Magic in Niorath

Magic has been around us for all of recorded history. We have many myths about what exactly happened during Magicfall but perhaps we will never know the truth. It has brought us great progress and helped our societies develop. But to everything there is always a downside. Chaos magic may be banned but even know people try to gain power by using it. Our fight to stop it will perhaps never end.

— High Sage Syronikir

According to myth magic was not always available to the various species of Niorath. It was only when the Gods, or Prime Asmer were forced to leave Niorath that magic spread. The cataclysmic event that sparked this exodus was known as Magicfall. It created the Falls, magical infused crystals, which gave magic to the people of Niorath.

Evolution of Magic

Before Magicfall

The general belief is that before Magicfall magic was only available to the Prime Asmer gods and those that were uplifted by them. In almost every creation myth the Gods originated from Nervonia, a large nebula that is believed to be the home of the elemental and celestial realms.
The story of how the Gods came to be varies in every religion but at least they share a common origin. When the Gods travelled to Niorath on their Divine Vessels they are believed to have brought part of the magic of Nervonia with them. With that magic they created magnificent cities and performed miracles for the various species living on Niorath.
This lasted for a long time until a civil war broke out between the gods. Each of the Asmer factions tried to gain the upper hand by using their magic to create the most powerful soldiers. Who created what creature varies depending on the religion but all agree that during this time creatures such as the Dragons, the Dragonborn and the giants were created by using magic. In the end the war ended with a cataclysmic event known as Magicfall.

Magicfall by Total War Warhammer II

by kefkejaco with midjourney

Magicfall Disaster

What exaclty went down in those final moments depends on the followed religion but one thing was clear. Right after that cataclysmic event, the world of Niorath was changed forever. The Gods left the planet and their civilizations ended abruptly.
The blast of Magicfall created magic as we know it today but caused a lot more additional problems. Many of the creatures that we today see as monsters were formed by mutations during the first years that followed Magicfall. Others were likely formed due to Chaos Magic. Some intelligent species were changed as well. A common theory is that the Goblinoids were Elves that were mutated by Magicfall. This theory has gained some credibility to very ancient Elven records claiming that large amount of Goblinoids lived around the supposed Magicfall source.

First Casters

But not all that happend during this period of time was bad. Those that were not too close to Magicfall were only slightly changed. Magical abilities started appearing among random individuals several years after the event. Some species seemed to be more prone to the gift of magic than others. Even today these differences persist which is the main reason why the Elves have a vast amount of magical bloodlines. Humans in contrast have only very limited people with magical abilities from birth.
Why the Elves became so magically inclined is often attributed to the fact that the ancient Elven societies lived relatively close to the source of Magicfall. This is often believed to have been the Infor crater. However, some species on other continents have also had gift for magic even though they are quite far away from the source. This has led to the belief that perhaps Magicfall was a series of magical blasts on various locations rather than one.

Magical Advancement

Falls

But casters were not the only thing that came into existence after Magicfall. Across the world colorful crystals appeared which the people started calling Falls as they were believed to have fallen down during Magicfall. Most of them could be found near the region(s) from which Magicfall originated but many could be found in other areas of the world as well. This gave rise to the idea that many of them were blasted away long distances during Magicfall.
At some point one of the first casters discovered that different colours of Falls could actually enhance certain types of magic. From then on it became pretty common to use Falls in all kinds of foci. Using the Falls and their foci also gave rise to more advanced forms of magic.

New Casters

Most likely it took some time before the other uses of the Falls were discovered. This could possibly also have been artificial as the existing casters most likely wanted to keep their positions of power.
At some point, however, it must have been discovered that by performing certain rituals one could actually absorb a Fall into their body. Once this process was complete they themselves would be able to cast magic of that type.
This marked the start of a whole new kind of casters and enabled less magical inclined species to join the casting ranks. Becoming a full caster still required a good amount of Falls which for many was a resource that was hard to get. Most new casters were therefore from richer families. Still those who were lucky to get their hands on one type of Fall became specialised casters, like pyromancers.

by kefkejaco with midjourney

Multiple Falls

Even an individual with a magical ability from birth could benefit from Falls. This is because most magical bloodlines only pass along one type of magic. In order to be able to cast multiple types of magic, one would have to absorb different kinds of Falls. This has allowed some of the richer individuals of Niorath to become true masters of the arcane.

