The Arcane Mysteries

The Arcane Mysteries is a compilation of essays by the venerable high elven mage Victrienne Falconheart. The work covers the essentials of the arcane arts in its core chapters, but otherwise focuses itself largely on esoteric and ritualistic practices. This has led some scholars to criticize the work as representing an antiquated view of mage-craft.

OOC Acknowledgements and Notes
I wrote some of this as Tammini in the Magus Senate of Dalaran. Since then, I've done minor edits and written more content. Much is owed to the Stormwind Circle Mage Tome: Index creators. The ideas behind high sorcery are Everen's. Beyond that, many practices, particularly in the essays, are based on real-world magical traditions. In these cases, I have adapted (often substantially) the practices in a way that I feel makes sense with magic being tangibly real in Azeroth.

As a further note, not all of the content here (particularly in the essays) is intended to recount existing lore. Much of it is speculative on my part, filling gaps where those gaps exist.

Anyone is free to use this in their own RP, though I would appreciate a heads-up and credit where appropriate.

The Core Chapters
These chapters provide the student of magic with an overview of the essentials required for further learning, including the laws and schools of magic, and methods of spellcasting used throughout the Eastern Kingdoms.

On Magic
Magic is a near-omnipresent field of energy that pervades Azeroth, and indeed all worlds which have been encountered beyond Azeroth. Defining 'magic' is nearly impossible, but it will suffice to say that it is a force that, when properly invoked, is capable of producing normally impossible effects. Traditional scholarship divides magic into two forms: divine and arcane. Divine magic is that granted through conviction or faith in an Eternal, and is practiced through virtually all cultures and sentient species. Eternals – entities of immense power, typically distant – appear then to be either creators or conduits of magical energies transmitted to their petitioners. Perhaps the fundamental question of magical theory pertains to the relationship between divine and arcane magic, but answering that question is sadly far beyond the scope of this work. The arcane, the other form of magic, is more difficult to define. In fact, it is commonly described simply as magic that does not have a divine source. But for any serious student of the arcane, a more rigourous definition of her craft is required. It shall here be argued that one can view arcane magic as magic drawn, in some form or another, from the Twisting Nether. This will be explicated, but it is necessary in order to do so to begin with the Well of Eternity. Whether magic in some form preceded the Titans and their works or whether it followed from them is unknown, but what is certain is that the Titans left behind on Azeroth a powerful font of magic known as the Well of Eternity. However, the Well was not the true source of magic, but rather only a conduit for it. It drew on energies from the Great Dark Beyond, the vast void between the planets. The Beyond in turn is woven together with the Twisting Nether, that is, the formless, astral realm of magical energy and chaos. The magic drawn through the Well of Eternity thus stems in its original form from the Twisting Nether. All arcane magic on Azeroth draws from the Well (later wells) of Eternity, and so all arcane magic must have the Twisting Nether as its original source. While the Well of Eternity is the font of magic in Azeroth, in practice, practitioners of magecraft do not often reach out directly to its power. Under Azeroth run flows of magic called ley lines. These ley lines are the source of magic for most, as they diffuse magic to all corners of Azeroth. Indeed, ley lines underlie the magical sites of nearly all cultures, from elven moonwells to Dalaran itself. In this way, ley lines suffuse Azeroth with the energies drawn on for arcane magic. Ley lines, on the rare occasions that they have been observed, often appear formless, as 'rivers' of pure mana, but they are in fact patterned by a deep symbolic logic. Each ley-line holds a runic symbol representing a fundamental magical concept. Thus, for instance, the ley line of Shielding, which rests in the Great Bulwark Mountains, holds the pattern used to derive warding spells. In this way, ley lines both distribute magical energy across Azeroth, and contain within them the fundaments of magical practice. The connection between that Well and the ley lines is that of a heart and arteries, with the former drawing magic, and the latter conveying it across the world. It is unknown precisely how this relationship changed when the first Well of Eternity was destroyed and the second came into existence, but the ley lines of Azeroth clearly shifted somehow to flow to the new Well under the roots of Nordrassil. Perhaps the outflow of magic from the Well into the surrounding soil of Azeroth met with existing ley lines to re-form the connection between Well and lines. Or perhaps the ley lines redirected themselves. If so, does this mean that magic is itself ‘alive’ or at least purposeful? And in turn, if that is the case, what implications are there for the cosmos? These questions cannot be answered here, but rather are left for the student to consider. Regardless, what we have seen is that magic stems originally from the Twisting Nether, and from thence to the Well of Eternity. The ley lines carry it out into the world, and into the hands of the mortal races.

The Laws of Magic
Traditionally, there are four laws of magic, which are transmitted to new apprentices as something approaching cautionary mantras. This author contends that these four laws, which shall be detailed hereafter, constitute a confused mixture of natural and normative principles. In presenting the laws of magic, we shall endeavour to discern their factual content, removed from their often judgmental character.

Magic is Powerful

The first law states simply that magic is powerful. In Archmage Runeweaver’s writings on the subject, he states that “Magic in Azeroth is the difference between a slave and a master, a foot soldier and a king. Few races and nations can operate without powerful mages and warlocks”. Thus the law is set within a sociological context: magecraft is rare and necessary, therefore it is powerful. This may be true, but it tells us nothing about the fundamental nature of magic, only about its place within the civilizations of Azeroth. Instead, strip the law of its traditional interpretation. In this light, the law ‘magic is powerful’ comes to mean ‘magic is full of power.’ This is what I take to be the original and proper sense of this law (though Archmage Runeweaver’s usage is doubtlessly also correct). In this sense, the law makes the practitioner of magecraft aware of the fact that she is engaged in harnessing potent forces, which are not to be viewed trivially.

Magic is Corrupting The second law states that magic is corruptive to the souls of those who employ it. Archmage Emerson, in his influential lecture following Archmage Runeweaver, describes the chief corruption caused by magic as pridefulness, and the hubristic notion of one’s invincibility.

For the discerning student of magic, the question is this: to what extent is the warning that magic is corruptive based on conventions of morality, as opposed to actual, tangible corruption? That is, do we suppose that magic is corrupt merely because we take pridefulness to be a moral failing, or does magic in fact lead to physical or mental degeneracy?

The answer posited here is that, under certain extreme circumstances, arcane magic does cause the latter form of corruption. Fel magic and necromancy taint the body and spirit, and drawing on any magic far beyond one’s potential to handle is similarly problematic. As well, all magic is ‘addictive,’ and thus corruptive insofar as it introduces a desire not previously held prior to the use of magic. But arrogance in itself, if it does follow inextricably from the practice of magic, is not in the same category of corruptions. While pridefulness is undoubtedly harmful to the aspiring mage, in the sense that it clouds one’s vision, it cannot be said to be more than that.

There is a second sense in which magic can be taken as corruptive, however. That is in a cosmological sense, whereby magic itself lies outside the natural order of the universe, within the chaotic Twisting Nether. From this view, whenever magic touches the world, it is corruptive, introducing an outside chaos to it. It should be noted, however, that corruption in this sense implies only a form of change by a foreign force, and not degradation in the common sense, that is, of good turning to evil. The law, read in this way, gives us insight into the mechanical operation of the cosmos.

Magic is an Addiction This law states that the power inherent in magic creates a drive to use it, and for greater and greater uses. There is considerable empirical truth to this law, and so it will not be disputed at length. All mages feel the pull of magic on their psyches, but with careful training and willpower, these urges can be mitigated. Apprentices and those new to the magical arts are urged rightly to remain cognizant of this fact, and seek guidance if faced with difficulties.

Nonetheless, this author would dispute the notion that often is thought to follow freely from magic's addictive quality, namely, that addiction is necessarily wrong. Addictiveness in itself is not a harmful quality. Rather, it is the results of the addiction in question that are harmful. If a mage can be properly directed such that her powers are harnessed for good ends, then addiction need not be a problematic feature of her art.

Magic Attracts the Twisting Nether Like Flies to Honey As we have seen, all arcane magic draws to some degree on the Twisting Nether, which is its original source. The traditional reading of this law is that the beings of the Twisting Nether, principally demons, are drawn to concentrations of arcana. They seek it out, as the Burning Legion has done in its invasions of Azeroth. There is undeniable truth to this, and mages who practice dangerously, overdrawing or utilizing fel magic, risk terrible consequences.

