Haemo-Sorcery

A Forbidden Magical Art

Haemo-Sorcery is outlawed in nearly every nation on Caeteria, with the exception of the more lawless lands. It is considered a barbaric practice by most honest folk, one that threatens to tear the walls between realms of existence apart.
Most magic wielders use the 'Weave', the fabric of magic that binds all things, to draw their spell casting power from. It is a powerful force, but it has it's limits, and can only be pushed or pulled so far before snapping back into place. This results in limits on the amount of power that spellcasters can draw from it. Haemo-Sorcerers ignore such limitations. Through the use of their own life force, or that of willing allies, they effectively punch holes through the Weave, siphoning out the power that leaches through. This horrific act leaves the Weave wounded, and too much use in one place can cause irreparable damage to the walls that separate planes of existence. The wounds in the weave do heal over time, but leave the weave in that place permanently stained.
The use of Haemo-Sorcery is, luckily, easy to spot as the ritualistic drawing of the blood of the caster or one of their allies becomes a necessary component of the spell they wish to use. Another barrier to the widespread use of Haemo-Sorcery is that it requires a lot more than just a knife and drawing some blood. It is, in a strange way, a darkly beautiful, ritualistic art form, requiring years of practice and dedication to truly master. However, rumours abound, as they always have done, of those masterful, dark mages or demonic beings, able to pass on the skill in a much shorter time frame... for a price.