Chaosian Mages

Most mages in Chaos are either bloodmages or less-common psy-mages. The majority of bloodmages are demons and nahgam, but there are a signifigant number of defector bloodmages as well. Many bloodmages are skilled in weapons as well. The biggest (and practically only) source of academia on Chaos Isle deals with the study of bloodmagic and development of new areas.

There is no central leadership for the mage community, nor much internal structure, and it is heavily dominated by politics. High rises and devastating falls in power are commonplace.

Bloodmagic

Branches of Study

• Blood-alchemists: Those that specialize in distilling and make blood potions. The Chaosian equivalent of potionmasters.
• Blood-scryers: Those that use blood for divination, such as seeing the future, location objects, and gathering information. Somewhat more reliable than fortune-tellers, they are often used on Chaos for information. Many are low-Talent, and keep a single high-Talent victim as their source for blood.
• Bloodturners: Those that turn an enemy's blood against them, such as forcing another's blood to forcefully exit the body. Most of their spells are spontaneous and direct approach, and bloodturners are popular in battles.
• Entropists: Those that focus on bloodmagic to control Chaotic energy, most commonly to warp objects or flesh. Some low-level entropists sell their services to perform cosmetic changes.
• Fleshcrafters: A subdivision of necromancy, this branch is fairly new and mostly unexplored. It combines necromancy and regeneration to graft dead flesh onto live flesh, or other dead flesh a la Frankenstein.
• Necromancers: Restoring life to the dead. An old but rather difficult branch.
• Regenerists: Those that use blood for regeneration and healing. Most bloodmages pick up at least a little from this branch, but there aren't many who study it exclusively.
• Runewriters: Those that focus specifically on runewriting. They're sort of the dusty old academics of bloodmagic, with excellent records on how to do many things with bloodrunes, but not much practical experience. It's sort of a catch-all catergory for runewriting.
• Warmages: Those that use bloodmagic to create biological weapons. Competition for new ideas is cutthroat (sometimes literally) in this branch. Warmages often draw on methods from other branches, such as necromancy or entropy for their work and occasionally enlist the help of specialists from other branches.

Sources of blood

• Self: The most readily available source of blood, and the easiest to control, since all bloodmages gain an innate attunement to their own blood. However, only small amounts can be used at a time (about a pint max) and bloodmages must wait between periods of self-usage. Also, the potency of one's own blood is limited by one's Talent--those without Talent have effectively useless blood. However, potency for a bloodmage's blood is the longest, staying good as long as the blood physically holds up.
• Live victims: Live victims are occasionally used for small spells that aren't worth killing a Talented source of blood for, or by the squeamish. However, Talent in the blood is often subconsciously held in check by the victim, and occasionally the victim can gain some control over the spell. Bloodmages tend to be control freaks, so this isn't used much. Since the blood is still from a life victim, it has a long potency rate, but does suffer from gradual loss of power.
• Fresh kills: When a person is killed, their Talent is released in their blood in a sort of explosion of potency. Since it is both powerful and readily available, it is most often used by bloodmages. However, the potency is very short-lived, lasting for only half an hour to an hour depending on the person's Talent, and difficult to channel, in the way that using a tube to channel a bomb going off would be. Bloodmagic killings are often very ritualized to gain maximum effect.
• Menustral blood: As the source of life, it's very potent, even moreso than a dying victim. However, it's rare and the sources are often sparse and unreliable, and it has a very rapid potency decline, being only good for five to ten minutes since it's already been cut off from the source by the time it exits the body. So, it's not often used, though the potential for use makes female bloodmages and victims very popular.

