The Knowledge
The World Of Artilia
In the beginning there was nothing. Nothing but an empty black mass of space. Through unknown forces however a need was born, a need for life. This event was known as the Necessity of Life. Life was born a twin souled Goddess and God were born from the necessity. Their names were Artilia and Derev. Artilia continued the work of the necessity and created a world that could sustain life, at first that was enough. The world was a shell however and it needed intelligent architects. Derev created the elements. Earth, Fire, Wind, Water the four base elements of everything and then he governed the next elements more complicated in nature Ice, Lightning, Light and Darkness. With this came mountains, rivers, land, forests, volcanoes, frozen tundras and burning deserts. Artilia was impressed by her brothers creation and she decreed that all that lay above, the sky and heavens, would be hers to watch and all that lay below, the land and the underground and the core, Derev would command. Their agreement was mutual.
With their world now built Artilia and Derev moved on to the finer points of detail in the world. Life. Artilia, who was a benevolent creator, made Souls. Derev then created a Shell for these Souls, these were the first humans. Over time they realised that the humans needed guardians. Some one or something that could watch over them, as proof that their gods had power, that they would build a better world. Derev created creatures, creatures of scales with wings and long necks and horns, capable of breathing fire or of breathing incredible gusts of wind. These creatures were called Dragons. Massive hulking creatures. Artilia for her part gave them a realm in which to dwell which was the sky.
Humans respected Dragons as both the ultimate form of power and as a symbol of divinity because they dwelled in the realm of Artilia. It was at this point that Derev began to hate his sisters foresight. She had made herself into the only true god. All peoples respected her and yet Derev was forced underground to watch over the flames of the world. It was then that Derev gave the Dragons control over Mana. Mana is an essential life blood that flowed through the world, it was the fuel that allowed Dragons to use Magic. The Queen of Dragons at the time, Lumenthea, was the first to make use of this mighty power. Originally using it to make unruly Dragons behave, Lumenthea eventually was corrupted by its power and by the influence of Derev's hatred. Lumenthea started to attack her kin slaughtering thousands of Dragons and Humans alike, breaking a peace that had existed for centuries.
It was only thanks to her son, Araknovia, that she was quelled. The Dragons were granted leave of the world's atmosphere and they buried their once queen deep within the moon. When the battle was done, Artilia questioned her brother about the power of magic and wether it was wise to give Dragons, an already near ultimate destructive force, more strength. Derev lied saying that the power was meant to harness the good of people, when in truth he had used it as a link, to spread his hatred of his sister and her fame, to corrupt those with the potential to use its power to do his bidding. Derev then decided that humans would also wield the power of magic. He prefaced this by telling his sister it would put humans on a level playing field with dragons, when in fact Derev was adding more strings to his growing collection of puppets.
The Reclamation
Around the 1013th year of the worlds life, Humans had advanced to a point were they could mine metal and warp it into objects. Industry began to increase and cities were born. The knowledge of humans was expanding and with each new stride humanity came one step closer to maturity. The Dragons and Humans still enjoyed a peaceful alliance, having helped the Dragons stop their rebellious queen centuries ago. However in the darkness of the underworld, now known as Derev Cragnos: The demon plain, a new plan was formulated by the lord of hatred. Derev instructed the Dragon Queen Lumenthea to send prophetic visions to a human to spur him into war. This human was a blacksmith named: Vivardan. Vivardan was a good man, helpful, wise, loving and strong he was everything that people wanted in a leader, though he was reluctant to take any such role. Vivardan was sent visions by the Luna Dragon Queen which showed him how to wield mana and change it into power. At first Vivardan believed these dreams to be mere fantasies. It wasn't until he used them by accident to light a fire that he awakened to his new found powers. The Luna Dragon Queen decided to send him prophetic visions of him slaying dragons in a made up prophecy called The Reclamation. The Reclamation was a prophecy that humans would one day reclaim the realm of heaven, the sky, for themselves and that they had magic to begin with but dragons found a way to take it from them. The Luna Dragon Queen's vengeance would be exacted and then when dragons were slain Derev would take the world for himself. Vivardan, now brainwashed into believing the lies of Lumenthea, started his campaign against the dragons.
The first to fall to Vivardan was a simple dragon. One who had been helping the humans in his region build settlements. Tisma-Frayoos was a scholarly dragon and one that took great interest in humans and their history, he was respected by many other dragons as being wise and venerable. A paragon of virtue to dragon kind….so it would come as no surprise that when they learnt that Tisma had been slain by not just a single human but a human who wielded magic, the dragons were outraged. Vivardan slew Tisma for spreading lies amongst the humans of the region. While many scorned him for this act of brutality there were those that agreed with him. Vivardan took this group of people who agreed with him on a campaign against the dragons.
Hearing of Tisma's fate the Elder Dragon King, Araknovia, sought out the human rebel. By the time he arrived in the region, later to be known as Flames End, all Araknovia found were the corpses of his kinsman. Unable to control his rage at Vivardan, Araknovia immediately declared war against any human who would raise a blade against them. By this point Lumenthea had contacted other humans through dreams and had granted them control of mana, these humans joined Vivardan in his campaign against dragon kind. Around this time Vivardan's eldest sons and one of his daughters also gained control of mana, with more and more people learning how to use magic the tide of battle quickly changed in favour of humans.
The war lasted ten years. Both sides suffered their share of loss. Dragons were torn from the sky with powerful lightning magic. Humans were burned alive by some of the most powerful of dragon kind. But despite the power of dragons they found that they could not match the humans in shear weight of numbers. It just wasn't possible. Vivardan finally stood against Araknovia. It was said that the battle was so intense that nobody remembers with any real clarity what happened. The one thing that is remembered however is the image of Vivardan ramming his sword through Araknovia's heart destroying him forever and ending the dragon race. Vivardan was proclaimed as the Great Mage King, Vivardan I. In his first act as king he cleaved one of Araknovia's teeth free and harvested the rare metal that grew there, Mythril. With this metal he crafted an unbreakable sword named, Dragon Bane.
And yet. Even with all of the bloodshed, even with such immense power in his hands, even with all the dragons of the world slain……Vivardan had not had enough. He turned his blade on the only other opponents he could find. His own kin. Vivardan, having gone mad with power, started to attack his own forces. It was only thanks to the efforts of his eldest son, Eldrassen, that Vivardan was finally brought to heel and killed. Artilia the goddess of their world having witnessed everything decided to lift part of the world into the air so that mankind might better understand the powers they had been given. Eldrassen stricken with grief led those that could wield magic to this land, a land that would later be known as Ceres.
