DargonZine Magic Whitepaper

First, a writer who plans to use magic in Dargon should refer to the brief passage listed in the Writers' Guidelines, which provides a nice summary. If you did not read that passage, please refer to it here:

Read the Writers' Guidelines on Magic.

Magic in Dargon may manifest in ways too numerous to count. It has been recorded to have been used to shield places or hide them. It has been recorded to take the form of beams of light, stealing the life from any that it touched. It can be controlled by those highly skilled in its manipulation and also pulse out of control if called upon in the wrong circumstance. Some manifestations require components, others are performed solely by the will of the caster. Regardless of its form, however, it is agreed that there is always a price for using magic -- paid for with one's body or one's soul.

Known Magical Groups

Members of the Nar-Enthruen

There was a school of magic located 4 days' ride of Magnus, in the desert of Baranur. Hidden through illusion, the Nar-Enthruen school was a network of caves and was founded by a mage named Marek in 991 B.Y. The school was made up of several small camps about Baranur and nearby countries; its purpose was to train gifted people in the use of magic. Apprentices were recruited by journeyman mages who have already reached the height of their magical ability.

It has been established that the school is in the process of rebuilding. Consult the Online Glossary for the latest information on the Nar-Enthruen.

The ranks of the Nar-Enthruen are:

• Apprentice
• Ground
• Root
• Bark: Noted by their grey robes
• Branch: Noted by their brown robes
• Leaf: Noted by ther green robes

The process by which someone advances in rank is through a test whose name usually includes the rank they wish to achieve. Thus, going from Apprentice to Ground is known as the Grounding, from Ground to Root is Rooting, etcetera, culminating in the final test of Branch to Leaf, known as Leafing. Leaf is the highest rank one can achieve in the Nar-Enthruen.

Once a mage reaches Grounding (which tests basic magic abilities) each successive test is taken upon penalty of Draining -- losing all magical ability completely, forever. This was previously done by the use of the Crystal of Strength (also known as the Stone of Strength), which could drain power from mages. In times of dire need, the Crystal could also be used to drain life from beings if the school came under attack.

During the Baranur-Beinison war, the Crystal was stolen by an evil mage named Ne'on. Many, if not all, of the mages of the Nar-Enthruen were killed. When Ne'on was defeated, the Crystal shattered.

Priests of Religions

Various priests and healers of the major religions are known to practice magic, albeit on a small scale (curses and healings). Several objects that are thought to have belonged to the gods exist in Dargon. Not all of their properties are known or fully understood. Some of these include:

• The Moon Jewel: A white gem shaped like the full moon. Awarded to the Beinison goddess Alana after her abduction at the hands of the god of love, Amante. Last seen in the possession of Zaladris, the last priest of Gow.
• The Star Mantle: Symbol of the power of the Beinison goddess Erida. Rumored to be in the possession of Myrande Shipbrook (aka Sable).
• Eye of Amante: A jewel as big as a man's fist, and its color the bright red of a dying man's blood. It does not sparkle as gems usually do, but seems to draw the light to itself. The Eye is a gem stolen from the sacred statue of the Beinison god Amante. It brings madness to any who come in contact with it. Thought lost in 1015 after it consumed the murderer Wern, a shard of it surfaced in 1018, fashioned into a ring that caused Pythia Castigale to go mad.
• Statue of Gow: A black stone statue, seated cross-legged, nearly half a man's height in size. A silver sword rests across the figure's lap, and its upturned visage screams unto heaven, mouth agape, revealing ivory white teeth sharpened to spiky points. After the Beinison god Amante was disfigured by Gow, the god of war, Amante cursed all physical representations of Gow with ill luck, usually of a fatal nature. The statue was the last surviving representation of Gow, tucked in the mountains of Northern Hope and protected by a priest of Gow. When the priest died, the statue's curse went into effect. It was eventually warded by the mage Anarr and moved in 1018 to Dargon where the ward failed and wreaked havoc. As chronicled in the Black Idol series of stories, the statue's final resting place was at the bottom of the Valenfaer ocean, two days northwest of Dargon, near the Hagshand island. It is known as a place of ill luck by sailors.

The Ealail

Not a group that can be joined, the Ealail are the original inhabitants of the continent of Cherisk that came into conflict with the Fretheod settlers. The extent of their nature-based, magical abilities is undocumented, but is thought to aid their continued existence in the forests of Baranur, hidden from the population at large. A mountain known as Gor Gariner, in the Darst mountains, was once an Ealail stronghold in the time of the Fretheod, and its slopes continue to be avoided as they are thought to be haunted by ill magicks.

The Fretheod

Original settlers of Cherisk. Powerful mages comprised their ranks and were employed to do battle against the Ealail. No Fretheod remain in Dargon, although obelisks and other remnants of their civilization are scattered throughout Baranur.

The Elders

The Elders hailed from an island off the coast of Dargon known as Quentrellia. Their ruling body was comprised of 8 men and women known as the Council of Elders and they were gifted in magic although not as powerful as their predecessors, the Mystics. Quentrellia was laid siege by the Fretheod and subsumed. The Elders, however, continued to exist and are a part of Dargon to this day, hidden from the general population. Their highest members are extremely long-lived. It is claimed that several Elders remain who have lived for over 10,000 years, dating back to the time of the Fretheod conflict. They have been known to step into affairs that threaten them or that pose a great threat to the world.

How the Elders choose their students and where those students are taught is a mystery. A student named Cefn entered an Elder enclave at the base of a hill, and yet the series of corridors and rooms that made up his world for several years seemed to occupy a space larger than was to be expected, suggesting that there might have been a gateway mechanism leading somewhere else.

In the northern forests of Dargon is also a monastic retreat known as the Sanctuary. It is a place of solace and study for pilgrims, priests and many others looking to delve deeper into the study of their religion or simply as a haven. It also serves as a place where students of magic gather to deepen their craft. Unknown to these practitioners, the Sanctuary is closely monitored by the Elders, who keep an eye on would-be sorcerors so that they do not become a threat to them. The Elders have been known to have connections with the Rhydd Pobl, and at times accept students at the gypsies' behest.

Other Elder information of note:

• Elders of a high rank are typically addressed by the honorific 'Master.'
• Elders refer to the magic within each person as the darih-wae, or energy well.
• Elders that practice magic need to control the darih-wae that courses within them as it may build up, causing their spells to not work properly. As such, most Elders have a means, usually by way of a crystal, to drain off excess magic from themselves.
• While many Elders rely on their darih-wae and their interaction with it to form magic, there are known to exist magical formulae called yilreds (that's a plural form) that a mage may use to construct magic.

The Elders are especially interested in any relics thought to be related to the Mystics.

The Mystics

Pre-dating the Elders was a magical group known as the Mystics. Details of their lives or how they lived are scarce. Few of their relics remain, but those that do are extremely powerful and virtually indestructable (how else could they have lasted more than 10,000 years?). How the Mystics met their end is unknown, but it is thought that they eventually reached a state of wisdom that allowed them to leave the mortal plane of existence. There are two known relics of the Mystics: the Amulet of Hanarn which is critical to opening a portal to other dimensions (for more information, look up Dreamrealms) and the Codex Araltakonia, a book of dark magic authored by the Mystics.