Godslayer Arc 1.7 Magic

“So how does your magic work?” asks Drakvar as he brings out a plate of steaming hot food for Valen.

“Why would you care?” replies Valen gruffly.

“Because I wanted to know what I am dealing with if I have to fight more mages,” replies Drakvar as he offers the plate of food to Valen.

“Humph,” grunts Valen as he accepts the plate, “I suppose I could...”

“Thank you Valen,” says Drakvar as he sits down opposite Valen.

“I didn’t say I would tell you, just dat I could,” grumbles Valen, “First thing to remember is dat all magic requires a source of power. For Kith, dere are three different ones. Mana, Chi and Spirits. Dat said, Spirits are either formed of Mana or Chi so using Spirits is just using one of de other two indirectly.”

Valen pauses for a moment to make sure that Drakvar is paying attention.

“Magic can either be used directly or indirectly,” continues Valen as he takes out his smoking pipe, “Take my grandfather’s smoking pipe for example. While I don’t smoke, it is still a powerful magical artefact and derefore I still use it because it increases de power of my fire spells.”

“Anyway, I am a mage because I use Mana to fuel my magic,” says Valen, “Warlocks use Chi to fuel their magic. Because Mana comes from de Four Divines and Chi comes from de Elder Gods, dey are incompatible. We call it de Boom when dey are mixed. It can be an effective weapon if used right, but useless for casting magic.”

“Other dan using different magical energies as fuel, de main difference between Mages and Warlocks is dat Mages use runes and words of power while Warlocks use potions and rituals. In addition, Warlocks rely on passion and are derefore more powerful when dey are fanatical and obsessive about something while Mages rely on mental focus and discipline and more of dat dey have, de stronger dey are.”

“Sorcerers rely on other creatures and their power rather dan their own. Dey use bindings and contracts. Sorcerers on their own are not dangerous, but be wary of de beings dey can call upon. As for psychics, I honestly don’t know much about dem. Dey have only been around for a couple of decades.”

“As for how magic is used, dere are two ways. Directly and indirectly as I said. Direct magic is when de magician cast de spell, using their reserve of Mana or Chi. Dat was what I used against you. De other type is indirect magic. Dat is when an item is enchanted. Some are one-use such as a spell being enchanted into item so it can be cast later without draining de magician’s reserve of magical fuel. It is useful as Mana and Chi regenerate over time and it allows you to use Mana in times of safety to increase the amount of magic available to you in times of danger. De downside of indirect magic is dat you can’t change de enchantment once is it created while direct magic can at whim depending on your situation. In addition, Traditions and Names have power when it comes to magic so if a magician is using prestigious and fancy terms, it is more likely dey are using powerful magic rather dan being pretentious and arrogant.”

“Other dan dat, you have beings made of Mana and Chi such as Solara. De most powerful ones are de Four Divines and de Heart of Magic. The Elder Gods are one de same level, but are slightly less powerful. Not dat it matters for folks like you or me. Anyway, beyond dat, you have Arch-Spirits and other Celestials before getting into normal spirits of varying levels of power. Those spirits are what sorcerers use for their magic. When summoning a spirit of any kind, you always offer dem respectable terms suitable of their position and power. Otherwise you are offending dem. Den you’re considered lucky if they only refuse to be summoned...”

Valen looks thoughtful for a moment, clearly grossed in his explanation.

“I don’t think I missed-oh wait,” says Valen after a moment, “I almost forgot about Saints and Demigods. Saints and Demigods are basically the same thing except Saints get their power from the Four Divines while Demigods get their powers from the Elder Gods. Saints are divine mortals. Except dey are immortal. But can be killed. Only dat is really hard since dey are on par with some of de most powerful spirits. Short of a Celestial, dere isn’t anything worse to face other dan a Saint or Demigod.”