Introduction[]
The Elements of Magic chapter of the Sarceline Circle Mage Tome discusses the six primary forms of magic in addition to elemental magic.
Credits:
- Archmage Manix Ebonfire, Headmaster of the Ashen Tree Arcane Academy.
- Archmage Aldrazar Stoneforge, Master Mage of the Sarceline Circle of Magi.
- Sir Roy Sebale, Master Mage of the Sarceline Circle of Magi.
Elements of Magic[]
In Azeroth and other known dimensions, magic can be divided into Six Elements with the addition of sub-elements comprised of the primary elements. Arcane, Holy, Nature, Void, Necromantic and Fel magics all have influence on the world and must be understood to be fought against. The six overarching types of magic must be understood by all magi, as the conflict between all magics and Azeroth is apparent no matter where you go.
For both pedagogical and empirical reasons, mages have long divided their craft along the axes of element and school. Elements refer to the substances out of which spells are formed or composed, while schools are collections of spells and techniques that produce similar effects. For the prospective student of magic, familiarity with these categories is vital both for conceptualizing an effect during the spellweaving process, and because of the priority that is given to them during magical education.
It is readily apparent how many spells, such as fireballs and frostbolts, are formed from an element or elements. In cases where no element is obvious, the element is usually arcane magic, though some obscure spellcasting methods ascribe to spells elements representative metaphorically or analogously (e.g. a hint of fire in a spell designed to bolster courage, representing a fire in one’s heart). All elements exist in their purest forms in their respective elemental planes, and it is from here that many are drawn.
Three Dichotomies[]
The primary elements of magic follow Three Dichotomies; Life and Death; Light and Shadow; and Order and Disorder. All magic falls within these three dichotomies, and more often than not may be countered or dispelled with magic on the opposite end of the spectrum. Such is why paladins may conquer agents of the void, demons may overpower unskilled mages, and druids may cleanse and regrow that which is tainted by undeath.
Arcane Magic[]
Perhaps one of the most confusing developments in magical theory is the dual use of the term ‘arcane’. It is used both to describe the broad form of magic practiced by mages, contrasted with divine magic; and it is used to describe a particular element within the school. Students of magic are advised to keep this distinction firmly in mind. To aid in this process, I shall endeavour to refer to the element as ‘arcane magic’, and the branch of magic as ‘arcane.’
Beyond terminological difficulties, what actually is Arcane Magic is no simple matter. Arcane magic is the most pure form of magic. Archmage Firebane in his seminal text on the matter refers to arcane magic as a combination of many elemental forces combined into one: it is an amalgam of fire, lightning, earth, water, and so forth. However, while arcane magic is a combination of other elements, this does not imply that those other elements are prior to arcane magic, i.e. that they exist before it and through the will of a mage are combined together into it. Rather, arcane magica should be seen as the white light that, when passed through a prism, fractures into its constituent colors. It is the basis for other elements, and so it is more accurate to say that other elements are diluted arcane magic.
Arcane magic is a fundamental force on the planet and in the universe. It’s said that at one point all of the arcane energy in the world was concentrated in the Well of Eternity. When the Burning Legion attacked Azeroth in search of that vast well of power, the resultant portals shattered the Well of Eternity, and caused the Maelstrom, and spread arcane magic throughout Azeroth in the form of the ley lines. Ley lines are present in other worlds and in the Twisting Nether, so this may be a natural state for arcane energy.
Mages are the practitioners of the arcane, with arcane magic being unique compared to the other forms of magic. While other magic takes their traits from beings of immense power, Arcane magic is raw energy and a blank canvas that mages use to produce a very wide range of effects. Arcane magic is thus the most versatile of any magic type and can replicate any other form of magic.
Holy Magic[]
Holy Magic takes several forms and practices in Azeroth. It is found in many different cultures, who revere it and invoke it in many different ways. The night elven priestesses draw holy magic from their goddess Elune, praying directly to her. The tauren Sunwalkers draw it from their sun god, An’she. Humans, dwarves and gnome paladins and priests draw from their faith in the Holy Light as a divine and benevolent magic, following the teachings of the church. The Draenei draw their power from the Naaru, beings effused with holy magic. Blood Elf Blood Knights draw their power from the Sunwell. The Forsaken priests call on holy magic only rarely, but they do so believing in the Light and Shadow being connected.
With all of these varying examples of holy magic, there are common threads throughout all of them. Holy magic is a primarily benevolent force that encourages its users to be selfless and filled with hope. Losing faith in themselves or falling to despair causes holy magic to abandon that person. There are examples of holy magic saving people from that despair instead of abandoning them, but those examples seem to have only superficial or circumstantial despair with their faith deeply intact within them.
