specific being, without knowing where that being is to be found. In such cases, the Law of Sympathy (and specifically of Contagion) is operative. The mage must have something on which the spell’s subject has left magical traces of its aura. These will be objects held in close contact to the being, or which are of psychological significance to it, or actual physical parts of the being. This object will allow the arcane to trace a path to the being, following its magical aura to the source.

**Sense Life**

This spell tells the caster if there is any life in the subject area, and gives a general impression (if the caster is skilled) of what kind. The mage can also specify that he is looking for a specific sort of life; plants: elves, redheaded girls (any categorization to describe a person really, I just happen to like redheads), or a named person who the caster knows. The more specific the spell becomes, the more difficult it is to cast.

Furthermore, this spell can be used on a person to check whether a target is undead or not as the undead aren't registered by this spell. Thus, a target that is not registered as "living" by this spell is either an undead, a construct, or a form of illusion. Again, a skilled diviner would be able to narrow it down quickly though such work could be complicated depending on what forces are at work.

**Comprehend Language**

By focusing one's mind on the tone of voice and gestures of a speaker, a mage can comprehend exactly what his target is saying through the arcane. Novice diviners may misunderstand certain aspects of language as they will hear only the literal version of what is being said. The most skilled diviners can also comprehend text written in unknown languages through the same arcane focus.

**Truthsayer**
Through mental focus and picking up on physical cues, a mage can tell whether a subject is lying or not. This spell may be cast in two ways; either to tell whether the subject has told any lies in the last five minutes, or to tell whether the last thing the subject said was a lie. The spell may also give an indication of how great the lie is, if it is indeed a lie.

**Tools of the Diviner**

A true diviner would always carry with them a special, personal item known as a totem. This totem can be used for the diviner to decipher when they are in the real, physical plane, rather than an alternate one. This totem would hold special value, so the diviner would always know if something was out of place.

Another special tool would be a sort of mirror, or bowl, used for scrying. This item would need to be reflective in order for the diviner to accurately depict the time or plane they are attempting to peer into.

**Detect Illusion**

Diviners are the counter to Illusionists. Both Schools of magic have feuded for years in developing spells to fool the senses and restore the senses to their rightful orientation. Illusion works to change perception of reality and create something that is not truly there, while Divination works to suss out the truth in reality. Thus, Diviners are able to cast a variety of spells that can detect various types of illusions. A Diviner must be as skilled as, if not more than, the illusionist whose illusions they are attempting to reveal and dispel, or the spell may lead to the Diviner falling into a trap of illusion.

**Arcane Eye**

The mage creates a magical eye that floats in the air somewhere near their person. Mentally linked with the mage, this eye gives the person a literal third eye to increase their field of vision in combat. One of the few combat practical divination spells, this spells takes much time to master as adjusting to having an entirely new perspective in your head can obviously be quite disconcerting; furthermore, another challenge arises when one begins to attempt to utilize it as an advantage rather than a distraction.

Divination is one of the oldest magical arts. Its practitioners would be well advised not to forget this fact. The arcane moves in mysterious ways, and the diviner must be cognizant that his craft is a matter of honed intuition and accumulated wisdom as much as it is an exact science. We reach for knowledge that is not naturally ours, and the true diviner will know that understanding is as important as seeing.

## Enchantment

**Enchantment** is the school of arcane magic that is concerned with the enhancement or augmentation of objects via magical effects. To understand the workings of the school, it is first necessary to understand the spellcasting process. To produce any magical effect, a mage draws on his inner reserves of mana, which is expended to produce the effect. This presents a problem for mages wishing to create permanent effects, since the expended mana can only regenerate once the effect has ceased to exist. This problem exists across all schools of magic, but is most prevalent in enchantment because many of the effects it seeks to produce are permanent in nature.

To avoid the problem of perpetual mana drain, mages employ alternate sources of magic to power enchantment effects. These sources will provide the required mana themselves, rather than using the mage's own reserves. They typically take the form of mana crystals. These are gems that trap mana within them, or naturally-occurring solidified mana particles that 'grow' in mana-rich areas.

