Maijure (may - your)

Alorean Magic - Explained

Written by Regulus_Vaikyn

"Magic is not something one can trifle with and hope to come out alive. It is a weapon as much as it is a tool. And like all weapons brandishing it against another can come with all manner of consequences: loss of limbs, severe burns - via flames, acid, lightning, and so forth - impairment of cognition, and other dreadful, unwanted effects. Magic by its nature changes reality to the whims of its wielder, and thusly requires the utmost responsibility. That goes for you especially - in the back there! Don't think I can't see you!

— Lady Ysrai, during one of her lectures in the First Era

Maijure is the proper term used in Alore to describe magic and spellcasting. It came to prominence at some point during the Dark Ages before the Alorean First Era. Though she was not the first, one of the most - if not the most - recognizable magic users in Alorean history was Lady Ysrai, second of the Four Great Heroes, as she brought a majority of foundational mystic knowledge through her personal studies. These studies are the basis on which modern magical formulae and practices are established. Although the studies of Maijure may have changed significantly since that time, mages all across Alore pay homage to her with every spell they cast.

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Terminology and Delineation of Maijure

Terms:

• Maijure (may-your)- The supernatural manifestation of magic in the world of Alore.

• Maijurous (may-your-us)- A metaphysical substance that suffuses the world and its denizens. This is what is used to make magical effects function.
• Mana - Slang term used to refer to Maijurous.
• Power - Slang term used to refer to Maijurous.
• Rune - A magical glyph or symbol used as part of a spell to create its effects.
• Focus - An implement - either magical or mundane in nature - used to channel spells and other magical effects.
• Spellcaster - The basic term for someone or something that uses Maijurous to create any number of magical effects.
• Spell - A series of mystical incantations, hand gestures, and formulae used to create magical effects. A spell requires Maijurous to function - if a spellcaster does not possess enough Maijurous to cast a spell, the spell fails.
• Spellbook/tome - A book used by wizardly mages to collect and catalogue spells gained throughout their studies.
• Mage - A general term for spellcaster. There are several types of mages in Alore, which will be discussed further on.
• Level/Tier - A term that refers to the general scale of a spell's effects. Spell levels range from First (1^st) to Ninth (9^th). There also exists very simple spells called Cantrips which are also commonly referred to as Zero level spells. Although there are rumored to be levels even higher than these, such things have never been known to be attempted.

Nature of Magic:

Maijure is typically divided into two different types depending on its source: Arcane and Divine.

Arcane Arcane spellcasting is the oldest form of spellcasting, and has a variety of sources. The types of Arcane mages and the sources of their power are detailed below:

• Wizards - Scholars of knowledge and mystic arts who learn the mysteries of magic through years of study. The magic of Wizards manifests from these studies as runes drawn in the air, either around their hands or foci.
• Sorcerers - Individuals infused with the essence of magic itself through environmental or hereditary means, magic flows through them as naturally as the air they breath. The magic of Sorcerers manifests around or within their bodies before taking effect.
• Arcanists - Sorcerers who have taken to the studies of Wizards to further train and understand their mystical nature. The magic of Arcanists manifests as runes around their forms, before being expelled outwards.
• Bards - Individuals who use all manner of performances to channel their inherent magics, be it through instruments, oration, speeches, or similar means. The magic of Bards manifests similarly to runes, but the specific visuals differ based on the form of performance being made.
• Artificers - Dedicated craftsmen who work to create all manner of devices, tools, and so forth of a mundane or magical nature. The magic of Artificers manifests as runes drawn in the air, either around their hands or tools.

Divine Divine spellcasting is newer than that of the Arcane, and has various sources - from the deities of Order's Pantheon, to entities beyond the planes, even down to individual abstract concepts. A description of the various Divine mages follows below:

• Clerics - Priests of deities and scholars of the abstract, who gain their magics through their worship and studies of such concepts. The magic of Clerics manifests in numerous methods, typically dependent of which entity is being channeled.
• Paladins - Champions of the divine and warriors of code that channel the powers of metaphysical entities. The magic of Paladins manifests very similarly to that of Clerics, in that it depends on the nature of their magic's specific source.
• Druids - Channelers of the elements and the natural worlds, who take on aspects of all manner of creatures. The magic of Druids manifests usually as an extension of their environments - be it natural or otherwise.
• Rangers - While they may not have a great deal of mystical power in comparison to other spellcasters, Rangers still possess a wide variety of spellcasting as a result of their environs and duties. Their magic manifests in similar ways as Druids.

