Arcanism
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History
However it is possible, though not yet accomplished, that the line of Arcanists can all be drawn back to two individuals. These two individuals each saw to the development of Arcanism but existed centuries apart and their craft differed wildly from each other. The first individual is the Arcane Mage who crafted an art that followed no true form. Through this anti-form the world was introduced to the full spectrum of elemental magic. In fact all ancient Aegisian magic was regarded as Arcane Evocation. Red streams of water and green flames, each unique to the few who learned the magic. After the First Arcane Mage the secret of Arcane Evocation was kept from individual to individual. Magic was largely a secret study during this time with only elemental magics being widespread. It is because of this that somewhere along the lines the magic was lost, but not forgotten.
Centuries after the First Arcane Mage left the descendants a young elf living in the mali'aheral city of Lin'evaral in Anthos, noted as originally being an acrobat and a survivor of the Aegis exodus, was guided to the Anthosian Mages Guild where he came into contact with a wizard by the name of Ambros. The wizard was an ancient being with an exceedingly large amount of knowledge at his disposal. It was he who first enthralled the young elf with the concept of Arcane Evocation and although the wizard would soon vanish, leaving the elf without a proper teacher, a new Arcane Mage would emerge regardless.
Iatrilemar Elervathar, formally belonging to the Thar bloodline, brought about the resurgence of Arcane Evocation, dubbing it Arcane Shielding as his specific form revolved around evoking defensive barriers to dispel attacks and bastion the user and their allies. The process of developing the magic was nothing short of a prodigal achievement granting the Thar boy the title of the 11th Arcane Mage, ushering in the rebirthed age of Arcanism. Those considered to be Arcane mages 2–10 held the title but had neither the ability of the original or the prodigal nature of the 11th. Thus their names are currently lost in history. This renewed form of magic quickly began expanding, filling in some of the lost ancient art to encompass a larger variety of intricate spells. Though each caster finds finds their magic taking on a specific color unique to their person the list of discovered spells is largely defined.
Towards the end of the Anthosian period the large majority of descendants escaped to the Fringe as their previous lands suffered annihilation at the hands of a massive flood. It is speculated that the Fringe somehow increased the void's potency, allowing free reign of many magics. Beforehand the 11th Arcane Mage had mastered and taught three students the art of Arcanism however the knowledge of the magic quickly became much more widespread as the Fringe was inhabited. It is because of this that the 11th Arcane Mage is considered the last true Arcane Mage and that the title of the 12th Arcane Mage lays dormant and likely will continue to until another mage can make such a contribution that their name be forever attached to arcane magic. Intricacies such as naming the next true Arcane Mage are likely to cause heated debates and battles of magical prowess in the future.
Learning Arcanism
Abilities
Arcane Projectiles
Arcane Shield
Arcane Weapon
Arcane Art
Redlines of Arcanism
Arcanism has several redlines of what a mage can do and what a mage can’t do. As such those redlines should be followed at any time and breaking them can result in a removal of your magic permissions.
- An Arcane Shield can’t block magic.
- Arcane Magic is always requiring some form of chanting and can’t be casted in an instant.
- Armor can’t be evoked with Arcanism.
- Any Arcane Weapon will be blunt and isn’t sharp enough to cut.
- The Arcane Shields can’t block any of the elements, they can only block weaponry.
- Arcane Magic can’t be used to levitate or to create stairs.
- As soon as the line of sight is being broken the spell will also vanish.
- An Arcane Shield can’t hold forever, it will break after around five to six hits.
- The Mage’s Aura will always be the same color. It can’t be multicolored.
Trivia
- Some Arcane Mages are known as performers, which are using their Arcane Arts to form animal-like puppets for a short duration.
- Arcane Magic is often being used in wars, either to defend cities or to fight in close combat.
Rewrite
For those of you who remember the old Arcane Evocation (Pre-Anthos) this is similar but not the same;
Arcanism at it's core aims to take the imagination of the user and bring it to life. From use in combat to art Arcanism is highly variable. It is a free form of magic meaning you don't have to belong to a guild or group to use it. I recommend learning it properly in RP else you might run into trouble with the quality in which you RP it. So what is it exactly?
