< atton revisited > The information page for Atton has been fully revised and updated with the new map!
< updated calendar > The Fortuna calendar has been updated in the "Other" lore section! This includes a document which displays the calendar for you to see, making it much easier to understand.
< moving map > The first functional map has been released in the News section! This map is also interactive, allowing you to drag and drop between points in order to determine distances. This is the first iteration, and there's more and better to come!
< first annual awards > The results for the First Annual Fortuna Year-End Awards have been posted! Go and take a look at who the finalists were, and who took home the big prizes!
< new default skin > Our new skin has passed the beta test, and is now the new Default for the forums! If you have any issues with this skin, send a PM or Discord to Mellie.
< human lore update > Humans have been updated with TWENTY-FIVE subraces/subcultures which add numerous options, and a little extra lore and flavour.
< magic lore update > Magical Lore has been enhanced with the addition of a post on Magical Education. From Beginner to Expert, this is how you learn the spells.
< a change to member groups > Member groups are now based on storyline! You can change your displayed storyline by editing the settings in your profile.
Welcome to the world of Fortuna, a land of fantastic proportions. This is an original fantasy roleplay that takes place in a world developed over nearly a decade of work and collaboration. We aim to encourage all participants to have a hand in the stories of the characters here, and the world around them. Your choices are key - so make them with pride. You decide who wins the wars, you decide who becomes King, the world is ours, and together we will bring it to life!
Magic is an incredibly important skill and art-form in the world of Fortuna that has been a part of it's history since the birth of Miynie, Deity of Mortal Magic. It can directly affect not only war and development, but the day-to-day lives of residents. It allows farmers to grow crops more swiftly, for doctors to heal simple maladies with ease. However, magic is not simple or always openly accessible, and not all mortals have a predisposition to use it. Who has magic? What kind of magic do they use? This document will go over these facts, as well as the different schools and classes of magic.
Before we begin, the most important thing to know is that most individuals will only ever be able to learn one school of magic. Some magicians may be talented enough to utilize certain specific spells from another school, but only the most gifted magic-users in the world will be able to learn more than one school of magic on the whole.
Magic-enabled children are often born aligned to a specific school, which can manifest in their physical form and personality as well as in their talents. Their powers will begin to bud in their formative years, and in most parts of the world they will be tested for magical alignment in schooling, to ensure they get the proper education.
What is a School of Magic? A School of Magic describes the base forces of the magic at play. It is incredibly rare to find any magic user - outside of the Rielcian Supreme - who is capable of casting extensive magic from more than one school. Though there are methods.
By learning from a Master of a school, an individual can learn certain spells from another school. These spells are often aligned with their magic in some way, or the Gods who most closely watch over them. For example, a Diviner who has the ability to read minds may find it easier to learn Enchantment that calms the emotions of their subject, rather than telekinesis.
With very extensive training, it is possible for talented individuals to learn another School of Magic to more thorough completion, but this is typically a rather daunting task to accomplish, and tends to require an individual who has a general predisposition towards Magic in general - this is why it is most commonly only observed in the Kina race, though it has happened in others.
The schools of magic in Fortuna are: Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, and Transmutation.
Beneath each school is a selection of examples of spells at various levels.
There are Beginner spells, which can be learned by those with an aptitude for, and who have studied the school, even if it is not their natural school. Some of these spells may even come naturally to those who are born with an alignment to the school, and are often the reason that a magical child from nonmagical lineage is uncovered. Those who are aligned with a school may be able to learn all Beginner spells by the time they reach adulthood, with enough hard work.
Next are Advanced spells, which can be learned by those with a unique aptitude towards the school, or who are experts in magic otherwise. These spells require a greater focus of energy, and a more practised grasp of magical theory. Advanced spells are rarely self-taught, though a natural spellcaster may unlock the power of one or two. Those who are aligned with a school may be able to learn all Advanced spells by the time they reach between three and four decades of spellcasting experience, so long as they have also mastered the Beginner spells that they build from.
