Familiars and Companions

Familiars are mystical spirits that any mage can summon, what they do depends on the kind of familiar that the mage willingly brings into the world. Some summons are designed to augment a mage's powers, such as making it easier on a mage to cast their spells; others might be there to help spot for the mage such as during siege battles.
A mage's familiar is always by their side, so long as they are alive. A mage can will their familiar away though doing so comes at the cost of the mage's own power, as it requires power to bring a familiar into the world. Familiars can be anything, from cats and dogs, to lions, falcon's, or even a phoenix. The type of familiar that is created by the mage upon forming a summoning pact depends on the mage's own talent and their elemental affinity. For example, a mage who specializes in fire magic would end up creating a pact with a fire related spirit - such as a phoenix.
Most young mages will accidentally summon their familiar while experimenting with their magic.
Companions, on the other hand, are familiars who are part of the Domites species. These types of familiars can't be seen by humans, as they exist in the spirit realm and thus are summoned on a permanent basis into the mortal realm. Instead, only a mage can see them.