The Tigereyes: Among the world of mages, it is a common knowledge that the correct breeding can ensure that the Magic Circuits of the offspring will be superior to the ones of the progenitors, granting that the clan will become stronger with each generation. Due to this, many clans still focus on making the future generations stronger through the correct breeding, and a good number of them still takes this very seriously. With years of breeding, it is a real risk that at some point the clan will have to recur to inbreeding, what would be disadvantageous and, to some, even revolting. To avoid such thing, there are clans of mages who are kept around with the purpose of serving as breeding source, to add new blood to mage clans and to avoid the need for inbreeding when there are little other viable options. Among these clans, a famous one is the Tigereye clan, a clan of tigers who serves as a breeding source for certain tiger clans, and they are said to be a very good breeding material when they are needed. This clan has its own activities, but they are more known for being very good breeding partners, and for being able to produce an offspring of very good quality, Magic Circuit wise. This has been practically ever since their foundation, and is something that has lasted up until the modern days, being the kind of tradition that some say will continue to exist for a long time…
This clan is also famous for not being a traditional clan of mages, as they often pursue jobs in the mundane world and fraternize with the mundanes, sometimes even more than with other mages. One famous example of this is of four brothers of the Tigereye clan, all litter mates, who have gotten themselves a work as jobs/bodyguards of the worldwide famous singer and compositor Gazelle… Some other mage families consider them to be a disgrace to the names of mages, even though they are still considered very viable as breeding material by the clans who need…
Due to their lack of activity in the politics of mages and due to their own way of acting, they are not powerful or influent in regards to the rest of the mage community, and are considered something akin to sperm donors and nothing more, having little social relations with other mage families. However, they have developed a very strong friendship with the Clawhauser clan, who seems to share many of their philosophies and their ways of seeing the world, and seem to overall enjoy their company very much.
The Kitsuneo Clan: The Kitsuneo are a clan for Nippon, the land of the setting sun, and they are famous as a noble and strong clan of foxes in there. Foxes have a bad reputation in many cultures, and the culture of Nippon is one of these, with foxes often being consider sly tricksters that use of subterfuge and treachery to get what they want. However, even with this stereotype, the Kitsuneo clan was able to make their name and to earn themselves the respect of others as a powerful family of mages. The lands of the east are considered something separated from the east, both in their thaumaturgycal traditions and for their political and cultural elements, to the point where few natives of the orient are members of the Mage's Association, and the countries of Asia many times have their own Associations that deal with things on their own way. Nippon is one of these lands, it is very hard for the Association to work in that place, but things are kept in order by the work of the most important and influent families of mages of this land. The Kitsuneo are among the most important and powerful, to the point where it would not be farfetched to say that they practically run the mage world of Nippon. Part of their thaumaturgycal tradition revolves around illusion magic, but some members of the clan have disfavored this kind of tactic as it perpetuates a stereotype about their kind, and instead, they prefer to focus on the main power of their clan, the use of the supernatural kitsunebi, the legendary "fox's fire". They are renowned for their mastery of this, as well as their great cunning and of their righteousness when dealing with the affairs of the regions that are under their protection/command.
After the events of the Great Revealing, the Kitsuneo were among the clans who made their presence known, even though it was not necessarily by their own will. Another clan was bringing trouble into their lands, the Kitsuneo had to be more active in taking care of the problem, and this direct course of action has led to people soon figuring out that they were there, and soon, the fame that they already had in the world of mages started to spread among mundanes…
The Kudura Clan: The Kudura clan is an example of a clan who can lose their prestige and power in the world of mages. The Kudura are a clan that is famous for great advancements and for the great power and skill of their members and for the amazing things that they have done. This clan of greater kudus and other related antelopes demonstrate a great deal of success in their own thaumaturgycal theory, which consists into a developed form based on the thaumaturgycal theory of numerology, a school of magecraft that affects the reality through works of great precision and information, in a way similar to mathematics. The thaumaturgycal theory that was develope by the clan is based on numerology, and it is something that deals with the knowledge of space and with the correct interpretation and influence of the many factors of the world, both physical and spiritual, in a way that the very precise formula induces to a near infallible and predicted result that is the outcome of the process utilize. Their specific form of numerology is one that some say is actually closer to geometry, once it deals with very precise ideograms and formulas in their research, and the result is that the idea of the geometry was deeply associated with this style of numerology, and it ended up being call by others as "geometricism". It is a branch of the original numerology that is greatly unknown in the mundane world and which secrets are deeply protected by the Kudura clan so they do not fall in the paws of the wrong mammals.