However, I wish to suggest an alternate view of this law. That is, because magic stems from the Twisting Nether, the attraction of the Twisting Nether to magic in turn becomes a natural consequent. Here I mean not only beings of the Nether, but the Nether itself. Thus the principle becomes: “Magic attracts magic”, or “magic concentrates itself.” Empirically, this principle is made manifest repeatedly. The region of Netherstorm draws mana from the empty space around it, and the Nexus operates similarly. The tower of Karazhan, a place where the material world is only weakly separated from the Twisting Nether, is the point at which all ley lines in Azeroth meet. It also explains the operation of the ley lines generally: their magic does not become diffuse because of its concentration. Once more, seen in this way, the laws of magic can provide guidance as to the fundamental operation of magic.

The Operative Laws of Arcane Magic
This work concerns itself with the functional rules for the manipulation of arcane magic, which I will term the operative laws. These must be distinguished from the four laws of arcane magic as traditionally defined (that magic is powerful, corruptive, addicting, and draws the Twisting Nether). These laws I will term ‘cautionary,’ for they serve largely to advise practitioners of the arcane against overreach. I will put the cautionary laws aside and focus my attention on describing the laws according to which arcane magic operates. The Law of Sympathy Magic is sympathetic in the sense that it is imitative and representational, responding to symbolism to produce effects. The Law of Sympathy operates in two distinct ways, or, put differently, there are two ways in which symbolism is embedded in the operation of magic. These are Contagion and Association. Contagion All beings have a unique arcane aura or resonance. When they come into contact with places and objects, traces of that aura linger on the thing with which they have made contact. Brief contact, or contact indistinct from that of many others, results in a weak and un-useable trace. Where the object, place, or similar thing is strongly and uniquely associated with one being, the trace left will be very strong. Indeed, it will be strong enough to be of magical use. Such an object (one with a strong and unique residual aura) will be subject to the law of contagion:  that a thing which has once been in contact with another thing (or living being) continues to act on that other even after the physical contact has been severed. Perhaps the most common use of this principle is in scrying magic. To scry on an individual, an object of significance to that individual is required, or an actual part of the individual. As a hound requires something to scent before he can pursue, so too does the arcane require a connection which it can follow to the source. The other prime example is that of demonology, wherein the demon’s true name (a thing imbued with a portion of the creature’s aura) is used to call it from the Twisting Nether. And so too with many other incantations. In general, any spell which is deeply personal in nature – targeted at a specific being over great distance – will adhere to the law of contagion. Association Contagion should be viewed as the most direct form of sympathetic magic. The arcane is fine-tuned to a being’s aura through the use of an intermediary. The Law of Association (sometimes called Similarity or Resonance) must be seen, consequently, as the broader form of Sympathy, as it operates on much less direct links than Contagion. The principle is that:  imitation of an effect will produce that effect. That is, magic itself recognizes the symbolism of the imitative action, gesture, reagent, or incantation. In recognizing that symbolism, it produces the effect. An effect will resemble its cause, in short. The uses to which this law may be put are legion. Many rituals require specific material components which are used to represent the effect which is sought to be produced, for example: bonemeal and blood for necromancy, precious gems for powerful spells, and so forth. Further, reagents can be used to bolster those spells which are routinely cast – feathers to represent a gentle descent, dice or coins for luck, elemental motes and cores for elementalist spells. The broad use of the Law of Similarity is more common amongst ancient or primitive magical traditions – troll witchcraft, for instance, employs sacrifices and representational talismans of the Loa as key practices. The Law of Equivalence This law underlies the operation of all arcane magic. It states that,  in order to produce a magical effect, the arcanist must give up something of equal value. In other words, the Law posits only that magical power always entails a price which must be paid. When using routine spellweaving techniques, a mage may not even be aware of the operation of this law, since he is subconsciously exchanging his own mana in return for the effect. However, mana is not the necessary cost. Nor, indeed, will it always be even a sufficient cost. At the extreme edges of the arcane arts, the Law operates most potently. Mages who draw too heavily on the arcane, well past the limits of their natural mana, are exposed to grave physical consequences. They have nothing but their mana and their life essence to offer up. Having taken one, the arcane will then take the other in exchange. In lieu of mana, an arcanist may prepare a sacrifice or offering in order to invoke a powerful spell effect. Life essence is the prime offering. Legends speak of mages restoring life to the dead at the cost of another and of sorcerous tyrants sacrificing their subjects to empower their spells. However, some mages offer up a powerful artifact, make a solemn  geas  or vow, or even sacrifice a piece of their own mind in order to produce a powerful effect. Needless to say, at its periphery, the Law of Equivalence borders on fel magic and necromancy. The binding principle that power given must be repaid is not one to be invoked lightly or by the unready. It also raises a question of frightful proportion. When a mage makes an offering to the arcane, something must accept or refuse that offer. Perhaps it is merely a mechanistic process. But perhaps there is a will underlying the arcane itself. The Law of Attraction The Law of Attraction states that:  magic attracts magic, or, in other words, that magic concentrates itself. This Law applies to all spellcasting on some level. But, as expected, a more potent magical effect will itself attract more magic, hence making the law more applicable. When casting simple incantations – a shield, for instance – the arcanist draws upon his own well of mana to create a magical ‘spark.’ This spark is the impetus for the coalescence of mana motes into the form that the mage desires. In this way, the mage’s innate mana becomes a siphon that draws loose mana particles to itself to form the spell. In this way, the Law that magic attracts magic applies at the level of an individual spell, albeit in a rudimentary way. The law’s prevalence is far more obvious at the large scale. Where copious amounts of mana is unleashed, the result is a cascade whereby more and more mana is drawn and absorbed. The tower of Karazhan is the best example. The connection of the ley lines there has rendered the very air around the tower ripe with the arcane. Inside, unstable rifts form, spectres rise, and demons stalk the halls. In Netherstorm, too, mana constantly leeches from the Twisting Nether into the very soil. In both locations, the diffusion of mana draws in more (and more unstable) mana. Indeed, the Law serves as a warning that spells beyond one’s power may have unintended and unforeseen consequences for the world around the caster. The Law of Forms The Law of Forms recognizes what virtually all sects of magi have long known: that  there are shapes, designs, and patterns that hold intrinsic magical power which recur across time and space. These forms are discerned by looking to the earth itself – to the network of ley lines that form their runic script across Azeroth – or to the constellations visible in the firmament. Precisely why these particular designs hold magical powers is unknown. They may be the visible expression of Titanic creation, or manifestations of the deep truths of the universe. It suffices for the purpose of the Law that each sign holds magical potency and is made manifest repeatedly. The triangle with a central point appears, for instance, as a constellation, as a common element in Titanic architecture, in summoning circles, and in the crest of Lordaeron. The Law of Eternity The most fundamental of the Laws, the Law of Eternity is also perhaps the least clear. It states that  magic cannot be made or unmade; it merely moves and changes. Magic cannot be destroyed permanently, but only dispersed or nullified. It simply exists, and will always do so. It is like a circle: it can be turned over and over, yet still remain constant. The Law is at the core of the mage’s art, the fundamental limitation on what a mage can and cannot do. It is also a reminder against hubris. We hold in our hands powers of seeming creation and destruction. It is useful to remember that, on the cosmic scale, we change nothing.

Spellcasting Methods
While Azeroth is home to a multitude of localized magical customs and methods, this work will focus only on those commonly practiced among the mages of the Eastern Kingdoms. Among those mages there are three prominent magical traditions. The first, so ubiquitous that it often simply goes by the term ‘spellcasting’, is what I shall refer to as ‘spellweaving.’ This method is employed by the vast majority of mages across Azeroth. The second is the practice of high sorcery, sometimes called ritual magic. The third is runecasting, the use of inscriptions of special significance to manifest spell effects.

Spellweaving The infamous mage, Medivh, described magecraft as revolving around concentration on idealized forms in order to manifest those forms in the physical world. Thus, to create fire, one conceives of fire, holds that ideal in the mind’s eye, and brings it into reality. This process is typically aided by foci, gestures, and sometimes language to make concentration easier, particularly in situations of stress or danger. Its near universal popularity amongst mages is by virtue of both its relative simplicity, and the spontaneity. Despite this, relatively little is known about the precise mechanics behind spellweaving. It is a matter of intense debate amongst magical theorists as to whether conceptualizing a magical effect (say, fire) actually brings a new flame into existence, or if it summons flame from elsewhere. Regardless, spellweaving at its most fundamental involves exerting control over the universe to bend it to one’s will. This, we shall see, makes it theoretically distinct from older forms of magic, according to which mages discover principles of magic inherent in the universe’s fabric, rather than forcing the universe momentarily into conformity with their wills.

