Blood Magic

"No fear my good friend! I'll heal you right up!" The knife stab into the leg. "Look, look. Magic Hands! Whoooo!" The blood jumps from the knife wound to the wound in the other.
"What? I feel better..what is that? Blood Magic! The Witch hunters will...."
"Shhhshsh! Look at me." A firm grip on the jaw pulling face and eyes up to look into the red red eyes.....spinning falling....
The eyes drink in all. No thought. No will....the words float across a darkness....
"Nothing. Just a healing potion. That is all. Just a healing potion. Right?"
A voice from far away.. my own voice ..."Just a potion."

Blood magic is an insidious magical path of Corruption. It starts out innocently. Only working with willing donors of blood for power and healing. Well, mostly. There is the weakness you can cause if you can get a drop of an enemy's blood. Easy peasy in a fight! Right!

And once you have their blood, you have a little bit of them. Make them look over there. Drop a weapon. Not so bad! Give a bit of yours... maybe you help somebody with a healing. Smear a bit on a lip. Now they really really want to do what you ask. No harm in that. You asked, right?

Nifty party trick - you can make them look like you for a bit! So great for pranks! They get mad? Someone gets all uptight? Snap of the fingers and if they have any wounds not fully healed, gusher! Open right up! Punch them or hit with a weapon and everything bleeds! Just suck that all up to fix yourself right up. Juiced up with power and health. Make your puppets dance! Drain their blood away and make it form a snake to do your will.

Get enough blood and you can call up a Blood spirit with ALL the powers. Sooo wild! And that one can summon others if they can get enough blood...The whole village is now under the control of you and your red colored metallic smelling somewhat goopy buddies! Some pretty thing you want? Yours! Willingly given with just a look- whatever it is. Hahaha!...This is power. This is freedom! That pig who over charged you...they are gonna pay now. The inn keep that tossed you out for being drunk? THAT IS WHAT INNS ARE FOR! They are so gonna bleed, and beg and cry. Maybe make 'em chop up a family member. That would be a laugh! The guard are flies to be crushed! Time to settle the old scores and only the hard way....

Manifestation

The Blood Mage early on may pass as any regular person. As they use the powers and gain more powers, and more Corruption ( see Crystal and Corruption ) they will be smeared with it or staining clothes. They may try to hide it by only wearing reds and browns. The magics manifest as wounds open and bleeding, the blood flowing like strings to the Blood Mage or from them. The stronger magics causing blood to pour from eyes, ears, nose, mouth, rectum, other private parts, any wound or orifice. The eyes of Blood Mages take on a red sheen when working controls and commands. They only glow a little bit so you need to be real close to see it.

Blood Magic is bestowed by Blood Spirits. Sometimes it is a random "extra" as one becomes Corrupted by Necromancy or Arcane Crystal Use. Large volumes of blood - typically in the range of 10-15 humanoid bodies worth, has a remote maybe 1 time in a hundred of bringing out a Blood Spirit that might make an offer of power. They always offer to those who are wounded, and the first offer is typically healing. They might even cause an accident to give them an opportunity. No more wound! Even if on the verge of death. In wars and battles the numbers creep up. 100 bodies of blood? 10% chance. 1000? Pretty darned likely...better check the wounded....or the unwounded.... Somebody got offered the power. Call some priests or a shaman or Witch Hunters!

Oh, and blood from supernatural powered creatures and beings?  It carries a kick that makes it about 50% stronger than human blood.  Only works on living blood.  And only the red stuff - black or green is no good.  The  slop in Undead like Vampires or a zombie? Only if fresh in the last 30 minutes or less. Throw the vampire a snack if you want influence....but that only lasts while it's fresh and THEN they have an attitude once they shake it off!

Type

Metaphysical, Arcane