Luca Aziron

Luca Aziron was a Sage and Varduk magic user who was responsible for a large majority of what Ötenuei has been recovered, thanks to his Blessing of Hindsight and lifetime of research with his partner Ersafel Zagfried.

## Appearance

Luca was average in height with pale skin, grey hair, and green eyes. In the twilight years of his supernaturally long life, his face was wrinkled and his body developed a slouch that made him appear shorter than he actually was.

## Personality

Luca had a strong sense of duty to the people of Bastion. He believed that his Blessing was not a gift he was given for his own sake, but a tool which he was responsible for using to make the world better. This was part of the reason for his remarkable longevity. However, as his life neared its end, he became increasingly neurotic, fearing he would not achieve his goal. He stated that his greatest fear was that he would die with Bastion in a worse state than when he'd been born. Sadly, when he did pass, this appeared to be so, in part due to magic becoming more widespread.

## History

Luca spent his young adult years as a community organizer and politician, using his Blessing of Past Vision as a tool which gave him an edge over his opponents and won him the trust of those who received his help.

When a group of explorers discovered a massive crystal inscribed with runes within the caves of Mount Ennika, Luca was asked to assist in determining the crystal's origin and purpose. By touching the crystal and using his Blessing, he experienced firsthand the circumstances leading up to its creation and rediscovered Ötenuei as a result.

Over the course of dozens of visits to the crystal, he and several other researchers including Ersafel Zagfried, who would later become Luca's husband, pieced together what they could of the language. The study of the crystal and dispersal of magical knowledge became their life's work. However, the existence of the crystal itself was a secret kept among them and those they enlisted to protect it.

When the first of Luca's spellbooks was published, reactions were mixed. Most were excited and optimistic about the potential widespread magic use had, but a significant minority felt the possible negative consequences outweighed the benefits. Many in this group were also skeptical of Luca himself, as he never revealed the source of his information. Rumors of him being in league with wights or the Angels spread.

Those who opposed the proliferation of magic formed an organization called the Antimagic League. From the beginning, there was tension within the League between those who favored a nonviolent approach - the position held by Ostra Zeikren, leader of the League - and those who believed in opposing the spread of magic by any means necessary, led by Kaios Rucifelt.

These factions finally split when Kaios had Luca assassinated and formed the Divine Resistance, thus starting the War for Ötenuei.

## Magical Research

Luca's most important contributions to magic were his Three Laws of Magic and his spellbooks, which contain a number of spells still widely used in the present day.

Luca's Laws are as follows:

1. **Law of Lost Energy:** The energy required to cast a spell will always be greater than the energy it acts upon.
2. **Law of Ambiguity:** The more ambiguous the wording of a spell is, the more energy is required to cast it and the less predictable its outcome.
3. **Law of Attunement:** When the energy for a spell is provided by a caster or crystal of the corresponding attunement, the spell is significantly more effective.

Luca also provided the following examples of these laws:

1. A mage attempts to use a spell on a similarly powerful friend to teleport them. The Law of Lost Energy states that the energy required to cast this spell will be greater than the total energy possessed by the friend, and thus, the total energy possessed by the mage as well. Therefore, the spell fails.
2. A mage attempts to cast a spell which translates to "make a ball." Lacking a clear direction, the energy devoted to the spell is released as a small explosion that injures the caster.
3. A Tergn-attuned mage uses a Varduk-attuned crystal as the energy source for a Varduk spell. The spell is as effective as if it had been cast by an Varduk-attuned mage.