Archmage’s Ebonfire, as described in the Stormwind Circle Mage Tome, proposes a five stage process for spellcasting: intent, element, source, channeling, and school. Prospective students are advised to see that work for the details on this method. This author’s view is that it provides an excellent method for rudimentary elemental magic, particularly combat-oriented spells, but does not adequately cover advanced effects, particularly those in fields where traditional elementalism does not feature prominently (e.g. illusion, transmutation, etc). Therefore, this work will present an amended version of Archmage Ebonfire’s spellweaving schematic.

The fundamental notion behind spellweaving is that the mage holds an idea of each component of the spell in her mind simultaneously, then draws on her mana reserves or some other source of magic to manifest those effects. There are three components which a mage must consider:

The intent of the spell must be considered prior to anything else. That is, the mage must consider the effect that she wishes her spell to achieve in the world. This can be relatively straightforward, as with producing a simple flame, in which only a few factors are considered (namely: element, magnitude, and direction). However, it can also be extremely complex, requiring simultaneous concentration of a multitude of interlocking factors (e.g. teleportation, chronomancy, etc).

Having established what effect she wishes to produce, the mage must conceptualize where this effect will be produced. This can be an area, a creature or creatures, an object, and so forth. The wider the area or broader the range of affected creatures, the more difficult it will be to conceptualize, and thus the more difficult the spell will be to cast. For this reason, world-spanning scrying effects, large-scale shield spells, mass summonings or teleportations, and so forth, are performed only by the most experienced and powerful of mages.

Casting a spell involves more than conceptualizing effects; otherwise, every thought and whim would be manifest in the world. Spellcasting also requires a power source, which does the work of producing the desired effect. Most frequently, this source will be the caster’s own latent mana reserves, but mana gems and potions, ley-lines, and body or soul energy (as with blood magic and some necromantic practices) can all serve as external sources of magical potential.

Simultaneous concentration on these three elements of spellweaving is essential. Doing so may seem simple, but intense concentration is required for all but the simplest of cantrips. Many mages employ techniques or objects to aid in concentration. Hand gestures mirroring the conceived effect of the spell – thrust forward hands for a projectile, extended palms for a shield, and so forth – can aid in the body focusing on producing the spell effect. Likewise, incantations spoken aloud act as mantras to focus the mind on casting. Foci are objects similarly employed, including staves, wands, tomes, and orbs, acting as transmission devices for spells.

Spellweaving is thus a powerful technique, and the staple discipline of the mage’s art. It should not, however, be taken as strictly superior to alternative forms of magic. These forms are often ancient and powerful, and should not lightly be dismissed by the aspiring student of magic. We turn next to one of these ancient crafts: high sorcery.

High Sorcery High sorcery is one of the oldest magical practices in Azeroth. It is commonly referred to as ‘ritual magic’, and it is indeed the case that it operates via elaborate, multifold casting processes to bring about its effects. But equally defining to the discipline is its pursuit of universal, magically-significant patterns that hold true across the cosmos. The universe is underwritten by natural laws, and many of these are magical in nature. In cataloguing these laws, a high sorcerer establishes rituals and symbols by which they can be harnessed and used for magical purposes. Because of this, high sorcery involves an often strange assortment of practices, ranging from numerology and astrology to demonology, all of which are concerned with the discovery of underlying cosmological law. Detailing the breadth of high sorcery is outside of this work’s purview (and indeed, many sects of high sorcerers remain hostile to divulging their practices to the uninitiated), but what follows is an account of its most significant features and of ritual methodology.

High sorcery’s focus on universal patterns in practice means that it is deeply concerned with symbolism. Scholars and students of ley lines will be familiar with the designs repeated in the runic flows there, including, perhaps most famously, the tortoise design in the Great Bulwarks. Pictographs such as these form a core of the high sorcerer’s art. This practice is essentially that of runecasting or -crafting, in which a runic design corresponds to an element or effect, and indeed, the two disciplines often overlap.

One of the most fundamental symbols for high sorcery is also one of the most simple: the circle. The circle is geometrically representative of magic itself, according to ancient traditions. Its circularity mirrors the infiniteness of magic and the planet of Azeroth. Thus the circle takes an an important ritual significance, appearing in scrying orbs, summoning circles, and portals. Indeed, conclaves of mages throughout the Eastern Kingdoms traditionally refer to themselves as ‘Circles’.

The other key symbol for many high sorcerers is an equilateral triangle with a single point in its middle. This image appears repeatedly in Titan architecture and engineering, and is represented cosmologically in the constellations. High sorcerers seek after Titanic star maps, or construct vast observatories, to track the positions of these constellations. According to sorcerous traditions, when certain constellations align, or when rare astrological events occur, the effects of rituals and spells can be greatly enhanced.

Pictographs, notably the circle and triangle-with-central-point, are put into use by high sorcerers during magical rituals. Using a variety of reagents, pictographs or runes are inscribed within a defined space. This space typically makes use of the aforementioned symbols, taking the form of a circle with a triangle within that, and a central point in the middle of the triangle. These two symbols serve as focuses, absorbing mana and directing it into a spell. Along the rim of the circle, an incantation is written to determine the effect of the ritual. Powdered amethyst, representative of purity and focus, is the most common reagent for the inscribing of ritual circles, but ground herbs, flakes of gold or silver, bone marrow, or blood are all common.

In the cases of summoning demons or elementals, beyond the ritual itself, meticulous research is involved to discover the creature’s ‘true name’, that is, its linguistic representation in the universe as a magical entity. Utilizing this name gives the ritualist near-complete control over the summoned spirit.

Many students of the arcane dismiss high sorcery as antiquated and needlessly esoteric, but it has produced many of Azeroth’s greatest and most terrible feats of magic. Malygos’ Blue Dragonflight, masters of high sorcery, crafted the Nexus according to its perfect mathematical principles, and used the rituals of the Arcanomicon to redirect the ley lines of Azeroth. Kel’Thuzad employed an unholy ritual to summon the Eredar, Archimonde, into the world. This author reminds the critical student, therefore, that high sorcery has brought about the near destruction of Eastern magecraft on two separate occasions. Such power is not to be ignored, nor treated lightly.

Runecasting Runes are arcane symbols, inscribed onto a surface. Runes match the fundamental magical patterns found in the ley lines of Azeroth, and it is from their conformity with these that they draw their power. Runes are organized into families, with ten runes in each family. Each family is a progression from extremely simple runes to a final, complex rune, with each simpler rune contained within the more complex. Essentially, then, each runic family is a single large pattern, within which are contained progressively smaller patterns.

Because of the connection between ley line symbolism and rune magic, each family corresponds to one of the identified ley lines of Azeroth. Thus the families are:


 * Arcane, corresponding to the prime Dalaran-Quel’Thalas ley lines that run under much of Lordaeron;
 * Awareness, associated with divination magic and the ley line running under the Stonetalon mountains;
 * Fire, found at the nexus of lines under the Searing Peak in Redridge;
 * Frost, connected to the vast network of ley lines traversing almost all of Northrend;
 * Motion, associated with teleportation and speed, corresponding to ley lines of the Badlands;
 * Restoration, a series of ley lines running through Moonglade south to Mulgore;
 * Shadow, running deep under Icecrown glacier;
 * Shielding, in the Great Bulwark mountains of Grim Batol;
 * Stone, found in the deep valleys of Stonetalon;
 * Striking, associated with weaponry and skill at arms, and connected to the nexus of lines meeting under Blackrock Mountain;
 * Wind, located in a narrow line traversing Stormwind’s mountains.

All runes stem from one of these families, because it is these fundamental ley line patterns that give runes their power. However, because of the breadth of key line categories, this does not in practice prove a limitation for practitioners of runecasting.

For all their intrinsic power, however, runes must be charged with mana in order to be activated; until this point, they are mundane. Empowering a rune is straightforward, especially in comparison with the varieties of magic that have been described to this point. Because the runic form itself dictates the effect that it will create, the caster does not need to provide any direction, but has only to allow mana to flow into the rune. This simplicity is perhaps the reason why runecasting was amongst the first magical traditions produced by the early races like the dwarves and vrykul.

