Abjuration and You

Abjuration and You, Aerendal Magelight

Dissertation
A. Magelight
October 17th, 36 L.C.

"Abjuration and You"

Throughout history there are those with the strong desire to protect those they love and cherish, or perhaps even those they know nothing about. The desire to protect those that can not protect themselves will always have a natural foundation within the minds of those raised around the mentality of doing good in the world. Thus, the first one-hundred magi trained by the quel'dorei sought to explore the possibility of protecting themselves or others via the utilization of magic. It started out small, but eventually grew into one of the staple schools of magic that almost every mage practices to some extent due to its utility and practicality.

I: The Protection of One.
In the beginning, the first form of abjuration created was the mana barrier. In other words, they utilized the portion of mana offered to form a solid barrier that would protect the target from harmful attacks. Be they magical or physical, it didn't matter in the slightest as the mana barrier would absorb a fair portion of the damage dealt. The same principal as before applies throughout the use of abjuration, mana being harnessed and used to protect yourself or others. Exploring into the success of creating a mana barrier, they then took to protection from specific forms of harm. Therefore, they developed wards that could be placed upon themselves, others, or even inanimate objects. Spells such as the ward of shielding protected specifically against physical harm, meanwhile a ward of dampening reduced the amount of impact a magical attack would have upon the intended target. These wards can be cast instantly and are essential to any aspirant's arsenal especially in the event that they dabble in a new school and end up hurting a nearby patron. Should they know and have practiced how to cast a ward instantly, they can save the patron from an otherwise grim demise at the hands of an out of control spell. Of course, supervision should always be exercised when exploring new fields of magic. Preferably an instructor trained in both abjuration and the school that the aspirant is exploring. Taking a further step into abjuration, they then took to protecting themselves from the harsh elements of the world. Fire, wind, air, earth, anything and everything that could potentially harm them. In fact, they even took to utilizing the protective words to counterattack with the chosen element. The three most common "armor" adorned by magi across the globe are known as frost armor, mage armor, and molten armor. Frost armor slowed the physical assault of an assailant by chilling them to the very bone, mage armor was an overall defense from all things harmful, and molten armor would burn those that sought to physically attack the caster. You may have noticed that physical attacks have been a main focus of abjuration throughout history, but you will also be able to deduce that a physical assailant in close proximity is one of the most dangerous situations to be in as a mage. Now then, defending yourself or others is good and all, but what about an entire area? Or perhaps an entire city. The famed Kirin Tor of Dalaran managed just that with the school of abjuration by devoting trained abjurers to forming a nearly impenetrable shield around their city of Dalaran. When the undead knocked upon their doorstep, another barrier was erected that tore apart the shambling corpses that attempted to pass through by the sheer force of the spell. Abjuration has, and should always be a school of magic that all magi have experienced and practiced. It is invaluable to an army, city, or otherwise.

II: The Protection of Many.
Expanding upon the previous mention of the Kirin Tor's ability to protect their entire city, the protection of many often becomes called for in numerous situations that some may be ill-equipped to deal with unless they are trained in abjuration to the same extent as the Kirin Tor. Where as the previous section spoke of protecting a single person in an instant, the protection of many requires a bit of time and understanding. First and foremost, the caster in question must understand that in order to protect more than one person requires a larger amount of mana to be offered. Protecting a single person would only take a small fraction of mana, but two people would take twice as much. The intention of protecting specific people is a very taxing endeavor only to be performed by those with a large amount of mana at their disposal. It is not unheard of for others to offer up their own mana to an abjurer to help embolden their barrier. In conjunction with the amount of mana required, a great deal of composure and focus is also required. If focus is broken, so too is the barrier and thus the mana has been used for no reason at all. An alternative to protecting specific people is protecting an area. Although the amount of mana required is reduced to protect the area, the barrier will only be as strong as the amount of mana offered. Unfortunately, the same rule applies as before, the more you wish to protect, the more you will have to give. Abjuration can even be used to form a wall and stop the enemy at a choke point. For example, you're at one end of the tunnel and the enemy is at the other. Rather than hoping your wards can protect you, manifest your mana into a solid wall of energy that spans the width of the hall and prevents your enemy from pursuing you. Once you understand how to bend the arcane to your will in the form of abjuration, the rest will come to you naturally.

III: The Dangers of Abjuration.
Many believe there to be no drawbacks or punishments for practicing abjuration, but it's quite the contrary for those who have thoroughly explored the school. Spending all of your energy to shield yourself or someone may cause you to pass out from a large loss of mana and thus your concentration is broken and so to is your barrier. Your defenses are only as strong as the protection you apply to yourself, fore if you fall then so too does everything you created. Make sure that you have an optimal position to defend yourself and others when out on the battlefield and in doing so, you will help support and lead your allies to victory preferably unscathed. I can not urge you enough to learn how to properly perform abjuration and obtain supervision when exploring any new field of magic you've never tampered with before. Too many have fallen victim to inexperience, therefore you should always keep your own safety as your top priority. Both on and off the field.

IV: Conclusion
In conclusion, the school of abjuration is all about give and take when it comes to application. On paper it will always seem quite simple, but it's quite the opposite when attempting to perform said magnificent feats like the Kirin Tor by yourself. Abjuration should be one of, if not the first school of magic an aspirant should learn in order to protect themselves and others.