The Colors of Magic

"The gift of magic is one of the greatest of treasures given to my Father, the first Highlander King, by Lady Bellona Albion. Such a gift is to be shared and taught to all in the Freelands"

~King Adam Highlander, Second Highlander King and elder brother of Father Lucien I of the Holy Order

Magic like all things observes natural Laws and Order yet it is born of Chaos and Disorder, and prior to the arrival of Humans and the Great Revolution only Elves knew the secrets of how to master and wield it. This is how they were able to establish the Elvish Empire, and held all other races under their heels. Today, almost all races have the capability of wielding magic and becoming mages of some sort themselves. To call upon such magicks; holy symbols, arcane or druidic focuses, and material components must be used as sources to channel these five colors of magic. These colors are visible as auras through the use of Detect Magic, Identify, or other such spells. There are "silly" rumors that there is secretly a sixth color of magic, but there is no evidence in several thousand years of history of magic. Today, the most common forms of magic practiced is by the Artificers of the New Bloods people and by the Clerics and Paladins of the Holy Order of Light. Other practitioners such as Rangers, Druids, Wizards, Sorcerers, and Warlocks are treated with great suspicion by both the New Bloods and the Holy Order of the Light.

Manifestation

White puts value in the group, the community, and its civilization as a whole. White's ultimate goal is peace—a world where everyone gets along and no one seeks to disturb the safety and unity that White had worked so long to forge. To govern and protect its community, White makes use of and puts value in a number of broad concepts; morality (ethics, religion), order (law, discipline), uniformity (conformity), and structure (government, planning). Of the Nine Deities, those who are of the Lawful or Good nature can wield such magicks of Light and Healing; thus typically it is the Magic of Clerics or Paladins.
Green is the color most in tune with nature. Whereas the other colors seek to modify the world around them, Green believes that the best course of action is to simply allow nature to take its course. Thus, Green is often seen as the least confrontational of the colors: it does not seek to impose its values on others; it just wants to coexist as peacefully as possible. This does not mean that Green will not defend itself when it feels threatened, but it generally will not seek to impose its opinion on others. Of the Nine Deities, those of the Neutral Alignment command such magicks; and almost all mages can wield these magics. But Druids and Rangers are by far the most proficient mages in this form of magic.
To Blue, the world is an opportunity. Within it, hide wonders and possibilities most fantastic: the stuff of dreams. Blue is characterized by the desire to know the world's secrets and to make those possibilities real. The belief that dream can be reality—to which blue holds fast—is the belief in tabula rasa, the blank slate. Of the Nine Deities, those of a Neutral Alignment tend to draw upon. It is a magic that relies heavily upon Enchantment, Illusion, and Abjuration; in short it relies upon misdirection and mind play. Many mages of a variety backgrounds and education rely on this magic as defensive mechanism.
Red looks on the world and sees adventure. Life is a chance to experience something - many things - and for Red, there is no more worthwhile endeavor than to enjoy life by the adventure it offers. Experiences are what life is about, and to appreciate the full range of life's experiences, Red lives by emotion. What makes one laugh, what makes one cry, what one hates, and what one loves, this makes up what a person is. Red believes that a person need only look to these things to find one's wishes and desires in life; to deny them is to deny one's life of meaning. Of the Nine Deities, those of the Chaotic alignment typically call upon Red magic; and the mages that wield it are typically pyromancers or at least Wizards/Sorcerers that have an affection for evocation. In fact, many Barbarians call upon this magic with their Rage as well.
Black can be summarized with a well-known phrase: Look out for number one. Black looks on the world and sees just a plain reality: Power controls. Power says who rules, and who dies. And whether the weak can see it or not, they are no more than slaves for the powerful. The essence of Black is to see one's own ego as so supremely invaluable, that this prospect of enslavement, of subordinating that ego to another, is utterly inadmissible. So, to be in accord with its perceptions and beliefs, Black simply must discard all obligations but to acquire power for itself. It can be no less than the one supreme being who is subordinate to no other, the possessor of all power in the universe - it must become omnipotent. The Nine Deities that command said magic are typically those of the Evil alignment, and the mages that wield are typically necromancers of some type ranging from Wizards, Warlocks, Sorcerers, and even Clerics.

Localization

White is drawn from the plains and embodies the principles of morality and order; namely places like the Reach, the Hinterlands, the Vale, and the Eastlands. The Holy Order of the Light commands this magic expertly and wields it with extreme prejudice.
Green is drawn from the power of forests and embodies the principles of instinct and interdependence, the locations most in tune and the source with magic can be found throughout the Freelands wherever trees and the woods can found.
Blue is drawn from islands and bodies of water, it embodies the concepts of logic and technology and seeks perfection through knowledge. Locations such as the Shoal, the Riverlands, the Channels, and the Seas are sources of this Magic.
Red is drawn from the mountains and embodies the principles of impulse and chaos, thus typically the source of this magic can be found in the Razorback and Dragonscale Mountains. Many adventurers call upon this magic as it is standard magic for combatants of a less religious or zealotous persuasion.
Black is drawn from the power of swamps and embodies the principles of parasitism and amorality (though not necessarily immorality). The source of this magic can be typically found in the Shoal, the Riverlands, the Underdark, and other such dark and dreary places.

Type

Metaphysical, Arcane