Within the field of runecrafting and -casting, runes are subdivided into three distinct categories: marks, glyphs, and sigils. For the layman, these terms may seem synonymous, but for the runecaster, each has a highly particularized meaning relating to the surface onto which it is inscribed.

Marks are runes inscribed onto a living creature, or a facsimile of such (as with golems). Such runes will provide their magic directly to the creature onto which they are inscribed. Their inscriber will typically either channel a portion of her own mana into the runes to activate them, or allow the runes to interface with the creature’s own mana pool.

Glyphs are runes inscribed onto an object. Glyphs are most commonly used in archaic, quasi-magical forms of enchantment, as by master dwarven smiths. The runes lend their power to the object. In the case of weapons and armour, this can produce fearsome implements of war. Such items are generally powered not by the caster’s mana pool (for in many cases the ‘caster’ is a smith, not a mage), but instead by magic-laden gems and minerals embedded in the object. Some dark weapons, like Scourge runeblades, can be powered by draining mana from the life essences of those they slay.

Sigils are runes inscribed over an area, becoming active with movement through that area. Such runes are often employed as traps, unleashing some harmful or debilitating magical effect on an unwary intruder, but can be used to produce a variety of less destructive effects.

The Elements and Schools of Arcane Magic
For both pedagogical and empirical reasons, mages have long divided their craft along the axes of element and school. Elements refer to the substances out of which spells are formed or composed, while schools are collections of spells and techniques that produce similar effects. For the prospective student of magic, familiarity with these categories is vital both for conceptualizing an effect during the spellweaving process (see Chapter III), and because of the priority that is given to them during magical education.

Elements of Magic
Arcane magic can be divided into six distinct elements, which form the constituent parts of any spell. It is readily apparent how many spells, such as fireballs and frostbolts, are formed from an element or elements. In cases where no element is obvious, the element is usually arcana, though some obscure spellcasting methods ascribe to spells elements representative metaphorically or analogously (e.g. a hint of fire in a spell designed to bolster courage, representing a fire in one’s heart). All elements exist in their purest forms in their respective elemental planes, and it is from here that many are drawn.

Arcane

Perhaps one of the most confusing developments in magical theory is the dual use of the term ‘arcane’. It is used both to describe the broad form of magic practiced by mages, contrasted with divine magic; and it is used to describe a particular element within the school. Students of magic are advised to keep this distinction firmly in mind. To aid in this process, I shall endeavour to refer to the element as ‘arcana’, and the branch of magic as ‘arcane magic.’

Beyond terminological difficulties, what actually is arcana is no simple matter. Arcana is the most pure form of arcane magic. Archmage Firebane in his seminal text on the matter refers to arcana as a combination of many elemental forces combined into one: it is an amalgam of fire, lightning, earth, water, and so forth. However, while arcana is a combination of other elements, this does not imply that those other elements are prior to arcana, i.e. that they exist before it and through the will of a mage are combined together into it. Rather, arcana should be seen as the white light that, when passed through a prism, fractures into its constituent colours. It is the basis for other elements, and so it is more accurate to say that other elements are diluted arcana.

Fire

Fire has long held a place of prominence in nearly all civilized cultures, and so it is no surprise that it does the same within magic. Fire spells most obviously include fireballs and wards against the same, but also incorporate the summoning of fire elementals, the augmentation of weaponry, and spells that shed light. However, fire magic also overlaps with fel practices (warlock’s fire, and the summoning of fiery demonic entities like infernals), and as such mages practicing this craft ought to be cautious not to overstep safe limits.

Frost

Together with arcana and fire, frost is one of the traditional elements employed by the mages of the Eastern Kingdoms. While usually referred to as frost, this element in fact encompasses all water-related effects. It thus includes a plethora of offensive and defensive spells designed to entrap or freeze an opponent, but also more mundane effects, like the conjuring of water.

While associated more with shamanic practices, lightning can be wielded by arcane spellcasters. Amongst magi of the Eastern Kingdoms, such spells are sometimes used by gnomish wizards to empower their mechanical constructions. Lightning spells can unleash immense devastation, and can also be used to energize.

Nature

‘Nature’ magic is an ungainly term for spells that draw on the natural world for their power. Shifting rocks, poisoning a foe, and growing plant matter all fall under this element. Some scholars have thus postulated that it is in fact an amalgam of other, more precise elements, but the rarity of its use by mages makes this an understudied area.

Shadow

==== Shadow magic includes effects that draw upon darkness. Intriguingly, this darkness includes not only literal absence of light, but also pestilence, death, and negative emotions. Regardless, shadow magic is often associated with forbidden practices of necromancy. However, it also plays a key role in many spells that invoke illusory images or false emotions. Schools of Arcane Magic ==== Arcane magic is divided into eight schools. It should be noted that these schools are more a matter of organizational expedience than fundamental difference: a frostbolt and frost ward are highly similar spells, despite being assigned respectively to the schools of evocation and abjuration. Nonetheless, each school has its own techniques and practices, such that it is worthwhile for the aspiring student of the arcane to consider each separately from the others. In the chapter that follows, I shall detail each school as it is conventionally defined, and suggest problematic areas in the classification of certain spells that merit further study and investigation.

Abjuration

Abjuration concerns itself with protective and defensive magics, and as such is often the first school in which mage apprentices are instructed. The staple spells of abjurers are wards, shields, and barriers (sometimes called transitus shields). Wards are weak, easily-cast spells that are primed to resist a single element. Their quick casting time makes them a mage’s first line of defense against the unexpected.

Shields are translucent, impenetrable barriers that are formed around a creature or object. They deflect all elements, and also physical attacks. The most common such spell is the mana shield, which forms condensed arcane energy into a hard bubble around the caster. Some mages weave elemental energies into their wards. Because of ice’s natural defensive properties, it is the most common such element.

The height of abjuration magic is the barrier. These wards are erected over an area of terrain, ranging from as little as a few meters, to spreads of several miles. Essentially, barriers act as enlarged mana shields, preventing access or deflecting attacks. They can also be interwoven with illusion magic to conceal those within the barrier from sight by those without.

Conjuration

Conjuration relates to the transportation and creation of matter. Such a definition encompasses much of the schools of abjuration and evocation within it: conjured water is not fundamentally different from the ice used in an ice ward. Indeed, it is a matter of much debate amongst scholars as to whether evocation and abjuration are more properly defined as subschools of conjuration. However, as a matter of tradition and the different uses to which each school is put, the three remain distinct.

Conjuration spells can be divided into two areas: summonings, which allow a mage to call an existing entity or substance to her; and creations, whereby the mage creates something wholly new (for example, weapons, elemental constructs, or food and water). Summoning spells often involve complex rituals or extensive knowledge of the summoned entity in order to function properly. Because of their placid nature in comparison with other elementals, the most commonly summoned beings are water elementals. Warlocks and other practitioners of dark magic summon demons from the Twisting Nether. Such practices may not be inherently evil, but they are dangerous in the extreme, and highly corruptive to all who engage in them. It is therefore the recommendation of this author that such things are avoided altogether.

Divination

Divination concerns itself with the acquisition of knowledge through magic. Scrying spells are the staple tool of a diviner. Scrying is the observation of something beyond one’s natural sight through magical means. Such spells require a reflective surface, onto which the observed area will be shown. Mirrors, clear water, crystals, and orbs are all common scrying implements. For subjects unknown to the caster, or whose locations are unknown, diviners require some trace piece of the subject: a lock of hair, bit of skin, and so forth. Expert diviners are even able to use an individual’s residual magical aura to scry.

Diviners are also capable of interfacing with a subject’s mind to detect surface thoughts and emotions and discern truth from falsehood. Reputedly, some diviners are able to enter the realm of dreams, but such claims are often difficult to distinguish from madness.

Enchantment

Enchantment deals with the enhancement or augmentation of objects and, less frequently, living beings. Enchantments typically draw on the magical essence of a focal crystal for their power, though a multitude of power sources have been used by different races and cultures.

The process for enchanting an object is difficult to master, requiring countless hours of practice. However, its basics can be set down. Enchanting an object requires a source of mana to power whatever effects the enchanter wishes to apply. Because such effects typically must be permanent, the caster’s own mana pool is not an option (because that will involve a perpetual drain so long as the item exists). Thus enchanters make use of mana-filled crystals, which are carefully shattered in the course of the enchantment, transmitting their power into the object. Magical dusts, powders, and essences act as fortifiers for enchanting, strengthening the effects that are produced. Master enchanters are even able to imbue objects with rudimentary intelligence in order to create golems.

