a great sickness
magic
magic
lands cursed by time
magic.
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magic system.
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magic is dying. Once a prolific art, the practice of magic is slowly dying. Agharttha suffers from a sickness of unknown origin, draining away the spiritual energy that powered the magical arts. Spirits are struggling to maintain their domains, casters are unable to achieve the same power once possible, and many sorcerers are seeking answers in places darker than ever before.
It is said that the answer lies in the deep passages to the surface, that since the closure of the gates, the source of spiritual energy has been diminished.
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spirits
Spirits have existed in Agharttha longer than the realms themselves. They are the guardians of the natural world. They take many forms, but embody the environment itself. Average spirits roam across the realms, tied to their nature. Overseeing all lands, the world spirits are responsible for the entire environment of Agharttha.
There are 6 known world spirits, one for each of the natural magics.
⊹ Water world spirit: resides in Avon
⊹ Energy world spirit: resides on the eastern continent (location unknown)
⊹ Air world spirit: resides on the eastern continent (location unknown)
⊹ Earth world spirit: resides on the eastern continent (location unknown)
⊹ Life world spirit: resides in Aslore
⊹ Celestial world spirit: resides in the Isle of Celestine (formerly Mharia)
Lesser spirits fulfill the general roles required to maintain the natural world. They permeate every realm, guiding the spiritual energy of the environment and coexisting with the realms. Lesser spirits will belong to a natural form of magic, with more powerful spirits being able to control a greater range of that magic, whilst weaker spirits may only control a specific subset. All spirits are inherently very powerful magic users, regardless of their overall power.
Lesser spirits belong to a domain, which is essentially an area where their magic influences the land. Spirits with larger domains are considered more powerful, and the soul of a spirit is tied to their domain. Should their domain be destroyed, they will cease to exist (e.g. a water spirit responsible for a lake would die if that lake were to dry up).
The purpose of a spirit is generally tied to their domain. Most water spirits maintain the waters of their domain, most life spirits maintain the life within their domain, etc. There is variety, due to the range of needs within the world, but the domain of a spirit is essentially their 'lifeblood.'
They often hold titles that reference their 'purpose' within this world, a binding force that ties them to a role and location
⊹ Guardian spirits: protect the gates of Agharttha.
⊹ Warden spirits: protectors of both spirits and the environment, enforcing rules that have been agreed upon
⊹ Preservation spirits: caretakers of the environment, maintaining their domain.
⊹ Wandering spirits: spirits with no defined domain, but will move between domains to influence the
environment how they see fit (could be repair, or destruction).
⊹ Trickster spirits: utilise unnatural magic, alongside natural magic - generally considered harmless.
⊹ Divine spirits: particularly powerful spirits with no natural magic connection, using only unnatural magic.
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people & spirits
Spirits and people have coexisted for as long as Agharttha's history has been written. Spirits are bound by laws - a set of fluid rules made up of agreements made with fellow spirits and the people of the realms. These agreements are made to ensure cooperation between the realms and spirits.
Spirits cannot break the spoken laws, as they are binding. However, people are not tied to these same laws. It is people who break these laws, and by doing so - and not upholding the terms - sever the bond that ensures the spirit follows the terms. Breaking agreements often ends in the wrath of any spirit involved, as laws are such a powerful force in the life of a spirit. In most realms it is considered a grave sin to break the agreement made in a personal contract, but it is an even greater offense to break an agreement made between the spirits and the realm itself.
Without laws, spirits and people pose a great threat against each other. People tend to expand into spirit domains, putting the lives of spirits at risk, should their domain crumble. Likewise, spirits are incredibly powerful, and their wrath can deal great damage to communities. As such, most communities world along side spirits, using agreements to reach common ground. By cooperating, it allows both people and spirits to benefit from the constantly shifting nature of the world.
Purpose: every spirit has a purpose; a reason for their existence. They are expected to uphold their purpose throughout their lives, and ensure any laws they agree to will also further their purpose. Spirits are defined by their purpose, and it is rare for a spirit to intentionally deviate.
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Terms that reference laws
⊹ Laws: any binding rule that enforces the behaviour of a spirit.
⊹ Agreement: the terms made when creating a binding law - any spirits involved agree to the terms of the bond
before it is made. Therefore, most laws are made with explicit consent from the spirit - hence 'agreement,' the spirit must agree to the bond before it is made. Spirits generally will not agree to terms that directly interfere with their purpose.
⊹ Bond: the invisible force that ties a spirit to the laws - this includes bonds between spirits, bonds with humans,
and bonds with communities. Bonds often represent the relationship between the spirit and locals of their domain.
⊹ Soulbind: an agreement made between an individual and a spirit that ties their souls together. Usually there
are specific terms involved, when once fulfilled release the spirit from the bond. A spirit that is bound to a person is referred to as a 'soulbound' spirit. These spirits often have a redefined purpose for the duration of the bond, as there are many situations that compromise their ability to fulfill their original purpose whilst bound. Such a purpose may or may not be part of the binding agreement (e.g. a spirit may agree to protect a person for the duration of the contract)
⊹ Spoken law: an agreement made between a community and one or many local spirits. It is common for
communities to collaborate with local spirits when making changes to the environment. This ensures both the local spirits, and the people can prosper from such changes (e.g. a community may request access to a stretch of land for farming, and agree to tend to the surrounding wilderness to appease local life spirits).
