Magic is a wonderfully wide and varied thing in the world of Ferdarchi. Essentially there are three types of magic. Magic spells, magic items, and magical effects. Magic spells are cast by the creatures of Ferdarchi. Magic items are things like swords and potions that have been imbued with some form of magical power. Magical effects are those which are a myriad of other things which aren't a spell, or an obvious item.
Let us begin with a short description of magical spells, and spell use. A common profession is that of the spell caster. This is someone who gathers the extranatural essence of the world around him, into a personal aura. They then use this aura to cast spells. As they cast spells, this aura is drained away, and they must rest until their aura is restored before they can cast more spells. There is a very wide array of available spells ranging from healing, to destruction, to communication, to summoning, to movement, to persuasion, to illusions, to the great and all mighty to the utterly frivolous. In addition to casting spells, some mages can also write scrolls. Scrolls are used for teaching spells, and they are also the most common type of magical item in the lands of Ferdarchi.
Magical items are very special, usually permanent items which are imbued with magical properties. These might be as simple as raising your strength, or offering spying, or teleportation, or a mental attacks on a command word. Simple items are fairly common, and easy to use, requiring nothing more than a command word, or to be worn. The latter are far more rare, and often the user is not aware of all the capabilities of the item they wield or wear. There are even items with a fair amount of ego and intelligence which try to influence the actions of their owners. They are very powerful, but also quite dangerous.
Magical effects are everything else. These are illusionary walls, or magical locks, or doors which must be channelled to in order to be opened. They cover a wide range, and tend to be created only by the most powerful of mages after much research and expense. Although there is some similarity and copycating, these effects tend to be somewhat unique in their workings and use. The most common effect to be mass duplicated was the doorways to the backrooms of the established shopkeepers. These doorways allow only the proprieter to pass, even if the proprieter is dead. One of the most peacefully unique is the garden tended by the healers of eristan which always grows roses, no matter what the season.
See also: channel, cast, scrolls, research, inscribe, show spells, and alignment.
July 96 -- Quest