The Spellbound Archives - Type 4 - Animal Magic
The Magic Codex
Introducing the Spellbound Archives
The Spellbound Archives is a new series that will discuss the world of Erudus. Today’s post is the fourth key of magic. In the following weeks, information on how magic works, the 13 keys, and the Magus Alliance, will be discussed further. Other elements of Erudus, such as creatures, world building, and sound will be explored.
What is Animal Magic?
Animal magic is the practice where magas live with and manage creatures. While many in society think that animal magic is not important, the practice can be very powerful. Creatures are drawn to magas who understand this key.
Working with the animals, magas can change the environment, and the lives of all, including humanoids.
All individuals in the creature world are different. Some individuals in a species will refuse to work with a maga. Some will lash out and try to kill.
Practitioners of animal magic may do the following:
Communicate telepathically with animals. Masters can talk to more species than other practitioners, but there are always some they cannot understand.
Attract animals and calm them. This helps in cases where animals are wild and attack others.
Heal animal wounds.
Influence animal behavior in other ways than calming.
Attract a migaly (a shapeshifting animal companion). Migaly’s always come to a maga when she needs one. There will be a later post describing Migaly’s in more detail.
Understand the complexity of animal behavior, thoughts, and diversity. So much so, that through their actions, they can affect the future evolution of the species.
Communicate with creatures in order to solve problems and mysteries.
Communicate with certain animal types, such as dragons, in order to understand actions that happened decades ago. In the case of dragons, because of their collective memory, the past can be explored much further back.
In some cases, animals will protect a maga, even if it means dying themselves.
The color of this magic.
Cinnamon
Who Uses High Animal Magic?
Angelika Moonglenn - A master of the practice. This is one of Angelika’s strongest forms of magic. Her Migaly is Jynx. She is able to communicate with almost all species of animals, except for some of the smallest species. She can communicate quite easily with the largest, mythical species including dragons. She can heal creatures, but it causes her fatigue, and scrambles her thoughts. Angelika is one of the founding members of a dragon sanctuary created to save the species from extinction.
The Great Mother. Her practice is relatively minor. She is able to communicate with the Leafwhisper species of wind hors. These hors are native to the the magical forests and plains surrounding her.
Mysta - the daughter of Queen Penelop (descriptions of these people in another post) - Mysta is only seven and her powers are developing. While she can only do minor magic at the moment, there is promise for much more in the future. Currently, she can only attract animals, but the attraction is so powerful that animals follow her everywhere.
Limitations and Costs of Animal Magic
Newcomers to this key often do not understand they have any powers. Animal magic usually begins with a creature creating a firm bond with a person. Mastering skills in this magic takes a long time, so newcomers see pain in the animal kingdom, and cannot help.. Because they care about creatures, and they cannot help, this causes them great pain. The individual may mistake the intentions of a creature and get hurt.
Masters of animal magic are more integrated into the environment. Because of their understanding of the relationship between all living beings, they tend to be able to see underneath the outward appearance of an individual, to the real person and their intentions.
They also see the integration of everyone to their environment and landscape. Masters tend to be involved in movements to aid in health, restoring habitats, and preventing extinction, of both creatures and landscapes.
Masters feel the pain of all livings including humanoids, creatures and the plant kingdom. When they cannot help, they become distressed and overwhelmed If they feel enough suffering, they often become despondent, and can die from heart ache. Masters tend to pull themself away from humanoids, in order to, spend more time in the natural world
Individuals who have powers of any level can be susceptible to animal diseases. There has been documented cases, where magas have become infected with strange diseases, and transmitted them to humanoid communities.
Finally, although a master is respected when she has a migaly, her powers are often considered to be minor. Masters are sometimes called demi-beasties, and are generally considered to be laughable, and in some cases dangerous.
Society, Technology and Daily Structures.
Since this key is relatively rare, it is often ignored by the leaders of Erudus. When a master advocates for the creatures, they tend to be ignored. This results in several of the dominant cultures of Erudus using animals, and abusing the environment, often.
Fear of dragons, in particular, has lea to individuals trying to kill them on sight. Fear of them is prevalent on this world.
Technology, in some areas on Erudus have become more important than creatures or landscapes.
This was a short introduction to Animal magic. Future posts will describe other keys.
Subscribe to SPUNKY and SPELLBOUND in the SNOW for more content. Tomorrow’s post is the Saturday Character Clinic.
Comments are always welcomed!
Good-bye for now. I hope that you get to spend time with a lovely animal soul, and create a little bit of magic.
Other posts in the series:
1 - Earthen Magic, 2 - Illusion Magic, 3 - Evocation Magic
As always, Susan, your posts never disappoint on depth, clarity, and intentionality regarding Erudus worldbuilding. It's organized writers like you who help creatives like me stay "on target." It's like your posts are a Worldbuilding 101 minicourse! Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge! I'm still figuring out what my magical systems are and how they operate. I think I am more comfortable with gray area and ambiguity to let it unfold throughout the series, but I'm not sure every reader of mine will be as forgiving!