Arcanism is the act of evoking pure magical energy and shaping it into things. Things? What things? Really almost anything the user can imagine! Firstly the magic interacts what I like to call an aura. An aura being a field of mana that surrounds all living things. If fire is a metaphor for a spell then aura is the smoke that comes off of it and even more so as a spell is cast. The more complicated sentient beings having different coloured auras. Different colored auras? Indeed! Aura color varies from person to person, not just mages have auras but all things have a specific aura color. While my character might have a purple aura yours might be a sky blue. Like how other evocations are a replication of a real element, arcane evocation is a replication of pure magical energy drawn from the void. It takes on a color because pure voidal energy has no real shape so as it is processed through you it globs onto whatever it can find, that being your distinct aura. The spell doesn't specifically travel through the aura but there is a basic passive interaction.
Since Arcanism is a magic of the unseen, meaning it is physically not represented in this world ie fire, water, stone, it can be difficult to produce. This is why the magic can be so incredibly difficult to learn. It takes meditation, testing of theory and a strong imagination to achieve even the smallest success in this magic.
What Can I do with it?
Arcanism can take on any physical form from solid to gas but it is constantly seeking to disperse into tiny fragments or “wisps” as I like to call them. Anything and everything you make is essentially made up of millions of tiny tiny wisps. So if for say you were to conjure a blade made purely of arcane energy it could take a more gassy form and break easier or it can be made into a solid that matches your finest iron-made sword. If you were to swing the arcane blade and hit something it is likely the arcane blade would shatter back into all those tiny wisps if your spell is beaten back or cannot outweigh the physical force being returned to it.
The magic wants to be free and unrestricted which is why non-combative use of the magic often can be more expansive. That isn't to say you cannot use it in combat because at it's core it is a combat magic. So when you are shaping the magic into whatever it may be keep in mind the density of the object you are forming. Is the object less or more solid? More solid? Great, so this is more exhausting for me.
Arcanism has a neutral temperature and does not mix with other evocation. Meaning you cannot mix it with fire evocation to make blue/green/rainbow flames. It can surely take the shape of fire though, it just will not burn and not be hot. The evocation is a neutral room temperature. One thing it does posses is a glow. It illuminates the area around you and can create bright flashes when large spells explode.
When struck against something the evocation might shatter; In the event of this I like to describe it as a visual explosion meaning it looks like an explosion but the temperature doesn't change. What it does do is cause a knock-back and blunt force trauma against whatever it hits. The more solid the evocation the more concentrated blunt force that is applied. Arcanism’s main two attributes are blunt force and ingenuity. The act of exploding can be a brutal tool in the mage’s arsenal but suffers from the lack of any elemental attribute. Smaller spells and spells with lower mana cost also do not cause as much blunt force. Arcanism CANNOT create sharp objects or defined shapes a.k.a conjuration spells. It only causes blunt force trauma and knockback.
So in battle where a fire mage casts their fireball to launch and burn you create physical spells to negate or create physical, impact damage.
Arcanist evokes energy into their hand. -> Energy builds & pulses -> Energy is released into an arc that trails to it's target -> Target is hit and is knocked to the ground.
OR
Arcanist brings both hands together, energy accumulates. -> Energy continues to build. -> Energy is begin reformed into a shape. -> Energy forms sword. -> Arcanist manipulates sword to fly and stab towards target. -> Target is mage and is run through, the blunt sword piercing the unarmored individual before fading away, having been broken by the impact.
And with that we will break Arcanism down into five specializations to better clarify the different things this magic can achieve. Projectiles, Shielding, Weaponry, Life, Art. As an initial progression I would pick one specialization at a time. Each Arcanist is unique because your proficiency in each specialization are separate from each other.
Specializations
Arcanism -> Projectiles
Projectiles are the main arsenal of arcanism and can be shaped into many different things. Projectiles almost always have a gas-like form which is really what allows them to be projected so easily. Smaller spells create less force, explosion and knockback while larger spells create more. Arcanism spells are rarely one-hit KO and often require repeating spells to incapacitate your foe however they are seen as concussive spells that deal concussive damage. Here are some examples of projectiles;
Missiles: Small. Most basic spell. They can be shot off but are weak. Casting a multitude can be effective. They are also easy to control and require little mana to manipulate.
