Magic: Sphere of Earth
Magic: Sphere of Earth

This magic grants influence over rock, wood, metal, and plants and trees, all of which are things that are strongly tied to the earth. Earth mages are builders and well regarded members of a community.

There are a number of specializations possible in the wide-encompassing Sphere of Earth. Specializing in a sub-set of the Sphere of Earth restricts one's selection of spells significantly, but also significantly improves one's performance with what spells one specializes in. For the sake of pulling random numbers out of the air, an Earth Mage specializing in a particular sub-set is about 50% better at the spells he specializes in, than a generalized Earth Mage at equivalent power level, when using the same spell. This improvement is expressed in accuracy, level of control, duration of effects, and to some extent even in shortening the amount of time required to cast such a spell.

Even if an Earth Mage does not choose to specialize in a sub-sphere, most Earth Mages tend to gain a certain "aspect" that characterizes the Earth Mage's "style". This aspect might be a certain material (clay, glass, amber, wood, sand, jasper, quartz crystal), a favored type of plant (roses, fruit-bearing trees), or sometimes a particular season (summer, autumn, winter, summer) that somehow characterizes the mage's focus and personal style. Given the wide range of materials and applications usable by Earth Mages, the average practitioner of that Sphere will focus on some particular specialty (not necessarily a specialization) that helps define that mage's identity within the Sphere.

Recognized sub-Sphere specializations include:

  • Dirt: This is a very unusual sub-specialty of Earth Magic, and such specialists generally call themselves "Earth Mages", though others may term them "Mud Mages" or "Soil Mages" instead. These specialists concern themselves literally with "earth". They tend find lucrative -- if boring -- employment, enchanting farm fields to be fertile and rich for the harvest. Sand and Clay also fall within this sub-sphere, which may allow for "Sand Mages" or "Clay Mages", depending on how narrow their focus is.

  • Metal: "Metal Mages" are each associated with a particular metal that is their sub-specialty. Thus, they are known as "Iron Mages", "Silver Mages", "Gold Mages", etc. Given the rarity of such minerals on Sinai, mages of this sort are subsequently rare as well. Whereas a specialist mage tends to be 50% better than a generalized mage at any given spell in his specialty, a Metal Mage is about twice as good as any generalized mage, when using his specific chosen element (be it iron, silver, gold ... lead).

  • Nature: Nature Mages focus on interacting with plant life, and are often equated with "druids" in some cultures of Sinai. They can make plants grow more quickly, or shape their growth, or cause them to wither and warp. They can also exert influence over objects made of wood or amber (which is hardened tree sap). However, they have no inherent powers over animals, forest-dwelling or otherwise.

  • Stone: Stone Mages specialize solely in the aspect of rock, best known for being able to shape it into different forms. Sometimes the caster himself can take on stone-like aspects. (Note: pearl, amber and coral aren't considered "stone", given their organic origins.) Glass and crystal fall under this particular sub-Sphere.
    •

    Spells that fall within a given sub-Sphere specialty are listed with the first letter next to the name. (D = Dirt, M = Metal, N = Nature, S = Stone) It should be noted that some spells have "variable special effects", and they may be appropriately limited when used by specialists. A "Golem" spell, for instance, would be restricted to working with dirt/mud for a Dirt Mage, to a specific metal for Metal Mages, plants, amber or wood for Nature Mages, and rock or glass for Stone Mages. Standard Earth Mages would have freedom in choosing the particular element used.

    Resistant Materials

    It should be noted that while some Earth spells allow the reshaping of stone wood and other materials, there are certain substances that are resistant to magical modification.

    Thistlebark, a type of wood harvested from the tree of the same name that grows in the Savan, has demonstrated properties of being resistant to Spirit Magic, but is also resistant to Earth Magic. There are various ways of indirectly affecting such a tree, but thistlebark wood cannot be reshaped by means of Earth Magic, nor can the growth of a thistlebark tree be directly manipulated.

    Sifras Crystal, a crystal-like substance that at times glows, or appears to be "molten", is strongly resistant to Earth Magic.

    Abaddonian metal has proven to be resistant to shaping via Earth Magic, though this is a property that has often occurred with other metals brought from outside of Sinai (such as the metal from the Sword that crashed in the Himaat, or metal items brought by Exiles to Sinai). It is theorized that after a prolonged period on Sinai, this inherent resistance gradually fades.

