Schools of Magic

All magic falls into one of eight known schools, which dictate the nature and intended effect behind the spell. Knowing the school of a spell gives insight into its purpose. Not all spells have a visual indication when cast, but a majority do, including a flash of light. The color of this light is often, though not always, determined by the spell's school. Pure magical energy is violet or indigo in color.
Coincidentally, a teleportation circle also requires eight different runes to function, though these runes do not correspond to the schools of magic.

The Eight Schools

• Abjuration - Spells are protective in nature, though some of them have aggressive uses. They create magical barriers, negate harmful effects, harm trespassers, or banish creatures to other planes of existence. Associated color is blue, specifically azure.

• Conjuration - Spells involve the transportation of objects and creatures from one location to another. Some spells summon creatures or objects to the caster's side, whereas others allow the caster to teleport o another location. Some conjurations create objects or effects out of nothing. Associated color is yellow. Certain powerful conjuration spells, like teleportation circle and teleport, manifest with a blue-violet light due to the large amount of arcane energy plucked from the Weave to use them.

• Divination - Spells reveal information, whether in the form of secrets long forgotten, glimpses of the future, the locations of hidden things, the truth behind illusions, or visions of distant people or places. Associated color is white or, more accurately, periwinkle.

• Enchantment - Spells affect the minds of others, influencing or controlling their behavior. Such spells can make enemies see the caster as a friend, force creatures to take a course of action, or even control another creature like a puppet. Associated color is magenta. A magenta sheen is commonly seen in the eyes of creatures under an enchantment.

• Evocation - Spells manipulate magical energy to produce a desired effect. Some call upon blasts of fire or lightning. Others channel positive energy to heal wounds. Associated color is red (technically orange-red), but can manifest in different colors when elements are involved.

• Illusion - Spells deceive the senses or minds of others. They cause people to see things that are not there, to miss things that are there, to hear phantom noises, or to remember things that never happened. Some illusions create phantom images that any creature can see, but the most insidious illusions plant an image directly into the mind of a creature. Associated color is purple, leaning towards red-purple.

• Necromancy - Spells manipulate the energies of life and death. Such spells can grant an extra reserve of life force, drain the life energy from another creature, create the undead, or even bring the dead back to life. Associated color is green (more specifically, a somewhere between green and aquamarine). Creating the undead through the use of necromancy spells such as animate dead is not a good act, and only evil casters use such spells frequently. Such magic is known as black necromancy, while more beneficial spells are known as white necromancy.

• Transmutation - Spells change the properties of a creature, object, or environment. They might turn an enemy into a harmless creature, bolster the strength of an ally, make an object move at the caster's command, or enhance a creature's innate healing abilities to rapidly recover from injury. Associated color is orange.