The system of Magic
To understand magic, one must first understand how it is used. Mages make use of a mysterious fuel called mana. Mana is a constantly replenishing natural force. It dwells within everything, the air that we breath, the water we drink, the earth we stand upon and the fire's that burn. Some believe Mana to be the godly fingerprints left on the world as the power of Mana follows none of the imposed laws of physics that humans have.
Mages are people who make use of Mana and as there are many mages there are many different ways to use mana. But lets start with the basics. Magic. How is it used?
Magic is the end result of a Mage taking Mana within himself consuming the fuel transforming it into power and then using the effect. For a simpler way to view how magic is used it goes a little like this:
Mana=Fuel ---> Mage=Conduit----> Mage consumes Mana=Conversion---->Mage expels Mana=Effect, power, spell etc etc
Mana is gathered by Mages on a regular basis. Mages collect enough Mana to use spells without having to go through any particular procedure. The body calculates how much mana a man/ woman needs to use magic. We know that mana is the fuel of magic, if a mage doesn't have any mana left then he/she can't use magic. Also for this form of magic mana can't be used straight away. It needs to be converted into power before it can be put to use. Mana on its own has no form, its only when it is converted to power that it has form. We call this type of magic Channelling Mana.
Channelling Mana
Mages make use of Mana in a lot of different ways. The Mages of Ceres, prefer this method of magic. Mana is stored in the body naturally before it is converted into power by the mage through the use of incantation, a key phrase that the mage must say to determine what elemental form the mana will take for example the spell, Inferno Plume, sends out a geyser of molten flame to destroy enemies the incantation goes
"Come ye embers of flame give rise once more and become a force of devastation"
Some incantations are shorter than that and sometimes a mage doesn't have to speak the phrase aloud. Obviously this form of magic is both devastatingly powerful and incredibly dangerous for a mage must spend sometime chanting the phrase by which point they may already find themselves dead. However the risk is worth it as the spells that require the use of mana are extremely powerful. Usually though these spells require longer time for incantation they are on a much higher plain of destruction than others. Most mages when in combat make use of lower level spells that require only one, two or three words of incantation to use. The base elements that a mage uses are: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Light, Dark, Lightning and Ice. A simple way of fighting for most mages is to use lower level spells that have good power and can fell most enemies with minimal effort. This method keeps some mana in reserve in case a mage wishes to use a higher level spell later.
Flow example of magic used by a Ceres mage with Mana as fuel
Stage 1) Mana is stored within the body
Stage 2) Mage takes stored mana and begins converting it into their chosen element through the use of a spell i.e. incantation
Stage 3) Depending on the spell and its level of power the mage then releases the spell
Stage 4) The spell takes effect. If it is an offensive spell then it will damage an opponent. A defensive spell will shield user from harm. A support spell will help those around the caster and a healing spell will heal wounds.
Channeling the World
As it was stated above, Mana is within all things. All people, plants, life and objects have mana written into their code. A different form of Magic was created by the Mages who decided to stay on the lower world of Artilia. Perhaps created is the wrong word to use more discovered an alternate form. When a mage of Ceres uses magic they usually consume mana to create an elemental spell. But if mana is in all things then why should you consume mana to summon a fire ball when you can use existing fire to the same effect. This is channeling the Worlds mana. Taking what is already around us and using it. This form of magic completely bypasses the first stage as mana flows constantly through everything and unlike humans the elements of nature absorb mana constantly without needing to do anything (A mage can consume all of their mana during a battle and then have to wait for it to return. The process can be sped up by intense mediation, but obviously this is not ideal in a battle scenario) this means that their is a near constant flow of mana running through everything.
Flow example of magic used by a Artilian mage who channels the worlds mana
Stage 1) Mana already exists in object. For example a tree root has mana within it already.
Stage 2) Using their inherent mana a mage channels the mana within the tree root to act to their will be mixing their mana together. Unlike channeling mana this method takes only a small portion of mana to use.
Stage 3) The tree root will come alive and works to the orders of its waker. If the root is destroyed or the mana that connects the two severed it becomes inanimate again.
This style of magic is the most versatile as literally everything has mana flowing through it, Mages of Artilia Wake the object or thing they want to use. A mage of Artilia can wake the ground around them to become a perch for them to stand on or shape a flame to become a sword. Channeling the worlds mana is a very versatile way to fight and its only limited by the imagination of its user.
Things that harness Mana
Humans= Moderate to High Mana control and intake
Animals= Moderate to High Mana control and intake
Dragons= Ultimate control and intake
Monsters= Low to Moderate control and difficult intake
Nature= Ultimate control and intake
Demons= No Mana control or intake
Channeling Objects
This form of magic is rather different. All things contain mana so it stands to reason that objects have them to. However man made objects have about 1/4 of the amount of mana that humans do, which is basically nothing. However a group of mages on Artilia have invented a method of containing mana within a glass chamber for use later. The glass is made specifically by artisans the exact process isn't known or shared as it is supposed to be used by only a small handful of mages. The glass chambers are cylindrical and have been made with mana. A mage takes an element and traps it within the cylinder, it works better if the mage is channeling the world. In simpler terms, a mage who channels the world takes a nearby source of fire and traps it in the cylinder. Since the cylinder was made with mana the channeled piece of the world has a way to live by feeding of the residual mana from within the cylinder. The cylinders themselves aren't incredibly big and their only real use has been to attach them to the shaft of an arrow to be used in combat, that and the fact that the mana inside the cylinder isn't extremely strong means that the spell cast would have to be a weak one.
Flow example of a Mage who Channels Mana into a object
Stage 1) The Trap Cylinder is made by using mana.
Stage 2) A mage Channels the worlds mana into the cylinder. They can also channel mana straight without channeling the worlds mana but this method is more suited to those that use a pre-existing form of mana.
Stage 3) The trap cylinder traps the specific element within letting it feed of its power even when severed from its original host.
Stage 4) The cylinder is attached to an arrow or is kept as a cylinder.
Stage 5) The cylinder when thrown acts as a secondary mana source i.e if a mage is already controlling the earth they can fire an arrow and use the second source of mana for another attack.
