Fire Magic: The Entry Of Doom

Xarl

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Fire Magic: The Entry Of Doom

« on: 13 June 2002, 19:55:00 »

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The following is taken from the Ximaxian textbook Magic: An Overview, required reading for any and every Initiate to enter the Eleven Towers. Persons willing to recieve a copy should either enroll or borrow a copy from the Central Library at the Guard Tower.

Chapter 3: Fire Magic

Overview
Fire magic is, quite naturally, magic of the element of fire, branching into the spirit and the partial foundation of magic itself. As the element itself, it is chaotic and hard to control in both Clerical and Wizardly forms.

Spheres
Fire magic is divided into three spheres, frequently represented as the Red, Orange, and Gold spheres; Emotionalism, Flame, and Spirit.
Emotionalism deals with manipulation of the more violent parts of the soul; rage, lust, and certain applications of fear; Clerics of Etherus are particularly adept here.
Flame deals with the standard manifestation of Fire Magic; fireballs, infernos, supernatural heat, and suchlike. Clerics of Foiros and most magi specialize in this sphere.
Spirit deals with the 'inner being.' The force that resides within our bodies. Our selves, quite simply. This aspect is involved with possessions, astral projection, and the oft-faked communication with those long gone. Clerics of Armeros are the only people capable of even beginning to grasp most of the concepts held within this sphere, though the Ximaxian school of Summons has cracked one or two of its secrets.

Users
There are several users of Fire Magic, and if a generalization of them can be made, it is that none of them can or will ever agree on exactly what they are doing to work their magics. The following are some of the more predominant.
Shamans
These wise-men of the Orcish tribes wield powerful, uncontrollable Flame-sphere magic, and some are rumored to possess the rudements of the Spirit sphere. Though occasionally lacking in control, there is no arguing with the fact that these were the first, and the most powerful, wielders of this magical field.
Fire Magi
Be they Ximaxian, Memnian, or self-trained, these magi wield uncontested control over the normally uncontrollable Flame sphere, with the occasional one showing some promise in the Emotionalism or Spirit sphere. These red-cowled sorcerors are some of the most dangerous wizards on the face of Sorren, as the iron control needed for this brand of wizardry takes a drain on its user, and as such, a wizard not currently casting a spell will usually give his instincts and urges free reign.
Etherians
These clerics of Etherus, when not in the grip of some of their... pleasures... are the class of the world in the Emotionalism sphere, capable of manipulating a deadly foe into a helpless thrall... or vice versa.
War-Priests
The more sickly sons of Armeros (say it to their faces and learn just how wrong you are), these are frequently found alongside their brethren of the Order, using the strange powers of the Spirit sphere and a small portion of Emotionalism to aid their brethren in battle.
Summoners
These are the only wizards to truly comprehend the Spirit sphere, and even so they can only use it rudimentarily. The Summoners use what little they know of Spirit to bend summoned beasts to their control.

Casting
Fire Magic is generally less stringent in casting rituals than most other magical fields, but in the cases where pyromancy requires a bit more than a simple recitation, hand motions, the occasional bit of prancing around, and the following reagents are used.
Standard Flame reagents include ash, charred substances, coals, flammable compounds, certain Gnomish chemicals such as sulfur or arsenic, Lorahough seedpods, and red cloth.
Emotionalism requires only objects or knowledge of concepts the target holds dear, and some peice of the target's body. (Hair, toenails, skin, etc.)
Spirit is, as far as Ximaxian scholars have been capable of discovering, a reagentless field. Only a powerful will seems required for this sphere's spells.

History
ca. 9000 b.S: Chosen of Foiros (?) Ma'asherom the Red wields most of the apocalyptic spells of the Fire Element; later, the three Books of Ending (link to Dread Lord's Tomes) are stolen from his Tower's wreckage, along with a few of the Tomes of the Chosen currently residing in the High Library of Ximax.

ca. 9000-2100 b.S: Save for a few isolated and shunned human battle wizards, Fire Magic falls to Orcish shamans, who due to a lack of knowledge of their art often sadly perished while attempting to give a spell their all. This is the textbook example of the well-known 'fizzle' effect.

~2100 b.S: (Need to consult Tarq about date; he places the formation of the Oshra after Ximax is founded) Orcish Society of Enlightenment formed by a group of disgruntled shamans; this cabal of Orcish fire magi represented the first concentration of truly powerful Fire Magic since the time of Ma'asherom.

2019 b.S: Ximax founded. Society Leader Gral the Powerful is instrumental in creating the Red Ward and is the first to suggest the city be used as a sorcerous haven. The Red Tower becomes the first Tower of Fire Magic in seven thousand years.