In the recent history (less than one century ago) the clan passed by an event in which their reputation as mages and as a clan was threatened, but not by something immediate and tangible, but by a prophecy. In the world of mages, prophecies are something quite rare, but the ones who are widely accepted by mages do have a great power. This prophecy in particular predicted the downfall of the Kudura clan, saying that the clan would lose its power and that the members of the clan would lose themselves as their magecraft would fall into oblivion. True or not, this prophecy had a great influence into the future of the Kudura clan, for none of the aristocratic families of mages (or nearly none) wanted to get into alliances with a clan that was destined to fall and take the risk of falling along with them. As the result of this, the Kudura clan lost most of their allies, and their reputation was taint as everyone was practically counting the days until it came the time for their prophesized downfall. Still, the clan still maintains enough influence and power to be able to act in the world of mages to a certain extent, and they still have allies worldwide, even though the power and influence that they have now is a mere shadow of what it was in the recent past. Nowadays, the efforts and dedication of the clan are all focus into achieving a way of avoiding the prophecy and restoring the prestige and power of the clan. The problem is: the prophecy was never clear on how this downfall was exactly going to happen, that is why the clan is desperate into using their resources to find a way to thwart fate and to restore the power of the clan, and as time goes by, they are getting more and more frantic and desperate in their search for a solution…
The Villalobos: The Villalobos are a famous clan of wolves whose origins are trace back to Roarope, and which built for themselves a great fame for acting as adjudicators in the conflicts of other mages. The stories say that they started out as a clan of wolves who were tired of other families of mages making war into their lands, and so, they started to act as mediators between these conflicts, and they showed a great deal of success in these actions and in doing their job. Soon, their fame started to spread, and they gained a wide fame as mages who helped other mages settle their differences and problems in a diplomatic way. The lands that they controlled became a neutral ground where mages could meet each other without fighting and where they could settle their differences in peace, underneath the watchful eyes of the Villalobos. This kind of reputation helped them grow as they became quite important in the politics of mages all across Roarope, and this helped them grow in all senses of the word. Soon, the Villalobos had attained to themselves positions of prestige and power, and they have achieved all of that thanks to their hard work to be adjudicators of mages and to help them settle their differences and uphold the principles of the laws of mages.
Today, the Villalobos are among the most powerful and influent mage families of the modern times, and they are very wealthy. Publically, the Villalobos are famous for having numerous establishments like clubs and hotels all around the world. These places are the terrain of the Villalobos, places protected by bounded fields and where mages who come have to keep peace or face consequences. They are neutral grounds in which the Villalobos continue to exercise their work as adjudicators, and these places are sponsor by the Mage's Association, which still holds the work of the Villalobos in high regard for having avoid many terrible wars and tragedies in the past.
The Villalobos have a good relationship with the Mieczyslaw, for they help uphold the laws that the other clan created, and they are often making very good interactions and even working together to keep order, each one in their own way…
The Von Wüldervolls: The Wüldervoll clan is native from Europe, and they are a strong clan of lynxes that made themselves specialized in jewel magecraft. They became masters in the art of infusing magic into ancient precious gems, granting that these gems will become Mystic Codes of great power, and that they can be use in battle to match other mages. The clan holds great pride in their work with the jewels, and they are say to fabricate the most beautiful Mystic Codes of the world out of precious gems. They are an "old style" family of mages, being attach to traditions, including the one that mages consider all forms of modern technology to be inferior to their magical versions of it, so much that they vehemently refuse to learn about technology, and they look down on any mage who does.
They are an old bloodline, with great riches and with political power. However, even though they are still one of the most influent mage families of the world, in the list of the twenty more powerful and influent mage families of the modern times, they are list in last place. The clan wishes to grow and to perfect their ways and their position, and to achieve a greater level of influence in the world of mages. This has led the clan to make several political dances and many efforts into advancing in their field of magecraft, all so they can get themselves even more power and surpass the other families of mages to secure a position of prestige and power for the future. Some say that, in what comes to political games and the continuous focus on the advancement of the clan, the Wündervoll are the perfect example of a traditional and "old money" family of mages.
This clan has a very strong enmity with the Wilde clan due to events that happened a couple centuries ago, when both clans clashed directly over a battle for territory and for certain magical resources. The battle was silent, but was bloody, and in the end, the Wilde clan emerged with a magnificent victory, while the Von Wüldervoll clan was force to retreat to some corner in order to lick their wounds. The Wildes acquired power over the land and they even claimed to themselves a treasure that belonged to the clan of lynxes, making it one of their own acquisitions. The Von Wüldevolls still hold a grudge against every single living Wilde ever since that day, and wait for the chance of getting back at them…
The Wolfgangs: The clan of Wolfgang is a clan of wolves known for their rich tradition and for having produced many skillful musicians. However, more than just artists, they are a clan of mages specialized in music magecraft, a thaumaturgycal tradition that uses sound and music in place of arias as a way of achieving mysteries, turning them able to realize powerful feats of magecraft with nothing more than an instrument and, sometimes, their own voices. Their skill in this branch of magic, and also the fact that they are an old and very influent clan makes them be listed in a place of respect among other clans. They are particularly famous among their own homelands in Europe, and some of them achieve a great deal of respect, both for their musical arts as for their musical magecraft.
