The Arts

The Arts is the term given to the various schools of control with magical energy, that allow people to manipulate the very nature of the world to suit their own ends, within reason. A person can only perform so much with the Arts before they become drained of their life energy, and if a person overspends themselves, it has been known for them to become what is known only as a 'Shade', an ethereal creature that feeds upon the magical energy of the world in order to satisfy an endless hunger that cannot be sated due to their lack of a form to hold the magic within.

There are various types of Arts, each given a specific name to correspond to their type, and all utilising different types of energy that weaves within the lands and the realms. It is impossible to wield certain types of energy together, meaning that to learn one type of magic could potentially mean sacrificing another.

The Alabaster Arts
The Alabaster Arts are the Lores of Healing, focusing on restoration of the body, promoting good health, warding off disease, decay and arcane illnesses that may infect the body. Those who master the Alabaster Arts are said to live much longer than others, due to their mastery over life.

The Azure Arts
The Azure Arts are the abilities trained by those who favour support, aiding comrades with knowledge of arcane powers, bolstering strength, binding enemies and warding off attacks of both arcane and physical type. Masters of the Azure Arts are seen as the ultimate leaders, influencing the flow of battle for their allies, often proving to be the difference between victory and defeat.

The Crimson Arts
The Crimson Arts are also known as the destructive arts, wielded by those who favour raw, brute power over the subtleties of the other arts, utilising the elements to devastating effect. Masters of the Crimson Arts are powerful practitioners of arcane abilities, but vary greatly with their intent, some destroying all in their wake, but others focusing their ability to combat their enemies for the greater good.

The Desolate Arts
The Desolate arts are relatively unknown compared to the other arts, their power on a stronger, and much darker level than even the Crimson Arts. Those who master the Desolate Arts turn their back on the other arts in favour of the darker energies. Often necromancers, warlocks and all sorts of fabled evils, the Masters of the Desolate Arts are avoided, at all costs.

The Radiant Arts
The Radiant Arts, like their darker counterpart in the form of the Desolate Arts, tend to be unknown to common practitioners of the arts. The Radiant Arts are available only to those who are seen as ‘pure’, shying away from destruction and bloodshed in favour of mastery over life and death, in their truest forms. It is rumoured that Masters of the Radiant Arts can even delve into the realms of the dead and return life to the departed.

The Halcyon Arts
The Halcyon arts, the third branch of the forbidden arts, sit apart from the other arts, delving deeper into the realms of the gods than any of the others. It is said that those very few who have mastery over the Halcyon Arts, or even survive using them, can alter the flow of reality and time around themselves, changing the surface of the world simply by passing through it.

The Material Arts
While not truly a 'magical' art, the Material Arts are seen as the pinnacle of combat techniques, and mastery of the human body itself to achieve levels far beyond that of normal men and women. A master of the Material Arts can supposedly endure the greatest of pains, and in turn, return the same, capable of destroying another with nothing more than their own hands.