Magite & Magic

Magite & Magic, written by Tirus & Astral Deva

Since the beginning of time, the mysterious prismatic stone known as Magite has existed. Believed to have come from the very Heart of Calamia, these stones hold mystical properties. In raw form it juts from the earth, crystal like, and prismatic, changing colors as one looks at it. Though raw Magite contains no known abilities, the refined form holds the potential to allow its user to unlock the power within them, transforming their energy into a form of “magic”. It takes a user of Magite many years of study and training in order to use these stones, and the mastery of the Magite takes even more dedication and practice. Not everyone is capable of using these stones, and those that can are referred to as a Magus. Some people can never use a Magite stone, others prefer not to use them at all, and those that hate magic in all forms regard them as damning to touch.

In order for a raw Magite to be refined, a Purifier is required. There are a select few of these specialists throughout the world, holding the sacred knowledge passed down only to their apprentice. There is a Purifiers Guild, where most of these people stay connected, but it is very secretive. (We will NOT accept any character applications for Purifiers, a Purifier's apprentice, or someone in the Purifiers Guild. This grouping is restricted.) The Purifier then customizes the stone specifically for its intended user. Each Magite must be made of at least a certain size and no smaller, otherwise the stone will not function. A refined Magite has the hardness of a diamond and is very hard to destroy. A Magite has a single ancient symbol placed on it during the refining process, this symbol depending on the stones intended use. Upon refining Magite, a person may choose to give the stone a certain color and shape, but the etched symbol will always determine the magic energy type that can be channeled through the Magite. Only the Purifiers are capable of placing these symbols onto the stone. These symbols become a permanent part of the Magite, granting the stone’s user to channel their energies into specific kinds of magic. The symbols go as follows:

Magite fall under three categories based upon their symbol: Elemental, Astral, and Ethreal.

Elemental Magite allows the user to convert their energies into a form of element, such as fire and water. The stone directly transforms the given energy from the user into the form of element it has. A mage with a Thunder and Ice Magite could send forth a bolt of lightning at a foe or create a wall of ice to protect themselves from projectiles. A warrior with Earth could create a rock armor or weapon. Elemental effects are only temporary and will cease after a short period of time.

The Astral Magite focus on the energies of the universe, mind, and other realms. All of the effects from these types of spells are temporary, with only a few exceptions.

Illusion Magite deals with the twisting of reality, to make something appear real, but when infact it is not. Its a trickery of the senses, making its victims see things that are not physically real or possible, or making the user more than what they appear. As an example a wielder of an Illusion Magite could create an image that appears and smells almost real yet is not, or throw their voice to sound as if they were coming from another direction.

Light Magite deals with the powers of the light, though not linked to the gods. It is mainly used for beneficial spells for others, but Light Magite also deals in dangerous attack magics that can be deadly if used. Light Magite could be used to cast a minor healing spell or a ray of light as an attack.

Dark Magite deals in the powers of the darkness, yet it is not linked to the gods. Being a wielder of this type doesn't necessarily make one evil, but it is often linked to those of dark practices. An example of Dark Magite is a caster could create a temporary blanket of darkness throughout a selected area, or blend into shadows easily.

Spirit Magite delves into the realm of the super natural, using one's own spirit energy allowing the user to affect the spirit of themselves or the world around them. An example of Spirit Magite would be to boost the moral of an army, strike fear into someone's mind, or summon the spirits of the dead.

Creation Magite contains different properties from the other stones, and in itself is very unique. Unlike the others, where the user sacrifices only their own raw energy in order to transform it into magic, Creation also requires a secondary material in order to change it into another form. An example would be changing a rock into a rough sword or a giant block of wood into a chair. These effects are often temporary, lasting only a few minutes or a few hours depending on how much energy was used. It takes great amounts of energy to make an object permanent. To use Creation without the proper material may result in immediate magi-burn.

The final type, Ethreal, is a more advanced version of the Light and Dark Magite, being blessed by one of the Gods. These blessed Magite are known as Holy and Shadow. Only those truly dedicated and faithful to the Divine or Dark One are capable of even using these stones, and severing ones link to them would mean losing use of the Magite. Both stones can never be used by one person. Holy and Dark Magite are capable of allowing the energy of the Gods themselves to be transferred into the user and converted into a higher form of magic. Holy obviously being linked to the Divine One and his demigod children, and Shadow being linked to the Dark One and his. Being able to heal major wounds, cure disease and curses or blast an enemy with a Holy Missile are just a few of the spells one is capable of using with a Holy Magite. Causing major wounds instantly, cursing a person, and using Rays of Darkness would be an example of what the Shadow Magite can accomplish.

