Magic Theory and Use

Magic is a meta-physical entity that is able to cause events that would be normally impossible or difficult in non-magical circumstances. The most common manifestations of magic are spells, alchemy, and enchantry. Someone who performs magic can be called a Mage, Wizard, Witch, or Warlock.

This document is written from the point of view of Vanguard scholars and priests' writings in the Great Library

Spells
Spells are magical actions that are activated by mental means, usually by speaking from a special book that contains the words of the spell, or by mentally binding the spell to an object. Most spells consume some sort of physical item when they are cast, usually each time the spell is performed. Though spells can increase in efficiency or intensity with the experience of the mage, most find it more beneficial to learn a new and more advanced spell when their knowledge grows: a spell that naturally is more powerful.

Spell writing is an art that takes much dedication and experience, as well as many magical resources. Only the highest mages are known to create new spells, and it has been rumored they don't leave a room for months at a time until it is completed.

In recent years, magical spells have become more common in society, as they become a necessity because of the war. While the Vanguard does perform magic regularly, the Arcanians are much more advanced in their knowledge and study of spell-craft. The majority of Arcanians are able to cast a basic set of medium range spells.

Alchemy
Alchemy is the art of combining chemical ingredients to create magical substances that can perform certain tasks when ingested or applied to another person. Alchemy is considered to be the most basic form of magic, for it is the one closest to the standard physical world. Alchemy is usually performed with a brewing stand, which suspends bottles of the ingredients over a flame to heat them, and consistently mixes them. Any brewing stand of even nominal quality will be made from at least one Blaze Rod: the abdominal structure of a blaze.

The blaze rod is usually the central supporting structure of the brewing stand, and it serves a purpose of enabling fluids put in the stand to mix together more thoroughly than any other method possible.

The vast majority of useful potions require Netherwart as the first ingredient. After that, ingredients like sugar or ghast tears are added until the desired effect is achieved. The most commonly used potions are healing potions, and speed potions, though harmful posions are sometimes thrown at the enemy during a battle.

Arcane Knowledge
Arcane Knowledge is the basis of most magic besides Alchemy. Simply put, Arcane Knowledge is the sentience of the universe condensed into an entity that can dwell in the sentience of living creatures or in magically tuned materials. This entity is the knowledge that must be obtained in a person's subconscious that enables them to cast spells and interface with magic. When an individual learns a spell, they are actually programming their "deep mind" with the Arcane Knowledge related to that spell.

Arcane Knowledge is the portion of magic that is the most difficult to interface with, since it exists in a realm there is little access to. Wizards have build hundreds of complex and massive machines in the past to attempt to channel the power of the universe into a usable form. Most of these machines simply perform "randomized magic", which is usually either self-destructive or useless. The only successful channeling of Arcane Knowledge besides enchanting exist in structures created by the gods. These include the Blades of Arcos, the Shrouded Grove, and the Nether Heart.

Obsidian
Obsidian is a rock created when lava is cooled rapidly by water, and is one of the hardest materials in the world other than bedrock: un-breakable except by diamonds. The magical qualities of obsidian are commonly known to be levitation and magical directing. It is used in the construction and operation of relias, and in large magical weapons. It's levitation abilities can be utilized easily by engineers, but other qualities are only operated by high mages. It is also used to create portal frames, which utilizes its magical direction qualities.

Lapis Lazuli
Lapis Lazuli is a bright blue gem found in seams deep into the earth, and highly valued by the Vanguard for its purifying qualities. Its magical powers include psychological alteration, life force collection, and is held to bring the blessing of the gods by the Vanguard. When handled enough or struck, it will flake into a fine blue powder which is said to have adverse affects when inhaled or absorbed into the skin.

Redstone
Redstone is a red, brittle material mined deep in the earth, which almost immediately disintegrates into a fine powder. Redstone is able to sparkle with a dull light when heated, and stays sparkling indefinitely unless acted on by more redstone. These qualities are why it is used to transmit a signal between points along a trail of the dust on a flat surface. Whole careers have been made from understanding and applying the mechanics of redstone, and a wide variety of uses have been found for it. Other than transmitting an on or off state, it is rumored to be able to enhance the magical qualities of other things.

Diamond
Diamond is the most valuable mineral that can be mined, and is one of the hardest substances in existence in most circumstances. The only magical powers it is said to possess is the ability to hold magical energy better than other substances.

