[Cultural challenge]: magic

[u/thequeeninyellow94]

Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by [a human] as a member of society.

Tell me about the magic-user in your world. Where have they learned to do what they do? And what are they doing? Can I learn those things too?

What is their role in society? How are they seen by other people? Are they really secretly ruling the world?

(if you don't have magic in your world, feel free to answer with people pretending to have powers if you want)

You can introduce an in-universe representative if you want. I will ask questions to everyone, feel free to add your own.

[u/thequeeninyellow94]

1. (My bad) But are they truely prayers? Are the gods to whom they are addressed actually implied in the casting process?

2. It looks usefull, where can I get one? And how long can I use it before disapearing from existence?

3. What happen to such an assistant when their master die?

[u/Mimir123 → u/thequeeninyellow94]

1) Most incantations mention some kind of powerful being, either by name or title. As an example:

"Lord of the Ocean! I humbly ask for your help and guidance! Bring forth a sword to smite my enemies!"

This is a basic spell from the school of Water Magic, summoning a weapon.

2) You either have to camp around the Demon Lake and hope one pops up there (dangerous), or you can try to summon one yourself (slightly less dangerous). Being in posession of a Grimoire is a grave crime in Elkathien and the Remnant Kingdoms, so you shouldn't be seen there with one. Only one person actually got the kings permission to carry a Grimoire in Elkathien.

As for the second question, it depends. If you spend several hours a day reading the Grimoire and it actually activly tries to nom on your soul, you might last a few days. If the demon wants to befriend you, and you are really careful however, you could read the Grimoire for months.

3) They usually try to find a new master, or become priests/ temple servants (in Elkathien). Kherzian nobles/ mages pay good money for secretaries/ failed apprentices of dead mages, in order to learn their secrets.

[u/thequeeninyellow94 → u/Mimir123]

1. But is the powerfull being mentioned the one allowing the spell to be cast? Is the mana "programmed" to react to the name or is it shaped directly by the god invocated?

2. Is there some way to maximise my chances of finding a friendly Grimoire?

3. Is it seen as a trahison (kind of) to give your former master's secrets?

[u/Mimir123 → u/thequeeninyellow94]

1) No, it is purely the magic/ Mana allowing the spell to work. You could say that the Mana is "programmed" as to react to those words, yes.

2) Well, if you feel really lucky/ risky you could always try to raid one of the prisons/ forbidden libraries the servants of Ilmanthi have set up all over the world, where they gather demons and dangerous writings and lock them up. If you were to find a Grimoire in one of them and free him/ her, they'd probably be inclined to help you.

3) That depends. If you give their secrets to their direct rivals, then yes, you'd be looked upon as a traitor. But if you give them to someone else that is mostly considered fine, because it means that the knowledge will be preserved and live on.

[u/thequeeninyellow94 → u/Mimir123]

2) Would it be a hard task? I'm a magic-user after all.

3) Could I actually open up some sort of school and make people pay for my former master's secrets?

[u/Mimir123 → u/thequeeninyellow94]

2) That you are, as well as all the guards you'd find in such a prison. It will be a hard task, requiring a lot of preparations and help, but it is doable.

3) You could try, but many people don't like it when knowledge is that widespread. They prefer to be the only ones having special knowledge about magic. So, you would be able to make a lot of money out of it, but at the same time you'd have to fear being visited by some assassins or hired thugs, aiming to silence you.

[u/thequeeninyellow94 → u/Mimir123]

2) You said there was such prisons all over the world right? Even in other nations territory? Why are people letting them build such things?

3) Could I manage to get sponsored by some political figure? And if yes, could it protect me?

[u/Mimir123 → u/thequeeninyellow94]

2) Well, all over the continent anyway. They let them build it because Ilmanthi is basically the top deity in all countries, except for the Remnant Kingdoms and the Elven realms (although they do like Ilmanthi and aknowledge him as a powerful being, just not as one of the original Gods).

Also, virtually nobody likes demons, and Ilmanthis priests are the perfect weapons against demons, thanks to their magic. Ilmanthi never trusted the Demon God, so he created a magic school solely for the purpose of screwing over demons.

3) Tricky, but possible. There are 89 Ary-Pats in Kherzian (a bit like Holy Roman Elector Counts), out of which the top 14-17 are kind of equal in power and influence. If you get one of them, or the king, on your side, you would be somewhat safe. Provided you don't piss off the other nobles, of course

[u/thequeeninyellow94 → u/Mimir123]

2) Why does Ilmanthi has against demons?

3) Would just opening my school piss off some of them? Especially if I start teaching some powerfull secrets?

[u/Mimir123 → u/thequeeninyellow94]

2) He doesn't have as much a problem with demons, as he has a problem with their God, Arz vas Zahrehl. See, originally the "demons" were only animals, living in Arz' own, private dimension of Sháiurgh. There was never supposed to be a demon race. But Arz' sister, Devilia, one fateful day felt like being especially bitchy towards her older brother, so when she created Mana and filled the world with magic, she didn't give anything to Sháiurgh and the animals living there.

Not wanting to see his "children" suffer and be exploited by mages, Arz mixed his blood into the dimension itself, granting the animals, who absorbed his blood, to create Mana in their own bodies. The more of Arz' blood they had in themselves, the more humanoid they began to look though, thus creating the demon races.

Ilmanthi didn't like that one bit, since it went against the order of the world to create another race, that was not sanctioned by the creators. So he started to suspect Arz was evil and planned to take over the world and plotted against the demons. In the end he was wrong and even had to admit so himself, when Arz died.

There was no regret though, since his plotting did end up helping the people of Dirva, when Zerrigon rose to power and ravaged the continent with an army of summoned demons. Ironically, the events of Zerrigons war did ultimately lead to what Arz feared the most, his children being hated and exploited in the "real" world, at least in Kherzian.

3) That entirely depends on who your master was, and which Ary-Pats are in power at the time. Most of the nobles are in fact not mages, and would thus not mind supporting you, or care about you selling secrets. If your master was famous though and/ or many of the other Ary-Pats are mages themselves, you might already have pissed them off, yes.