This way of using mana is obviously rather complicated and isn't without its flaws. Eventually the mana, that binds the element inside the glass, will fade away causing the stored element to dissipate entirely. While versatile, this method is still not as widely used as others and only a few have managed to use it to any significant effect. Seeing as objects, even objects that are built with mana, contain only one fourth of the mana that any regular human has using it as source of power is not advised as any spell or channeling that you used would be incredibly weak and mostly ineffective. But who knows advancements in magic are being made everyday, maybe one day this method of magic won't be so ludicrous.
The Code of Mages
Forbidden spells, Laws and Duties of all Mage kind
The Mages code is a simple codex of laws and duties that a mage must adhere to the list is as follows;
I Gallad of House Tallis Mage of Ceres do honourably swear to
I. Protect all people's who require thy help
II. To use thy powers for the good of my kinsman
III. To explore new realms to further thy knowledge
IV. To respect thine masters who have imparted knowledge
V. To slay all evildoers be they monster, demon or human
VI. To never stray from the way of good
VII. To never covert greater strength
VIII. To praise Artilia for her benevolence
IX. To damn all creatures that are spawn of Derev Cragnos
X. Above all things to remember my calling I am man made Mage a force of change for whatever thine fate shall be.
Forbidden Magic
There are certain magics that are beyond the scope of human understanding and control. These magics are often referred to as forbidden for their ability to complete disregard certain aspects of nature that logically a human shouldn't control.
Necromancy
The most heinous of magical crimes is the art of necromancy. Any who are found guilty of using its power are condemned for death immediately which is ironic when you consider what the crime is for. Necromancy is the use of mana to call back a body from death. That is the only thing that is called back. The body. Nothing else. You see, the soul of a human is what links mana to them when the soul expires the body no longer collects mana and without mana the body can't use magic. Necromancy is the art of bringing a body back from the dead, no one necromantic mage, even the creator of the magic, was able to call back a soul. The intrinsic link between a human and the world.
Necromancy was first explored by a mage who dabbled in the use of the element of darkness, arguably the most dangerous and insidious element of magic there is. The Mages name was Thead Noctrum, Thead spent a lot of time investigating different uses of dark magic as was his right as a mage. Thead eventually came to find that if he could invade someone else's shadow and make them act to his commands then surely he would be able to use the shadow of anything. After several failed attempts at this Thead accidentally invaded the shadow of a dead man willing it to life. Seeing as all of the vital organs and muscles remained in the body, as he wasn't dead for long, Thead was able to control the body. This gave him the idea that he could remotely control a body some how without invading its shadow.
It was months before Thead eventually returned a body from death. The process was to send portions of his own mana into the body. By sending in small fractions of his own residual mana, mana that is always in the body but is hardly ever called upon, he could will the body to move to his commands. This discovery however was not viewed well, by anyone even the Nox Obscura a group of mages dedicated to using dark magic. It was later discovered that the mana Thead was giving up was actually portions of his soul and that with each summoning his own link with mana was being severed. Thead eventually could no longer summon a body back from death. He was condemned for his research as other mages considered it inhumane to make the dead fight again, He was found guilty of murdering unwilling participants to his tests and was executed. Necromancy became a forbidden form of magic never to be used again.
But with the greed of men one thing is certain….that which is forbidden will rise again.
Chronos Lapse
Chronos Lapse or time magic is another forbidden form of magic. Chronos lapse is the ability to bend time, slow time, fast forward time or generally influence its flow to your own ends. This particular form of magic is the use of mana to shift the passage of time. Like necromancy this form of magic is a mutation of an elemental form of magic, the element that is so closely resembling of time is earth magic.
Chronos Vaohsen was a man of many different talents. He was well liked, a master of the arcana of magic, a good teacher and overall nice man. His one petulant flaw was his tardiness. It got in the way of everything he did. Chronos was often late to meetings not just that however was what drew him to experiment with time magic. Chronos lost his sister when she was still young, he loved her dearly as any brother would. When he heard of necromancy and its uses Chronos decided to try a different angle one Thead hadn't thought of, turning back time to allow the soul and body to come back as one.
Easier said than done however Chronos spent many months labouring trying to find a way to reverse the flow of time. It was only after Chronos had seen a certain earth type spell being used that he experimented into time magic. The magic spell in question that sparked his interest was Reforge Growth a spell were a mage would take part of the earth within themselves and should that part of themselves be cut off or destroyed the spell would reforge their body to the last point the spell was first used. Obviously a spell such as that could only bring back a portion of a person, but what if it was used in multiple places all at once. Chronos, luckily, didn't start by using this magic on his sisters corpse but rather on an animal that had passed some time ago, he used the spell all over its body and the effect wasn't what he was expecting. Not only did the spell work but it reforged the entirety of creatures life sending it back to a point when it was at its prime. Awe inspired by this Chronos went on to try the reverse of the magic, reversing the flow of reforging was easy because it stands to reason if something can be regrown then surely the opposite is true as well.
Chronos continued his work for many months but as necromancy had recently been quelled, about a year before Chronos's research the mage council were still looking for those with an interest in anything vaguely necromantic. Unfortunately for Chronos his research was discovered. He defended his case by explaining that the two magics were entirely different but the mages council decreed that the altering of ones fate by the use of an unknown power was to much power for one person. Chronos was originally condemned to exile but using his new form of magic he managed to rend space time around himself letting him escape…..for 6 seconds. When he returned Chronos was so shocked by what he saw his mind was completely numbed, he was condemned to death mostly out of pity. And so his form of magic which was later renamed Chronos Lapse magic was made forbidden.
But with the greed of men one thing is certain….that which is forbidden will rise again.
Summoning
While not inherently forbidden as there are certain magic spells that allow a mage to summon a creature without a soul summoning one that does have one is forbidden. Summoning is a difficult subject to brooch as many mages infringe upon this law without realising what they did wrong. Basically there are certain spells that when used can summon a golem made of stone the golem in question has no will of its own an acts on the whims of its creator. It is soulless and can be banished at any given moment, there are no real threats to summoning a golem as they cannot develop a will of their own.
The most classic case of forbidden summoning is what allowed demons to emerge from Derev Cragnos in the first place and every subsequent attempt has only strengthened the rift between Artilia and Derev Cragnos. The first real case of summoning was during the reclamation when a group of mages attempted to summon a creature capable of slaying the Dragon General Uldavan. Their attempt summoned forth a demon named Eclipse King Setanza who, as it turns out, did slay Uldavan….and then demanded the death of every human woman from ages 19 to 30. This was obviously met with some resistance. The mages that originally summoned Setanza had been drained of their souls and had no way to send him back to Derev Cragnos. It took a whole battalion of mages and humans to drive Setanza from their lands. He eventually fled to the isles of Nix where he live's even to this day.
