Magic of Etharis
In Etharis, “magic” is a catch-all term for a power outside of mortal ability, a means of altering reality altogether. In truth, there are three separate forms of magic, each with their own mystical sources: arcane, divine, and nature.
Arcane Magic
The mage in his school, the travelling wizard on his quest, the archmage in his sanctum—all three personas rely on a latent force that exists everywhere in Etharis, a power they call magic. Yet despite the uncountable number of books written on the subject, the source of this power is not very well understood.
By far, the greatest authority on the nature of arcane magic was a man named Raakan el-Adakar. An archmage who lived during the early Age of Expansion, Raakan built an impressive library on the nature and origins of magic.
He was the first to determine that arcane magic emanated from a dimension parallel to the Material Plane, a place suffused with latent energy that could alter reality. He named this plane Numena and the energy itself “numen.” Magic, according to Raakan, is merely using numen to give the magician’s will physical shape and form.
According to his research, when mages cast spells, they slightly weaken the border separating Numena from the Material Plane in order to draw numen. Likea magnifying glass focusing a ray of sunlight, they turn numen into the magical effect of their choice.
Several theories have been put forth on what Numena actually is. One theory states that it’s the original abode of the gods and formed the source of their power. Another one says that Numena is itself a living entity attempting to shape our dimension to match its own.
Sadly, Raakan did not live to enjoy the fruits of his labor. For his final magical experiment, he opened a portal to allow himself to physically enter the realm of Numena. He returned through that portal five years later, driven completely mad and speaking an unknown language. He spent his last days confined in Coldiron Keep
Colleges of Magic
An ability as potentially dangerous as magic is kept under control by certain authorities, and magic users who attend a college have long been taught to respect this hierarchy
Erlefurt Colleges
Western Nordenland is the center for arcane learning inthe Bürach Empire, and certainly, they wish to keep it so. The capital of Erlefurt has the highest number of magical colleges anywhere in the continent, with the Magister College being the oldest and most venerable of all. It’s difficult for an aspiring mage to enter an Erlefurt College, but the Magister College proves itself to be exceptionally stringent. The Magister chooses only the best among its applicants—not merely those with high magical aptitude, but also those most likely to bring greater honor to the school. The Erlefurt Colleges see magic as a force that must be harnessed with wisdom, the kind that only those trained in the way of the Erlefurt mages possess. As such, all students must swear to follow a set of rigid laws, listed in a tome called the Magician’s Codex. The primary laws in the Codex include the following: Only wizards that pass their final tests of the Erlefurt Colleges may carry the title of Erlefurt mage. An Erlefurt mage shall defend their College against all who would despoil them or steal their secrets. Only the Erlefurt Colleges may train a student. All students must be registered and approved by the Colleges. All magical experiments must be registered and approved by the Colleges. Any Erlefurt wizard who breaks this code of laws is hunted down by the Enforcers, a group elite abjurers highly adept at subduing one of their own. Once captured, they are taken to the magician’s court and judged by the Grand Mage. If found guilty, transgressors may be magically imprisoned or even executed. As for other arcane institutions who don’t subscribe to these tenets, they are treated with contempt and even outright hostility. As there are no established magical colleges in the Grarjord, the Valikan Clans send promising students to Erlefurt for tutelage.