**The Enchantment Ritual**

Among some races, the smith who creates an object is also the enchanter who imbues it with magical power. This tradition – common amongst the dwarves and vrykul – stems from the use of runic inscriptions, a form of magic that can be employed without being fully aware of doing so.

For enchanters in the traditions of the Eastern Kingdoms Circles, however, the process is more complex. When a weapon or suit of armour is received, the enchanter first contemplates the effect that must be produced. Common effects and the precise ritual materials will be detailed later in this work. For now, it suffices to say that the effect to be created must be represented by the ritual. This 'representation' is typically sympathetic in nature, that is, the ritual components must symbolically resemble the effect which is being created. In addition to these components, all spells will require a mana crystal, as described above.

Once these materials are assembled, the enchanter's work can begin. First, the object is engraved with markings, either in the form of runes or the script of an incantation. These markings will direct the mana on how to flow when it is allowed to infuse the object.

Next, the ritual components are employed over the object. As will be detailed subsequently, these components will normally be powdered or liquid. In the former case, they are sprinkled into the markings. In the latter, a coating is applied to the object being enchanted.

Finally, the mage will employ the mana crystal to empower the object with the effect that he has designated. The mage will either sunder the crystal atop the object, releasing its mana into the markings he has made on the object, or he will attach the crystal to the object to allow it to release mana by proximity. In either case, the flood of mana into the runes or incantation script combine with the ritual components to activate the spell effect. The object is now enchanted.

Enchanters are perhaps best known for their abilities to create magical items be they weapon, tools, or armor. The power that is so often given to these objects of enchantment are almost as diverse as the entirety of the field itself and can often contain a wide array of different enchantments, ranging from carrying a myriad of protection wards in order to protect the wielder of the item; to powerful curses that slowly eat away at those foolish enough to take hold of these cursed items. Regardless of the nature of these enchantments, the process that is required to create these items will often time remain similar.

**Augmentations**

By channelling the arcane through their own bodies or their allies, mages can bolster their physical or mental prowess. Such method can be employed through the usage of tattoos or embedding the enchanted objects into their bodies one way or the other, as well as drawing or tracing the runes on one’s body. Tattoos wield a more permanent effect, whilst tracing is used for a more short-term effect.

The effect is temporary, and over time, give diminished returns. While effective in their application, frequent arcane augmentation can lead to addiction, corruption and disfigurement. Enchanted tattoos can be damaged and their effect dissipating if there is a rupture in the tissue. It can be repaired by re-application of the rune.

**Protection**
Items may be enchanted to protect their bearer. The effect varies from applying protective “aura” to protection against certain type of damage. Depending on the strength of enchantment, it can either reduce the damage taken or absorb the effect entirely. Typically such enhancements are applied on the armor, shields and pendants. Protection tattoos are also not unheard of, though not as commonly used, at least not by those wearing heavy plates.

Protection enchantments were also used by some of the ancient races, such as vry’kul, to protect the objects from being found or stolen. They also carved wards around their houses and lodges to steer away any evil spirits.

**Damage**
On the opposite side of the spectrum, damage enchantments increase the output of certain school of magic or specific spells. Depending on the strength of the enchantment, effects of the spell could be from slightly increased to devastating. Typically applied to weapons and armor. Damage enchantments are a popular choice for tattoos, as it allows the mage channel destructive spells straight from the body.

As mentioned before, certain items were enchanted to act as a makeshift weapons. Some damage runes were enchanted to act as a slow burn weapon. Some more malicious runes inscribed on the item were rumoured to cause nightmares or illnesses to any who would try and steal the object.

## Evocation

**Evocation** deals with the direction manipulation of arcane energies, without converting them into the source of another effect. It thus deals with ‘pure’ magic in the most direct sense, which in many cases means elemental blasts. While the evoker’s art is more associated with war magic due to its immense destructive potential that is naturally channelled for combat, evocation magic can be utilized for the fine manipulation of arcane currents and the channeling of ley lines.

