Gatian Elementalist Magic
The elementalist arcane tradition, whereby the magical world is viewed as being divided among the provinces of the primal elements, as it is known in the Gate Dimension. There are two major philosophical schools within Gatian Elementalist Magic: Zealan Traditionalism and Spectral Expansionism.
Contents
Zealan Traditionalism
In the Traditionalist view, the Elemental world was powered by only three cardinal elements: Water, Wind and Fire. All power and energy, according to Zealan thought, was derived from these elements. A fourth element, Shadow, was believed to be a combination of all three cardinal elements, and was reserved for only the most potent of Zeal's Enlightened Ones.
Water Magic
In the Traditionalist view, the school of Water Magic includes both spells dealing with the liquid water, as well as frozen ice. Usually, a wizard studying Water magic would learn to specialize in either offensive Water or Ice spells. The traditional Water school also includes a number of supportive spells and techniques, and is especially known for being a school associated with healing.
Wind Magic
Followers of the path of Wind rarely dealt with spells that affected actual breezes or gales; rather, they learned to channel lightning and electrical energy as offensive magic. The traditional Wind school also boasted one of the most impressive spells in the Gatian Elemental arsenal: Luminaire.
Fire Magic
In addition to your rudimentary fire-based magics, the Fire school also had some impressive defensive and shielding techniques. Though a primarily offensive school, Fire Mages lacked the awesome power of the Wind school's Luminaire.
Shadow Magic
Mastered only by the most powerful among the Enlightened, Shadow Mages typically learned spells from the three other schools before they learned to perceive the Black Wind. As mixing between schools was generally frowned upon by Zeal's ruling class, the occurence of Shadow Mages was rare (outside that same ruling class, anyway).
The Traditionalists held sway for the entirety of the reign of Zeal, and after the fall of Zeal the Mystics of Medina were left to carry on the old ways. The secrets and practices were preserved in Zealingrad until magic again made a resurgence.
Spectral Expansionism
In the early 1000's, magic experienced something of a rebirth. Humanity in the Gate Dimension had been without the ability to use magic for thousands of years, but the rise of the Porrean Empire would change this. In the year 1005 AD, Porre invaded Guardia Proper, and again in 1017 AD Porrean forces landed on Acacia island in El Nido. Throughout the 1020's, Porrean soldiers would travel across the world, sieging and conquering as far distant as Chorras, Medina and Geno. It was this spread of Porrean soldiers that would bring magic's rebirth to humans everywhere, for while invading El Nido the Porrean Soldiers had come into contact with a practice of elementalist magic that the Nidoans had been practicing for generations. Several of the Porrean officers saw the potential to use this new magical ability as a weapon for conquest, and whole units of spellcasting soldiers were integrated into offensive formations. And where these soldiers went conquering, knowledge of the gifts they had aquired in El Nido spread with them.
Where did this practice come from? Was it developed natively, perhaps by the Dragonians, or was it a descendent of the ancient Zealan practices that were being hoarded by the covetous Medinans? None could say for sure, and none had the opportunity to properly study the lineage of this re-discovered ability before it was picked up and scattered.
Initially, humans could only channel this magic with the aid of charged stones, themselves called "Elements." With practice, however, and the passage of years, there was no need for such accoutrements. Eventually humans reclaimed full ability to shape mana, a legacy that would far outlive Porre's ill-fated imperialist ambitions.
The structure of the Expansionist method shatters the Traditionalist conventions of cardinal elements and schools. The Expansionists structure the elements into six opposing schools: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Shadow and Light. Each school is further sub-divided into two sub-schools, and there is often and constant mixing between multiple schools as a wizard advances and learns -- though it is still possible to specialize in a single school.
Fire Magic
Fire magic is divided into the sub-schools of Fire and Magma. Wizards who study in the Magma sub-school learn to attune themselves to geo-thermic processes, and conjure quantities of molten earth from the lower layers of the planet.
Water Magic
Water is sub-divided into the sub-schools of Water and Ice -- a formal distinction that Zealan Traditionalism refuses to make.
