A brief introduction to magic
Ha'andic Drenran Ma Pendrahak
Magic in Andreval is a source of great power with great versatility, it has the ability to both destroy and to create. Magic is gifted to mortals by higher beings such as gods and Spirits as a boon for long term devotion, magic is limited only by ones devotion to the higher being. It is feared however for it can lead to great disasters due to miscasts, and overexertion can lead to the death of the magic user as the god's or spirit's generosity only goes so far. So the greater the favour you have with the higher being the more generous they are and the more energy or essence you have access too, this energy allows people to cast spells cast spells.
Many mortals have the opportunity to gain magic as it is not something you have to be born with rather it is earnt through the worship to either a god or spirit. Mortals did not always have access to magic as before the event known as the Birth divine magic simply did not exist and sorcery was extremely rare. Divine magic did not exist due to the tangible presence of the gods on the mortal planes therefore divine magic was unnecessary as the gods personlly protected their creations. Additionally dragons - who are the gods favoured creations - were demi-gods and wielded innate magic similar to divine magic. Sorcery was extremely rare before the Birth as to become a sorcerer you had to worship the spirits instead of the Gods, this was seen as heresy and they were hunted down and killed by the majority of other mortals.
Divine magic was introduced to the mortals as a way of increasing mortal dependence on the gods, again renewing worship and reverence after the Birth. As such, devoted worshipers of their patron god were gifted some of the gods essence - their life force. This allowed the mortal to cast spells similar to a sorcerer but unlike sorcerers, mages innately had more power and a greater ability to cast spells. However God-mage relations can be more fickle and unforgiving than a sorcerers relationship with the spirits. However when a sorcerer takes energy from an unwilling spirit or from a living mortal/creature they become a practiser of dark magic. This is kind of magic outlawed in many nations due to it's destructive means of collecting energy and the side effects of dark magic use on both the caster and the target
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Magic in Andreval can shape the world for better or for worse depending on who is casting the spells and for what reason. Many spells require energy which the God or spirit provides, then it comes down to the casters personal ability to cast spells, most require intricate movements, words, and substances to ensure the energy or essence is manipulated into the correct form, this is known as a spell and can take time to learn correctly.
Thousands of years after the Birth magic is no longer a rare occurrence though its prevalence differs region to region. For example Fehadla is a very devout province so it has more mages (divine-magic wielders) than sorcerers due to it having a pantheon of gods. On the other hand A'ular is also very religious but they worship a singular Goddess so mages are much more rare as the goddess can only grant so many people parts of her essence. While up north in Re'alec there are many more sorcerers than mages as many more worship spirits over Gods.
The Spirits grant mortals sorcery as it grants them increased power over the mortals. This allows the spirits to influence mortal actions subtly and help encourage the start of a Spentalen (great conflicts orchestrated by the Spirits to control and reduce the mortals and the Gods influence on the world which they created). Sorcerers are often unaware of the spirits interference, using the mortals like pawns to achieve the spirits goals.
This is why many spirits give mortals their life force willingly as they are less precautions about who uses their energy, as long as they are not intentionally damaging spirits and are crusading against fellow mortals. The Gods realised this so they too started to grant some mortals parts of their own essence to try and combat the Spirits machinations and retain their hold on Andreval, as well as increasing their own power through increased worship. As by setting specific tenants, quests, and traditions the gods could influence mortal actions and beliefs and reduce the "threat" shown by the spirits.
'Any mage is a good mage for in the eyes our true Goddess her holiness Caarin, great uniter of the world. Her mages are true champions and heroes of Andreval and should be respected as such. I suppose some sorcerers can earn respect and their place in a world ruled by divinity, but I will never be able to trust all of them for no fellow man nor can her holiness know their intention'
True King Yorkfel Arkstein V of A'ular - 11.2243
7-12-11.2242
