The Arcane Arts

"Damn those Mages and their books."

- Brobren Shirsk, at the battle of Highguard, E1 640

The Arcane Arts is the most well known form of magic within the Noquesia universe. It holds large amounts of power and was incepted at the start of the first Era. Magic itself is the art of conducting energy from life essence and then converting it into another form. Mages, in essence are the vessel who control and allow the energy to pass through them. In magic, there always must be energy drawn from something. Mages themselves must also go through a rigorous mental and physical training to unlock the ability to conduct energy. This is due to the pathways which are required for casting spells are naturally blocked upon birth, meaning this process of unlocking them is required to learn how to use magic. Unlocking your pathways though, can not be done before the age of 18 due to the possible damage which it could cause on a still growing body.

Usage
Usage of the Arcane Arts boils down to the practice of converting life energy from an animal, plant or anything living to create energy. That energy is then converted into a form of Magic, known as mana, corresponding to the spells school. It is required for some form of life energy to be transferred to cast a spell. It is possible to use your own life energy to actually cast a spell in the form of your own stamina. Using your own stamina however can prove to be heavily ineffective and will struggle to produce spells which hold large mana costs. Another side effect us using magic is what is referred to as "magical decay". As a mage progresses in skill and power, they allow more and more energy to flow through their body. This slowly withers away their body and causes their health to worsen. This usually comes within the form of rapid ageing or muscle decay. The mage does not lose lifespan however, with many mages living into their 100's. However, long-term usage of magic causes people to become frail. The effect of magical decay is not noticed until the rank of expert. Working out commonly and staying in good shape will counteract this effect, for the most part. However, magical decay is inevitable by Expert and Master. Furthermore, mages who do not rely on life force storing objects will have to keep in good physical shape as to cast spells. To perform magic, some form of life energy must be used. This is why technology known as Soul Lanterns were created. These allow for mages to contain the soul of a single animal or plant for usage later. Generally, the larger and more sentient a creature is, the more energy that it will produce. This means humans and other intelligent species provide the most energy, though in most states it is illegal to use a human soul for magical purposes. Soul lanterns themselves serve as battery's as to power a mages magical activities. Soul Lanterns have downsides however, with them coming in many forms. The first is that they can only store a limited amount of essence. Usually, to fill a lantern it would require the life of a small creature like a Rabbit or two rats. This can also be done with plant life, such as a flowers. Recharging a lantern takes time and requires a special ritual which can not be performed quickly, with the energy being absorbed usually over a period of 3-24 hours, depending on the soul. Furthermore a fully filled lantern will give the mage around 60% more magical energy on top of their existent stamina pool.

The amount that a single lantern fills up, depends on its design and size. Higher level and more expensive lanterns can increase more, with runes also sometimes being used to boost the amount of energy they can absorb. These lanterns though are extremely rare and are usually one of a kind items. If they were on sale, they would be far out of the price range of most common mages. Mancers will commonly keep a lantern strapped to their person due to their relatively small size and light weight.

The Schools of Magic
The schools of magic are extensive with there being several to choose from within the world of Noquesia. Mages can learn any magic from any school, however each magic type has its own level of skill. Mages will also find it easier to learn from mancys within the same school if they are a high level within a sister magical art. Certain Mancy's can also not be unlocked until requirements are met within the skill tree. You can only choose a total of 5 Mancys to learn at a maximum. If you were to try and attune yourself to more, the effects of magical decay would destroy your body within a matter of days. The more mancys you practice, the worst magical decay becomes. Please also note that schools of magic do not actually refer to locations or factions but different magic types and classifications which certain Mancy's fall under.

 Mancys with skill requirements - * 

 Mancys which require staff approval - ** 

School of Hreindyri
The school of Hreindyri holds freedom as a large part of its values. Having manipulation of air, it means that those who practice this art can learn how to fly. The art itself is fairly small in scale, with not many practitioners, especially outside of Kobblin. The School itself doesn't actually have many uses outside of combat, though it is effective to use while in it. The Hreindyri school also has arguably the smallest number of practitioners which are found in the east of the continent due to it being developed in Kobblin.


 * Aeromancy
 * Sonomancy
 * Electromancy

School of Urð
The school of Urð studies the manipulation of the earth, ground and metals. This school is extremely useful as it has an almost unlimited supply of material to manipulate. The school itself is common for court wizards due to its practicality within many situations. The School is commonly used with farming issues, manipulating rivers or even construction. At higher levels it even allows for users to be able to manipulate metals and at the highest manipulate and even create weaponry.


