Magic

Magic in Thedas is a powerful force.

It is revered and feared in equal measure. It has shaped centuries, defined generations of suffering or bliss, and profoundly impacts daily life. Every culture has made measures to either incorporate, oppress, or praise those with magical abilities.

I. History

Magic is a natural physical phenomenon such as gravity or magnetism. Some people are born with the ability to interact with, control, and shape it. Magic tends to run in bloodlines, however.

No one knows who first discovered magic, it has been a part of the world of Thedas for as long as people can remember. It is ancient, predating recorded history. The Elves of ancient Arlathan cultivated magic in harmony with the Fade, and soon so did the humans.

Before it became the Imperium, Tevinter was ruled by a dynasty of kings. And long before the Chantry, in Tevinter, there was a Circle of Magi: the society of mages in each city. The titles the recently created circle of Orlais uses—enchanter, senior enchanter, first enchanter—all originated here. But above the first enchanter, the Circles of Tevinter had another office: magister.

The magisters formed a council of the most powerful mages in the kingdom. They convened in Minrathous and held dominion over all magic in the land. When Darinius seized the throne in -1195 Ancient, the Court of the Magisters became the royal court, and "magister" was the only title of nobility recognized in Tevinter.

Prior to the Circle’s formation, magic was either practiced by the Magisters of the Tevinter Imperium or in remote areas, knowledge handed down from one generation of practitioners to the next. “Hedge mages,” as Enchanters of the Circle refer to them, or “witches” as legend would name them, do not always employ forbidden magic. Quite often their talents lie in the creation of charms, the use of curses and the ability to change their own forms. Examples of such Hedge mages and witches include the so-called "witches" of the Chasind wilders or the "shamans" of the Avvar barbarians.

The Elves of ancient Arlathan were heavily reliant on magic. Legend holds that the first known blood mage, at least for humans, was a Tevinter: Archon Thalsian. Thalsian claimed to have been taught by Old God Dumat, the Dragon of Silence. With the Chantry, scholars recently argue that this is merely a myth, and that Thalsian learned about blood magic from the Elves. Either way, Thalsian taught blood magic to others and soon amassed an army, which he used to conquer Elvhenan, the homeland of the Elves. The Arlathan Kingdom was sunken into the ground, and from the ashes of the Elven kingdom, the Tevinter Imperium rose to prominence.

The Chantry teaches us that the Imperium was not satisfied with control of Thedas, however, and in an incredible act of hubris, the magister lords attempted to enter the Golden City and usurp the Maker Himself. Their efforts failed, and to punish them, Chantry historians believe that the Maker transformed them into the first darkspawn. These darkspawn fled underground, and eventually found the Old God Dumat and transformed him into the first Archdemon. Thus began the Blight, which would continue for two centuries and greatly weakened the Tevinter Imperium.

In the wake of the First Blight, the people of the Imperium became disillusioned with the Old Gods, and soon began to follow Andraste, a former slave who united the barbarian tribes and led them to break the Imperium's hold on Thedas. Andraste was ultimately betrayed by her husband, Maferath, and burned at the stake, but her death inspired the creation of the Chantry in Orlais.

II. The Chantry

Ten years to the day after Andraste's death, Archon Hessarian, ruler of the Tevinter Imperium, converted to the Chant of Light, claiming that he had heard the voice of the Maker when his blade had touched Andraste, and the beginnings of the religion took root.

Archon Hessarian declared the Maker the one true god, made Andrastianism the religion of the Imperium, thus forming the Imperial Chantry, and publicly revealed Maferath's betrayal. Most of the high-ranking clergy, including nearly all of the ruling Altus magisters, refused to give up their Old Gods, but the non-mage Soporati class overwhelmingly supported Hessarian, beginning a period known as the Transfiguration. With the High Priests dead, Hessarian repurposed the Old God temples into schools for mages.

In 1:01 Divine, the Orlais Chantry and the Inquisition signed the Nevarran Accord, and created the Circle of Magi, the Templar Order, and the Seekers of Truth.

As magic is the source of the Imperium's power, this has caused great contention between the Orlesian Empire and the Tevinter Imperium. The Imperium believes their Chantry to be the proper religious entity, for Andraste brought her teachings to the Imperium and died on their lands, making it sacred. Orlais rebukes this, for Maferath betrayed her, and thus no man can lead a Chantry Temple, only women. Yet they do in Tevinter.

In Orlais, the Chantry strictly regulates magic through the newly formed Circles of Magi, enforced rigorously by Templars. Orlesian Templars are dispatched to hunt down apostates, rogue mages or those untrained, to bring them to the Circle Tower in Orlais, or find a proper tutor and prevent disaster. They also hunt and defeat abominations, demons, and maleficar (blood mages).

The Seekers of Truth act as a secret police force for the Orlesian Chantry, acting as a check on the power of the Templar Order. They investigate, interrogate, and root out corruption to protect the Chantry from internal and external threats. They aid the Templars, as they are Templars, but typically only do so in times of emergency.

In contrast, Tevinter's Imperial Chantry operates under mage governance, resulting in a drastically different approach. Templars in Tevinter act primarily as the guards of Altus or empowered soldiers, seldom challenging mages without directed order from an Altus or Magister. Magic is dominant, openly practiced, and revered. Templars are less active in policing magic, focused more on blatant blood magic, non-human mages, and demons.

III. Schools of Magic

Magic is categorized into four distinct schools, though ancient Tevinter practically had an unspoken fifth.