Worship and faith are highly connected to the use of holy magic, being another common thread between all races. This worship and faith can be distorted, as seen with the Scarlet Crusade, proving holy magic is not always benevolent, but requires the person to have faith that what they’re doing is benevolent. Scarlet Crusaders used holy magic to commit atrocities, torturing their recruits to prove their faith and declaring war on all who were not themselves.
Those who use holy magic have strong convictions that guide them, often relying on a code of morals to live by. Their teachings are their strongest factor, and their faith dictates their power. Paladins are some of the fiercest fighters the world has ever seen, capable of calling on immense power due to becoming effectively embodiments of holy magic. Beyond extreme circumstances that faith is indomitable and fighting them requires one to simply have more experience in combat or more skill in their own practices.
Paladins and some priests are immune to the effects of curses, diseases and poisons, and are highly effective fighters against Fel, Death, Shadow and Void magics. Besting a paladin in combat requires a place where holy magic is ineffective or the person having more skill and experience.
Artifacts made from Light magic are rarely problems, only problematic if made with skewed perception, such as some made from the Scarlet Crusade. Some artifacts made by the Crusade were meant to torture those with ‘impure’ souls, or bind them for whatever purpose later. These artifacts are best handled by those who use holy magic as they can often be repurposed, but can be destroyed if truly necessary by most magics.
Nature Magic[]
Nature Magic is magic derived from the natural world and the Emerald Dream. It’s the magic used by druids primarily, with the Night Elves being the most powerful practitioners of the magic, beyond the Ancients and Gods that reside within the Emerald Dream and the natural world. Virtually all races have shown the capability to harness and use the natural magics of the world, either through shapeshifting, growing crops or commanding the seas. Nature magic can be used in many ways, versatile just as nature itself is versatile.
Shamanistic magics are part of the overarching nature magic tree as the elements are part of the natural world. Most shaman harness these powers by working alongside the elementals and asking for their aid, though they can enslave the elementals and bend them to their will as well. It is rare for a shaman to attempt that as the elements can and will fight back. Most shaman worship the elements and work alongside them, the elements deeming them worthy to use their power, or refusing them if they do not.
The first druid is thought to be Malfurion, taught by the demigod Cenarius. He then taught other night elves and the druidic ways became integral to the culture of the night elves over time. Druids are highly attuned to the natural ebb and flow of nature and can sense disturbances in the natural world. They harness that raw power to protect nature from its enemies and manipulate the natural world.
The powers of those who use Nature magic vary wildly, including shapeshifting, attuning to long dead spirits, teleporting to areas of high natural magic, manipulating wind, rain, and growth of plants. Dealing with practitioners of natural magic can be difficult as they most often will find areas of strong natural magic, increasing their power. The best way to deal with a practitioner of natural magic is to take them to a place where nature is weak or otherwise cut them off from nature. This is obviously not the easiest of tasks however it can be done artificially with Fel, Shadow and Arcane magic, cutting off the powers of nature from them.
Artifacts made of natural magic often are made to preserve the natural balance of the world, or to harness the powers of nature in a specific way in order to amplify a specific aspect of their power for instance. Artifacts of this type are just as versatile and unpredictable as the magic that made them, which often causes problems when the artifact is taken out of its original place and its purpose does not fit where it is taken to.
For instance, a relic meant to maintain the thick, verdant forests in Ashenvale can cause a severe overgrowth in another area such as Elwynn. Other times these artifacts call upon guardians of nature to defend an area, which can become distorted in their purpose if taken to another area, or even over time they can lose their purpose. These guardians can then become aggressive and attack anything and anyone who enters the area.
Disenchanting these artifacts usually simply requires draining the artifact of its natural energies, or simply containing it in a place cut off from nature until its energies are lost.
Void Magic[]
Void Magic is the true opposite of holy magic. While holy magic is the magic of creation, Void is the power of entropy. Void magic is the principle realm of the Old Gods and is used as a magic of decay and insanity. Those who use void magic must be very cautious to not stray too far into the realm of the Old Gods, lest they go insane and succumb to the magic they seek to use. The Void is a source of great power, but the power comes at a high price.
Void is the principle magic used by those cults who have had their minds consumed by insanity brought about by the Old Gods such as the Twilight Cult. Shaman have also used the Void to enslave elementals, becoming Dark Shaman. Additionally there are some warlocks who use the void in addition to the Fel to to consume the souls of their opponents. Souls consumed this way leave echos behind, these remnants simply being the anguish felt by the soul as it was consumed by the Void.