They have always been famous on both mage and mundane worlds. Since their nature as mages came to surface in recent times, these fames started to merge. The fact that they were famous as musicians and that they are users of a magecraft that bases itself in a form of art worked wonders to make them have a widely good reception from mundanes, unlike other mage families.
They are also famous for their attachment for traditions, to the point that until today the members of the clan refuse to use or learn about technology unless it is absolutely necessary, and they value classic forms of music above modern music. In fact, very recently a member of the clan was kicked out and sunned away for having developed certain "tastes" that different from the traditions of the clan…
Magic Circuit Suppressors: In the world of mages, it is hard to be sure that a mage will not do anything against others with their magecraft. There were need to be create ways to prevent mages from using magecraft against others and to defy the current laws, which became far more urgent with the advent of the New Mage Codex. As a result, there was the need to develop specific precautions that would prevent mages from using their magecraft, and so, there were develop many special systems and Mystic Codes that had the precise purpose of avoiding this.
These kinds of systems work by affecting the Magic Circuits, suppressing them so it will not be possible to activate them, turning impossible to pass magical energy through them, what prevents the use of magecraft. These kinds of rituals and devices have existed for a while, mostly as a way of preventing imprisoned mages of using their abilities against their captors, however, with the advent of the new Mage Codex, these things became quite popular as a law-enforcing element. They serve for the Enforcers to imprison and subjugate criminal mages while they are transport and held imprison.
The most known and the most popular kind of suppressors are the special runic devices created by the Mieczyslaw clan. They take them form of collars, wristbands, or even harnesses that have special runes inscribed in them and that go in the body of the mage. Once in place, the magic of the runes works on suppressing the Magic Circuits of the mage to prevent the activation of magecraft. They are a basic material for the Enforcers to use, and they are made of special material that makes them very hard to break. Once in place, they lock and can only be remove by someone who has the right spell, and attempts to remove them by force often end in failure due to the magic of the runes in them. These materials are an element of disciplinary action, and they are place as a mean of punishment when the mage who is being apprehend tries to resist being take into custody. They are also use as disciplinary elements in and on themselves, as they are place on an offending mage and left in there for a period that varies in accordance with the size of the infraction. Sometimes they remain in place for a few weeks, other times the mages have to wear them for a few years. It is somehow like a conditional parole or a minor punishment, once the mage is allow to roam free, but deprived of his magecraft abilities, what can cause many problems to a mage, not to mention the stigma of having to wear one of those, what pretty much marks you as a criminal. These devices also are made with a special detection spell imbue in their runes, so the Enforcers will be able to track down the ones wearing them wherever they go, pretty much like the electronic anklets that mundane criminals wear.
Suppressors might also come into the form of Bounded Fields. In these cases, it is possible to create a field around a certain area that suppresses the Magic Circuits of the ones inside of the area, rendering this a "no magecraft zone". Normally, this kind of bounded field affects everyone inside it, but with the right preparation, it is possible to make it affect only certain individuals, or not to affect certain specific individuals. Nowadays, this is very popular in the places that mages do their "prisons" for the more serious criminals of their world. These places where they are incarcerated are surrounded with Bounded Fields that have a double function of protecting the place from invasions and spying, and of preventing the inmates in the inside of using magecraft to try and escape. In these places, there is also a special preparation so the special agents who work as guards in there are not affect by the field, retaining their capacity to access magecraft at will.
In the case of powerful mages, the suppression effect can only work passively, only suppressing the Magic Circuits enough to dampen magical abilities. Some are supposed to work that way, rendering the mages weaker in place of taking their magecraft, while others end up having this effect because the suppressors are not strong enough to suppress completely the circuits of very powerful mages.
Rough Diamonds: The Magic Circuits are what defines one as a mage for giving them the capacity to conduct magical energy and utilize it to realize the desired effects. Magic Circuits are something that is passed down bloodlines, and overtime, with the careful cultivation and breeding, each generation can have better Magic Circuits than the last, resulting in increasing of power. The opposite is also true, as for one reason or another; the quality of the Magic Circuits of a bloodline can dwindle with time, resulting in loss of powers. However, there are some cases in which a mammal from a bloodline who has not have mages for a long time, or never at all, can develop Magical Circuits that serve for magecraft. These are events in which a mage is effectively born from mother and father non-mages, and with the only mages (if any) are a very distant ancestor. These individuals are vulgarly know in the mage community as "rough diamonds".
It is perfectly possible that someone who come from a bloodline that holds none, or almost none, relationship with any mage, to be able to produce spontaneously a mage. When something like this happens, normally is due to a sudden mutation in the bloodline or even in the individuals themselves that allows them to be born with magical circuits. In these cases, these individuals will be track by the Mage's Association and be place under observation. In most cases, the Association would normally track these individuals, help them awaken their Magic Circuits, and move them away from the mundane society and try to introduce them to the society of mages. Of course, this is not always possible, as there are many stories about individual who had dormant Magic Circuits with them and spent their whole lives without ever awakening them, something that, according to some, resulted in the loss of many potential mage bloodlines.