Additionally, other forms of spellcasting exist beyond these two, the most prominent of which being that of Warlocks. Warlocks channel the magics of otherworldly entities, be they divine, extraplanar, otherworldly, or otherwise. The main difference between Warlocks and other casters is that their magic is sourced from a pact from their supernatural patrons - or pacts. Their magic generally manifests as extensions of their patron's will, whatever form they may take.
The manner of manifestation for Maijure can vary greatly between individuals, but they always carry some level of base design. Regardless of how the spell looks when it is cast, all spells require some level of components to function properly. These components are Somatic (hand gestures), Verbal (spoken words or chants), and Material (any object consumed by the spell upon casting). Alternatively, some spells will require a Focus in place of Material components. Spell Foci are not consumed upon casting the spell, as they are instead used to channel the spell through.

Primary schools of Magic

Spells are majorly categorized into one of eight schools:

• Abjuration - Spells that ward, guard, or otherwise protect a creature, object, or location.
• Conjuration - Spells that create items and materials, as well as those that transmit things across distances.
• Divination - Spells that allow one to gather information, view remote locations, and discern truth from falsehood.
• Enchantment - Spells that can cause all sorts of mental effects, such as mind control, suggestions, and memory modification.
• Evocation - Spells that can cause mass amounts damage, or heal it.
• Illusion - Spells that create fake sensory effects, such as visuals, sounds, and scents, as well as combinations of these effects.
• Necromancy - spells that effect or manipulate death or the dead.
• Transmutation - Spells that change the state of being of objects, creatures, and materials into other objects, creatures, or materials.

Examples of spells by school can be found under the drop-downs in the side bar on the right.

Mystic Sub-Schools

As the study of Maijure progresses, more and more methods of manifesting magic are discovered. Sometimes, spells have additional effects or set themes that lie outside of the eight primary schools of magic. When this occurs, they can be assigned to one of the ever expanding list of Sub-Schools. A spell can possess both a Primary School and a Sub-School simultaneously. When this occurs, they are referred to first as their Sub-School then afterwards as their Primary School - such as when a Detect Magic or Identify spell is cast on them. However, on exceptionally rare occasions, certain magics divest themselves from the Primary Schools entirely. As a result, these oddities are referred to only by the Sub-School with which they associate.
A list of the currently known Sub-Schools of Maijure can be found below, as well as a general description thereof - additional Sub-Schools will be added as they are discovered:

• Gravity - Magic that effects the gravitational binding of the worlds around them, or create and manipulate new gravity wells to deadly effect.
• Temporal - Magic that manipulates the flow of time - forwards, reverse, slowed, paused, and so forth - either for an individual or location.
• Nebulous - Magic that draws upon the essence of vacuous space, usually regarding the physics of anti-matter.
• Raw Magic - An incredibly dangerous form of magic that expels magic itself to devastating effect. Due to the enormous destructive potential of this Sub-School, all practiced use of Raw Magic has been effectively outlawed all across Alore.

Alore    Alore's Inner Workings    World Rules      Maijure

Type

Metaphysical, Arcane

Examples of Spells by School

Abjuration

• Mage Armor - A protective field forms around the body of the caster, which helps to deflect directed attacks.
• Counterspell - A reflexive spell to be used in response to another spell being cast, it offers the chance at preventing magical effects from occurring. One of the principle spells of the Counter-Magic sub-school, founded by Lord Foltrec in the First Era.
• Anti-Life Shell - A dome-shaped barrier springs up centered on the caster that prevents living creatures from entering.

Conjuration

• Grease - Covers a surface of terrain in slick grease, making it difficult to stand on or move through properly.
• Call Lightning - Summons a storm cloud in the sky above, which can be used to strike foes with lightning. This spell cannot be cast indoors, or in a location with a ceiling of ten feet (3.05m) or less.
• Teleport - Causes you and up to eight other willing creatures within ten feet (3.05m), or one unattended object that can fit within a ten-foot cube, to instantly transport to a different location on the same plane. Depending on how familiar you are with the location, it may prove more or less difficult to accurately land properly.

