Schools of Magic

The College of Mages divides magic in 17 schools. The division is highly artificial; the magisters themselves will tell you that all magic is fundamentally the same thing. The reason for the divisions are twofold: the tradition of honouring the first 17 mages who founded the college and the time it takes to become skilful at any magical feat.   Although a gifted mage can theoretically perform any feat, it takes many years to become proficient in any discipline. In the college, all mages have a basic education across all the schools of magic when they are a neophyte. Once they have completed the neophyte level feats, they then become an acolyte focussing on whichever schools they are most interested in. To become an adept of a school, they must perform an adept level feat in that school. Theoretically, a mage could become an adept of many schools, but the time this would take limits the chances of this.   Each of the schools is head by a magister who is assisted by their chosen successor (the first adept). The schools represent magical disciplines or powers which a mage can exercise. The schools are also physical areas in the fortress headquarters of the College of Mages (each school has a wing or tower).   The schools are listed below and their associated feats outlined. The name of the current magister and first adept (who is the magister's deputy) is also given.  

The Imarion School of Arcana

Led by: Magister Abrelran Masixcordian and First Adept Maloanasi
Summary: One of the Mysticism Schools, this school focusses on the fundamental mysteries on magic. Its students study metaphysics, cosmology, theology and sacred geometry. The feats of this school involve manipulating reality on a fundamental level and interacting with the spirit world, Arcania.
Feats: At neophyte level, this school teaches its students to draw magic from Arcania and command it. At acolyte level, students learn to sense magical energy and to begin to interact with the spirit world. At adept level, students learn to project their mind into the spirit world through focus and meditation and can begin to uncover secrets in the spirit world. At magister level, the master can freely explore Arcania in a trance like state, manipulating the flow of magically energy with ease.
Boundaries: Interacting with the spirit world is dangerous and can lead to insanity in the long term. Mages can also become possessed by spirits, or lost in Arcania. Drawing magic into the world is fundamentally dangerous because of its chaotic nature; those without the willpower to control it may cause disasters.  

The Vallus School of Transmutation

Led by: Magister Ama'at Ts'ana and First Adept Arman Lin Bolsevan
Summary: One of the Transfiguration Schools, this school focusses on the properties of materials. Its students study material properties and their physical consequences. The feats of this school involve altering material properties or even the material itself.
Feats: at neophyte level, this school teaches its students to make very slight adjustments to material properties such as density or colour. At acolyte level, students learn to make more substantial changes. At adept level, students learn to make major alterations to material properties, for example making glass opaque of making wood denser than water so that it sinks. At magister level, the master can convert one material to another, for example, changing iron into silver.
Boundaries: Transmutations are very time-consuming and require a great deal of focus. When the caster loses focus, the transmutation may simply reset or may even go entirely wrong. There are many stories of mages accidentally turning their samples into gas. When a transmutation is successful, it may still have unfortunate features, for example, when turning wood into gold, only a tiny amount may be produces or it may be extremely impure. It is also not possible for a mage to create a material they are not familiar with.  

The Martiria School of Destruction

Led by: Magister Raviana and First Adept Vanr Volgorsjunne
Summary: One of the Energetics Schools, this school focusses on damage and decay. Its students study explosions, decay, weathering and erosion. The feats of this school involve causing damage to objects or even to living things.
Feats: At neophyte level, this school teaches its students to cause minor levels of damage and decay for example tearing fabric or wilting plants rapidly. At acolyte level, students learn to cause more substantial damage, they may begin to cause small explosions at this level. At adept level, students learn to cause considerably damage with larger explosions, splitting wood and shattering glass. At magister level, the master can damage even very hard materials, splitting stone or crystal and creating large explosions.
Boundaries: As may be obvious, destruction magic is very likely to cause injury. It is all to easy for mage to split his own hand rather than the stone he is working on, if his focus is inadequate.  

The Dianos School of Creation

Led by: Magister Rarnir Vos Venallian, seat of the first adept vacant
Summary: One of the Mysticism Schools, this school focusses on the creation of matter or energy directly from magic. It also considers the related subject of the end of things and the annihilation of matter. Its students study theories about the creation of the Universe and its end. The feats of this school involve creating matter or energy from raw magic and also converting matter and energy into magic.
Feats: At neophyte level, this school is almost entirely theoretical. A priori creation is extremely difficult. A neophyte might be able to materialise a drop of water from raw magic but is unlikely to manage anything more substantial. At acolyte level, students learn to create larger amounts of substance although still nothing more than around 10g of simple matter. An acolyte might also begin to study annihilation of matter. At adept level, students can create larger amounts of matter, perhaps even 100g or can begin to create more complex forms or composite materials. An adept can also annihilate small amounts of matter. At magister level, the master can produce large amounts of material, perhaps even a kilo. With great focus, the master can also annihilate matter, converting it fully to magic which can they be used for other purposes.
Boundaries: Creation is arguably the most difficult discipline to progress in. It is therefore a fairly unpopular specialisation. Its magic could be dangerous but it is so difficult and weak that it rarely causes much damage. Most attempts at such magic simply fail. The main problem is that the mage much have such extremely clear focus and intent on the thing he is trying to create. To create water, a great deal of focussed study of water and its behaviour and properties must be done first so that the mage can properly align his intent with the nature of water.  

