On Mages (Wasāṭūm ili)
Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2022 2:31 pm
Introduction
Magic is not a new thing to our ḫapûm (reality, world, entirety). Since the dawn of humanity and before, natural magic--or esoteric magic as it is also called--has been employed by malûm (shaman/healers) in all civilizations. It is, after all, a blessing bestowed upon humanity by Aḳlum (Sun) and Sēdim (Earth). What facilitates this blessing is the interaction between sūmum (vitality, life force) and wasṭim (mana, magic force).
Wasṭim is a strange thing and all things, living or dead, possess it in varying quantities (if we can actually quantify it). Things with greater amounts of wasṭim seem more affected by things that can manipulate wasṭim and the opposite is the case as well, since one must possess large quantities of wasṭim to manipulate it. It is thus a force that governs our capacity to do, rather than our capacity to be.
Sūmum, on the other hand, is only possessed by living things and seems to act as a dampening force that attenuates the affects of wasṭim manipulation. We do not fully understand the interaction between sūmum and wasṭim.
Given this, I will now proceed towards the main topic: wasāṭūm (mages; sg. wasāṭum) are not like malûm, they are very special manipulators of wasṭim. We do not know when humans could become mages but we do know that it is comparatively recent with regards to natural magic. We also know that it coincides with when the abzīm (demons) first came to our world and nearly brought destruction to all of humanity. The myriad civilizations we have traded with or conquered all have varying ideas on this fact. We believe the demons came first and that the gods created mages to defend us from them. The Shannars, our neighbors and allies in the South, believe the mages came first and their magic attracted the demons to our world like moths to a flame.
Whatever our perspectives are, it should be apparent to all that mages have become a crucial defense against the demons who desire to bring ruin and misery to humanity.
Now, I shall describe to you the different kinds of mages that exist that we know of.
Heat Mages (Wasāṭā Waśśīnim)
One of the two most common types of mage are the Heat Mages. They use the wasṭim of objects and themselves to heat things up or cool them down. Typical heat mages have the power to generate enough heat to melt metals like copper and iron, and they can use their abilities to also rapidly cool them to safe temperatures. Such mages often work as metalworkers. Particularly strong heat mages can set things on fire with their touch and throw searing balls of flame as well as "throw" streams of fire in front of them. They can also freeze things solid with their touch, create walls of ice to protect themselves and others, and "throw" their icy powers in a similar manner to their fire powers. Due to the nature of their powers, they are resistant to the effects of heat magic.
Wind Mages (Wasāṭā Ḫamum)
The other of the two most common types of mages are the Wind Mages. As their name suggests, they can manipulate the wasṭim of wind to create powerful gusts of wind that blow objects and people away. They can also take the wind away, snuffing out flames and suffocating people. In war, they often use their powers to create sandstorms to stop their enemies from advancing. Due to the nature of their powers, they are resistant to the effects of wind magic.
Lightning Mages
Unlike the aforementioned mages, these mages are comparatively rare and greatly feared. Moreover, these mages tend to be hybrid mages, a concept I will describe later. I have never met one but those who have have told me of their capabilities: they harness the deadly powers of lightning and can use it to kill things with only their touch, the unfortunate receiver seemingly forced into stiffness and unable to escape their fate. Similarly they can use this power to kill their enemies from afar, although this requires far more effort on the part of the mage. Due to the nature of their powers, they are resistant to effects of lightning magic.
Anti-Mages
It seems the gods have seen fit to create these types of mages so that the power of the other mages do not go unchecked. If there are mages, there will always be anti-mages. These mages have to ability to dispel magical attacks and prevent other mages from using their powers for a short amount of time. Due to the nature of their powers, they are immune to all forms of magic, except natural magic.
These mages tend to train to become malûm, though do note that not all malûm are anti-mages.
Hybrid Mages
It is natural to think that a person inherits the physical features and mannerisms of their parents, and so it is natural to think a mage inherits of the powers of their magic parents. However, despite the soundness of this reasoning, such children almost always die shortly after birth, their wasṭim being so great and unstable that they immediately burn to ash or freeze solid. It is a terrible fate and it is for this reason that mages often choose to never have children with other mages.
Those that do survive are bestowed great renown by their people, for it is clear that the gods have deemed them worthy of life and chosen them to carry out their will. Many great kings in the history of our empire have been hybrid mages. The founder of our empire, Ezu-Nardim, was a notable hybrid mage that possessed the power of anti-magic and heat magic.
