Different Cultures' Relationships with Magic

The Relationships with Magic Held by the 12 Major Civilizations of Elmeron

The nations of Elmeron possess different relationships with magic, with cultures usually developing around magic rather than the other way around. More information on the history of nations relatioships with magic in the main article of The History of Magic.

Calidor

Calidor is the most prominent of the modern Nations, with a strong sense of superiority in its populus, with that being the main root of most of its conflicts and issues. They practice many different types of magic, with a general focus on military and technological strength. They are known for their advanced mass magical item production systems. Every member of their military possess a bow with a light air infusion allowing for increased draw weight, a sword with an element infused in it assigned to their legion, and a tunic with stone magic to make it nearly as strong as plate armor with the properties of a tunic. There are also Legion Mages, or LM Units, usually around 5-10 mages with differing skills who train as a team to help aid the footsoldiers and cause mayhem with their magical prowess. Meanwhile, in the castles of Loft, court mandated mages work tirelessly to research new magics and better ways to weave them more efficiently. On the level of commoners, magic is used daily to help out with life, but no exceptional spells or techniques stand out.
On the religious side of Calidor, the main point of worship is in Haelion, where they worship him as the God of Calidor, representing the "light" they spread through the world on their conquests, and God of life, fertility, and all that is good. (Or at least what the people of Calidor consider "good"). However, Caldior does not practice the inclusion of Faith into their magic, making this one of the major weaknesses of the Calidonian empire, that being their failure to realize the strength of the gods, seeing worship as more of a pastime than anything else, almost completely disregarding the raw power they represent and can provide.

The Great Plains

The Great Plains, while technically under the jurisdiction of Calidor, have a completely different culture and traditions, having been a product of both the culture of Calidor and Ra'akar. This combined with the different landscape, and The Great Plains become an effectively different country from Calidor. In terms of magic, they tend to practice a mix of Ra'akaran Sandstorm magic and Yakalan Life magic. They specifically make use of a more sun/light aligned form of Sandstorm magic that removes sand from the equation. And they have picked up tricks from the few encounters with the Yakalans, in which they weave nature magic into their pastures and farm rows, speeding up growth that little bit, and allowing for harvests mostly year round depending on the strength of the life weaver who infused the ground.
In regards to religion The Great Plains, they mostly worship that of both Solkhar and Haelion, having taken the world views of two different jursisdictions ruling over them in a very short timespan and forming their own version of these two gods. They worship the two gods as twin gods of the Sun, with Haelion representing the light, warmth, fertility, and life of the Sun and Solkhar representing a the more fiesty side of the Sun, that being fire, war, passion, and love. Those who worship this arrangement of gods see it as the truth behind the two beliefs, with both being close to the truth but blind to the whole. However worship of traditional Haelion is still very common in The Great Plains, with it being about a 60-40 split of the population. Those who worship traditional Solkharian practices in the Great Plains are usually ostracized from high society and government due to the adopted zenophobia from Calidor through government forces imported from Calidor proper, although they are never officially procicuted to prevent the snapping of already tense relations. This particular issue is a cause for mass debate in modern political landscape of the Great Plains, especially amoung those who practice modern Haelion-Solkhar worship.

Ra'akar

Ra'akar is a nation bound to their land by political borders, and with their only land that is truly theirs being 100% infertile desert the country is bound to fishing, hunting, and trading for food. However what they do possess is sandstone rich in iron oxide and gold veins. Most of their populus focuses on mining and refining these 3 materials, with gold in particular holding high spiritual and magical presidents in the Ra'akaran culture. In terms of magic, the people of Ra'akar tend to use gold as a weaving tool, with ceremonial daggers, swords, and other instruments with intricate gold "veins" running through the blade to help guide and weave magic. These are mainly used in religious contexts, but gold woven tools are issued for military and production based purposes, although these are crafted with far less care. These focus more on efficiently guiding the magic rather than doing it in a flashy, cerimonial way. In terms of actual types of woven magic, the Ra'akaran people commonly weave Sandstorm, Fire, Heat, Air, and Stone magics, with a focus on combining these elements rather than using the ones listed individually, and almost always including one part heat.
In terms of worship, they worship the God of the Sun, Sandstorms, and Gold, Solkhar. They honor him through rituals involving Sacred Sand Spots, locations where the magic of sandstorms flow in just such a way that they create circles of weaving lines that can predict the future. However their most holy ritual for warriors and leaders alike is the Mark of Gold, a process involving wounding oneself, than cauterizing the wound with Sun Fire, creating a unique golden pattern resembling golden veins moving through the chest and unto the face. This scar represents the Warriors Will, a concept that is a physical mark of loyalty to the nation, expressing a pure undying will to the motherland, and to protect it at all costs. Those who don't have the will to give themselves a Mark of Gold are not looked down upon, and rather are granted opportunities to avoid drafts in war times, and to opt for supporting roles in conflicts if they still wish to serve. However those who do have the will and strength to carry out a ritual for a Mark of Gold will be offered positions of power in the military, and roles in politics as leaders. They are also traditionally bound to never cover their Mark of Gold, with the chest of one with a Mark of Gold being a holy symbol as one blessed by Solkhar. It also allows a practitioner of Ra'akaran Sandstorm/Gold magic weaving to rise to new levels, as their body becomes a conduit of these magics.