The second most famous attempt was by a mage named Jhani. Desperately in love with a noble mage Jhani attempted to summon a demon capable of returning her loved one's soul to him from death to give him life once again. She summoned a demon succubus named Kikalia maven of the Drac. Kikalia did revive Jhani's lost love……as her own sexual play thing and while she originally would do no harm to Jhani, she was so distraught over her loss she attacked Kikalia. Kikalia for her part crushed Jhani's mind and made her a puppet as well. The two lovers were reunited…in the most gruesome and literal way. There bodies combined and contorted to a grotesque stature Kikalia started looking for more susceptible mages around Ceres. It wasn't long before Cruxagrists were called to the scene and they eliminated Kikalia with all of the power they could muster. The abomination and its state doesn't even dare being spoke of, so hideously repulsive the particulars of its appearance have been glossed over for the readers own benefit.
Needless to say Summoning was made a forbidden form of magic as summoning a creature with a soul and drive of its own has proven to complex for mages of any skill.
But with the greed of men one thing is certain….that which is forbidden will rise again.
Future sight
A semi mutation of Chronos Lapse magic. Future sight is the ability to see into the future, most mages that try it originally all find it incredibly easy to use. On the surface this form of magic would be an incredible boon however prolonged use of future sight can make a mage so in tune to the fates of others that they can see everything they will do.
Following the investigation of Chronos several mages continued his theories in secret trying to find a new form of magic from his. The result was the ability of Future sight stumbled upon by several mages at once of no particular fame or glory. Originally the mages used future sight to great effect managing to defeat opponents twice their skill by viewing their movements several minutes ahead of when they would make them. For a time the mages reported no significant trouble using these abilities. But as is the way with all magics the more powerful and convenient it is the more it demands of its user later. The group of mages started to lose their sight. Going blind. The one thing they could always see was the fate of others and that is a cruel thing to see. They knew what people were going to say before they said it, knew where they would look, knew what direction they would walk they knew everything. The effects of future sight sent a lot of them mad.
One of the mages came forward to the council and explained what they had done. The mages council immediately arrested all those involved and branded future sight a forbidden magic form. As the tempering of ones fate no matter how small can have drastic consequences.
But with the greed of men one thing is certain….that which is forbidden will rise again.
Classes of Mage
Some mages in the world prefer to focus on one particular element or ability over another. Listed below is all known mage classes.
Mage
A regular mage. All mages learn how to control all forms of elemental magic occasionally having a preference for one form over others. Most mages are skilled enough in all forms of magic and elemental magic that the need to focus on a single power doesn't arise. Most mages carry staffs as is tradition but as the need has arisen over the ages modern mages preference swords over staffs as the latter is easier to carry also metal is a good conductor if a mage wants to imbued their weapon with an element. Such as coating a sword in flames. Most mages when they become masters have three runes inscribed on their bodies. These runes are elemental runes that bypass the need for incantation, the runes are usually their most used element of magic. For instance if a mage contributes more time to wind, earth and ice magic. These runes will be cut into his/ her body as a way to access them easier. The runes allow the use of up to Level 4 magic of the selected elements.
Infernus Calamitartus
A guild of mages that specialise in the use of Fire magic, honed to such an extent that powerful fire magic is like raising a finger to them. The name might seem to imply a guild of mages that are off the rails but the group is actually well respected an often called upon for matters of justice as the say "Any mage can cast a truth flame but an Infernus mage's truth flame cannot be denied" Infernus mages are often called on in times of war or during bouts of sickness to use their flames to "cleanse" impurities. They work closely with Cruxagrists as well.
They wear crimson robes with visors. The robes are accompanied by mailed gauntlets and greaves. Mages of Infernus may seem rather threatening in appearance but they are mostly good people. Many mages mistake their appearance for a group of radicals which is why Infernus Calamitartus has such a small turn over in new mages as many don't know what their joining before they get there.
Naiads Whisper
A guild of mages that specialise in the use of Water magic. A guild that attracts those who want to perfect the healing arts, Naiads Whisper is a tranquil guild they are well liked and any member among their ranks is immediately associated with peace and calmness. If Naiads Whisper has one fault, and its a rather small one at that, their female to male ratio is about 80 percent women to 20 percent men. Obviously like Infernus this can attract the wrong crowd, which has often led many of Naiads Whisper to protest about how they are viewed. Naiads whisper is full of extremely powerful healers but as with any element they are also strong and capable. Many a man will look for a maven of Naiads whisper to defend only to find that the women of the guild are FAR more capable than them.
The guild wears long flowing robes of tinted azure, often with a hood to frame their faces. Some prefer to wear scarves instated of the hood to give them a more personal touch. Jewellery is a common theme as is water so many of the whisper wear water themed necklaces and adornments. Despite some mages seeking the guild for the wrong reasons, Naiads Whisper is well respected and they often take in perspective candidates who have finished their magical training.
Heavens Glaive
A guild that specialises in the use of Wind magic. Heavens Glaive is a guild that takes responsibility for crime in Ceres often they are viewed as a police force. They have the most members and the highest turn over as there are always those that want to protect the peace. Heavens Glaive are often called on about matters of justice and they use there wind magic to fly around the city of Ceres pursuing criminals and wrongdoers. During times of war Heavens Glaive are some of the most skilled fighters as there skills in battle are without peer. As is there name the staple weapon they wield are Glaives or spears or lances. Very commonly they are called the Dragons reborn.
The guild wears close fitting uniforms usually with shirt and trousers some like to accessorise and chose to have sash or skirt for female members. More elite members wear a cloak to signify their rank. There colour scheme is emerald and embossed on the left of their uniform is the sigil of the Heavens Glaive.
Barricade March
A guild that specialises in the use of Earth Magic. Barricade March is a guild responsible for many differing things, mostly to do with the nature and up keep of Ceres. Not many chose to join the guild as they are considered glorified farmers. Barricade March are actually Judges an off cut of Heavens Glaive, they rule on matters of political intrigue and are sometimes called upon for torture. Barricade March's members are strong of build and wield powerful earth magic, many a mage has faced them believing that they will win only to find themselves flat on their backs having underestimated their opponent.
Barricade March members wear bronze armour to signify earth each and every one of their members are masters of law an upkeep. The only group that prefer not to carry any weapons only using the power of earth magic to put rebellious mages in their place.
