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The two primary planes of reality are the [[Physical plane]] and the [[Etheral plane]]. The visual effects of magic becomes apparent when the two planes interact with each other and creating turbulence. Some scholars try to explain the interaction of the two by liken the physical world with the sky and the etheral realm of magic with the ocean. sky, and spells are much like the turbulence that occurs where the two interact with each other. During the [[Sin War]], [[Demon]] and [[Angel]] alike wrought powerful magicks that threatened to tear the fabric of reality apart. The physical and magical realms began to blur and merge, which in this example would be the equivalent of a fierce hurricane.
==Spells==
Magic is an extremely powerful force and it has been studied my mages and scholars for hundreds of years, but the force is also very elusive and the power is never fully mastered. A "spell" is a magical incantation or kinetic movements that help weave and organise channelled [[Mana]] into a higher structure of useful effects.
The Forces of [[Order]] sought to preserve the fabric of reality by limiting the power of mortal man. This is why so few can wield magic, as much energy is lost in the transition of power between the two realms. As a practitioner of the arcane arts grows more knowledgeable he is able to create these effects with greater efficiency, resulting in spells that are more potent, have more endurance and drain less Mana in their casting.
All schooled [[sorcerer]]s spend hours studying these spells to learn how to master them and to improve their efficiency or power. After years of training, they will be able to cast spells with less "wasted" Mana, and with greater precision, making the spells more powerful while using less Mana for the same effect.
Many of [[Sanctuary]]'s denizens can feel the aura that shines from spells, even if they can not interact with it. Hair rising at the back of your neck does not have to be a cold wind, it can be a reaction to nearby use of magic in sensitive people. While a powerful man might accidentally use magic without spells, it's more of opening a tap of energy to rush forward from the etheral plane, and the "spell" is as likely to kill him as doing anything else. Organised spells can be very intricate and specific or used for general chaos, depending on the intended effect. More complex spells will not necessarily require a lot more Mana, but they generally do. ===Magical Transportation===[[Sanctuary]] is an absolutely huge world, and travelling from one end to the other of the known world will take a considerable time. Magicians around the world have naturally done what they can to decrease the time they travel, even spending years in research on how to do this. The powerful [[Horadrim]] brotherhood were the most advanced magic users at the time and they deviced many ways to transport quickly without physically exserting themselves. ====Waypoints====[[Waypoint]]s are part of a network of teleportation nodes created by the [[Horadrim]] during the [[Sin War]] to provide instant travel from one place to another. The reason why this was so crucially necessary was that they did not know where the [[demon]]s could appears next and it was essential that they could swiftly combat the forces of Darkness, even when the attack was located in an outlying region with a considerable distance from a [[town]] or settlement harbouring Horadrim mages. The knowledge to create new waypoints has since been lost, but some of these magical rocks can still be accessed and used, if you happen to find one. They remain as a legacy to the Horadrim's once-great power and the value of these devices cannot be denied. These waypoints seems to be closely associated with the [[Town Portal]] and [[Teleport]] spells. ====Town Portal====The [[Town Portal]] spell seems to be closely related to the [[Horadric]] [[Waypoint]] network, and work with similar magical components to the [[Teleport]] spell. The Brotherhood constructed numerous magical gateways between their mighty fortresses and settlements so that they could quickly concentrate their defences against any incursion by the [[Demon]]s. With but a thought, the Crusaders of the Light could transport themselves to predetermined destinations many leagues apart. It's likely that there are Waypoints with additional magic infused into them to allow the use of a Town Portal spell to the vicinity of that Waypoint. A Waypoint located at a former Horadrim fortress or settlement site could be what enables Town Portal spells to bring you there. If this is the case, it might be possible for a [[Sorcerer]] with enough skill to use a similar spell to teleport directly to a Waypoint. It could also be a completely different set of teleportation nodes, besides the actual Waypoint network, made specifically for retreating back to the nearest safe place, and nothing else. Although the secret of creating these gateways as well as the Waypoints has been long lost, it is still possible to use the pathways that are already in place. A Portal opened by means of this spell will always take the caster to the location of the nearest gate and remain open long enough to bring the caster back to his point of origin. The [[Tristram Cathedral]] is built upon the remains of a Horadrim monastery, and has at least in the past harboured a portal gateway nearby. ====Teleport====The [[Teleport]] spell is a way for trained magic users to traverse the [[Ether]], and with the speed of thought materializing in another location. This skill works without the aid of external gateways like the [[Town Portal]] spell or [[Waypoint]]s, but is likely using similar techniques to transport. The Teleport spell is only reliable for short distances, like teleporting up a few stories in your tower apartments, or to escape immidiete danger. It's unknown why the spell is only usable in short distances, but the likely scenario is that it becomes significantly harder to return to the [[Physical realm]], the farther away you try to re-emerge, and is why these beacon-like gateways have been made for Waypoints and Town Portal spells. ===Magical Summoning=== ====Summoning Minions of Hell====It's very possible to use the forces of hell against it. The problem is the strong corrupting effect this have on the magician, as well as the fact that the entity or forces they summon will most certainly want to take control of the caster. Strict discipline and observance