Sand Magic

The Sand Magic revolves around the sands that were created with the Ring of Aros. Each sand allows the mage to cast that respective elements spells. Blue for the water elemental. Red for the fire elemental. Brown for the earth elemental. White for the air elemental. A mage can only carry a finite amount of sand with him at a time. The amount of Sand is decided when he first touches it. When the sand is used he then must replenish his supply or be unable to cast anymore.

The Sands of Aros were created when the mages cast the spell that removed the Elementals from Aros and created the Ring of Aros. The sands were found to carry the strength of the elements within them. Mages learned to harness the power of the Sands of Aros and have learned to cast with them. The only way one was able to touch the sands without joining the Horde (which will be explained below) was thought to be through dedication to that particular element. A large ritual, that varies between cultures, takes place and afterwards the mage would attempt to gather the Sands of Aros. If their dedication was not good enough, or perhaps in chance, the magic of the Sands would be refused to them and they would transform into a horrible beast who’s purpose was to join the Horde and protect the Ring of Aros. It was found that this is not always the case. Any person can go to the sand, and as long as they had it in their mind that they want to control the Sand then the ritual will take place and they will be turned, or they will gain control. Depending on the religion or worship, many still go through long rituals to prepare themselves. Going without ritual is the exemption, not the rule.

Once the choice of an element was made and pledged, it can never be changed. It was found that if you tried to use a different elemental sand than the one you are pledged to, horrible things can occur. From instant death to changing into the beasts that make the first failure creatures a thing of a child's tale, anything can happen and has. Few mages will describe what they have seen when a mage has tried to harness another elemental sand and failed. But failure is not the only outcome of an attempt. There are those, though they may be few, that have mastered more than one Sand of Aros. These are mighty mages and are very rare. Rumors and legend tell of others that may have mastered even a third element but few can back these stories. It is because of these rare instances that many still attempt to control another sand.

Throughout time, the sands have been gathered and cast. After the sands have been used they disappear from the mages hand. At first none knew where they went. For a long time the Sands of Aros were known only to be located beneath the Ring of Aros in their purest form. Since then, mages have found the sands to be displaced into other areas once they are used. Mages and scholars have since searched for more and found many such pockets of sand and have learned that the sands used from under the Ring of Aros are reappearing at these remote locations. The scholars have also noted that the color has changed to a duller color than those pure sands at the Ring of Aros. The mages learned that these pockets of elemental sands are a weaker type of sand than the original Sands of Aros. The mages named the weaker sands the Sands of Decline. Through each use, the sands loose some strength until they eventually loose all their potency and turn a clear color and are useless. With each using, the sands are displaced to another location. Each location has only one grade of sand located in it.

The Aros Sands at first were gathered with regularity and were used with reckless abandon. For some time this occurred with no known problems. The Ring of Aros and the Sands of Aros are now very well protected by the Horde, a pack of deformed, monstrous beings. They began as a few beasts that could be controlled by the local population but over centuries the Horde finally grew strong enough to overrun even the great City of Aros that was built as a fortress against them. Since the Horde conquered the City of Aros no person has ever been able to gather any of the pure Sands of Aros and those that have tried have never returned. All the structures that have been built near the wall have been torn asunder and many ruins can be found inside the Horde’s sphere of influence...if one was so inclined to venture there.

It is this protection of the Ring of Aros that forces the mages to use the Sands of Decline. The mages have had to settle for using the Sands of Decline for their castings and have become quite jealous of the pockets they have found. There are many pockets around Aros but now the strength of the pockets has slowly decreased because none are able to attain the True Sands of Aros from under the wall. The Sands of Decline serve their purpose very well but the shear greediness of wanting the full power of the Sands of Aros is a constant nagging.

Another matter of great conflict among those that use the sands is their exact creation. Were they created by the Song Magic as an after effect of the banishment, as a gift for the followers of the True Gods, but because of the God's weakness they are unable to enforce its usability to only their worshippers? Is it the essence of the Elementals allowing them to periodically exert their influence, because of the True God's weakeness, to turn man to beast to protect their essence and halt their destruction? Or is it that the Sands are a gift of the Elementals to their worshippers but they are trapped and weakened like the True Gods allowing True God worshippers to control them as well?

These matters are still undecided. The amount of Elemental Mages are evenly divided between those that worship the Elementals and those that worship the True Gods. The Elementals have formed small guilds throughout Aros but are feared by most of the public so keep themselves hidden amongst the people. If revealed, most people are too scared to do anything but shun them, fearing that they will cause another War of Domination. Even though the war was so long ago, the beasts that wander the countryside on their way to the Aros Ring are a constant reminder of the destruction the Elementals caused.

Song Magic

Song Magic was a gift to the mortals from the True Gods given in a time of dire circumstances. It was this magic that vanquished the Elementals from the land and ended the destruction of Aros. The name, Song Magic, comes from the need to sing the spells themselves and the ability to weave the magic by the singing of a song. The sound of the song draws the magic to the caster and through the song, and his will, the final effects of the magic is formed.

The use of the Song Magic declined after they Sand Magic was found to be easier to control, although the pains of failure were greater. All the greatest Masters of Song Magic died in the Tower of Tears so there were few left to teach it’s arts. It is said that the Rings left behind on the Master's held the secrets of mastering the Song Magic. These Rings were collected and scattered throughout the countryside, at first to those who could use them and pass them on. But after so many centuries have passed nobody knows where the Rings are or what happened to their power. After the Horde overran the City of Aros the use of the Song Magic began to grow again but very slowly. There are still few that have truly mastered the art of the Song Magic, and it is these few that are rumored to hold the Rings.

The power of the Song Magic is only limited by the strength of the caster’s will and his ability to lure the magic with his song. The song does not need to be loud and boisterous to call on the magic, nor is a perfect voice needed although some contend that a pretty voice sung in all it’s glory would be more likely to call on the greater powers of the magic. All that is truly needed is to feel the song, as it is sang, to lure the power of the Song Magic. The Song Mage must then instruct the summoned magic to follow his will. If the magician is weak of will, but possesses the power to call the magic, he will be able call the magic but when the mage tries control it, it may control him. The mage will lose his senses and be led astray by the power of the Song Magic, wandering as an idiot, until another mage calls the magic away. This one time of losing control permanantly damages the mages psyche and he becomes burned out, unable to ever call the Song again. Those that do have the power of will to control it bend the might of the magic with the instructions of the song they sing. Some mages have even learned that it is possible to imbue objects with the power of the Song Magic, to be used by anybody. This was a widely used practice during the height of the Song Magic's use before the creation of the Aros Ring, but now is a forgotten practice. Artifacts are rare and powerful and there are many legends of weapons and devices that hold this strong magic.

All mages of any knowledge level know of a common song held between all mages called the Naming Song. The Naming Song is a song that is sang by Song Mages to identify themselves to each other. The Naming Song holds the same words and melody for all, but from the differences in magic and power level that the song calls,the Naming Song identifies the mage to whatever other mage is within range of the magic. The strength of voice does not carry the song but the magic that it calls upon eminates the mages power and identity. The distance it travels depends on the strength of will of the mage. In this way a mage can announce his presence to others while he is still miles away. The Naming Song is simply a song of identification used by most of the mages in mutual consent. Not all conform to this, nor do all even use this. It’s use is a courtesy that has grown into a ritual for a mage to use when visiting another.

Much knowledge of the Song Magic has been lost through the centuries but the knew age that has slowly formed has found a new need for it. The Sands of Decline continue to loose their power forcing those withthe thirst of true power to search for the strength of the Song Magic.

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