Necromancy is tied to the powers of the Void, the energy preventing souls from completely fusing with bodies they’re returned to. This results in undead feeling very little in general, and explains why the Light hurts them so much. Much like shadows, the Void causes feelings of despair and doubt but also progresses into insanity and presumably the person’s soul being consumed by the Void.
Practitioners of Void magic employ the powers of the Old Gods. They inflict insanity on their targets and summon tentacles and minions of the Old Gods to attack their enemies. Many of the people who use this magic are those who are involved with the Twilight’s Cult and have little regard for themselves. In their insanity they are unpredictable and wholly taken by the Void’s powers.
This makes them dangerous opponents to fight as they are vessels through which the Void manifests and seek to draw others into their insanity. Like fighting shadow magic, one has to steel their mind against the mental attacks sure to come from the Void magic. Damage to one’s soul is a significant problem that can happen if they’re injured by Void magic.
Artifacts of the Void are often meant to allow the Old Gods and the Void to bleed into our realm, or to draw people into the insanity caused by the Old Gods. Like Shadow artifacts, these are often cursed objects meant to be the undoing of a specific person, but unlike Shadow they’re often meant to work on a much grander scale. Artifacts meant to bring down kingdoms by causing insanity in their leaders, or to draw out those in society who have weak minds to become part of cults.
Shadow Magic is a power that is drawn from the Shadow Realm, but permeates all areas of the known universe. Shadow is present on every world and every place on every world invariably. It is a negative energy in the universe, being the opposite of the Light but not to the extent of the entropic force of the Void. Some consider Shadow to be in between the realms of the Light and the Void, a mix of both. Along with this, some religions and races consider the Shadow and Void to be integral and opposite forces of the Light, not evil but a necessary force in the universe.
Shadow magic users often display opposite feelings from those who use holy magic however. Whereas Holy Light practitioners display selflessness, hope and the desire to be benevolent, shadow users are selfish and desire only power for power’s sake. The Shadow Realm is also the source of many necromantic powers, including souls that death knights and necromancers can enslave. Indeed, Death Knights can also pull their ally’s spirits back from the Shadow Realm and force them back into their body as a form of resurrection.
The Cult of the Forgotten Shadow is a prevalent religion within the Forsaken and shows what the Shadows preach. The Cult preach balance in using the Shadow, knowing that succumbing too far into the Shadows results in insanity. Instead of the Church of the Holy Light’s tenets of Respect, Tenacity and Compassion, they practice the tenets of Respect, Tenacity and Power. The religion preaches that one should respect those who have power and develop their own power in order to manipulate the physical world. These teachings were drawn from a bishop who, during the First War, studied the shadows in response to the orcish use of necromancy. Her teachings were locked away but were found and exalted by the Forsaken.
Fighting practitioners of Shadow magic requires one to steel themselves against the emotions of fear, doubt and despair. Shadow users employ the shadow to inflict negative emotions on those they attack, to force them into a cycle of despair and pain that will be their undoing. Shadow users rarely fight directly, rather employing tactics from behind the scenes to sow doubt and despair in their enemies and only striking once they’re sure their enemies are debilitated or they’ve turned them to their side.
There are two kinds of artifacts that fall into this category. The first of this kind are often meant as tools of torture, or trinkets meant to inflict those negative emotions on their holders. They’re typically subtle artifacts, or cursed objects that work their way through victims over time. They were made as objects of undoing, either to serve a personal vendetta or to force someone’s life into a downward spiral.
The second kind of artifact is meant to increase the user’s power. The artifacts of this kind that find their ways into becoming problems are the artifacts made to garner power that the maker could not handle. The power overwhelmed them, ending in their death and the artifact then waited for another person to pick it up to use it. Often it continues this pattern of overwhelming those who find it and killing them until someone powerful enough to destroy it or use it finds it.
Necromantic Magic[]
Necromantic Magic, commonly known as "Death Magic," is the use of entropic powers to manipulate the powers of death. Invoking this power can be done through other magic forms, but in the end necromancers use the power of necromancy. They can harness this pure energy of necromancy to attack their enemies, or create plagues to spread death. Practitioners of this form of magic employ the opposite side of Nature magic. They seek to spread death and break the natural cycle by raising the dead.
The largest example of this type of magic is the Scourge and the Cult of the Damned. They spread their plague that used the powers of necromancy to raise those who died from the dead, binding their souls outside the natural cycle and enslaving them to the will of the Lich King or the necromancers who worshipped him. There are many examples of necromancy in various cultures, for varying reasons but the most potent threat is the Scourge.