Yakala

Yakala is a unofficial grouping of peoples, with its name originating from the ancestral name of the forest itself. They revere magic, especially that of the Moon, plants, and the Stars. They wander the woods as a nomadic people, with groups ranging from single wanderers to entire tribes, but very few choose to say in one place for any extended period of time. The two major groups within Yakala are as such, the tribes of the moon, who worship Nyxian, who is known more as a God of the Moon, fog, sneakery, the Stars, and Light in the Dark than of the Cold and Dark itself, along with the cultural name of Selenox. This manifests itself in the word as the fog that pervades the Yakalan forest, literally fog born of the rays of the moon. Meanwhile there are those who worship that of Sylvantium, a God of Nature, Life, Color, and minorly the sun. They are represented in the world as 3 (formerly 4) Sacred Cherry trees, whose petals flow through the Pink Lake and the tributaries and swamps of the area. These petals hold immense natural magic, and then, combined with the fog, create a magical woods hostile to anyone who isn't welcome.
In regards to Weaving, the two different main cultures of Yakala practice different methodologies of weaving magic. Those who worship Selenox tend to weave magic in a more instinctual way, bending the light of the moon to their whims with their bare hands, gaining insight from the fallen, aka the stars through careful study of patterns and colors, with some even being able to find past lives they once knew, especially common in lovers and family members, those who would both have a strong connection to the stars and a deep profound understanding of the person they are looking for. Meanwhile, those who worship Sylvantium focus on more earthly magics, and those among the living. They begin their journey into magics with a ritual known as the Molding, in which you take a branch from a tree whom you have a connection to, and take nature magic from yourself and weave it into and molding the already present nature magic into a stave that represents you as a being, and this will become the most sacred possession of any Sylvantium druids, with the breaking of a stave being equivalent to losing a loved one, or a precious childhood memory.

Grrdrr

The Nation of Grrdrr is a lone nation, forced into hiding by the abyssal Dark elementals that have haunted their civilization for a thousand years. They have developed a close relationship with light magic, specifically a type known as Sun Fire. They have been forced into adapting their lava magic into this light aligned form to protect themselves from the Dark Elementals, who fear the light. However this same aversion is what binds them to the lands of the Teeth, which are aligned with the dark, and even more so with the gaping hole into the abyss leaking dark magics unto the surface.
However the few people remaining in the lands of Grrdrr still practice some of their ancient techniques carried on past the destruction. These techniques may not be as refined or as majestic as they once were during the glory days of the nation. One of these techniques is reinforcing one's hands with some sort of additive, that could be a glove, brass knuckles, even gauntlets for those better off. These would then be bound to one's hands temporarily using stone magic, with that same magic infusing into the item temporarily, allowing for manipulation of stone with the hands much more effectively with many miners using this technique to scoop hard rock from mine walls like pudding, or reach into a stone wall and grab gemstones, pure pieces of ore, and other oddities that can be found underground. Those who use stone magics also have developed a technique that involves physically striking a wall, preferably natural stone, and using the vibrations to determine the locations of ore veins and other natural resources. This can be further enhanced with the infusion technique mentioned before.
Meanwhile, on the side of those who practice lava and fire magic within Grrdrr, they will not as commonly use the infusion technique, rather prefering to use their hands to weave the flow of these more liquid forces. These mages usually would not be found in the mines, although they could be useful in the form of lava leak prevention, however their skills are far better suited for combat and life in the forges. The people of Grrdrr once had great halls of blacksmith stations, with up to 50 people working at once, however now these buildings are only occupied by a few at a time. However the techniques remain mostly the same, with blacksmiths using a combination of Fire, Lava, and Metal magic to keep a blade heated to the ideal temperature, usually with the help of an external heat source to draw magic from. They would then hammer away with a personalized hammer to allow for ideal Metal magic to flow, allowing for every blow of the hammer to shape the piece of ore like it was warm butter, and with extreme precision (depending on the strength of the smith).
Usually, when it comes to acts of combat, these warriors will either forge or have a weapon forged for them in the specific style of their magic, allowing for easy infusion and guiding of magics, depending on the type of caster. In regards to Sun Fire, this is a technique developed over the course of the generations since the unleashing of the Elementals. This technique involves drawing power from the sun, usually combined with a bit of smoke magic to move the black clouds and reveal the sun, and infusing it into Sun Fire, a blinding orange glowing fire, and the discovered bane of Dark Elementals. They would use the same techniques as their normal fire weavers, using their preferred forged weapon to weave the magic into their sword slashes, sending out waves of burning light. This is how the people who remained in Grrdrr were able to survive this long against the Elementals, and to regain their footing just that little bit. The people of Grrdrr do not practice worship en masse