All evocation spells use one or more element to cause their effect. The traditional elements in which mages are trained are frost, fire, and pure arcana. Less common elements include nature (including lightning, earth, and poison) and shadow. In the latter case, these spells are usually amalgams of necromancy and evocation.

Mages who choose to master the art of evocation are known as Invokers, warmages and battlemages often choosing to heavily study this field due to its practical applications in combat. There are also those who have specialized in evocation who have chosen to focus on a single element and are often referred to as Pyromancers, Hydromancers, Cryomancers, ect.

With the endless arsenal of deadly and destructive spells, evocation mage can turn the tides of the battlefield. As mentioned before, this particular school is favoured by the mages who like to be in the heat of battle. From simple fireballs to more complex spells such as destroying the opponent’s weapons as well as evaporating them, there is little to nothing professionals of this craft cannot do.

Depending on the element of the spell and target of the caster, evocation spells can have a range of effectiveness.

**Elemental Missiles**

By tapping directly into the arcane, mages can fire deadly projectiles of the element of their choosing. Fireballs, arcane missiles, and ice bolts are all examples of elemental missiles.

**Elemental Cone**

Mages can expel a blast of elemental energy upon their foes in a deadly cone of damage, striking all enemies directly in front of the caster. Cones of cold, fire and light, and lightning shocks are all examples of cones of elemental energy.

**Elemental Sphere**

The most experienced of evokers can summon and control a large rolling or floating sphere of destructive elemental force that damages anything in its path. Orbs of fire, arcane, and lightning are all examples of elemental spheres.

Here are some of the basic spells that an apprentice and evocation aspirant can start with. This will cover a couple of spells from pyromancy, hydromancy, aeromancy and terromancy. Please note that the effectiveness of these spells can be improved with training.

**Fireball**

Basic spell that fires a gust of concentrated flame at the enemy, causing a small explosion. Best used from the distance. Begin casting flames and condense them into a small ball with enough pressure to explode upon collision.

**Fire Blast**

A more sporadic, short term spell that aims at burning the enemies within the metre of caster’s vicinity. Best in short range, however caster has to be mindful of surrounding allies. Invoke the flame and aim it in cone-like formation.

**Ice Lance**

Similar to a fireball, concentrate the ice magic into one or multiple spears. Can be used as area of effect or single target spell, and can be either casted from above or sent directly at the target.

**Ice Block**

A much more concentrated spell that creates a thick ice block. Can be used to encase the target in it or block the path. Can be also made to cover the ground and make the target or multiple targets slip and fall.

**Air Trap**

Create a circular or oval air trap to suffocate or confuse the target. This spell is best on a single target simply because of high tight the air trap can be. As always, concentrate the energy and begin clenching the air around the target.

**Whirlwind**

Unlike the more focused air trap, Whirlwind focuses on invoking chaos among the enemy. Best used from the long range. Lift the debris and the targets. Good for area of damage as well as helps scatter the enemy forces.

**Fracture**

Split the ground beneath the target’s feet. Works as area of effect and single target. Requires a lot of focus and stability of the mind and posture to truly successfully cast the spell.

**Elevation**

Where Fracture works to create holes, Elevation helps create obstacles for the targets. Create hills or lift blocks of earth to obstruct the view, interrupt the incoming attack and much more. More dynamic spell that requires quick thinking.

## Illusion

**Illusion** is the school of arcane magic that manipulates the senses of sentient beings to produce false images, feelings, or otherwise creating falsities in reality. Because of its association with tricking the mind, illusion is looked on by some as a school practiced by scoundrels and worse. Indeed, thieves, assassins and other dabblers in shadow magic often employ a range of limited illusion effects. Nonetheless, students of magic are reminded that illusion is no more innately nefarious than any other school of magic.