 * Geomancy
 * Conimancy*
 * Metallomancy*
 * Armomancy**

School of Fýri
An extremely popular school due to it destructive abilities. Many court mages or warriors who wish to learn magic study this tree for those reasons. The school itself covers the ability to manipulate fire and heat. These heat and light based abilities can be very powerful in combat and must have a high amount of skill to control correctly due to their destructive nature.


 * Pyromancy
 * Thermomancy*
 * Luxomancy
 * Expulsomancy**

School of Stokkr
Also known as the school of life, it involves the manipulation of plant matter and plant life. Other than this it also allows for manipulation of nature in general, including animals and other creatures. This form of Mancy usually goes hand in hand with Alchemy due to its ability to create alchemic substances. The School itself usually attracts those who are less combative in nature. Users of this magic are often called to help out in situations of draught, famine or to help regenerate forest regions. The school's mancys can be powerful in combat, especially while in a forest.


 * Herbomancy
 * Theriomancy
 * Sanamancy*

School of Strönd
The school of Strönd is known as the manipulation of fluid. Commonly practiced, it can be extremely powerful as a tool in the right hands. The actual school covers Cryomancy, the manipulation and creation of ice and Hydromancy, the manipulation of water. At higher levels, the school also practices Magmamancy, the manipulation of lava and magma. However, this can only be performed at extremely high levels.


 * Cryomancy
 * Hydromancy
 * Aquamancy*
 * Magmamancy**
 * Hemomancy**

School of Skömm
The school of Skömm is considered to be the most foul school of all. Many outlaw its practices due to the immoral nature of the school. It specialises in manipulation of the human form. This is used in several different ways. From Carnomancy which can manipulate flesh of both people and animals, to the art of Necromancy which allows for one to raise the undead to do the mage's bidding. Many consider this school heresy and should be forgotten, although it still exists in some parts of the world.


 * Carnomancy
 * Necromancy
 * Psychomancy**

Progression of Magic
Magic progresses in a number of tiers, which are met over a single time period. It is strongly recommended for you to log your progress in an IC diary or story log, especially if you want to get higher levels which require staff approval. When a character is created, you can have them start at a maximum apprentice. You can only start with 1 mancy and all others must be learnt icly. Furthermore if you wish to progress to adept, it must be done icly. There is no approval for this however gaining levels too quickly is considered FRP will be moderated.

While you can play a "Jack of all trades" character and learn many magical classes, most mages do not pick more than a certain number of magics due to each mancy taking years to master with daily practice. Most mages specifically pick 1-3 magic which they specialise in.

Within the world of Mancy, there is a listed 9 levels of Mancy which effects peoples abilities in certain Mancy types. Each Mancy in a school which a mage selected has its own level on this chart. Certain Mancy's will also require mages to have a certain level or higher in another Mancy type to be used. You are not allowed to say you are "basically the class higher".

'''Each Mancy you use has one of these scores. For example you may be an Initiate in Luxomancy and a Inept in Pyromancy. You can only choose a total of 5 Mancys to learn at a maximum. If you were to try and attune yourself to more, the effects of magical decay would destroy your body within a matter of days. The more mancys you practice, the worst magical decay becomes.'''

Classes
Inept - The inept class covers people who either don't know or have very little knowledge on a Mancy type. They usually have either just started their career as a mage or have just discovered a new Mancy form. An inept pyromancy would either not be able to manipulate fire however could possibly pass an existent flame from one candle to another nearby. A inept Herbomancer would be able to cause a small seed to sprout within their hand.

Amateur - Amateurs are those who have gained a basic grounding within a magic and are able to start performing basic spells within the art. They lack a large vitor pool and their abilities are highly limited however they are usually seen less as party tricks than an Inepts abilities. An amateur pyromancer would be able to create a fireball the size of a base-ball from an already existing flame. Amateur Luxomancer would be able to create a small orb of light which could float around them as to luminate a room.

Initiate - An initiate is the start of what would call an actual mage. These mages have the ability to start performing more complex spells and are better attuned for the transfer of magic throughout their bodys. At initiate, mages will be able to start applying to become lesser mages within small organisations or the courts of minor lords. An Initiate Pyromancer could actually create a flame from Mancy or create a fireball the size of a football. A initiate Herbomancers would be able to grow small plants from seeds within a matter of a few minutes or manipulate vines to restrain a person. Most Initiates will struggle to fight for long periods of time due to their low vitor pools.

Apprentice - Apprentice are named as such due to most being under the training of a higher level mage by this point. They hold greater power and much larger vitor pools than their initiate counter parts, making them much more versatile. Generally they can be considered large threats in combat as their arsenal having increased in size. Due to their increased skill, Apprentice mancers are also able to work within a group casting. An apprentice pyromancer would be able to create a basketball sized fireball which could cause 3rd degree burns on impact. An apprentice level Aeromancer could create powerful gusts of winds which could knock people off their feet or propel shrapnel into people nearby.

