Eyre Magick - Disciplines of Magick

Eyre Magick - Disciplines of Magick

Eyre Codex Here

Includes: Alteration (and Transfer-Alteration), Soul-Command, Ritual, Soul-Leech, and Abysmal-Craft.

 

Brief Introduction

There are two categories of Disciplines of Magick: Special Magick and Regular Magick (often just Magick). Regular Magick is a category of disciplines that are dependent on Soul-Focus and Willpower, whereas Special Magick is a category of disciplines that do not. Soul-Focus is the user's ability to control, direct, and use their own Mana. Willpower is the user's ability to control, direct, and use the Mana of other's. Special Magick depends on factors other than Soul-Focus and/or Willpower.

 

Alteration Magick

Mana is adaptive, and likewise, has it's own discipline dedicated to it's adaptivity. More often than not, Alteration Magick happens by accident rather than it's practiced. There are however, collections of people that actively research and practice Alteration Magick. Due to mana having it's adaptive nature, Alteration Magick affects both Soul-Mana, and Elemental-Matter and Elemental-Ore. The key factors involved in the adaptation of mana are how often certain events are repeated, and how large the impact of these events are. The more the events are repeated, the more the mana becomes conditioned to said events, and thus adapts to favor the events. The impact of the event, when large enough, can create a major change in how the mana interacts with the world, thus providing the mana a small window to adapt to this change. Events can be anything from a bandit leader slaughtering many innocent people, to a blacksmith working with many magical weapons, to large wars and death occuring at the site of surface-ore. In terms of Soul-Mana, the desires and needs of the affected living entity play heavily into the adaptation of the mana. The adaptation of mana will be quite different between a bandit leader who kills many innocent people for loot and someone captured by bandits who is forced to kill innocent people. Even though both kill innocent people, they do it for different reasons. The mana adapts to favor the desires and needs of the individual in response to the event. The bandit leader's mana may change, allowing the bandit leader to give off an aura that strikes fear into the hearts of others, whereas the individual forced to kill may either adapt a way to kill people painlessly, or a way to defend against the forceful hand of the bandits. In either situation though, the mana itself adapts to favor the desires and needs of the individual in response to the event. The more often an event is repeated, and the greater the impact of the event, the more chance a change will occur in the mana.

 

Alteration Magick in Elemental-Matter operates in a similar way to Soul-Mana, but rather than the determining factor depending on desires and needs, it depends on the function of the matter. The function is determined primarily by how the matter interacts with the Non-Living Entities in it's environment and the Living Entities. For example, a magical water-wheel that interacts with water is an example of Elemental-Matter interacting with a Non-Living Entity in it's environment. The adaptation that may occur would be to benefit the function it's currently serving. On the other hand, a blade wielded by an evil tyrant may adapt to suit the function that the evil tyrant is using it for. Alteration Magick in Elemental-Ore occurs passively rather than actively. Due to the ore's passive and static state, it has no primary function. As a result, the alteration of mana within ores will be completely dependent on it's environment. This may include Surface-Ore that is present during a large battle, where the mana of the ore alters to favor the bloodlust of the battle. Such an ore could invoke bloodlust when used in items. The alteration of Elemental-Ore is rare, due to most of the ore being isolated deep underground in the abyss. Surface-Ore is usually the only ore that's affected, but when it is, it can make for some interesting and new effects. For more on Elemental-Ore and it's uses in Magick, read Abysmal-Craft Magick.

 

Transfer-Alteration Magick

Transfer-Alteration Magick is a small sub-discipline of Alteration Magick. Transfer-Alteration Magick occurs strictly between the interaction of Elemental-Matter and Soul-Mana in the presence of death. When a living entity dies in the presence of Elemental-Matter, the Soul-Mana has a chance of transferring to the Elemental-Matter. This may occur with an evil tyrant using a magical blade to slay enemies, and when killed, the soul of the evil tyrant transfers into the blade and becomes imbued within it. This may also occur when a living entity is killed by some form or Elemental-Matter, allowing the possibility of the mana to transfer to the matter, or if the matter itself is present during a time of death (such as a magical item being present at a battlefield).