Illusions affect one, or many, of the senses, fooling a person’s mind into believing that the magical effects are real. Their uses in practical situations are many, an illusionist being able to produce multiple false images of themselves and disappear amongst them to outmaneuver their opponents. A mage can induce emotions in their opponents or even give them false memories. This school often finds itself at odds with Divination, as this school means to create falsities in reality, while Divination means to reveal truths in reality.

Illusion is, without a doubt, one of the toughest schools to master, as not only does one have to be of clear mind and focused at all times, but have a certain degree of understanding on how different sentient life forms and races operate and function. Aspiring Illusionists often take art and acting classes.

To the casual observer, illusionary magic might seem like the art of simply ensnaring the senses and the mind. While this is an effect of the creation of an illusion, one has to understand the cause to create more convincing illusion.

More often than not you will be casting figmentary illusions which are illusions that rely on convincing others of your deception. They are not substantial and will not hold up to the ‘touch’ test. Most people assume that illusions are simply conjured, when in reality it’s all about creating a convincing lie, one that manipulates others in to thinking that they’re seeing what they want or expect to see. If you simply conjure up an illusion of a dragon in the center of Stormwind no doubt some might see it, but it will not appear tangible and thus, the spell would be broken and you will be considered a fool.

It is best to cast an illusion when no one suspects it and to cast what they most expect to see. In this way a potential illusionist can usually succeed in their endeavors.

How do you make one see what they expect though? You simply play the part, then cast your illusion. If you want to be perceived as someone nonthreatening, you change your speech, your motions, you clothes; and with that, it is easy to convince people of your illusions. It is even easier if you go into a situation where no one has any prior conceptions after you. If they do, the task can be more difficult.

A note on your own personal mentality to create an illusion: your mental image must be solid if it is to be convincing. You cannot waver in what you are hoping the other person to see. If you don’t see exactly what you want to in your own mind, how can you hope to make someone else see it? If your conviction and vision waver even for a moment, your illusion will be broken.

How are illusions applicable in the field if they require total concentration? Those who are inexperienced with battle might find the idea of crafting mass illusions daunting while under fire. In these field situations, it is best to have assistance so others might distract your opponent while you focus on creating your vision, but if it is not possible you still have the element of surprise in your favor. The key is to maintain focus. Your inner world cannot waver. As long as you are still in body and mind while in the field, your illusions can dominate even the strongest of opponents. To this, I can speak from experience.

You might wonder though, how do you keep yourself still while the world seems to blaze around you? It is all about visualization and meditation. By using meditation, you can essentially create a ‘trigger’ for your mind so that way when you are in difficult situations, you can visualize something to calm yourself. For myself, when I meditate I imagine in my mind’s eye a frozen orb hovering on a pure black plane. I know every aspect of this orb that I have created in my mind. I can see the mist trickling from the surface; the webs of cracks that lace along it. When I am in battle, I imagine this, so that I can feel the state of calm I feel in meditation, and then I cast my spells. From my understanding, some monks use a similar technique for some of their abilities.

Everyone has their own techniques to achieve this calm, though in the end, as long as your are steadfast in your belief of your illusion, you can fool anyone. It is all about your mentality.

**Invisibility**

A staple illusion spell is the invisibility incantation. To cast such a spell, a mage either creates a field through which light can pass around himself, or directly manipulates the senses of his viewers to instantaneously erase any trace of his presence. Invisibility spells can also be cast on inanimate objects, with the difficulty of doing so depending on size. Spells similar to invisibility can mask magical auras, employing the same method to avoid or erase detection. It is mentally exhausting to correctly channel an invisibility illusion, so only the most experienced of illusionists can maintain invisibility for prolonged periods of time.
Beware of any objects that have reflective qualities, as well as rain and smoke. While one may seem invisible in plain sight, reflection may still show up, and rain droplets have a chance of bouncing off the illusionist’s body.

**Figment Illusions**

Not to be confused with conjuration. Through the arcane, illusionists can easily create noises, smells, and images that are completely harmless in a physical sense. Such illusions are called figment illusions. Used in utility or to distract one's foes, figment illusions work in a pinch for those inexperienced with magic.

