Kitra

Magic

• Wells of Power

  There are dozens of wells that exist throughout the lands of Altyrea; wells in which embody ethereal energy responsible for the world's creation and everything in it. This limitless source of power, this presence of a God, is divided into two opposing forces, Aether and Nether. Aether is the energy of the Sun and is at its strongest by day. It draws power from natural light and relies heavily on light to fuel itself. It is an active, energetic source of power that is as lively as the events that happen in daylight Nether encompasses darkness and is empowered in the evening. It is calm, peaceful but also quite consuming.
  
  These wells, separated as primary and secondaries, are scattered and are often found deep inside caverns. Those that retain aether energy reside in the west while those that bear nether exist in the east. Also in these caverns are minerals and crystals, in which also possess the same sort of magical properties that exist in the wells, likely a result of the well's light being absorbed into the crystals. These crystals are primarily found in Delerus, the Aetherial empire, are known as Ethershards, and play a large role in magic and how it is reflected in society. Netherians harness their power differently, preferring to stay in the darkness than relying on light like their counterparts.

• Aether

  Delerus is a magically enriched civilization where those who have power are on top and those who do not... well aren't. To be touched by an Aether well is not a choice, nor is it dependent on learning. Instead, it is completely by chance and is the result of magical radiation that exists from the constant output of mana. While a human body can be resistant to this radiation, much like how each person is made unique, so to how they naturally respond to the power. Once exposed, the mana envelops them and ascending their status within society by gracing them with gifts and talents they could only dream of; the manipulation of Aetherial light.
  
  Yet with this gift comes a cost. As Aether is essentially raw and limitless, a typical human body cannot withstand the constant growth of power that builds inside of them. As a result, they naturally expel the energy, producing auras of light or making certain aspects of themselves, such as their eyes, glow. Yet this steady release of mana is not enough from stopping Aether from overwhelming their mortal limitations. If the body is pushed beyond its breaking point, the result could be catastrophic to the individual, ending in certain death.
  
  To counteract this, the Mageborns of Delerus learned about the ethershards and how they absorb the light from the Wells of Power, believing that the shards could perform something similarly for them. However, while the crystals act as vessels for aether they too have their limits and when used to siphon a Mageborn's mana, would eventually cave and shatter under strain. Following this failure came the idea of living vessels. By implanting shards into the body of another; someone who has not inherited the Well's essence and is magically sterile, they can utilize that individual as a vaccuum for their mana. With the shard and sentient infused, it would create a larger storage in which the Mageborn can dispose of excessive mana simply by spilling the individual's blood.
  
  In more primitive times, the Mageborns acquired their Conduits by force, raiding and pillaging lesser villagers and taking their people to forever serve as their slaves and leeches. These unfortunate souls were given the title Manawights. However, as society evolved and civilization was established, the first empire built a strong foundation for future generations by establishing strict laws to follow. With magic sensitives still at the top, those who did not abide by the empire's laws would be punished accordingly and would forever serve the rest of their life as Manawights.
  
  While living vessels for thier Master's mana, the presence of Aether energy also graces them with magical prowess of their own; power in which the Mageborns observe carefully and mold into their own fine weapons. While the Wights can abosrb a great deal of power, they only have access to forty percent of their total mana consumption, thus limiting their range of abilities in comparison to their more powerful masters. Most Manawights can only withstand having one ethershard infused with them, a rare few can hold two. Kitra has endured four.
  
  How it works:
  
  Mageborns have two methods of channeling Aether, the first being in its natural form which appears as concentrated light, much like the aura they express. The second option is through augmentation. Augmentation is when Aether is absorbed into a particular colored ethershard where it is extracted in an entirely different form depending on the color of the shard. The wavelengths of light pass through the shard, leaving only the shard's color to be channeled by the Mageborn in which opens up a unique school of magic associated with the color. While Aether in its natural form is much stronger, it is also near impossible to control and mold in the form of a spell and is extremely dangerous for its user. Thus, by choosing to augment the energy with a color, the Mageborn alleviates some of the risk by releasing their power in a more controlled setting. While this can be done with isolated crystals, it is preferred to utilize the Manawights when channeling a color.
  
  As mentioned before, Manawights themselves possess abilities through the Aether. As they are living avatars of the ethershards, they are masters of their own color and can cast a wide array of spells. While Mageborns are your standard spellcasters, Manawights utilize magic with combat finesse, training in which is required for all the worthwhile Manawights in Delerus. While most are solely dependent on the Mageborn's auras to fuel their spells, the most skilled Manawights are capable to pull natural light trapped within their Ethershards. This leaves them with a limited supply of spells without having a Mageborn around.
  
  There are a total of seven primary colors, two absolute colors, and several sub colors on the spectrum. While the primary colors are what associates Aether with a particular school, some of the sub colors could blend aspects of multiple schools together, but on a much basic level.
  
  Primary Colors:
  
  Red - Raw, unstable; the epitome of power. Red calls upon the forces of nature through the manipulation of magic and is divided into three tiers; physical, psychic, and spiritual. Physical consists of the world's natural elements, whether it's molding and reshaping the earth into a prison or shooting electricity from the user's finger tips. Psychic is the application of red with one's mind and is most commonly associated with telekinesis, but can also include kinetics and psionics. Spiritual should not be confused with aspects of Necromancy, as it is utilizing one's own spirit to amplify the potential of their own spells. Doing this would tap into red's full potential, possibly darkening its hue to a more crimson shade while making its spells more destructive. Red is primarily an offensive color, but can be utilized defensively by a skilled hand.
  