Nox Obscura
A guild that specialises in the use of Dark Magic. Nox Obscura are a disliked guild mostly because of their work as assassins and spy's. Because of this the guild has gotten a bad reputation, people only turn to them if no other options are available. The Nox Obscura keep their activities secret and integrate themselves into all echelons of government. Despite the fact that the Nox Obscura is viewed as clandestine and evil their watchful eye's have prevented thousands of different uprisings and coup's that would have destroyed Ceres long ago. As well as being assassins the Nox Obscura spend a lot of time on magical research, far more research than people might think on first glance. Their dark magic is some of the most powerful and refined. As they say "You may hide your lies in Darkness but we rule all that is wrong, we are your shadow, we are the creaking of floor boards in the night, for that is what we are. The Night made whole and no man can hide from the night"
The Nox Obscura wear hooded robes of purple and black. They wear steel gauntlets that take the shape of claws, as well as wearing masks resembling monsters. Their appearance is meant to insight fear.
Cruxagrists
A guild that specialises in the use of Light Magic. Cruxagrists are by far the most mysterious and the most powerful, physically, guild there is on Ceres. Cruxagrists cater to no other task than monster/ demon slaying. With a very high turnover a lot of mages dedicate themselves to this guild because of one small factor. During a Cruxagrists trail they must take a part of a monster within them, the power of the monster is syphoned to give the mage incredible strength and speed allowing them to use weapons all most twice as big as them. Cruxagrists dedicate themselves to light magic and its purifying power, often a team of Cruxagrists will consist of a mage who exorcises a monsters spirit and a executioner who kills the creature. Whenever a demon appears from Derev Cragnos, Cruxagrists are instantly summoned to deal with it. Out of all mage guilds Cruxagrists are somehow lauded as divine heroes and are viewed with the least scrutiny.
Cruxagrist paraphernalia differs deepening on the task but most wear trousers, tunics and helmets all in white. Senior members of the guild wear capes emblazoned with a red cross with two swords crossed through it and an image of a human driving a sword through a fallen beast. The weaponry also varies between, Great swords, Longswords, Halberds, Scythes, Spears, Maces and regular swords.
The first to fall to Vivardan was a simple dragon. One who had been helping the humans in his region build settlements. Tisma-Frayoos was a scholarly dragon and one that took great interest in humans and their history, he was respected by many other dragons as being wise and venerable. A paragon of virtue to dragon kind….so it would come as no surprise that when they learnt that Tisma had been slain by not just a single human but a human who wielded magic, the dragons were outraged. Vivardan slew Tisma for spreading lies amongst the humans of the region. While many scorned him for this act of brutality there were those that agreed with him. Vivardan took this group of people who agreed with him on a campaign against the dragons.
Hearing of Tisma's fate the Elder Dragon King, Araknovia, sought out the human rebel. By the time he arrived in the region, later to be known as Flames End, all Araknovia found were the corpses of his kinsman. Unable to control his rage at Vivardan, Araknovia immediately declared war against any human who would raise a blade against them. By this point Lumenthea had contacted other humans through dreams and had granted them control of mana, these humans joined Vivardan in his campaign against dragon kind. Around this time Vivardan's eldest sons and one of his daughters also gained control of mana, with more and more people learning how to use magic the tide of battle quickly changed in favour of humans.
The war lasted ten years. Both sides suffered their share of loss. Dragons were torn from the sky with powerful lightning magic. Humans were burned alive by some of the most powerful of dragon kind. But despite the power of dragons they found that they could not match the humans in shear weight of numbers. It just wasn't possible. Vivardan finally stood against Araknovia. It was said that the battle was so intense that nobody remembers with any real clarity what happened. The one thing that is remembered however is the image of Vivardan ramming his sword through Araknovia's heart destroying him forever and ending the dragon race. Vivardan was proclaimed as the Great Mage King, Vivardan I. In his first act as king he cleaved one of Araknovia's teeth free and harvested the rare metal that grew there, Mythril. With this metal he crafted an unbreakable sword named, Dragon Bane.
And yet. Even with all of the bloodshed, even with such immense power in his hands, even with all the dragons of the world slain……Vivardan had not had enough. He turned his blade on the only other opponents he could find. His own kin. Vivardan, having gone mad with power, started to attack his own forces. It was only thanks to the efforts of his eldest son, Eldrassen, that Vivardan was finally brought to heel and killed. Artilia the goddess of their world having witnessed everything decided to lift part of the world into the air so that mankind might better understand the powers they had been given. Eldrassen stricken with grief led those that could wield magic to this land, a land that would later be known as Ceres.
The system of Magic
To understand magic, one must first understand how it is used. Mages make use of a mysterious fuel called mana. Mana is a constantly replenishing natural force. It dwells within everything, the air that we breath, the water we drink, the earth we stand upon and the fire's that burn. Some believe Mana to be the godly fingerprints left on the world as the power of Mana follows none of the imposed laws of physics that humans have.
Mages are people who make use of Mana and as there are many mages there are many different ways to use mana. But lets start with the basics. Magic. How is it used?
Magic is the end result of a Mage taking Mana within himself consuming the fuel transforming it into power and then using the effect. For a simpler way to view how magic is used it goes a little like this:
Mana=Fuel ---> Mage=Conduit----> Mage consumes Mana=Conversion---->Mage expels Mana=Effect, power, spell etc etc
Mana is gathered by Mages on a regular basis. Mages collect enough Mana to use spells without having to go through any particular procedure. The body calculates how much mana a man/ woman needs to use magic. We know that mana is the fuel of magic, if a mage doesn't have any mana left then he/she can't use magic. Also for this form of magic mana can't be used straight away. It needs to be converted into power before it can be put to use. Mana on its own has no form, its only when it is converted to power that it has form. We call this type of magic Channelling Mana.
Channelling Mana
Mages make use of Mana in a lot of different ways. The Mages of Ceres, prefer this method of magic. Mana is stored in the body naturally before it is converted into power by the mage through the use of incantation, a key phrase that the mage must say to determine what elemental form the mana will take for example the spell, Inferno Plume, sends out a geyser of molten flame to destroy enemies the incantation goes
"Come ye embers of flame give rise once more and become a force of devastation"
Some incantations are shorter than that and sometimes a mage doesn't have to speak the phrase aloud. Obviously this form of magic is both devastatingly powerful and incredibly dangerous for a mage must spend sometime chanting the phrase by which point they may already find themselves dead. However the risk is worth it as the spells that require the use of mana are extremely powerful. Usually though these spells require longer time for incantation they are on a much higher plain of destruction than others. Most mages when in combat make use of lower level spells that require only one, two or three words of incantation to use. The base elements that a mage uses are: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Light, Dark, Lightning and Ice. A simple way of fighting for most mages is to use lower level spells that have good power and can fell most enemies with minimal effort. This method keeps some mana in reserve in case a mage wishes to use a higher level spell later.
