The World as Your Weapon
A magics grounding in the passive magics in the world around you, ritual magic makes use of various natural energies instead of your soul energy. As a result, it can be powerful, but limited depending on what resources you have around you. In the world, there are many sources of natural energy, known as Auram, mostly emanating from specific events. Some of these sources include, but are not limited to, the Sun, the Moon, the Earth, and the Stars. Each of these sources, while technically giving off energies of their own, can usually be used interchangeably. However, they can also be used to do some things that are unique to the energy source and some sources are better used for certain acts. Every energy source is unique. While relatively interchangeable, most ritual mages start of being able to manipulate one and gain more as they practice, train, and study.
The Sun's Energy, Ignan, is well used when focused in rituals around power and strength. It is a volatile energy that can prove to be too much to handle for those who don't know what they are doing. As one can expect, its difficult to acquire Ignan when underground or at night. If the sun is the source of it, it's no surprise that the sun should be visible when harnessing it. Ignan is most prominent at Noon, but the world is massively overwhelmed with this energy during solar flares. Solar Eclipses completely blot out the generation of Ignan. A strange source of Ignan comes from thermal energy. Meaning the deeper underground you are (like, really deep) the more reasonable it is for you to use Ignan in your spells. Summer also saturates the world in this energy, even at night, one can find some lingering in the air. Sunstone is a gemstone that can easy be empowered and used to store Ignan.
The Moon's Energy, Lunis, is best utilized for magics involving illusions and sensual magic. It is a soothing energy that lulls others into sleep and hazy disorientation, as a result, its best suited for things that take advantage of the senses. Again, the moon should be visible if one is going to use its power. This energy is most prominent during full moons and almost nonexistent during new moons. Lunar eclipses completely stop the generation of Lunis until passed. However, should your world have more than one moon, the more of them that are full, the more potent Auram is that night. Winter is saturated in Lunis, even during the day. Moonstones, once empowered, can be used to store Lunis.
The Earth's Energy, Vitis, comes from the life force in everything, all creatures and plants radiate this energy, and this can be utilized to commit ritualistic acts. However, if one is clever, and maybe a bit darker, they can harvest it from the living things themselves, draining them of Vitis to power their acts in a darker fashion. However, death will always taint the magic in some way or another. Vitis is powerful when used to reinforce and invigorate others. It's an energy of vitality and wellness and, as such, can be sued to make one nearly invincible if used correctly. Places of extreme Vitis involve forests and sacred groves, however, spring is known to saturate the world in this energy, making it accessible regardless of where you may be. Emeralds are the gemstones of Vitis energy.
Astra is the energy of the Stars, and is powerful when used to see what shouldn't be seen. Scrying, fortune-telling, magical sight, and more come from this energy as the stars weave a web of fate in the sky that few can read. Comets, and shooting stars tend to unleash large bursts of this energy, while the day makes this energy nonexistent altogether. Galaxite, a rare and powerful gemstone, is how one can store this energy once empowered.
All of these energies can be used to create powerful effects. Each subtype of Ritual tends to prefer a specific type of energy, with the only universal energy being Astra and Soul energy. Once you grow more adept in these various magic types, you can use these energies interchangeably, but tweaking the volatility of Ignan to commit something as subtle and soft as illusion magics in nearly impossible to those who have no experience doing so. If you plan on getting into ritual magics, you should see about the creation of a staff with an empowered gemstone at its head. This gem will regenerate energies it is attuned to during times those energies are available. To empower a gemstone, it needs to spend about 24 hours saturating in the peak of whatever Auram it is to store, and it must be the proper type of gemstone. This means that the creation of these can be a pain as there are only three hours a day that Ignan is at it peak, full moons only last about 12 hours, maybe less or more depending on the season, and Astra really only absorbs for a few hours around the appearance of shooting stars and comets. Vitis is the easiest energy to empower with, find, and use. As such, its no surprise that many Ritual mages start off in Druidry and learn more as time passes.
