Magic and the Arts Arcane in Aerth

How Magic Began:

     When Lor first formed the world and gave his children, the malachim, the charge to shape and mold it according to his will and vision, he set in place a "blanket" of energy surrounding the world from which they could draw their power. This field of power became known as the Fire of Lor or the "sacred fire" and is the source of all magic on Aerth. On earth this field is known as the Aurora Borealis in the north and the Aurora Australis in the south, yet its true nature remains hidden from mankind there, but as on Earth, on Aerth the field is very visible. The more so the further south or north one goes. And on Aerth, during the clearest of nights it can even be seen at the equator without the need of a telescope.

     From the beginning it was the decree of Lor that knowledge of how to wield the fire be kept from mortals, but one of the children of Primus and Gaia, Aradia, disobeyed and gave mankind the ability to tap into the Fire of Lor. For her indescretion, Lor cursed her and for three days preceeding the new moon, her nature changes to its polar opposite and Aradia becomes Aidara. All magic cast during this time, known as the "Void of Course", goes wild and becomes unpredictable. Almost all those who use magic in Aerth know to avoid it during this time.

The Prophet Zerra & the Shield of Edom:

The Parts of the Seal

• The Eye of Lor: The eye of the Lor is at the very center of all creation and everything within it. It is from Lor that the fire emanates and surrounds the world.

• The Primordial (Domain of Sorcerers): Sorcerers draw their strength from that part of the fire that has been part of the world since time immemorial. Their ancestry linked by blood to the first beings to be brought into existence, whether that ancestry is Draconic, Elemental, Celestial, Abyssal, or Infernal. For many years there were no divisions among the different forces of the Primordial but as time wore on Sorcerers began to wear different colors to separate themselves from their brethren in some fashion rather than relying on cryptic tattoos or some other small clue. Now each point of the star bears the color of the bloodline it represents.

• The Five Elements: The Elements hold up the world and give it its shape and substance even as they by their very nature attempt to destroy one another. Many have debated over the centuries as to what Zerra meant by the inclusion of the “unknown” element. And their are as many theories as their are magical arts. Some believe that the unknown element is the spirit or soul of all living things while others contend that it is something beyond human knowledge, a true fifth element that has not yet been discovered.

• The 1^st Wheel, the Wheel of Nature; Domain of Rangers and Druids: The first wheel is that of the world itself, it is nature and all things living both flora and fauna, because as the fire surrounds the world and enters it at the poles it also flows throughout and is in everything born of the world. Rangers and Druids receive the knowledge they need to use the fire from gods and spirits of nature. The customs and ways of the druids and rangers of Aerth are governed by the signs of the zodiac as well as the different phases of the moon.

• The 2^nd Wheel, the Wheel of Men, the Arcane; Domain of Wizards: To those who practice the arcane arts, the ability to channel the fire does not come by nature, nor is it gifted by the gods. It is something that has to be learned over time through much study and the use of tools, ritual and components that are needed to release the fire and achieve the desired effect. It is knowledge, sometimes buried and often forbidden, that must be discovered and its secrets revealed and used. But just as the knowledge of the men of how to truly control the fire is incomplete, so to is the wheel of Men.

• The 3^rd Wheel, the Wheel of the Gods, the Divine; Domain of Priests and Paladins:

• The Lock of Innocence:

• The High Gates: The two points in the world, at the northern and southern poles, where the fire of Lor pours into the world and forms the axis on which the world spins. The surge of energy creates the only two points on the planet that according to legend at least form the only two permanent doorways between the twin worlds of Earth and Aerth.

• The First Mystery: The first word of creation used by Lor to bring Light into being and to separate it from the darkness of the void.

• The Second Mystery: The second word of creation used by Lor to bring the various worlds and other celestial bodies into being.

• The Third Mystery: The third word of creation used by Lor to create all life on Aerth and to bring the Malachim into existence.

• The Northern Watchtower: Far older than Earth or Aerth, the guardians of the watchtowers were created to bind together and govern the various elements. Nothing else is known. Some believe that they remain locked away forever within the world, without form or voice, but in the darkness that was the first day of creation they stood where mortals now tread, the only ones among mortal kind teaching of their existence being those who follow the art of witchcraft.

• The Western Watchtower:

• The Southern Watchtower:

• The Eastern Watchtower:

• The Holy Church:

• The Sign of Aradia: