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Takimaru

Takimaru

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Nations of the World

Nations of the World
The world of Despair Labyrinth, known to Elynsorians as Arkeia,
is home to many different nations, each with its own history, culture,
and language. Some of them are long gone, others have endured
throughout the millenia, and a few are fairly young kingdoms, having
emerged only as of the past hundred years or so.

For the purposes of consistency, all entries will be written in the language of Elynsor.

There are two primary continents on which the most well-known countries are located: Esceria, better known as the Western Continent, and Aloase, the Eastern Continent.

Western Continent
~~~~~~~~~~

ELYNSOR
The Kingdom of Elynsor is a relatively young nation, but
prosperous and quite powerful even in its infancy. Its religious
bodies are strongly affiliated with the inner workings of its
government. Elynsor is also notable for its powerful military,
as well as numerous advancements in warfare, education,
spellcraft, and language. The basic government and social
structure in Elynsor, like that of many Western societies, is
modeled after the system of ancient Cerynsia, with several
modifications. Geographically, Elynsor is known for its sprawling
plains, treacherous mountain ranges and lush forests, boasting
a generally temperate climate.

GREM
The Republic of Grem is located in a snowy region called
the Kulds, in the northernmost parts of the world. Its
citizens are known for being outspoken, frugal, and adept
at using fire magic. The Fire Mages of Grem are known for
their skill in conjuring flame and employ it for practical purposes,
such as staying warm during the harsh winters of the Kulds.
It is effective enough that the Royal Magic Academy of Elynsor's
curriculum regarding fire magic is primarily derived from Gremic
sources. In this culture, the ability to generate fire can make
all the difference between life and death, so all citizens of the
Republic are at least competent in its use. In fact, they treat
the conjuration of fire as a coming of age ritual. Those who fail are
effectively still treated as minors, deemed unable to survive by
themselves in the wild.

GREYBOURNE
The Greybourne Republic, formerly a vast empire whose
decline came after a devastating loss to the Kingdom of
Elynsor, is a nation primarily built upon the Irren Deserts to
the south. It is known as 'Grisalesca' by its inhabitants.
The people of Greybourne are known to be hedonistic, charming,
and somewhat self-serving, at least by those of Elynsor, their
neighbors to the north. They were best known for their open
worship of Tzern, who they believed to be a god of fertility,
pleasure, and wine. Temples to Tzern were often the home of
ritual orgies and tributes to bodily pleasure--practices looked
down upon by Elynsorians and the more conservative members
of other kingdoms. However, open worship of the deity was
banned after peace with Elynsor was established. This country
is something of a home to various expatriates and foreigners looking
for a good time, and is generally known by worshippers of Erion
as the 'Nation of Sin'. However, during its time as an empire,
Greybourne was well-known for its superb military might. Nowadays,
the nation is but a shadow of what it used to be, thriving mainly on
the sex / slave market and tourism to sustain its economy.

BREVNIA
Brevnia is a kingdom located just east of Elynsor, past the
Faust Mountain Range. Its people are known for their
tidiness and punctuality. Originally part of the Kingdom of
Elynsor, they established their own territories amongst the
mountains and forests of Esceria's eastern side, maintaining
their independence through skilled use of the pike and
crossbow as well as careful use of the terrain. Despite this,
they remain a relatively neutral nation and manage to
maintain good relations with Elynsor, Grem, and Greybourne
alike.

HAVENPORT
The famous port city of Havenport, located just east of
Brevnia on the western coast of Esceria, is home to trade
fleets from all over the world. Known for its thriving
fishing industry as well as for being home to some of the
Western world's most hospitable and luxurious inns,
Havenport is also one of the most culturally diverse
cities. Its population is mostly Elynsorian, Brevnian,
and Deunic, but there are also small communities of
Talean, Gremic, and Honrainese represented in certain
districts. Despite its welcoming appearance, however,
Havenport also has a darker side, which can be seen in
the gang activities that often occur in certain areas.

XALI
A proud and fierce people, the warriors of Xali are best
known for their raw athleticism and martial skill. The high
altitudes of their native lands are said to contribute to
nearly superhuman levels of strength and endurance.