⊹ Common law: the laws generally set by world spirits, that binds all spirits beneath them (e.g. energy spirits
are banned from tampering with water sources within the domains of other spirits - this protects the lives of spirits who rely on the water to provide for their lands).
spiritual energy
known as mana
Energy exists in every living thing, and even the nonliving parts of the environment. It is the lifeblood of Agharttha, the inherent energy found in beings, allowing them to move and breathe. Spiritual energy is consistently across beings, no person will have more mana than another.
To destroy the mana of another being is a near impossible task, accomplished only through deeply outlawed unnatural magics. To destroy one's mana is to interrupt the cycle of life, their mana cannot pass into the earth and nourish the growth of new life. It is universally considered a deep offense to the natural world.
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arcane energy
known as arcanum
Not all energy can be used in magic. If mana was directly used in magical acts, death would surely result. But, mana can be used to restore another form of energy, known as arcanum. Arcane energy is the distinct energy that can be used to perform magic. It interacts with mana, inflicting control upon the natural world and influencing mana.
Spirits contain both mana and arcanum, but for spirits, these two energy forms are one in the same, and as a result they are deeply interconnected with the natural world.
Not all beings contain arcane energy. Those without it are considered non-magical, and are unable to perform magic. Those with it, contain arcanum of varying amounts, which determines the overall power they may be able to control on their own. Their arcanum will have affinities for certain types of magic, which has a genetic component, but can also be entirely random. It is also most likely to match the realm they were born into (including the natural environment, the spiritual energy present, etc.).
Arcanum can be empowered through the use of magical items, which themselves contain arcanum. Most objects do not naturally contain any arcanum, but if an item is ‘blessed’ by a spirit, where a spirit imbues an item with arcanum, it is then a source of arcanum. The arcanum will have a similar affinity for magic to the spirit which blessed it. Magical items are immensely valuable in Agartha.
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magic breakdown
The breakdown of magic is the result of observation and is not an objective truth. studies of magic have been conducted to better inform the magical types, but due to the inherent diversity of magic, these types should not be considered concrete.
Natural magics
⊹ Water: water, ice, non-water liquids
⊹ Energy: fire, heat, lightning, electricity
⊹ Air: air, wind, weather
⊹ Earth: rock, metals
⊹ Life: animals, plants, fungi, healing, leeching
⊹ Celestial: heavenly bodies (sun, moon, stars), light,
darkness
Unnatural magics
⊹ Divine arts: prophecy, scrying, telepathy, astral
projection
⊹ Physical: spatial (teleportation, telekinesis,
intangibility/phasing), gravity, alchemy
⊹ Trickery: illusions (auditory, visual, gustatory, tactile,
olfactory), persuasion, invisibility (of self, other objects)
⊹ Chaos: creation, destruction
⊹ Aether: undefined
magic users
known as arcanists
Magic is innate in this world, but not all are gifted with it's power. Those unlucky to lack its influence may seek other methods of acquiring the use of arcanum. As such, there are various classes of magic users.
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Innate users
True born magic users, also called innate users, are born with an affinity for a particular type of natural magic. This is a very common type of user, and there is a vast range in magical capabilities. Some have only weak use of magic, to the point where it has no influence in their day to day life, and some are so powerful they are almost on par with the spirits themselves.
Those born with an affinity for a type of natural magic are inherently tied to that magic, and even through other methods will struggle to utilise other types of magic due to the interference of their own natural arcanum.
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Curse users
Otherwise known as curses, cursed ones, as well as derogatory terms, those born with a natural affinity for unnatural magics are rare and often reviled. In many realms, unnatural magic is a sore topic, and use of them is often looked down upon, but those born able to use it are considered to be cursed.
Unnatural magics are difficult to control, and it is believed that children capable of using them will bring disharmony and disaster upon their communities. As such, in many places, children that display unnatural magic are rejected. They are generally quite powerful, and unlike those born to natural magic, they can easily align themselves with the natural magics. Many curse users grow up and end up seeking use of a natural magic to conceal their unnatural affinity.
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Bound users
The most common route for acquiring use of magic is by forming a bond with a willing spirit. Such bonds utilize the spirits innate arcanum, channeled through the user to produce magic. This involves cooperation from both the spirit and the user.
The individual terms of each bond have direct implications on how magic is performed. Generally, the user will find an agreement with the spirit that allows them full use of their magical abilities, but they must offer something in return that the spirit finds appealing. Stronger spirits are more difficult to convince, so most spirits that are bound to a person for magic use are weaker.
Some spirits are coerced, or deceived into forming a bond that forces them into servitude. These spirits are incredibly volatile, and will seek out methods to undo their agreement throughout the period of their bond. Nonetheless, the user can still use their magic, as per the agreement.
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Vessel users
Magic items, known as magic vessels or just vessels are commonly used to enhance one's magical ability, but they can also be used by those without innate magic to use magic. This magic depends on how much arcanum was originally imbued in the item which is often directly proportional to the power of the spirit imbuing it.
This is often the weakest form of magic used. Truly powerful vessels are rare, expensive, and often kept within families as a symbol of their power. But, as they can be created at any time, there are those who seek out spirits, to request their blessing upon a vessel.
