MAGIC
Celestial power within the Spectrum of Existence manifests in two primary forms: viralic and spectralic magic. These forces are often perceived as opposites, akin to light and dark. However, the truth is more nuanced.
Please Note: The Spectrum of Existence, or Spectrum, refers to everything across all planes of being, including the mortal, the non‑physical such as ghosts, the spiritual, the angelic, and more. Tartaros is its opposite; it is the absence of existence and is often referred to as the Darkness, or less commonly, Oblivion.
Viralic Magic – origin
While viralic magic is wielded by those serving Tartaros, it remains a force within the Spectrum and not something from outside it, as many once believed. Imperial scholars long debated whether this was a contradiction, but it is now generally accepted that when the essence of Tartaros breached the Spectrum, it used the fabric of existence against itself to produce what became known as viralic magic. Tartaros is sometimes called Oblivion. It is a nothingness, or more accurately, non‑existence. It could not create nothing from nothing, and so upon contact with existence, it used what it found to form its own magic, just as it used it to form the first shraeds. That still meant getting something from nothing, a paradox that has confounded scholars for centuries. The only answer anyone can give is that it happened.
The Watchers
One of the first attacks by Tartaros on the Spectrum was directed at angels of the Sentinel rank. These lower‑ranked angels patrolled the border of the Spectrum, watching for signs of activity and giving advance warning in case of attack. Transformed by Tartaros into a more primal form, they became what we now call dragons, also known as the Watchers. Adal and the Seraphim Council attempted to hunt down each of these draconic beings, to destroy them and offer those tortured angelic souls a true and final death, but it proved impossible to locate them all.
As fate would have it, when Rasnal Nalrost created his spell, the Watchers had already been hiding on the mortal plane. Those the Seraphim Council did not find and destroy used the plagues to invade the souls of the viral undead, thus evading justice. Adal came close to destroying the undead as a result, but in the end held back. It has been suggested that he foresaw these virals might prove important in the eternal war against the Darkness. It was through these draconic souls that the undead were able to access viralic magic. Adal knew what had become of the remaining Watchers, but for a long time kept that knowledge from the Seraphim Council.
The vast majority of virals, such as Threadfin Todder, were born with innate viralic magic that manifested in a draconic form; they did not choose it. However, there were some, such as the vampires, who had succumbed to the influence of Tartaros so thoroughly that the distinction is often considered moot by most scholars.
Others, such as the Fallen Ones (see Angels in the Archive), often chose to serve Tartaros willingly. These angelic beings retained their spectralic magic while also being transformed by the viralic sort. A notable example was Canaan Pen Luthus, otherwise known as Drayl. Once an angel, he joined the ranks of the Fallen before later committing himself to Tartaros. While he still had access to spectralic power, he could use viralic magic to transform his physical form, turning him into a chimera. Other examples include the harpies and titans.
The Plagues
The plagues began as a result of Rasnal Nalrost’s spell. He attempted to create an army of undead who would ravage the world, and all mirror worlds connected to it, in order to conquer them and grow more powerful. However, events did not unfold as he intended, for Astra Dar intervened in an attempt to stop him. In the end, the virals were still created, but the plagues were spread out over roughly a thousand years before they began to wane. This meant that not all virals were born at once. Threadfin Todder, for example, would not be born until a millennium after the plagues began.
Astra Dar’s intervention resulted in her death and that of her son, Ralan. The most important consequence, however, was that although the virals were created, they did not turn out as Nalrost had intended. They proved to be like everyone else, with the exception of vampires, ghouls, and several other types; they were relatively normal, aside from being undead.
All virals, including those such as Threadfin Todder and Aiyana Todralan, were born of the plagues. Infected mothers would give birth to the undead and in all cases perish as a result. The plagues themselves were first spread by the bite of ghouls, and the subsequent illness became known as ghoul phage. However, once the plagues took hold, ghouls were no longer needed to spread the phage, and some imperial scholars believe it may have lain dormant within the human population between outbreaks.
It is worth noting that Nalrost had used spectralic power to create an undead horde. However, that horde had never been intended to possess magic. He would never have wanted an army capable of turning against him. Had the Watchers not taken refuge in the souls of virals, they would never have possessed viralic magic, and therefore would never have become known as virals in the first place.
Spectralic Magic
This form of power was once accessible only to angels. Beings of light in their true forms, they were birthed with spectralic magic as part of their souls. In fact, it would be impossible to separate one from the other. In a sense, angels are a conscious form of magic, or more accurately, a conscious manifestation of the Spectrum. They used spectralic power as easily as humans breathe air, or the undead pick at maggots.
