The Elyseum

The
Elyseum is denoted as a plural noun.  It
is more than a single place and has no corresponding physical location in space
and time.

It was
created by Hecate in a fit of schizophrenic rage about five millennium before
the fall of Atlantis as a stopgap and filter for magic into the mundane
world.  The Elyseum made it much harder
for people other than those that carry specific genetic traits to do magic in
the real (or mundane) world.

The
Elyseum has no definable boundaries. It is a place created with and maintained
by the flow of magic from the Aethereal Realm to our own and prevents the kind
of magic that can alter the laws of creation or reality.

==== The
Origins of the Elyseum ====
Before the
creation of the Elyseum, it became apparent to Hecate and few others that were
studying this realm that literally anything was possibly.  A spell could be created that could change
the direction of time or that could cause the entire population to need to
breath water (instead of just the merfolk).
A single word, spoken with the right power and intent could erase oxygen
from the planet.  Hecate was determined
that as a lasting legacy to Valdarin’s creations that she owed them at least
enough to not let that happen.  She
reigned in the Five Elements — Earth, Wind, Fire, Water and Time and sit an
Archon / Avatar / Acolyte /Abbot / Adept / Furie (Erinyes) and Fate with
control over each to ensure that too much power never comes through that
particular channel to do enough harm that could never be undone.

So, if
something comes along wanting a huge chunk of elemental magic, they are alerted
to it first and have to agree to allow its use if its so much that it would be
considered dangerous to life in general — they don't even care if a single city
gets wiped out... just life in general.

Those five
pillars constitute the five basic wisdoms of Elemental magic and the first five
schools of magic are built upon the foundations of those fountains.  The five Magistars control all but the most
basic access to those elementals.  The
Magistars are the ones maintaining the balance.
so there are five sets of five beings and they are generally cared for
by their particular school and very much protected because literally the
pillars of magic are in these hands.

==== The
Secondary magics ====
Not to be
confused with importance,  the secondary
magics are no less important that the primary.
They are just more about the practical application of the Primaries.  Where as the primary magics are all about a
natural elementary force of nature, the Secondary magic schools are all about
combining what was learned towards practical application.  Abjuration, Conjuration, Evocation,
Enchantment, Illusion, Divination and Transmutation are the seven secondary
schools.

#### Abjuration

Abjuration
is a school of magic that deals in protective spells and the suppression of
others' magic. Magic of this school creates physical or magical barriers,
negates magical or physical abilities, harms trespassers, or even banishes the
target of the spell to another plane of existence.

#### Conjuration

The
conjuration school of arcane magic calls materials, creatures or energy to the
caster and can also be reversed to send creatures to other places, either over
long distances or even to a whole different plane of existence.

#### Evocation

The
evocation school of magic included spells that manipulated energy or tapped an
unseen source of power in order to produce a desired end. In effect, they
created something out of nothing. Many of these spells produced spectacular
effects, and evocation spells could deal large amounts of damage. Many iconic
offensive spells such as magic missile, lightning bolt and fireball were of the
evocation school. The evocation school had no subschools.[1] A wizard who
specialized in evocation was known as an evoker.

#### Enchantment

Enchantment
spells affect the minds of others, influencing or controlling their behavior.
This school includes the spells to charm, hex and curse

#### Illusion

Illusion
is the art of deceiving the senses of others by summoning phantasmal phenomena.
Illusion is the art of deceiving reality itself. The mist of illusion can make
a mage invisible or inaudible to the world or twist the image of a location
into something entirely different. Illusion can be used for disguise for
manipulation.

llusion is
the art of deceiving reality itself. The mists of illusion can make a mage
invisible or inaudible to the world or twist the image of a location into
something entirely different. Illusion can be used for disguise or
manipulation, but spells to counteract illusions exist in the divination
school. Illusions can be used to trick your enemies into fighting each other
and be used to display several images of a mage's body that are nearly
indistinguishable from the caster's real form.

#### Divination

Divination
is the school of magic dedicated to gathering information. Powerful divinations
can allow the mage to see targets from a great distance, or even view what may
normally be invisible. One of the most common uses of divination magic is
scrying, which is the art of seeing something that may be far away—perhaps even
on another plane of existance.
Divination spells can be used to counteract Illusion spells.  Sometimes it is easier though for the
Spellcaster to just return to Elyseum and ask questions of people living there
that might have inside knowledge of the goings-on in the real world.

#### Transmutation

Transmutation
is one of the most useful of all the arts, allowing a mage to manipulate time
and space. Perhaps the most iconic Transmutation spell is  [Polymorph], which allows a mage to
temporarily turn something—or someone—into something else.[67] It is possible,
but unadvised, to increase the intelligence or power of a creature through
polymorph, polymorph into exotic creatures, and polymorph inanimate objects.

#### Necromancy

Necromancy
is not taught in any formal school.

