Counterspells

Counterspells are a wide variety of small spells used to counter other forms of magic from being cast. Due to not being one singular spell but rather a category of them derived from various forms, they can have a wide array of effects outside of their main purpose: preventing casting. In general, the vast majority of counterspell magics work by way of interrupting a magic user's train of thought and concentration in order to make their cast fail.

Blinds- blind spells are often used as counterspells due to obscuring line of sight with a target or preventing a caster from seeing entirely. The latter will almost always cause a magic user to stop their cast, due to the danger it presents to themselves, though in cases of the former, apprentices and masters alike will oftentimes ignore the blind and rely on intuition.   Silences- Generally falling under wind mana or air based magics, silences are only effective against spells that utilize sound. Often, they generally work by preventing or delaying sound waves from being formed entirely. Some silences are also considered to be echo spells- causing sound waves to reverberate in a given area, reflecting the spell back onto its caster.   Sound trap counters- The direct opposite of a silence spell, by way of producing incredibly shrill or annoying noises to startle a caster out of their concentration. These spells are incredibly effective as they are designed to be quite loud, startling event hardened spellcasters with decades of experience. Many sound trap counterspells may be tuned to also cause mild pain, forcing a caster to stop action to cover their ears.   Movement restriction spells- A wide variety of spells that restrict movement are effective counterspells to all forms of mana, preventing a user from moving their aura to fuel spellwork effectively. Though they don't prevent all usage, these spells can prevent the most devastating of casts from being used. Oftentimes, movement restriction spells fall under forms of mind control, though there are cases of wind mana, blood magic, and earth mana being used to prevent one from moving as well.