Kaa'aath

Kaa'aath is technically a sister nation to Calidor, in a very similar situation to The Great Plains, wherein they are technically under the jurisdiction of the Calidonian Government. However they have developed their own culture separate from that of the mainland, revolving around the research of Cold magic, and exploring the land of The Great North for unique resources like White Marble and Frost Berries. They utilize magic using many of the same ways Calidor does, that being as effectively as possible, with a focus less on the art of weaving it and more effectively using it. In regards to those who practice expeditions into the Great North, they tend to practice a far more crude version of Sun Fire, usually carrying torches with this slightly warmer and brighter fire, but sometimes imbuing it into armor and tools to better utilize it. The reason as to why their form of Sun Magic is so crude is that Sun Magic relies strongly upon faith in Haelion, and while the people of Calidor and Kaa'aath practice worship of him, they do not imbue him into their magic outside of worship.
In regards to worship, they have stuck with the interpretation of Haelion they inherited from Calidor, however given more time to exist as a nation, this would evolve into a unique sect of Haelion worship focused more upon the idea of Warmth in the Dark and Cold, the Sunrise on a winter morning, and in general the coming of warmth to places of cold.

The Helkemt

The Tribal Peoples of The Helkemt are one of the two most ancient of peoples, and thus have some of the most complex relationships with magic and the Gods. The people of Helkemt practice Fire, Heat, Light, and Sun magics mainly, with a focus on all things related to the Sun. They were, in fact, the first to discover Sun Fire, and revere it as the purest of all magics related to the Sun and Haelion. Some of their main methods of weaving magics involve drawing the light and heat of the sun into their bodies through their breath, and utilizing this stored magic in a number of ways. One use is to effectively temporarily consume the magic into one's body to utilize for protection from harsh cold, produce light, or even to better weave magics or perform rituals. However one can also choose to expel this magic after drawing it in, allowing one's own lungs to form and weave the magic into whatever form is needed. This can come in the form of normal or sun fire breath, expelling pure heat or light magic outward itself, or letting it out in little bursts, allowing for a supply of fire or heat wherever one goes. On the topic of Religion, the Helkemt practice worship of
Haelion, a fiery God of Fire Leopards, Light, Fire, and first and foremost, The Sun. They once practiced worship of Haelion in the form of temples constructed on top of mountains with Sacred Sun Fires burning at all times of day and night, and stretching magically hundreds of feet into the air, with major temples lighting up entire cities at all times of day and night. They would have Sacred Fire Keepers, powerful mages who would maintain and strengthen the flame, while protecting the temples with their lives. In the modern day however, these practices cannot be continued because of the force of the Elemental's forcing movement, never allowing the tribes to set down roots. Now, they practice their worship in the slaying of Moon Elementals, usually involving tying an elemental down with ropes of fire, then ritualistically lighting it aflame atop a mountain with sun fire. They see the slaying of a Moon Elemental as a great feat, and those who can take one down are known as Lunarbane-