**Mask Illusions**

An illusionist can mask oneself to appear as the inanimate object or someone else, be it a friend, enemy or a member of another race. With the right mannerism, words and clear mind, the illusionist can maintain such disguise for a long time. Beware however of masking as something bigger or smaller than yourself.

**Phantom Illusions**

The most skilled of illusionists can summon humanoid-like images that can interact with the physical world to a limited degree. The most common being mirror images of the caster, the easiest to summon with their reflection of the caster's own mind. Through combination of spells and conjuration, phantom illusions can damage and act on objects in the physical plane. Control of one's phantoms must be maintained.

## Transmutation

**Transmutation** is concerned with the manipulation of the key properties of matter. Such properties include form, place, and even the way time flows around the matter in question. Because many of these properties can be understood only at a conceptual level, transmutation is a discipline that requires exceptional spacial and logical reasoning.

Transmutation spells can be divided into three categories: form, space, and time alteration. Form alteration, the most basic of the three, involves changing the physical properties of a creature or object. The iconic spell of this class is polymorph, which radically alters the shape and composition of its target into that of a small, typically-mammalian animal. Such spells can also involve physical enhancements to strength or speed, or transmuting substances.

Space alteration shifts matter’s position in space, and are commonly known as teleportation and portal spells. Such spells allow transmuters to rapidly move matter by sending it through the Twisting Nether to another destination. Because of its role in transporting pre-existing matter, and its connection with the Twisting Nether, there is some ambiguity as to whether teleportation spells are more accurately classed as conjuration.

The final category are time alteration spells, also referred to as chronomancy. Such spells can send matter backward or forward through time, or alter the flow of time to make it slow down or speed up relative to other matter. Even more so than other branches of transmutation, chronomancy is exceptionally difficult, requiring a mind capable of abstract thinking and the ability to grasp the nature of the timeways.

A Transmuter is one that practices transmutation magic. They are able to summon portals to expedite travel, cast quick incantations that alter the time around them, and even temporarily transform entities into completely foreign objects.

Transmuters are known for having not only the ability to manipulate the physical properties of themselves, changing their form, increasing their physical strength as well as well as their speed, Transmutation also give the transmuter the ability to change the physical properties of other beings. The most recognizable spell of transmuters is that of the polymorph spell, turning another being into a sheep, penguin or some other harmless (or harmful) animal.

**Space Manipulation**

Transmutation is a School broken down into two separate categories. The following spells fall under the first category, and the starting point for most mages starting to learn Transmutation. While bending reality is anything but basic, it is simpler than bending time.

**Polymorphing**

A mage is able to manipulate the Arcane to temporarily shape a subject into a completely foreign entity. This is not an Illusion spell because the caster is altering the subject's thought pattern and physical structure.

The most common example of Polymorph is turning a subject into a sheep, modifying their thought pattern to something like, "Graze, rest, sleep, graze." The duration of this incantation is dependent on the subjects resistance and tolerance to magical disruption. In rare cases, the polymorph can become permanent.

**Slow Fall**

Utilizing the reality shaping power of transmutation magic, it is possible to reduce one’s own weight, or reduce the pull of gravity on oneself. This results in the mage, or their target, slowly drifting through the air like a feather and completely taking away the danger of injury from falling while the spell lasts.

**Teleportation**

Most magi strive for the skill to transport oneself from one location to another. The uses for teleportation are innumerable; but, one must practice heavily before attempting the spell as there can be dire consequences to misfiring.

In each circle of magi, a lexicon of power acts as a beacon for teleportation. A mage can instantly travel from one circle of magi to the next by bending reality, bringing two points together so the mage merely needs to mentally step over the threshold to be where they want.

Teleportation runes are often used to focus a mage’s magic and ensure the mage ends up on the beacon they’re attempting to teleport to. Teleporting without a focusing rune may lead to the mage ending up not quite where they want to go. In addition to this, teleporting anywhere besides the established beacons, those being in major cities and the Circles, is policed by the Kirin Tor and discouraged by the Circle due to the strain it puts on the ley lines. If one wishes to do such an activity, one must have a permit.