Evocation

Evocation deals with the direction manipulation of arcane energies, without converting them into the source of another effect. It thus deals with ‘pure’ magic in the most direct sense, which in many cases means elemental blasts. This author laments the fact that the evoker’s art is more associated with war magic than with the fine manipulation of arcane currents, but acknowledges that the discipline has immense destructive potential that is naturally channelled for combat.

All evocation spells use one or more element to cause their effect. The traditional elements in which mages are trained are frost, fire, and pure arcana. Less common elements include nature (including lightning, earth, and poison) and shadow. In the latter case, these spells are usually amalgams of necromancy and evocation.

Illusion

Illusion concerns itself with the creation of imagery, sounds, sensations, and emotions, without the conjuring of actual physical substances or entities. Because of its association with tricking the mind, illusion is looked on by some as a school practiced by scoundrels and worse. Indeed, thieves, assassins and other dabblers in shadow magic often employ a range of limited illusion effects. Nonetheless, students of magic are reminded that illusion is no more innately nefarious than any other school of magic.

A staple illusion spell is the invisibility incantation. To cast such a spell, a mage either creates a field through which light can pass around himself, or directly manipulates the senses of his viewers to instantaneously erase any trace of his presence. Invisibility spells can also be cast on inanimate objects, with the difficulty of doing so depending on size. Spells similar to invisibility can mask magical auras, employing the same method to avoid or erase detection.

Beyond invisibility, Archmage Firebane defines two categories of illusions. Figmentary illusions alter the senses to create false perceptions. However, the perceptions have no reality, and are unable to interact with the physical world (except insofar as creatures in the physical world react to their supposed presence). Phantasmic or phantom illusions, on the other hand, create images with a modicum of reality to them, generally by infusing the illusions with shadow magic. Mirror image spells are the most common form of phantasmic illusion.

Within magical theory, there is some debate as to whether the mind-reading effects of the divination school are in some manner related to illusion. Both deal with the mind and its contents. In the case of mind-reading divinations, information is extracted, while for illusions, information is implanted.

Necromancy

Necromancy as a school deals with death and associated powers over life-essences. As a consequence of its morbid subject matter and the horrific legacy of its practice in Lordaeron, necromancy is shunned by most magical establishments. Indeed, necromancy is highly corruptive to its wielder, inducing maladies both of the psyche and the corpus. Its chief spells are those that raise the dead and allow a necromancer to control undead minions, and those that drain and manipulate life-essence. This author urges against the study of necromancy with anything more than purely theoretical intent, and thus will say nothing more about its practice.

Transmutation

Transmutation is concerned with the manipulation of the key properties of matter. Such properties include form, place, and even the way time flows around the matter in question. Because many of these properties can be understood only at a conceptual level, transmutation is a discipline that requires exceptional spacial and logical reasoning.

Transmutation spells can be divided into three categories: form, space, and time alteration. Form alteration, the most basic of the three, involves changing the physical properties of a creature or object. The iconic spell of this class is polymorph, which radically alters the shape and composition of its target into that of a small, typically-mammalian animal. Such spells can also involve physical enhancements to strength or speed, or transmuting substances.

Space alteration shifts matter’s position in space, and are commonly known as teleportation and portal spells. Such spells allow transmuters to rapidly move matter by sending it through the Twisting Nether to another destination. Because of its role in transporting pre-existing matter, and its connection with the Twisting Nether, there is some ambiguity as to whether teleportation spells are more accurately classed as conjuration.

The final category are time alteration spells, also referred to as chronomancy. Such spells can send matter backward or forward through time, or alter the flow of time to make it slow down or speed up relative to other matter. Even more so than other branches of transmutation, chronomancy is exceptionally difficult, requiring a mind capable of abstract thinking and the ability to grasp the nature of the timeways.

The Essays
Attached to the Mysteries core chapters are a series of discrete essays covering diverse subjects, from astromancy to theoretical conceptions of the traditional schools of magic.

Classificatory Problems and the Traditional Schools of Magic
The traditional schools of magic are among the first topics taught to prospective mages. Virtually all apprentices can list them by memory, and many practitioners of the arcane identify as specialists in one or more of those schools. Archmage Runeweaver in The Schools of Arcane Magic provides the traditional list: abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, illusion, necromancy, and transmutation.

It is my contention that these schools lack real coherence. They divide magical techniques according to neither fundamental similarity of technique or similarity of the effects it creates, but rather mix the two. The result is a system which must be found unsatisfactory to serious scholars of the arcane.

This problem can be seen most clearly by reflecting on the distinction between evocation and abjuration. Both deal with the manipulation of 'pure' energies by making them manifest in the physical world. On the level of fundamental magical theory, then, they are functionally identical. What separates them is rather the purpose for which magical energies are manipulated, namely for offensive or defensive purposes, respectively. Similarly, enchantment as a school has no distinct theoretical basis: it is a process of applying other forms of magic, not a true form in itself.

On the other hand, other schools adequately reflect fundamental distinctions in the techniques of applying magic. This is seen most clearly with respect to the difference between illusion and transmutation. Both of these schools deal with alteration of the world. However, the distinguishing feature here is not the sort of effect produced – both an illusion or a transmutation could create an image of a particular thing. Rather, they are distinguished by the deeper difference in how the effect is produced, namely that illusory effects alter only sensory perceptions of the world, while transmutation alters only the physical world.

We have seen that some schools separate themselves along lines of effect (the evocation-abjuration distinction) and others do so along causal lines, that is, how their effects are produced (the illusion-transmutation distinction). This essay will not deal with a more satisfactory schema for categorizing the magical arts, and I acknowledge that the entrenchment of the existing schools makes their elimination unlikely. However, I nonetheless encourage a deeper thinking on the categories of magic. Proper respect for magic demands a more holistic view of its workings. We must not be so eager to haphazardly segregate spells without cause. We must remember the metaphor of the circle that is at the heart of mage-craft: all things are connected and all things are infinite.

The Languages of Arcane Magic
Many spells that mages cast are incantational in nature. That is, they involve a series of words which, when spoken in a certain order and combined with mana, will produce a magical effect. Incantations serve many purposes. For basic spells, they are unnecessary but helpful tools for focusing. Much as monks employ mantras to focus the mind, the repetitive nature of an incantation makes focusing on a particular spell easier for a mage. For complex spells, particularly those performed as rituals, the incantation may actually be a necessary component to the spell’s completion. In such cases, tomes and spell-books describe in detail the gestures and accompanying phrases needed to complete the ritual.

This raises a question: if magic is spoken, then in what language does one speak it? The brief answer is that any language can be employed, but that some are more naturally receptive to being used in this way. Such languages are those which have grasped the logic of the arcane and incorporated it into the structures and sounds of their tongue. This makes them more resonant, that is, better able to mirror the rules of magic and thus produce magical effects.

Sadly, the languages common to the races of Azeroth today have fallen from these heights. Over the eons, they have become more suited to non-magical language, but consequently also imperfect tools for verbalizing magic.

In this work, I do not propose to list all those tongues which are precise tools for invoking magic. Indeed, I could not do so – the language of the ancient Highborne, Eredar, or the Old Gods, for instance, are beyond my understanding. I thus confine this work to those languages which are prevalent within the magecraft of the Eastern Kingdoms. These are Draconic, High Thalassian, Kalimag, and Titanic.

Draconic
Incantational Draconic is not properly a language. Rather, it is an offshoot of true Draconic as spoken by the various Dragonflights. The two would be only minimally comprehensible to each other, much like Darnassian and Thalassian are alike only in their basic structure and key words. Thus Draconic as mages use it is solely for incantations; it is not spoken in common parlance by any race or creature. It is thought that early sorcerers in service to the Blue Dragonflight adapted the complex and largely incomprehensible tongue into something fit to be spoken and understood by mortal races. Over millennia, the tongue was disseminated to arcanists across the Eastern Kingdoms, particularly to the early human circles of magi.

Today, Draconic is the standard tongue for spellcasting. Apprentices trained in the Kirin Tor tradition (and by extension those of most other human mages) are taught the language as one of the fundaments of their training. It uses the runic script and sharp, non-flowing syllables to form distinct magical sounds.