Finally there are Expert spells, which can only be learned by extremely skilled mages who have a focus on that school based on birth magic, as they are impossible to harness without that inborn gift. Expert spells are extremely difficult to learn, and are almost always learned through an apprentice-master relationship. They require an intimate knowledge of the fabric of their School, and a devotion of magical energies. Practitioners of magic will almost always learn only a single Expert spell in their lifetime.
Who Can Use Magic? As a general rule, most of the races native to Fortuna have the ability to wield Magic, in thanks to the deity Miynie, who gifted mortals with the deity-like powers upon her birth. Still, not all people are naturally born into it, and there are some rare races who cannot wield magic at all! All such races will indicate this in their descriptions on the race page, so be sure to be aware of this when creating your character!
As for the matter of being born into a School of Magic: this is the most common method by which individuals come into their magical powers, but it is not the case for all people. Typically, all of the magically-inclined races will be born into a School, but individuals who are not innately magically-inclined (such as most humans, for example), may not always be so.
In the case of people who were not born into magic, but are also not incapable of wielding it, Magic can only be obtained through training. Non magically inclined individuals can opt to pursue a school of magic of their choosing, and through training, can become adept at wielding the spells within that school. You can establish this in your character's history, or have it be an active venture your character is engaging in currently.
Limitations 1) For magically-inclined races, there will sometimes be a predisposition towards a specific School in their race page; while this is not an ironclad rule, you should still take it into heavy consideration before deciding that your character would be born into a different school. For those that have no specific predisposition, however, you can essentially choose any of the schools for your character to be born into.
2) Generally, a character will only be able to wield magic of the school they were born into. It is possible for them to wield certain, limited spells from another school, assuming they've been trained with those spells, but if you want your character to have full access to a second School of Magic entirely, do be warned that this requires large amounts of magical training, even for some of the more magically-inclined races, and your character's history and age will need to reflect that. Don't be afraid of an older character! While the young may have physical strength, the old have learned wisdom and a stronger hold on the veil.
3) For characters who were not naturally born into a magical school and had to learn one via training, it is generally thought to be impossible for them to learn a second one at all beyond the simplest spells, as they do not have the natural connection to the veil. This is something with virtually no exceptions, but if you would like to make a case for your character being able to do this in spite of not being Magic-born, feel free to contact the admin! We're not here to deliberately stamp out your fun, after all, and we'd be willing to discuss it.
Exceptions 1) Note that the world of Fortuna has commodified magic considerably, and so it's very possible to find all kinds of scrolls or charms which have had a magical spell bound to them. These are exceptionally useful items that can allow an individual to use a spell from a magical school which they do not belong to, and can even allow an individual who is completely incapable of using magic to feel the thrill of casting a spell. Sure, these pre-packaged spells are always limited use (typically being good for only one use before disappearing), and if the user has no magical power of their own they will be unable to enhance the power of the spell, but that doesn't make them any less useful to those individuals who wouldn't otherwise be able to cast a certain spell at all.
Do be wary though that depending on the desirability of the spell, scrolls and other objects with spells sealed into them can be very expensive.
2) The Rielcian Supreme, the leader of Rielcia, is one of the only known individuals in the world capable of wielding advanced magic from multiple different schools. Additionally, during the period of time in which a new Supreme is being chosen, the Kina people of Rielcia will find that their magical abilities have been temporarily augmented, giving them access to additional schools of magic for a period of time until the Supreme is chosen. This is seen to be the gods of magic reaching out to the mortal world to aid them in finding a Leader who can handle true magic.
3) Rielcia in general, as the land where magic flows freely, can act as an augment to magical individuals, strengthening their magic. In certain areas, it may also allow even non-Kina people to have temporary access to more varied or more powerful magic than usual, but this is often strictly locational in nature.
Abjuration is the magic of protection. It is used to create wards, remove the harmful effects of magic, and to banish extraplanar creatures. Abjuration views magic as a series of barriers that must be surpassed and erected to learn. In more general magical theory, it is considered to be the outermost portion of the veil, and is one of the easiest schools to learn simple spells from for nonmagical people. Abjuration magic is often seen as purple.
★ Beginner: Blessing of Disease Resistance, Blessing of Damage Resistance, Alarm, Extraplanar Ward, Shield, Lock, Barkskin.
