Magic Introduction

Magic on Lanthyr is an innate mystical energy that every human possesses in small ways. Attuning to a magic shrine allows one to be able to manipulate the element tied to that shrine and cast spells. They also can imbed these spells into gems or other rare objects to create enchanted objects. Those who aren’t attuned to shrines can still work magic through use of wards or by summoning. Magic allows a user to do something different than the mundane; but still requires will and energy to manipulate.

When you attune to magic, the tattoo that forms slowly spreads to eventually cover the entire body. The time this takes is dependent on the amount of elements a mage has, desperation casting, and natural variability (meaning player choice). The amount of time a mage has before being able to become a Wight is referred to as the Wight Timer. If the timer reaches it's end and you don't become a wight, you pass away instead:

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## Shrines

Shrines of Magic are the physical manifestation of magic in the world. Each conforms to the type of magic bursting through that spot at that given time, and will relate to that element as well. Every magic user will visit at least one shrine in their lifetime.A staff member must be contacted prior to visiting a shrine if you would like to attune to another variety of magic. The locations of these shrines must be discovered ICly. If you are concerned your desired magic is undiscoverable and have spent time trying to find it IC with no success, please reach out to a member of the magic team.

To learn to control elements of the world, one must travel to a shrine of magic. Shrines of magic are where magic naturally pours forth into the world, manifesting as its chosen element. Once at the shrine, you must find the nexus, the focal point of the physical manifestation of magic, and attune to it. To attune, you simply extend your will and energy to it, and over the course of a few minutes, you will gain the ability to control that element.

## Tattoos

When a mage first attunes at a shrine, they gain their magical tattoo at a point of origin at a spot of their choosing. From it, the tattoo will branch out in a consistent pattern as time progresses and the mage utilizes their magical abilities. The shape and style of the pattern is unique for every mage as a result of the wild magical properties of the tattoo, but seems to follow a few basic rules:

* A base pattern is simple and repeating in design. This can come from flowing lines, geometric shapes, repeated shapes, or a combination thereof. There can be some variance in the repetition.
* A base pattern is unable to form complex images such as specific religious symbols, animals, people, buildings, or detailed depictions of plants.
* A base pattern does not need to be continuous across the body, space can exist in between parts of the pattern.
* The color of a base pattern is initially decided by the elements a mage is attuned to. Each attuned element adds a new color to the tattoo (of the player’s choosing), representing how many elements a mage has mastered. The base pattern itself does not change, but its coloration can change even retroactively.
* A base pattern can be any color bar black, white, or grey. Tattoo colors can be muted, vibrant, or a mix of both. The tattoo glows lightly as a whole, but the glow is invisible through clothing, mud, or blood.
* When a mage loses their magic for whatever reason, the tattoo will leave behind scarring on the body in the pattern of the tattoo and to the extent in which it was present. This represents the damage suddenly severing the arcane connection does to one’s body and soul.

While a visible and sometimes painful reminder of the time a mage has left before they become a Wight, the tattoo on the skin merely mirrors the changes an arcane connection induces on the soul itself. As arcane forces permeate the soul, the tattoo on a mage’s body will spread until it covers the entirety of it. Because a human soul is a human soul, a person’s height or physique do not influence how long it takes for the tattoo to cover the entire body. A telltale sign of a mage ready to transition to Wightism is full body coverage of their mage tattoo, where further spread is impossible without breaking or condensing the pattern. When the transition is complete, a Wight’s skin turns a dark gray, leaving the tattoo pattern intact in one or more colors it possessed while growing.

A curious interaction exists between the magical tattoo and markings on the skin that cause the tattoo to break from its repeated pattern. Because the visible tattoo is merely a representation of the effects of magic on one’s soul, it exists even if there are scars or mundane ink tattoos on top of it. In these cases, the magical tattoo does not shine through. Any scars or tattoos that exist within the area of the body covered by the mage tattoo will instead glow faintly around the edges in the color(s) of the mage tattoo. Any tattoos set on top of a mage tattoo or adjacent to them on an area dominated by the pattern will also assume this glow, making mundane tattoos an interesting tool to customize the appearance of one’s mage tattoo. Finally, mage tattoos representing the state of the soul means the tattoo will also expand onto any lost limbs, even though this obviously is not visible. If a limb is later re-attached or regrown through some process, the tattoo would quickly spread to it, matching the extent to which the soul has been altered.