Mage Types
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| Kaity Cosette by Cathy Razim, www.RazCat.com |
- Teren, Return to the Castle
There are thousands of variations of mage, but a few types seem to pop up more than others. Polaris Academy officially recognizes three types of mage, Kinetic, Psychic and Ethereal. Many mages also argue there exists two other types, the Cross Mages and the Forbidden.
Kinetic
Kinetic mages are the most common of all mages. They can manipulate the world that surrounds them. Some mages have generic skills, others seem to be able to touch only certain particles. Kinetic mages often need to make a physical gesture to activate their abilities, such as a sweeping hand motion. With time, they learn greater control and can use their powers with barely a twitch of the eye.
Terra Mage
(Rock Shapers, Mud Movers, Sand Witch)
Occurrence: Common
These mages are often revered as fine sculptors. A terra mage formed Castle Aurumice in Trabalis as well as Castle Nova in the Katanzaro province. They are excellent at discerning base materials such as metals.
Water Mage/Air Mage
(Weather Witch, Gada-wry)
Occurrence: Common
These mages are known for abilities to influence the water molecules in the air, granting them the ability to freeze objects. Some have additional abilities, allowing them to generate lightning, various gasses, fog and clouds. Though we often think of Water and Air as separate elements, but as mage strengths they tend to manifest together.
Examples: Lily Vance
Fire Mage
(Fewaygo)
Occurence: Common
These mages have the ability to generate sparks and control fire. The degree of control varies, but some fire mages can create snakes, walls or nets of fire. Fire mages need something to ignite in order to generate fire. They often carry flammable materials such as oils and powders for just that purpose.
Light Mage
(Glowbug)
Occurrence: Common
The butt of all mage jokes, the glowbug is regarded as the least powerful of all mage types. Glowbugs are regarded as a subset of fire mages, though many fire mages disregard glowbugs as having any association. Light mages can cause a material to glow, emitting light, but little else. Occasionally glowbug mages gain acclaim when they pair their abilities as bards or story tellers. They create interesting camp-fire tales, spinning beautiful art in light.
Shadow Mages
(Dark Cloaks, Cloakies, Corner Crawlers, Society of Sombra)
Occurrence: Common
As the name implies, these mages have an uncanny ability to move shadows and darkness. In reality, they move photons of light, but their abilities give them a strength towards pushing them away, generating darkness. Though Shadow Mages are really a variation of Glow Bugs, they have branded themselves as a distinct sect and train heavily in evading detection. Young Shadow Mages are recruited by Castle Nova separately from Polaris Academy and become part of an organization known as the Shadow Runners. They are a fiercely loyal group and enjoy privilege for their service.
Examples: Saurin Bane
True Warriors
Occurrence: Common
True Warriors have an uncanny command of the body. They are incredibly strong and swift. Their senses are well-attuned.
Illusionists
Occurrence: Uncommon
These mages manipulate particles in the air to generate an illusion. Unlike light mages, illusionist mages possess greater control. Light mages can only create images that glow, illusionists can create realistic visuals.
Transmutation
(Alchemists)
Occurrence: Rare
These mages can alter the very building blocks of a substance at an atomic level. For example, they can take water, separate it into hydrogen gas and oxygen. Transmutation usually occurs at a small level, changing only a small amount of a material. Transmutation mages were once banned, now they are heavily regulated by Polaris Academy. They serve Castle Nova exclusively and rarely travel. No doubt the coffers of Castle Nova are kept well stocked by the rare abilities of transmutation mages.
Echo Mages
(Bats, Shakers)
Occurence: Common
The abilities of an echo mage operates the same way dolphins and bats use echolocation. This mage type can send on an energy pulse and detect its returning resonance. They detect the pulse The strongest echo mages can unleash an energy pulse powerful enough to create earthquake-like effects.
Standard Kinetic
Occurrence: Uncommon
Standard Kinetic is a misnomer, as a standard kinetic mage is anything but the standard. It is rare for mages to have the ability to move any object or substance with their mind
Examples: Kaity Cosette (Kaity has a slightly stronger control over liquids than other materials)
Psychic
These mages control the mind, able to manipulate people's perception of the world.
Farsense (Orrayion, Far-seers, Far-listeners)
Occurence: Common
This type of mage can utilize a person's eyes or ears without their knowledge. Some can see far, some can hear, a few can taste, smell or even touch through the senses of others. Of this type, far-listeners are the most common manifestation.
Examples: Jared Evansi (far-seer)
Beastspeakers
(Animarriea, Chitter Mages, Gryphon Talkers, Dragon Speakers, Pig Listeners, etc...)
Occurence: Common
Beastspeaking is a very common form of psychic mage. Some can understand creatures, while others can understand and make themselves understood. Many beast speakers specialize in communication with one species or subset of animals (rodents, insects, fish, etc...). "Chitter" mage is a term used in jest, implying that mages only talk to rodents. Beast speakers are often titled by the animal which they specialize in communicating with, (bicorn speakers, gryphon talkers, etc....)
Examples: Beatrix Allen (specialized in canine speak)
Psionics
(Dalalune, Mind Readers, Mindspeakers, Mindlisteners)
Occurrence: Uncommon
These individuals can communicate psychically with other people. Many can read surface thoughts, others can "mindspeak" allowing for telepathic broadcast. Strength of this gift varies greatly but often requires physical contact to allow the transfer of thoughts. In some cases, True Psionics can only communicate with family members or other psychic mages. It takes many years of practice to mindspeak across a room. Very few can mindspeak across a village or town.