Conjuration is often mistakenly seen as the magic of creation, but it is instead the magic of transportation - it merely does it over worlds and planes, as opposed to over the minor distances Transmutation can manage. This magic is one of the key methods of long distance transportation in Fortuna. Conjuration views the veil as a series of pathways that are walked, and can be crossed in order to temporarily join planes for the desired effects. Academic conjurers complete much study on the planar system. Conjuration is a difficult magic to learn for those without a magical aptitude, mostly because it can be very easy to kill yourself in the practice of it. Conjuration magic is often seen as gold.
★ Beginner: Minor Element Creation (eg. Fog, Ice, Fire, Poison), Spectral Hand, Familiar, Seen Distance Movement (Minor Teleportation), Conjure Object, Telekinesis.
★ Advanced: Major Element Creation, Plant Growth, Spectral Servant, Spectral Mount, Grounded Teleportation (Using a duplicate item as a beacon), Minor Weather Summon, Create Food, Create Pocket Dimension, Portal Location, Conjure Animal, Conjure Willing Mortal.
Divination is the magic of seeing and scrying, which can be used to enhance the senses, see the truth, or even tell the future. It is the magic of intuition, and Divination scholars will use it to describe the veil as a fog that you learn to navigate. Divination magic is often seen as white.
★ Advanced: Speak Language, Detect Good, Detect Evil, Detect Poison, Detect Disease, Identify Purpose, Speak with Animals, Minor Divine Rune Magic, Distant Seeing, Find Trap, Major Trueseeing (Magical Disguises & Illusions), Clairvoyance, Extraplanar Contact, Touch Seeing, Minor Telepathy, Truthseeing, Slow Time, Major Find Location (That You Know Exists), Memory Sharing.
★ Expert: Major Divine Rune Magic, Major Telepathy, Truenaming, Stop Time, Divine Find Location, Futureshaping, Memory Changing.
ENCHANTMENT
Enchantment is the much debated magic of control. As these spells are capable of taking control of the mind and making it think things that may not be true, or even following the orders of whoever the mage is who cast it. Enchantment magic is the most legally complex magic, and all known children and adults who show an aptitude for Enchantment magic are required to take a class and receive a license before they can legally practice the art. Scholars of the Enchantment school describe the veil as a collection of strings that are pulled in order to manipulate the energy around others. Enchantment magic is often seen as green.
★ Beginner: Familiar, Minor Befriend (Non-Hostile), Charm Animal, Goad, Imbue Simple Emotion, Minor Hex, Minor Sleep, Laughter, Minor Suggestion.
★ Advanced: Charm Monster, Minor Command, Imbue Motive, Improved Hex, Major Sleep, Halt, Silence, Command Truth, Confusion, Improved Suggestion, Minor Puppeteer.
★ Expert: Charm Person, Enthrall, Major Command, Imbue Desire, Major Hex, Modify Memory, Major Suggestion, Compulsion, Ruin Intellect, Ruin Personality, Major Puppeteer, Word of Death (Compel a Creature to Kill Itself).
EVOCATION
Evocation, while not as heavily policed as enchantment, is viewed as a dangerous weapon due to it's destructive tendencies. However, Evocation can also be used to heal. It is the manipulation of magical energies that can be used to produce a visceral effect. Evocation is sometimes described as small bursts of energy to be collected and reformed. Evocation magic is often seen as red.
★ Beginner: Create Minor Element Burst (small flame, wind, fog), Weaponize Necrotic Energy, Weaponize Holy Energy, Minor Cure Wounds, Light, Minor Projectile, Mark.
★ Advanced: Major Cure Wounds, Minor Groundswell (Tremor, Wave, Rockslide), Darkness, Imbue Element, Moonlight, Sunlight, Shatter, Veil Weapon, Create Major Element Burst (Lightning bolt, fireball), Minor Telepathy, Create Element Wall, Hallow, Dual Casting, Minor Create Weather.