Spirit Magic: The first of the two Schools of Energy, Spirit is opposed by the Primal School. It is the school of mystery, the ephemeral school. This is the study of the invisible energies which surround people at all times, yet are outside of nature. It is from the Fade itself that this magic draws its power. Students of this school cover everything from direct manipulation of mana and spell energies to the study and summoning of spirits themselves.

By its nature an esoteric school, as most others know virtually nothing about the Fade, studies of spirit magic are often misunderstood by the general populace, or even confused for blood magic--an unfortunate fate for a most useful branch of study.

Primal Magic: Sometimes called the School of Power, the Primal School is the second of the Schools of Energy, balanced by Spirit, and concerns the most visible and tangible forces of nature itself.

This is the magic of war: Fire, ice, and lightning. Devastation. This is what the vast majority imagines when they hear the word "magic."

Entropy Magic: The first of the two Schools of Matter, Entropy is the opposing force of Creation; for this reason it is often called the School of Negation. Nothing lives without death. Time inevitably brings an end to all things in the material world, and yet in this ending is the seed of a beginning. A river may flood its banks, causing havoc, but bring new life to its floodplain. The fire that burns a forest ushers in new growth. And so it is with entropic magic that we manipulate the forces of erosion, decay, and destruction to create anew.

Creation Magic: The School of Creation, sometimes called the School of Nature, is the second of the Schools of Matter, the balancing force and complement of Entropy. Creation magic manipulates natural forces, transforming what exists and bringing new things into being.

Creation requires considerable finesse, more than any other school, and is therefore rarely mastered. Those mages who have made a serious study of creation are the highest in demand, useful in times of peace as well as war.

Blood Magic: The ancient Tevinters did not originally consider blood magic a school of its own. Rather, they saw it as a means to achieve greater power in any school of magic. The name, of course, refers to the fact that magic of this type uses life, specifically in the form of blood, instead of mana. It was common practice, at one time, for a magister to keep a number of slaves on hand so that, should he undertake the working of a spell that was physically beyond his abilities, he could use the blood of his slaves to bolster the casting.

Over time, however, the Imperium discovered types of spells that could only be worked by blood. Although Lyrium Dust will allow a mage to send his conscious mind into the Fade, or a Somniari can do it naturally, blood would allow him to find the sleeping minds of others, view their dreams, and even influence or dominate their thoughts. Just as treacherous, blood magic allows the Veil to be opened completely so that demons may physically pass through it into our world.

IV. Blood Magic

Blood magic is among the most feared and reviled forms of arcane practice, particularly in Orlais and southern Thedas. Due to its brutal methods—often involving sacrifice, suffering, and exploitation—it is widely condemned as morally corrupt and inherently dangerous.

Chantry teachings explicitly label blood magic as a grave sin, punishable by death or lifelong imprisonment.

The Tevinter Imperium, however, tolerates blood magic more openly, particularly among powerful magisters who view it as another tool for power. While not universally practiced, its usage within the Imperium is tacitly accepted as a harsh reality of political power struggles.

For most, blood magic is a vile and disgusting act of the most wicked proportions. Even if the mage uses their own blood, it runs a greater risk of a demonic possession, if not an outright tear in the Veil. Because of this, we ask players to represent this appropriately In Character. Blood Magic's danger is represented by how powerful it is mechanically compared to any other category of spells. Most characters should find it abhorrent and think a Player-Kill justified if use is seen or known.

V. The Fade

The Fade is a realm of dreams, spirits and demons. An ethereal reflection of mortal consciousness.

Separated from the waking world by the Veil, mages naturally connect to the Fade, drawing upon its energies for their magic. Dreams are gateways into this otherworldly dimension, allowing some mages, particularly Somniari or Dreamers, to consciously explore and manipulate it.

Due to its volatile nature, the Fade remains an ever-present danger. Spirits drawn to powerful emotions can easily cross the thin Veil, tempting or corrupting mages who let down their guard.

V. Possession & Abominations

The greatest threat mages face, beyond a Templar, is possession. The invasion of a mage's mind by malevolent spirits or demons from the Fade.

Possession often results in the creation of Abominations: twisted, powerful creatures driven solely by destructive urges. Such incidents heighten fear of mages, fuel Chantry rhetoric that magic unchecked inevitably leads to ruin, and leaves a lingering impact upon reality.

Preventing possession requires constant vigilance, strong willpower, disciplined training, and carefully maintained emotional control from a Mage. These qualities are heavily emphasized within the Chantry, by Templars, and through the Circles in Tevinter and the one in Orlais.

V. Demons & Spirits

Entities within the Fade fall broadly into two categories: Spirits and Demons.

Spirits: Manifestations of virtues such as compassion, valor, wisdom, or justice. While benevolent, their actions often reflect a rigid interpretation of their virtue, leading to unintended consequences when interacting with mortals. Below is the list of widely known benevolent spirits:

Compassion
Valor
Justice
Faith
Hope

The list ranging from weakest to strongest.

Demons: Embodiments of negative emotions or desires such as pride, rage, desire, sloth, and despair. They seek mortal bodies to inhabit, wishing to experience mortal sensations or enforce their power upon reality. Demons pose the primary threat to mage-kind, constantly attempting to exploit any weakness or vulnerability. Often destructive, they draw sustenance from memories of the dreaming (commonly called nightmares). They possess living or dead creatures, and can even animate rubble or suits of armor. Below is the list of widely known malevolent spirits:

Rage
Envy
Hunger
Sloth
Desire
Pride

The list ranging from weakest to strongest.