Arcane Magic

Arcane magic (also known as Arcane energy) is a cold and intellectual magic that bends time and space and controls the flow of Mana, which is merely a measure of a fundamental power. Arcane, despite being extremely volatile, is so similar to an element that it might as well be one for all magical purposes. While Arcane represents Order, Fel represents Chaos and Disorder, and the two are thought to be at opposite ends of the same spectrum.

Arcane is present almost everywhere, but it is most concentrated in certain areas. These are referred to as leylines. Many races have since taken advantage of these points and built their homes around them. These races have evolved into something greater as a result of their proximity to the leylines, and they have gained a special affinity for Arcane.

## **History**

### **Background**

Order is most commonly perceived in reality as arcane magic. Arcane energy is inherently volatile, and its use necessitates extreme precision and concentration. Disorder, on the other hand, manifests as highly destructive fel magic, a destructive and extremely addictive energy that arose from the battle of Light and Void on a cosmic scale in the early days of the universe.

### **The Acheadalyra Empire**

Thousands of years ago, the Acheadalyra Empire, or the Builders, were among the most powerful beings capable of fully utilizing arcane magic. Emperor Arkhan was Ituna's most powerful arcane user, and scholars speculated that the word "arcane" may have derived from his name. Because the Builders were so skilled at arcane magic, many races arose simply as a result of the magical residues they left behind. They were also the first race to build an artificial body and transfer their soul to it, effectively immortalizing their entire race. Many scholars regard it as a terrifying display of arcane power.

With an insatiable curiosity, the early builders studied leylines and the source of arcane, eager to discover its untold secrets and power. Arkhan, who rose to become Emperor of the Builders, was fascinated by the arcane and its power, as were all of his kind. He was exceptionally gifted at it, and devoted his life to uncovering arcane secrets and revealing their true meaning in the world. He immersed himself in his work and studied magic incessantly. Arkhan was so knowledgeable and powerful in his own right that the builders crowned him as their emperor, the first and only emperor of their kind. Over time, their civilization as a whole learned to easily manipulate and control the flow of magic that was all around them. The builders were worshiped as gods by many races due to their mastery of the arcane, and they ruled the entire land of Ituna. However, due to their reckless use of magic, it had miraculously given rise to one of the most powerful races in the future, and the one that would mark the end of the builders.

### **The Avian Empire and the Anzuri**

The Avian Empire is an empire that stretches across southern Ituna and is regarded as one of the most influential and powerful realms at the time. The Avians' Anzuri sect practices arcane magic discovered during the empire's expansion days. Devoted and intelligent, the Avians were able to quickly learn the art of arcane, thanks in part to their early exposure to holy magic. These alleged magic casters are both powerful and humble. They devote themselves to the art of building and create many inspiring and majestic wonders for their empire. The avians first encountered humanity during the golden ages, and the two quickly became close allies due to their religious similarities. The Anzuri shared much of their knowledge and skills with the newly human magi at the time. This has been critical in the rise of arcane magic throughout human history.

### **Human Magi**

Humans are one of the hardiest and intelligent races on Ituna, having evolved from the Builders' magical residues. Human magi quickly appeared throughout their territory as a result of the knowledge of arcane shared by the bird-like Avians. Great Teacher Astrum, one of humanity's eight Archmages, raised an enchanted floating city and established a kingdom of mages for all arcane practitioners to live and study in. Agrurorths, the kingdom of mages, was formed. Agrurorths was able to produce one of the first necromancers during its peak. These Necromancers were then known as the Watchers of the Damned, the destroyers of the Builders' civilization.

## **Characteristic**

Arcane energy is thus countered and fundamentally opposed by fel energy. Arcane power can be found almost everywhere, but it is most concentrated around leylines, massive Mana energy channels that run through Ituna, giving it a diverse ecosystem. The leylines are the planet's lifeblood, carrying pure Mana rather than scarlet fluid.

Pure arcane has a pale purple-ish hue to it. However, when used to bend other types of magic, it takes on the characteristics and appearance of those other magics. Mages' element-based abilities, such as fire and ice, are examples of this.

