The Magical People of Samirkan

"'They say that if you look close enough, you'll see magic exists in everything. You'll see it in the land, the skies, the seas. You'll see it in the wildlife, the fauna, and the plants. You'll see it deep in the minerals and ground, but most importantly....You'll see it in the People. The individuals who live life everyday to the best of their capabilities. Some of us are born with the gifts of magic within us, true, but that does not mean we are just average. We were born for this....'""-Albertis Grigginwald, previous Head Teacher at the Mage's University of Wilomun."

Overview
In the world of Samirkan there are three kinds of individuals. Those that are born with a connection to magic, those that are not born with the connection but can still learn to wield it, and those that simply cannot wield magic whatsoever, as they have no connection to it and are unable to understand how to use it. Depending on the region of the world one is in, the following names and categories may be slightly shifted or changed. The information below is based on humans, their general lifespans, and the most commonly agreed upon names and information. The titles, ages, and rankings may change based on location or culture.

Those Born With A Connection To Magic
Those that are born with the connection are known, commonly, as Wizards. Wizards are, typically, older individuals who have a deep understanding of their magic and of magic in general. They were born with their capabilities, having natural affinities for the different areas of magic, and have spent their lives perfecting their techniques and the mastery of magic itself. Magic is all that they are, and it is all that they focus on and care about. They have time for other things, such as love and relationships with others, but their number one priority in life is pursuing further understanding of magic and perfecting it in nearly every way possible. Wizards are devoted to magic entirely, and they spend their entire lives working on magic and improving themselves and their teachings. Not all wizards follow this path, for some are fine with mastering one aspect of magic entirely, and others focus on a primary couple. These types of wizards, that focus on either one aspect or a few, become better specialized in those forms of magic than other wizards who focus on magic as a whole.

Wizards tend to live up to around 200 years old, thanks to the magic which flows through their bodies, and some of the oldest wizards have reached ages of 250. Wizards are not nearly as common in the world as mages, so meeting a real wizard is an experience of its own. Out of ten thousand people, only one will be born with the capability to become a true wizard. It is difficult for a wizard to produce offspring, often leading many to die without offspring, but those that DO have children tend to pass their affinity for magic onto their children. Out of five children born to a wizard, one or two of them will have the magical affinity their parent had. In short, there is a twenty-to-forty percent chance a wizard will produce a child with magical affinities, often having the same affinity their parent had. Wizards often adopt new and honorary titles, depending on what elements they have mastered and where they have lived.

Types of Wizards
There are a large variety of individuals which make up the ‘wizard’ category. A wizard, by the default, is someone that is born with a magical affinity for no more than 4 elements, and no less than 2. The elements they have an affinity for come from the blood that their ancestors have passed down. If a Wizard’s father was an ice and fire wizard, then that wizard’s offspring will likely have an affinity for the very same magic their father learned. There are cases of Wizards having up to 4 magical affinities when two wizards, usually with differing affinities, produce a child together. Most wizards will master the element tied to their magical affinities, and then a couple others, over the time of their lives. This is the bulk of the ‘Wizard’ family tree, with specializations within the bulk itself.

Wizardlings
Most of the individuals in the bulk category are, generally, quite young among other Wizards. Their ages often range from 6 (the youngest a wizard has ever discovered their affinities) up to their 60’s (Which is a regular mortal’s thirties). Their inexperience often derives from their age, and this is the time in their lives when they learn what their affinities are and how to master their elements. Most of the learning, for a wizard, is done in this stage of life. This is also when they are the weakest, and most wizards who do die often die at this stage of life. That is because their weakness, their inexperience, and their general misunderstanding of their gifts can get them killed or worse. A Wizardling must master their natural affinities first before they can begin to learn other forms of magic.

Arch Wizards
Arch Wizards are Wizards that have mastered at least 3 elements, usually including their birth affinities, and are traveling the world to either learn more of their powers or to complete their own personal objectives in life. They may continue to learn of other magic types, or perhaps they will choose to continue mastering what few elements they know. Regardless, Arch Wizards are quite powerful, compared to most regular wizards, and often are in their 60’s-120’s (30’s-60’s in term of regular mortal’s lives.) An Arch Wizard is no joke on the field of combat, often handling some serious firepower at their hands. (May Require Approval)

Master/Elder Wizards
Master Wizards are Wizards that have mastered 5 or more elements, often including their affinities and some other elements. Usually, these wizards no longer see the appeal in learning how to conquer more magic, and insist on either teaching others their lessons or minding their own business. They are the oldest of wizards, and most definitely the strongest of their kind. It takes a long time to gain such power, and to wield it as effectively as they do. Elder Wizards are, generally, anywhere from 120-200 years old (60’s-100’s). This is the stage in their life when they are becoming too old to travel the world, often settling down and living their lives in peace or solitude. Some Master Wizards continue journeying, despite their age, and they are remarked as some of history’s scariest magic-wielders. A Master Wizard is not to be taken lightly, even if heavily outnumbered, for their strength and intellect is matched by few others. (Requires Approval)

Other Types of Wizards
Still though, there are more kinds of wizards. These wizards are often not referred to as wizards, but rather by a variety of different names.