Flow example of magic used by a Ceres mage with Mana as fuel
Stage 1) Mana is stored within the body
Stage 2) Mage takes stored mana and begins converting it into their chosen element through the use of a spell i.e. incantation
Stage 3) Depending on the spell and its level of power the mage then releases the spell
Stage 4) The spell takes effect. If it is an offensive spell then it will damage an opponent. A defensive spell will shield user from harm. A support spell will help those around the caster and a healing spell will heal wounds.
Channeling the World
As it was stated above, Mana is within all things. All people, plants, life and objects have mana written into their code. A different form of Magic was created by the Mages who decided to stay on the lower world of Artilia. Perhaps created is the wrong word to use more discovered an alternate form. When a mage of Ceres uses magic they usually consume mana to create an elemental spell. But if mana is in all things then why should you consume mana to summon a fire ball when you can use existing fire to the same effect. This is channeling the Worlds mana. Taking what is already around us and using it. This form of magic completely bypasses the first stage as mana flows constantly through everything and unlike humans the elements of nature absorb mana constantly without needing to do anything (A mage can consume all of their mana during a battle and then have to wait for it to return. The process can be sped up by intense mediation, but obviously this is not ideal in a battle scenario) this means that their is a near constant flow of mana running through everything.
Flow example of magic used by a Artilian mage who channels the worlds mana
Stage 1) Mana already exists in object. For example a tree root has mana within it already.
Stage 2) Using their inherent mana a mage channels the mana within the tree root to act to their will be mixing their mana together. Unlike channeling mana this method takes only a small portion of mana to use.
Stage 3) The tree root will come alive and works to the orders of its waker. If the root is destroyed or the mana that connects the two severed it becomes inanimate again.
This style of magic is the most versatile as literally everything has mana flowing through it, Mages of Artilia Wake the object or thing they want to use. A mage of Artilia can wake the ground around them to become a perch for them to stand on or shape a flame to become a sword. Channeling the worlds mana is a very versatile way to fight and its only limited by the imagination of its user.
Things that harness Mana
Humans= Moderate to High Mana control and intake
Animals= Moderate to High Mana control and intake
Dragons= Ultimate control and intake
Monsters= Low to Moderate control and difficult intake
Nature= Ultimate control and intake
Demons= No Mana control or intake
Channeling Objects
This form of magic is rather different. All things contain mana so it stands to reason that objects have them to. However man made objects have about 1/4 of the amount of mana that humans do, which is basically nothing. However a group of mages on Artilia have invented a method of containing mana within a glass chamber for use later. The glass is made specifically by artisans the exact process isn't known or shared as it is supposed to be used by only a small handful of mages. The glass chambers are cylindrical and have been made with mana. A mage takes an element and traps it within the cylinder, it works better if the mage is channeling the world. In simpler terms, a mage who channels the world takes a nearby source of fire and traps it in the cylinder. Since the cylinder was made with mana the channeled piece of the world has a way to live by feeding of the residual mana from within the cylinder. The cylinders themselves aren't incredibly big and their only real use has been to attach them to the shaft of an arrow to be used in combat, that and the fact that the mana inside the cylinder isn't extremely strong means that the spell cast would have to be a weak one.
Flow example of a Mage who Channels Mana into a object
Stage 1) The Trap Cylinder is made by using mana.
Stage 2) A mage Channels the worlds mana into the cylinder. They can also channel mana straight without channeling the worlds mana but this method is more suited to those that use a pre-existing form of mana.
Stage 3) The trap cylinder traps the specific element within letting it feed of its power even when severed from its original host.
Stage 4) The cylinder is attached to an arrow or is kept as a cylinder.
Stage 5) The cylinder when thrown acts as a secondary mana source i.e if a mage is already controlling the earth they can fire an arrow and use the second source of mana for another attack.
This way of using mana is obviously rather complicated and isn't without its flaws. Eventually the mana, that binds the element inside the glass, will fade away causing the stored element to dissipate entirely. While versatile, this method is still not as widely used as others and only a few have managed to use it to any significant effect. Seeing as objects, even objects that are built with mana, contain only one fourth of the mana that any regular human has using it as source of power is not advised as any spell or channeling that you used would be incredibly weak and mostly ineffective. But who knows advancements in magic are being made everyday, maybe one day this method of magic won't be so ludicrous.
The Code of Mages
Forbidden spells, Laws and Duties of all Mage kind
The Mages code is a simple codex of laws and duties that a mage must adhere to the list is as follows;
I Gallad of House Tallis Mage of Ceres do honourably swear to
I. Protect all people's who require thy help
II. To use thy powers for the good of my kinsman
III. To explore new realms to further thy knowledge
IV. To respect thine masters who have imparted knowledge
V. To slay all evildoers be they monster, demon or human
VI. To never stray from the way of good
VII. To never covert greater strength
VIII. To praise Artilia for her benevolence
IX. To damn all creatures that are spawn of Derev Cragnos
X. Above all things to remember my calling I am man made Mage a force of change for whatever thine fate shall be.
Forbidden Magic
There are certain magics that are beyond the scope of human understanding and control. These magics are often referred to as forbidden for their ability to complete disregard certain aspects of nature that logically a human shouldn't control.
Necromancy
The most heinous of magical crimes is the art of necromancy. Any who are found guilty of using its power are condemned for death immediately which is ironic when you consider what the crime is for. Necromancy is the use of mana to call back a body from death. That is the only thing that is called back. The body. Nothing else. You see, the soul of a human is what links mana to them when the soul expires the body no longer collects mana and without mana the body can't use magic. Necromancy is the art of bringing a body back from the dead, no one necromantic mage, even the creator of the magic, was able to call back a soul. The intrinsic link between a human and the world.
Necromancy was first explored by a mage who dabbled in the use of the element of darkness, arguably the most dangerous and insidious element of magic there is. The Mages name was Thead Noctrum, Thead spent a lot of time investigating different uses of dark magic as was his right as a mage. Thead eventually came to find that if he could invade someone else's shadow and make them act to his commands then surely he would be able to use the shadow of anything. After several failed attempts at this Thead accidentally invaded the shadow of a dead man willing it to life. Seeing as all of the vital organs and muscles remained in the body, as he wasn't dead for long, Thead was able to control the body. This gave him the idea that he could remotely control a body some how without invading its shadow.
