Art by Andrew Murray.
This is the third chapter of the book Magic in Azeroth.
III: Spellcasting Methods[]
While Azeroth is home to a multitude of localized magical customs and methods, this work will focus only on those commonly practiced amongst the Kirin Tor and, by extension, the mages of the Eastern Kingdoms. Within the Kirin Tor, there are three prominent magical traditions. The first, so ubiquitous that it often simply goes by the term ‘spellcasting’, is what I shall refer to as ‘spellweaving.’ This method is employed by the vast majority of mages across Azeroth. The second is the practice of high sorcery, sometimes called ritual magic. The third is runecasting, the use of inscriptions of special significance to manifest spell effects.
Spellweaving[]
The infamous mage, Medivh, described magecraft as revolving around concentration on idealized forms in order to manifest those forms in the physical world. Thus, to create fire, one conceives of fire, holds that ideal in the mind’s eye, and brings it into reality. This process is typically aided by foci, gestures, and sometimes language to make concentration easier, particularly in situations of stress or danger. Its near universal popularity amongst mages is by virtue of both its relative simplicity, and the spontaneity. Despite this, relatively little is known about the precise mechanics behind spellweaving. It is a matter of intense debate amongst magical theorists as to whether conceptualizing a magical effect (say, fire) actually brings a new flame into existence, or if it summons flame from elsewhere. Regardless, spellweaving at its most fundamental involves exerting control over the universe to bend it to one’s will. This, we shall see, makes it theoretically distinct from older forms of magic, according to which mages discover principles of magic inherent in the universe’s fabric, rather than forcing the universe momentarily into conformity with their wills.
Archmage’s Ebonfire, as described in the Stormwind Circle Mage Tome, proposes a five stage process for spellcasting: intent, element, source, channeling, and school. Prospective students are advised to see that work for the details on this method. This author’s view is that it provides an excellent method for rudimentary elemental magic, particularly combat-oriented spells, but does not adequately cover advanced effects, particularly those in fields where traditional elementalism does not feature prominently (e.g. illusion, transmutation, etc). Therefore, this work will present an amended version of Archmage Ebonfire’s spellweaving schematic.
The fundamental notion behind spellweaving is that the mage holds an idea of each component of the spell in her mind simultaneously, then draws on her mana reserves or some other source of magic to manifest those effects. There are three components which a mage must consider:
I: Intent[]
The intent of the spell must be considered prior to anything else. That is, the mage must consider the effect that she wishes her spell to achieve in the world. This can be relatively straightforward, as with producing a simple flame, in which only a few factors are considered (namely: element, magnitude, and direction). However, it can also be extremely complex, requiring simultaneous concentration of a multitude of interlocking factors (e.g. teleportation, chronomancy, etc).
II: Subject[]
Having established what effect she wishes to produce, the mage must conceptualize where this effect will be produced. This can be an area, a creature or creatures, an object, and so forth. The wider the area or broader the range of affected creatures, the more difficult it will be to conceptualize, and thus the more difficult the spell will be to cast. For this reason, world-spanning scrying effects, large-scale shield spells (e.g. ‘transitus shields’), mass summonings or teleportations, and so forth, are performed only by the most experienced and powerful of mages.
III: Source[]
Casting a spell involves far more than conceptualizing effects; otherwise, every thought and whim would be manifest in the world. Spellcasting also requires a power source, which does the work of producing the desired effect. Most frequently, this source will be the caster’s own latent mana reserves, but mana gems and potions, ley-lines, and body or soul energy (as with blood magic and some necromantic practices) can all serve as external sources of magical potential.
Simultaneous concentration on these three elements of spellweaving is essential. Doing so may seem simple, but intense concentration is required for all but the simplest of cantrips. Many mages employ techniques or objects to aid in concentration. Hand gestures mirroring the conceived effect of the spell – thrust forward hands for a projectile, extended palms for a shield, and so forth – can aid in the body focusing on producing the spell effect. Likewise, incantations spoken aloud act as mantras to focus the mind on casting. Foci are objects similarly employed, including staves, wands, tomes, and orbs, acting as transmission devices for spells.
Spellweaving is thus a powerful technique, and the staple discipline of the mage’s art. It should not, however, be taken as strictly superior to alternative forms of magic. These forms are often ancient and powerful, and should not lightly be dismissed by the aspiring student of magic. We turn next to one of these ancient crafts: high sorcery.
High Sorcery[]
High sorcery is one of the oldest magical practices in Azeroth. It is commonly referred to as ‘ritual magic’, and it is indeed the case that it operates via elaborate, multifold casting processes to bring about its effects. But equally defining to the discipline is its pursuit of universal, magically-significant patterns that hold true across the cosmos. The universe is underwritten by natural laws, and many of these are magical in nature. In cataloguing these laws, a high sorcerer establishes rituals and symbols by which they can be harnessed and used for magical purposes. Because of this, high sorcery involves an often strange assortment of practices, ranging from numerology and astrology to demonology, all of which are concerned with the discovery of underlying cosmological law. Detailing the breadth of high sorcery is outside of this work’s purview (and indeed, many sects of high sorcerers remain hostile to divulging their practices to the uninitiated), but what follows is an account of its most significant features and of ritual methodology.
High sorcery’s focus on universal patterns in practice means that it is deeply concerned with symbolism. Scholars and students of ley lines will be familiar with the designs repeated in the runic flows there, including, perhaps most famously, the tortoise design in the Great Bulwarks. Pictographs such as these form a core of the high sorcerer’s art. This practice is essentially that of runecasting or -crafting, in which a runic design corresponds to an element or effect, and indeed, the two disciplines often overlap.
