Magic & Mages in Diyu

Magic in Diyu is acquired in three forms, magic which is innate such as that of the Lati, magic which is learned such as those of the Wych Cults, and magic which is bargained for, such as those of the Silver Templars and other groups that wield divine power. Near all magic still requires learning and skill to master, as such the classifications refer more to how the magic is obtained.

Innate magic requires some sort of bodily organ to be channeled, as otherwise the body physically cannot work nor control the magic in question. In the case of the Lati, this is their koh, attached to their heart.

Magic which is directly learned is the most common type of magic, as such why its practitioners are common enough that colleges, albeit a rare find, have been set up to teach those who can afford admission the secrets and ways of that particular school of magic. A rare few colleges are state-sanctioned such as Arkonaut College in Arlesciatre, whose corporation is vital to the Achroni military.

Magic that has been bargained for by the practitioner is the least common of the three, albeit not rare. The most common form it takes is Clerics and Paladins of religious orders, as a god who has been manifested into having a full presence can grant and revoke powers at will. The other form it takes is in the beings sometimes referred to as Warlocks, who are in essence, Clerics and Paladins who don't serve a god. The difference is merely a distinction between whether or not the power comes from religion. Most in Akronis consider the Clerics and Paladins of the various Lati gods to be Warlocks, due to most of their natures as Ascended Daemon Lords rather than as "gods".

It doesn't matter what magic one uses, a Mage, the blanket term for someone who uses magic, is still susceptible to Ascendance, though the speed of onset varies with what type of magic they practice. While it is theoretically possible for someone with innate abilities to learn their magic, bargain for more, and learn the more common forms, there is no point when one's own practice has so much to learn that mastering, or even becoming adept at more than one system would take more time than anyone has to offer. The Blind, or those who are Blinded, have also developed their own ways to counter Mages of all varieties, some more effective than others.

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"Schools" of Magic

Excepting some special circumstances, magic is used by channeling energy through one's body. The practitioner's mental and physical state can affect the outcome. Those are not the only deciding factors, as intention and knowledge of the desired outcome affect the success of the attempted spell or ritual. One cannot simply conduct energy and achieve magic, as the channeling in and of itself usually requires some sort of instruction, and the caster must be in the correct frame of mind to successfully cast a spell. The "Frame of Mind" is most often reached by concentrating on words or images of power that allow the user to visualize.

Some of these are placebos, the caster thinks that concentrating on the word "Fire" will create a fireball, and that allows them to concentrate enough to channel a fireball. Other spells require actual words or runes and would fail otherwise. Lati rituals are a good example, as a Lati cannot simply inscribe runes onto the floor and reach their effect. They need to organize them into specific shapes so that the power manifested can properly interact. Dampeners are also an essential ingredient to rituals, to ensure no more energy is used than necessary. A Lati who ignores the warnings of their ancestors and starts drawing runes with abandon will find themselves dead sooner rather than later.

Energy channeled through the body has its own dangers, as manifesting too much can quite literally break the caster. Despite the not technically accurate status of the names, ritual magic is known as casting, while non-ritual magic is called channeling. This all leads to the different forms magic can take, how it is acquired, how it is used, and who can or can't use it.

Kinesis

Kinesis can be broadly summarized as interactions with the physical world through created energy and can be wielded by any sort of mage. Notable subcategories are Pyrokinesis, Cryokinesis, and Telekinesis. Telekinesis is the most common, as simple pushes and pulls are easy enough to manifest and have an extremely low likelihood of surpassing someone's limits. Aerokinesis, Cryokinesis, Pyrokinesis, and Geokinesis are intertwined in the eyes of many theologies, as they represent many ideas of the world's fundamental elements. Practitioners generally focus on one of the four, with sister orders or practitioners. Kinesis rarely takes the form of rituals, except Geokinesis which is used during construction or civic planning more than anything else. Luxikinesis and Necrakinesis use the energies of physical light and physical darkness respectively. The are often given religious connotations, which can translate to actual effect if the mage believes enough.

Enchantment

Enchantment is the art of imbuing physical objects with magical effects. It can be done with channeling, but is generally less effective and pointless. Enchantment is a crafter's art, an art that takes time, patience, and skill, and is far better suited to casting. Enchantment has become very ritualized (not in the magic sense) among most of Diyu, while the Arkonaut Corporation has turned mass-produced enchantment into another money-making scheme. The big limitation of enchantment is that just as too much magic can break the channeler, too many enchantments can break the object in question. Most can only take one or two enchantments. Most advancements in the fields of enchantment come from enchanters figuring out how to add more effects without breaking the object.

Enchantments themselves can range from increased sharpness, durability, supernatural camouflage, making said object extremely light or heavy, tying the object to prophecies, basically anything one can imagine. Some of the most common enchantments are found in the Desert of the Saviour, and were complete accidents, byproducts of rituals gone wrong. Much of the desert is "cursed ground", which in practical terms, messes with casting and channeling. Sometimes it will cause it to go wildly out of control, sometimes spells don't work at all. The unhallowed dead are much more active when their bodies are left on cursed ground, and semi-natural occurrences become far more common.