High Thalassian
High Thalassian is an archaic form of the modern Thalassian spoken by Quel’dorei and Sin’dorei. Naturally, it has an unbroken history as the dominant magical language among the elves of the Eastern Kingdoms. It emerged from the language used by the Highborne exiles who founded Quel’thalas, and has continued to be taught and practiced ever since.

Spoken Thalassian is a difficult language to master, and High Thalassian is yet more complex. Consequently, few arcanists trained outside the elven tradition see fit to use it. High Thalassian has a rolling, flowing quality to it, and is often spoken while chanting.

Kalimag
Kalimag is the language of the Elemental Lords. Separate dialects exist for each variety of elemental, but they are thought to be mutually comprehensible. From whence the usage of Kalimag as a magical language emerged is unknown, but scholars point to quasi-shamanic cabals of elementalists that formed in the early days of the Stromic magi, or to the Dark Iron dwarves as possible originators.

As a magical language, Kalimag is best suited to producing elemental effects. It provides far more precise language for describing the elements than does any other tongue. When spoken, Kalimag consists of harsh, growled sounds, often with great undulation in volume and pitch.

Titanic
All magical languages are obscure, but Titanic is undoubtedly the most mysterious. It is the ‘purest’ of magical languages, the tongue with which Azeroth’s creators put in place the laws of magic. Unlike other languages where magical rules are discovered, Titanic comes the closest to actually dictating them. It is also immensely complex, possibly beyond our complete comprehension. No mortal race has come close to understanding the full scope of Titanic, though the dwarves of the Hall of Mystics have invested vast resources in doing so. Nevertheless, even the fragments of Titanic which are known are enough to be a powerful tool, though it is used only by a few obscure cults, along with intrepid gnome and dwarvish scholars pursuing their long-lost roots.

The Celestial Bodies and the Arcane Arts
Since the advent of civilization, sentients have looked to the heavens for answers. The Highborne elves mastered the art of discerning from the movements of the celestial bodies signs, divinations, and even prophecies of the future. It is from them that we have gleaned what knowledge we have, passed down from the Quel'dorei to the Mages of Strom and Dalaran, and so on to the Stormwind Circle.

But the Highborne did not invent the magic of the stars and planets – astromancy, as it is often called. They merely discovered it. The operation of the celestial bodies and their relation to magic is the work of the Titans. The mathematical patterns that underlie the movement of the spheres shows the hand of their creators, meticulous and firm. For reasons unknown – perhaps to allow mortals to know a sliver of their fates – the Titans imbued the stars with magic, that their progress across the sky would herald the coming of momentous events and influence the course of worldly events.

Many scholars eschew these arts, and they are not unwise to do so. The heavens are all-knowing, but they offer up only dim, fragmentary portions of their knowledge. There are many, especially amongst the scientific gnomes and short-lived humans, who believe the magic described herein to be primitive superstition that has been wrongly attributed as being magic. To the reader, I say only that the mysteries of the arcane are infinite. They must be pursued with a clear eye and an open mind.

A student of astromancy must first comprehend the signs which the Titans have left in the night sky above us. These signs appear as constellations (bodies of stars which form an image), and as stars and planets. Each sign has been attributed a meaning. A body will either foretell the coming of something, or will manifest an effect upon the mortal world.

The Constellations
The Warrior:

The Warrior appears across all cultures and races. Proudly bearing a sword and shield, the Warrior signifies courage, strength, nobility, but also vainglory and anger. Magic done when the Warrior is high in the sky will bear his marks, empowered with exceptional strength but also volatility. When it has fallen, men fear sickness and weakness of the body. Infants born and blessed under the Warrior are fiery and proud. They may rise to great heights as leaders of men.

The Mystic:

The Mystic is a figure of wisdom and knowledge. He carries the implements of his craft held aloft. What these are have varied according to what race has described the constellation – they may be canes, talismans, tomes, familiars, or the like. To our eyes, he holds a staff and a scryer's orb.

When the Mystic rises in the sky, it is said that the ley-lines reveal themselves more clearly. Mages may more easily attune to the flows of magic around them. Those born under the sign of the Mystic will seek mastery in whatever they do.

The Shadowmoon orcs tell a dark tale of the Mystic. They have depicted it as three constellations: the Seer, the Staff, and the Tome, each imbued with ancient and terrible power. Every Five-hundred and forty-seven years, their powers combine and flood out of them. When harnessed, they can do the impossible. It was through this magic that Ner'zhul opened the Dark Portal to Azeroth.

The Mother:

The Mother symbolizes life and renewal. Among the races of Kalimdor, she is called the Druid or the Earth Mother. The Mother rises in the sky with the coming of spring and sinks with the onset of winter. When she is high in the sky, spells that replenish, restore, and reclaim the spirit are empowered. When she has fallen, spells of death and decay are bolstered. Among astromancers, then, the Mother is harnessed both to cure otherwise-unbreakable curses, and to perform terrible acts of necromancy. Those born under the Mother will be given to great mercy and kindness. They may not be of the highest intellect, but they are wise in their own way.

The Watchmen:

These two figures vary according to which race has described the constellation. But they are always a pair, vigilantly looking to the horizon with their arms in hand. They signify prudence, caution, and awareness. Scrying rituals performed when the Watchmen have risen will be empowered. When the Watchmen have fallen, then illusions that ensnare the senses will be more potent. Those born under this sign are loyal, steadfast, and obedient.

For the races of the Eastern Kingdoms, the Watchman contains within it another constellation: Turalyon's Hammer. In human mythology, the rightmost figure is depicted as a vigilant paladin wielding that famed weapon. The constellation thus has special significance for those who worship the Light. A child born at the zenith of the Watchman is considered by many to be auspicious or holy.

The Guardian Spirit:

In Pandaria, this constellation is called the Jade Serpent, and it is the most revered of the celestial bodies. Throughout Azeroth, it goes by many names. But in all, it depicts a great serpent or wyrm protectively curled around a pair of warriors. It represents holiness, virtue, miracles, and salvation. Composed of very distant stars, the Guardian Spirit appears only seldom. When it does rise, it is said to be accompanied by the breaking of droughts, the ending of famines, the aversion of other natural calamities, as well as victory against all odds by defenders in battle. The Guardian Spirit was at its zenith most recently when the Exodar fell to Azeroth.

The Mortal Foes:

Like the Guardian Spirit, the Mortal Foes rises only rarely. But when it does, it is a matter of great concern, for the Foes signify calamity, death, and devastation. These forces of destruction are represented appropriately enough by a giant and dragon locked in combat. The Mortal Foes are said to bring about political upheaval, fruitless and bloody wars, and natural catastrophes. The Foes last rose over the events of the Cataclysm.

The Omen Stars
The omen stars are single stars that have been identified in the skies as possessing arcane powers. Their movements are closely tracked. When they collide with another such star, or with a constellation, experienced astromancers can read the the future as told by the heavens. Each star has a meaning when seen alone transiting across the sky, and another when it crosses a constellation. They are generally the harbingers of bad fortune, particularly as they cross the generally benevolent constellations.

The Blazing Star:

Alone, this fiery orange star represents evil to come, relentless and malevolent. When it crosses another body, the interpretation of the body will be that evil must slowly come of what it signifies.

The Chill Star:

Alone, this cold blue star represents deepening darkness. Its crossing imbues the body with treachery, deceit, or foul play. It can also signify black magic that twists what it touches out of its natural form.

The Destroyer's Star:

Alone, this deep purple star represents a profound weakness that will lay bare even the boldest of heroes. When it crosses another body, it imbues that body with a debilitating fault or failing that renders it impotent and pathetic.

The Dire Star:

Alone, this pale star shines like a skull, and represents a bloody fate. Battle, wounds, and bloodlust await. When it crosses another body, it touches that body with its dire providence. There will be pain, suffering or death.

Ritual Circles
Even the most accomplished of magi cannot hope to achieve the most powerful of spells unaided. The limits of mortal consciousness entail that he cannot grasp the vast number of concepts necessary to produce the spell all at once. For a simple fireball, the mage need only hold in his mind’s eye the idea of flame, quantity, heat, speed, and direction. To perform some exceptional feat – to transit between worlds, or through time, for instance – he must hold an impossible number of such concepts. To attempt such a thing would be to risk insanity or death.