When the first angels noticed mortals and began to walk among them, one named Adal is said to have recognised human potential. Though unverifiable and spoken of only in mythical terms, it is suggested that he observed humans had the ability to touch the Spectrum itself and perhaps gain spectralic magic. It followed that it would only be a matter of time before the first mortal was taught how to access and wield such power. It is believed he decided it would be better to teach and guide humans rather than leave them to discover it alone. Whether this was done by Adal or another is unknown, and the identity of the first mage remains a mystery. No references exist in any imperial text, and even myths and legends remain silent on the matter. What is known is that by the first Nephilim–human wars in 6452 BI, spectral mages existed and had been around for some time.
Ancient records also point to a fateful decision by Volcanus, the first angel, to gift a powerful spectral mage named Rasnal Nalrost, born in 127 BI, with the fabled Shathra Stone. By this time, angels had not walked among mortals for thousands of years and were consigned to myth and legend. However, Nalrost had used his spectralic magic to touch the Spectrum, and in doing so came into contact with the most ancient angel of all.
When Volcanus realised his mistake, he reclaimed the Stone from Nalrost and gave it to the angelic children who by then inhabited the land of Raddhon on the southern continent of Eladaldor, and were known as the Nephilim. They were instructed to keep it safe, for by then the celestial war with Tartaros had already begun to go badly. There was nowhere safe among angelic kind for the Shathra Stone.
In so doing, Volcanus set in motion a terrible series of events, leading to the creation of the undead and the deaths of millions on that world. Though he tried to rectify it, it proved far too late.
Magical Objects
Oblivion Chains
Used primarily by the Fallen, these chains were formed through viralic magic. Viciously barbed, they did not merely bind the physical body; the barbs also pierced the soul, suppressing the victim’s magic. When Threadfin Todder was bound with these chains, he found himself unable to access his power. However, in his case the chains eventually failed. All viralic magic in the undead was linked to the Watchers, and the chains could not fully bind him because the Watcher did not reside entirely within Threadfin’s soul but was anchored to another plane of existence. This remains the only known failure of Oblivion Chains.
Soul Shards
These weapons were created by angels in their struggle against the minions of Tartaros. Designed to absorb the souls of shraeds, they took many forms, including spears and swords. It is likely that humans learned to forge such weapons from the first angels who walked among them. In time, as Tartaros began to infiltrate the mortal plane, mortal versions of soul shards were created.
The shards also proved effective in defeating and consuming the souls of wights, the angel dead. Wights were angels who had not suffered a true death, yet had not become dragons or other viralic horrors. Instead, they endured a half‑death, their angelic souls persisting while their consciousness was overtaken by Tartaros.
As time passed, angels discovered they could imbue shards with their own essence. This granted the shards greater power, though it weakened the angels who contributed to them. It was a trade‑off not all agreed with, but it produced formidable weapons. In rare cases, some angels sacrificed themselves entirely, giving their whole souls to a shard. These were the most prized of all, for they proved devastating against the Darkness, though their rarity was inevitable.
The Crystal Sword
The first soul shard ever created, the Crystal Sword was forged by Volcanus. He used it to cut away pieces of the Spectrum itself in his pursuit of greater power and knowledge. In doing so, he began the war for existence. Eventually, he hid the Sword from his brother Wormwood, who sought it for hundreds of millennia, and it passed into legend.
A Soul Splice
A Soul Splice was a specialised and extremely rare type of soul shard. Its purpose was not merely to absorb a soul, but to separate a mortal soul from its angelic possessor. Only one such splice is known to have existed, and it was used against Andromeda. The Fallen One had used a mortal intermediary to wield the Shathra Stone without paying its price. The splice succeeded in separating the mortal soul from Andromeda’s possession, but failed to keep the mortal alive. As noted, its fabrication was notoriously difficult, and no other examples are known.
Book of Chains
This legendary tome is said to have been written by the Grim. It is held sacred by the zorasts, a religious cult who worship the Grim. The book is said to be bound by otherworldly chains and to contain the souls of the dead. The zorast faith uses it in secret and is the only group aware of its location. They claim it foretells the return of the Grim and his reclaiming of the world.
Blending of Magics
There have been a few notable instances where both forms of magic were blended to create a corrosive and highly destructive power. This blending proved possible, or so it is theorised, because both magics were essentially of the Spectrum, even if viralic magic was corrupted. Tartaros, after all, had used the fabric of the Spectrum itself to create viralic magic. Despite this shared origin, combining the two forms often proved deadly and produced unpredictable outcomes.
Final note
It must be said that despite such references by scholars, neither viralic nor spectralic magic can be considered inherently good or evil. Both are forces of existence, albeit one of them heavily influenced by Tartaros. Yet the use of viralic magic by Threadfin Todder and others to save lives and fight Tartaros proves that this form of magic was not evil.
Similarly, the use of spectralic magic by Canaan Pen Luthus, Andromeda, and other Fallen shows that this type was not primarily a force for good. It seems that what the wielder did with such power ultimately determined whether the magic was used for good or for ill.
