Magic

Magic, a undeniable constant in the world of Avanima, is a form of natural energy that flows throughout almost everything in Avanima. It is infinitely more powerful than any fuel, unimaginably more complex than any machine, yet intuitive to understand and usable by individuals. Civilizations have always attempted to use it for their benefit. However, as shown by the Cyanni War, it can equally be a force for harm. Magic is the source of many wondrous powers, as well as many monsters and the Apogees.

A System of Opposites

Magic is based on 12 diametrically opposed (yet often complimentary) domains: Dark vs Light, Deceit vs Clarity, Fortune vs Fate, Chaos vs Order, Conviction vs Discipline, and Redemption vs Retribution. Each of these domains is the underlying current for two broad categories of power. These Domains of magic, as sets of completely opposite forces, mean that each is mutually exclusive to its twin. The further an individual progresses in one, the harder it is for them to delve into the other.
Contrast drives those who connect with magic as well, divided between those who control magic and those controlled by magic. Magicians are individuals of intelligent species that gain an intrinsic connection with their magic and become masters of it. The very fabric of reality channels through their power to achieve their goals. In contrast, Apogees are pure in their magic, but instead of them controlling this magic the magic controls them. Whether born naturally or a former member of another species, these creatures are more magic than matter and driven by the primal desires of it.

Personality and Magic

Though most of magic is based on opposites, the personality and morality of the individual using it doesn’t necessarily correlate. Good individuals may be naturally drawn to Light and its ability to help others with their healing abilities, but other light magicians may be indifferent to the good/evil conflict and merely seek to sell their services or heal themselves, and some may even create weapons of destruction with it. Just the same, magicians who seek Darkness may be the categorized as the stereotypical evil warlock, but even it has been the tool of heroic warriors with no other goal than defeating monster invasions or toppling tyrannical regimes.

Domains of Magic

Light Domain

Subdomains: Creation and Healing
Associated color(s): White and gold
Apogees: Risen
Symbol: the Sun
Light magic is the domain of creation and healing; it is the original source of all matter and life in this world. Magicians of this domain can heal wounds, cure diseases, repair damaged objects, and magically assemble things. The most advanced light magicians can even resurrect the dead or construct entire buildings in seconds.

Shadow Domain

Subdomains: Destruction and Corruption
Associated color(s): Purple and Black
Apogees: Fallen
Symbol: A Monster
Whereas light is the domain of creation and healing, dark magic is the opposite. It brings pain, hurt, poison, and decay into the world. Dark magic is the antithesis of civilization, the opposite to life itself. The Fallen are ravenous beasts that routinely slaughter caravans and raze cities. Its most well-known user, Tolagos, was a monster who directly led to the Cyanni War. However, unbeknownst to all but a few Avani, dark magic isn't necessarily evil.

Divination Domain

Subdomains: Vigilance and Foreordination
Associated color(s): Orange
Apogees: Awoken
Symbol: All seeing eye
Divination is the art of learning that which is unknown through magical means. It can be spying on a potential foe to learn their secrets, uncovering lost knowledge of events in the past, or even looking into the future. In any case, Divination is a valued tool of anyone who needs to know things. Magicians of this domain can uncover things that are supposed to be hidden, cast spells to absorb information quickly, create prophecies, and bypass illusions. However, the knowledge it provides can wrack the user with fear or overwhelm their minds if it isn't used carefully.

Deceit Domain

Subdomains: Concealment and Illusion
Associated color(s): White and Black
Apogees: Hidden
Symbol: A Cloak
Deceit, unlike its counterpart that reveals knowledge, focuses on diluting and concealing reality. This magic has a variety of spells associated with fabricating things that do not exist and hiding things that do. Magicians studying this domain can inflict lifelike hallucinations upon their targets, enhance their lies with spells that make them seem completely true, simulate lights and sounds that aren't there, or make entire objects or individuals invisible. It is often a tool of the magically-attuned thief or performer.

Fate Domain

Subdomains: Time and nature
Associated color(s): Light green and Dark Red
Apogees: Stolen
Symbol: A Gear
Fate is an interesting mechanism among the natural laws. Some believe that the future is set in stone and that nothing an individual can do will change it. Others contend that the future consists of probable outcomes that can be altered by the right actions in the present. More confusingly, magic indicates that both are true at the same time. This is the paradox that boggles magicians walking the path of Fate. Fate magicians gain the unfathomable ability to control time itself. They can freeze or slow things down in time, reverse objects or people to an earlier state, jump back in time, and on top of all of these things gain abilities related to the natural world, such as being able to grow plants and call wild animals to their aid. However, Fate magic is governed by magical rules that are so contradictory and convoluted that no magician could ever fully understand them, and if they run afoul of these rules an intended spell will simply fail without warning.