Mages are those who wield arcane magic. Due to the volatile nature of arcane magic, mages can usually use it to create portals or teleport people and objects. Arcane magic can be combined with other types of magic, such as fire and frost, to strengthen them. They can be found in elemental magic with an experienced shaman, but mages can manipulate the raw energy, transforming arcane into a somewhat artificial form of elemental magic. The Arcane appears to be linked to the Fire and Frost schools, with several accounts describing them as "manifestations of arcane." Arcane is both flexible and powerful, and it can be combined with any type of magic, but only in theory. To truly accomplish such feats, hard work and research are required, which is a difficult task even for a seasoned mage.

## **Effects and Applications**

Arcane magic, in general, can be used to do almost anything and appears to be limited mostly by imagination as well as the amount of Mana one individual can produce, as it can be used to manipulate both space and time, as well as bend reality. It can be used to create objects such as food or drinks, or to conjure mana crystals, and it can be used in any situation that requires it. Arcane can be used to make yourself and your allies invisible, inaudible, to create multiple illusions of oneself or other creatures capable of distracting enemies or assisting you in combat, or to polymorph objects and people into something completely different, ranging from a variety of critters to powerful beasts to better fit the situation, as well as to communicate from afar via projection.

The creation of iron golems and waystones is one of the more famous or infamous examples of arcane power. They are both incredible demonstrations of what Arcane can do and the limitless potential it has for all of Ituna. However, in general, arcane magic and its applications can be explained by its many schools of magic. The majority of arcane spells can be classified into eight distinct schools. The human magi proposed this idea first, presumably to help students digest their lessons more easily, rather than practicing the entire spectrum all at once.

### **Abjuration**

This is the school of wards and protective magic. The greatest danger to an apprentice is themselves. They lack the finer control and discipline necessary to master their craft. Unfortunately, the consequences can be humiliating, debilitating, or even fatal. This magic can be used to defend yourself against both physical and magical attacks. After learning how to defend themselves, an apprentice can begin learning other magic.

The most common abjuration spell is the mana shield, which converts raw mana into a barrier that protects the caster from attacks. However, shields made from raw arcane are difficult for an apprentice with a limited mana pool, but fortunately the arcane is extremely malleable (a callback to forcing "chemical reactions"). If you apply an element to a spell, such as fire or ice, it will take on that element. Spells do not require a large amount of raw power to maintain due to the combination of an element and a mage's own power but lack the raw potency of the mana shield.

Ward spells are quick, potent incantations that protect the caster from a type of magical damage that occurs when magic escapes a mage's control.

### **Conjuration**

This is the school of making something out of nothing. When a mage conjures food and water, they are using their mana pool to create something that will help them recover. An apprentice would use this to have something to eat after a long day of studying or on an expedition where rations are scarce. A mage can also use the elements in their spells here. Mages use elemental attacks, which are a type of conjuration.

A mage can create water golems out of air and water vapor with time and effort. They can help the mage for a short time before decomposing into their base liquid forms. Usually, these are just mindless creatures enchanted by a mage to do whatever they want, but there is evidence that a mage and elementals can make a pact and serve each other in a mutual partnership, with the mage offering knowledge in place of brawn. If a mage is powerful enough, he or she can summon a swarm of elementals to aid them. There have been unsuccessful attempts to bind elementals to the will of mages.

If a mage does not feel like conjuring something to do their dirty work for them, they can always conjure arms and armor instead.

### **Divination**

This is the scrying school. It is the art of gathering information. Divination is invaluable in the act of exposing the truth in a world that can be so easily manipulated by outside forces in an effort to try and twist perceptions. Of course, a mage can use this in reverse to make their surroundings appear to be something else or to be absent entirely. Why fight an opponent who is stronger than you when you can simply ignore them?

A mage with enough practice can also see across planes and worlds, even accessing memories if the subject is willing. Why scout a location when you can just guess what's there? Of course, a mage's visions are not always clear, and with high costs due to expensive reagents, it may be better to simply look with their own eyes.

