Description
The magic of Phora Surin revolves around a
form of energy called essence. Essence is something
that makes up everything in the mortal and divine planes and can be manipulated to accomplish various feats. The gods have unique forms of essence that allow them to create certain things. For example, Phora can create light and
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Qualme can create hallways and souls.
Essence is incredibly important and is responsible for unique limitations and facets of magic. Human magic works based on the bestowal of divine essence. The only reason why humans have magic at all is through the gift Larthe gave to Zekroth, which Zekroth in turn gave to thousands of others. Depending on the person, magic may not be possible to use at all, since the amount of essence one can use (one's attunement) is directly tied to their soul. It is through one's attunement and one's ability to control magic that one gains power. Magic must be learned, and is not transferred from person to person. People can spend their entire lives studying one specific school of magic and not fully understand it. It’s dangerous, it’s messy, but its payoff is incredible.
Below: Simplified diagram of above chart
Purpose
I have always loved the idea of magic. Being
able to control elements or create whatever your
mind imagines was an incredibly interesting idea that I knew needed to be part of this project. I wanted magic to be tangible. I wanted it to have impact on the story. I needed it to be a central mechanic to combat.Â
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An idea I played around with, as a foundational part of this magic system, was a black liquid that could solidify into any shape. It was a mix between ferrofluid and the microbots from the movie Big Hero Six. This idea was a constant throughout nearly a decade and is the main magic type in the world of Phora Surin. The magic from my childhood is being integrated into the world I am creating now. Many of the systems revolve around this underlying power and it has all the characteristics I wanted. It has a tangible effect, it's impactful, and it's central to combat.
Black Lotus magic is the first, most developed, and most common form of magic. It was bestowed upon Zekroth at first, who then gave it to other people, spreading its use. To be able to use Black Lotus, one must first have an amount of it injected directly into the core (a unique "organ" that stores the soul), and it must successfully bind, rather than be rejected violently. After this process, it will grow and eventually replace blood and even body parts. This process is slow, and centuries will pass before anything drastic occurs to their now immortal body.
Casting spells draws out the Black Lotus from the blood, which can then be shaped mentally into different forms. Spikes, dust, body parts. The flexibility of Black Lotus enables diverse effects which affect movement, combat, and defense. Most research into the Black Lotus has been used to make it more efficient in battle, as the constant war among the factions essentially created an arms race for the most devastating spells. Regardless, this magic type is manageable and allows for a variety of spells for any skill level.
However, this simplicity does come at a cost. As previously mentioned, the Black Lotus grows within the user, morphing their body from the very moment it is bound to their core. While users initially become physically stronger and more resistant to damage, after a certain point they lose their sanity and willpower, mindlessly doing mundane tasks until exhaustion. After a long enough period, they may turn into a wild beast, become violent to all things around them and be unable to hold any complex thoughts. Users also revive after death, as the Black Lotus tethers the soul to the body allowing for its retrieval from the divine plane. It is as much a blessing as it is a curse, and anyone who possesses it is stuck in the cycle forever.
Above: Diagram of all spells within the Black Lotus magic school
Light magic is one of the few types of magic practiced in Phora Surin that is not related to the Black Lotus. It instead creates a connection with Phora, who funnels some of her essence back to Phora Surin in the form of spells. These spells use sigils which come in two basic shapes that are then altered for the specific spell.
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​The power these spells can harness is like no other but the preparation time and upfront essence cost means only a few can use these on command. The sigils can be used to create beams of light, concentrate light to create darkness, create fire, fly, teleport, and force people to do things. But these spells are bound to where the sigil is created and the more complex sigils need precise lines in order to work. A missed alignment or false line can cause violent backfiring leaving scars on the land and the caster.
Right: Diagram of all the spells within the Light magic school
Blood Magic is an offshoot of Black Lotus magic which uses the innate essence within blood to empower and change what Black Lotus magic can accomplish. With blood, casters can create weapons and projectiles made of bone. These spells come at the cost of one's blood, however, meaning the extra power could very well lead to one's death. People believe that this magic is yet another reason confirming the blood god Tegri's existence, but it is actually more proof of Phora's power of creation which made blood tie one's soul to their body.
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Blood magic can also be used to directly extract essence, allowing for powerful effects like matter generation and immaterial storage. This extraction oversaturates the body with essence, which can lead to the body cracking up and in extremely severe cases, dissolution of the entire body. Excess essence is incredibly harmful and can spread to the environment around a user with similar cracking effects. This essence can be directed and ejected to hit targets with extreme force, but these "spells" are extremely essence-intensive and have a lot of recoil. Blood magic is volatile and dangerous to everyone involved. It is only practiced by people in the Alarbot faction in the northwest, as power is everything in their society, no matter the cost.
Left: Diagram of all the spells within the Blood magic school. Black Lotus elemental dust magic is included with the Black dot at the bottom of the chart.
There are a variety of different magic systems outside of the three listed above. Alchemy, synthesis magic, force magic. These systems are more nebulous and have fewer users. However, they do not lack in complexity or power. These systems can reach even higher power levels if used correctly.
Alchemy
Alchemy is a magic form that uses plants and solids to create various potions and materials. Using special crests, mixing ingredients, and infusing the mixture and crest with essence, magical substances can be created. Potions of fire and decay. Powders that instantly make people bleed. Ectoplasm that can morph space and allow free teleportation. Alchemy is a system which breaches the defined limits that systems like Black Lotus enforce.
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Right: Two maps of liquid alchemy. Ingredients take different paths in the map leading to a variety of combinations to produce a valid potion. This system is largely hidden from players and is only referenced in alchemy books.
Anthris Magic
Anthris magic is only used by Qualme (the god of Anthris), Anthris beasts, and the Tuksiot who live deep in the mountains protecting a prototype made by Qualme. It creates purple flames which burn the soul. It morphs the body into tendrils, feathers, and spikes. It allows for full 3d mapping of terrain, even through walls.
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​At the highest level, for Qualme, reality can be morphed to create space where there is none. Teleportation is trivial, as points in space can be connected together and anything touching these connected points will appear at the other point. Qualme can create life by concentrating essence into souls or beasts. Anthris magic is divine, and as such, infinitely more powerful than human magic.
Force Magic
Force magic is to the gods what Anthris magic is to humans. Reality is morphed to what the forces want. Forces rarely interact with the mortal plane, but when they do it is incredibly impactful. The Force created a barrier between the mortal plane and the divine plane which gods cannot pass through. Fear (or Oosrae) lives within all extreme emotions of fear, turning eyes orange and growing horns on those experiencing trauma. In some cases, this can even fully convert a person into a violent beast coated in eyes and horns on every spot of their body.
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Force magic is incomprehensible even to the gods, and no spell that is used by the forces could ever be learned by humanity or a god.