Xalinese are typically characterized by their tanned skin,
powerful frames, and of course, their indomitable fighting
spirit. Both men and women of the Xali tribe take up arms
when necessary and do not hesitate to fight to the death.
A popular quote regarding the Xalinese people goes as
follows: 'If one says they are not afraid of death, they
are either lying or from Xali.'
Once having inhabited the Saryan Mountains, they are
widely considered extinct nowadays. Only a very small
portion of Elynsor's population as of the 10th century
carry the blood of Xali within them.

CERYNSIA
Cerynsia, sometimes referred to as the Last Great Empire,
was believed by many to be the cornerstone of Western
civilization. It was responsible for countless advancements
in various fields, including warfare, philosophy, theatre,
mathematics, language, and politics. The basic structure
of Cerynsic government also served as the blueprint for
the social structures of kingdoms like Elynsor and its
surrounding territories.
Ancient Cerynsia boasted warriors that were unparalleled
in close combat. Some of the greatest heroes from fables
in the Western countries were actually based off of the
exploits of Cerynsic soldiers, who honed their skills from
years of conflict with the Deunic. These troops were also
said to have waged war against the dark lord of the Void
himself, Tzern, and his countless minions.
Unfortunately, the fall of this empire would be rather swift
despite its long period of expansion, due to the untimely
assassination of its last ruler, Claudius Savernus III, and
the chaos that ensued afterwards.
However, though Cerynsia is long gone, its spirit lives on
in the Kingdom of Elynsor, as well as several other nations
in the Western hemisphere.

VERNIA
Vernia was an ancient civilization that thrived in the dense
rainforests of Nule. Its people were known for their love
of prophecy, as well as their numerous contributions to art,
poetry, and spellcraft of the Earth element. Additionally,
the written language developed by the Vernish people is
thought to be one of the oldest among known glyphic systems.
As opposed to being an empire united under one ruler,
Vernia was actually comprised of multiple sovereign states,
only possessing common attributes in terms of art, written
language, and culture.
Nearly every member of Vernish society was well-versed
in some form of art, primarily sculpture and clay work.
Ancient Vernish pottery is considered to be very valuable,
considering its relative rarity after the civilization's decline.

Eastern Continent
~~~~~~~~~~

DEUN
Deun is a desert nation, settled in the oases of the
far-reaching Couran Desert. It has a long and proud
history, once being the largest empire ever known.
Their century-long campaign against Cerynsia is still
written about to this day, and brought about much
tragedy. However, with that also came the exchange
of technologies and ideas between the two civilizations.
The invention of roads and the chariot can be attributed
to the Deunic people, who are known for being tough and
adaptable. A select few are skilled at magics involving the
element of Water, and as such often find themselves
relegated to positions of extreme importance in Deunic
government; control of this invaluable resource provides
one with dominion over many living in the arid Couran
Desert.

AYON
The nation of Ayon, located just south of Honrai, also
has roots dating back to ancient times. Unlike most
civilizations, there is no evidence of a kingdom or empire
in this area. Oral tradition illustrates that each province
had its own ruler, of which the families under his or her
reign would take their last names from. Using this system,
one could easily identify what part of Ayon a resident
hails from by hearing their full name.
Based in the Ayona Valley, the people of this country have
thrived with the help of a complex system of rivers, which
they employ for transportation and agriculture, amongst
other things.
The people of Ayon are known for their exploits in civil
engineering, culinary arts, music, dance, and spellcraft
in multiple elements.
Ayon's mages are not aligned with one particular element
as a nation; their chosen mastery is dependent on the
province from which they hail.
This is due in part to Ayon's status as a preferred
stronghold of powerful mages during the Age of Magic.

ULRALIA
Located in the northern regions of the Eastern Continent,
the steppes of Ulralia have been home to several nomadic
empires over its history, most of which conquered the area,
often having invaded deep into the territories of Honrai
and Deun.
They accomplished such conquests via the use of extremely
skilled mounted archers. Ulralian tribal culture tends to
revolve around the companionship of horses, many of which
roam the steppes freely even today.

HONRAI
The Empire of Honrai is a vast nation, easily three times
the size of Elynsor, located at the other end of the world.
