Magic

Magic exists in the Empire of the Five Isles in the form of the Breath of Imperius. The source of the magic, and the means by which it is passed on to subsequent generations of mages, is the stuff of legends, shrouded in much secrecy and ceremony. What appears obvious to most is that all who are born and raised on the Isle of Mists possess magic to some degree; mages must periodically return to the isles to refresh themselves after working their magic; and that the capacity of a mage to increase in power is closely tied to bloodlines. If one digs deeper, frequently stories and rumors of magic gone awry turn up. But there is rarely any evidence to back up these allegations, and most are dismissed as stories invented to scare young mages into obedience.

There is a symbiotic relationship between the political ruling power on the Isle of Mists, led by the Duke or Duchess of Mists, and the organization of mages led by the Mogur Imperius. The Ducal family legitimizes the Mogur's control over magic and mages, and receives, in return, a measure of magical protection, service, and preferential training. The Mogur frequently balances limits on magic outside the Isle of Mists, usually imposed by the Emperor, with the desire of the Duke to trade his main commodity of "magic" to the other islands in exchange for their products.

Magic. Imagine the Breath of Imperius and the power it invests into the Mistian mages of Ikol. What is it? How is it divided? What does it take, what are the requirements? All those questions will be answered here. They are all things that the mages themselves are aware of.

Terminology found in this outline are expressed in the terms that mages themselves use, including Base Sphere, Great School and so on to describe their art.

• Magic Admin: Pascal
• Magic Contacts: Mogur Imperius, Raziel

So you are a mage. What does that mean? First, consider the fact that learning to use magic to any greater degree takes a lot of focus. Most people on Mists never become mages of accomplished levels, both due to the fact that the economy could not support training of every Mistian and the fact that few have the inner focus and learning needed to truly master such a powerful aspect as the Breath of Imperius is.

• Learning Magic: A description of the process of how a mage obtains her skills.
• Mage Characters: Critical information for the RP aspect of a mage's life on the game.
• Orders: Mystical institutions form an influential facet of magical society in the duchy.

Purportedly the source of magic, the Breath of Imperius is said to well forth from a cave at the heart of the duchy of Mists. Mystery shrouds the actual location of the source, and designated wardens from the Academy of Imperius jealously guard the secret as they have for generations. Every night the Breath flows out to cloak parts of the isle, though sometimes it is seen during the day. According to Mistian folklore, strange creatures and odd magical aberrations dwell within the mystical haze, and some mages speculate it is a door to other worlds.

Humans, animals, fish, and plants suffer from a host of health problems from prolonged exposure to the Breath. Native-born Mistians carry some immunity to its effects, possibly as a result of their magic, their lineage or arcane rituals performed upon them as children. People from off-island lack this resistance; therefore, the mists are lethal without protection.

The flexible approach of Crossroads' magic system does have a tradeoff via clarifications and adaptations on how certain abilities operate on the MUSH. Specific limitations or special rules which impact how a mage's abilities work on the game are identified here in order to provide a clear outline for all players, TP coordinators, and staff.

(Note: Staff reserves the right to adjust the effects of any sphere if it impacts IC play, effectively breaking gameplay.)

• Consent: How failure and consent impact spellcasting ability.
• Design: Strict rules govern the introduction or proposals of new magic to the administrators.
• RULES and FAQ: Answers to questions about magic and magical mechanics.
• Virgins: The mechanics of a prized and rare component.

Magic is divided into four Great Schools of magic, the greater overarching bodies into which all known magic falls under. Only three are well-known; necromancy, the fourth, has only recently emerged from intense secrecy with an imperial mandate to approve its existence despite great protest. These arcane traditions are further subdivided into the eight Base Spheres. Combination spheres, where practices from the Great Schools or the Base Spheres are added, are practiced by far fewer mages than the straightforward Base Spheres.

• Elemental: The great school holding influence over forces of the physical world.
• Illusion: The great school which constructs false impressions over the senses.
• Necromancy: The great school that commands the death and ephemeral forces of decay.
• Transportation: The great school governing the complex tasks of moving objects.

Apart from the components mentioned in the sections for each school, there is also a general guide to components that can be used in any spell to magnify the power and focus of it. These vary in cost but you can assume that with everyday use of magical components, anyone but a noble with a substantial wealth or someone strongly backed by an Order that supplies resources worth many platinum a month will go bankrupt. Using these components or other prepared items, mages work spells. These are combined with hand-gestures and words, or both, to achieve the spell effect intended and tie it into existence.

• Components: Further summaries on components, both common and rare, that Mistians use.

All magic is implemented through various means of spellcasting. Spells can be accomplished by verbal (spoken), semantic (written or formed by hand gestures), or component (mixing magical ingredients) means. There is some debate whether any individual means can be used to accomplish any spell; while a theoretical possibility, most mages are more intent on learning additional spells than learning how to do the same spell different ways.

In practice, most mages use a combination of two, or all three, methods, a favorite being reciting an incantation while making a hand gesture over a potion one has just mixed or obtained. This combination is especially useful when "performing" for non-mages or lesser experienced mages, as a means of obfuscating the simplicity of a spell and convincing onlookers that they are not capable of doing it themselves.

Transportation mages rely heavily on components: so much, sometimes, that it is frequently said that without them, they are just reckless and overinquisitive students.

Mages are classified into five ranks: Novice, Beginner, Journeyman, Master, and High Mage.

All mages begin at the rank of novice, although there is still a distinction between those just beginning their studies, and those who have mastered their novice skills, a prerequisite for promotion. Children remain at the novice rank throughout their primary schooling. It is rare that novices find occasion to wear ceremonial robes, but when they do, they wear black robes with no insignia on their sleeves.

During the ceremony at the Cave in which they select their specialty, the children are promoted to the rank of Beginner and wear their first set of ceremonial robes. The insignia is a single wavy line in the color representing their chosen sphere: blue for Elementalists, yellow for Illusionists, and red for Transportation mages.

• Beginner: A mage starts her first true stage of magical training as a beginner.
• Journeyman: The sign of magical advancement coincides with the achievements of the second degree.
• Master: The highest level of comprehension is mastery, attained by only the most determined.
• High Mage: At the pinnacle of mystical society, those who hold this level command formidable power and experience.
• Skill Levels: Clarifications on the different levels of magical ranks.
• Ages: A table of how long it takes a mage to advance through different stages of arcane education.

As a closing note, Lucian has written these and gone through staff for the approval of any changes or major additions to the magic system. Any notes that to be added and such are mainly clarifications. A lot of thought and discussion went into the design and production of these rules, so any questions or clarifications about the process of its development are best directed towards staff. Thank you!