Wielders of Magic

Magic is one of the fundamental powers in the Universe, the essence of which is Sahir, the God of Magic. With magic, lightning can be conjured, time can be stopped, barriers of fire erected, and long-forgotten secrets learned.

The vast majority of spells are ancient, having being formulated, tested, and perfected by mages long-gone. To master the strange lore of spells requires keen intelligence and long years of study. Mages strive by experimentation, guesswork, and sometimes arrogant and dangerous invention, to further their personal goals.

Eight schools of magic have been discovered. Each school is associated with a symbol and a specific colour, as illustrated overleaf. When a Detect Magic is used, the colour(s) of magic being observed is revealed. Note that a Detect Magic on an item or effect of divine origin may also reveal the colour of the deity to which the item is attuned.

Magic in Kalderesh

Magic is well-respected and widely employed in Kalderesh, and it is highly developed. Magic is employed to greatly assist various areas of technology: communication, information storage, warfare, and transportation, and to a lesser extent manufacturing and the living environment. Clerical magic greatly enhances the efficacy of medical technology. The diagram on page 179 illustrates the impact of magic.

Even a farmhand from some remote region will be familiar with some of the effects of magic, having seen some lesser spell performed at a market or festival. In larger settlements, inhabitants would be familiar with a spell caster fixings tools or clothes with magic, or creating wonderful fireworks and illusions during a town festival. They regard magic as special but no long extraordinary.

These laymen, however, have no understanding of how magic works or what its limitations are. They may even have unrealistic expectations of what magic can do. They certainly understand magic is a source of power, and may revere or even fear spellcasters.