Magi
Magi are people with a natural connection to Éla, able to channel it to conjure and manipulate natural energies.
In some places, Magi are held as sacred, seen as remnants or gifts from the Old Magi who should be trained and educated as they were. Others see their magic as an illness resulting from the Cataclysm, and treat them as disabled. Others still do not even know they exist.
Basic Information
Growth Rate & Stages
Magi's sensitivity to Éla first becomes apparent in early puberty, usually around the ages of 11-14, though later-onset awakenings have been witnessed -- particularly in the case of Bri Vander who did not come into her power until seventeen years old, during her second puberty on estrogen.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Though Magi have been known to crop up all over Neria, the highest concentrations seem to be in older towns and cities. It is theorised that the ancients built the first settlements along powerful ley-lines or 'rivers' of Èla, though this is only a popular theory among those who believe in the Old Magi.
Nonetheless, the majority of registered Magi appear in Jade and northern Querian populations, suggesting that the sensitivity to Éla directly correlates to their proximity to The Portal.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
See also: Éla
Though the exact range of abilities available to Magi is yet unknown and often seems limitless, the following are the primary abilities witnessed in Magi individuals:
- Weather Manipulation
- Classical Element Manipulation
- Telekinesis
Civilization and Culture
History
After The Endless Night passed, the Magi were considered extinct. While no records exist to determine when the first new Magi began to appear, it wasn't until around 150N.A. that they became a phenomena. Many believed they didn't exist at first, but as their numbers increased the world was forced to find out a solution.
In the far-western culture of Jade, the answer was obvious. The Magi were welcomed as the heralds of a new age of supremacy: the control of Éla as a natural, all-powerful force just as it was in the days of The Old Magi. Boarding schools were build to house young Magi and a system of training, study and honing their craft was set into motion.
In the Querian Empire a similar system was created with scholarship and training at the center of action taken for the Magi population. The Querians, however, see Éla as a tool of political power and accept Magi of specific talent into their courts and political systems.
Merinian authorities, in contrast to this reception, saw the Magi as a threat to the carefully held order of things. As the culture was largely influenced by the beliefs of The Myriad, many immediately believed the Magi to be cursed remenants of the Old Magi's power -- and this belief was only made firm by the onset of violent outbursts and incidents involving newly awakened Magi, later dubbed Icarus Syndrome by psychiatrists and scholars who, while not holding the same beliefs as the Myriad, agreed that the Magi were largely a phenomena causing sickness and mental illness. Laws were soon passed that made it a legal requirement for any Magi showing signs of the emotional instability associated with Icarus Syndrome to be handed to their closest Institute for Troubled Magi -- a psychiatric hospital specifically made for Magi.
The Avvar-Kunrud saw the Magi as gifted individuals with a skill passed down from their ancestors to aid in their seafaring ways -- very quickly, Magi were considered essential to join in war and exploration, with at least one Magi required to be part of a ship's crew at any given time.
While the Hjala are an insular, secretive society, they are known to have largely accepted Magi as nothing special -- merely people naturally attuned to a useful resource. The Avaron had a similar attitude, largely ignoring the politics of Éla altogether and allowing the few Magi who cropped up to deal with their own issues.
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