The ten essences
Every glow has a colour
Magic on Temar is the shaping of essences. Each glows its own colour when worked. They are listed here from the easiest to the hardest to master.
Mana
glows transparentThe raw stuff of magic. Every race can store it.
Water
glows aquaFlow, cleansing and cold.
Earth
glows orangeStone, metal and soil.
Air
glows yellowWind, breath and flight.
Fire
glows redHeat and light in motion.
Storm
glows purpleLightning and thunder.
Life
glows greenGrowth, healing — and poison.
Light
glows whiteClarity, sight and illusion.
Mind
glows blueThought, will and memory.
Cosmic
glows blackThe hardest of all to touch.
The nine arts
What a mage can do
Every working of magic is one of nine arts, from the cheapest to the costliest. It is always easier to break something than to make it.
- DetectSense an essence and where it is.
- PreserveHold an essence in place so it doesn’t fade.
- AttractDraw an essence toward you.
- RepelPush it away.
- UnbindBreak what holds it together. Always easier than…
- Bind…binding it together.
- ImbuePour essence into a thing or a person.
- ExtractDraw essence back out.
- ConvertTurn one thing into another. The costliest art of all.
Affinity
Every being has an affinity, from 0 to 10, for each essence. Elves lean to life and mana; dwarves to earth and fire; Farisi to air; imps to mind. Humans won the power to store mana only through generations of experiment — and their affinities vary from person to person.
Five tiers of mastery
Each art deepens through five tiers as a mage’s skill grows. A sixth tier is whispered about.
Mana shaping
Raw mana can be shaped. Ten shapes are taught, each more complex than the last:
Souvenirs
Power gems & crystals
Gems and crystals hold essence outside the body. A gem is far more than a pretty stone, and priced accordingly.
The beginner’s crystal. Several weeks at an inn for one stone.
Serious tools for serious mages. Ask to see the essence glow before you buy.
Diamond for mana, emerald for life. For the very wealthy only.
The law
Magic and the visitor
Magic is feared, outlawed or tightly controlled in many lands. Before you so much as glow, check the local rules.
Western Canbria
All magic has been illegal since 1370.
The treaty kingdoms
A grand coalition of kingdoms greatly restricts the use of magic.
Fosbane, Patana & beyond
Small mages’ guilds and court magicians exist. Someone, somewhere, is keeping an eye on all of them.