After the events of the Great Revealing, rough diamonds continued to appear in the world and to be discover, even though the method of approaching them is starting to change significantly, as now the Association no longer needs to have so much care with covering their tracks and activities. With the exception of keeping the identity of these and their relatives in secret, to avoid future persecutions. Still, the approach did not changed so much, as they need to locate the new mage, contact them very discreetly, and discuss with them and their families (especially in the cases where the new mage is still young) of the implications of what the child has discovered to be. These including the responsibilities and dangers of the misusage of the Magic Circuits, and the introduction of the new mage to the learnings of magecraft. In the time following the Darkest Hour and the subsequent events of the Great Revealing, some mages who paid attention could observe a small, but meaningful increasing of the number of brute diamonds appearing across the world. Any reasonable mind can easily assume that this is due to the change in behavior of the Mage's Association, which now focus more in doing their job without the constant distraction of having to cover up their activities and keep secrecy. After all, it is not possible that these events have somehow "induced" the appearance of many new mages from previously non-mages bloodlines…
Magic Circuit Combustion: Magic Circuits are like a nervous system and like circuits form machines, which transport magical energy to allow magecraft to happen. When they are being use, they heat up, and depending on how much magical energy is used, the magic circuits can start to heat up to a point where they provoke numbness in the mage, or even pain. If overloaded, they might even cause burns on their vicinities, or even burn themselves, resulting in loss of their capacity and in the mage losing power.
However, there are some cases, rare, but well known, in which the Magic Circuits were force to a point in which they ended up entering in combustion. These events happen when they are force with so much magical energy that the heat in them causes the circuits to set themselves in fire, and the result is a combustion that starts from the magic circuits. It is not a combustion with normal fire, but with a fire of supernatural origins, so hot and intense that even water, freezing temperatures, or complete lack of oxygen are able to set it out. This fire spreads from the magic circuits into the fat, the flesh and even the bones of the mage, resulting into what mundanes often describe as "spontaneous mammal combustion", something that is considered either an urban legend or a supernatural event by them. Among mages, this is famous as the result of a mage who forced too much their Magic circuits, who tried to go far beyond their own limits, who tried to grasp too much too quickly. They are regard as examples of what can happen if one is not careful enough when using magecraft.
Of course, these stories are terrifying, but they are not limited to erupting in flames. There are some cases, even rarer, in which forcing the Magic Circuits can result not only on the circuits combusting, but on completely bursting, resulting in the body of the mage to literally explode. There are some examples of it, some of mages who exploded, and some mages who lost limbs and body parts due to the Magic Circuits of a specific part of their body having reacted violently to the excess of magical energy.
These events are a fact well known to mages, and even though it is rare to meet someone who had truly witnessed these events, it is of common knowledge in the mage world that they can happen. They are often share and told to the young mages so they will know that there are limits even for mages, and if you try to break these limits, there are risks and consequences, and that you may very well pay with your life. Still, these events only occur in the most extreme of cases, when the Magic Circuits are force to handle an enormous amount of magic energy at once, or when they are use for far too much time. Also, before they become hot enough to combust or explode, they tend to get so hot that they actually cause burns in the flesh.
Wizard Marshal: The position of wizard marshal is one that is taken seriously within the Mage's Association, and is one of distinguish prestige and of great responsibility. The Association have their own police force, the Enforcers, and they work in upholding their laws and keeping order in name of the Association. However, even among them, there is a certain level that is consider above the Enforcers, and these individuals work not only as law enforcement, but also as the military force of the Association. Among these mammals, there are the ones who become the military leaders, holders of military knowledge and authority within the Association. These individuals reached these positions through their efforts and years of merits and probations, and they are each one leader of their own squad, formed by a great number of elite mages specialized in combat and hardened by many missions. These individuals hold great authority and respect within the association, and they also have a great deal of responsibilities, like being the first line of defense when dangers threaten the Association, they have seen more than their fair share of dangers and battles before they reached their current state. There are very few who acquired the title of wizard marshal, and the ones who did are famous in and out of the Association, and sometimes even worldwide.
Ley Lines: A ley line is something that exists in the world, and that is of great significance for some mages and for some bloodlines, as it represents a way of increasing their powers and reaching new heights. Ley lines are much like the Magic Circuits possessed by the mages, being lines on the planet through which the Mana, the magical energy of the World itself, flows and gathers into the world. These lines are very special, for in them, the flow of mana is particularly strong, and making them a source of power for mages who use them, for merely standing above one tends to increase your capacity. In addition, mages who are skilled enough are even able to extract magical energy from the ley lines, and use them to power up spells that they alone wouldn't be able to make. However, this must be done with care, for if a ley line is drained of too much, or even all, of its current mana, it will dry and might take a few years to refuel completely.