Sages
Sages are, often times, a wizard with one or two magical affinities. They spend their entire lives perfecting JUST these affinities, and sometimes become more powerful than some Arch-Wizards in the process. They have incredibly difficult times learning other types of magic, sometimes taking up to twice as long as a regular wizard to do so, whereas for their affinities they learn those elements much swifter. Sages do not live nearly as long as other wizards, often living up to around 150. Some have been seen living up to 200, however, so some sages can live as long as regular wizards do. Sages are quite powerful, by default, and some have arisen to greatness in the past. Sages are not nearly as powerful as a Master Wizard, but a Sage is not to be messed with. Every Sage is, by default, a Wizard, but Wizardlings do not count as Sages. Wizardlings do not have nearly as much skill as Sages do, and a Sage is much more fearsome than a Wizardling. (May Require Approval)

Seers
Seers are wizards that have been blessed with the gift of prophecy, able to glance into the near future and gaze into the web of the world. The Web of the World is often, at times, considered to be what is known as the ‘Butterfly Effect’. The Butterfly Effect is the idea that one decision can change an entire future, and so Seers are able to see the immediate or near effects of decisions made by those whose futures they gaze into. Their visions are, often times, foggy and nonsensical. A Seer is not always right, sometimes misreading what they are seeing, but they are accurate enough. Seers are incredibly rare, among wizards, and are seen as the most unique of their kind. A seer is to be respected by all, for they may very well change the future of thousands of lives with a single glance into the web. Seers are incapable of learning any other types of magic, and often live as long as Sages do. Every Seer is a Wizard, but Wizards cannot become Seers. (Requires approval.)

Druids/Shamans
Druids are Wizards that have an affinity for nature, often using magic related TO nature itself. In order to learn, and understand Nature magic, you must be born with the capability to tap into that part of the magic spectrum. Essentially, druids are exclusive to this type of magic. Druids often have deep spiritual ties to Magic, and to the roots of the world, and are sometimes referred to as Shamans. However, this can often be a misunderstanding of the terms, the two titles being slightly different than one another. The main difference between a druid and a shaman is that Shamans deal more often in totems and spirits, whereas Druids deal mostly with animals and nature in general. Regardless, both of them can, often times, communicate with animals and use their magic to regrow any dying or dead plantlife. They, more often than not, specialize in nature magic and then life magic, learning how to heal [and communicate with] animals and individuals. They become masters of balance, and focus on making sure nature does not die. Every Druid is a Wizard, but Wizards cannot become Druids. (May Require Approval)

Sorcerers
Sorcerers are dangerous in the world of magic, being they are wizards that do not fully understand how their magic works. They are the wizards that either tried to reject their destiny, or actively try to avoid it. They tried to run away from their fate, and never went to an academy or a school to learn how to use these gifts for the betterment of the people. They are the ones who can’t control themselves, sometimes losing control over their magic and causing devastation that they can’t stop. Most Sorcerers are untrained, both in self and in their capabilities, and so they are incredibly unpredictable and are to be seen as a severe threat when cornered. Not ALL Sorcerers are victims of their own destiny, however. Some Sorcerers are born with a natural affinity for magic in an area that doesn’t provide adequate training or assistance - some Sorcerers are made to be the way they are because of their situation. Whether it is a kingdom that shuns magic practitioners [to the point that there are no academies for these individuals] or a personal vendetta against all things magical, all Sorcerers have one thing in common: they are an uncontrollable conduit of the magical arts. (May Require Approval) 

Those That Learn to Wield Magic
In the world of Samirkan, there are people who learn how to use magic without having a natural born affinity to magic or its roots. They spend long portions of their life mastering spells and magic styles. These individuals, most often, are known as Mages. The Mages of the Magic World are the most common of the magic wielders, as there are more people born WITHOUT affinities for magic than born WITH affinities for magic. Therefore, the people which wish to become LIKE their wizard counterparts dedicate large amounts of time training themselves in the ways of the arts. These mages, sometimes, spend decades studying so that they may master a single area or element of magic. These types of mages are known as Arch-mages, and they are considered the more powerful of the two types of mages.

