16.5 Skills of the Mage.

These skills are gained by those who choose the profession of the Mage. They are learned by the Guild of Enchanters and the Guild of Mages. They tend towards intellectual excellence and mental discipline. They include the arts of the spell, the enchantments of ritual and candescence, the lore of herbalism and the skill of music. Mages develop Music and Herbs to the level of Grand-Master.

Charming is the ancient skill of magical spells. It enables you to learn, chant and then cast magical incantations. Spells are learned by all charmers automatically as they rise in proficiency. To cast a spell you must first chant the magical charm. Once you have chanted the spell charm, you can cast it. In addition to the number of spells you can cast, the effectiveness and power of your spells will increase as your skill rises. Below is an example of a magic user casting the spell of healing (known as healhand).

- chant healhand
You close your eyes to establish equilibrium.
You chant the magical words of Healhand.
-
You open your eyes having established equilibrium.
- cast me
You touch yourself. You are surrounded by a green glow for a moment which spreads the magical healing through your veins.

Rituals is a skill practised only by those truly skilled in the magical arts. It is unique to the Mage profession. Rituals are danced into existence and are created by the Mage sketching luminous shapes in the air. Different shapes cause different rituals to be brought into existence. Rituals remain tied to the place where they were danced into existence, and act on everybody nearby. Rituals is one of the few skills which is improved by a joining of power. Some of the truly great rituals require more than one Mage to dance into existence. Below is an example of a magic user bringing about the ritual of Hellflames.

- dances hellflames
The Ritual of "HELLFLAMES". Sketch: Star, Crescent, Diamond.
Elemental flames will sporadically spring up and burn your enemies.
- sketch all
You draw a star, crescent, diamond, pentacle and circle in the air.
-
You open your eyes having established equilibrium.
- dance hellflames enemies
You dance forth the Ritual of Hellflames which melts into your surroundings. The ritual will concentrate its efforts on your personal enemies.

Candescence is the art of light-weaving and boasts a wide range of abilities associated with weaving light into defensive, offensive and bamboozling forms. Some of the higher candescences affect entire areas, while others are potent defences to surprise attack and elemental magics. Candescence is intended to compliment Charming and Rituals, and is often the final Mage skill to be developed.