Know Your Magic Part 1

 If you read the big headlining tales, you will see magic is a part of the stories, but not all are the same type. 

Though the magic shown so far is sorcery without the need of wands or power sources, the other types do exist, but not in the worlds shown. 

But why did the magic manifest this way?

Lady Celestia, the Divine of Magic, also known as Seeker Galaxarii. 

The magic shown in the tale of Banished are that of the Divines, or gods. They have no need for a spell focus or wands or staves. This type of magic that comes from within and manifests from the person themselves is called Primal Magic. 

To understand this, one must understand the Realms of Influence. 

The Divine of Order and the Divine of Chaos. Brothers 'till the end of existence. 

The universe of the tales reside in the space created by the Creator, who didn't want to leave his precious creations to chance. When he created the other Divines, he gave them their own space and worlds to play with. As each Divine became themselves, the worlds they directly designed became influenced by them, their patron. The space around made all the worlds in this area similar and to their Divine's liking. Any additional worlds added later would follow this influence. 

Yet the unfortunate souls in Banished do not seem bound to any one Divine, even if the Divine of War likes to claim it as hers. 

Who owns the world of Kel?

Crown Prince Asmorteus, mingling with the mortals Zachary and Bianca. 

No one Divine has hold of Kel. 

Tyrria may have declared herself the ruler of that world and named her firstborn the crown prince, but it truly belongs to the Creator. The only claim she has is that Kel is close to her Realm of Influence, but it is also between hers and that of her sister, Celestia. Note that this is a contributing factor to their rivalry. 

The space outside of each Divine's Realm of Influence belongs to the Creator, who left this space to be more primal, though this is different from his center space of the universe which he did replicate the most Primal of elves. This space he allows his children to play with, in the hopes that they'd work together more. Such is not always the result. This cooperation created the wild world of Kel. 

How does this relate to the magic?

Young Zachary attempting to mentor Lady Bianca in the ways of sorcery. 

Not all the worlds have magic. And not all the gods give their worlds magic. And some gods have their magic manifest differently. As stated, the magic shown on Kel is Primal magic. It is the magic the Divines use, although mortals are limited by their own bodies. 

While there is loose magic in Kel, it is not easily obtainable. Tyrria's children, the Primal Dragons, are the main conductors of magic on Kel. The world would've otherwise been rather normal. Her decision to claim this world as a new roost for her precious serpents has allowed Primal magic to pool amongst them. Given that they have such affinity for magic, they drew the attention of Celestia, who respects all magical beings. (Except thieves)

Nephagosa, daughter of the arcane. 

While most of the Primal Dragons live by their patron's teachings of rage and dominance, few doe dragons were docile enough to listen to Celestia, and through their curiosity and desire for power, the Primal Arcane Dragons were born. Having discovered that her sister had given blessings to her own children, Tyrria scorns these serpents, and so began her hatred of her sister for touching what she believed to be "perfect" creations. 

The Arcane Dragons didn't differ much from the original ones, although their hides became more vibrant and they became more dependent upon their ever-growing magic over their strength. They spent less of their lifespan being a warring hunter, and rather spent time pondering and observing. Though the Primal Dragons also had magic, it paled in comparison to that of the Arcane Dragons. These great serpents were an attractor of magic. It is why any magical disturbance is investigated, as they remain wary of each other for they are still dragons at their core. 

But what of Laeros?

Young Zachary almost showing off his magical skill, as much as it might kill him. 

The elves of Laeros had little magical influence. Often these worlds aren't meant to have magic, but being in the Primal space meant magic could find its way in. A common part of elven worlds are Mirrin Crystals. 

The Union of Chase Bellbrook and Penelope Leafstream, featuring a floating Mirrin Crystal. 

Even in non-magical worlds, Mirrin Crystals are present. These crystals are collectors of magical energy, although it is not much in a magicless world. Some elves are clever enough to take a shard of this crystal and eventually attune to it, allowing them to absorb the magic it has been harvesting. This forbidden magic is Primal, and not given to them willingly. 

Ordinarily, a Mirrin Crystal becomes a beacon of life for elves on a magicless world. They build their temples around them, and from there they build their villages or kingdoms. The temples often keep fountains or pools in close proximity to the crystal as the magical energies contained within will affect the water, creating a "blessed" water. The elves will use this water as a base for healing potions and holy rituals, such as a wedding blessing. 

Because the crystal is the battery, an elf using a shard to cast magic can only do so in small amounts for the body is not being strained. The power in a shard is so little, and for a non-magical elf to attune to it takes months of familiarizing themselves with it. But because it is forbidden magic, using it causes brands to appear upon their skin as punishment to stop, though ignoring the brands can result in death. 

Nephagosa witnessing the branding of Young Zachary. 

The elves with this stolen magic can only use it sparingly, and only perform light spells. Heavy use of more extreme spells hastens the process. 

However, magic given willingly does not kill the caster, except in rare cases. This is sorcery given by Celestia, something to grow and excel with and eventually pass on to offspring. In the curious case of the unfortunate elves of Banished, Primal magic was given to only two elves rather than the population. Whether they choose to bless others with magic or keep it within their bloodlines is a choice they will have to make eventually. The blessing from Tyrria is a different matter, and poor Vincent may never have magic the same way Zachary and Bianca do. 

It's only super dragon puberty, Vincent. 

As for other types of magic, it depends on the Divine. Celestia is more direct than the other Divines, as Tyrria made her dragons with magic which gives them control of magic and immortality, or Lady Tempestra giving magic to her mythical Sirens in the form of spell focuses and privilages. 

Young Nymphea transferring her life energy to Young Torro, all she can do without her amulet. 

In Celestia's Realm of Influence, she seeds her worlds with magic already, no need for stealing her magic. These realms are magical enough. But it also gives way for unique types of magic. Divines love to experiment. 

Of course, that's simply the main form of magic. Wizardry also exists, along with rumors of Necromancy, and more. Find out about it in the next installment of Know Your Magic. 

A fair trade.