IntroductionThis RTD is mainly focused around magic, and mages. But there are many different types of mages... There's that one wizard who stays, secluded in his/her tower, conducting experiments and observing the world to attain the perfect Magecraft. Or there's the student, partaking in classes to learn The Arts, sharing his/her findings and developing them with his/her colleagues. Then there is the Wild Mage, one raised in tune with the natural field of Magic, able to perform extremely powerful yet random and dangerous feats of Sorcery.
The amount of different types of magic are varied, but they each fall under certain categories. These, collectively, are referred to as 'The Arts of Magecraft', 'Magecrafts' or 'The Arts' for short. Some may know them as the Schools of Magic, others may know them by other names, but they are generally the same the world over, and then some.
Whichever way you choose, This world is yours to live and die in.
Try not to go too insane.
The Arts of Magecraft... what each school and type of magic is collectively referred to. In the Arts, there are two different details one must worry about before going into further detail; The Style, and the School.
The Styles:
There are various different 'Styles' of Magecraft, which is how the Magic is carried out, as opposed to what the result is. These Styles are as follows;
Theurgy - Magecraft in the form of Ritualism. Requires some sort of marking and incantation, generally performed as extended ceremonies with a Runic/Magic Circle, Differing Reagents and an extended chant in a language conductive to Magic. Theurgy is the least flexible form of Magecraft, but also the safest. Requires no direct contant with the Mana Field.
Invocation - Magecraft channeled through known laws, words and thought. Invocation links the aforementioned together to form Magic. By using the Laws as a template, with thought and words to further focus and sharpen the desired effect, it forces the magic to weave itself. To put it simply, think, point and release. Less controllable than other forms, due to how it is formed initially then merely released, but tends to be quicker and easier. Requires some direct contant with the Mana Field.
Sorcery - Magecraft brought together through sheer force of will, and knowledge of magecrafts. Uses the sheer force of ones Mentality, ones Willpower, and causes the Magic to move. Similar to how one would ride a horse, it requires constant direction, and the more wild the beast, the more skill and consentration needed. This differs from Invocation because one would constantly guide the magic, meaning this takes more skill to wield, and is more flexible, but is more taxing on the user. Requires moderate direct contact with the Mana Field.
Instinctualism - Magecraft that is wild and raging, based only vaguely on thought, more on emotion. Put simply, Wild Magic. One unlocks the door, and lets the flood rage through them as a medium. Models itself on the most predominant feeling and emotion, and takes a lot to control, nearly unmasterable, but it can be much more powerful than other Styles of Magecraft. Cannot be used without full direct contact with the Mana Field.
The Schools:
Each 'School' is what the common effects of Magecrafts are called. The Result, what the Magic is aimed to do. They are as follows;
Divination - The act of seeing or gaining information through magic. It can be seeing the future, looking into the past, or observing the present. the 'Magic of Observation'. Can take Passive or Active forms.
Conjuration - The act of creating or summoning something through magic. It can range from summoning energy or matter, such as flame or water, to summoning objects or creatures, such as a sword or demon. Also covers the control of these things. Can only take Active forms.
Alteration - The act of changing existing things through magic. Movement, Transmutation, etc, such as levitating items, changing one thing into another, or increasing/decreasing a certain attribute of an existing thing. Can take Passive or Active forms.
Bioturgy - The act of controlling or contorting a living being. Differing to Alteration in the fact that it acts on the natural laws of biological beings. While everything in this School could be achieved by Alteration, this School does it more efficiently, faster and less dangerously. It is harder to harm with this school than others. Can only take Active forms.
Mentality - The act of controlling or altering the mind. Covers things like empathy and telepathy. With this school, one could predispose a person, or sometimes even control their actions. It would also allow one to meddle with the perceptions of the target, creating hallucinations, or illusions. Can take Passive or Active forms.
Necroturgy - The act of conversing, controlling, or utilising the dead in any way. Is often seen as a more supplementary style because of the Magical Qualities of dead bodies, such as how they gather Magic from the Mana Field, and thus are good sources of Magic. Can take Passive or Active forms.
Demonology - The act of utilising demonic energy, or creating a contract with a demon. Is often seen as not a True School of Magecraft, due to how it requires a Third Party, and is very narrow in how it can be used. Demons can grant things to the Contractor, and utilising Demonic Energy can be potent indeed. Demonology covers things like Magical Corruption, as Demonic Energy enhances the natural Corrupting properties of the Mana Field, and Magic in general, speeding it up and worsening it's effects, often brought to bear in the form of curses.
The world in which this is set in, Kaliseya, is a peculiar piece of work. Ruled as a Magocracy, Mages are supreme. All Mages, no matter how talented, have some political sway. All mages are considered to belong to a minor noble house of their own, though only prominent Mages have the lifestyle commonly known as that of a noble. Men born Mages are privileged. They have their path set in stone... anyone with the talent for Magecraft with no inclination to be a Mage is considered an idiot.
This Magocracy is headed by 'the Triumvirate', a council of the three most prestigious and powerful mages of the current era. They hold absolute power over the land, each member balancing out the others. Only very few members of the Triumvirate have ever worked together. Under the Triumvirate are the 'Noble Houses', headed by mages who are prominent and famous, and powerful, and candidates for the next generation of the Triumvirate, or even previous candidates for the Triumvirate. Each Noble House has it's own Dominion, it's own Duchy or part of the land to call their own and govern. If you think of it like a tree, the Triumvirate would be the roots, and the trunk, governing all the rest of the tree, and the Noble Houses would be the branches, governed by the trunk, and controlling all of the leaves. Said leaves would be the average mage, bound to either an area or a Noble House.