There are three spell types that magic is sectioned into, and that is Arcane, Stellar and Celestial. Arcane spells deal in the physical, things that permanently change, fix or harm a person or the world around them. These spells are what most call grand scale spells, they take either a medium or large expenditure of energy to cast. Chain lightning, vortexes, balls of fire, icy touch and any other spell that does direct damage to an opponent or object is in the Arcane classification. Spells such as healing spells, casting curses and hexes, creation spells of any sort are all part of the Arcane spell group. Stellar spells are those that deal with the world around them, by using what already exists without changing it from its original state/form. These spells range in physical energy exertion, from small and relatively simple to large scale and extremely exhausting spells. Spells such as moving objects, illusions, reading magic scrolls, summoning spirits or undead, and temporary weapon/armor/object enchantments are all part of Stellar magic. Celestial deals with the Ethereal Magite, having blessed energy that comes from the gods. These spells can be small and simple spells to grand scale. This spell group is unique because it has properties of both Arcane and Stellar magic but is neither one or the other, and does not pertain the negative armor effects that Arcane magic pertains.

Most Magite stones are placed into objects, such as weapons, armor (usually gauntlets), belts, clothing, jewelry and so on. When casting a spell of mid to grand capacity the stone has to be visible for the Magus to focus on it, otherwise the spell won't cast. Arcane spells always need the stone visible in order to cast, whereas Stellar magic depends on the spell. Simple Stellar spells don't need to have the stone visible, so long as the Magus is touching it the spell can be created. If it is a medium or large effort spell, however, then the stone will need to be visible in order to work. Armor also effects the usage of Magite when casting Arcane spells, and that is why you won't see a mage wearing full plate armor to battle. When using any form of Arcane magic if the Magus is wearing heavy armors, especially metal armor, it is near impossible to cast a spell. In some instances mages wearing metal armors have been known to suffer a back lash, or mirror effect caused by the armor, which can harm the caster. Small bits of metal jewelry, however, have been found not to hinder the casting process, which is why most true Magus prefer to wear light armor or robes and Magite embedded jewelry and/or weapons. Warriors don't use Arcane magics, so it is common for them to have Magite attatched to their armor and weapons.

Someone who knows nothing of how Magite works wouldn't even be able to use a Magite stone even if they tried. Each Magite stone is attuned to their owner, so if they were stolen or found the item would still be unusable by the new owner, not until they had the item taken to a Purifier and made compatible to their own energy. A Magite user may have a vast collection of stones in their possession, for it is always wise to have spare stones at hand, yet they can only have the Magicite types they are trained to use.

What spells are accessible depend solely on the user and the Magite they are linked to. Only those who have dedicated their life into the mastery of the Magite can unlock their full use. Fighters, for example, are only capable of performing simple magic such as enchanting their weapons with an element, use an Magite for physical protection, or cast a minor illusion of themselves that lasts for only a few seconds, where a wizard is fully capable of delving into their Magite's unlocking potential and access stronger spells. Every class is limited to the number of Magite types they can use. Mage classes are able to use up to a maximum of four Magite types. All other classes are only capable of using two different Magite types. Once those slots have been filled, the user cannot use any other types of Magite ever. An example would be a fighter who has fire and ice cannot just decide to change from Fire Magite and start using a Thunder Magite. The fighter is stuck using fire and ice Magite only. This applies to all classes.

Every individual being contains a internal “energy” that they can tap into using the Magite stones, and upon the casting a spell the user focuses this energy through the Magite, which in return transforms the energy into a magic form. A Magus is only able to channel so much energy from their bodies in a single day, some classes more than others.

If a Magus exceeds their energy limit they get what is called magi-drain, where the user becomes extremely weak and ill. If this happens they have to rest their bodies for at least twelve hours, sometimes more or less depending on how far they went past their limit, to regain their full strength. Minimal rest will heal most or some of their magi-drain, but not restore all their energy, and if they continue using their Magite stones even after magi-drain they can cause a far more severe and deadly form of sickness called magi-burn. The usual signs of magi-drain are a rapid decrease in body temperature, cold sweat, shakes, extreme fatigue, muscle spasms, blurred vision, dizziness, bloody nose, nausea, vomiting and unconsciousness. Magi-drain can be healed by priests, but is usually costly.

The more dangerous form of over use of one's internal energy is referred to as magi-burn. This is caused by surpassing their energy limitations by two times what they can normally withstand. Magi-burn is very serious, the effects being obvious for the user will experience any of the following symptoms: Extreme fever, vision distortion or blindness, tongue swelling, welts and/or burns all over the body, blood coming out of the ears, nose and mouth, difficulty breathing, blackened fingers , hair loss and discoloration, infertility, rapid heart rate, loss of bodily functions, seizures, coma, and more often than not... death. Sometimes it claims the caster completely, their bodies spontaneously combusting into white flame, reducing them to a mere pile of ash. Magi-burn symptoms can be healed, but the effects on the body are long lasting, most times permanent, and it can take weeks, even months to fully recover.