Paper Dungeons’ world: a kind of magic (part 1)

Putting fantasy in the medieval

We finally arrive in the last article about the Ditomea continent, the place where the main events of Paper Dungeons happen.

In the three previous articles we talked about the cultural, political and social aspects of the  continent. In general these three aspects are sufficient to understand a historical society, but we are talking about a fantasy world.

A place with magic.

It’s time to talk about the wonderful and frightening aspects of magic!

Categories of magic

In Paper Dungeon’s world magic isn’t a unique thing. When we talk about magic, it’s possible to divide magicians and their traditions in an infinitude of practices, rituals and explanations about magical powers.

To organize this mess, Sharram Silverscepter, grand master of the Council of the Magic and writer of The Major Codex, divided human sorcery in three major categories: chaos, arcane and shadow.

Chaos Magic

Chaos Magic is associated with uncommon individuals born with natural ability to use magic. In general the users of Chaos Magic are descendents of dragons, faerie lords or extraplanar creatures like Abism Lords. These chaos magic users are popularly known as sorcerers, and they can use magic without study or preparation, and their powers are more intense, but less flexible if you compare them to the other kinds of magic.

In the countryside of Leonia, like Broken Lands or Dragon’s Lair, sorcerers walk freely between the villages and farms. A dignified one can be a local hero, helping the peasants and small merchants in areas far from the eyes of the Lion Guard. On the other hand, a heinous chaos magic user is a menace for small communities and it’s common to find these guys associated with monsters or criminal groups.   

In the great cities of the realm, like Banc or Ventima, sorcerers are pursued by authorities. Their powers are considered curses, and most of them need to swear obedience to the Queen to walk freely in the streets. The oath imposes a great number of conditions and turns the magic users into weapons in the Lion Guard… the enemies of House d’Leon whisper terrible rumors about Black Fang Battalion, a special force formed with the most powerful and dangerous sorcerers of the realm.

Arcane Magic

Arcane Magic that can be learned by practice and study. The general theory is understandable by someone with basic study and literacy, but doing magic tricks is very complicated and requires years of preparation. In an analogy with our world, Arcane Magic is more complicated than quantum mechanics, and a small group of men and women can reach all the possibilities of this kind of magic and receive the title of wizard.

Wizards need to study and practice a lot, because of that the wisest scholars of the past founded the Council of The Magic, a covenant created to regulate, guide and provide support to wizards around the world. The Council is present in the great cities of Leonia through the Academies, study centers dedicated to teaching magic to talented students with ability and funds to pay for the lessons.

Learning magic is quite expensive and the costs of spells and potions are prohibitive to common people. Because of that, the absolute majority of the wizards are children of nobility or descendants of great merchants who have the money to pay for their studies. Talented young peasants are allowed to attend the classes, but they receive student grants to pay for their education (which will need to be paid back upon completion of the course). As a consequence of their debts, poor rookie wizards are a common presence in groups of adventurers in expeditions across the realm.

Shadow Magic 

For many scholars, Shadow Magic is only a variant of Arcane Magic prohibited in Academies of The Council. The origin of the Shadow Magic is obscure and shrouded in mystery, but the most known legend talks about Xamit Bonespear, a young and talented student of The Council who disobeyed the masters and discovered the secrets of death to amplify her power. Xamit escaped to the Estibra Islands and she would become the first necromancer.

Shadow Magic affects emotions, fate and flesh, and can be a powerful tool in the hands of a trained necromancer. Inspire fear, minor curses and raise dead bodies are common spells of villains in the tales of the commoners and travelers. A curious fact about Shadow Magic is that it is much more accessible than Arcane Magic: the material components are things like ashes, bones, and herbs; the seals and chants are based on strong emotions; and the masters of the Shadow Arts are encouraged to seek apprentices among those who need guidance.   

Is Shadow Magic a bad thing? 

To the wizards and members of The Prophet’s Church the answer is yes. The priests tell stories about “death wizards” who disobeyed the Creator’s laws to satisfy their unholy will. Council members teach students about the dangers of the dark path. In the realm, Shadow Magic is banned and the necromancers are automatically considered criminals.

Of course, the Shadow Magic users have a different perspective about their arts. In their opinion necromancy is a tool of self knowledge available to someone who has the guts to face fear and embrace the wildness of human emotions. To the necromancers, magic is a power capable of bothering the powerful men, because in the field of magic the greatness is determined by force of will and not by money or tradition.