### **Enchantment**

The process of imbuing an object—or a person—with magical power is known as enchantment. Some enchantments are only temporary, while others can provide long-term benefits. An apprentice may begin by enchanting a quill to write their notes for them, whereas a master may begin by enchanting a carpet to fly for them. You have conjured a sword but has no idea how to swing it? Enchant it to fight for you at a distance. Something is crawling out of your tome because a spell went horribly wrong? Dispell the original spell and hope for the best. A mage can disenchant items, destroying them and reducing them to their basic components, if they so desire.

Iron golems and waystones are two of the greatest inventions of the enchantment school. Iron golems have long served as a reliable source of protection for ordinary citizens across Kaelandris. They assist in the enforcement of laws and the protection of the people during the night from the undead forces. While waystones serve a more logistical purpose and are a quality-of-life invention, it allows almost everyone accesses to teleportation, though it is primarily used for special and urgent occasions and has some drawbacks if abused.

Conjured water elementals could be considered water animated by enchantment.

Practitioners of other magic may study arcane to imbue their weapons and armor with powerful enchantments.

### **Illusion**

The school of deception is the art of deceiving reality itself. Mages can use this to reduce their voices to whispers, hide the sound of their footsteps, or even vanish from view. It also allows the user to disguise themselves or create multiple versions of themselves. Over-reliance on this school may cause mages to question reality itself and wonder what is true, or they may simply avoid reality entirely and live a permanent lie. Divination spells can see through most illusions, so mages should exercise caution when dealing with people when using this school. Things are not always as they appear.

### **Evocation**

This is the school of gathering energy and bringing clarity to the mind in order for magic to flow more freely. Evocation, a torrent of mana gathered to refill your own pools, is one of the mainstay spells that gets its name from the school. This spell is most likely reserved for adepts and archmages who need to use it in an emergency.

### **Transmutation**

The final school that most mages will learn is likely to be the most difficult because it is the broadest and most dangerous. This is where mages begin to differ in ability, where they can leaps and bounds ahead of others. This school teaches a mage how to manipulate space and time, such as ripping open portals to instantly travel across the world or reversing time to heal wounds. Of course, simply teleporting anywhere is dangerous and can result in a mage being fused into walls or worse.

Polymorph and Blink are two of the most well-known examples of transmutation. Polymorphing a creature is not restricted to smaller animals. People can be transformed into vegetables, and crows can be transformed into massive beasts, or vice versa. A mage would be foolish to attempt to polymorph a relatively weak creature at the risk of transforming it into something far more dangerous. It should be noted that most creatures retain their original minds in their new forms, and are aware of everything that is happening to them. It is possible, but not recommended, to increase a creature's intelligence or power through polymorph, to polymorph into exotic creatures, and to polymorph inanimate objects.

Blink is a self-explanatory short-range teleport. Creating portals is one of the more difficult forms of teleportation. A properly used portal is just as safe as a typical boat trip, but frequent use of teleportation wears down the leyline infrastructure.

Spells that manipulate time, such as Slow Fall, Slow, and spells that increase movement speed, also fall into this category. This arcane art is known as chronomancy, but it is not recommended that it be practiced because if used irresponsibly, it has the potential to destroy the entire world.

### **Necromancy**

Prior to the rise of the necromancers, human magi considered necromancy to be a school of the arcane. It is the practice of researching the deceased. It is also forbidden and illegal in the majority of cultures. Necromancers use this to raise endless and unstoppable armies to attack their enemies, as well as to use diseases to slowly annihilate their foes.

## **Practitioners**

### **Builders**

The Builders were Ituna's first race to discover and employ arcane magic. They assimilated it into their society and even went so far as to channel their souls into artificial bodies in order to achieve immortality. Arkhan, the Emperor of the Builders, is endowed with such vast knowledge and power over the arcane that some scholars believe the term "Arcane" was named after him. Finally, while they committed many heinous crimes throughout the ages, they also left a large portion of their art to the younger civilizations that rose after their demise.