Perhaps one of the oldest civilizations in existence, Honrai
is known for its contributions to mathematics, science,
astronomy, military tactics, politics, and a wide range of
other fields. Its inhabitants, known to Elynsorians as
'Honrainese', are believed to be hard-working but clever
people.
Honrai is home to several famous schools of martial arts,
such as the Heaven and Earth Dojo, a hall bearing some
of the most skilled monks in the world, whose physical
attributes are unmatched due to years of rigorous training.
Rivaling them, however, is the School of Five Elemental
Harmonies, an academy of assassins who manipulate
existing quantities of 'fire', 'stone', 'wood', 'air', and 'water'
to their advantage in combat.

Others
~~~~~~~~~~

TALEA
The Island Nations of Talea are located in the Third Sea,
west of Elynsor. They are home to an indigenous people
of varied cultural influence, though the primary differences
in language are minor ones. As a result, the various
tongues used on each island are simply dialects of one
base language, Talean. The natives of this archipelago
are known for being easygoing, family-oriented, and
friendly for the most part. Mages in this country are
strongly inclined towards the element of Wind, often being
employed on fishing and trade ships to invoke favorable
winds. The wind mages of Talea are also employed en
masse to counter the harmful effects of tropical storms.
In addition, Talean women in particular are known for
being some of the most charming and beautiful in the
world. The Mutiny on the HMS Quarry was a famous
incident in which foreign sailors, taken by the charms
of the native girls on Talea, decided to stage a mutiny
against their commanding officer for the sake of staying
on the islands and enjoying the beautiful scenery and
carefree lifestyle.
Unfortunately, the reputation of Talean girls has attracted
the attention of slave traders, who see them as a prime
target for exploitation on an international scale.
 
Last edited:
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The Nine Great Schools of the Sword

The Nine Great Schools of the Sword

The Nine Great Schools of the Sword refer to different
academies across the land, whose styles of swordsmanship
are considered to be the most effective by the experts of
every major nation. They are as follows:
the Allied Sword Institution of Elynsor, the Tenken Dojo of
Honrai, the Kalanui (Kala-Kala) system of Talea, the Septra
Hall of Greybourne, the Hardtslag Tradition of Grem,
the Shamalus or 'Whirlwind' Style of Deun, the Mulweissen
Form of Brevnia, the Megersing Custom of Ayon, and last,
but certainly not least, is the fabled Fierce Rhythm of Xali.

ALLIED SWORD INSTITUTION OF ELYNSOR
The Allied Sword Institution of Elynsor, one of the Nine
Great Schools of the Sword, may perhaps be considered
one of the more well-known schools, but is definitely the
most prolific, producing hundreds of graduates a year.
The institution utilizes a very strict, formalized method of
instruction to its students, many of whom go on to join the
various knighthoods of Elynsor. The style emphasizes
strong basics, asserting that simple moves are the most
effective in combat. Practitioners of the Allied Sword Style
are typically proficient with straight, one-handed arming
swords
, often using them in conjunction with various
shields.
Effectiveness is the cornerstone of the Allied way. As a
result, the movements applied by its swordsmen are not
particularly pleasing to the eye, but have been proven to
be effective through countless battles.

TENKEN DOJO
The Tenken Dojo is the most dominant and established
center for swordsmanship in all of Honrai, and as such, is
held in high esteem even among the Nine Great Schools
of the Sword.
Students of this school are known for their discipline as
well as their almost fanatical devotion to the way of the
sword. They traditionally use a curved, immensely sharp
blade called a 'katana' and employ extremely fast, strong
movements that combine the draw of their sword with a
powerful killing stroke. The primary focus of the Tenken
style is through honing one's speed and resolve, with the
goal of dispatching the enemy before they can react.

KALANUI SYSTEM OF TALEA
The Kalanui system of Talea, referred to as "Kala-Kala" by
its inhabitants, is a martial tradition passed down orally
and in relatively informal settings. Practitioners of this
style, known as Kaladors, not only learn to wield various
types of exotic blades, but improvised weapons as well.
An accomplished Kalador can take a crude piece of metal
or wood and turn it into a terrifying tool of death. The
Kalanui system also employs complex movements and
footwork as part of its training regime, making the style's
patterns similar to that of a dance. All practitioners of
'Kala-Kala' are dual wielders by nature and taught to fight
with either their left or right arms, in case one is damaged.