To casts spells of impossible complexity, mages have long engaged in ritual casting. Indeed, the very first primitive magic was entirely ritualistic in nature precisely because ritualizing a spell makes what is difficult become relatively more simple. Rituals take on endless forms, as varied as the many races of Azeroth and beyond. Within the Eastern Kingdoms, and the Kirin Tor tradition in particular, rituals take on a nearly ubiquitous form: that of the magical circle.

At its core, a magical circle is a method for translating all of the many elements of the spell – too difficult to focus on at once – into geometry, runes, and arcane script. The circle is a technique for conceptualizing what is otherwise impossible for a mortal mind to grasp. Nevertheless, it should not be thought that such a practice makes casting  easy. It merely makes it possible. Most circles require hours if not days of thought as the mage struggles to construct a diagram that will accurately portray the spell he wishes to create. In what follows, I will attempt to convey the essential rules for the creation of ritual circles.

The Creation of a Ritual Circle
The Outer Circle Naturally, the first shape that must be created is the circle itself. The size will vary according to the complexity of the circle: more complex spells will require more physical space on which they are transcribed. A normal circle will be nine feet in diameter, large enough for a single mage to stand comfortably within, or for a cabal of mages to stand around.

Simple circles can be traced on hard earth, wood, or rock with chalk. Chalk does not suffice, however, where the mage wishes to create a powerful effect. Rare and valuable inks or paints, arcane dusts, beasts’ blood, liquid amber, and powdered gemstones all see use in tracing the lines of the circle. A wise mage will prepare his circle from a material that obeys the law of sympathy – either representing the spell symbolically, or connecting resonantly with the spell’s subject.

Ancient elven tradition which has carried into human practice dictates that the circle be drawn sunwise, that is, turning from east to west in accordance with the passage of the sun – the prosperous course, as it is often called.

The outer circle is a symbol with intense magical significance. The circle represents the infinite nature of magic in the cosmos, endless and sublime. Encircling the spell’s geometry within this symbolic infinite loop places the spell properly within its universe.

The Central Triangle In addition to the outer circle, all ritual circles contain a central triangle. Like the circle, to the law of forms, the triangle has a deep magical meaning. It connects the three realms: mental, astral, and physical. In doing so, it represents the manifestation of a spell, for the spell passed first through the mental realm when it is conceptualized by the mage, then through the astral as mana is drawn to conjure it, and finally into the physical realm when it comes to pass.

The central triangle is equilateral, its three points extending to touch the inner edges of the outer circle. The middle of the triangle is thus poised at the midpoint of the entire circle. It is drawn from the same materials as the circle itself.

The Cardinal Signs Now that both the central triangle and the outer circle have been formed, the mage demarcates the cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west. This is typically done through the drawing of smaller circles at the edge of the central circle. These directions tie the spell to the physical world, extracting it from the realm of pure thought by providing reference points inherent to the circle itself. The circles that denote the directions will also be filled in with some of the key runic forms, as we will yet see.

Some mages choose to represent the cardinal signs as the four elemental planes rather than the directions. This has much the same effect, and so is left to the individual mage to decide.

The Subordinate Patterns Within the central circle (or, for some complex spells, overlapping its bounds), other geometric patterns will be drawn to signify each component of the spell. These patterns must symbolically represent the concepts that they represent. This is commonly done through the use of runes to signify elements and variable widths, lengths, and features of shapes to signify such factors as duration, scale, area, and so forth.

Each subordinate pattern will be contained within a subordinate circle, that is, a small circle within or around the main circle. These subordinate circles demarcate the bounds of each conceptual component of the spell from each other, and failure to properly maintain these bounds could have dire ramifications. The position of these circles themselves are important. Concepts that are closely linked should be positioned together or even overlapping, while those that are distant should be positioned far apart. Concepts that exist outside the bounds of the world should be represented by circles positioned partially or wholly outside the bounds of the outer circle (teleportation effects, for example, or chronomancy).

The Script Finally, incantations are inscribed across the circle. These, like all else, must represent the effect being produced. They are typically elaborate in nature, often written in verse or as an invocation to a personified Arcana. The incantation in its written form directs the circle on what spell to form when mana is channelled into it.

The Completed Circle
Crafting a ritual circle can be a work of countless hours. Once completed as detailed above, the circle is ready for use. Contrary to its construction, the use of a circle is simple. Because the entirety of the spell has been diagrammed and inscribed, it requires only a flow of raw mana in order to take effect. The mage will meditate within the circle to release his mana into it, thus releasing the spell contained within. Where the spell requires more mana than that mage possesses, multiple mages may do the same, or else he may seek a sacrifice to use in lieu of mana.

In conclusion, the ritual circle must not be viewed as an archaic relic of primitive magecraft. It is an elegant and sophisticated tool that, in the hands of a patient and clever sorcerer, can produce wondrous or devastating magic.

The Arts of Enchantment
Enchantment is the school of arcane magic that is concerned with the enhancement or augmentation of objects via magical effects. To understand the workings of the school, it is first necessary to understand the spellcasting process. To produce any magical effect, a mage draws on his inner reserves of mana, which is expended to produce the effect. This presents a problem for mages wishing to create permanent effects, since the expended mana can only regenerate once the effect has ceased to exist. This problem exists across all schools of magic, but is most prevalent in enchantment because many of the effects it seeks to produce are permanent in nature.

To avoid the problem of perpetual mana drain, mages employ alternate sources of magic to power enchantment effects. These sources will provide the required mana themselves, rather than using the mage's own reserves. They typically take the form of mana crystals. These are gems that trap mana within them, or naturally-occurring solidified mana particles that 'grow' in mana-rich areas.

The Enchantment Ritual
Among some races, the smith who creates an object is also the enchanter who imbues it with magical power. This tradition – common amongst the dwarves and vrykul – stems from the use of runic inscriptions, a form of magic that can be employed without being fully aware of doing so.

For enchanters in the traditions of the Eastern Kingdoms Circles, however, the process is more complex. When a weapon or suit of armour is received, the enchanter first contemplates the effect that must be produced. Common effects and the precise ritual materials will be detailed later in this work. For now, it suffices to say that the effect to be created must be represented by the ritual. This 'representation' is typically sympathetic in nature, that is, the ritual components must symbolically resemble the effect which is being created. In addition to these components, all spells will require a mana crystal, as described above.

Once these materials are assembled, the enchanter's work can begin. First, the object is engraved with markings, either in the form of runes or the script of an incantation. These markings will direct the mana on how to flow when it is allowed to infuse the object.

Next, the ritual components are employed over the object. As will be detailed subsequently, these components will normally be powdered or liquid. In the former case, they are sprinkled into the markings. In the latter, a coating is applied to the object being enchanted.

Finally, the mage will employ the mana crystal to empower the object with the effect that he has designated. The mage will either sunder the crystal atop the object, releasing its mana into the markings he has made on the object, or he will attach the crystal to the object to allow it to release mana by proximity. In either case, the flood of mana into the runes or incantation script combine with the ritual components to activate the spell effect. The object is now enchanted.

Common Rituals and their Components
Listed below are the materials required for common enchantment effects:

1. Elemental weapon:  To create a weapon infused with the destructive power of an element, the enchanter requires the blood of a dragon or dragon-kin. It is said that the more powerful the dragon, the more potent the blood, and the more deadly the blade. Where such is not available, the core of an elemental may be used.

2. Keen edge:  Some weapons have served for generations without failing. Their blades are ever-sharp, able to slice through lesser metals with ease. The weapon should be bathed in molten truesteel and etched with the claw of a great Stranglethorn tiger.

3. Unerring projectiles:  Rangers and Farstriders have enchanted arrows to fly true. The feathers of such arrows are those of a matriarch eagle or dragonhawk, and the shafts must be entwined with a filament of mithril.

4. Bane against foes:  These weapons are imbued to be the terror of a particular foe – orcs, drakes, and so forth. The magic that creates such tools is ancient and borders on dark. The skull of a great leader of the enemy must become the vessel for a mixture of blood and molten gold. To complete the enchantment, the weapon must be swung to shatter the skull and doused in the blood-gold concoction. Some legends says that an oath of vengeance accompanying the ritual will imbue the weapon further.

5. Silent armour:  Some armour allows its wearer to move silently and effortlessly. Here the cloth under the armour is woven with spidersilk that forms the runes or incantation. Metal armour is washed with the essence of fadeleaf, while lighter armour is studded with dark iron.

