Greetings once again, Manny with you again this month at P. H. Solomon’s request.
This month we’re taking a break from all the exciting characters and diving into the more boring academic details of magic.
I know, it’s not as thrilling, but understanding the different schools of thought and teaching on magic is important. You’ve got shamans in Clo Clana and mages in Sestela, each with their own unique approaches. However, in the Gallantean Empire, there’s a whole academy dedicated to magical instruction. They even have rules and laws in place to make sure everyone stays safe as well as to protect the Empire.
But, let’s save those discussions for another time. Today, we’re going to focus on wands, or as they’re known in modern terms, casters.
Now, before you think of wooden sticks like you see in stories and myths, let me tell you that modern casters are made of metal. It’s all about durability, you know? Bronze and copper are the metals of choice since not all metals can properly transmit magic. Casters even have a nifty slide switch that mages use to activate specific spells in combination with just a spoken word.
Here’s the interesting part: each caster is unique to its owner.
Mages configure their wands to have the spells they commonly use. The types of magic a mage is capable of plays a role in which spells can be configured. For example, if a mage is really good with fire spells, you bet they’ll configure their wand with those.
You can’t just randomly combine spells of different elements or types of magic in a wand either. It could be downright dangerous or just plain ineffective.
That is, unless the mage is skilled in multiple kinds of magic such as an arch-mage. In such cases, then it’s a question of the spell purpose. Those spells of similar purpose can be paired on a wand such as defensive, attack, utilitarian, and so forth. It’s still a question of affinity, but the more skill and ability, the more a mage can do. But, some spells just done pair regardless.
So there you have it, a little insight into the world of wands and casters. There’s so much more to explore, but for now, that’s the basics.
Manny