Ley lines are places with a certain Mystery on their own right, so they tend to attract things to them. Among mundanes, ley lines were recognize as lines that were form by places of religious or historic importance, where sights were constructed. That happens because the ley lines have the effect of attracting success and prosperity for the buildings that are upon them, resulting in important places in them prospering in the years, and this led mammals to associate the locations of these sights with the specific lines, even though they didn't understood them completely. It is true that places that are built upon ley lines much times are fated to prosper and to have a great history behind them, for instance, the Great Palm Hotel, a place of great success in the city of Zootopia, was built exactly into the intersection of two different and very strong ley lines. This is consider to have helped significantly into the success of the building…
Spiritual Land: Mystical lands are something that are intimately related to the ley lines, being spaces of land, mystic grounds were one can find powerful ley lines, and in which the mystery is very strong. Being in one of these lands can significantly increase one's own capacity into magecraft and, if the land is charge enough with power, sometimes it can even be possible to reach a level of power where it can almost match the capacities of True Magic. Most of the know spiritual lands have been claimed and acquired by the Mage's Association, being under their protection and being places of interest. However, there are some Spiritual Lands under the control of certain families or other organizations, and these are explore and treasure as something significant to them, being the kind of thing that can give them great advantages and help greatly in their advancement by allowing them to break certain boundaries.
There are some examples of spiritual lands, like important Holy Cities, and places that are near or into major ley lines. One clear example of this is the Great Palms Hotel, which was build over the intersection of two major ley lines, and as a result, is a place where a lot of magical energy resides. The only reason why this place was never fully explore by the mages was because it was a mundane site, and they were still worrying in keeping their operations a secret…
Another Spiritual land of the major significance the great mass of magic circuits within the land that served as the source of power for the ritual known as "Holy Grail War". This is a spiritual land of the greatest power, actually, the most powerful one that is known, and the Mage's Association would have immediately claimed it if it wasn't for the intervention of the Wilde, Höleh and Bellwether clans, who joined their influence to make the place as a shared property from all of them. With their combined efforts, they could claim that land as belonging solely to the three clans, and so, the Mage's Association was with their hands tied, as they could not act on it without breaking their own laws, and possibly starting a war with three of the most powerful clans of the whole world. The extreme power of that land, and the huge amount of power that they could take from it, to the point of rivaling the True Magic of the Age of Gods, was the only thing that made the ritual possible. Without it, the summoning of the power of the Holy Grail and the materialization of the souls of Heroic Spirits (something on the level of True Magic) would have not been possible at all.
Second Owner: Spiritual Lands are sites of great importance for the ones who possess them, and they are desire and envied by other mages who want to take advantage of their existence to help on their own causes. It makes sense that these places are protected constantly and with strength by the ones who control them, and that the Mage's Association would do their best to protect the many lands that are under their possession, so other mages would not try to take advantage of them. However, the existence of multiple spiritual lands under their protection makes it difficult for all of them to be monitor and to be protected at the same time, so the Association makes use of a system that passes part of the responsibility forward. They select a lineage of mages of their trust, who are strong and competent and give to them the partial ownership of the land, in exchange for them to defend it, and all of the surrounding area and report in the case of any need, acting in the best interest of the Association. The current head of the clan is the one of the greatest responsibility for the land, and they receive the title of second owner, even though they get to be best know by the mages as the "supervisor" of the land. The supervisor is, in many ways, a great authority of the land, sponsored directly by the Mage's Association, who gets to decide all things related to that land and to any mage who gets into or near it. As a result, any mage who comes into the Spiritual Land under their protection and decides to take residence in there must get their permission to build their workshop, and the supervisor has a great deal of power and authority in the land, so long as they respect the regulations and remain loyal to the association.
There are reported cases in which some mages might be able to pass by perception of the supervisor and to remain within the land and take advantage of its properties without raising suspicions. If something like that happens too many times it is taken as a sign that the ones who are exercising the job are not responsible enough, and the Association might react by removing their title and privileges, and passing it to another clan.
Workshop: A workshop is something that is very important in the mage culture, it is a place where a mage will do research experiments, and overall works of magecraft that could hardly be done in any other place. A workshop is a "magical laboratory" where mage sets of a place for research and experimentation focused on development of magecraft, being the kind of thing that is very important to a mage. This is the kind of place that will be essential to any mage who is truly worth the name, and as so, a lot of time and effort will be used in the construction of the place itself, so it can comport all of the needs and goals of a mage in what it comes to their own research. The procedures in the construction of a workshop can vary greatly from one mage to another, but the most important of them surely is the right means to contain the place to, be sure that the magic energy from the inside will not leak it. This kind of procedure is important because, due to the many experiments that happen in there, a workshop is bound to have a greater level of magical energy in it, so much that even mundanes who walk into it can actually feel that, feeling that the air is "heavier" and that is "fizzles with some kind of static". A workshop is one of the most important things for a mage, for it is the place where they make discoveries and advancements, so it is the kind of place that is nearly sacred to most mages, once it is the place of their secrets, and an invasion to it could mean someone trying to steal or destroy their research and their advancements. The step into the workshop of a mage without the mage's authorization will be seen as an act of open hostility, and it will often be answered accordingly.