Among the Nine Great Schools of the Sword, the Kalanui
System is considered one of the more exotic styles due
to its relative complexity and range of weapon choices.
Their swords tend to be short and have strange shapes;
a blade called a 'kampilan' is among one of the many
utilized in the Kalanui System.

SEPTRA HALL OF GREYBOURNE
The Septra Hall, located in the Greybourne Republic, is a
prestigious academy believed to be home to the best
'duelists' in the world--that is, swordsmen who specialize
in one-on-one combat.
Students of this school specialize in using 'espada ropera';
long, thin swords primarily used for thrusting, often employing
concepts like broken rhythm, feints, and deflecting angles to
open avenues for their own swift and precise attacks.
A duelist of the Septra influence is not to be trifled with.
In their tradition, a verbal insult is often grounds for a
formal duel, which can end in death for the one less
experienced in single combat.

HARDTSLAG TRADITION OF GREM
The Hardtslag Tradition of Grem boasts masters who are
believed to be the strongest, at least physically, of those
under the umbrella of the Nine Great Schools. This is due
in part to their mastery of a large, two-handed greatsword
that is designed for durability and sheer power. As with
Gremic custom, most practitioners of the Hardtslag
Tradition are familiar with fire magic and learn to
channel the heat of their flames through their swords
for a substantial offensive boost. The Hardtslag Tradition,
alongside the Megersing Custom, is one of two styles in
the Nine Great Schools to standardize the blending of
bladework and spellcasting in this manner.
While considered 'slow' by some other swordsmen for their
ponderous, powerful movements, Hardtslag warriors are
among the toughest and most formidable around.
This durability can be attributed to brutal training
regimens in the harsh Kulds.


SHAMALUS STYLE OF DEUN
The Shamalus, or 'Whirlwind' Style of Deun is a form of
swordsmanship noted for its use of rapid, continuous
strings of attacks, hence its nickname. Using a large,
curved blade called a scimitar, students of the Shamalus
Style employ a constantly moving stance and circular
movements to keep their weapons in motion and the
threat of attack ever present. Additionally, dual wielding
is taught--and highly encouraged--in the Whirlwind Style.
Going head to head with a practitioner of the Shamalus
Style can be a terrifying ordeal in light of their capability
to sustain a repeated flurry of bladework.

MULWEISSEN FORM OF BREVNIA
The Mulweissen Form is a long-standing martial tradition of
Brevnia, and one of the Nine Great Schools of the Sword.
Practitioners of this style are known for their extremely
cerebral approach to combat, and are typically very
calculating. A user of the Mulweissen Form will hide their
intents with a relatively neutral stance, mainly striking or
opening their guard only when the likelihood of success
is at optimal levels.
Mulweissen swordsmen are also known for employing
alternative means to victory, such as unarmed strikes or
grappling mixed in with their sword-based attacks. Much
like the Allied school of swordsmanship, effectiveness is
the foundation of the Mulweissen Form of Brevnia. The
students of this discipline are believed to be the most
practical of Nine Great Schools swordsmen. Traditionally,
they employ a short, double-edged straight sword called
a katzbalger.

MEGERSING CUSTOM OF AYON
The Megersing Custom of Ayon is one of the more unique
styles of the Nine Great Schools of the Sword. While often
considered inferior to some of the other styles in terms of
raw technique, this discipline combines the use of high-
level elemental magic with swordsmanship. Practitioners
of the Megersing Custom are sometimes referred to as
"spellswords", for their proficiency at infusing magic into
their blades, and one must be a mage to study this style.
An ill-informed opponent could find their own blades being
melted, frozen, rusted or otherwise disabled upon locking
swords with a competent spellsword. Students of this art
often use the tips of their blades as focal points, allowing
for spellcasting on the fly. The swords they use are cup-
hilted straight blades known as 'khanda', typically suitable
for cutting. These go through a rigorous forging process
to ensure proper magical conductivity.
For one to succeed in the Megersing Custom of Ayon, one
must train their mind as well as their body, as effectively
blending swordsmanship and spellcasting is no easy task.

