Magic and Spellcasting

Magic, or sorcery in the world of Trutina is when an individual draws power and/or energy from a different plane, or more precisely, the The Plane of Order or The Plane of Chaos.
One can use these alien energies to alter their surroundings, other people's minds or even the material composition of objects. The desired effect can be as large or as small as the magic user desires as long as they have the training and magical prowess to execute the spell.
Since its inception, magic has taken many forms, most common of which are spells. These are finely defined usages of magical energies and can be learned and used reliably. Every spellcaster can perform spells known to them and doing so might require the magic user to say certain phrases, move their hands in a distinct choreography or to utilize specific materials in order to create the desired effect.
Casting spells is not without danger however. When drawing upon the energies of the other planes, the spellcaster is inevitably exposed to the raw power of the plane which they reached for. Thankfully, the energies of The Plane of Order and The Plane of Chaos cancel each other out, so spellcasters can avoid the negative effects of spellcasting by siphoning energies from both planes at the same time. When doing so, they are at no danger of unpredictable and often dangerous side effects, but their spells are limited in power or intensity. If they wish to risk these negative side-effects, they can choose to Dedicate their spells to one of the planes, meaning they only siphon energy from the chosen plane. Doing so can empower the spell in various ways depending on the chosen plane, but causes the spellcaster to experience a Plane Overload if not done in a controlled manner. A Plane Overload occurs when the spellcaster can no longer control the flow of otherworldly energies through their body and unleash it. The possible side effects are unpredictable and often times dangerous, but usually not lethal.

Schools of Magic

Since spells have been created, they have been categorized by mages and scholars in various ways, but at the current age, universally accepted system has been created. Spells and various other magical effects are grouped together based on what effect the spell has or what is it trying to achieve. These categories are called the schools of magic and they are the following.

Abjuration

Magical spells and effects within the School of Abjuration are primarily designed for protection and shielding. Don’t be fooled however, some Abjuration spells can pack quite a punch.
As the School of Abjuration is mostly centered around preserving something or someone, it is generally associated with the gods and this followers of The Great Mechanism.

Conjuration

The School of Conjuration deals with creating and moving objects and creatures, or making them disappear.
There are different types of conjuration magic one can use and their effects can differ greatly, so neither the Order, nor Chaos is primarily associated with it. That being said, the various effects can lean to either side:

• Teleportation: The alteration of the location of an object is usually associated with the Order the same way all movement is. It is believed that the position of every single particle is handled by the The Great Mechanism and thus changing that falls within it.
• Summoning: The summoning of extraplanar entities is most often associated with The Plane of Chaos, mainly because it is the followers of Kaos who often practice it. In more intellectual circles, summoning is not differentiated from teleportation and it is considered to be a more balanced use of magic. Summoning demons is a difficult task and depending on the type of demons you wish to summon, it can be done in various ways.

Cryomancy

The School of Cryomancy is primarily focused on the creation and manipulation of ice and cold. Making walls and platforms of ice as well as sharp ice shards for damage all belong to this school.

Similarly to Transmutation, the manipulation of the state of water is often contradictory to the teachings of The Church of Order, so Cryomancy is often associated with Chaos worship.

Divination

The magical School of Divination is centered around revealing and granting knowledge and information to the caster. Useful for reading ancient scripts, identifying magical items, and seeing invisible enemies.

Knowledge and the passage of time is heavily associated with the Order and primarily Semernos as opposed to Chaos, which is known for being unpredictable. That being said, certain divination spells can be attributed to the likes of Kaos.

Enchantment

Spells within the School of Enchantment are designed to manipulate the mental state of the target. This entire school is very similar to hypnotism, where the affected creature may act completely differently than how they normally behave.

Enchantment is strongly associated with Kaos and Sinistos as it mostly affects the minds and souls of individuals or their feelings. All of these things are connected to Kaos and thus, the spells that affect these are often linked to Chaos worship.

Evocation

Casters within the School of Evocation unleash raw magical energy upon their enemies.

Evocation magic may be the most varied out of all the schools of magic and this lends itself to a more balanced reputation in wizardly circles. Whilst some spells are considered erratic and unpredictable, many Evocation spells are very controlled in nature and fall under the Order.

Illusion

The School of Illusion is concerned with manipulating the various senses of people and creatures. This could be vision, hearing, or other various senses such as body temperature.

Whilst Illusion magic can be similar to Enchantment spells in the fact that both commonly skew a target's perception on things, illusion magic is much more Order leaning, considering that it mainly affects the senses of an individual rather than their minds themselves.

Necromancy

In general, think of spells within the School of Necromancy as manipulating the ebb and flow of different creatures’ “life energy”, or the balance of energy between life and death. This can come across in the form of helping resurrection, or draining necrotic damage.

What the average individual would call "life energy" is basically the strength or resolve of their souls. As a result of this, Necromantic spells are extremely varied in their perception.

• Damaging and Healing Magic: Necromantic spell include both offensive and defensive spells. While offensive, damaging magic is considered to be Order aligned, healing magic of this school is often frowned upon by The Church of Order as these spells restore the soul.
• Resurrection: In the eyes of The Church of Order, one's life leads towards their predetermined salvation, when they are freed from the taint of Kaos which is the soul. Thus, restoring the soul of someone who already "got rid of it" is not only heretical, but insulting to that person and its practice is illegal.
• Reanimation: While restoring someone to full life is forbidden by The Church of Order, the creation of undead is less problematic. In these cases, a soul is only partially reintroduced to the mortal coil of a dead person or their corpse is magically moved by magical forces, rather than their own will. Whilst raising the dead as undead is not liked and often outlawed, it is nowhere near as big of a crime as resurrection.

Pyromancy

As its name suggests, the School of Pyromancy is all about fire. Creating, altering and maintaining fire belongs to this school. It is most often used for destruction.

Previously considered to be part of Evocation, Pyromancy is considered to be a valuable tool in both Order and Chaos aligned spellcasters.

Transmutation

Casters who study within the School of Transmutation are able to manipulate the physical properties of both items and people. This could be something simple – such as turning copper into gold – or could be an advanced spell that turns you into a newt (it’ll get better…).
Changing the form of a creature or even an object is considered to be in direct opposition of the Order, which is about persistence, so Transmutation spells are rarely used by Order following mages and their usage is frowned upon and commonly outlawed.

Type

Metaphysical, Arcane