Orb: Small. Orbs are a step above Missiles. They are shot slower but give a much greater impact. These are not perfectly round and give off a misty-wisp aura.
Bolt: Small. This is a quickshot. Expends more mana, is singular but is stronger than other small spells.
Disc: Medium. Discs are semi-solid. They are essentially small thrown barriers. They have less explosion but more impact if they hit their target. They do not shatter like shields but can be thrown at angles. These are not quite barrier discs and offer no protection.
Arc: Medium. Arcs are trails of energy that curve through the air to their target’s initial location. They are hard to track and look like a line of energy as they travel through the air. Speed matches the bolt, causes an impact equal to an orb but does not seek out it’s target if it moves and cannot be swayed from its path once fired.
Beam: Large: Strongest knockback spell. Creates larger explosion field and will likely hit multiple targets. Longer charge time and fires only in a straight line. The spell will keep going until the mana expended is used up. The farther the beam goes the more mana is used and the less impact it has.
Ray: Large: This is a closer range skill. The caster evokes a large amount of mana in the air and calls it down like a pillar onto it’s target. This has longer casting time and requires the most focus to use.
Arcanism -> Shielding
Shielding is much like Water Evocation’s ice. It is possible to evoke solids, sometimes taking on the shape of barriers and shields. These shields are all translucent which means you can see clearly through them. These barriers are based off the balance of a character. It is quite the feat to be able to hold a solid, let alone watch in amazement as the translucent barrier of magic rebounds incoming physical attacks. Sometimes Arcanists will only use shielding as their form of combat.
These barriers can be cast as entire bubbles around individuals and can be used to bash much like a material shield. However it goes further! With this specialization an evoked shield will actually stand toe-to-toe to a real shield and in many cases dominate a clash of shields. Sometimes if the shield shatters it will momentarily remain to send glass shards which can cut those adjacent. Shields take up mana per second for as long as they are cast. The larger the shield the more mana that is being drained. Here is the tier of balanced based on initial mana consumption;
Disc: The disc is the most balanced and simple way to keep a solid from degrading back into gassy wisps of magic. It can be expanded to cover a wider field of defense.
Flat Shield: Usually used to cover a small area of space. For example it can block a doorway or passageway. It costs more mana because melding to surfaces requires more concentration.
Bubble Shield: A full shield around the caster and possibly allies depending on the size.
Bash Shield: Requires shield to be already cast. Shield is flexed or moved to physically hit another object. This creates drastic stress on the shield but imposes a large knockback effect.
Pulse Shield: This is the only exception in this specialization in terms of solidity. The caster evokes a field of energy directly around them and shoots it out like a shockwave. It can knockback but is not solid. Less effective than a bash but costs less to cast and does not require a shield to be evoked.
Trap Shield: A bubble shield that is placed over another person. Caster may decrease the size of the shield to compress onto the target. Shield will cause medium amounts of pain from compression but will eventually break, leaving the target largely unharmed. If the target presses back the shield may shatter. This is used to hold someone but it cannot be used to kill someone. ie- you can't put a shield over someone's head to crush their skull. Your shield loses in this regard.
Dual-Shielding: A caster may cast up to two full bubble shields, splitting the entirety of their concentration in half. They became more stationary and the shields have issues moving.
Colossal Shield: This is a spell saved for events and is usually a key moment that comes from specific instances. The Colossal Shield is a shield that expands to cover a wide area. Sometimes a single home and sometimes an entire city. Likewise a Colossal Shield can be created and fueled by more than just one Arcanist. Two or Three Arcanists who have specialized in Arcane Shielding could hold an entire city from conquest for much longer than one could alone. The mage becomes completely stationary and usually will enter a deep meditative state in order to channel the spell. The large amount of mana expunged to fuel the Colossal Shield could leave the mage incapacitated for hours if not days if they allow their entire supply of mana to be used.