FIERCE RHYTHM OF XALI
Widely considered the rarest form of the Nine Great
Schools of the Sword, the 'Fierce Rhythm' of Xali is more
of an attitude or approach than a formalized system of
movements. The Warriors of Xali, who were known for
their great physical prowess in battle as well as their
impressive fighting skills, also had a factor that set them
apart from the rest. This was arguably their indomitable
will to emerge victorious, which was almost legendary;
more than one tale had been told of a Xali warrior sustain-
ing injuries that no other human should have been able to
survive and dispatching a large number of opponents
before finally expiring hours later.
To learn the Fierce Rhythm is to accept the Xali way of life,
which glorifies death in battle and alters one's primary
identity into that of a warrior. The Xali were known as the
most relentless and determined of all barbarian tribes,
and their martial tradition, which employs a variety of
different weapons
--both forged and improvised--reflects
this quite well. A master of the Fierce Rhythm is a force
to be reckoned with in both armed and unarmed combat.
Unfortunately, there are very few, if any, known masters
of the Fierce Rhythm left--the style barely remains listed
in the Nine Great Schools, but survives due to its feared
reputation.
 
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Takimaru

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Magic in Arkeia

Heavily edited by Kat (actually, I wrote most of this section).

MAGIC


The Basics

Magic is the manipulation of an internal energy to achieve a variety effects. Magic, the form of energy to use it, and methods for harnessing it is often different across cultures, but all living things produce this energy and the end result is usually the use of something called “gates”. Spell gates are fields of energy that are attuned to a specific element, and as such can summon it from a plane which is abundant in that element, as well as manipulate it's properties in-transit. Differing “pressures” between planes assure that the summoning of an element is a one-way trip though, and elements a gate isn't tuned to cannot typically pass through it. So far, simple elements and forms of energy are the only things capable of being summoned or manipulated in this way; more complex things generally cannot pass through gates.


Spell Gates

Formation of a spell gate usually involves an expenditure of magical energy on the part of the user, then the control and focus to make something useful out of that energy. Use of this energy and control of it is a skill that must be trained and practiced and built up naturally, similar to the physical conditioning and reflexes needed for swordplay. Both of these skills take considerable mental ability, and as such the education to use this power may take years to be effective and generally isn't wide-spread at a high level among most common people. Each element in magic is like a “language”, and while it IS possible to learn multiple elements, most mages are only “fluent” in the first element they start to pick up. Learning the rules and subtleties of one element actually makes it harder to master others in most cases. Even the few capable of using all of the elements of their chosen school still tend to specialize in a primary one, like how multilingual individuals still have a native language.


Technique

Spell Gates usually require some kind of “focus” to use. Many times this takes the form of a chant or prayer. The words themselves hold no power, but hearing them will run a user's mind through a series of steps they've subconsciously trained themselves to execute to form a gate. This is the most common form of magic used on the Western Continent and generally yields spell gates that can summon a large amount of an element. While the pressure of the element's plane is generally enough to project the element on it's own, a gate must be formed and controlled carefully and precisely to handle the exact amount of element and pressure passing through it, otherwise it will risk collapsing. While in-transit, the same and certain other properties of the element can be changed by a skilled mage, but upon exiting the gate, the element retains those properties and they cannot be changed by gate mage. Magic that can manipulate existing elements already in this world does exist, but that will be covered in a later section and is rare to the point of only a small handful of practicioners existing. (See Harmonizing)

Verbal chants are not the only form of focus one can use to perform magic. A series of movements or physical stances performed perfectly can also put a user's mind in a state suitable for the manipulation of magical energy. Martial artists on the eastern continent have been known to be able to enter meditative states through sheer perfection of physical technique and form spell gates this way, as have the warriors of Ayon with weapons especially made for the purpose. Across various other cultures, this method mixed with something like a chant have been used in everything from unarmed combat to swordplay... however utilizing magic this way has often been compared, by the "real" mages who use more "pure" gate magic, as only knowing a single word within a language, with no understanding of how to the letters work to form anything else.