Elements: The elements are nothing more and nothing less than the elements that form the world, and they are something that plays an important role in magecraft. There are different classes of elements, depending on the teachings and on the thaumaturgycal traditions that are follow. For instance, in the occident, there is the tradition of the four classic elements (water, fire, wind and earth), something traced back to the classic times in Greece, with the adding of one final extra element: void/ether. There is also the tradition of the five elements in the orient: earth, water, fire, wood and metal. Also, there is the tradition that accepts "twelve constellations".
Each element has specific qualities and is associated with specific thaumaturgycal effects and concepts, depending on which thaumaturgycal theory you are studying them. for instance, in the occidental traditions of magecraft:
· Fire: Spells are relate to combustion, consumption, heat, entropy, fuels, energy transference and thermodynamics.
· Earth: Spells are relate to grounding, cultivation of energy and energy embedding.
· Water: Spells are relate to flows, forms, cycles, combinations and manipulations.
· Wind: Spells deal with air, kinetic forces, static energy, free energy and direct ted movement.
A mage is expect to have the ability to manipulate at least one element, no matter their thaumaturgycal theory. This is represent by the special skill that a mage might naturally have with one specific element, being focused on that specific path with what mages refer to as an "elemental affinity", the special connection with an element that makes it natural for the mage to use it. There are cases of mages who possess more than one elemental affinity, or who have affinities with "compound elements", and these are very rare. However, what is the rarer is the mages who have affinities with elements that are "unusual", for instance, the "imaginary elements", like nothingness, these are even rarer, and their skills might be so focus that they are limited in certain aspects. The rarer of all of that, however, is the ones known as "average ones", mages who possess an elemental affinity that allows them to hold and control all of the elements, being the "masters of the five paths", mastering all five elements of the occidental tradition: water, wind, earth, fire, and void. There are equivalents to this in the oriental thaumaturgy traditions, mages who had developed the skills to manipulate all of the vie elements of their traditions: earth, water, fire, wood and metal; these are consider rare among them, and they earn themselves a place of respect among the practitioners of the oriental thaumaturgycal theories.
Sorcery Trait: A sorcery trait is something that is consider rare, and something that is considered something special to a lineage of mages, and most mages do value these special qualities as much as their Magic Crests, or sometimes even more. A sorcery trait is a special quality that is possessed by a mage and passed down to their descendants and that is consider something that it is hard to imitate to other mages. Some special kind of skill or power that is pass down along a line of mages and that gives them a very special quality to their own deeds.
There are some examples of clans of mages who have very special sorcery traits out there, some of them are of real great power. One example of this is the special, rune-related sorcery trait of the Mieczyslaw clan, which is say to be something special from their founder, the legendary fox of the same name of the clan. It is said that the fox received the knowledge of the primordial runes, and that he used the very power of the runes to bind them to his own bloodline, ensuring that the power and knowledge of the runes would live not only into the mind, but into the blood of all of his descendants. This sorcery trait allows the Mieczyslaw to have the knowledge of the runes as something that comes to them as instinctually as breathing, allowing them to dominate the art of rune magecraft with little to no effort, and making most of them practically self-taught in their art. Not only that, but the knowledge related to the primordial runes allows them to use a level of rune magecraft that usually impress other mages, with some claiming that their runes have not lost the power with the decline of the runic magecraft of the modern world. Also, the deep knowledge of the primordial runes, which were the base to all other runic alphabets, allows them to work with and create new runes that can serve for nearly all of their needs. This is a great and a very powerful example of a trait of sorcery, something that is deeply connect to a specific bloodline and that gives them a quality that makes them truly special.
In the past, a sorcery trait was something that was able to awaken a lot of interest into the Association, enough for these individuals to sometimes receive sealing designations so they could be studied (before the advent of the new laws of the New Mage Codex, of course) if these individuals didn't had enough power or influence to be above such things. In the present days, there are still mages who want to fully understand the nature of sorcery traits, as there are several theories about each one of them individually, once each one of these traits is something in particular on itself.
Mystic Eyes are consider a form of sorcery trait, especially if they are the kind of Mystic Eye that can be inherit, happening with significant frequency inside the same specific bloodline.
Thaumaturgycal Foundation: A thaumaturgycal foundation; also referred to as Thaumaturgycal Theory or Thaumaturgycal School, is a body of pre-determined rules that determined how a certain kind of magecraft works. It is to say that they are absolute laws that magecraft has to follow, pretty much like the laws of physics for most events of the natural world. Each one of these foundations is a combination of factors and processes that are fundamental for mages to do magecraft, for they dictate how certain kinds of spells are to behave and how they shall do what they do, making them fundamental for the process of magecraft, much like laws of physics are essential to mundane science.