It was months before Thead eventually returned a body from death. The process was to send portions of his own mana into the body. By sending in small fractions of his own residual mana, mana that is always in the body but is hardly ever called upon, he could will the body to move to his commands. This discovery however was not viewed well, by anyone even the Nox Obscura a group of mages dedicated to using dark magic. It was later discovered that the mana Thead was giving up was actually portions of his soul and that with each summoning his own link with mana was being severed. Thead eventually could no longer summon a body back from death. He was condemned for his research as other mages considered it inhumane to make the dead fight again, He was found guilty of murdering unwilling participants to his tests and was executed. Necromancy became a forbidden form of magic never to be used again.
But with the greed of men one thing is certain….that which is forbidden will rise again.
Chronos Lapse
Chronos Lapse or time magic is another forbidden form of magic. Chronos lapse is the ability to bend time, slow time, fast forward time or generally influence its flow to your own ends. This particular form of magic is the use of mana to shift the passage of time. Like necromancy this form of magic is a mutation of an elemental form of magic, the element that is so closely resembling of time is earth magic.
Chronos Vaohsen was a man of many different talents. He was well liked, a master of the arcana of magic, a good teacher and overall nice man. His one petulant flaw was his tardiness. It got in the way of everything he did. Chronos was often late to meetings not just that however was what drew him to experiment with time magic. Chronos lost his sister when she was still young, he loved her dearly as any brother would. When he heard of necromancy and its uses Chronos decided to try a different angle one Thead hadn't thought of, turning back time to allow the soul and body to come back as one.
Easier said than done however Chronos spent many months labouring trying to find a way to reverse the flow of time. It was only after Chronos had seen a certain earth type spell being used that he experimented into time magic. The magic spell in question that sparked his interest was Reforge Growth a spell were a mage would take part of the earth within themselves and should that part of themselves be cut off or destroyed the spell would reforge their body to the last point the spell was first used. Obviously a spell such as that could only bring back a portion of a person, but what if it was used in multiple places all at once. Chronos, luckily, didn't start by using this magic on his sisters corpse but rather on an animal that had passed some time ago, he used the spell all over its body and the effect wasn't what he was expecting. Not only did the spell work but it reforged the entirety of creatures life sending it back to a point when it was at its prime. Awe inspired by this Chronos went on to try the reverse of the magic, reversing the flow of reforging was easy because it stands to reason if something can be regrown then surely the opposite is true as well.
Chronos continued his work for many months but as necromancy had recently been quelled, about a year before Chronos's research the mage council were still looking for those with an interest in anything vaguely necromantic. Unfortunately for Chronos his research was discovered. He defended his case by explaining that the two magics were entirely different but the mages council decreed that the altering of ones fate by the use of an unknown power was to much power for one person. Chronos was originally condemned to exile but using his new form of magic he managed to rend space time around himself letting him escape…..for 6 seconds. When he returned Chronos was so shocked by what he saw his mind was completely numbed, he was condemned to death mostly out of pity. And so his form of magic which was later renamed Chronos Lapse magic was made forbidden.
But with the greed of men one thing is certain….that which is forbidden will rise again.
Summoning
While not inherently forbidden as there are certain magic spells that allow a mage to summon a creature without a soul summoning one that does have one is forbidden. Summoning is a difficult subject to brooch as many mages infringe upon this law without realising what they did wrong. Basically there are certain spells that when used can summon a golem made of stone the golem in question has no will of its own an acts on the whims of its creator. It is soulless and can be banished at any given moment, there are no real threats to summoning a golem as they cannot develop a will of their own.
The most classic case of forbidden summoning is what allowed demons to emerge from Derev Cragnos in the first place and every subsequent attempt has only strengthened the rift between Artilia and Derev Cragnos. The first real case of summoning was during the reclamation when a group of mages attempted to summon a creature capable of slaying the Dragon General Uldavan. Their attempt summoned forth a demon named Eclipse King Setanza who, as it turns out, did slay Uldavan….and then demanded the death of every human woman from ages 19 to 30. This was obviously met with some resistance. The mages that originally summoned Setanza had been drained of their souls and had no way to send him back to Derev Cragnos. It took a whole battalion of mages and humans to drive Setanza from their lands. He eventually fled to the isles of Nix where he live's even to this day.
The second most famous attempt was by a mage named Jhani. Desperately in love with a noble mage Jhani attempted to summon a demon capable of returning her loved one's soul to him from death to give him life once again. She summoned a demon succubus named Kikalia maven of the Drac. Kikalia did revive Jhani's lost love……as her own sexual play thing and while she originally would do no harm to Jhani, she was so distraught over her loss she attacked Kikalia. Kikalia for her part crushed Jhani's mind and made her a puppet as well. The two lovers were reunited…in the most gruesome and literal way. There bodies combined and contorted to a grotesque stature Kikalia started looking for more susceptible mages around Ceres. It wasn't long before Cruxagrists were called to the scene and they eliminated Kikalia with all of the power they could muster. The abomination and its state doesn't even dare being spoke of, so hideously repulsive the particulars of its appearance have been glossed over for the readers own benefit.
Needless to say Summoning was made a forbidden form of magic as summoning a creature with a soul and drive of its own has proven to complex for mages of any skill.
But with the greed of men one thing is certain….that which is forbidden will rise again.
Future sight
A semi mutation of Chronos Lapse magic. Future sight is the ability to see into the future, most mages that try it originally all find it incredibly easy to use. On the surface this form of magic would be an incredible boon however prolonged use of future sight can make a mage so in tune to the fates of others that they can see everything they will do.
Following the investigation of Chronos several mages continued his theories in secret trying to find a new form of magic from his. The result was the ability of Future sight stumbled upon by several mages at once of no particular fame or glory. Originally the mages used future sight to great effect managing to defeat opponents twice their skill by viewing their movements several minutes ahead of when they would make them. For a time the mages reported no significant trouble using these abilities. But as is the way with all magics the more powerful and convenient it is the more it demands of its user later. The group of mages started to lose their sight. Going blind. The one thing they could always see was the fate of others and that is a cruel thing to see. They knew what people were going to say before they said it, knew where they would look, knew what direction they would walk they knew everything. The effects of future sight sent a lot of them mad.