The Nivéllum

The Tribal Peoples of The Nivéllums are one of the two most ancient of peoples, and thus have some of the most complex relationships with magic and the Gods. The People of Nivéllums practice Ice, Cold, Dark, stone, and Moon magics mainly, with a focus on all things related to the Sun. Some of their main methods of weaving magics involve infusing the power of the moon into stones of white marble, unmeltable ice, frost berries, or any other ice aligned object, and then attaching it to one's body to act as a conduit for cold magic. This is known as a Moon Pendant. This will draw in the abundance of Moon magic within the Great North into one's physical form to transform oneself temporarily into a Moon aligned form to better perform magic associated with the moon. This allows for extremely complex manipulation of Moon related magics, especially while in the presence of strong moon magic while wearing a Moon Pendant. It is also known that over time of wearing this pendant, it will slowly shift one's permanent physical form to be Moon aligned, which is impossible through natural means as Moon magic encompasses some Ethereal Hues. It is said that as one gets closer to this pure Moon appearance, one becomes closer to Nyxian, with only the most Moon aligned being allowed to perform the most Sacred Rituals to Nyxian.
In regards to worship, the people of Nivéllums exclusively worship Nyxian in their most primal form, that of the Moon, Night, Dark, and Cold. Some rituals they perform to Nyxian include leaving out offerings of Frost Berries whenever one eats any, praying to the Moon for guidance, and reading the patterns in the ever shifting lunar landscape for guidance. Some major rituals, once performed in temples made of pure, clear ice, include weaving great snowstorms and reading the snow left behind for runic symbols representing different omens for the coming season, creating a symbolic fire at sunset, before extinguishing it with pure dark magic, then as the moon reveals itself dropping the dark and basking in the enhanced moonlight. In rare cases of dire need of divine assistance a sacrifice of someone freezing themselves solid by putting on a Moon Pendant in the shape of the actual moon and willingly drawing in massive amounts of Moon energy into oneself, freezing that person solid and causing their body to permanently emit a light blue glow, permanently trapping one's soul into that statue. These statues and the act of becoming one are revered as the ultimate sacrifice, with the creation of one usually marking some of the most dire moments in the history of the Nivéllum Empire. A method of worship practiced by modern Nivéllum is a mirror of a ritual performed by the Helkemt, that being the ritualistic killing of Sun Elementals. Once the capture of one is complete, they will often bind these beings of light in rays of moonlight, before waiting till sunset and forcefully extinguishing it with the Dark of Night, before releasing the darkness to bright enhanced moonlight, a reflection of one of their holy rituals involving the sunset.

The Verdant Isles

The peoples of the Verdant Isles are a small but happy and culturally rich people, with a strong culture around water and air and how they can mix to create beautiful things. They practice a mix of water, air, and life magic, along with a special type of magic known as Sea Foam magic, also known as Bubble magic. These techniques involve the manipulation of Air and Water magic to affect buoyancy, water currents, and the flow of water and the Air in it. Some examples of specific techniques include drawing large amounts of Air magic into one's body for extended diving, using the manipulation of currents to propel oneself around in water at breakneck speeds (a technique learned from the Sespa), and enhancing the power of waves and the tide to shift the ground and better fertilize crops. On the subject of crops, the peoples of the Verdant Isles have learned to make great use of the aforementioned Verdant aspect of the Verdant Isles. This involves drawing upon the life magic in the rich soil to grow crops faster than normally possible, and combining this with water magic to meet the plants' every need as they grow at this extended phase. This, combined with the abundance of fish and underwater resources gives the peoples of the Verdant Isles much more food and resources than they could ever need as a small island dwelling civilization, and they have learned to make great use of these resources. They have developed a deep trading bond with the peoples of Ra'akar, with the peoples of Ra'akar possessing abundant metals and earthly resources, but no access to food, making the two nations ideal partners.
In regards to worship, the peoples of the Verdant Isles practice worship of Illumora, specifically as a god of the shallows, waves, sea foam, coral, and fertility. They practice their worship in the form of material sacrifices released into the ocean, and are said to be shifted into pure seafoam over multiple years, as all things must return to the sea eventually. On a larger scale, they will often send small ships, intentionally built weakly, and fill them with material riches, then send them off to sea with no-one inside, and watch as it sinks below the waves to return to the ocean. They also revere the people of Sespa as people chosen by Illumora, and that once one of their tribes become strong enough, they can permanently descend into the ocean and become one of Neurons chosen, although born of low blood. Sometimes, after a sacrifice of material riches, the Sespa will leave gifts of oceanic origin, worshiped as holy objects or used as intended by the peoples of the Verdant Isles, depending on the object. Usually whoever finds this gift is left to determine their own use of this gift, whether that is using a magical necklace of water, or worshiping an eternally glowing piece of coral as a family heirloom.