Fighting a necromancer invariably involves fighting undead, diseases and subversive tactics. Most necromancers are incapable of raising much more than skeletons and ghouls and are not much of a threat on their own, but a group of necromancers can create large abominations and large numbers of undead that can quickly overwhelm any fighter. Light users have an innate advantage against the undead due to the Light severing the connection of the souls trapped in undead bodies and causing immense pain to them. In the end, the necromancer is the target and the undead are there to stop anyone from reaching their master.
Artifacts made by necromancers often are simply meant to amplify their control over the powers of death. They tap into the shadows and void and empower their undead slaves or the necromancer themselves. Other artifacts bind spirits to use in reanimation or cause death so that the necromancer can raise those who it kills. These artifacts should be handled very carefully.
Fel Magic[]
Fel Magic is the power of the Burning Legion and disorder. Fel magic is corrupted arcane energy and is created through corrupting life energy. Fel magic is the most corruptive form of magic and this self-propagating cycle is what fuels the Burning Legion. It is a pervasive, highly addictive magic that seeks only destruction and dominance over life. Those who use this magic are called warlocks and the demons are creatures made of, or completely corrupted by, Fel.
Fel magic is the most corrupting form of magic and it’s known that some demonic races were not always demons, but rather were corrupted and enslaved by the Burning Legion. The Eredar are the easiest example of this, being a previously uncorrupted race who was tempted and corrupted by the Burning Legion.
The Burning Legion’s battle plan is rather simple and has been seen multiple times. They first send agents to the world they’re targeting to corrupt individuals on that planet. Once this initial corruption has been set in motion those corrupted attempt to open portals to let the Burning Legion onto the world, and let their Fel magic spread uncontested. Unless those initial portals are stopped, the Burning Legion pours through in immense numbers and set to destroying or corrupting everything on the planet.
Those who use Fel command vast amounts of power and have the power to summon and enslave demons. Fighting a Fel practitioner rarely involves just one person. They will often summon as many demons as they can handle, and spread their Fel magic to corrupt their surroundings whether intentionally or simply by proximity. Their magic is pervasive and destructive and must be handled quickly to prevent too much damage. Often times demons will turn on their master if given the chance, so targeting the summoner is the most important part of fighting a warlock. Otherwise, stopping any rituals, destroying runes & altars, and interrupting their spell casting are how one must deal with a warlock.
Artifacts made from Fel practitioners are most often meant to open and sustain portals, or to inflict destruction and corruption on anything around them. Dealing with them often involves using overwhelming force to destroy them and stop them from continuing whatever effect they’re enchanted to provide. Light, Arcane, Nature and Elemental magics can all counteract Fel magic, but if the corruption is too great in the area, other magics have been observed to not have any power. A Fel magic user would then be required.
Elemental Magic[]
Elemental Magic is another form of magic integral to the fabric of all worlds. Elementals are present on Draenor, Outland and Azeroth so it’s assumed they are part of any world with life on them, and possibly without. They reside within their own planes, one each for water, earth, fire and air known as the Abyssal Maw, Deepholm, the Firelands and Skywall respectively. Each realm has a hierarchy of elementals with a leader for each realm, the elemental lords. Those who wish to use these elements have many means to do so. Shaman and magi both harness their powers, but in vastly different ways.
Shaman beseech the elements for their aid in their endeavours, giving tribute or worship in exchange for their power. The elements choose to grant their powers to those who are shaman and prove themselves allies of the elemental planes. Some shaman specialize in one particular plane to enhance their own abilities in a specific way.
Water can be used for healing, air can grant supernatural speed and reflexes, fire can be used to gain visions of the future and earth can be used to ground one’s senses in reality, preventing the effects of spells that cause fear or otherwise incapacitate them. There are many applications of each element, but these are a few common ones.
Mages harness the power of the elemental planes through the use of Arcane magic. They can use the Arcane to harness or mimic the effects of the various elementals. They can summon elementals and bind them to their will on the physical plane as well, or conjure a mimic of an elemental.
Fighting those who use elemental magic is much like fighting a mage, but the way they call upon their magic is different. Shaman often employ totems to channel their powers and commune with the elementals and destroying these totems stops their spells outright. Elementals cannot normally be on Azeroth, having to be summoned and bound to our plane by rituals, and thus stopping these rituals will send the elementals back to their own plane.
Artifacts made from shamanistic magics often are used to commune with the spirits of the elemental planes, or to summon them to our plane and bind them here. Other times they are simply meant to enhance a specific element the caster uses. These artifacts rarely cause problems on their own and require their user to use them for ill gains. Elementals summoned out of place can cause problems though, such as a fire elemental being summoned into a forest.