    Cantrips

  • Amber Form (N)
    This hardens a small amount of tree sap. Multiple applications can be used to turn sap into a gummy consistency, then something like putty, allowing it to be shaped into form, then hardened again into a more solid, final shape. The exact shapes achieved by these means depend upon the sculpting abilities of the caster (or an assistant), and the structural integrity of the created form.

    Amber hardened in this way is more "pliable" to Earth Magic than naturally-formed amber, and can also be temporarily softened and reshaped by this spell.

  • Commune (N)
    This allows the caster to "talk" with a plant, to an extremely limited degree. It basically can allow the caster to learn something about how well the plant is growing, whether it has any diseases, and also to gain some information on the plant: how many seasons it has been growing, what type of plant it is, whether its fruit is edible, etc. The caster can talk "to" the plant, but he or she isn't going to have an intelligent conversation. Some mages believe that "communing" with plants, and speaking nicely to them regularly, prompts them to grow better, but that falls into the area of subjectivity.

  • Enchant Object (D M N S)
    This places a very weak "dweomer" on dirt, mud, items made of metal, wood or stone, or even a plant, which can last for about an hour or so, or longer, if the caster keeps up the effect. This alone serves to make the item "enchanted", and thus resistant to some magical effects (such as several spells from the Sphere of Earth), and allows the caster to put a magical "lock" on the object, to resist casual efforts by other mages to reshape or reform the object with cantrips or minor spells of their own.

    The caster can also choose for this enchantment to take on a visible aspect, causing the enchanted object to glow. Otherwise, there is no real effect on the enchanted object.

    There are many variations, based on the material to be affected:

  • Amberglow: Amber gives off a golden inner glow.

  • Fluouresce: Stones with fluourescent properties glow as if subjected to black light.

  • Forgelight: Metal items glow as if heated to near melting point.

  • Foxfire: Wood, plants and dirt glow with a weak "bog-light".

  • Gemlight: Translucent or clear gems and crystals glow from within. Crystal can be made to glow with a "molten" effect, allowing for the possibility of making (short-lived) faux Sifras Crystal.
    •

  • Fool's Gold (M S)
    This spell has been banned by the Mages' Guild. It allows an illusory transmutation of certain minerals (with metallic sheen to them) and metals to appear to be certain other precious minerals -- such as iron, copper, silver or gold. It does not change the shape or texture of the object, nor its weight, toughness, temperature, etc. A rock will still look like a rock. An iron shekel transformed into a gold shekel will still have the same inscription on it, and you won't be able to leave toothmarks in it. Furthermore, the object will have an "obvious" dweomer (enchantment) on it easily detected by anyone sensitive to magic. Plus, this spell has been so widely abused that any but the most green and naive of merchants would be wary of this trick.

  • Glue (D M N S)
    A broken piece of stone, wood, clay, glass, crystal or metal can be attached back in place. (This spell has pretty much the effect of the caster having a tube of superglue or wood glue, without waiting so long for it to set.) If it's a clean break, this can form a pretty strong bond, but a fine crack is typically still visible, and will definitely show up in the case of transparent or translucent materials (glass, crystal), and pressure on the attached piece may cause it to break off at that point again. This can also be used to attach an object to another, so long as the joining surfaces are of the same material, and are fairly flat, matching surfaces (or otherwise fit together well), but the bond is somewhat weaker, easily broken off.

    This spell can be used to attach a flower on a plant, a branch on a tree, etc., but, again, it would be like just gluing the part back on. For such an application, Graft would be more appropriate.

  • Graft (N)
    A branch, bud, etc., can be magically grafted to another living plant. How well the grafted part takes to the plant, however, may vary, and may require continued attention from the Earth Mage to work properly. This can also be used to reattach part of a plant that was broken off. (In this case, the "graft" is pretty much guaranteed to take.)

  • Kiln (D)
    This spell hardens a small amount of clay, forcing the moisture out. Continuous application can be used to "fire" a pot, figure, etc., without actually making use of heat. This spell can be reversed to make hardened clay pliable and soft.

