The Enchiridion Magicka

Scribed by Lakshmi, Estrela'Lurin of the Albedo Observatory

Redacted and revised by the Community of the High-Minded on behalf of the Elven Authority

Foreword:

In this world, there exists doings that defy explanation. Alchemical concoctions that mend flesh and bone, powerful incantations channeled from the skies above to sunder stone, and far more than can be listed here. All of these workings remain unexplained to this day even to the brightest minds, but to those who know of the existence of magick, they can be loosely understood. With the variety of Traditions, sects, spells and unique knowledge and spells of magick practitioners, I took it upon myself for the benefit of my peers to compile a layelf's compendium of common magicks known to the world, such that constant referencing pains would be assuaged. I would like to thank the Elven Authority for allowing me this opportunity to be censored of any false information, specifically the participation of the Community of the High-Minded and sending a Lumi'Lurin all the way from the Sun-Kissed Isle to conduct the task.

Traditions of Magick:

Theurgy
Enlightened | Umbral

Thaumiturgical Arts
Thaumiturgy | Thaumcraft

[XXX] Removed from all past publications post-printing of this manuscript, and author reprimand for processing such knowledge without consultation of the Elven Authority. 

Theurgy

Theurgy, or Deific magick, is a school [Note to self: change use of the word school] of magick in which mortals are gifted/blessed by the divine after extensive exaction of faith and strictures/scriptures, with only those of true faith being given a drop of the god's infinite stores of power. This deific power is split into two halves: Enlightened and Umbral, determined by whether the Gods of Heaven Firmament Order or the Gods of Hell Fundament Chaos are supplying the power to conductors of divine energies.

Enlightened magicks are gifted after great shows of devotion both inward and outward by what are typically adherents to strictures. Where darker magicks are often sought out purely for power, these more pure magicks are fostered out of pure hearts, with a desire to worship, rather than to purely gain. Examples of Enlightened Magicks are Paladins of the Empire's Plagian Order gifted by the Empire's Everburning, or the the Templars who serve the Coruscated. These magics tend to be "good" [I received dirty glances for putting quotation marks here] magicks, such as those which embolden allies in warfare, magical enhancement of items, or in the extreme case, healing. Only beneficial gods are invoked, in order to improve the lives of men and bring them virtue.

Umbral magicks are those gifted forced upon us mortals who first seek out to make deals with these Chaotic Powers. Magicks of this nature tend to focus on combat, disease, forcing one's will upon others, life manipulation, and other deeds deemed "Chaotic." These magicks include Chaos Knights, Tyrants, Occultism, Necromancy and an untold more. [My publisher wishes to coalesce these "colloquial" terms of the Dark Magicks into simply Dark Arts under the claims that not enough unique members of these magick types have surfaced, so it is up to the reader to determine if these are entire branches of Dark Magicks or simply unique actors.]

It is important to distinguish goetic magick or witchcraft from theurgic magick or making contact with the gods. Goetic magicks are the attempts to contact the gods, typically the ones of Chaos, in various occultic mediums. Theurgic magicks arise after contact has been made, and power supplied. In other eras, theurgic magicians have suffered from being put in the same category as Goetics whom they regard with horror.

Some believe theorize that the nature of magick itself is chaotic, and that these Umbral Arts are simply the oldest form of Magick in Volantis. This is a thought best left for the astute reader to ascertain the verity idiocy of.

Thaumiturgical Arts

Thaumiturgy magicks are those found by mortals without the intervention of outside sources, at least conscious ones [this is still in debate amongst scholars, namely those who claim the world itself is sentient. I digress.] This is a Tradition of magick that is not gifted, but rather earned, learned through rigorous study and inferred from the research of giants before you whos shoulders you stand upon. Some of these include Artificery, Runeforging and Arborealism. Instead of pleasing the fickle needs of a deity, an Arcanist can discover and invent new magicks on their own terms, on their own merits. Runic letters scrawling upon pages of papyrus with chants of liturgy amongst a circle of clandestine researcher mages are a common staple of Arcanists.

However, as this is self-driven, it is by far the most dangerous magick to learn and perform. While theurgy has protection from their god for their ignorant mishaps, one has only the safeguards one can think of when creating spells. Any mage will tell you that for every successful magical item, there exists 100 dead mages who blew up on the failed prototypes. Spell crafting is an art that flirts with peril at every turn. Thaumiturgy is considered the easiest magick, but the hardest to develop in, as most nascent thaumiturgists end up as a broth of frogs, string floating in the sky, or intangible water that cannot leave a cup. This is often seen as the "magick for the unmagickal." Limited tricks spellcasters could pull off without truly understanding the workings, at least at the most entry level of Thaumiturgy. Even in greater form, this magick is restrained (as well as bolstered by) its hard rule of being very specific effects, such that spells will do exactly what they are intended to do, and nothing more, and that's all they can do. This has fostered a tendency for Thaumiturgists to pass down spells and techniques through generations by magical keepers of the arts.

Thaumcraft magicks are less about channeling power into spells and casts and cantrips, and moreso the sciences of the world [which my publisher wishes for me to emphasis that are no less magickal than the other Traditions of magick.] All crafting sciences fall under this category, such as alchemical studies, Automatonic works and Clockwork contraptions, golemantic creations, as well as a handful of unlisted magicks here, as is the nature of scientific work to be kept in secret within scientific castes, rather than benefiting the good of people. [My publisher is threatening to arrange a meeting with me and said scientific castes, to which I decided to hold after this book is published.] 

As with any science, it is unknown as to the source of a handful of magicks. Arborealism for example is claimed to come from oneself and equilibrium with nature, while the human group known as Gales worship nature as a god, which has had spattering records of verity, leading the Committee of the High-Minded to question on it's roots of power. 

Learning and Channeling Magicks

In the realm of mortal existence, the mere desire alone cannot conjure the ethereal tendrils of magick into tangible being. Even the Arcane Magicks, those intertwined with the essence of self and nature, do not bend the fabric of the world to the whims of mere mortals, yearning as they might. Nay, a pilgrimage must commence; a passage woven in diverse threads, tailored to each magic's essence. Here in Volantis, the elusive magicks have cascaded into four nebulous constellations, each tethered to the distinct odyssey one must undertake ere grasping the reins of their sorcery.

Assuming one has learned a magick through dedication and experience, it is unfortunately true that each of these complex workings are used in their own ways, and are unable to be summarized in their use-case. 

Conclusion

It is imperative to note that in all of this spellcasting, the author believes none of these to be true magic. Rather, a theory is forefront in the mind of those who dwell on the matter that spellcasting and all magicks cast by mortals is simply an approximation of the magick that runs throughout the planes. This theory would explain why fantastical beasts exist, as well as some which can perform arts that are entirely unattached to any Tradition of magick known currently. Rules dance in the ethereal beyond our mortal comprehension, and we simply play with dredges of this esoteric approximation, which limits our ability. If anyone could devise a way to lift this curtain and use magick fully without dilution, they would be most powerful indeed.