It is believed that the builders are completely immune to arcane magic.

### **Avians**

Arcane magic influenced the Avians and their culture from an early age. They learned and adapted to the arcane quickly due to their firsthand experience with holy magic. The Avians and the Anzuri sect, unlike the Builders, use it primarily for construction and possibly logistics.

### **Humans**

Human Magi have played an important role in Ituna's history. From the creation of magical constructs like iron golems and waystones to the terrifying rise of necromancers. They have since made significant contributions to the advancement of the world and demonstrate the wonderful use of Arcane magic.

### **Mages**

Magi are arcane spellcasters who prefer magics involving the universe's cardinal elements. Students with a sharp intellect and unwavering discipline may pursue the mage's path. Because the arcane magic available to magi is both great and dangerous, it is only revealed to the most dedicated practitioners. Magi wear only cloth armor to avoid interfering with their spellcasting, but arcane shields and enchantments provide additional protection. There are numerous examples of various ways to cast magic. Some spells rely on grand hand gestures, others on verbal components in a language that many do not understand, and still others on reagents and carved runic patterns. Whatever mages use, even if it is a combination of all of the above, it must be used in some form to cast a spell. This is what allows a mage to be so versatile. Even if they are bound and gagged, they can easily free themselves with a wiggle of their fingers from traditional bindings.

Arcane mages are secret revealers, balancing the ebb and flow of incredible mystic energies. Manipulation of the universe's volatile forces necessitates unrivaled skill. These practitioners push their magical knowledge to its logical limits, often to the point of exhaustion and danger to the world around them. Those who master this craft are capable of unleashing an onslaught of unrelenting power on their foes, drawing on replenishing energies to sustain their assault for as long as the battle requires. Mages' hair often turns gray prematurely due to the stress of the magical energies they wield.

Before humans invented the title, builders and the Anzuri could be considered the earliest forms of mages.

### **Warlocks**

Some warlocks were former mages who delved too deeply into demonic power's roots in search of more power. However, some people choose to go down this path on purpose in order to better understand how to fight demons.

### **Druids**

Some druids can gain access to arcane power through nature in the form of the sacred moon, sun, and star powers.

## **Drawbacks**

Though Arcane appears to be powerful, it has a number of drawbacks. Magic can be addictive in and of itself. This is especially true for Arcane. When one feels the power of an Arcane spell coursing through one's body as it is cast, it is difficult to resist the urge to cast it again. Frequent use creates a desire for more, and eventually, a desire for evil Fel energy.

A mage is defined by his or her innate curiosity, though the reasons for that curiosity vary from caster to caster. For a mage, the world isn't so much about wealth as it is about power—and that power is either intensely studied or feared. The arcane arts are among the most perilous Ituna has to offer. Mages walk a fine line between students and power-madness, with some falling somewhere along the way.

We can see how corrupting Arcane can be to its users in this way. Magic corrupts the soul; if a humble person became an Arcane practitioner, all traces of their humble roots would be lost by the time the practitioner reached the higher levels of their art. Magic breeds arrogance and pride. Magic corrupts the body; it prematurely ages the caster and hastens the blight that the world inflicts on what is fair and beautiful. Those who claim that only Necromancy and Fel magic have a corrupting effect are willfully delusional.

Arcane is extremely potent. That is precisely why it draws Fel beings to it. Magic is a literal gateway drug, allowing dark and powerful Fel beings to spread evil throughout the world. Those who use Arcane magic must contend with the influence of Chaos and Chaos' servants.

### **The Five Rules**

This is why scholars and mages alike devised the five Arcane magic rules. Every person who chooses to follow the path of a mage is subject to a set of rules that govern their fate. These guarantees are as follows:

*1. Arcane is volatile.*

*2. Arcane is corrupting.*

*3. Arcane is addicting.*

*4. Arcane draws the attention of Fel beings to those who wield it.*

*5. Never manipulate time.*