  • Metal Detector (M)
    The mage can detect the presence of metal nearby, but not necessarily what type (unless the mage is a Metal Mage), and with only a vague sense of quantity, purity, etc. The larger the concentration of metal, the easier it is to detect.

  • Sprout (N)
    Speeds growth of a seed to a flower or sprout within minutes.

  • Tint (N S)
    This causes amber (Nature) or glass or crystal (Stone) to darken or lighten for a few minutes. If the crystal, glass or amber was magically formed, the effect can be made to last longer -- only fading out after a few months, at which point it will return to its original translucence or opacity, unless the effect is renewed.

  • Tweak (D M N S)
    This spell is used as a "trigger" for magical effects from more powerful spells specifically designed to be affected by this cantrip. It is commonly used in conjunction with enchanted woodwork that is made to reshape itself at the caster's direction, with a door that is meant to open at a magical prompting, and so forth. Such enchantments can be made to respond to a sort of magical "key" unique to the caster and anyone that the caster teaches the magical "code" to, so that other mages won't be able to set off the effects. (This cantrip is used a lot at the School of Earth of the College Esoterica of Rephidim, since the building, formed from living trees, is saturated with active magic so that the surroundings can be modified as needed.)
    •

    Minor Spells

  • Dispel Earth (D M N S)
    This can generally dispel any Cantrip of the Sphere of Earth, and has a chance of dispelling any Minor Spell of the Sphere of Earth, provided that the spell in question is still active, and depending upon the relative power of the dispeller versus the original caster (and whether the caster is present to resist the dispel or not). It has a slight chance of being able to dispel the effects of a simple ritual.

    This will only affect active magic -- It will not undo the permanent effects of magic. For example, if a material has been temporarily changed from its natural state, such as by being made putty-like by Mold, it can be returned to its original state. However, any actual changes made to this form while it is in this putty-like state will not be undone by the dispel. Those changes are permanent.

  • Goop (D)
    Turns ground into mud, making it sticky and hard to walk through quickly. Effect is temporary, as mud will eventually dry out. This spell can be reversed to harden mud so that it can be walked upon without trouble, though this effect may be temporary, depending on the environment.

  • Heat Metal (M)
    This can be used with continuous application to make the magical equivalent of a forge, for shaping metal. (Metal Mages could use the "Mold" spell to shape metal, but if they want to make swords of quality, etc., there are proper ways to go about the process.) In a combat application, this spell could be used to cause an item of metal (armor, a sword, etc.) to suddenly become very hot. While it would not be enough to kill someone wearing the armor, or holding the sword, and is not hot enough to warp the metal or cause a sword to become blunt, prolonged exposure could cause severe burns. This same spell can conversely be used to cool metal, either to counteract such effects, or to be cold enough to have much the same result.

  • Mold (D M N S)
    Allows the caster to magically turn dirt, mud, hardened clay, plants, amber, wood, glass or even stone temporarily into a putty-like consistency, making it moldable with bare hands.

    Metal Mages can use this spell to affect their particular element of choice, but otherwise this spell cannot be used to shape metal.

    If the target is animated in any way (a golem, a sapient plant) or enchanted, this spell will have no effect. If the target object (armor, in the case of a Metal Mage, a wooden shield held by a warrior, etc.) is held by a living creature, the creature may have a chance to resist the effect through sheer willpower.

  • Rust/Decay (M N)
    This spell prompts a metal item (of iron, silver, copper, etc.) to oxidize on the surface. Continued application will accelerate the corrosion process, possibly damaging or even destroying such an item. This effect is greatly limited by any resistance the metal may have to corrosion (such as stainless steel, etc.), and has no effect on items with enchantments upon them. If the item is worn or carried by a living being, the wearer or wielder may be able to resist the spell through force of will. It also has no effect on living creatures. (You can't do something clever like cause trace amounts of iron in blood to rust and somehow do harm to the body.)

    This spell is also known as Decay, alternately usable against items of wood. It can encourage plants to wither, and wooden objects to rot. Treated wood is resistant to this effect, and sapient plants or any items that have enchantments upon them are unaffected.