Maybe there will be more to expand on, maybe this is the end of the text.
Magic is not a new thing to our ḫapûm (reality, world, entirety). Since the dawn of humanity and before, natural magic--or esoteric magic as it is also called--has been employed by malûm (shaman/healers) in all civilizations. It is, after all, a blessing bestowed upon humanity by Aḳlum (Sun) and Sēdim (Earth). What facilitates this blessing is the interaction between sūmum (vitality, life force) and wasṭim (mana, magic force).
Wasṭim is a strange thing and all things, living or dead, possess it in varying quantities (if we can actually quantify it). Things with greater amounts of wasṭim seem more affected by things that can manipulate wasṭim and the opposite is the case as well, since one must possess large quantities of wasṭim to manipulate it. It is thus a force that governs our capacity to do, rather than our capacity to be.
Sūmum, on the other hand, is only possessed by living things and seems to act as a dampening force that attenuates the affects of wasṭim manipulation. We do not fully understand the interaction between sūmum and wasṭim.
Given this, I will now proceed towards the main topic: wasāṭūm (mages; sg. wasāṭum) are not like malûm, they are very special manipulators of wasṭim. We do not know when humans could become mages but we do know that it is comparatively recent with regards to natural magic. We also know that it coincides with when the abzīm (demons) first came to our world and nearly brought destruction to all of humanity. The myriad civilizations we have traded with or conquered all have varying ideas on this fact. We believe the demons came first and that the gods created mages to defend us from them. The Shannars, our neighbors and allies in the South, believe the mages came first and their magic attracted the demons to our world like moths to a flame.
Whatever our perspectives are, it should be apparent to all that mages have become a crucial defense against the demons who desire to bring ruin and misery to humanity.
Now, I shall describe to you the different kinds of mages that exist that we know of.
Heat Mages (Wasāṭā Waśśīnim)
One of the two most common types of mage are the Heat Mages. They use the wasṭim of objects and themselves to heat things up or cool them down. Typical heat mages have the power to generate enough heat to melt metals like copper and iron, and they can use their abilities to also rapidly cool them to safe temperatures. Such mages often work as metalworkers. Particularly strong heat mages can set things on fire with their touch and throw searing balls of flame as well as "throw" streams of fire in front of them. They can also freeze things solid with their touch, create walls of ice to protect themselves and others, and "throw" their icy powers in a similar manner to their fire powers. Due to the nature of their powers, they are resistant to the effects of heat magic.
Wind Mages (Wasāṭā Ḫamum)
The other of the two most common types of mages are the Wind Mages. As their name suggests, they can manipulate the wasṭim of wind to create powerful gusts of wind that blow objects and people away. They can also take the wind away, snuffing out flames and suffocating people. In war, they often use their powers to create sandstorms to stop their enemies from advancing. Due to the nature of their powers, they are resistant to the effects of wind magic.
Lightning Mages
Unlike the aforementioned mages, these mages are comparatively rare and greatly feared. Moreover, these mages tend to be hybrid mages, a concept I will describe later. I have never met one but those who have have told me of their capabilities: they harness the deadly powers of lightning and can use it to kill things with only their touch, the unfortunate receiver seemingly forced into stiffness and unable to escape their fate. Similarly they can use this power to kill their enemies from afar, although this requires far more effort on the part of the mage. Due to the nature of their powers, they are resistant to effects of lightning magic.
Anti-Mages
It seems the gods have seen fit to create these types of mages so that the power of the other mages do not go unchecked. If there are mages, there will always be anti-mages. These mages have to ability to dispel magical attacks and prevent other mages from using their powers for a short amount of time. Due to the nature of their powers, they are immune to all forms of magic, except natural magic.
These mages tend to train to become malûm, though do note that not all malûm are anti-mages.
Hybrid Mages
It is natural to think that a person inherits the physical features and mannerisms of their parents, and so it is natural to think a mage inherits of the powers of their magic parents. However, despite the soundness of this reasoning, such children almost always die shortly after birth, their wasṭim being so great and unstable that they immediately burn to ash or freeze solid. It is a terrible fate and it is for this reason that mages often choose to never have children with other mages.
Those that do survive are bestowed great renown by their people, for it is clear that the gods have deemed them worthy of life and chosen them to carry out their will. Many great kings in the history of our empire have been hybrid mages. The founder of our empire, Ezu-Nardim, was a notable hybrid mage that possessed the power of anti-magic and heat magic.
Maybe there will be more to expand on, maybe this is the end of the text.