The Quadrilunarum: The Four Types of Magic
The four magics of the Quadrilunarum are:
Arcane Magic (mortal magic; a science, in many ways, that seeks to understand the ),
Divine Magic (granted by blessings; borne of will and thought, not pen and study),
Occult Magic (chaos harnessed by intellect; unleashes the chaos of the lunar-arcane through applied intellect), and
Elemental Magic (chaos unleashed by will; magic that taps into and unleashes the lunar-arcane in primal states through sheer force of will). Each of the Quadrilunarum interface with the lunar-arcane in a wholly different way and create vastly different effects, although they do overlap in some ways.
To break the 4th Wall for a moment, you can essentially think of each magic of the Quadrilunarum as a separate magic system tied to the same system of energy and reality. They are all governed by the same laws of reality (see "Laws of the Quadrilunarum" below), but they have their own subsets of rules, limits, and costs that make them distinctly different in various ways. Some are "harder" systems, like Arcane. Others are "softer," like Elemental and Divine. They are not different sides of the same coin; they are four different coins forged from the same metal.
Each magic of the Quadrilunarum is not intrinsically tied to certain schools of magic; however, certain schools (especially specialized schools) of spells do favor certain classes of magic. For example, many medicamancy spells are rooted in divine magic, but that isn't to say that only divine casters can access all medicamancy spells.
Each of the Quadrilunarum are detailed in their articles below:
The Laws of the Quadrilunarum
There are two main rules to magic, regardless of the exact Quadrilunarum magic one uses. Those rules are:
- One mortal can never use two magics of the Quadrilunarum in the casting of one spell. Each of the Quadrilunarum are drastically different in how they interface with the lunar-arcane, so combining them alone would be an extreme act of talent and luck. Besides that, spells use the same energy, regardless of the magic that's enacting it; using multiple types of magic doesn't change the energy present, making mixing the Quadrilunarum redundant at best and dangerous at worst, as it can create unforeseen consequences by manipulating the lunar-arcane in too many different ways. One can practice more than one of the Quadrilunarum, but they cannot mix it in one spell and they are actively hamstringing their ability to master one magic by spending time on another.
- Magic always requires the lunar-arcane. The single difference between mortal magic and Divinity is that magic requires fuel, it needs something to enact upon; Divinity can make something from nothing, turn anything into anything. This one difference makes a god versus a mortal, and this one difference is everything. Without the lunar-arcane, these is no magic.
Schools of Magic
Schools of magic represent how mortals have understood magic and how it can harness the lunar-arcane. These schools are how mortal arcanists broadly categorize the different spells, sciences, and methods of magic that they have discovered and use. The main eight represent the broadest strokes of magic categorization, while the hybrid/off-shoot schools represent specific niches, hybridizations of schools, or taboo offshoots, or some mix of all three.
The Main Eight
Abjuramancy
Abjuring Magic
Abjuramancy is the study of manipulating magic to repel, abjure, and separate. Wards, banishments, and many runes are the work of abjuramantive magics.
Conjuramancy
Conjuring Magic
Conjuramancy is the art of conjuration, of moving matter, creatures, and energy through magic. Whether it is summoning a fiend from Iduran or teleporting across Emaxus, anything that has to do with the movement of things, creatures, or energy is often conjuramancy. Conjuramancers are interested in matter manipulation, largely.
Divinimancy
Knowledge Magic
Divinimancy seeks to understand the unknown, typically in a manner of divining the future. From the most basic of portents to the most complex of prophecies, divinimancy attempts to collapse the myriad fates and potential futures into specific omens, portents, and options.
Enchantamancy
Modification Magic
Enchantamancy is the science of enchantment. Whether it is enchanting of the mind or enchanting of items, enchantamancy has to do with magical modification, be it charming a person or engraving runes on a sword.
Evocamancy
Energy Magic
Evocamancy is all about energy. Evocamancers seek to learn the endless methods by which the lunar-arcane can be changed and modified to create different effects of energy. Evocamancy has the most off-shoot schools because of the niches that arise in this energy manipulation.
Illusimancy
Perception Magic
Illusimancy creates falsities. Illusimancy manipulates the lunar-arcane to create visual projections or auditory eminations. Illusimancy can range from creating flashes of light to changing the way something or someone appears in the lunar-arcane entirely.
Necromancy
Body Magic
Necromancy is magic related to the body. While not inherently evil, necromancy is most commonly represented and used as a magic involving reanimating and modifying the dead. While undead and reanimation does constitute a significant portion of necromantic studies and spells, there are necromantic spells related to the body in a more holistic manner. It is because of this common perception, however, that medicamancy is considered a separate off-shoot.
Transmutamancy
Change Magic
Transmutamancy is the act of changing things through magic. Transmutamancy can do everything from shaping dirt and stone to turning a cliff into a dragon; the only limit of transmutamancy is the user's knowledge and control.
Hybrid/Offshoot/Specialized Schools
Aeromancy
Air Magic
An elemental niche of evocamancy, aeromancy has to do with the manipulation of air. Whether creating a gust of wind or gale-force tempests, aeromancy is evocamancy applied to the open air.