  • Traceless (D N)
    The caster can pass over dirt or through woods without leaving any physical trace of his or her passing -- no footprints, etc. This, however, does not rule out tracking by scent, and there will be a "magical trail" that will linger in the wake of the spell for an equivalent amount of time that any scent would. An odd side effect of this spell is that the caster can actually walk over quicksand (or the Sea of Sand) or mud without sinking.
    •

    Rituals

  • Amber Prison (N)
    This causes an object in contact with magically-hardened amber to be drawn into the amber (which is temporarily softened) and then trapped inside. The amount of amber involved must be sufficiently large to hold the trapped object. A creature being trapped by this spell may have a chance of resisting via Mental or Magical Resistance, or else by brute Strength (Good or better).

    This ritual can be set to take place immediately, or to take effect later, when an object matching the caster's specifications (e.g., "a living creature larger than my fist") comes into contact with the amber. With some additional casting, the "amber prison" can put the victim into a state of "suspended animation". Otherwise, suffocation and death are certain to follow.

    This spell can also be reversed, to expel objects, creatures, impurities and even bubbles from magically-created amber.

  • Chasm (D S)
    This is a complex ritual, requiring several hours, and possibly assistants. This spell is capable of opening up a large chasm or rift in the earth.

  • Fertile (D)
    This affects a patch of land, increasing the fertility of the soil, provided that there is anything to work with. On normal earth, a casting of this ritual could prepare a small field for planting, combating the effects that would normally require crop rotation. On a small garden, it could prompt the earth to yield prize-winning vegetables. On a patch of sand, it could take years of regular treatment to make it yield any sort of life.

  • Golem (D M N S)
    This spell requires a large amount of "raw material" to form the golem. Material that has already been assigned a shape (i.e., stone cut into a block wall, a forged suit of armor, etc.) is not considered "raw material", as it has a sort of inherent resistance to being casually destroyed for the sake of this spell.

    The materials come together, forming a humanoid (or otherwise) figure that very, very roughly, remotely resembles the physical form of the caster. The golem moves and acts under mental command from the caster, and the caster must maintain concentration and control for the entire duration. The duration may extend for a considerable amount of time, but once the control is dropped, the golem will quickly fall apart into its constituent components -- It is by no means autonomous.

    The caster is in a trance-like state once the golem is moving about, either hidden within the body of the golem itself, or at a distance. In either case, the caster's sensory perceptions come from the perspective of the golem, making the caster vulnerable to attack if left alone.

    The golem is fairly strong and durable, appropriate to the material it is made out of. However, the stronger the material, the slower and less agile the golem is. Wooden/plant golems are the most easily destroyed (especially by fire), but also the fastest. Metal and stone golems are the toughest, but also very slow-moving, easily outrun or dodged.

  • Gravity (D S)
    This spell affects the forces of gravity in an area -- or at least causes an effect that simulates negating or enhancing gravity in the area of effect. (It does not, however, cause individual objects to exert "gravity", or break apart, etc.) A significant limitation of this spell is that it does not work on sky islands, and only has significant effect close to or below the surface of Sinai.

    Although it is conceivable that with additional spellcasting, additional spellcasters, more powerful mages, magical focii, etc., the effects could be intensified, the general effect is to alter the apparent gravity in the area to up to either twice normal gravity, or to cause an effect of "zero gravity". The exact area of effect will vary greatly, fading out at the "fringe", and is focused on a specific stationary area of effect. It can roughly affect the equivalent of a single moderately-sized room.

  • Greater Dispel Earth (D M N S)
    This is a more powerful version of Dispel Earth, capable of dispelling the effects of Cantrips and Minor Spells with little difficulty, and having a chance of dispelling the effects of Rituals, so long as they are of the Sphere of Earth, and the effects being dispelled are active magic, rather than permanent changes. Longer casting times may be needed to increase the chance of success against more powerful spells (or spells cast by more powerful Earth Mages).

  • Growth (N)
    This spell encourages rapid growth in plants. If focused on a single plant, it can prompt growth at a staggering and quite visible rate. If spread over an area of effect, it will have a correspondingly more modest effect on overall plant growth. It can also be deliberately miscast to wither plants instead. It can be used to force a small field to sprout ahead of schedule, to make a field of wildflowers bloom, or to cause a garden to suddenly wilt. On a more focused level, it could cause thorns on a bush to enlarge, forming a nasty barrier, make vines on the ground suddenly undergo a growth spurt and entangle someone's legs, or force some entangling plants to part way by growing in opposite directions. Some mild control is given over how the plants grow or wither.

