Magic

Ok back to DuskHaven today.

There are many “schools” of magic in Jindarin. Most are not well organized but are instead passed down through the generations along family lines. Here is a breakdown of the more well known “schools” of magic.

Light

The Church of the Light is one of the exceptions in that they have or rather had one centralized training location. Most users of the light realize their potential in their late teens and early twenties. Usually they will be unaware of their gifts prior to that. Outside of DuskHaven where they did regular testing it is only by chance that a person will realize their connection. Training consisted mainly of mental exercises. Clearing the mind to “grasp” the beam of light within them was the primary focus. With DuskHaven gone there are currently no known practitioners of Light magic save the Silver Knight Rolard.

Earth

The EarthSeers are the oldest organization of magic on Arquel. They can trace their history back to the earliest days when Man was first brought fourth from the Abyss. The EarthSeers are extremely secretive about their practices and little is commonly known about them. The Speaking Holes that the EarthSeers can communicate with are their most public feature. These Holes are scattered about Arquel and most major cities have one. They are also found in the countryside though unless they are guarded they are often filled in by superstitious people. The EarthSeers are usually trained in Mournwood which is located far to the East of the Inner Kingdoms. If they pass and survive the training an EarthSeer is expected to break all human ties with family and friends. They are the guardian of their Speaking Hole. Once established there they will live by that Hole for the rest of their lives. They are not banned from human contact though and oftentimes will marry and have families of their own if their children grow up to show the talent they are sent to Mournwood and usually never heard from again. It’s a lonely life for the Seers. But their communication with the Earth and their ability to use that power to gain favors from the Earth holds them in good stead.

Fire

Sparks as they are often called are able to control not just fire but temperature. Little is known about them and their abilities run almost strictly in family lines. They tend to stay hidden as control of fire often leads to rumors of demonic powers and evil. A few Sparks that have gone public have done so only under the protection of a powerful patron. A few have travelled to DuskHaven to study in the library there.

Water

Shinon because of their port status supports a small school dedicated to water manipulation. There are only half a dozen or so practitioners there at this time and none with any great level of control over water. They keep trying as the city keeps funding them.

Air

There are no known practitioners at this time though DuskHaven’s library has hinted at powerful mages able to control mighty winds and even remove the breathable air from an area. It is believed that most or all of them perished when the Demon hordes were unleashed thousands of years ago.

Darkness

Practiced by the most powerful demons this magic is a counterpoint to the Light wielded by the Silver Knights. At this time no humans practice control over the dark arts. The last to do so was Lord Danrael. After his fall the practice was banned in all corners of the continent. Even a whisper of its use can bring down an inquisition.

A Change in Plans

I had planned to blog today about the various kinds of magic in Jinadar but a walk changed my mind. I'm sitting on top of Fort Hill in the Rocky River Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks typing this. Technology is good. A couple years ago I wouldn't have been fit enough to get up here and if I was I wouldn't have had a computer light enough to carry with me. My Eee PC fits the bill nicely though. The screen is sadly almost unreadable in this light so I'll have to do my editing in a local Panera or Arabica but I can do the writing here and now. The Cleveland Metroparks are really one of the nicest places to be on a day like this. The sun is shining and it's about 72 degrees out here. I'm playing hooky today because I have spring fever. I guess that means a break from writing as well. Or at least writing about DuskHaven.

Speaking of that, I think I shall have to take a break soon and get back to my sci-fi work. The poor crew of the Amadeus is languishing with a Saboteur onboard and alarms going off all around them. But that is tale for another day.

I think DuskHaven will become the home for all my writing. I've considered finding a generic domain for all my work but it becomes difficult to obtain a decent URL. But DuskHaven is fairly unique. At least I like it. :) Anyway I think I'll register DuskHaven.info today and see about moving the blog over to it in the next few days. Sadly some schmuck is sitting on DuskHaven.com and I'm not paying someone for the site when it's not even in use. Maybe If I can land a book deal I'll think about it but not now. :^) Anyway I think it's time to head down the trail and towards home. Till tomorrow, I wish you all a good day.

Shinon

The three borderland citadels currently guard the inner kingdoms from the demon hordes. After DuskHaven fell all three cities sent their armies into The Green Fields to try to protect the farmlands and to retake DuskHaven but the armies were quickly routed by the demon forces and The Green Fields were slowly swallowed by the Wastelands. The last families and villages in The Green Fields were abandoned nearly ten years past and now the border sits just a few wheels to the West of the border citadels.