Fortune Domain

Subdomains: Luck and Prosperity
Associated color(s): Dark blue and Gold
Apogees: Chosen
Symbol: A golden star
The fortune domain is the magic of choice for any wannabe millionaire, prospector, gambler, or thief. With a variety of spells for locating or even creating valuable objects, it can be used to search for precious metals or other lucrative resources that can then be sold on the market. On top of that, users gain the ability to seemingly bend the hands of fate itself to the whims of their desires. A practitioner of this magic will almost always have the right cards in the deck, have the lucky roll of their dice, or avoid the arrow that had a decent chance of hitting them. Unsurprisingly, there are very strict rules against Fortune magicians in casinos.

Order Domain

Subdomains: Space and Rigidity
Associated color(s): Silver and Black
Apogees: Frozen
Symbol: A Gavel
Order, the force that binds many natural systems together and fights against the clutches of entropy, is considered among many as the most powerful of magic's many forms (though this view isn't necessarily justified). It allows the user an intimate control over matter itself and the space it occupies. By extension, a magician of this craft is able to teleport objects or people at will, move things with the force of their mind, and even bend the force of gravity itself to their whims. They also gain abilities related to rigidity, which essentially is magic that resists change. This magic allows them to strengthen objects, prevent corrosion, slow down aging, and even petrify things in time.

Chaos Domain

Subdomains: Chance and the elements
Associated color(s): Elemental colors such as orange, white, black, or blue
Apogees: Random
Symbol: A flame
Chaos can often be confused with Fortune magic to the uninformed mind, given that they have some overlapping subdomains. However, there is a distinct difference between Luck and Chance. Luck manipulates the odds of fate in ways that are beneficial to the user. Chance, on the other hand, makes no such promise. It is a tool of confusion and strangeness, manipulating outcomes in unexpected ways that affirm that truly anything can happen. Some see it as a curse along the way to obtaining elemental abilities, while others embrace the complete unpredictability it provides.

Psychic Domain

Subdomains: Mind and Aura
Associated color(s): Dark Red and Gold
Apogees: Proven
Symbol: A Balanced Scale
The Psychic domain, often referred to as the discipline domain, is a form of magic built upon balance and self-control. Following this path promises great power to manipulate an individual's own mind and the world around them, but it comes at the price of relinquishing emotion and feeling. This magic gives its users an innate understanding and control over the auras of life, death, and energy that permeate the universe. Thus, they are able to sense the presence of various forms of magic and manipulate it to serve their ends.

Passion Domain

Subdomains: Body and Soul
Associated color(s): Red
Apogees: Spoken
Symbol: A Heart
While the Psychic domain balances and controls emotions, this domain seizes the raw power that these feelings possess and amplifies them to such extremes that they can manifest themselves magically. Magicians of this domain can call upon bursts of determination to give themselves twice the stamina, channel their rage into raw strength, focus their love into the protection of others, and manifest their fear to make themselves resistant to damage. They have a variety of emotion-tied abilities that can significantly augment their bodies to the limits of what is physically possible. With the power of Soul, they can also instill these emotions (and the powers they bestow) on others. Magic like this is often a tool of the most cunning and persuasive politicians, as well as some of the best athletes.

Retribution Domain

Subdomains: The Senses and Punishment
Associated color(s): Dark Green
Apogees: Driven
Symbol: An Arrow
Retribution is the magic of pure, unmerciful justice. Seeked by those in search of vengeance, this form of magic allows an individual to reflect pain onto their enemies many times what they have suffered. Various spells allow them to track down and bring harm to those who have wronged them. The magician also gains a variety of heightened senses that can make them seem almost all-knowing to potential ambushers or their targets.

Redemption Domain

Subdomains: Protection and Energy
Associated color(s): Blue
Apogees: Forgiven
Symbol: A shield
Perhaps the purest of magical forms, Redemption magic is a weapon wielded best by the pacifist or saint. Users of this form are able to deflect harm from themselves or others with a number of passive and active protective abilities. Even weak users of this magic gain a permanent energy shield around themselves that stays active until it takes too much damage, after which it deactivates to recharge. They can also manipulate a variety of energy forms, such as being able to create light in the palm of their hand or shock an enemy unconscious with the touch of their talons.