Written by UglySkelly
- What is magic?
Magic, at its core, is an apex force; a great powerful wellspring thoroughly saturated amongst everything and everywhere. Magic essentially works as potential energy that is molded into whatever the caster whims. While the deeper machinations behind spellcasting are esoteric and unknown, exact understanding isn’t as important for basic magic as discipline and focus are. This makes the study and use of magic more available to the ambitious and diligent. While it is seen as an intrinsic force by the majority, very few know the origins, the source of this energy, The Nexus. All magic power was once divided into two forces: the cosmic energy made from the Architect and the opposing energy that is Chaos force. Cosmic energy was under the control of the primordials, and access to it was fiercely guarded, which limited use to responsible entities who already owned vast power, such as angels or Gods. To this, raised an opposing force, the Chaos force. The Chaos force posed extreme dangers and had the potential to consume those who tried wielding it, but it was available to everyone, and its hazards were often overlooked by the power-hungry, which led to chaos force being spread in mass amongst the universe. There was one who had managed to master both cosmic magic and chaos force, this being Zilithor. Desperate to bring back his late wife, he fused these forces together, melting and destroying who he once was in an attempt to resurrect his beloved. But he was mistaken, his very being could not hold such power and as he tried to harness this power once and for all, it collapsed in on him, ruining his very soul. The Death and Void primordial needed to interfere, to solve the problem that Zilithor had become. They inspected his now tainted body, a writhing mass of order and disorder, an attempt to break his finite nature. As unfortunate as it was, there was no return from infinity. Zilithor had destroyed everything that he once was for his wife. Death and Void still had an obligation to do, a responsibility to fulfill, to rid existence of the cursed being before them. While it was wretched and against instinctive creation, they needed a solution: they would take it and fracture the body and soul into 6 parts, creating the schools of magic.
- What are schools of magic?
All magic spells are divided amongst what’s called a ‘school’, groups of spells that work by harnessing an apex force in varying, innovative ways. Learning spells from each school is comparable to learning a language: if you fluently spoke another language, then you would have an easier time learning a language of a similar origin. Similarly, if you were an expert in telepathy, then learning mind control would be slightly easier. This can also mean that being an expert in one school doesn’t necessarily guarantee an easier time learning other schools. A necromancer would have no advantage in learning to hurl fireballs than somebody of equal intelligence who had not studied necromancy. Most beings carry pools of ‘nexus,’ and by learning to channel their inner nexus into specific aspects of the universe, they cast magic. Their nexus itself is an umbrella term. When channeled into each of the schools, they temporarily create a supply, ‘mana,’ for each of them with varying names and effects. While this may seem irrelevant, it is a crucial part of creating runes or enchantments, as spellcasters needed a method to bind their mental aspects into physical objects. So essentially, when casting magic from any school, one must channel their nexus into said school’s sub-mana. For example, if you want to throw a fireball at something, you must first channel your nexus into the mana for the elementalism school, ‘Zi.’ As you cast spells from each school over and over again, you naturally develop your ability to produce the corresponding mana with time, similar to cardio and developing lung capacity. This nexus to mana is exclusive to each school, making practice in each of the schools divided and progress is separated to each of them. The actual schools were created in correspondence to the severed parts of Zilithor, with the rest of their ghostly corpse being lost. The cadaveric parts reverberate with immense arcane energy, and merely touching them grants insight into the mastery of their correlating school. Because of this, they are treasured artifacts, often kept by gods of magic, powerful bastions guarding the arcane and dragons, with the relic being their treasured centerpiece to the horde. Additionally, the parts are extremely durable, being able to withstand all physical damage and cannot be destroyed in the conventional sense, but if slightly damaged, then they will reform within the middle ground in a random location. Some of the schools don’t have a related relic, with most assuming it is lost and some believing that they don’t have a relic.