Abjuration

Abjuration can be conducted with both channeling and casting, and is largely summarized as banes and boons. A version of enchantment that applies to living organisms. That description is not completely accurate, however, it covers much of the school. Abjuration is magic that affects and is focused on living things. This can be direct, such as increasing someone's strength, or indirectly, by creating a shield of some kind. Sometimes lines between abjuration and enchantment are blurred. The main case is during discussions of artefacts that affect the wielder. If a piece of armour increases someone's strength, is it enchantment or abjuration? If a cursed weapon brings out the wielder's worst influences, which school does it fall under. The general consensus is that things with physical effects such as the former are enchantment, while more spiritual or psychological effects such as the latter are abjuration.

Necromancy & Spirit Magic

Necromancy is similar to abjuration, however, while abjuration adds effects of some kind to living organisms, Necromancy will only manipulate things that are already in place. An Abjuration spell/ritual will add to someone's strength, while Necromancy will enhance their current strength. Same effect, but different methods and limitations. Someone can only have their existing attributes stretched so far before they crack. Necromancy is similar to abjuration in others ways, such as how it is conducted, but also in its ability to affect the spiritual and psychological, hence the second part of the school's name. The same principle as before applies, Necromancy can only manipulate what already exists, while abjuration can add effects. The example used in the previous section to differentiate abjuration and enchantment is not strictly accurate, because the latter of the two scenarios would be necromancy. Drawing out the subject's worst impulses, while abjuration would simply add evil thoughts into their mind.

Necromancy is the school mages study should they wish to become healers. It requires a knowledge of biology, psychology, and how to manipulate the two. The second main subcategory of Necromancy is the school's namesake, the manipulation of the dead. Reanimation is complicated and will not be outlined here, but rest assured that it is in a learned necromancer's power. Necromancy is closely intertwined with divination, as well as abjuration, due to many oracle's reliance on speaking to the dead. Necromancy is a school of magic that cannot be used by Lati. They simply cannot channel it, not to heal, nor to raise zombies, nor to manipulate spirits, nor to speak to the dead. It is one of the reasons many place emphases on archeologists, as those who study that field are their only connections to the past. It is also why House Yolilitzcoatl have stayed so powerful, as they are the only ones with knowledge on what rituals can heal Lati, and they guard those secrets jealously. Lati still have access to physical medicines, and their superhuman physiologies help them a great deal, but it is still an easily exploited weakness.

Divination

Divination can only be casted, bound to rituals. It is the art of seeing more, be more the future, the past, or some other part of the present. Spells that allow the caster to see past their physical perceptions are counted as divination, as are any attempts at futuresight. While some techniques have been developed within the school to speak to the dead and see the past, most who practice Divination learn a little bit of necromancy to supplement their skills. Futuresight has a mixed reputation, as sometimes it can be extremely accurate, sometimes it can be wrong, and no one knows where the visions come from. Most clerics and paladins "know" that their god grants them these visions, and many lose their faith when they turn out to be wrong. Others theorize that there is some primordial current to the universe that dictates everyone's path, and seeing the future is simply peering into that. The frequency of oracles turning out to be wrong renders this an unpopular theory. The most common is that the future is malleable, and peering into it provides the best possible prediction of how it would go at that moment. However, it is susceptible to people taking drastic actions to prevent their fates.

Illusion

Illusion can be both casted and channeled. It is the art of creating images, sounds, and other sensations that don't exist. Illusions are only limited by the imagination and physical limitations of the caster. A big illusion can only be so detailed, and the energy required to add the sounds and smells that support it can often break the mage in question.

Miscellaneous Abilities

Alchemy, while not strictly a magical ability, often uses the magic of the enchantment, abjuration, and necromancy varieties to add or enhance the effects of concoctions. Portal magic is incredibly difficult and strenuous but can allow for instant travel around the world. 

Daemon magic is incredibly varied. It can take the form of summoning a Daemon to this realm, binding a Daemon to an artefact, evoking a boon or bane granted by a Daemon, communing with them, and much more. It can be done with both casting and channeling, with the only real rule being it is incredibly dangerous.

Using Magic

Magic is not infinite power. Each mage has a hard limit on the amount and the power of magic they can use. This limit can be increased with constant usage of magic, similar to any other physical attribute. However, constant magic usage runs the risk fo Ascendance.

While magic has a hard limit, this is not strictly true. The "strength" of magic is dependent on how much energy one channels through themselves when casting. This is both a physical and mental process. Both the body and mind will attempt to stop any magic it feels cannot be properly handled without injuring oneself, but if a mage chooses, they can ignore the physical and mental warnings--physical pain, headaches, visions, etc--and continue casting.

At an absolute minimum, the mage will be out of commission for a bit, as the body can only cast so much at once, at worst the mage will be destroyed by their own magic draining them of life to power itself. A common method for Lati to assassinate one another is to modify runes in rituals a target is performing so that it does not take magic from energy stored in runes, but from the caster themself. Rituals in general are more powerful than other spells, requiring more magical energy, and killing an unprepared caster.

The mage can also harm themselves by using too much magic over a short period. The body and mind can only cast so much before needing rest and recuperation, just like regular energy. Usually, a good night's sleep is enough to recharge a mage after a normal day of using magic. Should a mage choose to ignore the warnings again, they could have the same effect as before. It's overstraining oneself again, just in a different context.