The uniqueness of the mages, however, is that they don’t often just study one field or section of magic. They, more often, dive into multiple fields at once, learning various spells or tricks that best suit their own personal tastes and desires. Mages are free to learn whatever magic or spells they want, whereas Wizards must first master their own affinities before they can begin glancing into other fields of magic, or else suffer from an unbearable inability to wield magicks outside of their proficiency. Study is what attunes the Wizard’s skill. Mages, most often, use magic as a tool in their daily lives. Mages can be powerful forces in the world of magic, but they are not nearly as powerful at their wizard counterparts. Of course, an army of 100 battle-mages is just as fearsome as a regular wizard, and in the world of Samirkan you are much more likely to come across the former rather than the latter.

Other Types of Magic Wielders
Mages are not the only ones which make up this category, and there are several other groups which, although not born with the capability to naturally cast magic, are capable of casting to some extent. Often times, through bonds with creatures or sheer belief.

Warlocks
Warlocks are neither Mages or Wizards, for they do not learn how to use magic like the others do. They do not spend time studying the crafts, and are not born with an affinity for a specific area of magic. Rather, through making a pact, or even a deal, with a supernatural force (most often spirits and fiends), they gain their powers almost immediately. The spirit or fiend that they are attached to most often dictates their area of magic specialty, some Warlocks capable of destructive death and dark magic whereas others can instantly learn how to use other forms of magic. The catch with making these pacts, however, is that they are offering their body and soul to the creature, in joint control, so that they may share power. This pact, unfortunately, is often abused by the one who gives the powers to the Warlocks. They often take control of the body, possessing the human host and controlling their very actions for short or extended periods of time. Warlocks are unpredictable, for that manner, and are often seen as the darker types of magic wielders. They, most often, are the outcasts of the magic world. (May Require Approval)

Channelers
To learn more about Channelers, click this link and read our article specifically written for them. (May Require Approval)

Conjurers
Like Warlocks and Channelers, Conjurers are known for making pacts with otherworldly beings for their own benefit. The difference between these three however is how the pact usually functions. Whereas the other two require some kind of magical bond between the caster and the spirit, a Conjurer does not create this bond. Rather, the pact comes through word and promise alone. Essentially, all a Conjurer is is somebody who tries to befriend creatures from other planes. Because of this, a Conjurer is not limited to the amount of spirits they can have under their ‘control’, but none of these spirits have any obligation to actually obey the Conjurer aside from their word. This also means that Conjurers do not get any special abilities from their pacts, unless their summon is specifically something with the ability to do so. Conjurers must be careful with who they try to summon, lest they summon something disobedient. The requirements for a Conjurer to summon the being of their pact is a drawn circle to set the dimensions for the summon, the symbols representing the world to act as keys, the name of the summon itself and magic to be pumped in to open the door. (May Require Approval)

Artificers
Artificers are typically magic users who are well-versed enough in their skill as to craft equipment imbued with their knowledge. This is often known as ‘enchanting,’ and involves the process of “weaving” the threads of magic into the material of said weapon. The process, depending on the skill of the Artificer, can take anywhere from three to seven days, with some creations taking months to achieve their peak usability. Often, blacksmiths who have ended up born with the “gift” of magics tend to blend their two talents to achieve maximum profit. Depending on the craftsmanship of the weapon, the nature of the enchantment, and the skill with which the enchantment was applied, a single longsword can be worth upwards of hundreds of silver pieces, if not a thousand.

Clerics/Paladins
Though the gods of Samirkan have not interacted with mortals for the past several centuries, religion still exists around the concept of deities and their acts of kindness or malice towards mankind. In addition to this exists the cleric, a caste of highly devoted religious followers who have been granted magical powers so that they may enact out the will of their gods. Clerics can come from any class of life, whether a noble or a popper, as utilizing the magic given to a cleric does not require an education or knowledge of obscure rituals, merely devotion and a sense of intuition for what their deity wishes for. The ‘deity’ a cleric worship though is not one in the sense that they are one of the beings who created the world. Rather what happens is when a religion is formed and is large enough, the combined prayer and belief of many people becomes able to alter the sea of magic to an extent. It creates a ‘reservoir’ of magical energy within it, which clerics are able to drawn upon through their faith. The actual size of the reservoir is determined mainly by how many followers of the religion there are, thus the more followers the larger the reserve for clerics to draw upon. That said, this reserve is still finite, and thus there can only be a certain amount of clerics at any one time, and even then the cleric can only channel so much magic before they must rest or risk exhausting their body and potentially burning out their connection. This ability seems to be exclusive to mortals, with spirits unable to replicate the process. (May Require Approval)