There are many theories about why magecraft has to follow rules stablished by thaumaturgycal foundations, with the most commonly accepted being that they are laws through which the World operates. This way, the only reason why magic is possible is because the World, through these laws, allows for these events to exist.
Each school of magecraft has its own foundation, and the foundations might vary greatly from one type of magecraft to another. There are some that are very close to each other, while there are others that are not only incompatible, but mutually exclusive to each other. The existence of so many thaumaturgycal theories, as well as their differences between each other, has been largely study by some mages, who want to fully understand the laws and mechanisms behind them. There are theories that say that the existence of the current thaumaturgycal theories are a reaction of the World to the waning of Mystery with the end of the Age of Gods. With the disappearing of the power of True Magic of the planet, the World needed to develop a self-contained system that would allow for imitations of the miracles of old times with the little of magic that was still around. This way, the laws of thaumaturgycal theories would be the World creating its own system that would allow for a much weaker form of magic to be able to work in a world in which Mystery was becoming thinner and thinner.
Onmyodo: This is the name of a specific thaumaturgycal foundation, common in the land of Nippon, one that was create based on the thaumaturgycal systems of Feng Shui, in the Yin-Yang system, and in the Five Elements of the Occidental culture. It grew and gained elements from Shintoism, Buddhism and Taoism, making it grow into something that holds some merit of its own.
This style of magecraft excels in divination, curses, exorcisms, summoning, spiritual healing and more, being considered by some a rather versatile school of magecraft. This kind of magecraft is famous not only because of itself, but because of the power that the ones who use it possess, as they are almost their own form of organization, one that practically runs over Nippon and that has few ties with the Mage's Association, what makes difficult for the Association to work in there.
This branch of magecraft is nearly a religion in itself, and most of it is run by families of priests and priestess, who have learned the way from their own lineages and passed it down from generation to generation. These families and practitioners see themselves in a different line from the regular mages. Even though there are some important and influent mage families in Nippon, the practitioners of the art of Onmiodo consider themselves as something apart from the traditional mages, much like the ones who serve the Church consider their Sacraments as something completely separated from the traditional magecraft branches.
After the events of the Great Revealing, there was a lot going on in Nippon, and among these things, there was the fact that some mages and even clans were coming forth and making their presence known. The situation was getting difficult, and that was when the Onmiodos made their presence known to everyone. They have always been present doing the things that the priests of this religion are expect to, like blessing places and exorcising evil spirits and daemons, and this did not changed after the great revealing, with the exception that now they no longer hid their activities. The religion behind their supernatural powers, and the fact that they did things that protected and helped the citizens of Nippon quickly made them gain a great deal of respect and appreciation by the mundane population, making them a very respected force within the country with a great popular support.
Fur Coloration Change Spell: This spell is quite impressive for the mundanes who witness it, but it is rather simple, and any mage with enough skill can learn how to do it and to use it to maximum effect.
This spell, as its own name suggests, serves to alter the coloration of the fur of a mammal. However, unlike dyeing, this change occurs by changing the chemical composition of the fur at a molecular level, causing the change to be effective and permanent, until this same spell is use to change the color of the fur again. It is possible to use it to completely change the coloration of fur, allowing a mammal to even pass by a different variation of the species, like a common red fox passing by a silver fox. However, it is also possible to use it to cause the fur to change to completely unnatural colorations, like a vibrant pink, or a deep purple, allowing a mammal to be made completely different from everyone else, despite this kind of thing calling too much attention. It is also possible to cause the coloration of the fur to change in selective ways, allowing one to create patterns (spots, rosettes, stripes, splats) into the fur that can be of any existing color. Moreover, it is possible to use this spell with great precision, changing the coloration of the fur to create very specific markings in the fur, like runes, specific symbols, or even letter, which form words, making this spell work, in many ways, like a tattoo for animals that have fur.
This spell was create centuries ago as a way of creating specific marks on the fur of animals as a way of identifying their own. It was a way of members of the same faction or clan being able to identify each other through a specific marking that they would have in common in their fur. With the passing of time, it became popular among the younger mages, who used it to play around with their fur and to give themselves vibrant and unrealistic colors, as well as creating symbols and patterns that were akin to tattoos. It is still use up until today for those purposes, and also to help mark and identify some members of important clans, like the Wildes.
After the revealing of the mages to the World, it was only a matter of time before this particular and simple spell became of public knowledge, and as so, soon there were many mammals who became quite interest in it. Tattoos were something that normally was only viable to mammals with little fur to no fur, once they would not be visible through long coats, but this spell offered an option for the animals of thick pelts. Some mages started to offer this spell as cosmetic treatment to mundanes, and some say that this has helped mages grow somewhat more popular…
Species Change Rituals: This is the type of magic that is classify among the greatest ones that someone can ever attempt, considered to be in the ranking of the highest High-Thaumaturgy, bordering on the realm of True Magic.