Gates follow a few observable rules:
-The closer a gate is in proximity to the caster's own body, the easier it is to create. The vast majority of gates are formed at the hands or directly in front of them. A radius of more than a meter from oneself makes a gate at least twice as difficult to form. Trying to form a gate without being able to point your hands or fingers in the direction of where you want to form the gate is impossible.
-The ability to think in abstract terms or picture separate worlds in one's head is vital to casting spells, as one needs to 'navigate' a separate plane to an extent in order to form a spell gate. The rules of reality in other planes do not follow our own, and finding the correct place to draw your element from can be a tricky process if you can't learn the "rules" of a plane.
-The ability to mathematically is important for gate stability, especially when it comes to estimating difficulty and volume increases with gate shape and size.
-Gates can only be tuned to a basic form of element or energy. More complicated things like living being cannot pass through them. (See Voidic for exceptions)
-Metal that has not been specially formed for the purpose can conduct magic in a user's body in a disruptive way. Platemail is not recommended for casting.
-Gates are one-way tunnels, the higher pressure on the plane side of a gate makes it impossible to send even basic elements back through a gate without collapsing it.
-Trying to form a spellgate without a focus like a chant is nearly impossible unless you're being exposed to the plane. The entire point of a chant is to program your mind, upon hearing the chant, to automatically and subconsciously feel the same thing it feels when you're exposed to the plane, even when you're not... to teach yourself how to feel the plane even when you're not feeling a trace of it to "follow" back. Most beginner mages learn to form their very first gates this way, either through the use of a crystal from that plane or having another mage open a spellgate for them to "feel" from as they're learning.
Even though a crystal can be used to "feel" you way into a plane, it is a slow process that handicaps any additional learning past a basic stage. However, when combined with a chant and used by accomplished mages who already know their element, crystals from a plane can become powerful focuses that amplify the effects of spells.


The Elements

Spell gates can be tuned to almost any element or type of basic energy, but these are the ones most commonly used.

Western Continent

Fire: One of the 5 elements taught at the Royal Magic Academy of Elynsor.
This element is also widely known in the cold, snowy land of Grem, where being able to start a fire on one's own is a survival necessity and seen as a rite of passage. Those who cannot summon fire on their own are deemed unable to take care of themselves and are not seen as adults.
Skilled fire mages have been known to be able to produce hotter flames or even summon from their plane "liquid" fire that sticks to surfaces while burning on it's own for a short while and “compressed” fireballs that will lose stability after a certain amount of time (or when disturbed) and explode.

Wind: One of the 5 elements taught at the Royal Magic Academy of Elynsor.
This element is also widely taught in the island nations of Talea, where the sailors employ teams of wind mages for the purpose of speeding up their voyage and repelling certain hazards like small storms by manipulating the existing winds at key angles with the "push" of their own gate-generated winds. This tactic has also been adopted by some of its neighbors like Elynsor.
Most wind mages can shape the wind they manipulate or summon into patterns that tear or cut, making this element more dangerous than it might initially sound. Extremely skilled wind mages can even employ wind as a defensive barrier and propel themselves in a direction of their choice (with considerable impact force), though it naturally takes an immense amount of control and mental stamina to do so for any sustained amount of time.
Wind is the easiest element to form at a distance, and one of the quickest to cast as the element puts less strain on it's spellgate than many others.


Water
: One of the 5 elements taught at the Royal Magic Academy of Elynsor.
As an element crucial for sustaining life, the capability to create gates linked to the Water Plane is a closely guarded secret in the desert nation of Deun, where water mages are almost always found in leadership positions, as they manage the flow of this precious resource.
Skilled water mages can summon/manipulate ice as well, which is technically the same element as water--thus, they have access to both a liquid and a solid form of magically conjured elements. However, access to Ice lies in a deeper part of the Water Plane, and takes far more effort and energy to summon. Ice can also be difficult to control for one used to the fluid state of liquid water.


Earth
: One of the 5 elements taught at the Royal Magic Academy of Elynsor.
Earth gates can be "conducted" through existing non-metallic earth, allowing a skilled Earth Mage to form them inside of other chunks of solid earth and summon more earth there, with sometimes explosive results, This allows them to take advantage of techniques ranging from collapsing or exploding ground under opponents or creating instant walls of rock fortifications or defenses, although the latter takes more skill and control.
