Issue 05: Magic and Rituals
#6 of Daracoss for Dummies
Issue 05: Magic and Rituals
Thank you for choosing a product from the Daracoss Tourism Agency (a company of the Five Dragons Corporation).
Magic is omnipresent in Daracoss. The fleeting energy that arises from the throbbing rhythm of balance.
This issue does not deal in detail with magic and its subspecies and is in no way a basic training or similar in order to be able to implement the aforementioned practices. (The use of magic requires an existing access and the necessary knowledge of the required ingredients, sayings and language). If you have any questions that are more relevant to the topic, you should seek the advice of a specialist. (Careless use of magic, especially in the area of summoning, can have serious consequences, which not only endanger your life, but can also cause enormous collateral damage!)
Magic
The magic requires a so-called Access. The Access is the ability to focus the energies of magic and to subject them to the will of the caster. This can give it the desired shape. The strength potential of such an access strongly depends on the species and the focus.
Some species show natural resistance to the effects of magic, which in turn makes it very difficult for them to use magic themselves. The best known example are the dwarfs. Their resistance significantly reduces the effects of spells applied to them. It does not matter whether it is an attack spell or a healing summon. Magicians from the ranks of the dwarves are therefore scarce, and if so, they have a poor access.
The elves, on the other hand, have a natural bond with magic. For those with one access, this manifests itself with an intensification of the magic effects without increasing the required amount of willpower. However, it also makes this property more sensitive to the effects of magical effects.
Each species reacts differently to the effects or shows certain resistances.
The use of magic is strongly linked to the emotions of the caster, which is manifested in the focus of his access. The focus is the actual strength of the access and is decisive whether the access opens or not, or whether the caster can conjure or not.
The type of focus also indirectly determines the potential of access and is strongly dependent on the emotion associated with it.
These would be:
Anger
Love
Serenity
Satisfaction
Proud
Courage
The triggering emotions are often a mixture of the named states. If you want to use magic you need an open access and to open it for the first time you need a strong emotional reaction that corresponds to the focus of the access.
However, it should also be borne in mind that the focus is weakened by opposite feelings. As an example: In the case of a wizard with a focus on love, the potential of his access increases with the increasing strength of this feeling. He is able to release great powers as long as this feeling burns strong enough. However, if this love dries up or goes out, this can lead to the blocking of his access.
Love and anger are among the most powerful, but also among the most unpredictable. A love can dry up from one moment to the next, or in a tantrum you forget your own limits.
Which brings us to the next point. In addition to access and focus, you also need willpower. A wizard's willpower is best compared to a warrior's stamina. Every use of magic, be it a mighty wall of fire to burn his enemies or just a small spark to ignite the pipe tobacco, consumes the willpower of the caster. The cost of willpower increases in proportion to the effect you want to achieve. The more it is consumed, the weaker he becomes. Like a warrior who swings his weapon too often and has to take a deep breath. However, the comparison ends here.
Usually, when a wizard reaches its limits, the effect of the spell fails, causing the caster to collapse exhausted. In the worst case, he loses consciousness. But the focus also plays a role here. When a magician has reached his limit and still enforces his will to perform a spell that requires more willpower than he has left. So his access compensates for the lack of willpower by tapping into his life power. So there is a gradual change to blood-magic. The magic works immediately and also immediately demands its price. This type of magic is able to kill its casters. As with endurance training, the upper limit of willpower can be increased with constant repetition and using.
Blood-magic is an enormously powerful form of magic, but it is also one of the most dangerous. The potential can be increased almost immeasurably if enough vitality is available. Blood-magic doesn't matter whether this is your own or tapped by a "volunteer". This form originally came from the realm of the demons and the targeted use of this is prohibited in Daracoss under punishment.
The magic itself is divided into three types and six groups.
The three types are: Elemental-Magic, Primal-Magic and Summoning.
The groups are as follows: fire, earth, water, air, life and death.
Elemental magic is the simplest form and requires no ingredients or words to use it. With an open access, it is enough to imagine the desired effect and the rest is done by the access. However, this only applies to the elemental-magic as it occurs in the groups fire, water, earth and air. Summons are structured differently and require spoken words and, depending on the desired effect, ingredients in fixed quantities. The groups life and death are located in the type of summoning.
Summons includes also the temporary and permanent summoning of servants or creatures from other worlds. Calling the creature is only a small part here. The caster must also have a strong enough will to control the called servant, otherwise they may develop into a danger for everyone. Animating items and creating golems is also one of the summons.
Primal-magic is the oldest known form of magic. Roughly speaking, this is a mixture of elemental-magic and summoning, since it basically does not require any ingredients, but works with seals. The target person or the target area is marked with the seal. Since the effects of the primal-magic are much stronger, the costs of willpower are also significantly different. A usage always skims everything that the caster has in terms of willpower, regardless of how experienced this may be and also has no influence on the result. The only thing that effectively affects the amount is the amount of time it takes to focus it. Finally, the summoning verse must be spoken to assign the desired effect to the energy. This verse must be written in the language of the ancients. The meaning of the used words has an enormous influence on the strength of the effect, which can be stronger, weaker, or with the opposite verse canceled out. Since the language of the ancients is largely in the realm of oblivion, there are only a few fully translated verses left.
Imprinting
Most people understand an imprinting as the connection of two loving souls to one another, who want to be together forever. As romantic as this thought may be, an imprint is not as crude as this sentence suggests.
An imprinting can have different forms and levels, which can develop independently.
There is the static imprint and the natural imprint. A static imprint is the connection between two individuals, created with primal-magic. The individual stages of the imprinting can be applied here and their effects are immediately effective. The natural imprint arises automatically and wanders through, provided that the people concerned use it actively, the stages in turn and develops further. However, the natural form is very rare and only then rarely develops to the last stage. The best-known sign of an imprinting is the short and often difficult-to-recognize sparkle in the eyes when the connected people look into each other's eyes.