These rituals, as their very name suggest; are ones that allow a mammal to alter their species, changing from one thing into another. This is not an illusion, but an actual transformation, and it differs from most magic of this type, for it is not a temporary thing or even a simple alteration of appearance and size, this kind of magic goes way beyond this. This kind of magic alters someone, in body and mind, altering biology and instincts, in order to make one thing turn into another. By making this ritual, a mammal is attempting to alter their very nature, the very essence of what they are, and what they will be, forever changing their nature and their very fate. This way, a fox could turn into a bunny, or a gazelle into a lion, and this transformation will remain, for their very essence will change into something else, and this way, they will abandon what they once were and embrace something new, what becomes their new true nature and their new fate. This is what makes this be among the most powerful and the most difficult rituals that could ever be realize for anyone.
These rituals, due to their very nature, are extremely complicated, and they require an insane amount of magical energy to be realize, putting a lot of strain and pressure in a mage. These rituals have hundreds, if not thousands of elements that need to go perfectly, and if a single one of them goes wrong, the results are going to be catastrophic. There are many stories in the world of mages about people who tried to use one of these rituals and ended up turning themselves into abominations that could hardly be classify as mammals, or simply died due to their attempt to change themselves like that. These who did survived and turned into abominations were stuck like that, for attempts to fix the problem could cause it to aggravate, or even result in certain death, not to mention that this kind of way of fixing things is not explored and it could certainly end badly. Outside attempts to help victims of this also represent great danger to the mage who does the rituals, so doing these is something that most will hesitate to do, resulting in victims of this kind of ritual failure usually being stuck like that, and many of them either go in absolute hiding or end their own lives. There are stories about mammals who successfully realized these rituals and changed their species into something else, but it is hard to follow these stories, and they are often left just as tales to be told in bar tables.
The origin of rituals like that can be traced back to the Age of Gods, when there were stories of mammals changing from one species into another, of course, it was a time when True Magic still roamed in the world, and it was something that could be possible during that time. However, in the modern times, something like that is nearly impossible, and reproducing this kind of "miracle" is risky and extremely difficult. These rituals are often left alone, for few have the actual reasons, power and courage needed to actually attempt to do this kind of ritual. Still, some study these rituals in hope of learning new things and achieving new advancements in this kind of area.
The Third Sorcery: The True Magic is something that has long vanished from the World, however, there are traits of it that were left behind in this world, taking the form of the ancient artifacts that still hold at least part of the Mystery from these times, and the very, very few individuals who still hold some small portion of that magic. There are different kinds of sorcery, each one with a specific type of specialization very much like there are different kinds of thaumaturgycal foundations. For instance, the Second Sorcery is one that deal with the capacity to access the energy of different universes and existences, allowing the one who uses it to travel through them. However, one of the most famous types of sorcery is the Third Sorcery, one that allows for the materialization of the soul.
The Third Sorcery is something that allows for one to gather the soul form a body and to cause it to materialize, allowing for the one who receives it to become a being that is above the limitations of a physical body, and allowing them to even reach true immortality, as their souls continue into the world without the need for a physical body. This is not the same as becoming a ghost, for someone who has been materialize by the True Sorcery is a being that exists purely as a materialized soul, and it holds an immense power in itself. A great example of this is the materialization of Servants, which are the souls of the deceased brought to the world and materialized into spiritual forms that are superior to any ghost. The Holy Grail is, basically, a great mechanism that allows the use of the Third Sorcery, allowing to summon these beings to the world and to materialize them as pure souls, without a physical body. However, since they are "something that was supposed to be dead", they cannot exist permanently without consequences, and as a result, they need a supply of mana to keep them materialized into this world, which is one of the reasons why Servants need to be attach to a mammal as their Master for their existence. Materializing a soul is something that gives the soul a power much greater than it could possibly have as a mortal, and as a result, the materialized souls have an immense power, that is directly connect to the strength and force of the soul itself. That is why Heroic Spirits, the most powerful souls to ever exist, are beings that are nearly impossible to match. When they are killed, the energy that was used to materialize their souls return to the Holy Grail, and it can be used as emergency power by another Servant, and it is the principle of the wish-granting function that it has during the Holy Grail Wars.
The Third Sorcery also specializes in the control of the soul, once it is necessary to forcibly remove it from the body to allow its materialization. So, the power of this kind of sorcery also allows to summon and to manipulate freely the soul of other beings, allowing to remove them from their bodies and, according to some, even to implant them into another receptacles, be it objects or the bodies of other living beings.
There is only one known mammal in the whole world who holds the power of the Third Sorcery, a sorcerer that is feared and respected all around the globe, including by the Mage's Association. There are also rumors that some important clan holds an ancient relic that possesses the power of the Third Sorcery, being capable of manipulating souls…