**Blinking**

Short-distance teleportation, known as ‘Blinking’, is an extremely useful skill for any mage. Unlike long distance teleportation where one must focus on a place far away and have a mental image of where they want to go and then feel out the ley lines through which they’ll travel, blinking only involves peering forward and choosing a place to be instead of where you are at.

Blinking only works for up to a distance of 20 yards, and is an effective means by which to get out of the way of a charging enemy. If properly timed, a blink can even be used to decrease or completely avoid falling damage. A well timed blink can be the difference between a good story and a tearful eulogy.

**Portals**

The most experienced of transmuters can bend reality to such a degree that they can create "doors" to different locations or even dimensions. Only summon a portal if you know for certain that both sides of the portal will be safe to traverse!
Summoning portals haphazardly is extremely dangerous. Not only does it strain the fabric of reality, but you never know what could be waiting on the other side of an untested portal!

**Summoning**

A mage can quickly transport people or objects to a his location by connecting two points in space into a single space, or otherwise known as a portal as described above. One must simply step through its threshold to be on the other side.

Alternatively, the mage can teleport another willing person to their location through the use of a meeting stone. First, a mage must inscribe a runestone with a summoning rune. When empowered, the meeting stone can be used to instantly bring a creature or object to the location of the caster. Unwilling persons can simply shrug off such magic and refuse its call.

**Chronomancy**

The second half of transmutation, chronomancy is the manipulation of time. Given that for many years the Bronze Dragonflight policed the time streams heavily and executed many mages for tampering with it, chronomancy is a relatively new form of magic in practice. Theories have been written for years but with the Bronze Dragonflight no longer policing minor tamperings, mages have put these theories into practice to a large degree. Below are listed examples of such spells.

**Time Warp**

The simplest example of a chronomancy spell is that of time warping, slowing down or speeding up time in an area. Novice versions of this spell may be able to cause a plant to grow quickly, provided it has enough nutrients to survive for the sped up time frame, while master level versions of the spell may speed up an entire platoon to be nearly 50% faster compared to normal time.

In practical scenarios, a chronomancer may slow down their opponent for a brief few seconds, giving them enough time to maneuver into a strategically advantageous position over them or land a critical blow before the spell wears off. Another example would be that of slowing down arrows or other projectiles long enough to give other soldiers a chance to get out of the way. The ability to slow down or speed up time has many uses, only limited by the fact that bending the time stream takes an enormous amount of mana and magical skill.

**Alter Time**

Skilled chronomancers are able to make ‘snap shots’ of themselves in time, saving a moment of time with a spell in order to return themselves to that point in time should they be injured, or simply need to retreat back to that position. The snap shot only lasts so long, about thirty seconds at most for master chronomancers due to the strain of attempting to hold onto one moment in time as the rest of time marches forward.

Despite the strain, this spell allows the mage to take action knowing that they can return themselves to that previous point in time, fully restored to how they were at that moment but with whatever actions they took on their enemies remaining. If the mage waits too long to release the spell, however, they may find themselves in grave danger with no escape.

**Temporal Shield**

Similar to Alter Time, advanced practitioners of transmutation can create a time bubble around themselves in such a way that anything that occurs inside the bubble will be erased after a set time period, creating an entirely new timeline within the bubble while it lasts. This typically lasts but a few seconds due to the strain of maintaining such a deviation in the time stream. Once the bubble is let go, the time streams snap back together, erasing anything that physically happened inside the bubble. A master transmuter would also be able to selectively erase certain events while the bubble persisted.

**Temporal Mirror Image**

Similar to creating illusionary versions of oneself, and similar to Alter Time, it is possible for a mage to create a temporal ripple, snapshotting a moment of themselves in time to be repeated by a phantasmal version of themselves a few seconds later. Well timed ripples of one’s spells can take an enemy by surprise or deliver a finishing blow.