An Introduction to Magick

For centuries throughout the universe, magick has been used as a way of life. Under the control of Tryoh, Fate of Magick, magick has been divided into three main types: force magick, matter magick, and life magick. Both cost life energy to use and have descended from the fae. If one were to use magick in the wrong way, their life force would be cut in half, rendering them cursed with a half-life.
Most levels of magick contain rituals and abilities that only witches can use after dedicating themselves to their study. It is separated into three major archetypes (life, matter, and forces) that branch off into one of the five known subtypes of magick (blood, chaos, crystal, herbalism, moon, sun, and runic). Not just any magick user can "use" them. It would be like someone saying "I have a master's degree in science" when they haven't even studied an ounce of science.
Most magick users only have an affinity for a single archetype, and they're all divided into numerous sects and studies that for a basis of cults. Magick can range from difficult things like "disease manipulation" of life, to the nigh-impossible like "luck manipulation" of forces. The more "tangible" something is, the easier it is to affect it with magick.

Table of Contents

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Quick Facts

Type:

Metaphysical, Arcane

Deity:

Tryoh, Fate of Magick

Related Species:

Blood Witch
Celestial
Elf
Fae
Infernal
Shapeshifter
Vampire
Werewolf
Witch

Subcategories:

Blood Magick
Chaos Magick
Crystal Magick
Herbalism Magick
Moon Magick
Runic Magick
Sun Magick

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Magick Limitations

• The first thing about magick users is they can only use one type of magick archetype. The same thing occurs with any other being capable of using magick.
• A magick user's heart could literally give out. Whether they are using an infernal or using their own life energy, overusing their magick causes issues, such as heart attacks, seizures, or strokes.
• Marks can have consequences, such as having a mark that causes explosions, but said explosions only occur uncomfortably close to the witch. Or even the ability to sap age from other people, and also giving your own age back.
• Blood loss carries a host of other problems, too. More so for newbies.

Mark magick is generally magick that has been formed through a bond with an infernal. It can be genetically inherited, such as how magick bloodlines work through the fae, and are just a witch's power, which comes most-naturally. This can be equivalent to how a cantrip works.
Throughout the paranormal world, magick is a huge tool. It is seen everywhere. Without it, those trying to live a mundane life wouldn't survive. However, the Moonlight Expanse uses magick more for their weapons of war and training. Otherwise, they are on a fast-track to using only science. In fact, they have recently developed a way of keeping themselves hidden from the Itude Empire without the use of magick.

Casting Magick

by Amelia Nite (Canva)

Each spell requires life energy and a clear mind. Casting spells is basically forcing your life energy to unnatural ends via a clear mind since magick is usually connected through emotions. If one's emotions become out of control, their magick goes erratic and can potentially put others at risk. This is the reason a lot of magick users do not participate in romantic relationships, sort of like how the Jedi in Star Wars are advised to not partake in romantic endeavors. Having a romantic relationship can lead to a magick user's emotions becoming erratic if something were to happen to their lover.

Combining Magickal Effects

In some cases, a magick user may make a contract with an infernal and the sigil of whatever infernal they have made a deal with is literally branded onto the heart of the magick user. This can increase their life energy as well as their magick, but it also makes casting magick harder as a result.
Non-inhuman creatures cannot naturally practice magick. They need some spirits to do it for them, which reside in their souls. The single exception is magick swords, guns, and staves, but that's "weaponizing" your own soul, so it counts.

To use actual magick, a witch would need to make a pact with some other entities. Generally, modern cults have twisted and broken them into major pathways only accessible through them, which does simplify things, since unique ones are more rare. Most are only derivatives. And the vast majority of non-inhumans can only handle a single pact, and allows usuage of their magick. But it comes with its own risks of possession and the idea that one must absolutely have to keep-concentrated and never break composure. Too much magick eats away at one's health, or leads to its own problems.

Inhuman Creatures

Infernals can be called inhuman creatures. In many cultures, an infernal is a demon, but that is not the entire case. Infernals can also be corpses possessed by spirits unable to pass on or celestials and have been driven insane over a long period of time. Contracts are needed to keep them in line if a magick user wishes to use stronger magick. They know only one magick that acts like a "mark," and by eating a magick user's heart, which lets them learn their mark as well. They cannot learn any other magicks outside of marks, but due to being basically corpses, they can use a ton of their diet-magicks before they're slowed down.
The exception to pacts are blood witches. They are a type of witch with ancestry of vampiric lineage that grants them innate abilities of the infernals due to vampires being created from the first two infernals to have ever been born. For one, they can generally use magick with less risks, but are incapable of other magick. They got what they got.
As they are unable to perform matter or forces magick, a blood witch is required to ritualistically kill an infernal with runic magick and eat its heart in order to gain its powers. Thus, granting them the innate ability to manipulate any form of runes. While they can't cast magick, such as "fireball," they can do a lot of body horror and much more physical abilities than runic magick witches.

The Three Archetypes

by Amelia Nite (Canva)

While there are three archetypes, there are some loose rules, but it is mostly freeform. Most magick users are visually distinct as well. They literally look different with their magick types or even their auras.
All magick falls into three major archetypes: life, matter, and forces. Any witch can only utilize a single major archetype, which gives a loose sense of rules (i.e. a life witch cannot manipulate fire or turn lead into gold). And otherwise, are limited to what their ability actually does.
Another way to explain it is that magick users who use life magick can heal people, make others ill, control minds, and even resurrect the dead. While some life is made out of matter, the type of magick it can perform soul-based magick. Everything eventually ends up as telekinesis with some more details. Either that, or some other psychic power.
Matter is more "any object that is not living." A corpse counts as matter if its cells aren't living. The recently decease is more in line with life. For instance, a block of wood isn't alive even if it originited from something that was (i.e. a tree) and falls under matter. Some can argue that outermost skin is dead, but the point still stands that something has to currently be such if not just attached to something that is. Yet, the number of molecules is the same. The difference between dead and alive is that life force gets in the way.

Effectiveness Table

Top = defending
Left = attacking

X		by Amelia Nite (Paint)		by Amelia Nite (Paint)		by Amelia Nite (Paint)	by Amelia Nite (Paint)	by Amelia Nite (Paint)
	NE	NE	NE	1x	-1x	1x	-1x	-1x	1x	1x
by Amelia Nite (Paint)	NE	NE	2x	1x	1x	2x	NE	1x	-2x	-2x
	NE	-2x	NE	NE	NE	1x	2x	1x	2x	NE
by Amelia Nite (Paint)	1x	1x	NE	NE	2x	1x	2x	1x	1x	2x
	-1x	1x	NE	-2x	NE	2x	2x	2x	2x	1x
by Amelia Nite (Paint)	1x	-2x	1x	1x	-2x	NE	-2x	1x	2x	1x
by Amelia Nite (Paint)	-1x	NE	-2x	-2x	-2x	2x	NE	2x	2x	2x
by Amelia Nite (Paint)	-1x	1x	1x	1x	-2x	1x	-2x	NE	2x	2x
	1x	-2x	2x	1x	-2x	-2x	-2x	-2x	NE	2x
	1x	-2x	NE	-2x	1x	1x	-2x	-2x	-2x	NE

2x = Super Effective
1x = Normal Damage
NE = No Effect
-1x = Halved Damage
-2x = Quarter Damage