Illusion is the magic of deception, and the favoured magic of the Deity Miynie, who is known as the Master of Illusion. The magic is based around creating images and sounds that don't exist, and at it's highest levels can be used to thoroughly convince a mind of something that is not true. Illusionists have described the veil as a sea of overwhelming senses to be combined or separated to create the desired effects. Illusion magic is often seen as orange.
★ Beginner: Minor Optical Illusion, Minor Olfactory Illusion, Minor Auditory Illusion, Minor Tactile Illusion, Minor Flavor Illusion, Minor Thermal Illusion, Minor Nocioceptor Illusion, Minor Kinisthetic Illusion, Minor Equilibrial Illusion, Minor Proprioceptical Illusion.
★ Advanced: Major Illusion (See Above for Varieties), Minor Multi-Illusion (Combining Between 2 and 6 of the Above), Misdirection, Silence, Seeming, Lucid Dreaming.
★ Expert: Major Multi-Illusion (Combining Between 6 and 10 of the Above), Astral Projection, Dreamwalking.
NECROMANCY
Necromancy is considered by many cultures across the world an "evil" brand of magic, though it isn't always so. Unfortunately, many are left unconvinced and shun those who show an ability for it. Necromancy is based on the manipulation of life and death, which can be seen as good up until the use of the dead. Those who have dared speak of Necromancy from an academic standpoint have described the veil as a crowded vessel of souls, whose energy is reformed into magic. Many use this explanation as proof that Necromancers are evil, while still others prove such a thing by using bones, organs, and full corpses as spellcasting foci. Necromancy magic is often seen as black.
★ Beginner: Minor Cure Wounds, Minor Inflict Wounds, Necrotic Touch, Stabilize, Minor Sickness, Delay Decay, Rite of Burial, False Death, False Life, Speak with Dead.
★ Advanced: Major Cure Wounds, Major Inflict Wounds, Major Sickness, Blindness, Deafness, Minor Curse, Minor Blessing, Enfeebled Body, Animate Dead, Control Undead, Turn Undead, Energy Leech, Relieve Pain, Astral Projection.
★ Expert: Resurrection, Inflict Death, Major Disease, Cause Sleep, Cause Panic, Become Lich, Remove Water, Clone.
TRANSMUTATION
Transmutation is often confused with the nonmagical art of Alchemy, as they are both concerned with the art of changing existing properties of the world. Transmuters can turn a rose from red to blue, grant strength that did not exist previously, and even make food taste better. Those who practice Transmutation have described the veil as something of a sheen that coats everything in the world, a small piece of magic that can be reshaped into whatever the transmuter desires - or is capable of shaping. Transmutation magic is often seen as blue.
★ Beginner: Minor Control Element, Plant Growth, Minor Sensation, Reduce Light, Craft Wind, Mending, Distant Message, Minor Shapeshift, Minor Telekineses (Straight Distance), Alter Taste, Purify Food and Water, Minor Enhance Ability, Minor Temperature Shift.
★ Advanced: Minor Enhance Speed, Slow Fall, Major Enhance Ability, Major Shapeshift, Barkskin, Darksight, Longsight, Landbinding, Minor Enlarge (Inanimate), Minor Shrink (Inanimate), Unlock, Levitate, Major Telekinesis, Meld with Stone, Gaseous Form, Altered Breathing, Water Walking, Minor Polymorph, Minor Animation, Awaken, Bottomless Container, Create Passage, Transmute Rock, Minor Regeneration.
★ Expert: Mold Earth, Major Enlarge, Major Shrink, Flight, Slow Time, Reincarnation, Disintegration, Stone Skin, Elemental Form, Planewalking, Major Regeneration, Gravity Reversal, Weather Control, Major Polymorph.
Witches Given the accessibility of Magic in the world, the word 'Witch' does not carry the same connotation in Fortuna as it does in our own world, where it simply means someone (usually female) who can use magic. No, in Fortuna this word is used to describe a much more serious matter: a very specific variety of Magic-User.
