Chaos Magic

As is often the case in magic, great power comes at a cost. For the rawest form of magic, chaos, this applies even more. Chaos magic may be banned but even now people try to gain power by using it. Our fight to stop it will perhaps never end.

— High Sage Syronikir

Chaos magic is the most powerful type of magic but forbidden in most of the world and for good reason. It is believed that many monsters and other dangers in the world originated from this type of magic going very wrong.

Using this type of magic opens a direct connection with the Primal Chaos at the center of Nervonia. This gives the caster access to magic in its pures form but is extremely difficult to control.

History

Ancient Time

Chaos magic was probably only first used several centuries after Magicfall. The Falls of the Chaos kind are not very common and practicing its related magic is not easy. Only the civilizations that researched it and had the resources needed would have been able to use it. The Selefer are believed to have been such a civilization. It is unknown how long they practiced the use of this magic but most Chaos spell were either created or written down by them. Other likely civilizations that have been involved with chaos magic were the Avaronian Empire and the Isshani.

Advancement

At its very core there is nothing wrong with Chaos magic in itself. In the beginning the caster only sought to tap into the unlimited potential of the Nervonia to greatly enhance their spellcasting.
It allowed ancient casters to increase the power of magic they were already proficient in. The effects of this type of magic were not too dissimilar from those produced by Crystal Casting Armors.
The use of chaos magic always required the user to already be proficient in some form of magic to function as its base. Unlike the Crystal Casting Armors however, the results were not as easy to control.

Pure Chaos

The Avaronian and Isshani are believed to have mainly focussed on enhancing magic which resulted in the Isshan Calamity and perhaps The Avaronian Doom respectively. The Selefer however, focussed on making it into its own kind of magic with powerful but dangerous results. The Chaos Well spell is believed to have been their culmination of chaos research.

Chaos Falls

Chaos Falls are very rare in most areas of Niorath but are extremely abundant in regions affected by Chaos Corruption such as the Silent Forest.
Because these regions contain this dangerous material the border regions are guarded to ensure nothing goes into or comes out of a chaos region. If there is an expedition that wants to go into one of these regions and manages to come back they are thoroughly checked to ensure they do not carry these Falls. Most expeditions, however, never survive long enough to come back.
Currently there is no knowledge of any person who knows how to cast Chaos magic from birth.

Uses

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Potency

Even though it is a forbidden form of magic the increase in power promised by chaos magic is too enticing for some. Powerful casters are therefore sometimes tempted use chaos magic to ehance their own magic. A Fire Magic user can use it to take on a phoenix form without the use of a Crystal Casting Armor or even take on a larger form when using such an armor. Some abilities are even said to be only possible by using chaos magic in combination.
The use of chaos magic is especially strong when using other combinations of magic such a fire and air. In itself this is already a destructive combination but with Chaos magic added to the mix it can drastically change any battlefield.

Absorbing Life

Using chaos magic for anything other than enhancing other forms of magic requires a price of life. Even increasing potency of magic by a large amount will have its downsides. A caster can choose to sacrifice part of their own health to use chaos magic specific spells. The downside to this is that the caster needs to recuperate afterwards but it is still used as an alternative.
Most chaos magic casters decide to sacrifice other living beings to cast their magic. For smaller spells they use plant life around them and some even carry jars with insects with them to absorb life energy. The largest spells, however, require more energy. Known casters such as the Selefer were known to sacrifice prisoners to fuel their spellcasting. Despite it not being the original purpose of a chaos spell, the life absorbing can also be used offensively.

Transformation

One of the most known uses of chaos magic is its use in transforming items or creatures in unexptected ways. For those seeking riches it is often used to change items into more valuable materials such as gold or gems. Casters who look for protection on the other prefer to change living beings in unexpected ways. Ordinary animals can be transformed into strange and powerful monstrosities who are loyal to their creator. If such a caster dies any creatures under their control turn feral, making them a big problem for anyone nearby.

Spell Mimicry

As chaos magic is magic in its rawest form it has a very useful characteristic. Chaos magic can be used to replicate any other form of magic even without the related Fall or born ability. This versatility makes it for some otherwise reluctant casters worth the risk to use chaos magic. As Dimension Magic is a very scarce form of magic, this characteristic of chaos magic can be a good alternative even though it always has a risk of failure.

Cataclysmic Spells

In historic accounts it is perhaps the cataclysmic spells that mostly instill the fear of Chaos magic. It has luckily not been performed often and there is no public knowledge of how this magic is called forth. One spell, the Chaos Well, is known to have been the origin of the Silent Forest's creation but its details have been lost to time. Some believe The Keepers still have a tome about it that they keep hidden in the deepest part of their library but this has never bene confirmed.
Other spells of this kind are even more mysterious. To this day nobody knows what exactly happened during The Avaronian Doom and Isshan Calamity. Only one thing is for certain, casting any of these spells to its highest potency requires the sacrifice of at least a 100 souls.

by kefkejaco with midjourney

by kefkejaco with midjourney