The summoning of Earth has been limited to relatively common natural materials; slate, limestone, sandstone, etc. Granite is the hardest currently known form of 'Earth' and is located in much deeper parts of the plane, making its use limited to only the most skilled of earth mages. So far, the conjuration of more precious materials like gold or diamonds has not been known to exist, though many erroneous fables of such continue to persist.


Lightning
: One of the 5 elements taught at the Royal Magic Academy of Elynsor.
Lightning magic is often considered one of the hardest elements to control; the nature of its arcs and the way they interact with particles in the air can make for inaccurate shots at long distances as well as prove difficult to correct if mis-aimed. However, it is extremely potent when used offensively due to its speed and effectiveness against those clad in conductive metal armor, who might otherwise prove difficult opponents for almost anyone else.
Skilled lightning mages can summon higher voltage arcs or even “tune” their lightning spells to give conductive objects (including people and other living things) a charge. This charge can be tuned to do everything from cause pain upon contact, to momentarily paralyzing a target.


Cosmic:
Cosmic energy can be compared to “life” energy or “light magic”. The energy that escapes these spell gates will generally have a positive effect on living things natural to this world, inducing healing or temporarily boosting physical abilities like strength or endurance when used applied to the right organs and energy points. Cosmic healing is said to work by restoring 'order' in the body. In Elynsor, one of the church's greatest advantages, societally, is to be able to train healers and offer their services to the people in place of more expensive alternatives like the medicines of alchemists. The right to learn this magic is one the guard jealously, outlawing its study in any other institutions in the country, although this has not stopped it's use elsewhere in the world (although regardless of the place, it seems the religiously "mindset" is most conductive to learning this magic).
Used in high concentrations, cosmic magic CAN be used to cause harm, but it's harm on most things in this world is minimal compared to the other elements. However... against anything Voidic, it's offensive use increases greatly, disrupting the naturally chaotic energy in their bodies with its form of 'order', thus damaging or crippling them severely.



Void
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Voidic Energy is in many ways the opposite of Cosmic Energy. The Void is believed by many cultures to be a realm of demons and creatures of strange power. For creatures of our plane however, Voidic energy is usually unhealthy and detrimental, associated with chaos and corruption; the former of which can obviously cause great harm when applied to a living being in excess. Exposure to strong amounts of Voidic energy can cause effects imitating illness or poisoning. Blindness, a lack of strength or other physical abilities, delirium or compromised mental state, sickness and fainting, even painful “burns” having nothing to do with heat can all be effects of exposure to Voidic “airs”. Frequent exposure to Voidic energy can also be addicting for any creature without strong Voidic origins, and human users run a very serious risk of falling under it's “intoxications”.
In Elynsor and many other countries, Voidic magic is deemed highly illegal, due to it's dangers and associations with demons, corruption, and the unholy practices... but the greatest danger of all is that Voidic gates are more lax in their rules of what can pass through them than the other gates are. Even unimpressive naturally occurring gates can let weak Voidic creature pass, and ones made intentionally carry a very real risk of letting in things beyond the caster's control. Unfortunately the illegality of this magic, nor the danger that prevents it's heavy use even in places where it's not outlawed, does not mean all knowledge of it's usage has been forgotten and lost to time.


Eastern Continent and Elemental Harmonizing


Elemental Harmonizing
The practice of elemental Harmonizing differs greatly from standard gate magic. Instead of summoning an element, this magic instead seeks to manipulate elements that already exist. Elemental Harmonizing is not possible by humans in their natural state, and takes a long arduous process of learning and conditioning that changes the fundamental properties of one's own magical energy (and according to practitioners, their very souls) in a way that aligns it to their chosen element. The "schools" that teach such a technique are highly selective, highly secretive, and their methods unknown to anyone outside their ranks. What is known is that as few as 1 in 10 initiates may survive the training required, although whether this is due to the training methods they employ or only a small number of people being predisposed to survive a "changing" of their "spirits" is unclear.