A Witch is someone who is described as being a user of "Dark Magic". What exactly distinguishes Dark Magic from regular magic can be difficult to discern for many. There are those who mistakenly think that Dark Magic is any kind of magic that produces a negative effect on someone. But, due to the fact that all of the traditional Schools of Magic are capable of being used in such a capacity, that would hardly be an appropriate qualifier. In truth, it is usually only Trained Practitioners of magic, or those who have received a good amount of magical education, who will be able to recognize the difference between magic and Dark Magic.
Dark Magic is magic which does not abide by the normal limitations one would expect of the School it draws from. To name several examples of how:
There is often an imbalance in the amount of power the Spellcaster can output compared to how little energy they must expend
Their magic may have additional or unnatural effects, such as fire that burns green and never burns out unless a stronger power can smother it
Especially dark curses may be concocted, which can be difficult or impossible to break without killing the caster, and sometimes these curses may even be self-sustaining and capable of growing stronger
One must remember that, essentially, all magic operates under a core principle that one must spend an amount of energy proportionate to the effect which they seek to perform, and that any spell must always have a power source to draw from which originates (at least in part) from the Caster. While well-practiced mages may develop extraordinary reserves of magical energy to draw upon for such things, they still have a limit, much like people have limits to how much stress their muscles can endure. And while experienced mages may be able to cast spells that can temporarily mind themselves without any active effort on the Caster's part, these spells are never infinite, and will eventually fizzle out if they run out of an energy source to draw from. And of course, aside from the special case of The Supreme, no caster has demonstrated the ability to wield advanced magic from many schools. All of these limits prevent Magic-Users from being all-powerful and God-like.
Dark Magic, however, seems to toss all of these limits aside, capable of performing acts that are not just extraordinary but even unnatural, even by Fortunan standards, all with seemingly little cost to the caster. Dark Magic can stem from many different schools with no regard for the barriers, and spells can often be self-sustaining. The casters who are able to command this type of magic are known as Witches. But how do Witches perform these impossible feats? Well, that depends on where their power stems.
There are two varieties of Witches. By far the more common variety are those who have received their power through a Dark Pact. This pact is usually from a Demon, though it may come from another, more powerful Witch as well. Though they are the more common of the two types, they are still a rarity within Fortuna in and of themselves, due to the assured promise that comes with their status. Any mortal, even one with no magic, may become a Witch through a Dark Pact with a Demon, where they are promised one year's worth of the power of Dark Magic. Once that year is up (or sooner if the Witch dies beforehand), their soul is dragged to Ephilroa and finds eternal torment in the deepest reaches of the realm, where only the most wicked can be found. It is said that no matter which Judge is chosen to preside over the Witch's trial in the afterlife, their fate is absolute and ironclad. Inescapable. They will always be found guilty. This tends to ward most people away from the notion of ever seeking out this sort of power.
But it is not without its draws... A Witch of this variety can become more powerful during their allotted year by making deals of their own with Fortunan mortals, offering the services of their magic for steep prices that draw upon the customer's very soul. Each shred of soul the Witch claims allows them to increase their own power, and if they become strong enough, they can make another mortal into a Witch as well. Turning another mortal into a Witch extends the first Witch's time by another year... and piles their debt onto their victim. With each additional Witch linked to the chain, the inevitable punishment waiting for them grows more and more severe, exceeding mortal imagination. If a Witch dies, any witches they have made, who have not themselves made a new Witch yet, will also die. Keeping 'apprentices' alive is thus one method of making sure that a Witch will not be dragged down with the one who turned them, should that original Witch die.
The second, and much more dangerous variety of Witch, are the Natural-Born. Natural-Born Witches can only come about through the accumulation of what is colloquially known within the magic community as 'Dark Residue'. When Witches around the world perform acts of Dark Magic, the imbalanced power they draw upon leaves behind a dust-like essence from Ephilroa, an essence that originates in the very same torturous realms from which Demons are born, and where dead Witches are sent. This dust, minute and hardly noticeable to most mortals when in small amounts, travels along magical ley-lines all throughout Fortuna, and if it comes into contact with more of the 'Dark Residue', it will begin to accumulate.
It takes a great deal of this accumulation over a long time in order to result in the creation of a Natural-Born Witch, but when it does happen, it is an ominous event to be feared. There are many Spellcasters who dedicate their whole lives to traveling the world, searching for Dark Residue and eliminating it, just to prevent the birth of a Witch. It has, across history, not always been a successful endeavor.