Shinon is the smallest and youngest of the border kingdoms having been founded just three hundred years ago, prior to that Shinon was just a large port city on the Arnasian Sea. The Shinon family was one of the most prosperous merchant families in the Borderlands and as their wealth grew so did their ambition. Panrol Shinon the family patriarch at the time solicited the help of the armies of Arsel to support his bid to declare independence from Dornet which looked to Darset for support. Darset saw this as another chance to attack Arsel while their defenses were scattered and would not help. Dornet was forced to acknowledge the independence of Shinon but was granted a tribute of gold and ships for not pushing for a far bloodier war. The fact that Galashin remained neutral during the fight but used Shinon for much of their sea traffic helped persuade Dornet to accept a settlement.

Since then Shinon has grown into an even more prosperous seaport and the Citadel of Shinon is a marvel of modern design and defense. The Demon hordes after pushing hard once here have concentrated their attacks on the older citadels of Galashin and Dornet. Shinon has ridden to the aid of the other border cities on several occasions and landed raiding parties deep behind the demon forces to harass them from the rear. Their standard is the blue falcon. After the fall of DuskHaven, Shinon has played host to the last known EarthSeer. Malom died several years past and no new EarthSeer has arrived to take up the post. The Speaking Hole of Shinon is kept under guard as evil lights have flared within it over the last few years and plans have been made to fill the hole in soon if no new EarthSeer arrives to tend to it.

Time to Pay the Reaper (Lord Danrael)

Here in the states it’s tax-day and that means pain and suffering for most of us. So today seems like the day to begin talking about the downfall of DuskHaven. The “person” responsible for the fall goes by the name of Lord Danrael. Lord Danrael was one of the pre-eminent Silver Knights More than five hundred years ago he was the next in line to be Knight-General of DuskHaven and the last of the Reganos family. He excelled at everything he did and soon was in command of most of the Knights that patrolled outside the city walls. He began a campaign to push back the Wastes and reclaim the land lost to the demons. Many had hopes that he could reach the source of the demons and drive them back into it and seal them away. But as he ventured further and further from the city his attitude began to change. He began to act less like the noble knight and more like the savage demons that he fought with. Finally he went alone into the darkness when his men refused to follow him further. He was not seen for many months and most thought he was lost. When he was seen returning to the city a party of the cities leaders went out to meet with him.

He spoke of the wonders he’d seen of pools of liquid night and demons who spoke with him. He claimed the demons wished for a truce and to establish relations with the city. He wanted the lantern to be extinguished so the demons could come forth and meet with them. The city leaders refused and he fell into a rage. He drew forth a sword as black as night and commanded them to extinguish the lantern. The Knight-General with tears in his eyes said he had no son. This being in front of him could not be his son Danrael. He proclaimed his son banished and ordered him to go back to the Waste that he now loved. Lord Danrael slashed at his father but his father held aloft a Hammer of Light and blocked the blow. Both weapons burst at the impact and the Knight-General collapsed upon his horse. Lord Danrael swearing revenge upon the city of his birth spun and rode back into the waste. The Knight-General ordered his men back into the city and forbid the Knights from patrolling within the wastes in the future.

Church of the Light

Like the Silver Knights the Church of the Light was founded with the lighting of the Lantern. Some would argue it is more a school magic than a religion but their Pastors would argue otherwise. The Church exists to train those capable of wielding the light to act as servants of the lantern. They have no other chapters or schools in other cities. They exist solely within DuskHaven but within the city they are a force only slightly less powerful than the Knights themselves. They act as the caretakers of the Lantern while the Knights act as its guardian. The highest orders within the Church are said to know the secrets of how the lantern was initially lit, though that has never been confirmed and any documentation on the act has long been destroyed. The official head of the church is the Knight-General of the Silver Knights but that position is mostly honorary. The Knight-General rarely interferes with day to day business within the Church itself. The true head of the church is the Light-Giver of DuskHaven. His position is for life and upon his death the Knight-General will appoint a new Light-Giver after reviewing the records left by the previous Light-Giver.

The Church oversees many of the secular functions of the city. These include running the schools, performing marriages, and overseeing the counting of crops and livestock yearly. They also maintain one of the finest libraries found outside the Inner Kingdoms. Their section on the various kinds of magic is one of the finest known and mages of the various arts would travel from all over the continent to study there.

The church trains both their own members and those members of the Silver Knights capable of wielding the light. Most members of both orders are secular and incapable of accessing the light. Of those with the ability few are capable of truly wielding the light as a weapon or tool. Those that can wield it quickly rise to positions of prominence in both orders. The upper hierarchy of both orders is made up almost exclusively of these individuals.