Adept - Adepts are usually professional mages who, after years of study, have achieved a high level of esteem within their art. It becomes much harder to progress past this level due to the greater leaps in power. Many consider this a barrier which weeds out those with less talent. Adepts are usually able to make a name for themselves working as battlemages or within the courts of nobles. An adept pyromancer would be able to produce several football sized basket balls or create a fireball about the size of a small beach ball. An Adept hydromancer would be able to create large water attacks which could launch people away while causing sever bruising or even breaking bones.

Please note you can't say you are "practically on the same level of an expert" while in this class. If you wish to progress a Mancy type past this level, follow the permissions guide.

Expert*- Expert level Mages are above are a rare sight on the continent. Mages on this level gain access to multiple mancy types which can not be learnt at lower levels. Expert level mages are significant threats in battle, with them having huge portions of vitor which can be used as to support them. Furthermore, they are actively sort out as to work under monarchs as battlemages or within their courts. These factors combined create a powerful mix. Most experts do not suffer massive amounts of magical decay which can make them very mobile on the battlefield. This is a quality which is often looked for within battlemages. An expert pyromancer would be able to create continuous streams of fire which could cause heavy burns upon those fired upon. An expert luxomancer could create light powerful enough to cause 3rd degree burns or illuminate a whole room for hours at a time. An expert Geomancer could cause a minor earthquake or small landslide which could bury several people at once.

These level of mancers can easily beat most ordinary folk who do not have anti-mancer weaponry or items. However, expert level mancers would struggle to fight multiple soldiers at once despite their abilities. Mages lose 5% of their strength for every mancy they are an expert in. The reason being magical decay.

Master**- Masters are an extremely effective fighting force who hold massive amounts of knowledge and skill on their arts. Since expert their powers have increased significantly, Masters are commonly respected both as a physical threat and on an intellectual level. Commonly these are elected to become senior mages of Monarchs or serve as professors at prestigious university's in cities such as Cintra or Riftguard. Masters are almost at the pinnacle of magic and usually have decades of experience under their belts. Many masters also possess powerful artefacts which further enhance their abilities, gained from decades of travelling the world. A master level pyromancer would be able to create and hold a large barrier of fire which incinerated anything which attempted to past it. A master level carnomancer could heal those who had been completely impaled or tear enemy's flesh apart using their magic.

Master level mancers are at a level that a large group of soldiers would be unlikely to be able to take them down. Additionally most have the ability to deal with almost any foe which they face. On the other hand, Masters do start to experience more noticeable magical decay. For every mancy that a mage is a master in, they lose 10% of their total strength.

Grandmaster*** - Grandmaster Mages are the highest level that can be achieved. They have become the peak of power within their arts. Grandmasters are usually selected to become the Archmages of Monarchs or become heads of university's in cities such as those in Cintra or Riftguard. They are considered to be the peak of power which a mage can achieve, usually having abilities which even an expert of master couldn't believe possible. A Grandmaster Pyromancer can create explosive waves of fire which could set whole buildings alight or melt low grade steel. A grandmaster Electromancer can produce lightning from their finger tips that can cause 4th degree burns. A Grandmaster Aeromancer would be able to fly freely through the air or create a storms which can rip buildings apart.

Grandmaster spells require massive amounts of energy to cast and can rival group castings from lower levels on their own. They usually need magical artefacts or extremely large lanterns to cast due to the extreme toll it takes on their body. Magical decay at this level is extensive, meaning most can't rely on casting with their own stamina. For every mancy that a mage is a Grandmaster in, they lose 20% of their strength.

Archmage † - Archmages are less of a class on skill, with the highest ranking of a mage going to Grandmaster. These mages are those who have become a grandmaster within one mancy and a master another within the same school of magic. Archmages are individually no stronger than a Grandmaster, other than the larger arsenal of magic which is open to them. However Archmages are usually known to be the peak of magic, rejecting traditional combat due to magical decay.

There can only be 2 Archmages per school of magic. To become an archmage, it is required for the character to be a grandmaster in at least one mancy on top of being a master+ in another which is within the same school. An example would be a Grandmaster Pyromancer who is also a Master in Expulsomancy.

Permissions Guide
* Magic at this level may be used upon having submitted lore to a moderator. Progression within their character and skill must be shown. It can not be "I did a lot of studying".

** Magic at this level requires approval from the staff team on top of having well formatted lore. The player must already have the previous level to gain this level.

*** Magic at this level requires extensive lore and explanation. A full vote throughout the whole staff team is needed, alongside the player needing to be experienced and trusted in roleplay.

† Special criteria need to be met as to gain this mancy. It does not need approval however does need you to be a high level within multiple mancys.