Lightmage

Lightmages are the rarest type of Elemental Mages in Hysal. As their name suggests, they have the ability to create, manipulate and control visible light. More rarely, some have the ability to turn invisible or produce lightning.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Average physique

In general, Lightmages tend to be slim individuals, although it can depends on where the person lives. A lightmage living in a very sunny place generaly will not be as slim as one living in a place lacking sunlight. That is because when the sun is out, they can absorb vast amounts of mana directly from its light, limiting the need for the body to use its own energy to replenish their mana cores.

Ear shape

The ears of a lightmage grow to be the biggest lenght of any Elemental Mages by the time they reach adulthood. In fact, in many cases, their ears settle in a nearly horizontal shape, because of their lenght and weight. Despite being much more prominent than human ears, their shape only result in marginaly better hearing, and of course, a very easily identifiable characteristic.

Eye colour

Much like their ears, the eyes are also affected by the mage's mana. Eventualy, during their adult years, their eyes will have completly changed their original colour and turned to a rich Amber tint.

Mana Core

Like all other elemental mages, Lightmages are born with a small special organ located just above the heart, called a mana core. This organ is able to generate mana from the body's natural energy, keep it as a reserve, as well as absorb wild mana called Nexurium into it. In the case of Lightmages, their cores can absorb the enormous amount of mana within natural sunlight and store it for future use. In fact, the sun generates so much mana energy, that some Lightmage's core may hurt if they are exposed to the sun for too long.

Growth Rate & Stages

Biological

Lightmages grow at the same rate as a human child or another type of Elemental Mages child, and reach adulthood at 16 years old. Like all other types of mages, their physical growth happens in tandem with the growth of their magic capabilities. This surge of magical strenght triggers other changes specific to elemental mages, such as the growth of their ears or the change of colour in their eyes. While typicaly, these changes can be seen occuring from the ages of 15 to 25, they tend to start and end sooner in Lightmages, due to their element being so rich in mana and omnipresent.

Magical

In a similar way to Firemage, Lightmages are knows to manifest their powers extremely quickly. It is common for 1 month old lightmage babies to already exhibit some abilities in a very weak form. However, like all mages, true useful and controlable abilities manifest during early puberty and usualy happens sooner for girls than for boys.

Related Organizations

• The Black Daggers Guild
• The Wall Watchers

Geographic Distribution

Lightmages are relatively few in numbers, compared to most other types of Elemental mages. In fact, since the extinction of Shadow Mages, they have become the rarest type of such mage. Nonetheless, they do have a significant presence on most continents. Starting with Enaskia, which is by far where they are most numerous, the vast majority of them are in small communities of a few dozens to hundreds of people living within cities in Darnia, but also elsewere as well. In Arros, Lightmages are rare, and only a few cities have more than a few dozen of them. The City of Vrahlis has close to 200 lightmages, which constitutes the largest such community on the continent. Both Osian and Mahador are said to have many Lightmages as well, but accurate information regarding their population or their roles is scarce to none existant.

Major Organisation

Many Lightmages work within the Solian temple, either as acolytes, but also as Paran and Arcans. In fact, in Enaskia especialy, Lightmages joining the temples is a cultural norm. However, other organisations, such as mercenary guilds, also attract a lot of lightmages. Most famously, the Black Daggers Guild of Taralan, and their associated Red Daggers in Valcor only employ Lightmages. In Arros, the organisation known as the The Wall Watchers also employ lightmages, who's abilities allow them to effectively combat The Blight.

Cultural significance

Throughout the vast majority of cultures in Hysal, Lightmages are the most well appreciated and loved elemental mage type. This is for a number of reasons, but most revolve around religion. This is especialy the case in Solianism, where Lightmages, and to a lesser extent, firemages are treated a having a divine purpuse given to them, via their magic abilities.