The elements of Elemental Harmonizing include Stone, Wood, Water, Fire, and Metal. The changing of the spirit to learn one element necessarily makes it impossible to align with any other. Unlike regular gate magic, which requires little physical strength and relies on planar pressure for force, Harmonizing requires both extreme mental and physical conditioning, as the manipulating magics act as amplifiers for precise movements of the body and expresses those movements in the element being manipulated, with the entire process resembling a martial art.
It is hard to say with certainty how many harmonists exist in any given element, but their rarity indicates it may be as a few as a couple dozen. For a lord to be able to buy or win the long-term services of a Harmonist is considered a sign of extreme prestige and influence, as their training usually leaves them extremely skilled in some form of combat-related art even without counting their Harmonizing skills... however the different schools have long suffered from a schism since the unity they had at formation, and it's not uncommon for them to try to kill known members of their rival schools.


Other Magic

Enchanting
Enchanting is the process of coaxing out or forcing in magical energies and a bit of mental “programming” into an object to achieve an effect. This forcing of magical energy into an object tends to have a harsh effect on the material itself, degrading it on the most fundamental levels. As such, most enchanted objects are only good for a limited number of uses or a certain amount of time before their vessel degrades too much to be of any use.
The objects best suited for holding enchantments are usually ones with amounts of materials that already have magical properties of their own. Unfortunately these materials are pretty rare, believed to have been created by energy leaking through natural plane rifts over long periods of time... or being materials from the planes themselves that got here through a process modern mages can only hope to guess at.
Unfortunately this mix of unreliability and the rarity of materials needed for items that can be used repeatedly or long term has led to enchanting being seen as a “gypsy” art in some places. This is further worsened by the fact that the average person, not knowing much about magic, is easily impressed by it... a fact many scammers are willing to take advantage of through peddling enchanted objects that were played up with “stage magic” and may burn out fast, backfire dangerously, or simply not work at all. Enchanting's status as a “real” magic is non-existant or fairly new in some places, and it's practitioners in these places tend to have learned through esoteric traditions that have been passed along family lines. All of these facts have made it a very “un-standardized” science that is not very well understood by academics. Academics own enchantments are often far simpler than that of the best traditional enchanters, who can produce effects that seemingly defy the rules of normal magic.

Summoning/Warping
See the above entry on Voidic magic. Summoning living creatures from other planes may be theoretically possible, but current magic is unable to achieve this feat, though it MAY happen naturally from time to time.
Exposure to energy from a plane is also thought to be able to change things up to an including living creatures in this world. With Voidic gates this is proven fact, but it may happen with others as well. As with summoning, modern mages are unable to replicate this, possibly due to the huge amounts of time required or some subtlety of gate they magic that they simply do not yet understand.

Physical Catalysts
Certain materials like rare crystals can be cut and shaped to supplement a mage's abilities by acting as focuses. (Although heavy use of a focus is believed to handicap and greatly slow down a mages learning, so they're generally used only by accomplished mages who already know the basics and not-so-basics of their element.) Other such materials like magically-conductive wire and lighting have also been invented but are not very wide-spread. Unlike enchanted items, these generally do not break down and degrade through use, although they do usually require a power source.
Any creatures from a plane or warped by the magic of a plane tend to be natural catalysts for that element. For example, most Voidic creatures can instinctively use small amounts of Voidic energy, and indeed their bodies usually creates small amounts of it naturally. Those from the Elynsorian Church of Erion believe that Cosmic energy is natural to humans, using the doctrine to explain its potent healing properties.

Cooperative Spells

It is possible for two or more mages to cast a spell cooperately, with one of them handling control of the gate, and another providing energy for the spell, or both of them sharing the responsibilities. It is even possible to combine multiple elements into a single spell, something one mage couldn't do alone. More than two mages working together is also possible, but the more mages involved with a spell, the harder it becomes to keep the resulting gate from collapsing, especially when combining different elements.
Cooperative spells require the mages involved to be able to "sync" well with eachother to avoid gate collapse. While this can naturally occur between two mages easily enough if their personalities and mindsets are compatible, for anything involving more than two, mages usually have to specifically study and practice group efforts. The results are well worth the effort though, as group spells increase in effectiveness exponentially, and this multiplicative effect is what lets groups of mages achieve amazing feats like propelling entire ships on the open sea.
 
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