Examples: Elina Verdian
Ethereal
There are many ways ethereal mages mirror psychic and kinetic mages, however, there are two major differences between ethereals and the other two branches of mages. One, they are generally regarded as more mystical, able to manipulate "what exists between" the kinetic and psychic, or a more advanced level of psychic ability branching on mystical. Two, the effects of the ethereal have a lasting impact on the world. For example, a kinetic weather witch with the correct skill set could create a wall of electrical energy, but it would only exist as long as that kinetic mage powers it. An ethereal barrier mage can tap into ethereal energy and create a wall that exists long after they have gone.Dreamspinners
(Sleepwalkers. Fairies)
Occurrence: Rare
Polaris Academy is in great debate if dreamspinners are ethereal or simply a special type of psychic mage. Dreamspinners posses the ability to influence the dreams of others. They can lull someone into a sleep and generate an artificial dream world. Some dreamspinners have been able to connect the dreams of others, or trap people in an eternal sleep.
Examples: Misa
Gate Mages
Occurrence: Rare
These mages can manipulate the energy of the trans dimensional portals that connect Centernia to other realms. They can create gates and destroy them at will. Gates can be altered by a collection of mages, but more often than not you need the energy of a Gate Mage in the mix to be most effective.
Barrier/Forcefield Mages
Occurence: Uncommon
Sometimes mistaken for having telekinetic mages, these magic-users use ethereal magic to generate invisible walls. A Barrier mage is different from a kinetic mage in that the fields they make can be permanent/semi permanent and have different effects. For example, the field created by Justen Wynter only permitted certain people to cross the forcefield. Barrier mages strive to work well with other mages. For example, a barrier mage may work with a weather witch to create an invisible canopy to permanently repel the rain, (as is found in areas of Castle Nova)
Known Barrier Mages: Justen Wynter
Psychometric
(Past Reader, Bookies)
Occurrence: Uncommon
A unique and unusual mage type, these individuals can 'read' the past history of an object. The sensation is described as seeing back in time, they can sense events and pyschic fragments of people who had physical contact with an object. Jewelry is a particular favorite of past readers as they are rich in essence of past wearers and often stand the test of time.
Known Psychometric: Corwin Evansi
Binders
Occurrence: Rare
These mages create mage markers, objects that possesses the ability to connect people. A binding mage was responsible for creating the marker of Aurumice. The most skilled Binding mages when working with Psychic mages can create the Mark of Corvallian, a tattoo which renders the bearer invisible to psychic mages.
Finders
Occurrence: Rare
(Animati)
Much like an echo mage, these mages can send out energy and detect if a mage is nearby. Finders and Binders will have been called into service by Polaris to permanently mark criminals, allowing mages to always be aware of their presence.
Transformation Mage
(Majikey, Spark Prism, Metanoia, Conversion Mages)
These mages are often confused for other types, including Fire and Gate mages. They have the ability to manipulate Gate energy, harnessing it into other forms. Once it has taken another form, they may find it difficult to control. Conversion Mages enjoy shifting raw ethereal power into electricity, so it is likely to assume that it was a conversion mage was responsible for harnessing the node of power beneath Aurumice and transforming it into a seemingly endless supply of electrical energy. Conversion Mages when working with barrier mages are also responsible for the creation of shadow spheres and other magical objects.
Cross mages
Polaris Academy does not acknowledge the concept of a 'cross mage' in their three categories of mages. Its widely accepted that cross mages exist. The following mages have been considered ethereal mages by Polaris Academy.Blood Mages/Healers
Occurrence: Uncommon
Categorized as kinetic mages, these individuals can manipulate blood cells. The question comes in to play as blood tends to be 'lifestuff', as bloodmages may be deemed ethereal depending on where their talents lie. Most are skilled at healing skin while others heal bone. Some refer to bloodmages as Healers, but they can often harm as easily as they can hurt.
Plant Weavers
Occurrence: Common
Much like a blood mage, but can manipulate plants in the same manner. They can encourage rapid growth or crossbreed plants with rapid success.
Forbidden Mages
Castle Nova and Polaris Academy have deemed the following mage types too dangerous to be allowed to live. Any individual found to have these powers are immediately executed, regardless of age or affiliation.Empathy Mages
(Sinari)
This mage is very similiar to a psychic mage, and in olden times had been considered with the same reverence. Sinari cannot read thoughts, but they can read emotions. More importantly, they can force a person's emotions to change without their knowledge, making them skilled negotiators, but also dangerous warlords.
Examples: Teren
Necromancers
A cruel variation upon a blood mage, these mages can cause blood to anti-coagulate and continue to flow through a body. The person or creature is barely alive, and very zombie-like.
Oracles/Seers
Clarivoyant mages able to read the future. Some claim they do not exist, others claim they do but Polaris Academy has stamped them out of existence.
Dissolvia
This variation of a kinetic mage is skilled at breaking down the world at a molecular level. They can destroy a person or object with catastrophic results. Once the dissolvia breaks down an object, they can very rarely put it make together. Dissolvia are sometimes regarded as transmutation mages who never gained the ability to reassemble what they have destroyed.
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