Howdy guys! Kayse again.

So though we are a medieval based server, we do still obviously have fantasy aspects such as non-human species and magic. Since non-human species were covered lightly in my Intro to Character Creation, today I’m going to be covering magic. Our server is primarily based off of D&D and its magic systems, but I figured it would be helpful to go over the different kinds of magic anyways.

Arcane Magic

The most common form of magic in any fantasy world is that of the arcane. Arcane magic is the most common due to its accessibility and variety. This form of magic, while typically taught at schools (such as the Emerald Institute in Plemicia- which is very far northeast of Kara), arcane magic can also be taught by various scholars and mages in the world. The arcane is learned and practised through an individual’s arcane language. An arcane language is a specific set of sounds, movements, and even writings that are curated by the individual- these languages are specific to the mage, and cannot be used by others. There are different ”schools” of magic, of which there are eight. Out of these eight, while many mages may know a couple of spells in a few of these- most mages (other than the very powerful) concentrate their studies into one school.

• Conjuration: To create something out of the elements of the world and the mana that a mage can procure. The School of Conjuration is meant to be that which creates objects, structures, and constructs. This school can also be used to take something and magically move it from one place to another.
• Abjuration: The School of Abjuration is mainly focused on the protection of a specific thing; be it a person, a location, or an item. This may include wards, barriers, or magic shields. Depending on the spell of abjuration cast, those who attempt to interfere with an active spell of abjuration may be subjected to a plethora of harmful effects.
• Transmutation: While many schools focus on creation, this particular school focuses on change. The School of Transmutation is focused on taking a person or an item that is already present, and altering it. For beginners of this method of the arcane, transmutation may be a simple matter– such as turning silver into gold. But those who are advanced within this craft may find themselves changing people, such as polymorph.
• Evocation: The School of Evocation is often confused with the School of Conjuration. While conjuration creates things, evocation calls upon energy and the elements. Call upon lightning, control fires, and even just utilising the mage’s mana or energy are some well-known examples of evocation.
• Divination: The School of Divination is one that focuses on revealing or granting knowledge to the caster. This is a school that is well utilised to transcribe text that may not be common knowledge, identifying artefacts, or perhaps even peering into the future.
• Illusion: Manipulating the visual aspects of a space or a person’s point of view would fall under the scopes of illusion. The School of Illusion manipulates visual and auditory elements, but that is as far as this school’s ability. However, if used well could lead to some pretty convincing deception for those who are subjected to this spell.
• Enchantment: The School of Enchantment focuses on the mental manipulation of a target, to put bluntly. This is a school that is very comparable to hypnotic abilities, that seek to control a person in hopes of altering how one can behave. This school of magic is illegal to practise within Kara.
• Necromancy: While associated a lot with raising the dead, the School of Necromancy is more than just corpses and death. It involves manipulating the ebb and flow of life and death; whether that means healing or reviving an individual, or raising and manipulating the undead. This school of magic is illegal within Kara when dealing with death and the manipulation of the dead, healing magic however is perfectly acceptable.

Realitas

The practice of Realitas is an extremely rare skill, and is an extremely hard and dangerous magic to learn. In Karan history only two groups have utilised this magic (and both were subsequently wiped out or killed), the Drenorans and Macadier Maldore (who was the previous leader of the Grand City of Nieseat, and was the focus of our second season).

Realitas in short, is the practise of bending reality to one’s will- and permanently changing the world as we know it. This type of magic is not only highly illegal in Kara, but generally is understood in the world of Olvunter as against the rules of the universe. While typically all magic is technically temporary, or can be reversed- realitas is permanent, and often leads to unsavoury and dangerous consequences for not only the caster, but those around them.

Divine Magic

A slightly less common form of magic, divine magic is found within and outside of Kara- typically from priests and worshippers of gods and titans (which you can read about here. This magic is from the divine, and is magic that is drawn from higher beings.

Divine magic though comes with a cost at the expense of the caster. While a higher being may grant their follower powers, loyalty and faith are expected in return. If a user of divine magic were to break this loyalty, the power would dissipate- and depending on the severity of their actions, further consequences may be given by the higher power.

Examples of those that practise divine magic in Kara are Paladins, Exarchs, the Synarch, and Chaplain of the Church of the Deep.

Gramier

Gramier, also known as ”Blood Magic” or ”The Old Ways” is the most ancient form of magic within Olvunter. This kind of magic is practised by making or giving a sacrifice, often through specific ingredients such as minerals, petals of flowers, or even physical parts of creatures. Because of this, gramier is known by very few- recipes and instructions are passed down from teacher to student, usually in druidic circles and hag covens. Any ingredient used in this form of magic can be replaced with fresh blood, typically from the caster themselves, or another creature that is present while the spell is being cast.

While there isn’t anyone in Kara that knows this kind of magic in any extensive sense, Kara has hosted a couple hags over its time, such as Auntie Morgantha (who is played by our Creative Manager, Zack, aka Zetheriah).

Edomic

Edomic is the rarest form of magic within Olvunter, and is the product of the life’s work of Edom, a powerful and infamous mage. Edom believed that each mage having their own arcane language was a dangerous thing to learn, and created a universal arcane language that can be learned by anyone (if one is able to decipher the mostly unknown methods).

To the unpracticed, Edomic sounds alien- and quickly fades from the mind, its runes and words fading from memory almost as soon as they are seen or heard. Even for those who are experienced in Edomic, intense concentration is required to properly practise this kind of magic.

While Edom wished for his creation to be used widespread, Edomic came with side effects that are proven to be quite dangerous. Casting a successful spell can cause a rush of positive emotion and feeling, which can easily become addictive- and on the flip side, casting a failed spell can cause physical maladies- ranging from a mild headache to instant brain death. Because of this, most Edomic practitioners die quite young- and makes the practise of Edomic extremely rare.

So there you go! An overview of the magic within Olvunter, and the various schools and types that can be practised.

However- it’s important to remember that while you can claim your character has magic abilities, you can only replicate what they do using the mechanics that are provided by vanilla minecraft and theatre of the mind role play. Theatre of the mind is basically ”proving” that your character can do certain things by using these given mechanics. Most mages on Valence use our /do chat channel to describe their actions and the results. I will cover the suspension of disbelief in another blog post later on- but in short, no one is required to believe that your character can actually practise these magics, and it’s up to you to convince them so.

Anyways though, I do hope this was helpful to you all- and I hoped you learned something that you didn’t know beforehand.

Love, Kayse