Arcanism -> Weaponry
Arcane Weaponry are spells to take on a replica of a regular weapon but with the added benefit to cast weapons as projectiles at the cost of lack of durability and mana cost. A mage can either hold the weapon or shoot it at their foes. They are described as ethereal and are surrounded by a thin veil of wisps, small traces of excess wisps. Weaponry is easier to move around with than other spells and an evoked weapon is weightless to the mage (but equal to an iron sword to others) due to it being made of pure magical energy. Weapons cannot be incredibly detailed and their form is in between the projectile and shielding specializations in terms of density and because of this they are dull and are highly ineffective cutting weapons. Impalement is still a possibility though no arcane weapon will be better than an iron weapon. Multiple weapons at once is possible but the mana consumed is multiplied and like shielding it costs mana to maintain the spell. If a weapon breaks it does not explode or shatter. It simply dissipates. It is important to note that this list can be much more expansive than the other combat oriented specializations. Larger weapons or ones that have a less static form cost more mana. All weapons have up to five hits which means they are no substitute for a real weapon. It is important to note that while a weapon can be cast away from it's caster it can only be done so by throwing it like a projectile. It does not act as a summoned pet that can attack like a conjured summon. Here is a list of weaponry;
Tools: The only spell from this specialization that breaks the form is Arcane Tools. Examples being plates, pots, tongs, cups, umbrellas, etc… The tools take on a more solid form that can capture liquid if necessary. If hit they break back into their fluid form. They fade away after use.
Sword: Small-to-Large. This includes daggers to greatswords. Not sharp but can be used in multitude to attempt to overwhelm an enemy.
Bow: Small-Medium. From shortbow to Longbow the bow shoots Arcane Bolts at a faster rate. Shooting from an arcane bow does not damage it like other weapons.
Staff: Small - Medium. From spears to bo staffs. Cannot be sharp but can be thrown. Like any object it has a chance to impale or cause concussive damage to it's target depending on their level of armor (Iron iron would never be pierced by an arcane evo spell).
Hammer: Medium-Large. You are granted more impact achieved but the weapons weight is accounted for in terms of mana cost and has even less durability. You can only summon one hammer at a time if it is a two-handed one and an arcane hammer can break in 1-2 hits do to the force needed to swing it adding onto it's already fragile frame.
Whip: Medium -Large. A whip is an example of fluid weapon. It costs more to keep cast due to it’s ability to more freely move. Cannot bind target.
Arcanism -> Life
Arcane Life can both be used for combat and creative arts. It is not conjuration and the evoked forms of energy take on a shell of what it’s replicating. The form varies and depends on the mage to gather research about their imitation of life before they can cast the spell successfully. The imitation also lacks much of the specifics of original and is cloaked in a mist of wisps that can be described as ethereal. The imitation also takes on a very rough form of the imitation so where a conjurationist can give exact details an Arcanist can create a rough outline. The caster can fuel the spell and make the imitation like an arcane projectile but Arcane Life spells do not normally explode when broken unless you cast them to do so which causes them to act like a projectile. They dissipate like weaponry. Here are some examples;
Sprites (Animal shapes): Any type of animal, though they lack any sort of detail of the animal they are mimicking. Instead they take on indistinct blob-shapes that are rather unique to this type of magic alone. They are dolls to be puppeted by the caster. They are mainly distractions but can also be flung like projectiles to explode. Using them in combat is more taxing in terms of mana consumption.
Arcanism -> Art
The most fluid form of the magic and the most open to new creation. Arcane Art is largely used out of battle as the creations are largely non-harmful. The caster for all instances of Arcane Art enter a deep meditative state in the central location of their piece. Due to the lack of any solidity and the mage’s full concentration the piece can become expansive without spending too much mana. Here are some examples;
Shroud: Due to the relative nature of Arcanism, it being different levels of condensed mana in the form of msit and wisps, it is possible for the caster to evoke a shroud around themselves to obscure vision. This cannot be incredibly expansive and works less effectively in open spaces where the magic has the opportunity to spread out. The caster can control this shroud but it is unable to cause harm to opponents. This is a specific use of a free-form spell.
Installations: This involves casting patterns of energy that stem from them. These streams, rivers, streaks, and other formations can move along any surface without disturbing it’s placement. This spell is unharmful and is the main focus of the specialization.
Imagination: Any other non-harmful freeform thing you can think of! Can’t effect anything with it but this specialization gives a lot of leeway so long as you abide by server rules.
