Shadowmancer

"Ye ever get lost in 'ta woods at night? Yeah, that's what it's like...creeply little tingling up your back like someone's a' watching ye' then BAM! they pop out right in front of you like it was nothin' to 'em!"

— Paranoid Adventurer, not as paranoid as people thought

Shadowmancers are one of the most ominous spellcasters, drawing magic from shadows and darkness rather than light and life. They are capable of terrifying feats such as dissapearing into and appearing from darkness and inducing magical blindness.

Career

Qualifications

Shadowmancers spend their training practicing basic magic, until they eventually align with shadowmancy, capable of using spells relating to shadowmancy. Eventually, these spellcasters reach a level of proficiency needed to hone their skills and practice some of the more advanced spells that make them seen as true shadowmancers.

Payment & Reimbursement

Shadowmancers often peddle their trade in the criminal underworld, rapidly and stealthily delivering messages or terrifying targets with a magical effectiveness that rivals the experience of even the elite fixers and bruisers.

Other Benefits

Shadowmancers are one of the spellcasters with the most convenience benefits, capable of teleporting long distances through shadows and very easily dissapearing or summoning Shadow Servants to assist them.

Perception

Purpose

Shadowmancers serve a surprisingly integral role to the balance of Magic, being one of the few Refinement Casting types and being the only ones to focus upon channeling darkness and pacifying volatile magic within the shadows.

Social Status

Shadowmancers, despite being useful for many menial tasks, are often shunned by society at large due to the fear gripping most who have heard of these elusive mages capable of bending monsters of the night and the very darkness to their will.

History

Shadowmancers have a very blotchy history, filled with accusations of monstrous magic and consorting with demons, as well as various attempts to illegalise shadowmancy as a whole. This has led to Shadowmancers being seen throughout history as a fringe form of magic, reserved only for the outcasts and unable to influence modern and historical events.

Operations

Tools

Shadowmancers rely upon some form of shade or darkness to perform most of their magic, whether it be a dark area or simply surrounding themself with a veil of shadow, and without it they are limited to some of the most basic spells in their arsenal and any spells they picked up from more generic training.

Dangers & Hazards

Shadowmancy is usually a safe form of magic, but there are a few main sources of danger. These are primarily to do with the shadow itself, generally if the shadow either overtakes the caster who attempts to use spells far too powerful for their expertise or from teleporting through shadow without either proper training or a darkened location, leading to them being forever trapped within the shadow, fading into the darkness akin to being lost in the Great Chain.

Alternative Names

Night Monster

Type

Arcane

Legality

Because of the taboo nature of Shadowmancy, the art has often come under fire from various governments and countries attempting to outlaw or restrict its use. This has only reinforced the taboos and fear around its use as people see the bans and restrictions as needing to be for some sort of major, dangerous reason rather than out of an irrational fear.