Magic

**Magic**, also known as the **Art**, is a broad term used to describe the powers which allow an individual to cast spells. Magic is not wholly understood, but most scholars and experts agree that magic is innately tied to an individual's unseen organ which produces and stores mana, and acts as a conduit for their connection to the magical domains of the world.

## Magic Use

Magic is used by a myriad of peoples, creatures and entities in vastly different ways, with some better suited to it than others. Almost all people are capable of using magic in some form or another, the majority of them mere amateurs and novices capable of casting minor, incredibly short-lived, spells such as thaumaturgy or prestidigitation. There are, however, people with a greater affinity for magic who can cast more powerful spells.

Although the "unseen organ" cannot truly be located in the body, most likely because of its metaphysical nature, most experts on the subject agree that it exists and is responsible for allowing a person to use magic in any form. It is not known whether people can be born without such an organ, but it is understood that it can be destroyed through magical means - the end result usually being the instantaneous death of the person who just had their unseen organ destroyed.

   It is, in theory, possible to rid someone entirely of their magical ability by non-lethally removing their unseen organ, however such an operation has never been performed successfully.

### Magical Affinity

Elves have a greater inborn skill with magic than humans, dwarves or any other race does with a few exceptions, and elves are thus capable of regenerating their mana in greater quantities while also having an increased supply, and superior resistance to magical effects - such as an immunity to magically-induced sleep. Dryads, much like elves, have an increased affinity for magic - potentially as a result of millennia-long elf-dryad interbreeding - which is innately tied to the forests they inhabit, with their magical prowess tied not only to their unseen organ but also to the mana of the trees, shrubs and vegetation around them. Although tieflings are not inherently superior at magic, they all have a universal resistance to fire that stems from their ancient infernal heritage and demonic ancestry, for this very reason tieflings generally tend to be more in tune with fire-based spells.

Certain individuals can be born with innate magical prowess, such as the elvish sages of Ard'oril who were born with the magical ability to master oneiromancy. Although rare, and with a greater number of such individuals being born as elves, there have been recorded cases of humans, dwarves and others being born with an innate magical proficiency. The Sicairi dhapire Yhessa was born with innate oneiromantic ability, although far inferior to a true-born sage, and many others, such as Sandro Torres or Cedric Chiredean, were similarly born with a natural aptitude for magic.

Certain types of monsters are particularly attuned to magic, with succubi and incubi being similarly resistant to fire like tieflings, or spectres being immune to certain magically-induced conditions. It is said that werewolves are immune to all weapons which are not silvered or magically enchanted.

### Types of Magic Users

* Aen Saennair
* Alchemists
* Artificers
* Clerics and battleclerics
* Demonjagers
* Tarkhans
* Priests
* Paladins and spellswords
* Some bards, skalds and ashiks
* Warlocks
* Mages
* Oneiromancers
* Soothsayers

## Branches of Magic

### Ten Schools

* Abjuration: a collection of spells of a protective nature.
* Transmutation: formerly also known as *alteration*, these spells could transform the nature of the physical world or objects in it.
* Conjuration: this group of spells created or transported people, energy or objects.
* Divination: this school had fewer spells than others, but allowed the caster to see things that they normally would not be able to.
* Enchantment: an area of arcane study that specialized in manipulating the minds of others.
* Evocation/Invocation: spells of this school seemingly created effects out of nothing.
* Illusion: spells based around fooling the senses.
* Necromancy: a dichotomous school that wielded positive energy into healing spells, and negative energy to affect both the dead and undead.
* Hemomancy: a school of magic focused around weaving the blood of the living and undead into spells.
* Universal: a small number of spells were not associated with any school but universally available, even to specialists.

### Additional Branches of Magic

* Shadow Magic: the art of weaving shadows into spells and summoning entities from the darkness.
* Physiomagica: a subset of illusion magic that physically alters a person's appearance, sex, age, etc.
* Oneiromancy: a largely innate magical process centred around relieving an individual's past or predicting their future by tapping into their dreams.
* Astrology: a quasi-magical field centred around reading future events or locating people/objects using the alignment of the stars.
* Wards: a type of magic which centres around the creation of powerful infernal/abyssal glyphic wards which enhance a carrier's mental or physical abilities.
* Alchemy: although not inherently magical, alchemy can be used for the brewing and crafting of magical concoctions and elixirs.
* Garathys: the forbidden dark art of summoning otherworldly entities, such as demons, from different planes of existence and dimensions.
* Exorcism/Expulsion: a form of magic centred around breaking demonic or infernal possession.
* Pact-making: an unofficial form of magic used to refer to bending magical entities, such as genies, to one's will by forcing them into a pact.
* Curses: TBC

## Sources

**Sources**, known alternatively as **Places of Power**, are stone obelisks that appear throughout the world and radiate magical energy. These occurrences of mana can be used to enhance one's magical ability for a short period of time, as well as used to potentially heal certain wounds and afflictions. Weeping Rock in Kerack is one of the better known sources, and it was there that Marcus Vicori was resurrected and obtained immortality.