Magic in Thalesmere

Magic is an immensely powerful power, which is drawn from the Aetherium, a neighboring plane of existence where mystical energies exist freely, in the form of currents. It is summoned from the Aetherium subconsciously and continuously by a mage, using his concentration and willpower and the amount of it which a mage can channel, is limited by his or her capacity to store its energy, although with training and the right genetics, a mage can increase his or her ability to channel and store more magical energy. This energy is then directed by the mage and used to power spells, which require more or less energy and effort, depending on the spell's complexity and the only exception to these limitations, is blood magic, which is forbidden and an entirely different thing. There are several different schools of magic in Thalesmere.

• Elemental Magic: Elemental magic is, by far, the most common school of magic in Thalesmere. It focuses on manipulating the four elements (earth, air, fire and water) into various effects and it is divided into four different subcategories, one for each element. It is the broadest and most versatile school by far, since, in a sense, it encompasses four different schools by itself. Catur shamans, for example, are powerful water mages who can unleash devastating ice spells.
• Animancy: Also known as nature magic, animancy is particularly popular amongst elves and it deals with the manipulation of and interaction with plants and animals. A skilled animancer can make plants grow, or communicate with animals, coercing them to fulfill various tasks, or can heal injuries by coercing the subject's flesh to regrow.
• Transmutation: Mages following the school of transmutation deal with all things metal, magnetic and electrical. Masters at making use of the conductivity of various metals, to channel magical power in order to obtain various effects. It is also one of the most powerful types of combat magic, due to its ability to unleash devastating lightning spells.
• Umbramancy: Umbramancy, or the school of shadows, deals with the manipulation of light and shadows. While it is not a school which has many practical applications, umbramancy can be extremely useful to those seeking to go around unseen and skilled umbramancers can render themselves invisible (although other mages will detect them, due to perceiving the magical disturbance).
• Signs: Signs are a basic and simple form of magic which require simple hand gestures in order to power basic spells which can push, pull or slow down an opponent, or create a simple magical shield around the caster. While simple, these spells are easy to cast and effective in combat, which is why sign magic is extremely popular amongst witchers, who use it to fight monsters.
• Spirit Magic: Spirit magic is a very old school of magic, specific to shamans. Adepts of this school, specialize in summoning spirits for the purpose of divination, protection, or casting curses. This type of magic is especially prolific amongst the Catur tribes.