Magic System

Magic originates from the power of deities (also referred to as Patrons or “oracles” but are different to the class) who oversee the world from another dimension. These beings are responsible for the planet’s construction, including filling the ground with veins through which magic can flow and nourish the world’s entities. They also take the roles of Patrons to the different classes. The deities are who Oracles contact and call upon to work their magic, as well as being generally responsible for the main religions across the world.

Mages must channel their magical abilities through an enriched crystal which will have an ‘alignment’ depending on what magical vein energised it. Some classes favor certain alignments, while others can manipulate them all equally. For example, an Elementalist could use multiple crystals while a White Mage may only be able to utilise a crystal charged with light magic. While there are technically individual alignments for each patron deity, they are effectively grouped into elemental, spiritual, war and physical kinds.

An Example: Resurrection

The process of total resurrection is not a short one. Compared to the partial resurrection able to be performed by Necromancers (reanimation), permanent and non-damaging revival requires multiple, skilled classes and a lot of patience.

If it were a recipe, the main ingredients would be; a dead person (or animal/plant), a Spiritmaster, an Oracle, a Time Mage, a Healer and food to sustain themselves for a few days. These are quite expensive ingredients, because the classes involved must be around lv. 30 (so, around 45 years old) in order to have the right abilities for the job.

The Time Mage is important - their job in the process is to reverse the effects of decomposition and keep them there during the resurrection so the revived being isn’t brain-dead and rotting from the inside out. This isn’t easy. Time Mages themselves are pretty rare, let alone ones with the knowledge and practice to be able to hold someone in what is essentially a different reality.

When the corpse has been dialed back to optimum freshness, the Spiritmaster must locate their soul within the magical plane and invite them back to their body. Sometimes the being is resistant and simply doesn’t want to be revived, and the Spiritmaster cannot change this desire. If it agrees, they must then ‘stitch’ their soul back into their body, which is difficult, to say the least.

Finally, the Oracle must contact both their own Patron and the Patron of the deceased. It’s comparable to ringing up a governmental office with lots of “please hold” and “let me transfer you to someone else” happening. It’s not uncommon for them to also consult with a lot of miscellaneous Patrons in the process to make sure it’s cool to bring the dead back to life permanently. As such, it can take days for everyone involved to come to a decision.

If all is well, the Oracle then channels the Patrons’ wills through their body (very exhausting) and the corpse is returned to its state before death. The Healer must act quickly to solve any injuries or sickness that caused death in the first place, or the revived being will die again and their time would have been wasted.

This process is long and tiring, so it didn’t take long for people to start monetising it. Resurrection stations are present around the world and each charges a hefty fee that ensures that the mages involved are considerably well-off. Most people simply can’t afford it so a good portion of the dead are left that way.