Encyclopedia Arcana
Druids
Druids are magic users who focus their attention on the workings of the natural world that surrounds them. They are able to communicate with wild and domesticated beasts alike, as well as trees, and other plantlife. Some rare and powerful druids are even able to speak to the winds and stones themselves.
Druids are able to harness the power of the elements, attacking their enemies with the ferociousness of a bear or defending a village by splitting an oncoming forest fire in half leaving the village untouched.
They are able to coax a gentle rain onto an arid field or destroy an enemy fortress by causing the forest in which it sits to swallow it whole without leaving a trace.
Most magi have some control over the four basic elements, but a druid’s command of nature is unparalleled.
Shamans
Shamans are another specialised type of magic user who are able to communicate with the spirits of the world around them.
The magical nature of Lore gives almost every object, from the moon in the night sky to the ink in which this book is written, its own unique spirit and personality. These sprits are not always aware of the world but shamans are able to rouse slumbering spirits and communicate with them.
By focusing their will, shamans are able to use the spirits in their surroundings to accomplish their goals.
Though this spirit manipulation through magical forces can be extremely powerful as a tool or even a weapon, many shamans hold the belief that “True magic flows from the ability to listen to the world around you.”
Magi (Mages)
Mage is the term for any singular student of the magical arts, the plural form being magi.
The forces of magic have always flown through the world of Lore, much the way blood flows through the veins of the living. Without that magic energy running through and criss-crossing the surface of the world (in the form of powerful beams of magic called ley lines), Lore would be a world devoid of any life.
Magic has always been a part of our lives, and certain people called magi have the ability to understand, direct and manipulate magic to a number of ends. Some use the power to create and heal, while others use it to destroy.
Magic is the essence of the rawest power of the universe itself and can be very dangerous in the wrong hands, but it’s simply a tool that a mage uses to direct his or her will. It is no more good or evil than any other tool in the hands of anyone skilled at their craft.
Healing Magic
Certain magical people and creatures have a natural affinity for directing the power of magic into restoring health.
Creators with the gift for magical healing, such as Moglins, are often sought after for their skills. Whether they are knitting a broken bone or restoring a hero who has fallen in battle, magical healing is a very prized skill on Lore. It is often regarded as the most powerful school of magical practice as it is used to manipulate the very life essence that flows through every living thing.
Necromancy
Necromancy is one of the darker schools of magic. Unlike healing magic which harnesses the life energy flowing through all living things, necromancers wield the polar opposite… the magic given off by the death of a living being, and the magical aura that surrounds the dead.
Most often evil magi use this type of magic in an attempt to increase their own power, unnaturally extend their own existences beyond death, or create mindless puppets from the dead.
This school is particularly feared and hated, even amongst other magi, for the blatant disrespect it shows for the base forces of nature. To direct the natural flow of magic is an art, but to flaunt that power in the face of Death is a dangerous show of pride.
Most necromancers eventually meet with very unpleasant fates.
Warlic
Warlic, otherwise known as the Blue Mage, is one of the most powerful magi of this or any other age.
Due to a unique understanding of elemental magic, he and he alone is able to manipulate a mysterious magical essence called “Element X”. Another unique aspect of this amazing mage is the fact that his mana flows backwards, filling up rather than depleting as he casts spells. He has been quoted as saying “… If I don’t use magic to get rid of my excess mana, then the consequences would be dire…”.
The true limits of his power are unknown, but it is believed that if he expended all of his mana at once he might be able to create an entire world complete with its own magic field. Many people believe that Warlic’s unique abilities stem from the fact that he is not entirely human, but that remains to be seen.
Cysero
Cysero, otherwise known as the Mad Weaponsmith, is a very unique figure in the magical world.
Many people believe that this mage acts silly to disguise his brilliance, or that he is entirely insane or possibly that he is, in fact, just an idiot with a gift for magic. Many of his closest friends find that he is always curiously in the right place at the right time with just the right thing to save the day.
Two things are certain, this mage wields an amazing amount of power, rivalling that of the Blue Mage, Warlic himself (who was also his roommate at one time) and he has remarkable insight into the nature of magic.
The Mad Weaponsmith gets his nickname from his apparent insanity and his skill as a utilitarian mage, using his considerable magic power to create some of Lore’s most remarkable weapons which he seems to have no interest in using himself. He just makes them because, “It’s a LOT of FUN!”
Magic vs. Science
It is a long standing misconception that magic and science are at war with one another. In reality, most magical researchers consider magic and science two sides of the same coin; science is the study and understanding of the elemental forces of the universe and magic is the application of that understanding (much the same way that traditional science and engineering go hand in hand).
Although there are many schools of magic, the basic underlying principles remain the same in most cases.
Without science, magical research would never progress past simple manipulation of the base elements. Without magic, science would stumble blindly into the unknown with no experimentation to move it forward.
Mana
Mana is the common term for magical stamina, or force of will. Once a mage’s mana is depleted they are no longer able to use their skills to control magic until some or all of their mana has been restored by potions, a brief rest or an alternate method.
Mana is not static but flows in and out like a tide, sometimes stronger and sometimes weaker.
If a mage happens to stand in a magical flow (otherwise known as a “ley line”) or on a mana nexus (a point where several ley lines meet), then they might find their mana flow increased or halted. Their magic ability may gain a temporary boost or their spells might have unexpected results. The degree of the effect varies wildly from mage to mage.
Almost all beings have some amount of mana, even if they don’t have a talent for magic, but a magic user can increase their mana pool with dedicated practice in the magical arts.