These lists are used as a guide to what you can do in each specialization. If you would like your personal spell added post in a comment below and I may add it or ask for an explanation. Some roleplay tips I can give are;
-The larger or more solid the shape the more it costs to cast (not a drastic change but you don't start off learning the dense spells).
-If it isn’t solid it lacks durability.
-Shielding is enhanced when you concentrate on shielding.
-Everything is see-through and takes on the caster’s aura color (think MC stained glass)
-You need to let your opponent know the effects of the spell.
-Explosion is mostly visual. Explosions are an expulsion of energy & do not create heat. Only knockback/blunt damage from the impact.
Here are some roleplay examples! I will add more upon request for a specific situation.
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EX.1
Iatrilemar lifts his right hand, facing his palm out while taking a firm stance.
Iatrilemar's palm begins to glow with a bright violet light which pulsates. His cheek twitches up, both eyes wincing.
Soon the pulse quickens, more of the violet light gathering towards his palm.
Iatrilemar reels back his arm and thrusts forward, expelling a beam of energy outwardly.
The beam shoots out with tremendous force, becoming shallower and shallower as it travels through the open air until there is nothing left of it.
Iatrilemar smirks as he lowers his hand, the light fading from his palm.
EX.2
Iatrilemar sits in the center of a large circular room, taking a meditative position and closing his eyes.
His breath drifts into a slight hum as he places both palms flat on the ground. Anyone watching would notice the soft light pounding into the ground.
Iatrilemar opens his eyes and at once streams of violet energy spill from his palm onto the floor, flowing like open waterways across the stone.
Iatrilemar turns his head the the right; The streams meander to the right before beginning to spiral. The same process is repeated by Iatrilemar turning his head to his left, the spirals now concaving into themselves.
Soon the streams of energy fill the entire floor with mosaic patterns that seem to swirl with life. The room; an ocean of intricate twists and concaving swirls.
Iatrilemar's palms slowly lift off the ground, his eyes closing once more. Almost as if in rewind the streams rapidly recede, snaking back to Iatrilemar before disappearing into his palm.
EX. 3
Iatrilemar’s arm twitches, his arm raised.
Iatrilemar narrows his eyes on the area just in front of his hand, adjusting his footing.
Iatrilemar takes in a deep breath before a faint purple light emits from his palm.
Iatrilemar exhales the breath as a small solid flat circle appears in front of his palm.
Iatrilemar clenches his other hand into a tight fist as the circle begins to spread outward in all directions.
The substance suddenly disperses as Iatrilemar falls over, incapacitated from fatigue.
EX. 4
Iatrilemar holds up his hand flexing his fingers, glancing around to two adjacent trees.
A glass-like shield sprouts from the epicenter of his palm rapidly expanding outwards in all directions.
The shield continues to expand until it meets the ground and the two trees.
The shield shakes violently as it melds to the flat surfaces.
Iatrilemar smirks, his shield covering the entirety of the opening between the trees.
EX. 5
(Starting off with the shield already evoked)
The bandit brings his sword down against the shield.
Iatrilemar’s shield shudders as the sword collides with it however the shield withstands the hit causing the sword to recoil off it’s surface.
The bandit staggers back due to the recoil of his hit before charging once again swinging his sword down onto the shield.
A small crack appears on the shield as Iatrilemar winces however once again the shield withstands the hit with the same outcome. The sword recoils.
RED LINES
~I realize there are a lot. But remember them!~
Your shield is not impenetrable. Mental magics will still go through it, just at a more taxing cost to the opposing caster due to the diminished visibility.
Do not instant cast.
You cannot evoke armor.
No sharp weapons
You cannot create a shield to allow you to dive underwater.
You cannot levitate yourself or use it as stairs to climb something.
You cannot cast your spell and then leave it. Once you lose sight of it the shield will rapidly disperse back to the void.
You are the one that needs to emote the status of your shield. Not your opponent.
Your aura colour is and always will be the same. You cannot have a multi coloured shield. So choose wisely. To change your aura color your character must have gone through a large change in their lives and a drastic character shift.
Your Arcane Life is not conjuration and your imitations of living things are merely undetailed puppets. It you try to have an arcane wolf sink it's teeth into an opponent it will shatter in the process. Still a good distraction though.
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