6. Impenetrable armour:  Most armour can be strengthened simply by fashioning it from an exceptional material, and the enchantment process mirrors that. The inscriptions on the armour are filled in with powdered adamantine or titansteel. Often the mane of a great stallion is formed into a plume, or the horns or tusks of another fearsome animal are affixed to the armour to imbue it with the strength of that beast.

The Arts of Divination
The mortal races of Azeroth have an innate curiosity and a powerful desire for guidance. These two drives are at the root of divination. Divination is the school of arcane magic that concerns itself with truth and knowledge. It has been practiced since prehistoric times by shamans and druids, guided by the spirits that lie unseen within the fabric of the land. The arcane practice of divination is more recent, and scholars will note that a spectrum of practice exists amongst arcanists, beginning with auguries and invocations to higher beings, and ending in the scrying techniques that are widely practiced today.

In this work, I shall relay some of the many techniques that are used to divine the past, present, future, and to determine the truth of mortal affairs.

The Ancient Arts
Over the vast ages and across the worlds, countless divination techniques have developed. The practices that follow are those which are discovered during the early stages of mortal societies. They tend to draw strongly on the Law of Sympathy, and it is likely because of the apparent symbolism underlying the rituals that they are among the first divination practices to emerge.

Omens An omen is an event or occurrence that is taken to foretell the future. The movement of a particular star, a king’s crown slipping from his head, a fierce storm, a vivid dream, or a blooming flower can all be omens. Indeed, an event becomes an omen simply by being perceived as such, regardless of whether there is any magical truth behind the event.

It will be readily apparent to practitioners of the arcane that many omens are not the subject of their craft. Some will simply be happenstance or coincidence. Others may be the working of divine magic, wherein an Eternal or powerful being is beseeched to give guidance. But that is not to say that omens have no place within the arcane.

Early arcanists first stumbling into the practice of divination would have comprehended the essence of the Law of Equivalence. This law forms the basis for the use of omens in arcane magic. The law states that, for the arcane to alter the physical world, something must be exchanged that is of equal value to the effect that will be produced. Thus, for an omen to have any truth-telling power, it must be induced by the arcanist yielding up something of value. Thus rituals were performed, sacrificial in nature, with the intent to bring about a magical omen.

However, even when an omen can be induced by magic, this does not mean that it will be obvious. For one thing, the arcane works subtly: the event that comes to pass as a result of the omen-seeking ritual may be missed by observers, or not recognized as what it is. Or, if noted, the meaning behind the omen may be misinterpreted. The interpretation of omens is an uncertain discipline, relying on the Law of Sympathy and trying to decipher the symbolic meaning behind the event or occurrence.

Thus we see that omens represent the most rudimentary form of divination. They are precarious because of the inherent uncertainty of the message received, and the likelihood that no message will be received at all.

Augury An augury can accurately be considered a form of omen-reading. They take the form of reading an omen from the examination of a particular thing. Entrails, flights of birds, tea leaves, and the position of special cards are all commonplace objects. The belief is that these objects are infused with magical power and consequently form themselves in ways that have symbolic meaning. Indeed, arcanists who rely on augury must meditate upon the object that they will use, infusing it with their own mana in order to empower it. The augur will then perform some action that frees the object to be manipulated by the arcane. Shuffling and then laying out cards, swirling a liquid, letting blood spill from an organ, releasing an animal to move as it wills, and so forth. He can then interpret the resulting action, deciphering the meaning behind it to see glimpses of greater truths.

As with the interpretation of omens, the results are never entirely clear. The augur must read them as containing a deeper meaning, searching for subtle signs – a shape forming, one object among many coming to the fore, and the like.

Auguries are still commonplace within Azeroth, despite their uncertainties. Many races and cultures offer up sacrifices with the intend to gleaning information on the future from the results. Fortune-tellers at the Darkmoon Faire use strange decks of cards. Perhaps the reason why auguries exist is because, where an omen must be spotted, an augury occurs within a defined and contained substance or object. The only challenge is that of interpretation, not of location.

Astromancy The reading of the celestial bodies for signs is, essentially, a form of advanced an persistent augury. The stars and planets in the sky are themselves infused with magic and driven according to the patterns of the Titans. Thus an arcanist need not infuse them with his own mana (nor could he if he tried in his hubris to do so). He need merely look to them and read the signs that they offer. I have written before on this subject, and so I will say no more of it.

Dream Reading It is said that, where the waking mind is contained and limited, the dreaming mind drifts and weaves itself freely between the flows of mana. The dreamer may perceive glimpses of a divinatory nature. These often manifest as glimpses of his own future, or a flash of a far-away event. Sometimes a mage will be called upon to interpret the dreams of another. This is a common task of the court wizards to nobles within the human courts. A mage may also induce his own magical dreaming in an attempt to induce visions. In such cases, he will meditate before sleeping, and often surround himself with implements of the arcane in order to draw magic to him. Some diviners prepare special draughts and potions which, when imbibed, allow the drinker to dream magically and remember his dreams with perfect clarity.

Invocation An invocation is a call to higher magical entities. Invocations can be understood as the very basis of divine magic: a mortal calls out to an exceptionally powerful entity for assistance and is granted a portion of that being’s power. However, the arcane can also reach out to spirits, be they elemental lords or the wisps that flit unseen around us. However, where a divine agent  asks, the arcane  demands. Such power has many uses across many schools. For divination, it means that an arcanist can call upon a magical being and compel it to divulge certain knowledge.

Needless to say, such spells are dangerous. Spirits do not take lightly to being forced into submission. They will often seek revenge upon those who even attempt to do so. A wise mage who wishes to invoke a spirit to obtain information will provide it with an offering in a show of respect and veneration.

Scrying
Mages trained today will often believe that scrying is the entirety of the divination school. Scrying spells are so often the exclusive focus of diviners because they offer what other varieties cannot: certainty. Whereas auguries, omens, and so forth provide only hints and signs, scrying can reveal actual visions of the past, future, or distant places. Moreover, it can do so without directly invoking dangerous spirits.

At its most fundamental, scrying is when an arcanist accesses the fine threads of mana underlying the worlds and mentally transits across these threads, thereby transferring his senses to another location or even another time.

The Scrying Ritual To do this is no easy feat. Because of the immense complexity and the sheer number of concepts and variables which the arcanist must hold simultaneously in his concentration to manifest the spell, scryings are almost always performed ritually. The arcanist will seclude himself from all disturbances. Many mage towers have dedicated chambers with thick walls and secure doors, while others choose a sheltered glade, mountaintop, or similarly isolated location. He will also equip himself with a scrying surface – a body on which his visions will appear. The most common is a scrying orb or ‘crystal ball,’ but smooth water, smoke, embers, or glass panes also see use.

Once isolated, the mage begins the scrying ritual. He may draw a ritual circle to assist him. If so, the circle will be a symbolic ‘map’ in which the mage plots the journey that his consciousness will take. It will contain repeating, regular patterns that assist with meditation and concentration. When this is complete, the mage will sink into a deep trance, looking unwaveringly at his scrying surface. He will murmur an incantation repeatedly, using it is a mantra to aid in parting his consciousness from his body.

Gradually, the scryer will begin to see images through his surface. These are cloudy or indistinct at first, clearing and solidifying as the mage immerses himself in the vision. While immersed in the scrying, the mage will see, hear, and otherwise sense the location or time on which he scries.

It should be needless to say that the greater the physical distance, or the further forward or backward in time, the more difficult and taxing the spell will be. Especially with scrying that transits through time, seeing vast distances will often be impossible without risking insanity.

Scrying After a Being Sometimes, scrying spells are not used simply to view a location or time. Instead, they are used to locate or watch a specific being, without knowing where that being is to be found. In such cases, the Law of Sympathy (and specifically of Contagion) is operative. The mage must have something on which the spell’s subject has left magical traces of its aura. These will be objects held in close contact to the being, or which are of psychological significance to it, or actual physical parts of the being. This object will allow the arcane to trace a path to the being, following its magical aura to the source.

Conclusion

Divination is one of the oldest magical arts. Its practitioners would be well advised not to forget this fact. The arcane moves in mysterious ways, and the diviner must be cognizant that his craft is a matter of honed intuition and accumulated wisdom as much as it is an exact science. We reach for knowledge that is not naturally ours, and the true diviner will know that  understanding  is as important as  seeing.

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