It must be stated, and made clear, that the forces of Chaos and the cosmic energy that exist within the grand space that is our universe and beyond are not linked to the nexus, and instead are independent of the standards of magic. The concept of mana is irrelevant to the prior two energies, and are only available to those that can harness them directly.
- Elementalism
Morphed from the deranged hands of Zilithor, it represents hands clasping around reality, willing the universe to do its bidding.
This school’s relic is the hands of Zilithor.
If using Nexus, this school’s mana is called Zi, with its full name being ‘Zibishtan.’ The elementalist school of magic grants the ability to channel an apex force through physical elements and to morph them to your desires. It is the school used in the archetype for casters, slinging fireballs or controlling the dirt beneath their feet. The school of elementalism works in a much more specific way, with each element being attuned to varying amounts of ambient energy. Elementalists learn to bend these energies with their apex force, which is the key to their magic. The manipulation can have varying effects depending on the caster’s desires, such as altering the temperature, morphing its shape, and, in the case of experts, creating new elements. Those elements will produce unique effects that could be utilized by the multiverse for amazing progress, which is also the reason for it being the most common school. But in the sad reality, it is more commonly used for its destructive power than it is for the good of the universe and is often weaponized by harmful groups against others, with the relic holders typically being godlike warchiefs who have weaponized the relic for destruction. Because of this, the elementalist relic is the most sought after, with its pursuers either being power-hungry or fearful of the damage it causes.
The Relics of Zilithor
Every “school” of magic is divided into their devotion and connection to a “relic” of Zilithor. While these relics may be physical in some regard, they are also able to simply be conceptual. The body and soul of Zilithor was split by the primordial beings, after all. Obtaining the physical or spiritual remains of such a being is next to impossible.
- Cognitism
Mind flush with knowledge and arcane, the primordials began to unravel it, thinning it and stretching it into a web, forever lost and yet found.
This school’s relic is the mind of Zilithor
This school’s mana for Nexus is called ‘Ilpry,’ with its full name being ‘Ilperium.’ The cognitist school works as a web, connecting all minds together through a cosmic lattice. Cognitists / psychics channel apex force to send messages along this net. It is the school used for all mind-related magic, such as telepathy, mind control, or mind reading. The relic expressing the cognitist school is more complex than the others: instead of producing a field that radiates around everything, the relic works closer with the school by literally being unraveled infinitely until it has occupied everything, continuously growing with the residual apex force left by casters. By doing so, it manages to retain its work across the multiverse and, in rare cases, form denser pockets of psychic energy which can lead to unique life being developed. This school is comparably more difficult to learn than the others, and users are very rare, which makes cognitists highly valuable in comparison to most mages. They are often hired as investigators, using their magic to probe information out of the unknown, very rarely seeing direct combat. But to most societies, the concept of another controlling you like a puppet is terrifying, and unless cognitists are common practitioners, they are typically outcasted.
- Abscondism
Eyes bent and defiled by the conviction of the primordials, an eternal damnation for Zilithor’s forbidden knowledge.
This school’s relic is the eyes of Zilithor.
For Nexus, this school’s mana is called ‘Yohai,’ with its full name being ‘Youhasa.’ The abscondist school is recognized as the school of hidden magic, with it working as a dormant cloud lurking around the multiverse like an electric fog. When the abscondists channel small amounts of apex force into this fog, it becomes extremely malleable, using it to perform an extremely wide array of actions, such as illusions, sensory manipulation, invisibility, and radiation control. The abscondist school is often recognized as the sister school of elementalism due to the way the magic works: whilst elementalism lets you control seen forces like fire and ice, abscondism allows you to control unseen forces like gravity or radiation. Because most people don’t fully understand the concept of the abscondist school, it is generally less appealing to those who wish to learn magic, which causes it to be less popular. Despite this, it is one of the most common schools for thieves to learn, as its diverse potential is useful in stealing or botched heists.
- Animism
They sullied Zilithor’s heart, forever trapping a fraction of what used to be his soul but is now a hollow shell of what used to be. Putting one’s ear against it emanates faint, otherworldly whispers.