1649 b.S: Vardynnian clerics of Foiros work what is generally acknowledged as the greatest spell ever cast; the Atonement. High Priest Pyrimatros sacrifices his own life in the casting. Arguably, he was wise to do so, judging by the year of darkness that followed.

822 b.S -50 b.S: Fire Magic enjoys increased popularity, as the violent Sarvonian Wars make the deadly sphere a powerful and well-paying choice.

630 b.S: Ximax refounded after the Fall of 733; Volkek-Oshra survivors instrumental in helping the Archmagi Bluestride and Stargaze rebuild the Academy.

1 a.S onwards: Fire Magic gradually falls from favor, but the spellbooks of ages past remain in the libraries of Ximax, should a need for them arrive again..

Better?

Edited by: Xarl at: 6/16/02 1:46:09 pm


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Artimidor Federkiel

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Re: Fire Magic: The Entry Of Doom

« Reply #1 on: 14 June 2002, 13:55:00 »

I suggest to also work out some Reagents which can be used in order to cast fire spells, like for example: ashes, sulphur or blood (see below). Mayb you can find some more things here.

Another important thing which I miss is demonology/summoning. This is mainly fire magic I'd say, as fire is also interpreted as will and in order to summon something you have to twists its will. Summoning could be part of the typical Fire Magi users group, but demonologists could be a seperate group, which focus on summoning demons through fire magic.

If possible try to finish this and perhaps add a few details here and there, then we can put it already up this update together with Quellion's latest pic

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Xarl

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Re: Fire Magic: The Entry Of Doom

« Reply #2 on: 16 June 2002, 14:01:00 »

Good? Bad?

Xarl Bluestride, Archmage of the White Tower, Master of the Magic Forum, Teacher of RP Sorcery and generally cool guy. All requests are to be written on the back of a ten-dollar bill (or equivelant thereof) placed on a dead ferret, and tossed in the sewer system.
Xarl Bluestride
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And it's still growing....
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Koldar Mondrakken

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Re: Fire Magic: The Entry Of Doom

« Reply #3 on: 16 June 2002, 14:23:00 »

Xarl, could you please be less discriminating towards Orcs than you're? They don't get away well whenever you write about them! Me naturally doesn't like that(My babies! Wahhh!!! :lol

)

I'd think that Orcish shamans would be cautious enough/know enough about their art to not try things when they don't know how to do it, at least not when they're not pressed to do so...

Koldar Mondrakken, Knight of the Moonlight
--Santharian Master of Disaster ;)--


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Xarl

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Re: Fire Magic: The Entry Of Doom

« Reply #4 on: 16 June 2002, 15:37:00 »

The problem with Fire Magic is that it doesn't take kindly to being controlled. Orcs not really for control in the first place, trying to do so doesn't usually work. Mind, nine times out of ten the spell will still work fine. But the Law of Averages eventually will catch up with a fire mage who presses his luck, and there is a great impetus to do so on a battlefield, or in a contest. Self control is the iron mandate for a fire mage... and keeping iron control of yourself in the middle of a chaotic, terrifying situation ain't that easy, especially if your instincts are shouting at you to scream bloody murder, charge at the nearest knot of the enemy, and give in to a nice racially ingrained bloodlust.


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Koldar Mondrakken

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Re: Fire Magic: The Entry Of Doom

« Reply #5 on: 17 June 2002, 03:28:00 »

I'm happy with what you say, but I'm not so happy with how you say it!

I'm not sure if such a sidekick against the Orcs would appear in a scientific book. After all you somehow tell the people that Orcs where only able to blow themselves up in about 7000 years of using that stuff..
None knows much about the Northlands and even less about Orcs societies (beside that they try to kick everyone's a@@).

ca. 9000-2100 b.S: Save for a few isolated and shunned human battle wizards, Fire Magic falls to Orcish shamans, who more often than not were killed when their own powers backfired on them, an example of the well-known 'fizzle' effect.

Well, it's only a detail, but maybe a little disturbing to the text...

Koldar Mondrakken, Knight of the Moonlight
--Santharian Master of Disaster ;)--


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Artimidor Federkiel

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Re: Fire Magic: The Entry Of Doom

« Reply #6 on: 17 June 2002, 09:11:00 »

I've modified a thing or two in the final entry. Also all kinds of magic should require reagents for the not so talented beginners, that's why I added blood as a reagent for the spiritual fire magic:

"Aside from a powerful will which definitely is required for this sphere's spells there's usually only one physcial reagent which is often applied in spiritual Fire Magic: blood. Blood is said to represent life force and will of a being more than any other part of the body. The more similar the blood (synonymous to the will of a being) you use for spell casting to the creature you wish to summon, the more likely that the summoning will succeed."

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Fire Magic: The Entry Of Doom