Asirim

Powers of the Soul

The most common form of magic in the nation of Nairiume is the magic of the Asirim, though it is fairly rare in other parts of the world. The magic of the Asirim is tied to the human soul, both living and dead. Those who only deal with living souls spend their careers hunting down those corrupted by greed and evil, easing possessions and hauntings, and serving as matchmakers, depending on what best fits their abilities. Matchmaking is an especially lucrative career in which the Asir can read the soul of a person and locate the perfect match for them. Though rare, some have been known to irreversibly link souls together to form unbreakable bonds, but this is largely considered unethical. Due to the risk of fraud, matchmakers have to be tested and licensed by the Guild of Matchmakers in order to promote themselves as such.

Among those who work with the souls of the dead, the ability to speak with the dead and permit them to walk among the living for a time is the most common ability. Some can walk the Spirit Realm with the dead and learn from them, and rarer still are those who can open themselves up for possession by the dead in order to do powerful work among the living.

Fighting Necromancy

Asirim are often employed to fight or apprehend those who choose to practice necromancy. The magic of the Asirim is often viewed as a perfect match to necromancy because it is the kind, correct way to integrate magic and death, while necromancy is considered vile and corrupt. It is also widely believed by the Asirim in general that Asir magic came from necromantic magic, and the legend of this event still thrives.

A Divided Magic

It was immediately noticed among the first generation of Asirim that there were differences between the core magic of those born and raised male and those born and raised female. Male Asirim almost always lost the ability to use their magic when they left a place they considered to be their home. Female Asirim rarely experienced this issue and could use the same magic regardless of where they were. Countless theories abound as to why this is, but no one has yet determined the true cause of this difference.

The Asori

While male and female Asirim may experience their magic differently, a third group of Asirim experience their magic differently still. This group is called the Asori and they are comprised of a variety of those Asirim who live differently from the male or female way they were born and raised. They are also known to possess the strongest Asir abilities, including the power to rip the souls from the living, forcing a death that is traumatic for the soul and render it too weak to haunt or possess the living. This is a power shared by the strongest necromancers. The only difference is that necromancers consume those souls to feed their power, and Asirim cast the souls into the Spirit Realm to heal and prepare for another life. Why these powers are only seen in those Asirim who experience gender differently from most Asirim is still unknown. For much of Asir history, the Asori have been quite rare, but in recent generations they have become more common. The Asori were also once feared for their terrifying powers, but now they are seen with healthy respect.

The Possible Origin of Asir Magic

While most magic is often said to come from the gods directly, through the mingling of the gods with humans, Asir magic has a more indirect divine origin.

It is widely believed by the Asirim that a woman by the name of Amaelietta, who lived during the Second Era, was given a vision in a dream of how her people could defeat an army led by necromancers. During the night she and several other women among the amassed army of what would one day be Nairiume, entered their enemy's camp and seduced the necromancers commanding the army, killing them when they succeeded. The children born of these unions had a unique magic never seen before that dealt with both life and death.

More details about this legend can be read here: The Origins of the Asirim