The Sespa

The Sespa are one of the two groups of ocean dwellers formed as the outcome of the Eldrazi Cold War. They have what is best described as a fascination with the peoples of the surface world, being mostly unable to be on land without very specialized skills with air magics, a very rare occurrence for the peoples of the ocean. They mainly practice Water, Life, Light, and Coral magics, along with a bit of Sea Foam magic, however the Sespa are a very large group of people and thus have numerous different practices of magic. Some examples of techniques practiced commonly by the Sespa are the current propellent technique they taught the peoples of the Verdant Isles, weaving great storms of currents to hunt fish efficiently, manipulating the way the light flows through water to see what one wishes (a form of illusion/divination), Wave Divination.
In terms of Religion, they practice many different sects of worship, but the most common of them is the worship of Illumora, specifically as a god of light, coral, waves, currents, and the ocean and all life within it. Some common methods of worship are bands of Gold worn commonly as a physical sign of worship, ritualistic consumtion of Giant Coral fruit, and leaving offerings to them as a form of prayer. In terms of major rituals of Illumora, these are usually performed in pavilion temples atop Giant Corals, where the light of the surface world is strongest. The most major of these rituals include a Banquet held at high noon with light mages bending the light to create waves of light flowing through the hall, as hundreds eat a sacred Giant Coral themed feast. However Illumora isn't the only majorly worshiped deity of the Sespa, as the northern Sespa practice worship of the traditionally Nelrin God, Polorax, God of the Deep, Dark, Cold, Stone, Ice, and Water. More about methods of his worship in the Nelrin section.

The Nelrin

The Nelrin are the other of the two groups of ocean dwellers formed as the outcome of the Eldrathil Cold War. They have a deepset abhorrence for those of the surface, only magnified by their dislike of those of the Sespa, seeing those of the surface as short-sighted barbarians who are constantly destroying themselves at every turn. They practice Water, Dark, Cold, Ice, Electricity, and Stone magics. Some examples of their techniques would be the water current propellent technique instinctually known by all who dwell in the ocean, Lightning techniques that allow one to stun everything other than oneself in a large vicinity with practice and control, Ice divination where one will send out ice magic and read the patterns it forms as runes representing omens, and some Stone magics to form dwellings in the mostly vast and empty Dark Sea.
In terms of Religion, they practice worship of Polorax, God of the Deep. Most Methods of worship involve the Trenches, which are large ravines that stretch in the deepest parts of the ocean straight to the abyss. Some of these include tossing material riches and goods into the Trenches as offerings to the abyss, praying to the abyss, and even sending the dead weighed down with rocks into the Abyss to enter into the afterlife. Some larger rituals usually involve the Great Trenches, the largest 2 Trenches of the 3 Seas, which are large hotspots for Polorax Worshipers, who build great temples on the edges of the Abyss, or even hanging above on "Docks' '. Some of these rituals include yearly communal sacrifices, where the communities surrounding the Great Trenches will gather on the edge and toss a possession they hold dear into the abyss and pray for good tidings in the coming year, or in times of great need, a sacrifice will descend into the abyss, laden with riches and adornments and never return, although it is said their consciousness will float through the abyss forever.

The Illusory Isles

The Illusory Isles is one of the most recent of the Nations in the world, forming just a few hundred years before modern day, and is a nation wishing to rebel against the status quo of Calidonian government. They also practice strong Ethereal Hues of all kinds, including Mind, Illusion, Divination, Sound, Dark, and Light. The most major example of their expertise is the web of illusions and metaphorical darkness they have woven around what once was just a small archipelago in the middle of nowhere, turning it into an impenetrable wall of magic, with anyone who isn't welcome attempting to enter being literally blinded by visions of immense power and horrifying imagery. This is maintained by a council of Weavers, who are chosen as the most powerful Illusionists yearly, and are tasked to maintain this illusion at all times, no matter what they are doing at the time, whether they are conscious or not. They effectively convert their bodies into magical conduits permanently. These people are known as the 10 Weavers. However, this is just the most extreme example of the people of the Illusory Isles are capable of, some more common examples of magic practiced by the people of the Illusory Isles include telepathy, which can be very useful for private conversations on a commoner level, basic interception/mind reading magic, used to monitor telepathic conversations and magical activities of criminals, suspects, and others who are potential troublemakers (this practice has been explicitly banned for common use to allow for privacy). In terms of magical education, the people of the Illusory Isles have created a castle in the sky in order to be closer to the stars and thus Ethereal Magic. In this castle both the barrier of the Illusory Isles, the government, but also the school is held. Some high level classes are even held by Keepers, and most teachers are retired Keepers or priests.
In terms of Religion, the people of the Illusory Isles worship the God of the Ethereal Hues, Veilis, a very powerful deity who represents all non-physical magic, and who has never made a physical appearance to mankind. Knowing physical tributes cannot garner the attention of this god, the people of the Illusory Isles practice Astral magic in reverence, ascending their souls out of their body very temporarily at great personal risk, but doing this is one of the only ways to communicate with Veils in any meaningful way, and they have actually communicated directly with a select few masters of Astral magic through raw emotions and feelings a few times. They say the closer you get to the stars the stronger that Ethereal Hues get, and so temples to Veilis often have massive Illusions of constellations and star maps floating through the air like debris in a sea of magic (a very intentional feeling), with rows of beds for controlled Astral Projection by powerful Astral priests.