is needed to attempt to summon even smaller demons. The act of making a pact with a demonic lord or a Prime Evil is not a very clear or prudent one, and in most cases there will be loopholes in the pact to allow the demonic entity to take control of the mortal's soul without giving much back. =====Summon and Subdue=====Men who do not go into pacts with demons, but wield demonic energies are also likely to end up dead, or worse. Centuries ago, it was common to invoke lesser demons and subdue them in order to gain their power. One such small demon type is the [[Imp]], who made the sorcerers underestimate their powers and be summoned as familiars. When an Imp had made their "master" trust them, the sorcerer would find his will subjugated by that of his “servant,” who would then vivisect him and create numerous homunculi from the pieces. In time, these homunculi would grow into other Imps. Imps were later found in the battle for [[Mount Arreat]]. Aware that its size is a liability in battle, an Imp uses magic to teleport and attack an opponent at range, from a fortified tower position, or even while mounted on the backs of large beasts. =====Creating Demonic Creatures=====Another dark cabal of wizards tried to use dark powers they attained through an arcane pact with Hell in order to create a race of creatures as servants. They created a general form of bat-winged imps that they named ''Alae Nefastus'' to act as messengers and carrying out deeds that were too trivial for themselves. Each of the wizards embedded power in them that reflected their own specialization on magic and the creatures were small, nimble and possessed an unnatural cunning. The initial impression by the corrupt sorcerers was that the experiment had been a success, until they realised that the Alae did not serve them as loyally as they had hoped. With their cunning, the creatures had taken to secretly feeding from the very essence of their masters, weakening them and eventually killing them. By this time, the sorcerers tried to undo their creations, but the [[Winged Fiend]]s had been secretly breeding outside of the sorcerer's domains and they banded together in swarms, killing their former masters. Descendants of these Winged Fiends can still be found terrorizing the contryside with their great speed, razor sharp claws, hooked wings and magical abilities. ==Enchanted Objects== ===Staves===
Any object imbued with magic exhibits an aura that is easily noticed. To determine the exact nature of this enchantment, however, requires intense study and an extensive knowledge of arcane materials and symbols. While none have mastered the ability to memorize a spell of this magnitude, the Vizjerei have developed a means for the untrained to discover the secrets of an ensorcelled object by using a rare crystal that is extremely sensitive to magical auras. This sensitivity makes it very fragile, however and the crystal will shatter if it is brought too close to an enchanted item. The very act of Identifying such an object also destroys the crystal. Scrolls and staves have been crafted that can be used to Identify magical auras. By using special inks and dyes that contain tiny grains of these crystals, the stability of the crystal is maintained until it is used to examine the enchanted object.
===Jewels===
Precious gems and metals make excellent foci for magical enchantments
Making of magical rings and amulets is unknown to most.
===Potions===
elixir brewing is still strong in the west. More acceptable social uses.
Various positive effects on imbiber.
===Scrolls===
Scrolls are specially prepared pieces of parchment that have runes scribed on them with magical ink in order to work as a focus for spells.
When spell is infused, a reader can cast the spell without using any of his own inherent mana, or even knowing the spell itself.
The writing isn't the full power of the spell, which is infused in the ink and parchment, but mainly a keyword to use it. More complex spells need more complex keywords, and a high level of proficiency in reading these runes is needed to cast the spells from the most powerful scrolls. Even with a quite complex and cryptic writing, it would still be impossible for most mages to learn the acutal spell from the writing, or analysing the embedded spell. When the magical keywords are read up in a proper way while focusing on the spell in the parchment, the energy of the ink and scroll will release in the shape of given spell and also turn the scroll into dust.
===Waypoints===
The world of [[Sanctuary]] is huge and often there are great distances between [[town]]s and their outlying regions. During the [[Sin War]], the [[Horadrim]] devised a system of magic waypoints to provide instant travel from one place to another. The magics at work have long since been forgotten as the Horadric Mages have all but disappeared. However, these waypoints remain as a legacy to the Horadrim's once-great power and the value of these devices cannot be denied.
==Summoning Minions of Hell==It's very possible to use the forces of hell against it. The problem is the strong corrupting effect this have on the magician, as well as the fact that the entity or forces they summon will most certainly want to take control of the caster. Strict discipline and observance is needed to attempt to summon even smaller demons. The act of making a pact with a demonic lord or a Prime Evil is not a very clear or prudent one, and in most cases there will be loopholes in the pact to allow the demonic entity to take control of the mortal's soul without giving much back. =Shrines==Summon and Subdue===Men who do not go into pacts with demons, but wield demonic energies are also likely to end up dead, or worse. Centuries ago, it was common to invoke lesser demons and subdue them in order to gain their power. One such small demon type is the [[Imp]], who made the sorcerers underestimate their powers and be summoned as familiars. When an Imp had made their "master" trust them, the sorcerer would find his will subjugated by that of his “servant,” who would then vivisect him and create numerous homunculi from the pieces. In time, these homunculi would grow into other Imps. Imps were later found in the battle for [[Mount Arreat]]. Aware that its size is a liability in battle, an Imp uses magic to teleport and attack an opponent at range, from a fortified tower position, or even while mounted on the backs of large beastsShrines yada yada.
[[Category:Magic]]
[[Category:Lore]]
[[Category:Game terms]]