Magic

Magic is the sixth sense that some members of some races possess. Drawing their power directly from Spirit Roads, magic has a near-untold amount of uses. Everybody can learn to manipulate it, but only the truly gifted or dedicated can truly harness it. There are three seats of power in the magical world and although one could dabble in each one would have to focus their attention if they wish to become a master of one school.

In order to maximise the effectiveness of magic, a magic-user should ideally be barefoot, or otherwise grounded. Magic is also emphasised when calm, and becomes less effective the more emotional the caster is.

Natural Magic
Like the name suggests, this school of Magic is closely related to nature, the plants, and creatures as well. Those who practice the magic of the nature do so to become skilled hunters or druids but will have to choose, seeing as the language the flora speak is much different to that of the fauna. It is a common branch for the more primitive inhabitants of Gaia to have some form of understanding in since a nature magic user will have an easier time traversing the landscape than one without.

Greentouched
Many magic users find themselves drawn to plants. These "Greentouched" almost seem to have the ability to communicate directly with plants, as well as willing them to grow rapidly and in ways that the caster wills.

Beastkin
One of the more subtle schools of magic, Beastkin are often at first indistinguishable from a well experienced animal trainer. However, the differences become apparent as soon as animals seem to do their bidding without so much as a spoken word.

Healer
For many years healing magic was considered a last resort. Total and complete healing was impossible, as in order to heal someone the healer was forced to take the ailment onto their own body. This generally led to healers being almost impossibly scarred and otherwise injured. In the last era, however, methods to ensnare the life force of a recently deceased man or creature have enabled healers to heal the injured without risking damage to themselves (provided they have access to stored life force). If they do not, and the healer attempts to heal an injured person, the healer's own life force will be used and the damage will be transferred. Though its ability to utilise life force in magic, healers are technically a type of necromancer.

Elemental Magic
Every rock, river and bonfire are affected by the power of the elements, and these powers can all be manipulated in small ways.

Earth
Geomancer: The ability to shift the landscape slowly. This is usually a very slow practise and require a lot of patience. Not many dedicate themselves enough to truly change the environment, but those who do can rearrange the landscapes to their bidding.

Water
Hydromancer: People who train in the power of water will have a natural affinity to stay near the shore. Only the strongest of these can conjure water from the thin air, but the general Hydromancer can manipulate it and change the form of water into solid ice.

Air
Aeromancer: While Aeromancers have the ability to shift the air, they can a lot more than just make life difficult for the birds. By using updrafts they can jump higher and longer, perfect for scouts and mountain climbers.

Fire
Pyromancer: Being the most popular power it’s normal to have at least one in every tribe. An experienced pyromancer will be able to conjure flame, and heat things or places around them. It’s unique in the way it has the ability to change or affect the work of the other three elemental schools (heating water gives steam, heating earth gives lava, etc.).

Necromancy
Few take up the destructive study and religion that is necromancy, and fewer still are allowed to stay in society once they do. Inherently feared - most necromancers don’t lead normal lives and become isolated from civilisation.

There are two kinds of necromancers; those who create Golems from the remains of dead creatures, those who force spirits into corpses to animate them, and those who can actively regenerate the dead. Either are generally feared, hated, and they’re often mistaken from each other from simply not knowing any better. While anybody can take up these professions you would need to be an incredibly experienced necromancer in order to do any of these things fully. Because of this necromancers are usually old and greying people.

Boneshaper
The ability to create and bind together bones for the purpose of making guardians, warriors and collectors is a time consuming profession but one of the more accessible of the two.

Soulbinder
These fearful craftsmen are amongst the most dangerous of the necromancers and possess the most offensive array of abilities. They’re inherently forceful in their dealings with the rules of nature and the spirit world alike, forcing spirits to enter corpses for reanimation, most of the time forcing a spirit in unrelated to the body. Experienced Soulbinders that knew the deceased well can however force the lost soul back into the body from which it has departed.

Miscellaneous Magic
Mostpaths of magic become much harder to learn once another has already been learned. For example, a Greentouched would find it difficult to learn Beastkin spells, to say nothing of attempting to learn a completely new school. Some spells, however, do not follow this trend. These are miscellaneous spells that any moderately adept mage can learn to cast.

Animation
A relatively simple spell in theory, anyone attempting to cast this spell without being prepared and experienced enough will find out very quickly just how much can go wrong. Indeed, a whole species of færie known as "Sods" have been accidentally created through the mistakes of countless apprentice mages.