One of the most fundamental symbols for high sorcery is also one of the most simple: the circle. The circle is geometrically representative of magic itself, according to ancient traditions. Its circularity mirrors the infiniteness of magic and the planet of Azeroth. Thus the circle takes an an important ritual significance, appearing in scrying orbs, summoning circles, and portals. Indeed, conclaves of mages throughout the Eastern Kingdoms traditionally refer to themselves as ‘Circles’.
The other key symbol for many high sorcerers is an equilateral triangle with a single point in its middle. This image appears repeatedly in Titan architecture and engineering, and is represented cosmologically in the constellations. High sorcerers seek after Titanic star maps, or construct vast observatories, to track the positions of these constellations. According to sorcerous traditions, when certain constellations align, or when rare astrological events occur, the effects of rituals and spells can be greatly enhanced.
Pictographs, notably the circle and triangle-with-central-point, are put into use by high sorcerers during magical rituals. Using a variety of reagents, pictographs or runes are inscribed within a defined space. This space typically makes use of the aforementioned symbols, taking the form of a circle with a triangle within that, and a central point in the middle of the triangle. These two symbols serve as focuses, absorbing mana and directing it into a spell. Along the rim of the circle, an incantation is written to determine the effect of the ritual. Powdered amethyst, representative of purity and focus, is the most common reagent for the inscribing of ritual circles, but ground herbs, flakes of gold or silver, bone marrow, or blood are all common.
In the cases of summoning demons or elementals, beyond the ritual itself, meticulous research is involved to discover the creature’s ‘true name’, that is, its linguistic representation in the universe as a magical entity. Utilizing this name gives the ritualist near-complete control over the summoned spirit.
Many students of the arcane dismiss high sorcery as antiquated and needlessly esoteric, but it has produced many of Azeroth’s greatest and most terrible feats of magic. Malygos’ Blue Dragonflight, masters of high sorcery, crafted the Nexus according to its perfect mathematical principles, and used the rituals of the Arcanomicon to redirect the ley lines of Azeroth. Kel’Thuzad employed an unholy ritual to summon the Eredar, Archimonde, into the world. This author reminds the critical student, therefore, that high sorcery has brought about the near destruction of the Kirin Tor on two separate occasions. Such power is not to be ignored, nor treated lightly.
Runecasting[]
Runes are arcane symbols, inscribed onto a surface. Runes match the fundamental magical patterns found in the ley lines of Azeroth, and it is from their conformity with these that they draw their power. Runes are organized into families, with ten runes in each family. Each family is a progression from extremely simple runes to a final, complex rune, with each simpler rune contained within the more complex. Essentially, then, each runic family is a single large pattern, within which are contained progressively smaller patterns.
Because of the connection between ley line symbolism and rune magic, each family corresponds to one of the identified ley lines of Azeroth. Thus the families are:
Arcane, corresponding to the prime Dalaran-Quel’Thalas ley lines that run under much of Lordaeron;
Awareness, associated with divination magic and the ley line running under the Stonetalon mountains;
Fire, found at the nexus of lines under the Searing Peak in Redridge;
Frost, connected to the vast network of ley lines traversing almost all of Northrend;
Motion, associated with teleportation and speed, corresponding to ley lines of the Badlands;
Restoration, a series of ley lines running through Moonglade south to Mulgore;
Shadow, running deep under Icecrown glacier;
Shielding, in the Great Bulwark mountains of Grim Batol;
Stone, found in the deep valleys of Stonetalon;
- Striking, associated with weaponry and skill at arms, and connected to the nexus of lines meeting under Blackrock Mountain;
- Wind, located in a narrow line traversing Stormwind’s mountains.
All runes stem from one of these families, because it is these fundamental ley line patterns that give runes their power. However, because of their categories, this does not in practice prove a limitation for practitioners of runecasting.
For all their intrinsic power, however, runes must be charged with mana in order to be activated; until this point, they are mundane. Empowering a rune is straightforward, especially in comparison with the varieties of magic that have been described to this point. Because the runic form itself dictates the effect that it will create, the caster does not need to provide any direction, but has only to allow mana to flow into the rune. This simplicity is perhaps the reason why runecasting was amongst the first magical traditions produced by the early races like the dwarves and vrykul.
Within the field of runecrafting and -casting, runes are subdivided into three distinct categories: marks, glyphs, and sigils. For the layman, these terms may seem synonymous, but for the runecaster, each has a highly particularized meaning relating to the surface onto which it is inscribed.
Marks are runes inscribed onto a living creature, or a facsimile of such (as with golems). Such runes will provide their magic directly to the creature onto which they are inscribed. Their inscriber will typically either channel a portion of her own mana into the runes to activate them, or allow the runes to interface with the creature’s own mana pool.
Glyphs are runes inscribed onto an object. Glyphs are most commonly used in archaic, quasi-magical forms of enchantment, as by master dwarven smiths. The runes lend their power to the object. In the case of weapons and armour, this can produce fearsome implements of war. Such items are generally powered not by the caster’s mana pool (for in many cases the ‘caster’ is a smith, not a mage), but instead by magic-laden gems and minerals embedded in the object. Some dark weapons, like Scourge runeblades, can be powered by draining mana from the life essences of those they slay.
Sigils are runes inscribed over an area, becoming active with movement through that area. Such runes are often employed as traps, unleashing some harmful or debilitating magical effect on an unwary intruder, but can be used to produce a variety of less destructive effects.