Earth and Wind Magic
These two schools -- called the Middle or Terrestrial Schools -- are a source of some confusion. There was a time when the Six Schools of Elements were known by color designations (because of the colors of the Element stones used as channelling aids by early wizards). While most of the elements had fairly obvious color designations (blue for water, red for fire, black for shadow and white for light), Green was the color of Wind and Nature magic, and Yellow was the color of Earth and Lightning magic. For whatever reason, the stones had mismatching aspects of the Earth and Wind elements juxtaposed quite unnaturally together with each other. As human wizards advanced in skill, and found little need to rely on the Element stones, the schools were re-codified: Earth and Nature became sub-schools of the greater Earth school, while Wind and Lightning became sub-schools of the Wind school. Yet, to this day, there are some wizards who refer to Green and Yellow magic when dealing with these schools.
Shadow Magic
Expansionist thought rejects the idea that Shadow elemental spells are a combination of any of the other elements, adhering instead to the theory of oppositionism, that Shadow's only relationship to any other element is as the polar opposite of Light. Shadow is further sub-divided into the sub-schools of Shadow and Gravity.
Light Magic
With sub-schools of Light and Heaven magics, mixes focused energy beams with Holy elemental effects. Of all the Expansionist schools, the Light school is the one most associated with healing and curative spells (though Wind and Water also have healing techniques associated with them).
Traditionalism vs. Expansionism
The conflict between these two opposing schools is an esoteric and silly one, having to do more with hierarchies, structures and the organization of spells than the actual practice and study of elemental magic.
Prominent Spellcasting Societies in Gate
- Wizardly Orders
- Order of the Prism- This order of Medinan sorcerers is based in the city of Zealingrad, and is as close to an arcane orthodoxy as Medina has ever had. The Order of the Prism adheres to strict Traditionalist conventions.
- Zealan Arts Preservation Society- A club for magicians that eventually became the Kingdom of Guardia's primary intelligence operation. Founded by Norstein Bekkler, the Society mixes both Traditionalist and Expansionist approaches, caring less for the philosophy of its members and agents than their ability with magic.
- The Preservers Academy- This relatively new sect of mages was founded after the Cleansing Wars, and their mission is to reverse the ecological damage done by Rajaat and his Defilers throughout the Gate Dimension. As they were founded in El Nido, their practice is founded on an Expansionist methodology; the Preservers tend to eschew the stodgy, overly-rigid ways of the Traditionalists.
- The Xenos- This organization was founded as a Human Supremacist group in Chorras, but it was taken by Rajaat and molded into an instrument of arcane destruction. The Defilers are neither Traditionalist nor Expansionist; their philosophy is one of blind hatred and destruction. It doesn't matter to them how their spells are categories or ordered in a hierarchy; all that matters is getting the most destructive effect possible regardless of the consequences.
- Religions
- The Magus Adventists- Shadventism has long held magical practice as a core tenet of the faith, since the primary deity of the religion was himself a wizard in his mortal life. Shadventists typically practice Traditionalist magic, but converts to the faith among Nidoan immigrants to Medina have brought with them Expansionist methodology.
- Church of Spekkio- Like the Magus, Spekkio is a deity whose concern is magic (among other things). The Spekkian priests are among the most stubborn Traditionalists you will find anywhere, and so Spekkian priests are adept in the four Cardinal Elements of their craft: Water, Wind, Fire and Shadow. Spekkian priests have, at times, been known to melt faces with Shadow spells.
- Draconicism- Since the breakdown of the elements of magic from Expansionist thought is either based on or coincidentally identical to the cosmological structure of the universe set down in Draconicist scripture, it's safe to say that the Draconicists see the world through Expansionist lenses.
- Church of Fiona- This nature-worshipping religion from central Zenan is the least Traditional of the major religions of Gate. Fiona's druids cast their spells primarily from the Middle Schools -- Earth and Wind -- schools which Traditionalist thought claims don't exist, or are stupid or bad, or something like that.
- Vodoun- The Vodoun really don't care either way for Traditionalism or Expansionism. They practice Shadow magic, and Shadow magic is recognized by both schools of thought. However, the Vodouns' creepy obsession with dead things is decidedly outside the realms of both major traditions.
