“The War-Priest strode forth onto the battlefield, his beard inundated with sickles of ice, his corrupted soul lashing out and sundering the troops of Ayreth. The soldiers of God fled from his dark powers and booming laughter, though Kastus stood strong against the sorcerer’s onslaught. The two faced one another- the Avatar of The Creator and the servant of the Dark Gods. ‘Your slaves and serfs cannot stand against the might of our axes, child! I shall rend thy flesh and soul as I have done to thine minions!’ taunted the Northman. Kastus did not respond, but merely picked up the spear of fallen soldier, and stabbed the mutant through the soul. ‘Your spirit is corrupted and broken, but by its own will and doing’ chastised the Son of God as the barbarian died at his holy feet. ‘May the fires of Hell forever reprimand these errors with torment and darkness’” –The Book of the Creator, on Kastus’s military campaign in the Central Kingdoms.
Magic- seen as a tool and weapon by some, an instrument of death, destruction, and sin by others, there is no doubt that sorcery and magery is one of the useful and deadliest talents to learn. Mages, or as they are called in the Pontetate, Witches and Sorcerers, are some of the most potent enemies one can face, as well as one of the most dangerous foes that stand against the empire of God. Able to increase their physical capabilities sevenfold, fabricate raw energy and flames, and even manipulate the human mind to perform the bidding of the caster.
Controlled by one’s inner spirit, or as the Northmen call it, the Stav, Magic is quite difficult to learn how to use. It takes years upon years of mental focus to be able to coax your spirit into action, and requires much mental concentration to control your spirit. The stronger your spirit, the stronger your attacks and magical abilities. But how does one increase the strength of their spirit? The Spirit, or Stav, is like an ethereal muscle, threaded together with emotions and raw energy. Anger, love, hate, will, and just raw power make up this muscle. The more emotion, the more will you have, the stronger your spirit will be. Of course, the human spirit is weak, flimsy, and inferior in comparison to those of Demons, Fae, Dragons, or even Gods. One can also increase the size of their soul by consuming the souls of others, though the transformation of the Stav in this manner nearly always causes a ruthless transformation of the physical vessel as well, and is often fatal.
To use the Stav, one must understand the science of Physics, or at least its number one rule: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only barrowed. One’s soul is already pulsing with a multitude of energy, but sometimes this isn’t enough. Often times, wizards must barrow one another’s energy in a complex summoning ritual, or even barrow the heat energy from their own bodies. Be wary when doing this, however, as the ritual may turn awry, or you may freeze to death on accident.
On Ghostwalking: Learning how to unanchor your Stav from its vessel to fight is the first step. The second, is learning the ancient art of Ghostwalking. The term, coined by the Kizar people of the far east, refers to state of mind that allows one to see through the eyes of their Stav. Acting as the Stav, the sorcerer can cast magic with greater ease, as well as actually see the world through a veil of superior perception. With ethereal eyes one can peel away the layers of existence and see anything from one’s internal organs, bone structure, magical energies, and anything else. From here, the Stav can be instructed to reach out and manipulate what is sees, so long as the energy can reach the target. A talented wizard can set ones liver ablaze, cause their targets heart to explode, or corrupt their mind. Equally, they can soothe and mend injuries, as well as fortify the strength of their muscles sevenfold. This concept may be confusing, I know, but I will soon be writing up a small flash-fiction to show you how it works. Just don’t think about it too hard.
On Summoning Demons and Spirits: Summoning is a simple concept- one’s spirit tears a small hole in the veil that separates our world from The Outer Realms, and calls forth a spirit or Demon. It is much like opening the door to someone’s house, and calling their name. The person usually (but not always) comes out of the house to assist you. Sometimes, though, someone does not exit the house, and sometimes someone you don’t want to see comes out instead. This is much like summoning- when calling out a spirit or demon you know, they will come to your aid, but sometimes a creature you would very much not like to see comes out instead, more often than not with hostile intentions. I, the GM, will determine in combat when such an occurrence happens, and I will use a d100 to determine what kind of a monster is accidentally summoned forth from the depths of hell.
Tier 1: Just small vermin, often smaller than your average humans. These lil' buggers are fast and deadly, and can pose a threat to unwary warriors. (d0-25)
Tier 2: Larger versions, often appearing in various forms such as goblin-like bipeds, or insectoid like beasts. Very fast, very strong, a decent threat to a seasoned fighter. Can sometimes appear as a human, and are known to possess people. (d26-60)
Tier 3: The most dangerous form of Demon- these are the fastest and strongest in the outer realms. Can take many forms, and sometimes appear as human. Sometimes possesseeseses the humans. (d61-95)
Tier 4: These are not really demons, but ungodly monstrosities just sitting out in the middle of a literal no-where waiting to be conjured. If you accidentally summon this, you can expect a rough time. (d96-100)
Necromancy is the summoning of a spirit to occupy a dead body (either a fresh one or one that has been constructed by the Necromancer). Equally so, Necromancers are nortorious for summoning and binding spirits to bodies and locations, causing them to go mad with time, and will attack anyone they can find. Enchanting objects deals with the summoning of spirits to inhabit an inanimate object (anything from a cup to a helmet), which will grant said object with the powers of a Stav.
On the Fae: The Fae are magical beings who live in their own dimension of existence that no mortal can willingly reach. The Northmen hold a belief in their Mythology that us humans were once strong, powerful, and bold, and attempted to invade the Faelands for the purpose of stealing and controlling the Fae’s power. The Faen courts, however, put a curse on human kind, and reverted us to our current wimpy and pathetic state.
The myths of barbarians aside, the Fae are very powerful, and very hateful towards humans. Despite their hatred, they are rarely inclined to directly attack someone, but instead to lure them in and trick them with deals and contracts, which the Fae, by their nature cannot break. However, the Fae often use these contracts to deceive humans into making more deals, and the mortal being will eventually find itself either a slave or a meal to the Fae. Of course, there are also the Fae who will just eat you alive or rip off your skin, but those are less common.
The Fae can very seldom be found in the deep wood of Celland and the Northlands.
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