Magic

History
Although commonly assumed to have been the “gift” of Enkai to mortals, the origins of the practice of magic in Rhodenia are unclear. Contrary to popular belief, the use of magic predated the Age of the Wizard-Kings. Manuscripts discovered by the College of Magic indicate that its secrets were well known to the ancient elves; furthermore, although they are loathed to grant outsiders access to them, the elven scholars of Ast'Aria claim their temples boast records of a catastrophe, magical in nature, that brought ruin upon their ancestors. Magic, it would seem, may have been practiced before the civilized races of Rhodenia had even mastered written language.

During the Age of the Wizard-Kings, the practice of magic was widespread throughout all Rhodenia, and control over mana itself the primary source of political power. The Wizard-Kings and Queens of this time poured a great deal of energy and effort into securing new sources of mana, and constructed many facilities and structures to both harness and channel mana from leylines into their capitals and temples to Enkai. As the city-states of the Wizard-Kings fell to the forces of the Almighty, much of this power and knowledge was lost. Today, the precise locations of the leylines flowing through Rhodenia is largely unknown, even to the Sairis College of Magic. In Vllaistrae, magic itself is a suspect force, practiced under the blessing and scrutiny of the Church. Only those who study and have graduated from the College of Magic are permitted to use it; those who wield magical power without the Church’s sanction are deemed heretics, and viciously hunted down. Elsewhere in Rhodenia, the use of magic is less regulated. Although the Church maintains a strong presence in Athttania, its peoples - particularly those living beyond city walls - practice magic regularly, and in the lands of Esoa, there are few limitations on its use.

Uses
Spellcraft in Rhodenia is made possible by the existence of the Elementum, an incorporeal, amorphous plane of raw energy—known as mana—that that intersects the material plane (often referred to by formally educated mages as the Primordis) much like a winding river might were it unbounded by gravity. Mana is the imperceptible substance, though it is likely more akin to an invisible form of energy, that makes magic possible. All magic is a manipulation of this mana. The points at which the Elementum and the Primordis intersect constitute Rhodenia's leylines - conduits of mana which span the world much like veins do the body. By drawing upon this mana, those trained in the ways of magic can use its power to bend the material plane to their will.

All spellcraft requires the use of mana. By far, the most regularly tapped source of it is the residual mana given off by Rhodenia’s leylines - ambient mana. As one’s proficiency in mana manipulation increases, the amount of mana required to cast a spell significantly decreases; what the novice expends a great deal of power to execute, the master wields with a wave of a hand. Mana can be drawn directly from the Elementum, but this practice is considered problematic by virtually all magic users throughout the world, for tearing mana from it is to rend a wound between the two planes, resulting in chaotic energies rapidly bleeding out into Rhodenia - and almost certain destruction in its wake; consequently, only the most foolhardy or suicidal of sorcerers would ever attempt such a feat. Many mages make use of artifacts and runes to store mana for future use. By channeling mana into such objects beforehand, magic users can exert their powers near-effortlessly. So common was this practice in the Age of the Wizard-Kings that scholars of the day estimated that nearly a quarter of the Elementum’s mana was bound up in artifacts and runes. Virtually all of Rhodenia’s most potent magical artifacts were created out of Florentinum - a crystalline mineral unparalleled in its capacity to conduct mana. Florentinum is extremely rare, and for centuries it was believed Rhodenia’s supply of it had been used up; however, in the final days of Jasper II’s reign, a new source of Florentinum was discovered in the Armaline mountains, and a handful of mercantile companies presently compete over access to it. The black market for Florentinum is, without question, the most lucrative in the world.

Laws
In the formal study of magic, there are three universally accepted laws which mana obeys. First, that mana can neither be created nor destroyed; upon being used to cast a spell, it dissipates and returns to its source. Second, that mana is finite; there is a limited amount of mana that constitutes the Elementum. Finally, that mana is convergent; it possesses a “magnetic” quality, and lesser sources of mana are drawn to and flow toward greater sources of mana.