  Orange - The color of charms and manipulation, pulling on all aspects of human emotion to bend others to their will. Whether it is a gentle push to guide an argument in their favor or the complete domination of someone weak willed, turning them against their allies, orange is not a color to be underestimated. While Red is expressed in full out aggression, orange is more subtle and can often elude detection quite easily.
  
  Yellow - The influence of one's attributes. While orange manipulates emotion, yellow primarily influences the body; enhancing their speed, strength, physical resilience, stamina, or even depleting all of these attributes from a foe. In addition, practitioners of yellow are also capable of dulling the senses of their enemies or empowering their own to incredible, inhuman levels. Most Mageborns who utilize a yellow Manawight often practice the physical arts themselves, preferring to fight side by side with their Wight rather than in the back.
  
  Green - The color of creation. This is a dangerous hue for those who have mastery over it are quite possibly without limitations. Utilizing green allows the practitioner to create something from nothing, whether it's armor, weapons, or living and breathing constructs. Green practitioners are also known as Summoners or Conjurers, and while they can certainly create an entire army, controlling it is a different manner. A practitioner of green has to be wary with what they choose to create, for once it is given life, it cannot be taken away so easily.
  
  Blue - The color of knowledge. Practitioners of blue are capable of extracting information from just about anything, making them formidable investigators, detectives, or spies. They are able to look into the memories of objects and read the minds of others to help them better understand the world or get the full story. A skilled green user can even alter one's memories, changing their perception of what had happened to something entirely different. Thus, blue are also known to being therapists and are perfect in helping mend a troubled past. While blue is mostly considered a passive color, it can be utilized quite nicely in combat by assisting the user in 'predicting' his opponent's strikes
  
  Indigo - The color of transformation. A practitioner of Indigo can weave and bend their color to quite literally change the shape of others or objects, transforming a chair into a spear or turning a man to a cat. Indigo users are master Chameleons, applying their color to themselves and rarely ever exposing their true appearance to others. While this is another subtle color, it can also be used quite nicely in combat by transforming objects into duplicates of themselves, or shifting into grotesque monsters. Their only limitation is their imagination.
  
  Violet - The color of protection. Where red is raw and unstable Aether, violet is Aether in its most controlled state. It can be used to cast armor, barriers, wards, force-fields, and even have some aspects of blue in the sense that it can be manifested as weapons as well. While violet is used mostly for defense, there is a nomadic faction of violet users who have mastered the serenity of their color to make them aggressive and formidable warriors in combat.
  
  Absolute Colors:
  
  White: The color in which all light passes through a gem and none of it is absorbed. This color appears colorless, often producing energy that is invisible to an unpracticed eye and near undetectable to a master. Practitioners of white are masters of illusions, quite literally bending light itself to produce mirages, phantasms, decoys, illusions, and even render themselves or others invisible. In addition, because this color isn't augmented in the same fashion as the colors, users can tap into the pure Aether properties, shattering their spells and creating a devastating result. Nothing like thinking you've impaled your enemy only to watch them shatter into shards of glass or explode with energy in front of you.
  
  Black: The opposite of White Light, where all light that travels into an ethershard is absorbed, making it black. While as old as the other colors, tapping into its power wasn't unlocked until this century, making it a new school to explore. Black doesn't deal with Aether in the same sense that the other colors do, but rather is the focus of Aether's life-essence. This can be used to heal ailments, mend wounds, rejuvenate the min, but can also be used negatively as well; siphoning life from others, resurrecting the dead, the manipulation and control of the Unliving. Black has been deemed an unlawful color, partly for its potential but also in how it can be affiliated with Nether.
  
  Soulshards
  
  A manawight's soulshard is similar to that of a slave's papers, but with a magical twist. Typically, the first ethershard that is implanted into a wight (or in most cases, the only), would be a long crystal in which is then snapped into half once the shard is inserted. The half that is broken off is then given to the manawight's Master, in which reinforces their ownership of the wight with a magical twist. While a manawight can rebel against whomever has their soulshard, they cannot attack nor outright betray that individual so long as the shard is in their possession.

• Nether

  While Aether is channeled in light, Nether is channeled in darkness. It isn't reliant n pairs, nor crystals. Nether is more controlled, just harder to master and utilize well.
  
  The reagent for their spells is simple, they extract the magical properties of their wells and mix it with ink in which they tattoo on to their flesh. Usually the act of initiating a new Mage begins with just one tattoo.
  
  When they channel their power, they quite literally have to bend and manipulate the tattoo on their flesh to the origin of he spell in which they want to cast, which is primarily their hands but is not limited to. While Aether's theme is all about the big finale, Nether is about build up and recycling their power to make it stronger over time.
  
  Nether manipulates the void, which encompasses space, reality, gravity, shadws, and even spells in which can siphon energy from others.
  
  The more they use their spells in a fight, the more the tattoo expands on their body, consuming them. There's a risk in being totally consumed by the tattoo as it can affect one psychologically, changing their character, making them more feral or unstable. Thus, after a fight, there is a cooldown time to allow the tattoo to reset itself. Despite this, once it's reset, it would have spread more than it was prior to the fight or use of the spell.
  
  Both elements have danger. Aether Mages can practically explode with power if it's not contained, Nether gets consumed on the inside.
  
  A more detailed explanation coming soon....

• Kitra's Color Affiliation

  White		Green		Red
  Violet