Animancy
Soul Magic
A hybrid/specialization of conjuramancy and necromancy, animancy is magic related to the soul. Animancy can be benevolent, in the form of restoration and resurrection, or malevolent, in the form of using souls to fuel other magics. Animancy is rarely used on its own, and often paired with medicamancy/necromancy in the case of resurrections or a myriad of other magics in the case of channeling souls to amplify magic.
Aquamancy
Water Magic
A hybrid of evocamancy and conjuration, aquamancy has to do with the summoning, creation, or manipulation of water. Whether it is creating a tidal wave in an ocean or summoning rain after a drought, aquamancy is all about water and its creation/movement.
Chronomancy
Time Magic
Chronomancy, alongside gravitomancy, is formally banned in most respectable arcane institutions. Alindr, god of order and knowledge, decreed, "Thou shalt manipulate the constructs of reality, not its foundations," prohibiting mortal tampering of time and space; however, people have still discovered how to tug on the strings of time.
Cryomancy
Ice Magic
Cryomancy is magic based around ice, yes, but it differs from water magic in that it is focused largely on the transfer of heat energy. A cryomancer focuses on the deprivation of heat from water and steam and molecules in the air to create ice and ice-related effects. Thus, cryomancy is largely a niche of evocamancy.
Electromancy
Lightning Magic
Electromancy is concerned with the creation of plasma, and the use of lightning and plasmic energy to decimate foes. It is largely an offensive magic, and one that is considered highly dangerous in many arcane institutes as it requires a master of the finer points of evocamancy: focused energy manipualtion. However, those who can become master electromancers are truly awe-inspiring.
Geomancy
Earth Magic
Hybridizing the energy manipulation of evocamancy with the matter manipulation of conjuramancy, geomancy is interested in the manipulation of the earth: rock, dirt, and even metal. Novice geomancers can move pebbles; master geomancers can move mountains.
Gravitomancy
Gravity Magic
Like chronomancy, gravitomancy is officially banned in most respectable arcane institutions. It has to do with the manipulation, inversion, and multiplication of gravity itself. It is closely related to evocamancy and chronomancy.
Hemomancy
Blood Magic
Hemomancy is a hybrid of necromancy and transmutamancy. It has to do with the manipulation of blood, and the transformation of blood into an untold myriad of other forms. It is a largely taboo magic, but it does have its applications in medical magics.
Lunamancy
Lunar Magic
Lunamancy is an extremely powerful, extremely niche school of magic that can be hard to quantify. Essentially, lunamancers are interested in the moons themselves, not only as celestial bodies but also as generators of the lunar-arcane. Because of this, lunamancy involves the manipulation of the moons' effects, be it their weight on tides or their generation of magic fields. A true lunamancer can stop the tides and create temporary dead magic zones. As such, lunamancy is exceptionally rare and unimaginably difficult to learn. Horror stories of inexperienced mages trying to learn lunamancy and accidentally cutting their own connection to magic are uncommon, but not unheard of.
Medicamancy
Medical Magic
Medicamancy is very close to necromancy, but it ties in some evocamancy and conjuramancy and even transmutamancy ideas to create a large school of magic with many different forms. Medicamancy could be considered its own major school, were it no inextricably linked and borne from necromancy. Either way, medicamancy is simple in its intent, even if it is varied in its execution: magic related to medical applications, be they repairing minor lacerations or regenerating entire limbs.
Psychomancy
Psychic Magic
Psychomancy is magic related to the psyche. It is a niche school of magic and one that often has a bad reputation, but not for no reason. Psychomancers can rewrite people's entire personalities with their magics, as psychomancy blends enchantmancy and illusimancy to enchant the mind and trick it into believing and feeling things that are not true.
Pyromancy
Fire Magic
Pyromancy is perhaps the most famous of the evocamancy niche schools. Evocamancers care about energy; fire is energy. The connection is obvious. Pyromancy, at its most basic, is extremely easy to learn. Even the most novice evocamancers can spark a candle; however, at its most powerful, pyromancy can decimate cities. Pyromancy is all about energy manipulation to create flame; the better control and the more energy, the larger and more nuanced the flame.
Solamancy
Solar Magic
Solamancy is the penultimate niche school of evocamancy and conjuramancy. It is the ability to manipulate matter to such a degree as to create fusion, and control energy to such a degree as to keep that fusion under reins. A solamancer literally has the power of the sun in the palm of their hands. Solamancers are nearly unheard of, and solamancy is not taught in any arcane institution on account of the risks of learning it.
Telekinomancy
Telekinesis Magic
Telekinomancy hybridizes conjuramancy and abjuramancy to manipulate matter and use magic to abjure and repel. Telekinomancy is interested in the ability to move objects and creatures through space with little more than a spell. A novice telekinomancer can wrap a pebble in abjuramancy and lift it through the movement of those wards; a master can launch a dragon through a wall with a push.
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