Magic on Kallos

All intelligent species on Planet Kallos have arcanists. Individuals particularly gifted with magic inclination, beyond the normal for their race. Basic affinity for magic varies from one group to the next, and few races can be compared to the elves in how many arcanists they have for every 10.000 individuals. To that, they are ad a higher than usual general affinity for magic, among non-arcanists. And, their long lives give them time to refine their powers to amazing levels.

Talent and discipline being common traits among different branches of the Elven Tree. The Moon Elves, of grey skin, white hair, and silver eyes, are The most proud and dominant among the vassals of King Roebar, in the South region of his domains. The upala sovereign on Cinnabar Castle, closer to the north limits of Mushroom Mountains, is mercifully distant from their cities and daily affairs. The fall of this metal fruit from the skies, full of strange creatures, unfortunately brough the attention of the Upala Sovereign to this region.

Elves are reputed to be all warriors and adept-arcanists, both. That is a misconception most of them are proud of. However, the Moon Elves are less inclined to open war, and more competent as spies and assassins than most Branches. Since information was the first interest of their upala master, they had more to offer than the brute orcs who plage the region, under the same upala Governor.

Green haired and green, red or brow skinned, the wild Forest Elves are inferior vassals of the Moon Elves themselves, and said to have some orc blood in their veins. Often used as muscle and sentinels by their more noble cousins the Forest Elves were the first elves to die, when the Star-Demons started their campaign to clean the forest around their Metallic Fruit, fallen from the sky, to be turned into their fortress.

The orcs did raids purposefully chaotic and inept, sending young unprepared commoners, mostly, to lure the star demons in a false sense of safety. While the orc chiefs and the Moon Elves studied the reaction. Strengths and weaknesses.

Elves captured some demons, to study them. The star demons call themselves “humaan , the elves discovered.

King Roebar himself flied from his mountain, whit 300 warriors of his Royal Guard, mounted on Ferral Bats. In classic upala fashion only they themselves know how many of those baths are intelligent bagrows with upala blood in their veins, how many are actually upala warriors in Ferral Bat shape. How many are just particularly large and ferocious Ferral Bats. And what can be said to the mounts applies just as well to the armoured warriors on their backs.

This flexibility, granted by their natural shapeshifting powers, is a great advantage. Enemies and traitors never know what expect. The telepathy, also natural to the upala, grants them one extra edge. They usually have privileged information about what to expect from their foes.

Is not unrealistic to expect, in addition to that, that all the Royal Guard is composed by adepts. The upala have even more arcanists than the Moon Elves, and the Royal Guard is among the most prestigious positions for powerful adepts.

The most common defensive power on Kallos, for adepts, is the Aura. A ****-field that surrounds the adept-arcanist. Some can extend it as far as 6 meters in all directions, but it surrounds the adapt only one step away from his skin.

Is possible to learn countless uses for that translucent shield. And to pile multiple effects in the same aura do not consumes additional spirit. Usually, the aura only protects against arrows, stones, and any other physical projectile. Is possible to make it an effective protection against offensive spells as well. Against rain, strong winds, insects. A thermic insulator. Is even possible to use the aura for healing by using it to filter diseases. Also, the Moon Elves are particularly skilled in use the aura to hide sounds and leave no trace of their smell to be followed.

Most adepts can keep the protection for a few minutes or less, stopping to rest for half a minute before continue. Some masters can keep the protection for over twelve hours, before rest for a couple of minutes. Those are rare individuals, and they usually explore the advantage as much as possible. Learning all the effects they can master.

The second line of defence, is the Arcane-Armour. It is an armour of solid light that covers the body. Imitating physical armour, but with a weight that changes accordingly to the will of the adept.

This protective spell is far more solid than the aura and grants huge advantage in movements for those who know how to use it properly. Skilled arcanists with that spell can almost fly, and are extremely hard to push back. Their blows carry the weight of their spell, heavier than any armour, and the weight changes in direction to help the arcanist move faster. The armour prevents impact and cut from physical weapons. And the arcane-armour can change its appearance, to make the arcanist almost completely invisible.

The armour is easier to sustain for longe periods than the aura. Some adepts even sleep inside it. Extremely effectives against physical attacks, and very powerful for melee combat, arcane-armour is less versatile than the arcane aura. Do not protect against offensive spells, and cannot be extended to provide protection for others. The best an arcanist can to is place his own body between a treat and the person he wishes to protect.

Arcane-Shield is the third defensive spell. The last one in the list of strict and proper defensive tools provided by magic on Kallos. It is between the other two in terms of how solid it looks. Harder to sustain than the armour, easier than the aura, the shield only protects one direction. It is tailored to protect against offensive magic, and is more effective to that than the aura. Also, the Arcane-Shield is the only protection that can be reasonably effective against physical projectiles enchanted with magic. Usually Arcane-Shields are useless against normal, physical, weapons. They stop enchanted weapons fairly well.

Of all three, the arcane-shield is the harder to master, and less common to find. Even rarer are those arcanist shield masters who managed to develop the shield so much that they can stop physical arrows with it, and even use multiple shields on the same time. Takes a lot of spirit to fight like that.

Defensive magic is powerful. Arcane Filtering allow the arcanist ways to heal from magical and physical wounds. Grow strength and stamina beyond the limits of biological species. Slow aging, survive without food or water, even permanently change some parts of the body.

Arcane Filtering is also the tool to mind-control temporarily, and mind-**** permanently other people. Orcs value the physical effects in themselves and others, to strength their tribes. Make one generation larger and stronger than the previous. Elves often prefer to apply the power to mind-manipulation.

Finally, arcane-filtering can be used to, and is necessary to, implant magical effects in objects, places, or living beings. The arcanist can grant verbal intelligence to animals and plants, connect himself the them, and use them as effective drones to spy what happens at some distance. Is possible to even create constructs of pure spirit, the perfect spies, invisible to all except those capable to detect subtle movements in the arcane energy around them.

Filter spells are as variated as they are hard to master.

And the last kind of arcane spell is the offensive. Direct use of spirit to provoke fast, explosive, effects. This can be used outside combat situations, to cut trees and light fires, for instance. However, the main use it has is all too obvious.

The investigations suggested something hard to believe, confirmed later.

Always was believed that all living things, and some elemental unpersonal phenomenon, need spiritual seeds to exist. There was never any living thing, much less a intelligent race, without this potential. In most individuals it is too weak to be used for spells, but it is always present. Even corpses, only lose it be decomposition, very slowly, in gradual fashion. The stellar demons, humans, have no spiritual seed.

Not one of them.

That means they will never be able to use magic, and are more **** to spells than any other living thing. With nothing in them to resist the will of an arcanist.

On the other hand, those demons came with weapons, materials and knowledge beyond what any race on Kallos even had.

A peculiar and unexpected combination. Between weakness and strength.

King Roebar had manifested interest for those demons since their arrival. His curiosity was clearly rewarded. Such a specie can disturb the harmony in his domains, test loyalties. Possibly even affect the balance of power in the entire Continent. His decision to pay direct personal attention to that subject was undeniably a wise one.