Vitality Magic

Blood and Power

Beware of those whose hands are bandaged. Sure, maybe they just cut themselves while at work, but what if they are hiding something instead? Stay out of their sight.

— Captain Hans Jelshol, 1219 AA

Vitality magic is the use of vitatie, microminerals and macrominerals by a mage afflicted with Vitatier's Blood to inflict pain and suffering onto their enemies and to stengthen themselves and their allies. Not all of those with the condition choose to become vitality mages, who are also known as vitatiers, but they are all feared nontheless. Such people are often persecuted against by either the general populace or various governments, depending on their country and its state religion.

Use of Magic

No need to stretch your arm out so much and flail it around like a mad oaf. Better to blend with the mass than to have guards on your ass.

— Carl Vilturvik

Using the powers of a vitality mage requires knowledge of what the different vitatie, micro- and macrominerals do and how to acquire ingredients that contain a high consistency of them. Using the wrong oil or powder can result in either a completely different effect, a far weaker effect than one could have expected, or simply nothing at all. The strength of a vitality mage’s powers are also affected by the severity of their Vitatier’s Blood. The stronger the condition, the more powerful their abilities, but at a substantial cost to their mental wellbeing.

Careful Targeting

To use their abilities, the mage must have a clear visual on their target. If there are multiple people around, relying on pure sight alone might cause accidental harm to the wrong person. In order to carefully target a single individual, the mage has to pay close attention to their voice, focusing in on it and ignoring all others. If they have a strong natural scent to them, then concentrating on that may help as well.
Once the vitality mage is confident that they have honed in on the correct target, they must gain access to their own fresh blood. The traditional method of doing so is to slice open one of their palms with a razor-sharp knife or dagger. Once there is an open wound, the mage must find the ingredient they need and then pour it into the wound, mixing it with their blood.
The blood of those with Vitatier’s Blood is unique and will dissolve the ingredient within a few seconds, during which the mage will have to direct their hand towards the target that they are concentrating on. The arm doesn’t necessarily have to be outstretched; it just has to point in the rough direction of the target. If everything has been done correctly, then the target should feel the effects within seconds. Once out of danger, the mage ought to bandage their hand to reduce the risk of an infection.

Vitatie Den

Hand motions and the amount of blood spent rarely matter when using vitality magic, but there is one major exception to the rule. By revealing their fresh blood to direct sunlight, a vitality mage can harness the powers of Vitatie Den to use for intentions both noble and savage.
The more of the caster’s blood that is sacrificed, the stronger the effects will become. The vitality mage will be able to use their hand to guide the flow of blood, both within their own body and the bodies of unsuspecting foes and injured companions.
Such a power can keep others from dying of blood loss or it can burst open the arteries of those who stand against the mage. Excessive use of such an ability can leave the caster drained of blood, increase the risk of infection, and result in the rapid deterioration of their physical and mental health.
Skilled wielders of Vitatie Den, such as the elite forces of the Federal State of Alinhas, the Mētia Arīsi, are feared throughout the world for their expertise in covert operations and assassinations.

Even the poorest of us can turn into powerful monsters when the sun shines up high. Just make sure that the weather stays in your favour.

— Ukko Pavinan, vitality mage

Vitatie

Vitatie is something that can be found in different plants and animal parts. One plant may contain a far stronger amount of a certain vitatie then a different one. Ingredients that contain vitatie can be found in normal food markets, the mage just has to know what to look for. In some countries, there are specific shops for buying such supplies. Vitatie is used by mages to affect a target in a negative way and it can even kill.

Micro- and Macrominerals

Microminerals can be used by a vitality mage to grant powerful boons to an ally or themself. Macrominerals do something similar to a lesser degree, but they affect an entire group of people. Acquiring most of the minerals is a lot more difficult than buying ingredients that contain vitatie except for salt, which is common and affordable. The minerals are usually sold as powder, and they come in small jars.

Toxicity

Using too much of the same ingredient regularly can cause adverse effects that can even resemble the effects of the spells that a vitatier can cast. Using a diverse array of different vitatie, micro- and macrominerals can help the caster resist the toxicity.

by Agnieszka Kowalczyk

Obsidian

There is a popular myth surrounding vitality magic that claims that all vitatiers carry with them obsidian shards or more elaborate knives made from the volcanic glass. According to the myth and those who perpetrate it, if the mage cuts themself with the sharp implement and uses the blood from that wound, then their magical effects will be far more powerful.
There are some vitality mages who do carry obsidian shards, but whether a cut from that is any different from opening a wound with a steel knife is unknown and difficult to prove due to the inherent differences between individual mages.

Health Concerns

One of the most obvious risks with using vitality magic is the self-harming that is necessary to use the powers. The blood of a vitatier does seem to have some healing properties, allowing for wounds to heal significantly faster, but infections are still a risk to consider.
The other major concern that vitality mages have is the state of their mental wellbeing. The blessing that allows them to access such powers can often feel like a curse instead. They suffer from regular hallucinations, hear voices that aren't there, and a wide array of other mental problems that can make them unstable.

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Overview of the Vitatie, Macro- and Microminerals

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Vitatie

Vitatie	Effects
Vitatie Arn	Causes the target's skin becomes rough and dry, their eyes become bloodshot and they have great difficulty seeing clearly.
Vitatie Bel	Causes the target to start bleeding even more so than before and some blood vessels near the existing wound might rupture, making the bleeding even worse.
Vitatie Den	Allows the caster to manipulate the flow of blood. With enough blood sacrificed, the mage can burst blood vessels, potentially killing their victim.
Vitatie Ers	Causes the target's veins to turn visibly darker and the nerve and muscle damage results in the loss of feeling in the arms and legs, loss of body movement control, muscle weakness, and vision problems.
Vitatie Gal	Causes the target's hair, eyes, and skin to turn dry, their gums will start to bleed. They will likely suffer from hair loss, joint paint, delayed wound healing, and bone fragility.
Vitatie Hie	Causes the target to suffer from nausea and fatigue which are likely to culminate in sudden defecation and vomiting.
Vitatie Ire	Causes the target's skin on their face to turn pale and horribly cracked. The arget will also feel fatigued, anxious and they will refuse to eat.
Vitatie Ial	Causes the target to vomit blood in addition to what they had for lunch. The target will also suffer from temporary dementia.
Vitatie Kar	Causes the target to suffer from the extreme tingling of their feet.
Vitatie Lis	Causes the target to suffer from sleeplessness, confusion, nervousness, and depression. Targeting a pregnant woman results in intellectual developmental disorder and blood disorders for the newborn.
Vitatie Mas	Causes the target's hair to start falling out and acid in their blood will cause severe pain in their joints.
Vitatie Nol	Causes the target to suffer from weakness, diarrhoea, and weight loss. Targeting a pregnant woman results in low birth weight and preterm delivery.
Vitatie Ail	Causes the target to suffer from pernicious anaemia, neurological problems and sprue.

Macrominerals (WIP)

Macromineral	Effects
Calcium (Ca)
Phosphorus (P)
Potassium (K)
Magnesium (Mg)
Salt (NaCl)

Microminerals (WIP)

Micromineral	Effects
Iron (Fe)
Zinc (Zn)
Copper (Cu)
Chromium (Cr)
Fluoride (F)
Iodine (I)
Selenium (Se)
Manganese (Mn)
Molybdenum (Mo)	Doesn't seem to have an effect on anything