Divination

• Detect Magic - You can sense the presence of magic within thirty feet (9.1m) of you for a short duration. Magic within that area registers on your senses as an aura of color. If the magic has a school associated with it, you also learn what school it is.
• Tongues - For up to one hour, you gain the ability to understand any spoken language that you can hear. Creatures that speak at least one language can also understand you as if you were speaking in that language. This does not allow you to decipher coded-speak, however.
• Scrying - Upon casting this spell, you send your sense of sight and hearing to a target creature on the same plane of existence as you in the form of an invisible sensor. This can be more or less difficult depending on how well you know the target, or if you have something from the target itself.

Enchantment

• Command - You speak a single word of command to a target in range, and they are compelled to obey that command. Creatures with strong wills are less likely to be affected.
• Hold Person - You choose a single person within range, paralyzing them for the duration of the spell so long as you can maintain concentration on the spell. Creatures with strong wills are less likely to be affected.
• Modify Memory - You attempt to edit a choice memory in a creature that fails to resist the spell. That memory must have happened within the last twenty-four hours, and can be no longer than ten minutes. The memory can be of anything you desire, though if it is too nonsensical it could be considered by the creature as a bad dream, or other unreal scenario. You must share a language with the creature in order to plant the edits. Creatures with strong wills are less likely to be affected.

Evocation

• Cure Wounds - You touch a creature within your reach, that creature heals for a small amount. Constructs and Undead cannot be affected by this. 
• Fireball - You point at a location within a rather long range. That point then explodes in flames within a twenty-foot (6.1m) radius. The flames can traverse around corners, and ignite any flammable materials in the radius that aren't being attended or worn by another creature. Creatures with swift reflexes can attempt to avoid some of the effects. 
• Wall of Force - An invisible wall of force appears at a desired location within range, and can be any orientation or shape that you desire. The wall blocks all forms of physical and ethereal travel, is immune to damage, and cannot be dispelled. It can, however, be destroyed by a Disintegrate spell. 

Illusion

• Disguise Self - You create a magical effect around yourself - including your possessions - that alters your appearance. This effect does not physically change you, just layers on top of you. As such, this spell can be discerned through a physical inspection. 
• Fear - You project a thirty-foot (9.1m) cone in front of you, which manifests as the worst nightmare of any creature in the area. If they fail to realize the effect is illusory, they are then terrified of you. Creatures with strong wills are less likely to be affected.
• Creation - You manifest shadow magic into semi-physical being to create an object - or series of objects - what would fit within a five-foot (1.5m) cube. The objects can be of any form and material you have previously seen before. The duration that these objects last depends on the specific materials, and if another spell is cast that attempts to use these objects as material components fails to activate. 

Necromancy

• False Life - You bolster yourself with necromantic energies, forming an ablative barrier around yourself that absorbs a small amount of damage. 
• Revivify - You restore the life of a creature that has died within the last minute. This spell does not effect creatures that die due to old age, nor does it restore lost body parts. Additionally, this spell is rather costly, as it requires an amount of diamond material worth at least a small fortune. 
• Finger of Death - A pulse of black energy springs from your finger towards a creature within range. If that creature fails to resist the spell, they are struck with searing pain as their body withers away, taking a severe amount of damage. A creature that is slain by this damage rises soon after as a simple undead that is permanently under your control. Creatures with a hearty constitution are less likely to be fully affected. 

Transmutation

• Create or Destroy Water - You channel your power to cause up to ten gallons (37.8L) of water to appear or disappear within range. When creating, the water can appear all at once in an open container, or as a rain squall that extinguishes fires in a thirty-foot (9.1m) cube. When destroying, you cause that same amount of water to be eradicated, or you can clear a thirty-foot section of fog. This spell cannot effect creatures. 
• Haste - Your power causes a burst of speed within the target creature, allowing them to move and act with blinding swiftness. For the duration, they can more easily dodge attacks and area effects, move twice as fast, and can make additional actions. However, when the effect ends, the target is stunned for a short time as a wave of lethargy washes over its body and mind. 
• Disintegrate - A sickly green beam shoots from your extended finger. If it hits a targeted creature, that creature takes immense damage. If the target is a large or smaller non-magical object, or a creature that is slain by the damage, they are immediately reduced to ash. All belongings except for magical items of a creature slain in this manner are similarly obliterated. If the target object is huge or larger, then only a ten-foot (3.05m) segment is reduced to ash. Disintegrate can also be used to destroy a Wall of Force. 

Updated: 10/29 - 10/30/22