The Triumvirate reside in the Capital, known as Jaikel, each having their personal homes there, close to the center of Jaikel, where the Tower of Yajual resides, the meeting place and formal chambers of the Triumvirate. It is here where they reside most of the time. Each Noble House resides in a Castle, surrounded by a town which is considered their 'Home Turf'. Whenever a new Noble House is established, lands are set aside to create a new Fief, often encroaching on existing land. Most Noble Magi cannot prevent this, once a new house is created, so often, Noble Magi will play political games to stop any prodigies from creating their own House.
The actual land itself varies, from mountain, to forest to plains, to marshland to tundra, the continent spans the world from top to bottom. Jaikel is situated in the very center, a partially mountainous area of the continent, with plains surrounding it.
Aside from the Magocracy, there are various coalitions and guilds which most of the common populace are involved in. Each of them have various functions, each differing from the others. For example, there is a guild of Merchants, which functions to set a standard currency throughout the lands, connecting merchants, stationary and travelling alike. The Merchants Guild fills the role of a bank, and often gives assistance in the form of property or monetary grants to up-and-coming Merchants, to be payed back over the course of their career.
There is the Steel Coalition, a guild devoted to the Warrior's arts, taking in and training potential recruits to be soldiers. They often provide lives to those without, taking in young children and training them. The Steel Coalition also acts as a Mercenary group, clearing bandits, monsters and the like. They often clash with the Silver Eye, a devoted Mercenary Guild which, rather than recruiting those devoted to the sword (or other such weapons), recruits all, Swordsmen, Spearmen, Bowmen and even Magi.
The Silver Eye is a much more flexible, but less disciplined and militant Mercenary band. As mentioned above, they recruit Mercenaries of all types. They are often take on young Magi looking for work, as the basic funding from the Noble Houses are small, and Magi tend to like money to spare.
Then there is the People's Guild, a group dedicated to 'The People'. Mainly a farmers guild, the People's Guild often acts as a go-between to arrange Markets between farmers, once a month usually. As a result, the People's Guild often works closely with the Merchants guild, but it also acts as merely a place for the common people to meet and feel comfortable.
The 'Mana Field', as it is known, is an ambient field of energy upon which all Magic is drawn from. It is everywhere, and limitless, or at least, so unimaginably huge that it seems as such. Contact with the Mana Field is essential for Magecraft. Indirect, or Direct, you need to come into contact with it. Direct contact is the most dangerous, but the most efficient, while Indirect contact is the opposite. The Mana field has inheremt factor of Corruption, the rapidity of which is detailed by the 'Law of Field Corruption', discovered by Magi of old. This Corruption, going with the trend of Magic - which is an energy or force which is controlled by the mind which can distort or break the rules of reality - Can do a wide variety of things to one's mind and body. The Corruption can range from mental instability to physical disfigurement or alteration. The Corruption is especially feared because it cannot be reversed, with few creatures being powerful enough to act as an exception.
The mechanics of this RTD are going to be fairly simple. Rolling on a d8 for the majority of rolls, the most complex I plan for rolls to get is magic. Most magic will be in stages, for example Sorcery would be in 4 stages: Gathering, Directing, Controlling, Releasing. Gathering is collecting the neccesary energy from the Mana Field. Directing is using force of will to form a desired effect. Controlling is keeping the Magic on the right track. Releasing is the culmination, the termination of the cast spell. Each stage would have it's own roll, determining what would happen. Gathering would determine how much you have to work with, Directing would determine how close to your desired effect the spell turns out, Controlling would be a 'Saving Roll' of sorts, on good rolls improving the spell closer to the desired effect, on bad rolls either alienating it or not affecting it, while Release would be how you cancel the spell. Good rolls would cancel the spell with no problems, bad rolls would have influxes of the Mana Field, causing Magic Corruption and other detrimental effects to the caster, while potentially disastrous results for the spell.
Generally, some spells can be remembered and tricks developed for them to help them be created easier. Thus, successful spells can be 'remembered' and replicated more faithfully, giving modifiers (or eventually automatic successes) for tried, true and tested spells.
For basic actions and outcomes, 1d8 will be rolled, with 1 being the worst possible and 8 being the best possible. For rolls involving fate, luck or Mana Corruption, either a d20 or a d100 will be used, based on how major/minor the roll is. A Minor Luck roll would be something like finding something like saving a completely botched roll with relatively little harm, while a major luck roll would be something along the lines of performing an extraordinary feat that would normally be impossible for you. Fate rolls include random encounters and item finds, while Mana Corruption is something that happens when you fail spells horribly.
Name: (Obvious)
Age: (Obvious)
Gender: (Obvious)
Description: (Both Physical and Psychological)
History: (Obvious)
Style: (Which Style of Magecraft you use. Determines what rolls needed for spells)
School: (Which School of Magecraft you SPECIALISE in. Determines Modifiers for spells)
Standing: (Your social standing: I.e are you part of a Noble House, are you a Scholarly Mage, are you a Wandering Magus or a Mercenary Wizard etc... determines what kind of starting experience you'll have.)
Author
Topic: The Call of Magic - Roll to be a Mage. (Read 7346 times)