Sarmar Academy
Having lived for thousands of years as a people, the elves are no beginners when it comes to magic. In their capital of Tol Leyemil, they have established their own college for wizards: Sarmar Academy, famous for its abjurers, mystics, and war magi. The Sarmar mages believe that magic is learned and controlled through careful observation. By watching and listening to the natural world, the elves first learned to summon and shape numen. Thus they teach their students to pay close attention to detail and focus on what they can sense. The emphasis on patience makes teaching slow. Often, education at Sarmar can last decades. For elves, of course, that’s a short period of time. Being an entirely elven city, only elves may enroll in Sarmar Academy proper. The exception is Aemanyir House, a branch of the Academy located outside the city limits. This program was begun decades ago by an elven mage named Alren Corynthios as an experiment in teaching the elven way of magic to non-elves. Most of the Sarmar academicians consider this a waste of time, but Alren’s persistence and connections with the elven nobility have kept the school going for many years, if just barely
Ravencourt Sanctuary
East of Raevo’s shores, hidden among the mists of its enchanted isle, the Ravencourt Sanctuary trains its mages in its own academy. Unlike its rival, the Magister College, the Sanctuary believes that magic may only grow through freedom. Thus the Ravencourt Sanctuary has few laws to guide the actions of its mages. Their primary rule is that the mages must keep all the secrets of the Sanctuary safe. Apart from that, a wizard who successfully graduates from the Sanctuary is free to do what they will and teach whom they want. Despite their seeming lack of laws, the punishment for breaking the primary rule is both harsh and unequivocal. Before they leave the Sanctuary, a Ravencourt wizard swears a vow to protect their academy’s secrets. They write their name on a page of an enchanted book and leave a drop of their blood on it. This creates a highly potent curse: if they should break the vow, the page tears itself from the book and burns. The wizard consequently dies an unspeakable death. Due to the politics of the times, the mages of Erlefurt and Ravencourt Sanctuary are technically at war. Mages from either side have standing orders to annihilate each other on sight, though this is rarely practiced.
Renegade Colleges
There are several unrecognised colleges in Etharis that purport to teach magic. As they tend to produce subpar mages, they’re looked upon with scorn by the established colleges. At worst, they’re viewed as potential sources of magical mishaps, as without proper guidance, these mages may cause irreparable harm to the reputation of all mages—or worse, bring about a magical catastrophe. The Erlefurt wizards have made it their protocol to capture any “renegade” wizards and bring them to Erlefurt for processing and possible reeducation. Those who refuse this polite entreaty are viewed as enemy combatants.
Divine Magic in Etharis
Divine magic may seem contingent on the presence of gods, deities, Arch Seraphs, and Arch Daemons, but it is much more nuanced and complex. Divine spellcasters believe their deity sanctions them to draw from the power of the heavens—gifted magic in answer to prayers. Others believe a deity is not necessary to perform miracles, that faith is not so transactional, and that divinity itself chooses the virtuous in times when divine magic is in great need.
Less theological literature suggests a darker truth: a cleric’s prayers are no different from a wizard’s incantations. Divine spells commune with otherworldly energy and shape it to the caster’s will, exactly as arcane magic weaves numen—perhaps the two sources of power are one and the same. Religious orders like the Hearthkeepers decry such theory as blasphemy. Of course, if it were true, by what right would the church limit the magic of others whilst celebrating their own spellcasters as prophets?
Yet as obscure as theology can be, evidence of the divine in Etharis exists. The downcast still remember the heavens as a glorious dream. The Gods’ End itself undeniably diminished the light of divine magic across the continent, eradicating the population of divine mages until only a scattered few remained.
Of course, no one who records history witnessed the gods rise or fall—if there were ever gods at all. The cosmology and mythology presented here is just one that can be heard preached in the chapels, churches, and holy places of Etharis. What is seen as gospel in one area could be heretical if preached elsewhere.
But while mortal minds can accept their own lives are fleeting and small, the need to believe in a greater story that gives purpose to existence fills the gaps in knowledge with faith.
Playing as a Cleric or Paladin Type Class or Character
See Pantheon for more Info on Arch Angels and Daemons
The gods’ presence has waned. Divine power is rare in Etharis. As a cleric or a paladin, you are a rarity, and your patron calls upon you to project their power into this world. Remember that Etharis has entered into a Dark Age, the likes of which has never been experienced.
Its people are starved for guidance and want to believe in a power greater than themselves. As a wielder of divine magic, you may use that hunger to bring hope and light to the world, or you could twist it to your advantage. Rarity is a form of power, after all.
Nature Magic in Etharis
In the beginning, when the gods created the world, they had no idea of the power they would imbue into it: it was, after all, their first attempt at creation. Thus they imparted too much of their power into the substances they made and accidentally breathed life into. This act is how the Primordials came to be.
