deafens | magic stuff

BASICS |
The school is divided into four year levels, with each year further separated into eight classes. Each class represents a plane of magic, and is managed by a master or mistress.

The first year of school is spent with "traditional" education. The second year is spent in mixed classes, to identify a student's line — the plane they belong to, and their specialty in said plane. Third year is spent honing and harnessing their theory and practice of magic.

The fourth year is for hunting monsters. Those who live will graduate, while those who don't — well. You know.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE REFORMATORY |

— All magic is inherently possessed. (You have it.)
— All magic can be lost. (You can lose it.)
— All magic is dangerous. (It can hurt you.)
— All magic can be corrupted or destroyed. (You can hurt it.)
— All magic is paid by life. (Equal trade.)
— All magic can be reversed. (Equal opportunity.)
— Life is balanced by death. (For every thing created, something else is taken.)
— Death is not magic.
— Life is not magic.
— Use your magic wisely.

THE PLANES (AND THEIR CLASSES) |

MATERIAL CLASSES ("PRESENT" MAGIC)

— HUMANE | The humane class possesses magic that can control anything that is humane and alive.
— NATURAL | The natural class possesses magic that can control anything that natural and alive.
— MECHANIC | The mechanic class possesses magic that can control anything that inherently material and/or man-made and does not possess life, or has possessed life previously.
— UNNATURAL | The unnatural class possesses magic that can control anything that unnatural and alive.

SPIRITUAL CLASSES ("OTHER" MAGIC)

— SPECTRAL | The spectral class controls magic that affects those that cannot be seen, and are tied to the humane plane.
— DEMONIC | The spectral class controls magic that affects those that cannot be seen, and are tied to destructive spirits.
— HEAVENLY | The heavenly class controls magic that affects those that cannot be seen, and are tied to benevolent spirits.
— NECROMANTIC | The necromantic class controls magic that affects those that cannot be seen, and are tied to all that has died or has been corrupted.

RELATIVE PLANES |
— Relative planes are compatible magics; their lines intersect with each other. Dissonant planes are incompatible; their lines run away from each other.

— HUMANE | SPECTRAL, NECROMANTIC
— NATURAL | HEAVENLY, SPECTRAL
— MECHANIC | DEMONIC, HEAVENLY
— UNNATURAL | NECROMANTIC, DEMONIC

— SPECTRAL | HUMANE, NATURAL
— HEAVENLY | NATURAL, MECHANIC
— DEMONIC | MECHANIC, UNNATURAL
— NECROMANTIC | UNNATURAL, HUMANE

COMPATIBILITY |

— Material classes may borrow magic from other material classes, without the host's permission.
— Spiritual classes may borrow magic from other spiritual classes, also without the host's permission.
— Material classes may borrow magic from compatible spiritual classes, with the host's permission.
— Spiritual classes may borrow magic from compatible material classes, with the host's permission.
— Material classes cannot borrow magic from dissonant classes, full stop.
— Spiritual classes cannot borrow magic from dissonant classes, full stop.
— Relative classes may borrow magic from other relative classes, with the user's permission.
— No student may possess lines from both material and spiritual planes for extended periods of time. To do so will cost them their magic.

VISUAL AID |

previous version | previous previous version
cliff notes:
1. the further away from one class another class is, the less effective/powerful the borrowing (if you're borrowing from the same class color).
2. you can't borrow from a differently-colored class unless they're relative (on the immediate left or right) to your your class.
3. light pink area is the shape of the ordered reality; darker pinks are the outliers, and where monsters are born.

THE MONSTERS |

Look at the picture above. The planes intersect. Two shapes over one another form a new and different shape, and this shape is the design of the living, breathing world. In the shape where present magic and other magic are folded neatly together, you will find everything that is ordered — trees, people, civilizations, everything that you know to be "real".

The shapes formed outside of this fold is where the monsters come from. They are born from excess magic, filtered out from the shape of the world and trapped there. And as with water poured into a cup already full, this magic overflows.

This is how the monsters are born, and only those of similar magic may trap them. Trapped monsters are good for many things; stabilizing and strengthening magic are among these things. Once monsters have crossed from the fold, however, they cannot be returned. Once the monsters have crossed, they are bound to their tether and will stay there — or until all their magic is expended, at which point they will die.

Whoever catches the monster becomes the tether. Whoever the monster catches, becomes a monster themselves.

all info here c/o campus