One of the mages came forward to the council and explained what they had done. The mages council immediately arrested all those involved and branded future sight a forbidden magic form. As the tempering of ones fate no matter how small can have drastic consequences.
But with the greed of men one thing is certain….that which is forbidden will rise again.
Classes of Mage
Some mages in the world prefer to focus on one particular element or ability over another. Listed below is all known mage classes.
Mage
A regular mage. All mages learn how to control all forms of elemental magic occasionally having a preference for one form over others. Most mages are skilled enough in all forms of magic and elemental magic that the need to focus on a single power doesn't arise. Most mages carry staffs as is tradition but as the need has arisen over the ages modern mages preference swords over staffs as the latter is easier to carry also metal is a good conductor if a mage wants to imbued their weapon with an element. Such as coating a sword in flames. Most mages when they become masters have three runes inscribed on their bodies. These runes are elemental runes that bypass the need for incantation, the runes are usually their most used element of magic. For instance if a mage contributes more time to wind, earth and ice magic. These runes will be cut into his/ her body as a way to access them easier. The runes allow the use of up to Level 4 magic of the selected elements.
Infernus Calamitartus
A guild of mages that specialise in the use of Fire magic, honed to such an extent that powerful fire magic is like raising a finger to them. The name might seem to imply a guild of mages that are off the rails but the group is actually well respected an often called upon for matters of justice as the say "Any mage can cast a truth flame but an Infernus mage's truth flame cannot be denied" Infernus mages are often called on in times of war or during bouts of sickness to use their flames to "cleanse" impurities. They work closely with Cruxagrists as well.
They wear crimson robes with visors. The robes are accompanied by mailed gauntlets and greaves. Mages of Infernus may seem rather threatening in appearance but they are mostly good people. Many mages mistake their appearance for a group of radicals which is why Infernus Calamitartus has such a small turn over in new mages as many don't know what their joining before they get there.
Naiads Whisper
A guild of mages that specialise in the use of Water magic. A guild that attracts those who want to perfect the healing arts, Naiads Whisper is a tranquil guild they are well liked and any member among their ranks is immediately associated with peace and calmness. If Naiads Whisper has one fault, and its a rather small one at that, their female to male ratio is about 80 percent women to 20 percent men. Obviously like Infernus this can attract the wrong crowd, which has often led many of Naiads Whisper to protest about how they are viewed. Naiads whisper is full of extremely powerful healers but as with any element they are also strong and capable. Many a man will look for a maven of Naiads whisper to defend only to find that the women of the guild are FAR more capable than them.
The guild wears long flowing robes of tinted azure, often with a hood to frame their faces. Some prefer to wear scarves instated of the hood to give them a more personal touch. Jewellery is a common theme as is water so many of the whisper wear water themed necklaces and adornments. Despite some mages seeking the guild for the wrong reasons, Naiads Whisper is well respected and they often take in perspective candidates who have finished their magical training.
Heavens Glaive
A guild that specialises in the use of Wind magic. Heavens Glaive is a guild that takes responsibility for crime in Ceres often they are viewed as a police force. They have the most members and the highest turn over as there are always those that want to protect the peace. Heavens Glaive are often called on about matters of justice and they use there wind magic to fly around the city of Ceres pursuing criminals and wrongdoers. During times of war Heavens Glaive are some of the most skilled fighters as there skills in battle are without peer. As is there name the staple weapon they wield are Glaives or spears or lances. Very commonly they are called the Dragons reborn.
The guild wears close fitting uniforms usually with shirt and trousers some like to accessorise and chose to have sash or skirt for female members. More elite members wear a cloak to signify their rank. There colour scheme is emerald and embossed on the left of their uniform is the sigil of the Heavens Glaive.
Barricade March
A guild that specialises in the use of Earth Magic. Barricade March is a guild responsible for many differing things, mostly to do with the nature and up keep of Ceres. Not many chose to join the guild as they are considered glorified farmers. Barricade March are actually Judges an off cut of Heavens Glaive, they rule on matters of political intrigue and are sometimes called upon for torture. Barricade March's members are strong of build and wield powerful earth magic, many a mage has faced them believing that they will win only to find themselves flat on their backs having underestimated their opponent.
Barricade March members wear bronze armour to signify earth each and every one of their members are masters of law an upkeep. The only group that prefer not to carry any weapons only using the power of earth magic to put rebellious mages in their place.
Nox Obscura
A guild that specialises in the use of Dark Magic. Nox Obscura are a disliked guild mostly because of their work as assassins and spy's. Because of this the guild has gotten a bad reputation, people only turn to them if no other options are available. The Nox Obscura keep their activities secret and integrate themselves into all echelons of government. Despite the fact that the Nox Obscura is viewed as clandestine and evil their watchful eye's have prevented thousands of different uprisings and coup's that would have destroyed Ceres long ago. As well as being assassins the Nox Obscura spend a lot of time on magical research, far more research than people might think on first glance. Their dark magic is some of the most powerful and refined. As they say "You may hide your lies in Darkness but we rule all that is wrong, we are your shadow, we are the creaking of floor boards in the night, for that is what we are. The Night made whole and no man can hide from the night"
The Nox Obscura wear hooded robes of purple and black. They wear steel gauntlets that take the shape of claws, as well as wearing masks resembling monsters. Their appearance is meant to insight fear.
Cruxagrists
A guild that specialises in the use of Light Magic. Cruxagrists are by far the most mysterious and the most powerful, physically, guild there is on Ceres. Cruxagrists cater to no other task than monster/ demon slaying. With a very high turnover a lot of mages dedicate themselves to this guild because of one small factor. During a Cruxagrists trail they must take a part of a monster within them, the power of the monster is syphoned to give the mage incredible strength and speed allowing them to use weapons all most twice as big as them. Cruxagrists dedicate themselves to light magic and its purifying power, often a team of Cruxagrists will consist of a mage who exorcises a monsters spirit and a executioner who kills the creature. Whenever a demon appears from Derev Cragnos, Cruxagrists are instantly summoned to deal with it. Out of all mage guilds Cruxagrists are somehow lauded as divine heroes and are viewed with the least scrutiny.
Cruxagrist paraphernalia differs deepening on the task but most wear trousers, tunics and helmets all in white. Senior members of the guild wear capes emblazoned with a red cross with two swords crossed through it and an image of a human driving a sword through a fallen beast. The weaponry also varies between, Great swords, Longswords, Halberds, Scythes, Spears, Maces and regular swords.
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