Chief of the Primordials is a being known as Gormadraug, a tiny being that carried a spark of the gods’ divinity. Gormadrag amused the gods so they kept it as a pet. Over time, their treatment became abusive, using Gormadraug for hunting sport, slaying and resurrecting him over and over. Finally, when they tired of him, they abandoned him on the newly formed Etharis.
For millennia, Gormadraug devoured everything he could see: rocks, ice, lava, and air. With every century, he grew larger, until finally, he emerged as a colossal Wyrm with power over all the elements. So powerful was he that could spawn his own children, themselves powerful Primordials.
However, he never forgot his treatment at the hands of the gods. He nursed his hatred for a millennia. The final straw was when the gods declared that the new race of mortals would inherit all of Etharis. Gormadraug sought his revenge by sending his Primordials to war against the gods.
Despite his numerous spawn, they were not powerful or plentiful enough to achieve his goal. The gods handily defeated the Primordials. Gormadraug survived, however, and went into hiding.
This setback did have one upside for the Great Wyrm: it emboldened the gods to believe they could fight the Aether Kindred as well. The debacle that followed left Etharis with only four remaining gods.
Gormadraug wasted no time: he created four new spawn that he would use to fight a new war on the gods and their mortal children.
This time, Gormadraug aimed to win. He became as cruel to his children as the gods were to him. To strengthen them, he forced them to compete with each other endlessly, killing each other in an arena of death and resurrection.
The four Primordials endured centuries of this treatment, each one aching to be free of their sire. They found their opportunity from an unexpected source: a man named Kentigern and his six companions, seeking to tame the northern wilderness for habitation.
Alondo convinced his siblings to betray their sire and take the adventurers under their wing. Morrakesh and Citrolach formed powerful magic weapons that could pierce Gormadraug’s flesh. Ilhara composed for them a magic song that would put the Wyrm to sleep. Alondo taught them enchantments that would keep them alive, and he also told them where to strike Gormadraug’s heart.
Thus, Kentigern and his companions were able to slay Gormadraug. His body was destroyed, save for his indestructible heart, which was thrown into the northern sea and formed an island. Subsequently, the four Primordials divided Etharis among themselves and formed their own realms. Citrolach and Morrakesh settled along the equator, while Alondo and Ilhara resided closer to the poles.
Yet all four Primordials know that their sire had not truly perished, but merely slumbered in a state of hibernation. Even now, mortals obtain command over the elements from the Prismatic Wyrm. The day may come when Gormadraug would awaken and wreak his vengeance across Etharis. They continually seek ways to prevent this from happening. Yet with the appearance of coldfire, it seems the Prismatic Wyrm’s resurrection is coming ever closer.
Ilhara
The Queen of Air and Shadow is the most ambitious Primordial of all. She sends her army of djinn, sylphs, and air elementals abroad to find secrets from among mortals and spirits alike. Her ultimate aim is to be powerful enough to fill the void left by the dead gods.
Ilhara requires that a dark secret be whispered into the air before she can be summoned.
Gormadraug
The Great Prismatic Wyrm is also a powerful source of nature magic, though he doesn’t know this in his current state. There is no known way to invoke him. Moreover, worship of the Wyrm is illegal throughout the Valikan Clans. The Primordials also warn that drawing power from Gormadraug may even awaken him, and readily smites any druids or rangers who try
Playing a Druid or Ranger Class or Character
There are three important centers in Etharis for learning nature magic: the druid circles of the Valikan Clans, the Order of the Golden Bough in Eastern Nordenland, and the elves of Tol Leyemil. These are not the only places for learning, but druids and rangers that emerge from here are considered to be among the elite.
As a druid or ranger, you must keep in mind that your power is derived from the Primordials—including Gormadraug. These beings have taken over the realm of gods in terms of nature magic. They each serve their own interests and are not bound by mortal notions of good and evil. They are, however, hostile to all that threatens that power. This includes the possible awakening of Gormadraug, the corruption of nature caused by the Dark Mist, and the arrival of the Great Beast. The Primordials require druids and rangers alike to fight these forces wherever they encounter them.
Who will you be?
