Red Magic

Determined Magic

Fire is a distant memory, it reaches beyond civilization and speaks to the beginnings of our history. Red is the color of warmth, willpower, determination, and individuality that sentient species harbor. This magic is individual, personal, and intrinsically linked to ambition and willpower of the self. Though it may be the most fundamental of all magic in existence, the reception of it has been disturbing among the intellectual circles. There is no true quantification or limitation to the application of one's self, thus the variable is unknowable and the root of true heroism and true villainy.

— Chapter 4 of the The Spectrum of Magic, Colors of Magic

Method of Acquiring

Red Magic is acquired through the physical exertion of one's body in tandem with the spirit, a unified force of will. There is no book that will suffice in teaching a Mage how to wield Red Magic, even the most widespread and common applications must be learned through experience. Repetition and conviction are the most important aspects when learning Red Magic, akin to any physical discipline. Those who exhibit supernatural abilities of strength and speed without the use of formal spells are often those who have knowingly or unknowingly harnessed Red Magic to augment their physical vitality. Due to the personal nature of this color, the disciplines are often kept to schools of combat or direct application instead of being recorded in tomes or scrolls. Intense usage of Red Magic often takes a toll on the body, in the case of those with weak constitutions it may even pose a hazard to life.

Method of Use

Red Magic is primarily invoked through somatic means, stances, or specific patterns of movement. Body position, physical prowess, and intent are all requirements for exerting these techniques in full force. Skilled users of Red Magic are often powerful Warriors or martial artists who defy reason with their capacity to strike, lift, or avoid dangerous effects. Red Magic cannot be contained on a scroll for mere recitation due to its many qualifiers and the uninformed would be unable to invoke it properly from mere instructions. However, runes have been used to augment weapons or items so that they can withstand or enhance the performance of Red Magic users. The drawback is that in the hands of a novice, the runes serve little purpose as they are often custom-tailored to specific applications. In this manner, many a legendary relic has been overlooked due to a lack of understanding and become lost to knowledge.

Characteristics

Red Magic is primarily an offensive color that focuses on the user's body with a number of melee and short-range applications. Offensive techniques generally fall into two categories, one that augments the user's body to deliver immense kinetic force and another that empowers a user to exhibit supernatural speed. Projections of this magic energy seem limited to short-range bursts or flashes unless it is paired with a long-range weapon, such as a bow. Its defense attributes exist as a means of cleansing or overpowering a foreign influence on one's self with no recourse to support others. Given the nature of how Red Magic must be learned through experience, the most powerful users are often considered masters of a particular weapon or style of combat or of a physical trade.

Type

Metaphysical, Arcane

Related Professions

Barbarians
Fighters
Monks
Warriors

History

Red Magic was only recognized after indisputable proof and repetitive demonstrations by experts around the world who did not consider what they did to be a matter of magic but rather of significant effort or lineage. Though even with a lack of understanding and resistance to final acceptance, Red Magic is the most commonly known and used throughout the world as it resides in all sentient creatures and is the vehicle through which their spirit and body can enact change through resonance. The revelation provided status and understanding to non-combatants and a way for Scholars to categorize things that could be easily explained. Red Magic requires training, often more so than the intellectual disciplines, and is not for the faint of heart nor those with shallow convictions. In recent years, manuscripts and curricula of esteemed schools or styles of combat have come to embrace the explanation as a means to understand their craft better. However, their teaching methods have deviated little from ancient times.
Red Magic became a formal practice with the first recorded axe combat style in ancient times, Sunrise Hewing, a stance that focused heavily on maintaining momentum and channeling power into the strikes. At this point, The Spectrum of Magic was not a discussed theory but this became a prominent style used among the earliest Warriors of the Human race with enough prestige to last until modern day. Given the ease of use that an axe had and the dual purpose as a tool for the commoner, it was considered the self-defense style of choice throughout the Human Empire and codified as their primary weapon for many years.

Red Magic Spells

Basic

Novice

Moderate

Advanced