The Amarentus School of Divination

Led by: Archmage Borovar Lin Mastiran, First Adept Simian Raragasta
Summary: One of the Psionics Schools, this school focusses on knowledge and uncovering the unknown. Its students study time and the spirit world. They also study memory. The feats of this school seek to induce prophetic visions in the mage. The school relies on the fact that time are space are flexible in the spirit world and that the spirit world is highly sensitive to the thoughts and feelings of mortals. In this way, the spirit world can record echoes of events in the physical world even before they actually happen.
Feats: At neophyte level, the mage learns to tap into the memories of the spirit world. The spirit world is highly reactive to the affairs of mortals and echoes of the past can be preserved. Neophytes learn to control their visions of the past more carefully. They may also learn to see things happening in distant places through the spirit world where distance works differently. At acolyte level, students learn to see a very short time into the future perhaps only a few minutes. At adept level, students can call forth images of various possible futures perhaps up to an hour ahead of them happening. They can also see fragments of the past from different perspectives. At magister level, the master may have visions of distant possible futures. They may also have more details visions of the past and perhaps be able to easily see the present from many different familiar locations.
Boundaries: Divination is a popular school but not without its dangers. Spending to much time in visions can leave the sorcerer's mind addled and confused. Prophecies can also be misleading: they may only represent one possible future and can even be biased, they are records of future thoughts and feelings after all. There are also cases of sorcerers who get stuck, only able to experience that which happened a few minutes ago, or which will happen a few minutes in the future.  

The Amnios School of Restoration

Led by: Magister Sumneran Vargaran, First Adept Osmalora
Summary: One of the Benefaction Schools, this school focusses on healing wounds and diseases. Its students study medicine and anatomy. The feats of this school involve healing wounds and curing diseases by manipulating the body's ability to grow and heal.
Feats: at neophyte level, this school teaches its students to heal small grazes and bruises and to care for the ill with magic to encourage their recovery. At acolyte level, students learn to rapidly heal larger gashes and bruises and to speed the recovery process for the sick. At adept level, students are able to instantly heal small wounds and cast out minor illnesses. Adepts might also learn to prevent poison. At magister level, the master can halve or even quarter recovery times for their patients. They may be able to seal large wounds instantly and even reset broken bones.
Boundaries: Restoration is highly in demand. When leaders of the north-west M'dian nations request Court Wizards, they often request restoration specialists to protect them from assassination or illness. However, when restoration goes wrong it can be rapidly deadly. Introducing magical corruption into the bodies of their patients, mages who slip up during a restoration spell can very often maim or deform their patients.  

The Falesta School of Animation

Led by: Magister Mirian San Estanam, First Adept Soamarin
Summary: One of the Energetics Schools, this school focusses on motion. Its students study forces and kinematics. The feats of this school involve causing motion in objects.
Feats: at neophyte level, this school teaches its students to levitate, push or pull light objects. At acolyte level, students learn to maintain more careful control over the motion of light objects. At adept level, students learn to move heavier objects and even to manipulate fluids. At magister level, the master can move heavy objects with fine control.
Boundaries: Animation is mostly limited by the weight of objects. The state of the object also matters. Fluids are much harder to animate than solids.  

The Astaris School of Invocation

Led by: Magister Suman'kh'en, First Adept Riviani
Summary: One of the Mysticism Schools, this school focusses on spirits and demons. Its students study spirits and their behaviour and nature. The feats of this school involve summoning and communicating with spirits.
Feats: at neophyte level, this school teaches its students the existing theories about the nature of spirits. Neophytes learn to sense the presence of spirits and some of the basics about how to deal with angry spirits. At acolyte level, students learn to listen for the whisperings of the spirits and possibly to speak directly to spirits. Acolytes also learn more advance techniques for calming demons. At adept level, students learn to call out to spirits when needed and to ask them questions. At magister level, the master can summon spirits and consistently cast demons back into the spirit world.
Boundaries: Spirits and demons are confusing and untrustworthy. A mage who is not careful can become possessed. Spirits and demons have little power in the physical world without a mortal helping them. Mages who summon spirits can lose control of the spirit or of themselves.