When a Natural-Born Witch appears, the form they take may vary. This is because the Dark Residue which births them only takes form by flying into the soul of a child who has yet to even be born. Sometimes a human, sometimes a beastfolk, sometimes a fairy... But it is always a being who would have had naturally-born magical talents even if left on its own. Natural-Born Witches have access to the same font of Dark Magic as any other of their kind, but they do not live on a time limit; they live until their life comes to a natural close, or until they are killed. Many such Witches throughout the ages have tried to find ways to extend their lifespans or even achieve immortality, often becoming enemies of Streike and her avatars as a result. A Natural-Born Witch has the power to make others into Witches as well, should they desire it, and condemns their soul to the same fate as those made by demons in doing so. Once they surface, they tend to mark a period of terror for whichever territory they decide to claim, and the land will see an influx in the rise of other, lesser witches. Not only are they more powerful than lesser Witches, drawing directly from the underworld for their magic, but their lack of a time limit often translates to a lack of hope for the people terrorized by them.
Though it varies depending on how much Dark Residue is successfully eliminated over a time span, historical analysts of Magical Theory have proposed that Natural-Born Witches inevitably come about about once every five to six-hundred years. Despite these predictions, Fortuna has not seen a natural-born Witch in well over six hundred years at this point. It seems as though it is well overdue for one's appearance, but many in the modern day have even taken to thinking of them as myths, much like many regard demons in kind. But it is possible that there is a Natural-Born Witch among Fortuna even now. Perhaps they just have not yet made themselves known...
Other Distinctions Due to the serious nature of the word "Witch", it is not commonly used in a careless fashion, and it can be seen as incredibly insulting for someone to call anyone else a witch as a result. Among Magic-Users, it is an absolute pinnacle word of offense, especially as it can be taken as a serious and dangerous allegation in the wrong social setting. In some communities, however, the word may be misused, or even attached to another word to reduce the implication. The term "Woods Witch" is a common example of this, being a word that describes a Spellcaster who has taken on a hermit-like life in a forest, and is often characterized by the use of herbs in their Spellcasting. Such people are no more unusual than any other magic user, though, and should not be confused with actual Witches.
Covens These are gatherings of like-minded people which are known as dangerous cults by Fortuna. Covens are collections of people who have come to worship a specific Natural-Born Witch of the past as a god, or occasionally even worshiping all of them. These people dedicate themselves to the ideologies and practices of the Witch they claim to serve, and though they will often refer to themselves as Witches as well, it should be noted that this is not actually the case unless they have taken The Pact.
However, there are ceremonies that many such covens conduct for doing just that. Typically on the day of birth of the Witch of the past that they serve, one among the Coven will step up to make a Dark Pact with a demon, whom the coven will summon forth from Ephilroa. That volunteer will then become a Witch, and dedicate their year of life to the service of their false god, often replicating famous acts of the dead witch. This activity is, of itself, already exceptionally dangerous and has made most governments in the world extremely strict about Covens from a legal standpoint. There are sometimes even task forces dedicated to finding and eliminating such gatherings.
But what makes matters worse is that these covens often target young, impressionable individuals in Fortuna for their ceremonies. They prey upon their insecurities and anxieties, and if they are successful enough, can even convince the victims to leave their homes behind and accept the coven as their new life. These abductees are then groomed into being the coven's next Witch, devastating the families from whence they came.
Witch Hunts History books indicate that in the past, Witch Hunts were not an uncommon practice. In a world where magic was already accepted as a natural force, Witches, who could misuse magic to extremely dangerous ends, were seen as abominable affronts to the gods, and paranoia over their presence resulted in many unnecessary deaths. One of the biggest tips that one may be dealing with a witch is in observing their use of many different kinds of magic; if someone is seen to be capable of this, especially with little effort, and they are not The Rielcian Supreme, there are many who would say that that someone is surely a Witch.