Netherrack
Netherrack is a red, flammable, and porous stone which most of the Nether is comprised of. It is brittle when sheared sideways, and will emit a fine red mist when heated. Its magical properties include burning practically forever, enabling flame related spells, interfacing with inter-dimensional aspects, and being used in Arcanian ceremony and tradition.

Soul Sand
Soul sand is a gritty, partially fluid substance found in the Nether. It is brown in color, and the natural swirls and ridges on its surface appear in the shape of faces. Though it is called a sand, it adheres to itself and can even stay suspended without support. Its most noticeable quality is the way it grabs onto feet as it is walked upon, slowing travel across it immensely. Its magical attributes include some use in Arcanian ceremony, and is rumored to be able to capture souls.

Glowstone
Glowstone is a yellow, glassy rock that emits a bright light constantly, and can be found in the Nether. This substance is easily sheared into blocks, or practically any shape it is needed. It grows from netherrack when, as the Arcanians put it, the netherrack becomes tainted with "Synegy". Synegy is the word Arcanians use to describe the magical energy of the Vanguard. Though Vanguard activity is supposed to taint netherrack in this way, it naturally grows in the Nether eratically, and the Vanguard state that the Arcanians are the ones who cause the glowstone. Either way, glowstone is used by all factions as a light source, and it is sometimes used in relation to portals.

Phloginate
Phloginate is a gas that is released when lava is converted into obsidian. It is useful because of its lighter than air property, which makes it valuable for airship balloons, and its ability to choke out fire. For example, a cloth balloon filled with Phloginate will burn when lit on fire, but that fire will be snuffed out once the hole becomes big enough for a sizable amount of phloginate to be let out. The balloon will most likely still deflate, but the balloon should not continue to burn up.

Enchanting
Enchanting is the magical art of imbuing an item with Arcane Knowlege, enabling it to perform tasks differently than it normally would. To enchant something, an enchanting table must be used, which is a diamond and obsidian block with a special enchanting book on top. Only the highest mages and wizards in the world know how to create an enchanting table, but most magical colleges and structures contain one. They are quite durable, so it is not uncommon to use a table that is many centuries old.

Enchanting also requires a certain amount of Arcane Essence, sometimes called "life force". It is collected by killing creatures or other people, and standing in their spot of death until the essence is absorbed. Most common people are incapable of detecting the motion of Arcane Essence, but it is possible to be trained to "see" it and measure the amount of life force currently possessed in you. The majority of people who use enchanting tables carry a detection amulet which displays the amount of magical essence within you on its surface.

When someone enchants an item, they must place it on top of the enchanting table and read the first line of the book on top of it. Immediately, the book will print out the names of various spells using the Arcane language, a language not discernable my anyone but those most learned in magic. Beside the title of each one, a value is printed which signifies the power of the enchantment. By touching the item to the desired enchantment label, the table will siphon the correct amount of life force from you and apply it to the held item.

The nature of enchantment tables is unknown by most who use them, but usually it is useful to simply repeat enchanting on objects until you achieve the desired random effect. These effects include blade sharpening, extra protection from armor, more powerful bows, extra efficiency for picks, and longer breath under water if applied to a helmet.

Most enchanting tables are surrounded by Arcane Tomes, which supply a place for Arcane Knowlege to dwell around the table. Since these tomes take so long to create, and are more difficult to assemble in great numbers, most enchanting tables do not have the maximum amount. As a general rule, the more Arcane Tomes that surround an enchanting table, the stronger the enchantment it creates will be.

According to Arcanian Scholars, The Cryptic Language on the books are from the Mostly Lost language of the Arcanians when they used to inhabit Arcania

Soul Gates
Originally a Pre-Nether Arcanian Tech which was called "Healing Shrines", These Soul Gates are different for the fact that they don't heal the wounded. Instead it binds their soul to the Gate and when they Die their Souls return to a newly built Body, this was the reason the Arcanians were able to weaken the Vanguard Empire to a remarkable level.

Relias/Airships
Airships are craft that have the ability to fly, but the most common and efficient type are those powered by obsidian. These are referred to as Relias, which is a Common Term. There are three types of Relias: obsidian propelled, obsidian lifted, and obsidian hybrid (or pure obsidian). These vary because of the many ways a relias can be configured, such as lifted by balloons and propelled by obsidian engines, or lifted and propelled by obsidian.

Charged Obsidian
Charged obsidian is created by imbuing a piece of obsidian with pure magical energy so as to cause it to act upon other things. This can only be done by experienced mages, or very complex magical machinery. The only machines to ever accomplish the task of charging obsidian are a device designed by the Vanguard magical society for use in the Vanguard relias yard, and a machine created by Rodney and Co. Relias Works within their airship factory. Both have most likely been destroyed in the last war.