Schools of Magic
All magic accomplished via the manipulation of mana is known as primordial magic, as opposed to divine magic or dark magic (discussed later)''. ''The Sairis College of Magic divides primordial magical practice into three primary disciplines: the elemental, the arcane, and the vital. The elemental school of magic, as its name suggests, concerns the classical elements that constitute the natural world: air, earth, fire, and water. Elemental magic is, by far, the most widely used in Rhodenia. It is the most intuitive school of magic, the most easily mastered, and the most practical. Although the reasons behind the phenomenon are unclear, most elementalists are born with an affinity for a particular element, and typically choose to develop this bond as their understanding of magic grows. The arcane school of magic includes the so-called “strange” elements: light, darkness, and mana itself. From these elements the disciplines of enchantment, illusions, and temporal magic are derived. In contrast to the elemental school, the arcane school is poorly understood, difficult to master, and practiced by very few; where the former focuses upon the manipulation of the familiar, the latter concerns itself with control over the mysterious and fundamental. Finally, the vital school of magic addresses the powers of life and death. From them the disciplines of healing, necromancy, summoning, and animation are derived. Although in Athttania and Vllaistrae, these magics are rarely practiced - necromancy is forbidden by the Church, and healing magic is considered inferior to divine miracles - in the lands of Esoa, they are quite popular among magic users; golems, for example, are frequently employed in mining the deserts of Ast'Aria, and Turian mages often draw upon the spirits of both animals and ancestors for strength.

It should be noted that miracles - the so-called “divine magic” practiced by the Almighty faithful - is not magic at all, and does not require the use of mana; rather, it is made possible entirely through the power of faith. Divine magic is a direct manifestation of the Almighty in the mortal world, granting those she deems true at heart various abilities. All priests and clergypeople, if truly faithful, can perform small miracles, such as healing. High priests have been known not only to heal the sick, but also to manifest fields and streams of energy, and even deflect the mana of true magic users back into the elementum, essentially nullifying the effect of magic. It is not known to what degree this becomes futile. The Matredeu is likely the most adept at this divine magic, and though the true limits of her power are a mystery, an ancient tale speaks of the first Matredeu using her gifts to raise an island from the bed of Lake Sairisi, creating Donadea.

Florentinum
Unparalleled in its capacity to conduct mana from the Elementum to Primordis, the mortal plane of Rhodenia, florentinum is an extremely rare crystalline mineral mined in the deepest depths of the world. Used in the creation of the most powerful artifacts, weapons, and armor during the Age of the Wizard-Kings, it has been long believed that Rhodenia’s deposits of florentinum had been used up; consequently, equipment wrought from it has been highly valued through the centuries, and both the Church of the Almighty and the College of Magic are said to keep an impressive armory of magically imbued gear in their vaults. During the reign of Jasper II, a vast deposit of florentinum was discovered in the Armaline Mountains of northeastern Vllaistrae, sparking a feud over mineral and trading rights for the much sought-after substance - along with a debate over precisely what this discovery might mean for the geopolitical landscape.

Occupied elsewhere in her goal of suppressing the threat of Enkai activity in the realm, and under advisement from her cousin, Lord General Galinn Vaissière, and thereby the Church, the Empress Adalacia dispatched a contingent of the Vllaistraean Imperial Army to guard these florentine deposits, and the question of mineral and trading rights was, temporarily, set aside. Whilst Adalacia and Gale fought to reclaim the loyalty of their people lost during the reign of Jasper II, magic became an increasingly regulated practice relative to the years before Adalacia's rule. Upon her death, however, her successor, the Empress Velucia, immediately took interest in the matter, and exercising the Crown’s authority declared the florentium property of the Empire. Although this move was not without controversy—chiefly from the Church and the Old Guard of the Vllaistraean aristocracy, led by Lord General Vaissière—it was acknowledged by legal authorities as legitimate. Though problematic, all property rights in the Vllaistraean Empire originate from the Crown itself. Regardless, as legal scholars have begun debate over whether property rights ought be independent from royal authority, mining of the florentinum has proceeded as the Crown has issued lucrative contracts for various interests to bid upon.

While the discovery of new deposits of florentinum has captured the attention of many throughout Rhodenia, none have been quite so interested as the dwarves. Experts in mining and craftsmanship as they are, a handful of dwarven clans have flocked to Vllaistrae, eager to offer their services in hopes to work with the rare mineral—and undoubtedly profit from their efforts. Recognizing the superior mining techniques of the dwarves, the Crown has sold the lion’s share of these contracts to them. While these contracts are invariably drawn up in favor of the Empire, these dwarven mining interests have profited greatly—although they have, not unsurprisingly, found unwanted and not unexpected competition from profiteers seeking to illegally scoop in on the scene; indeed, brigands, thieves, and all manner of ne’er-do-wells have flocked to the Armaline Mountains with the intention of sneaking off with whatever crystals they can lay hand upon.