 

Soul Command Magick

Soul-Command requires a very high Soul-Focus, but allows for a low Willpower. Soul Command Magick is the art of focusing the user's soul and directing it into various sources of energy, such as casting fireballs, creating cloaks of invisibility, and so forth. This discipline takes years and years of practice to become skilled in, and those who use this form of Magick require a great deal of focus. Most who practice it start off practicing in areas of low-stimuli, then slowly work up to areas of higher-stimuli as a way of deepening their focus. Due to this form of Magick using the mana of the user, it will often drain the user and weaken them substantially. Over-casting can cause the user to become very weak and ill, sometimes resulting in death. As the user practices this form of Magick, their soul will become conditioned to the energy output and grow in force (see Alteration Magick), allowing them to cast longer and more powerful Magick. An important balance between pushing one's abilities and not pushing too far is vital for improving one's Soul Command Magick ability.

 

Ritual Magick

Ritual Magick requires moderate Soul-Focus and moderate Willpower, and is the middle-ground between Soul Command Magick and Soul-Leech Magick. Ritual Magick is the art of withdrawing mana from different sources and directing it into various sources of energy, such as imbuing armor, enchanting devices, or casting curses. Most sources of mana, called ingredients, include most types of vegetation, elemental ores, and recently dead parts to small animals where the soul remains intact. Typically, any mana source that has a low force or is passive is used, though creatures of a much larger scale have been used before. The important factor of the ingredients is the mana variety, not force. Users of this form of magick place the ingredients in a certain order and proximity from one another, withdraw the mana sources and combine them together, then release some of their own mana into it and direct it. This form of Magick drains both willpower and soul-focus, but to a lesser extent than the other two disciplines. Overexertion of soul-focus, though less common, may also lead to weakness, but rarely death. Overexertion of willpower will damage the body rather than weaken it, often causing it to deteriorate. This may cause strain (such as pain in limbs and muscles), or things like internal bleeding. As Ritual Magick is practiced, the user's willpower and soul-focus will improve (see Alteration Magick), but one of the most crucial aspects to Ritual Magick is not just the skill, but the knowledge of ingredients and combinations.

 

Soul-Leech Magick

Soul-Leech Magick requires high Willpower, but doesn't require any Soul-Focus. Soul-Leech Magick is the pure absorption of Soul-Mana only. The idea behind absorbing Soul-Mana is that the user will acquire the force and properties of the soul they've absorbed. As the user absorbs the souls of others, they will gain the physical, mental, and mana attributes of that source, but they will also have to fight to maintain and overcome all the souls acquired. Souls have the ability to overcome the user that absorbed them, thus gaining control of the user. When the user loses control of multiple souls absorbed, it may often become a very violent inner-battle, causing the user to become impulsive, reckless, and alarming. In some cases, users can become a mere vessel for angry and restless souls. As Soul-Leech Magick is practiced, the user will slowly gain (see Alteration Magick) the strength to effectively manage more souls through an increase in willpower. Overexertion of the willpower involved in Soul-Leeching often causes extreme strain and deterioration on/of the body.

 

Abysmal-Craft Magick

Abysmal-Craft Magick does not require Soul-Focus or Willpower. Abysmal-Craft Magick is the art of combining various elemental ores and forging or crafting them into magical items. This form of Magick is a very delicate art, with many factors coming into play, the most important of which being careful handling, knowledge of ores, methods of combining the ores, and the different amounts of ore and types that are brought together. As the ores are combined, the mana energy within the ores merge together through the extreme environmental changes (see Alteration Magick). This form of Magick, like the others, also comes with it's own set of risks. If the forging is handled poorly, undesired properties can be acquired by the new matter, or even worse, the forging can release the ore's properties into the atmosphere in a concentrated burst. This can lead to things like mass-explosions, excessive growth, widespread disease, and so forth.