==== The
Magistars ====
The
Archon, the Fury and the Fate are incorporeal beings.  That position can only be held by someone
that has not reincarnated, but chooses to stay in the Aethereal for the time-
generally a millennium.  The Avatar is
the highest position of the school and is generally the headmaster of that
particular branch of study and the Adept is his/her right hand person and
guardian.

Most
people only go to 4 levels of study in any particular wisdom there are 7 levels
all together.  If you choose to go beyond
level 4, you must go through level 6 because you are held accountable for what
you learn.  At level 6 you are an adept
and you can choose to remain as an enforcer for the school or you can continue
to other studies.  the Avatar for the
school dies, then a new one is selected from the level 6's and that person is
trained in specific wisdoms that only the incorporeal beings of that school
share.  Most avatars will choose to
remain as the Archon for the school after death.

The
location of Elyseum is not known to the people that live there, but it will be
revealed in the final book.  Elyseum was
actually placed inside the central sun.
The water is just an expression of what we would normally perceive as
energy if we sped up our awareness in such a way to experience energy as a
tangible, physical object. (say about 1,000,000x)  It also becomes apparent to the remaining
characters in Book five that Elyseum is also the gateway to other realms and
the true path to Xion, though everything and every level is interconnected.

==== Elyseum as
a school ====
The
schools appear as cities that contain, corral, maintain the flow of the river
styx in one way or another.  Think
Rivendell, Laketown, Hogwarts, etc

When
Hecate found herself at this new level, she fashioned it into the beginning of
Elyseum, but a part of it was already there.
The biggest secret is that it was already there and someone had
fashioned at least part of it long before her.
Also, it was whatever medical condition she originally had that allowed
her to tune into this place in the first place.

But, she
did work over the course of many sidereal millennium to fashion Elyseum into
the lasting legacy that she left before she disappeared with the others. Most
of the work there is dedicated and maintained in her honor.  Though they also honor the others and their
contributions as well.

It also
gives potential magic users the ability to train in a relatively safe
environment and allows the magically gifted to be separated from the inept
through a series of schools and events.
It allows the imposition of magical standards.

There is a
sub-class of magically gifted people that would like to see the overthrow and
destruction of the Elyseum and allow unfiltered magic back to the mundane.

==== Physical
appearance ====
The five
main schools sit in a secluded area in the form of a pentagram with each school
being wholly located at each cardinal point.
Each Magistereum for each school is located in a high tower with their
seats forming its own pentagram around the flow of magic for that particular
school / branch / wisdom /discipline / regiment / philosophy.

The other
seven schools surround the five in their own 7 pointed star arrangement but
each of these schools are more liberal in their design that typically reflects
the discipline of that school.  The magic
of the five basically flows like a river from the five to the seven.  Think of the rainbow bridge in Thor.

#### River Styx

The magic
that flows as water throughout the twelve schools forms the river Styx.  It has many of the properties ascribed to it
in the classical myths.

The water
is somehow separated on frequency.  Each
frequency would overlap in some small way, but in general, the different
frequencies affect reality in very different ways.

The water
flows from a central spring at the very center of Elyseum, outwards to the five
primary schools that appear as a five distinctly different architectures, but
similar.  From there the water is
captured in fountains and directed through the Magistereum of each school where
it is guarded by the 5 magistars.  From
there, it flows to the seven secondary schools which represents a more
practical application of the five main forces / expressions.  The flow of the river represents moving from
the abstract to the concrete. After the seven secondary schools, there are
twelve Realms, one for each of the surviving gods / goddesses of that final
war.  The Realm is a patterned like a
clock / zodiac around the schools and serve as accessories to the schools with
many square miles of land each.  They are
magical lands and represent different aspects, both good and bad as they are
reflections of reality.  Beyond the
Realms is the undying land that is really only undying where the river meets
it.  The rivers flow out to a sea that
surrounds everything, with a beach that circumscribes the entire area.  The water then flows off the sides like the
“End of the World” (because it is) and drops to Aerathiea as sunlight.  The entire area is relatively small, maybe
100-120 miles in diameter, but filled with magical pocket lands and universes
that might distort / contract / expand those dimensions.

The center
is the actual rift between Aeternity and space/time where the Aether spills
from a higher dimension into ours. Every star and center sun are connected via
pockets of space created from Aethereal foam.
Made from intentions, thoughts, inspirations of the people that
concentrate on maintaining it.  Another
secret is that it only exists while inspired people consider / ponder its
existence.  And if thats the case, then
how was it hear to begin with before Hecate discovered it?  Look for a god / angelic being being trapped
in a dungeon far below the center where Hecate originally found the wellspring
of time. Hecate may have even imprisoned this being there.

==== Grand
Magistereum ====
On matters
of great importance, (such as the appearance of Liam Waite in Aerathiea,) The
Grand Magistereum maybe called.

Consisting
of the 25 Magistereum’s from the elemental schools and the 35 Magistereums from
the secondary schools that make up the lower council. These sixty individuals
made of both corporeal and incorporeal beings decide the magical fate of
Aerathiea.