Magic and Spells

All creatures in Avanor are in touch with the Power, though few know how to use it. Nobody knows where the Power comes from, but of course people have their own favourite theories. Legends tell of ancient times when great heroes walked the land of Avanor, some of whom were reputed to be mighty wizards who used their connection with the Power to achieve wonderful things. Some say that it was misuse of the Power that raised the unscaleable mountains that have cut Avanor off from the rest of the world and that spawned the dreadful monsters that are rumoured to lurk in caverns far below the surface.

But that was long ago, even if it was so. Now the fabled knowledge of the ancient times is lost, although some people are attempting to glean information from myths and fragmentary records, and a few - though minor in comparison to those of legend - spells are known to wizards.

If you can read - and if you can't you may be able to find someone to teach you how to, for a price - you can learn spells from any magical books that you discover, though they are very rare and reputed to be guarded by fearsome monsters. Reading also allows you to use spells that have been written down in scrolls, but these use some Power that is invested in the scrolls as they are created, so they may be used only once, and they use the scroll's Power, not yours.

There are also potions, which are enchanted fluids that have various strange effects upon anyone who may drink them. Books, scrolls and potions are labelled in an ancient and mysterious language, the significance of which is lost in time, so you may have to try them out in order to learn what they are.

The legends also tell of magical rings and amulets, enchanted armour and weapons fit for heroes - but, if they exist, no doubt they are buried far below.

Schools of Magic
Every spell belongs to one of the schools into which the scholars of old divided the Power: Elemental, Body and Spirit, Protection and Resistance, Death and Devastation, Surviving and Enlightenment. Learning your first spell of a school makes you a Beginner in it, and from then on every spell you cast successfully teaches you a little more about the school it belongs to, just as swinging a sword teaches you about swords. Rank by rank - Novice, Adept, Master and at the last Grand Master - your grasp of the school deepens, and every spell you know within it grows stronger and reaches further, no matter how little you have practised that particular spell. Press '#' to see how far you have come in each school; schools you know no spells of are not listed at all.