Methods of Bloodmagic

• Runewriting: By far the most common method for using blood. In runewriting, the blood is used as a sort of magical ink to lay out words and patterns that define the spell. Runes generally are used for spells laid out in advance and curses, and act as a controlling agent on the actual materials of the spell. The language of runewriting is demontongue, so all bloodmages study it to some degree. Generally, the larger/more complicated the rune is, the more powerful it is. While bloodrunes can be applied to scrolls for later useage, they are generally more potent when applied directly on the target of the spell. Runes hold their magic fairly well, and it is not entirely uncommon for bloodmages to place bloodrunes on their own bodies for later use.
• Distilling: Distilling uses blood as an alchemical ingredient, usually in blood potions and the like. It's fairly common, although not as common as runewriting.
• Direct approach: In the direct approach, blood is used neither as the layout of a spell nor an ingredient, but as the main focus of the spell. Spellwords and gestures are used to control a source of blood in much the same way as a mage would use spells and gestures to control a fireball. Sometimes the direct approach is combined with runewriting, using one source to control another source. It's fairly uncommon, more difficult to learn and control than the other two methods, and mostly used for spontaneous spells and battle spells.

Chaotic Energy''

Using Chaotic Energy

With very rare exceptions, Chaosians are the only ones who can manipulate and handle Chaotic energy. All Chaosians also get a certain degree of immunity from Chaotic energy (which can be removed by spells and bloodmagic) that allows them to handle Chaotic energy (and take impacts from it.) Generally, if you take damage from Chaotic energy, you're doing something very wrong.

As Her chosen races, demons and vampires are born with the ability to access and manipulate Chaotic energy. Her other races, namely nagham, imps, ogres and trolls, are permitted access upon the completion of a simple ceremony affirming their loyalty. However, as they are wary of all forms of magic, a troll doing such is rare, and orcs are generally considered too stupid to use Chaotic energy. Those of a Unitarian race who have defected to Chaos may also gain access to Chaotic energy, but the ritual is much more complicated and involves some test to prove their loyalty.

Chaotic energy, like any other element, can be manipulated directly, or through spells (bloodmagic or otherwise). As a user gains experience in manipulating Chaotic energy, it becomes second nature, especially for demons and vampires, due to both their innate ability and long life. Chaosians who have been around Chaotic energy long enough, or former Chaosians under the same circumstances, acquire a 'sense' for Chaotic energy, usually showing up in the sense of smell.

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Properties of Chaotic Energy

In its natural state, Chaotic energy is largely invisible and undetectable. However, at Chaotic 'hotspots' (such as Altars of Chaos or other naturally occuring gatherings of energy) or when it is artificially gathered, it becomes visible to the naked eye as a black energy, similar to how raw magic appears. Chaotic energy is very absorbent, sucking in most wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum, only emitting on very low frequencies. It feels cool to the touch because of its absorbancy. Concentrated Chaotic energy may cause damage to flesh or objects, as it may attempt to absorb physical objects if it is concentrated enough, eroding them like acid. Different forms of Chaotic energy may also try to absorb each other, with either one absorbing the other, or creating an escalating vortex resulting in an eventual explosion and outward dissipation.

The Nameless One, in her continued pursuit of taking her siblings' good ideas, made it so Her concentrated energy can mimic the forms of the other four elements. Blackfire and black lightning are by far the most commonly-used forms, as they are the most manageable and destructive. Blackwater and blackstone also can be formed, but Chaotic energy manipulated in this way is not as easy to use for battle and therefore usually not considered worth the effort.

Chaotic energy has a tendency to move toward sources of greater Chaotic energy. Users of Chaotic energy collect energy from their environment naturally, and can also accelerate the process by concentrating an amount of Chaotic energy. There are 'streams' of Chaotic energy all over Cascadia that eventually lead toward Chaos Isle, going deep into the earth.

In nature, Chaotic energy acts as an agent of change. Manipulated, it can speed up or slow down these natural changes, such as making a mountain crumble quickly, or slowing down aging (a popular myth on why demons live so long.) It can also cause unnatural changes (see "Scarring").

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Scarring

When a Chaotic energy user defects, or in the rare case that a Unitarian gets a large amount of Chaotic energy drawn into their body, the Chaotic energy is released rather violently, resulting in semi-unnatural changes. These changes can also be prompted and controlled to a small degree by bloodmagic.

These changes are typically not something that would occur normally, but are still within the range of biological function. Scarring rarely if ever interferes with major biological functions, although those limits can be passed with advanced bloodmagic. Common scarrings are black marks on the skin, disappearance or appearance of limbs, cosmetic or slight functional changes in small areas, or shrinkage and enlarging.

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