Spells

A **spell** is a type of casted magic that uses harnessed brecophis to impact the world in magical ways (i.e. freezing people, summoning objects, causing explosions)

## Brecophis

All spells require brecophis to be cast. Brecophis is present in all living beings but only mages have a high enough amount of brecophis at birth to make use of it. If brecophis is reduced to nothing, the being will die, regardless of its magical status or consciousness. Spell casting alone will never deplete all brecophis. If a mage lacks enough brecophis to cast, the spell will backfire or will not be cast at all. Brecophis slowly replenishes in mages naturally as they rest but this process can be sped up by magic and potions. Maximum brecophis levels may be increased through training, magic, and potions but having increased brecophis will not make someone a mage if they were not born as one. Non-mages may attempt to increase their brecophis as security against sources that may drain it as they have no way of restoring lost brecophis naturally like mages. Brecophis may be completely depleted by certain spells, poisons, and monsters.

### Backfired Spells

When spells backfire as a result of improper casting, lack of brecophis, or a counterspell, it is directed in a random direction- often towards the original mage. Backfired spells may explode, transform, or summon and the severity depends on the type of spell used. There is no way to know for sure how a backfired spell will react.

## Classification

Below is a list of the main categories that spells could be assigned to. This list does not include spell types such as counterspells as they may fall under any of the existing categories.

### Forbidden spells

These spells have been forbidden as they often result in mass destruction and/or death and have disastrous consequences on things around the cast area.

Forbidden spells are not easily discovered and the instructions, as well as any literature about them, have been scattered around Eigen and protected by very powerful seals and curses. Only a handful of existing mages know anything about forbidden spells, and even fewer know how to cast them. Forbidden spells have very specific casting requirements and require a tremendously high level of brecophis to cast. Even if a mage were to discover how to cast one, they most likely wouldn't have enough brecophis to properly complete the cast.

Improperly casting a forbidden spell is incredibly dangerous and very often results in the mage's immediate death.

### Companion Contracts

Companion contracts can be summoned by using the spell "aphon vonsen-" followed by the exact species or companion name. While only mages can preform the spell to summon a contract, anyone can sign one once previously summoned. A companion may only be bound to one contract at a time. When a contract is signed, a companion will serve the signer for the duration described in the contract in exchange for their demands- also listed in the contract.

Basic companion contracts are sometimes sold as pets as their contracts are relatively simple, such as requiring regular food or water. These basic companions are summoned via their species rather than name due to how plentiful they are and are often lacking in any abilities or power. When called upon, a contract is issued with the first available being, chosen randomly.

Higher level companions must be summoned by saying their name exactly. These types of companions are individual beings rather than species and are regarded with a high degree of respect- failure to say their names correctly will result in a spell backfire. These contracts are often demanding and complex, some being very dangerous. Unlike basic contracts, most non-mages don't have the means of completing them, so even if they may have been presented with a physical contract for these beings, they will most likely be killed if they sign it. It is important to carefully read a companion contract before signing as some companions have potentially life threatening requirements. These companions are often extremely powerful or useful but the trade-offs can be steep (i.e. The being Zasirel’s contract states that he may drain the signing mage's brecophis for the entire duration that he is under contract)

A companion draining someone of their brecophis is one of the ways that brecophis may be depleted completely- which will sequentially kill the signer. However, a companion is unable to freely kill a signer- they may only do so if the signer falls victim to their contracts.

In Vaxalt, mid level contracts can be found being sold as exotic pets. They may range from species contracts to individual being contracts. These companions are often pricier and are more dangerous to form contracts with, however, this doesn't stop people from seeking them out as they're relatively strong when compared to basic companions.