This school’s relic is the heart of Zilithor.
This school's mana is called ‘Mari,’ with its full name being ‘Marinono.’ Animism is the school of life understanding and manipulation. From the common healer to the taboo necromancer, animism is the most commonly used school. This school works by channeling direct apex force into others, allowing for effects that blur the line between life and death. This potential of the animist school is incredibly powerful, allowing corpse-controlling spells, and even creating bastardized life as an unspeakable form of resurrection. These vile casters are referred to as necromancers and are prosecuted for their dark work, being viewed as pure evil for their labor in creating the abominations. Animism also serves another purpose, the healing of the injured. This aspect of animism is the sole reason for the school being tolerated, with healers being found all across the multiverse, performing magic in exchange for coin. While both of these magics work under the same school, most just assume that they’re completely different. In actuality, all healers know the dark potential their school of magic has, and they conceal it to protect themselves from the ignorant. In comparison to the other schools, animism is the hardest to master and most draining, with Mari being the most exhausting mana to produce for a Nexus user.
- Corpism
The primordials tortured and violated him, disemboweling and dismembering him until he was a broken fraction of himself. The only thing that let him know he was still himself was his own face, until they took that too.
This school’s relic is the face of Zilithor.
This school’s mana is called ‘Kata,’ with its full name being ‘Katari.’ The corpist school is the school of bodily magic. Within everyone is an innate wellspring that’s connected to their anatomy; when apex force is used. This wellspring is what is known as “chi” energy. The chi energy changes and morphs this wellspring to whatever the caster wants, and the physical flesh connected to that wellspring gets changed accordingly. Taking advantage of this inner power, mages can use spells like iron skin, camouflage, and chi manipulation. The main challenge posed when learning this school isn’t necessarily memorizing, but being able to focus and fully understand the body when casting these spells. For example, an educated bodybuilder would have an advantage in learning this school over the average person due to their physical understanding and superior discipline. Additionally, it is the key school to using shapechanging magic, with doppelgangers possessing a natural understanding of the corpist school. Some cultures are fully developed around the shapechanging aspect of the corpist school, using it to help survive or develop their society, such as druidic groups or packs of werewolves. While the main focus of the corpist school is for self-manipulation, it is infamously used by evil casters as punishment for those who oppose them. These curses are often humiliating and isolating to the victims and can include lycanthropy, polymorphing, or uglification. The fear of being cursed and the idea of shapeshifting creatures isn’t appreciated by the wide majority of societies, which often leads corpists to being forced outside of cities due to the prejudice they face, similar to infamous necromancers.
- Lexism
Housing the entirety of a person, the skull represents undeniable structure in a person. It houses the tongue, the brain, and the eyes. Without it, there is no person, there is no order.
This school’s relic is the skull of Zilithor.
This school’s mana is called ‘Nin,’ with its full name being ‘Ninros.’ The lexist school is the school of law-based magic and manipulation. It works in a significantly more conceptual way than the other schools, and because of this, it is the most difficult school to learn. But if you can manage to master lexism, it is incredibly rewarding, giving you access to reality-bending level powers. The key to understanding lexism is to break down your typical understanding of the universe and to reshape it completely in your mind, which is impossible for the majority of spellcasters who rely on an objective understanding of the universe to cast magic. To those who are mentally damaged or deranged, they pose an advantage when it comes to learning this school, as they can naturally bend the world around them into what it is not, which is what this school asks of its students. Some abilities granted by lexism are luck manipulation, time control, gravity control, and reality corruption. Unlike the other schools, most people can go their entire lives without hearing about lexism, not because it is an unpopular school, but because its wielders viciously covet it, often using their abilities to gatekeep it from the general public. However, to the slightly educated magic users, lexism is feared out of every other school, being on par with necromancy for its harmful potential. The lexist masters are greatly respected for their power, being trusted to not abuse it, as a chaotic lexism master would be capable of devastating damage.