The “florentinum craze” - as it has been deemed in the press - has resulted in an economic boom for Vllaistrae as miners, craftsmen, and architects have proven more than willing to pay extraordinary sums of money for the opportunity to work with the rare mineral. This florentinum economy has enabled Empress Velucia to proceed with a program of civil construction on a nearly unprecedented scale - a scale some advisors in her treasury insist is absolutely unsustainable and may ultimately bankrupt the Empire if not curbed in the near future. For the time being, however, the people of Vllaistrae are more prosperous than they have been in some time, and exciting, new uses for florentinum - mana-powered street-lamps, bridges of hard light, and siphon-driven aqueducts, to name a few - are finding their ways into the everyday lives of Vllaistraean citizens.

Manamutes
Such was the potency of the spells wielded during the Age of the Wizard-Kings that it was a common occurrence for an area to be depleted of its ambient mana. While ambient mana naturally regenerates over time, this phenomenon once heavily dictated military strategy; to strike first with one's most powerful spells - thus leaving little mana with which one's opponent might retaliate - was generally the most effective approach. Although this strategy dominated military theory for several centuries, it eventually fell out of favor as alternative sources of mana became more commonplace.

While mana can be crystallized to be saved for later use, or stored in artifacts such as staves, wands, and foci, none of these hold sufficient quantities of it to make advanced spellcraft possible. The human body itself is able to contain more mana than any of these sources. Perhaps it is unsurprising, then, that the Wizard-Kings researched ways of expanding their own personal reserves - research that led to the practice of manamuting. By sealing away one's ability to manipulate the natural world with mana and focusing on methods to draw upon and collect it, the Wizard-Kings discovered it was possible for an individual to contain vast reservoirs of potential energy. Unwilling themselves to give up the capacity to cast spells, the Wizard-Kings subjected their servitors to this process, and used these manamute men and women as living fonts from which they might draw power. Viewed as little more than chattel, manamutes were slaves to the whims of the Wizard-Kings, who kept retinues of them at hand at all times. Some particularly cruel masters even went as far as to use manamutes as “powder kegs” or living bombs against their rivals.

Viewed by the Church as a cruel excess of an earlier age, the practice of manamuting was abandoned in the early stages of the Empire, albeit not outright prohibited. As Sairis benefited from an abundant source of mana flowing from two nearby leylines, the magisters of the College of Magic had little use for the practice. For centuries, research upon the subject went largely unacknowledged and served little more than to fill the library's stacks with dusty tomes, familiar only to those curious souls of the arcane school - such a curious soul as the Princess Velucia Pelletier possessed. Intrigued by the idea, Velucia reimagined the figure of the manamute not as one who was a slave to, but rather one who was the source of. The notion greatly confused her masters at the College, until some years later they learned - to their infinite dismay - that she had consumed the mana of an entire leyline, and rendered southwestern Vllaistrae a null-mana zone.

Since Velucia's ascension to the throne, a great deal of discussion regarding manamuting has taken place at the College of Magic as its magisters scramble to learn of the ancient practice - and determine precisely what a mana-devouring Empress might mean for the future of magical studies.

Dark Magic
Dark magic refers not to the feats accomplished with the use of mana and magic, but rather the source of this magic. Dark magic is entirely different than primordial magic—the magic practiced with the manipulation of mana from the elementum. Rather, dark magic uses dark mana, an ancient and untapped source of energy from before the creation of the Almighty and Enkai, a remnant of the ancient deity which created them. It is likely that this dark mana was used in the creation of the universe itself. Much of this dark mana is stored in dark florentinum, buried deep within the Earth and to the untrained eye nothing more than a pretty rock. Dark magic is different from primordial magic because rather than transforming and manipulating, dark magic creates and destroys. Dark magic allows its users, with the help of dark mana, to fundamentally alter the laws of the universe: manipulate time, create and destroy matter, and create their own laws. It is vastly more powerful and vastly more dangerous than primordial magic.

Dark magic is not known to anyone alive in Rhodenia today; the Church holds documents detailing its use before the banishment of the old deity, but in language long forgotten. It is likely that only the Almighty and Enkai, and the ancient deity, know the truth of dark magic. No mortal has wielded this powerful tool in the history of the world, and for very good reason: dark magic could elevate its user to that of a god.

Thankfully, even if one were to discover the truth of dark magic, it is self-limiting. The sites of dark mana and dark florentinum are few and far between, and accessing enough of this dark florentinum to cause any significant rift in the space-time of the universe would take the resources only a monarch could muster up. But if the ancient deity were to manifest itself through a mortal, it would take the reappearance of the Almighty and Enkai to stop such a rising tide: only the ancient deity's original creations can stop it.