  • Magnetism (M)
    This spell magnetizes or demagnetizes conductive metal (such as iron).

  • Quake (D S)
    This causes a localized earthquake for a few seconds, of sufficient force to cause people in the area to fall over unless they prove to be especially agile (make Agility tests). The caster is unaffected.

  • Quicksand (D)
    This causes an area of earth to turn into the equivalent of quicksand. This effect may last several hours, but it will eventually dry out.

  • Reshape (D M N S)
    This is a more powerful version of Mold, letting the caster affect a room-sized area. There are multiple applications. Here are a few common examples:
  • Erect a solid barrier of plants, stone, dirt, etc., to block off a passage, or provide cover against attackers.
  • Form a makeshift shelter against the elements.
  • Make sculpture.
  • Hasten construction work.
  • Form a bridge over a chasm or river.
  • Make a pit form under enemies' feet, temporarily trapping them.
  • Entrap a target in a barrier.
    •

  • Sentinel (D M N S)
    This spell allows an enchantment to be placed on a patch of ground, an item of metal, a tree, or a stone feature, such that it will wait until triggered by a specific event (such as a living being coming up to it, touching it, etc.). Then, the caster will either receive a "sensation" from afar that this magical "trip-wire" has been set off, or else the enchanted object will undergo a limited animation ... either acting as some sort of trap, or temporarily taking on a mouth and repeating a pre-recorded phrase, before reverting to its original form ... or some combination of the above effects, or perhaps triggering a "stored" spell. This ritual is fairly complex, and cannot be improvised on the fly as a "held" spell. The object(s) to be so enchanted must be devoid of any other enchantments that might interfere with the effect, and cannot be animate creatures. Depending upon the power of the mage, the amount of time and work and material components put into the enchantment, and a number of other factors, this enchantment may wear off over time, or it might be made strong enough to have several "charges", being usable multiple times.

  • Stone Strength (M S)
    The caster or a single recipient is endowed with the strength and toughness of metal or stone. In game effects, it's as if the recipient gained a rank in Toughness and Strength. If the character does not have Toughness or Strength, it's treated as if there character now has these abilities at the lowest level. Alternatively, it can cancel out the Weak and Fragile disadvantages. This effect lasts for about an hour. The recipient looks visibly different, bulking up a bit, and taking on a faintly stony or metallic appearance. Furthermore, the recipient is resistant to Earth-based magical attacks.

  • Suspend (M N S)
    The caster is able to take on a state of suspended animation of sorts, undergoing a physical transformation either into a statue of stone or metal, or becoming a living tree. This can alternatively be used on a recipient other than the caster, but usually requires multiple mages working together in order to accomplish this -- especially if the recipient is unwilling.

    Entering into this statis can be a dangerous thing -- the caster must either specify a set duration for the effect, or else some sort of specific condition under which it will end. Even in a case like this, there is a chance that the caster may not be able to come back out, especially if a very long time has passed. It may require outside influence to restore the mage to his or her original form, and there is the possibility of lingering side-effects.

    Destroying the "transformed" form will kill the mage. Damage will result in wounds on the mage once restored -- Simply fixing up a broken stone statue with some masonry will not cure the problem! In "tree" form, the mage has some potential to heal, but is also more vulnerable to attack and to various problems such as drought, fire, etc. The suspended animation may or may not be total -- the caster may have some limited awareness of the outside world, and maybe even some limited ability to interact, depending upon how powerful the caster is.

    A variation on this spell was used by the Twelve-times-Twelve (even though only twelve of them were Earth Mages) in a mass ritual that set them up as living wards to hold in the Priest-King of the Savanites, transforming themselves into stone statues until they were eventually freed by outside magical influence.

    There are various arcane limitations on the material that the "statue" can be made of, dependent upon the power of the caster, and the "life force" of the creature transformed. Metal and gems tend to require more "energy". Dull stone or wood are far easier. There are legends of this spell being abused, where a cruel sorcerer would seek out children with a "strong life force" and then turn them into statues of gold or other precious materials, then sell them.

    •

    Back to Magic & Technology: Section 5.5.5.6