Obsidian Engines
Obsidian engines are able to propel themselves and anything attached to them in a direction oposite the direction of their magical flow. These engines are made of a core of charged obsidian (enchanted obsidian in some cases), with redstone running along the top. Designs vary greatly in complexity and efficiency, and many modern engines require redstone as fuel.

Obsidian Levitation
Obsidian levitation is achieved by charging (sometimes enchanting) obsidian pieces and arranging them in relation to each other so as to keep them suspended. Naturally, charged obsidian positioned in an array stays at neutral levitation where it does not move up or down unless acted upon by outside forces, at which time it easily moves to a new position. Most relias work in this configuration, where the charged obsidian is in a neutral state and obsidian engines direct it up, down, and horizontally. Charged obsidian will not float without another piece positioned opposite to it to balance out the natural movement of the obsidian, and is most stable when it is in a matrix of four. Like most things, the more weight that is placed upon them the more obsidian has a tendency to be pushed downward. This means that for every amount of weight, there has to be a certain amount of obsidian supporting it to maintain neutral levitation.

This was an issue for early relias makers, as any amount of cargo they put on their ships would make them sink down. By chance, someone found that by placing redstone atop a block of diamond in the middle of their relias, the obsidian would automatically try to achieve neutral levitation!

The rule of keeping charged obsidian in a matrix so it can float is excluded when a single piece of charged obsidian is cut in two, and attached together with the halves reversed. This causes the assembly to maintain a specific position, and it takes tremendous force to move the device out of that position.

Balloon Levitation
Balloon levitation works by filling an air-tight cloth sack with phloginate ((A nod to phlogiston)), which is lighter than air, to pull a craft upwards. This is a cheaper form of lift than obsidian levitation, and is thus the most commonly seen method.

Purifiers
Purifiers were originally designed by Archbishop Elijah when he was young. The concept of a purifier is to protect a region from nether demons (Ghasts, Pigmen, Blazes) as well as prevent dark magics from being used. The later function was discovered when a turned Vanguard priest attempted to use fire magics in order to attack his once fellow Vanguards. His attack failed, and after investigation and testing, was discovered to be due to the Purifiers found throughout the city. The purifiers, in order to work, must be activated by a well-trained priest. Without being activated, the purifier is nothing more than a simple pillar.

How to use MagicSpells
The plugin we use for spells is called MagicSpells, but many things have been customized beyond the plugin's documentation, such as custom spells.

/cast is the base command for Spells.

/cast  is how you cast a spell.

/cast list will list the spells you know.

/cast bind is a spell that can be learned immediately, and it will bind a spell to an item that you hold in your hand. It is used like /cast bind 

Binding spells to objects is the preferred way to cast them, but make sure not to bind to objects you use often. A spell casts when you hold the bound item and swing your arm.

Some spells need an entity target to be cast, such as a player or a mob. You must be looking at a player or mob to cast these. Some spells are more like projectiles that will damage anyone near their impact area. Other spells give you enhanced attributes, and do not need a target.

Most spells require regents to be cast, and consume a set amount of the required items each time the spell is cast. Most spells have a cool down time also.

Spell Permissions
Not all spells are available to all factions, and many spells are faction specific. If you are unable to cast a spell (rather than not targeting right or not having regents) that means you don't have permission to cast it. Below is a running list of the spell permissions each faction has:

Spell Classes
Each spell takes of certain amount of skill and magical understanding to learn, and you will not be able to learn a spell if you are not in its spell class. Everyone starts out in the Alpha class, and may progress through classes named after the Greek alphabet. (Alpha, Beta, Gamma,...) Only mods can upgrade your class, and only after they have seen your character increase in their magical skill and knowledge. This is achieved by using magic in battle, training, and going to classes. The approximate time between levels is listed below, but may be changed in any case.

Alpha to Beta - 1 week of active magical roleplay. Beta to Gamma - 4 more weeks of active magical roleplay. Gamma to Delta - 6-7 more weeks of active magical roleplay. Delta to Epsilon - 8+ more weeks of active magical roleplay. Epsilon to Zeta - Forget about it. Zeta to Eta - We don't have that many spells. Eta to Theta - We give you the FTP codes to the server and admin status. (:P) Theta to Iota - You better know Java like Notch does. Iota to Kappa - Heck, we'll have made our own game by then.

(This is all subject to change)