Types of Casters

Some are a descendant from a magical bloodline whereas other can only cast after absorbing the energy from Falls. There are therefore two categories of casters;

Born Casters

Born Casters are descendants from a magical bloodline. Most of these bloodlines can be found among the Elves. The Avaronian Empire was specifically known to grant positions of great power to the strongest bloodlines. This pratice still persists in a way today because many of the Avar nations are magocracies.
Most born with magic become specialised casters such as pyromancers but there are also those that become sorcerers with a more diversified portfolio. Besides elemental magic Elves sometimes also have a tendency for Druid magic.

Learned Casters

Those that did not have the gift of magic from birth have to go through the ritual of Fall Gifting. All of the types of Falls that are wanted are placed around the recipient. Over the course of about half an hours the Falls energy is absorbed by the new casters leaving only empty Falls crystals behind.
Most that go through this process are relatively wealthy and tend to take many types of Falls. They therefore often become wizards. In Human societies it is also common to become a cleric by absorbing Divine Falls.

Giveth and taketh

Whereas the ritual of Fall Giving grants the ability to cast magic the Avar Elves have managed to find a way to take magic away. This can even be done to limit the magic of those born with it. This Dorodir Curse is a painful procedure and only done as a punishment.

Types of Magic

There are many types of magic in the world of Niorath. Some are more common than others but all powers can be gained through Falls. Dimension Magic and Chaos magic are the only types of magic that so far is not known to persist in any magical bloodline.

Air Magic

by Rexard

Elemental Air Magic is related to Cloud Falls. This magic's uses can range from controlling air flows to create lightning or thunder. Advanced casters are even able to use it for flying.
This magic is mainly used by Aeromancers, Wizards, Sorcerers.

Divine Magic

by Rexard

Divine Magic is related to Divine Falls. This magic's uses can range from healing to offensive abilities based on light. Advanced casters of this type can use this magic to resurrect.
This magic is mainly used by Clerics, Paladins, Druids.

Fire Magic

by Rexard

Elemental Fire Magic is related to Ember Falls. This magic's uses can range from smoke creation to all kinds of fiery effects. Advanced casters can even gain resistance to fire.
This magic is mainly used by Pyromancers, Wizards, Sorcerers.

Mind Magic

by Rexard

Mind Magic is related to Mind Falls. This magic's uses can range from illusions and control magic to damaging one's brain or manipulating it. Advanced casters can even use it to silently kill.
This magic is mainly used by Bards, Wizards, Sorcerers

Water Magic

by Rexard

Elemental Water Magic is related to Sea Falls. This magic includes the control of water flows, rain, purification and especially ice for offence. Advanced casters of this type can even breath underwater.
This magic is mainly used by Hydromancers, Wizards, Sorcerers.

Nature Magic

by Rexard

Nature Magic is related to Leaf Falls. This magic can range from influencing plants to changing physical forms and animal communication. Advanced casters can even use it to control a forest.
This magic is mainly used by Druids, Wizards, Sorcerers.

Earth Magic

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Elemental Earth Magic is related to Tremor Falls. Users of this magic can manipulate the earth around them and even use it to protect themselves. Advanced casters can cause small tremors near them.
This magic is mainly used by Terramancers, Wizards, Sorcerers.

Death Magic

by Rexard

Death Magic is related to Death Falls. It is one of the most shunned magic forms as it allow the creation of undead and draining life force. Advanced casters of this type can create multiple undead at once.
This magic is mainly used by Necromancers, Wizards, Sorcerers.

Dimension Magic

by Rexard

Dimension Magic is related to Void Falls. It is a very rare and dangerous type of magic. It can alter gravity and can be used to create kinetic blasts. Advanced casters can use it for teleportation.
This magic is mainly used by Wizards, Void Casters.

Chaos: The Forbidden magic

Chaos magic is the most powerful type of magic and forbidden in most of the world. It is believed that many monsters and other dangers in the world are created by 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. It is magic in its purest form but also very difficutl to control.

When a caster does not succeed in trying to perform Chaos magic, a surge from Nervonia can enter Niorath. This can cause strange aberrations to appear and in the worst case to even alter the region. The Chaos Areas around the world are the results of such events.

by Rexard

Advanced Magic

Crystal Casting Armors

There is a limit to the magical prowess that one can gain. Most can be overcome with training but in order to gain access to the most difficult and powerful magic one would have to train centuries. Luckily the Elves of Aelerium found a way around this with their Crystal Casting Armors.
These armors have Falls incorperated in them and allow the wearer to magical feats much more powerful than their base level. Of course the user still has to be able to have a magical ability. This invention has also helped the casters from other species to become a better match against Elven casters.
In recent history the Raitin have managed to make them even more accesible. These armors actually allow non-casters to use elemental powers.