The levels are the same for both variants:
Mental Imprint
Complete Imprint
Soul bond
A mental imprint, as the name suggests, is a purely mental connection. Affected are able to communicate with each other mentally and can hear the thoughts of the other. This form is used specifically for the dragon and gryphon riders of the Academy in Sullfar, but only in this form.
A complete imprint is of a stronger nature. Those affected can not only share their thoughts, they also share feelings and pain. The other also feels a wound inflicted on one. If diseases affect only one of the two, both show the symptoms of this. It is the same with happy moments. When one experiences a sense of achievement, the other feels this euphoria as well. This type of imprint is strong and the increase to the last level is only a small step.
The soul bond is the last stage of the imprint. Affected shares everything together. Memories, thoughts, feelings, even death. Should either of them find death, in whatever way, the other would inevitably be carried away.
However, these levels show minor differences between the static and the natural variant. With static imprinting, the effects are effective immediately depending on the level. With natural imprinting, this develops with the time spent together. The natural imprint is also stronger in direct comparison to the static one. What is already evident at the first meeting. You have the feeling that you already know him or her. Then comes the urge to see him/her again. The attraction is undeniably strong and can even take delusional forms if it is not yielded to. When there is a large distance between them, those affected feel uncomfortable and weaker, depending on the distance and period of separation, this can vary until they are reunited with their partner.
Dissolving an imprinting is easily possible in the first stage. From the second stage, however, this becomes more difficult. Depending on the development, a disconnection from the two is associated with enormous pain or one of the two dies during the procedure. The last stage is impossible to separate without killing either of them.
Medium
By a so-called medium we mean an object that channels the access of the caster more strongly. In other words, stronger spells can be cast at a smaller part of the willpower cost.
A medium can be anything. From a piece of clothing to a weapon or tool. The most popular are jewelry such as rings or necklaces. In the older generation, however, the staff has also established itself as a favorite. However, the quality of the medium does not depend on its shape, but depends on the quality of the catalyst used for it. The catalyst consists of a pure gemstone or crystal. The type is not important, but the purity determines the efficiency that the medium can achieve. The purity levels of gemstones and crystals are: damaged, faulty, standard, flawless and perfect. These levels have different influences and can be as follows:
Damaged: Effect increase 8%, cost reduction 15%
- Faulty: Effect increase 10%, cost reduction 20%
- Standard: Effect increase 15%, cost reduction 25%
- Flawless: Effect increase 20%, cost reduction 35%
- Perfect: Effect increase 30%, cost reduction 50%
As you can see in the list, the higher-level gemstones and crystals offer a considerable advantage, but the procurement of such catalysts entails greater risks or a large amount of money. But these are not the only options for a catalyst. Scales from guardiandragons or the "Tears of Wyverex" can also be used. These rare catalysts make up the strongest medias found in Daracoss. The scales are particularly effective when the element associated with them is knitted. The exception to this are Kyleth's scales.
Scale of a guardiandragon: Effect increase 50% (75% for effects of the element inherent in the guardian), cost reduction 70%
Guardiandragoness Kyleth's Scale: Effect increase 75%, cost reduction 75%
Tear of Wyverex: Effect increase 60%, cost reduction 60%
Becoming such a powerful catalyst is not easy. The guardindragons don't just lose their scales, as is the case with ordinary dragons. If so, only in combat or as a gift. But let's be honest, both are extremely improbable. By comparison, Tears of Wyverex are the easiest to get. It is only necessary to overcome the levels of the Deathtrap labyrinth under the Dead Mountain and to reach the treasury of Wyverex. (Note to travelers: The Deathtrap-Labyrinth is a constantly changing maze over several levels in which countless monsters and traps are hidden and is considered the greatest challenge in Daracoss among adventurers. Entering without suitable equipment and preparation is tantamount to suicide!)
Now that you have all the materials for the medium together, all you need is the support of a magician who has the knowledge of manufacturing and some of your own blood. The blood has an important role in the manufacturing process, because it imprints the medium on the respective magician, and is therefore only of full benefit to him. A foreign medium can be used to apply magic. Depending on the catalyst used, enormous forces can be released. However, it must be taken into account here that the increase in effects is present, but not to the full extent and the cost reduction is not noticeable. Even more, the willpower consumption is tripled. In the case of a rare catalyst, the amount is even four times. So it is up to everyone else to take this risk.
Archon-dragons and magic griffins are released from the use of a medium, or in other words: their bodies act as a living catalysts. Even if they use a medium, they would have no benefit from it. Since their magic is one of the strongest in comparison to the rest of the folks, they can easily keep up with the rare catalysts.
Gift of the Voice
The gift of the voice is a magically created mouthpiece to make your own voice audible to others. The gift of the voice was used by the Archon in ages before the Guardians. As some may be aware, dragons or griffins are anatomically unable to speak, like a human can. The Gift of the Voice gives them the opportunity to share their thoughts as spoken words. These can be heard as normal spoken words (dragons and griffins symbolically move their lower jaws so that it is clear who is speaking, even if this has no influence), or communicated as a voice of thought. In the latter, they have specific control over who hears and who doesn't.
Archon dragons are born with this gift and must train it carefully, like a toddler starting to speak. And the initial babble gradually turns into a well-formed voice. Magic griffins also use this gift.
Many rumors say that the dragons and griffins living in the Dragons Dogma should all have the Gift of the Voice without exception. However, this cannot be confirmed because it is not possible to safely cross their border. (Note for travelers: The Dragons Dogma is considered as a restricted area and is ruthlessly defended by the dragons and griffins living there. It is strongly advised not to exceed their borders!)