This can cause problems in the modern day, as there are Mages in the world who, through lots of time and dedication, could become skilled enough to wield several different magics. But one jealous colleague could angrily accuse them of being a Witch, and just like that the eye of scrutiny falls upon them. It is a very serious allegation to make, and though the classical Witch Hunts don't exist in most places nowadays as they did in the past, that doesn't make it any less of a potential stigma. And of course, depending on where you are, Witch Hunts can indeed still be a primitive practice that is in effect.
Magical Education While magic can be an inherent skill found in children when they are born, like any other skill it needs to be honed. Some mages will learn directly from a superior, but most attend a school that offers courses in magic. Many of these schools are located in Rielcia, and all of the most prestigious are, but there are purely magical schools in Malscure, Liesdro, Niseca, Submiere, Aissic, and Aurcaele; and there are schools that offer magic-based courses in Dirys, Fiamont, and Artavia.
Most purely magic based schools begin admission at age 15, though some exceptions are made in the case of prodigious children, and those of wealthy families. Before they attend these schools they are sent to regular school houses for basic education. In some parts of the world this basic education will also include some magical education, such as in Rielcia.
There are three stages to any blossoming mage's education, just as there are three stages of magic. In purely magic-based schools these also form the method by which a student's progress is marked.
There are different terms for magic users based on the depth of their magical education as described below.
Novice A novice is someone with a natural, in-born talent for magic who has no formal education. While most novices are children, there are many throughout the world who have no access to magical schools, but who have a natural talent. Even a greater number than that simply don't realize their inborne talents until they become older, and feel uncomfortable attending school with youths.
Apprentice An apprentice is someone currently receiving magical education. This period extends through their full exposure into the standard entry-level teachings of their chosen school. This level also includes mandatory classes in Magical History, Law, and Theory.
In order to graduate from this level a student but master all of the categories of spell from the Beginner curriculum of their chosen, or born school. They will be required to pass a practical exam testing their skills, as well as a written portion of the exam covering the laws, theory, and history of magic.
If an Apprentice passes their test with at least a "B" rank, they are given proof of their Alma Mater with the school they attended, and the title of Adept. They may then use their test scores and Alma Mater in an attempt to qualify for a higher ranked academy of their chosen school, may continue their studies at their current academy, or may choose to not continue their schooling at all.
Adept An Adept is a mage who has passed the final exam of an Apprentice. Most Adepts continue their education by selecting Electives that fit best with the natural way their magic manifests itself. For example: An Illusionist with a talent for visual illusion would continue their studies with optics; A predictive Diviner would work more on future-seeing based spells; A self-conjurer would learn more about teleportation and planesjumping.
These electives are difficult courses that take years to complete, though the exact amount of time varies for each mage. The average number of years it takes to complete an elective and master a set of Advanced spells within that elective is four. Once an Adept has completed an elective they may choose to be tested by a Proctor, who is a Master in the chosen subschool. If approved by the Proctor, the Adept can become a certified Expert, and may choose to continue their education as a Journeymage.
Expert An Expert is a mage who has completed at least one Advanced elective. They wield impressive power over their school, and is likely to find employment within the range of their chosen elective. Some Experts will choose to return to school to take further electives in a bid to expand their expertise.
Journeymage A Journeymage does not end their academic studies with mere Expertise. They apply to be assigned to a Master Mage, someone who can cast an Expert-level spell. Usually a Journeyman will apply to work with a Master of a certain spell that they wish to learn, though some wish to attempt the creation of their own spell and instead choose a Master within that same subgroup. A Journeymage will work under that Master for up to ten years before Mastering their own version of the Expert-level spell -- and they will then become a Master themselves.
Master A Master is a mage capable of casting an Expert-level spell. Almost all Masters in the world only learn one Master-level spell - even the Supreme of Rielcia - and are only capable of learning more than one with the direct aid of the Gods. A Master is the absolute pinnacle of magic. They are rare, and treated with utmost respect by those with magical education.
The skin OTHERWORLD was made by JAWN of WICKED WONDERLAND.
FORTUNA-RPG was created by MELLIE. Images belong to their respective artists. All codes and scripts belong to their respective coders. Please DO NOT take anything without the owners' permission.
