Endless Spell
Endless Spells, know by many other names such as Living Magic or Arcanus Infinitum, are spells that after being cast do not naturally dissipate and therefore lasted indefinitely, often called by many as self-sustaining. They first started to be summoned after the Necroquake, the shyishian energy released by this magical disaster changed the nature of eldritch energy in the mortal realms allowing it to be channelled in a entirely new way.[1a][1c]
This living magic takes many forms, and many of them are strongly connected to the Realmsphere or a Hue of Magic, while others are not tied to any realm. Example of the first is the Purple Sun of Shyish, which is the physical manifestation of the Realm of Death, while for the latter the best example is the Aethervoid Pendulum.[1c]
Contents
Creation
An Endless Spell is created when a wizard channels the raw magic found in the Mortal Realms after the Necroquake. Upon it's creation the wizard experienced a sense of euphoria, a stimulant like any other. However control over these spell is hard to maintain and it's not uncommon for such to happen. Like if the magic had its own mind.[1a][1c]
Behaviour
Alot of these spells are mobile and predatory and often turn onto their casters, where usually normal spells don't. Predatory spells moves and hunt as if driven by an inexhaustible will, most notably the Burning Head or Ravenak's Gnashing Jaws, which seems almost maliciously so.[1]
Unbinding
These spells never diminish in strength or fade away as other conjurations do and as such can only be undone by unbinding the spell that created it. To do so is dangerous as the wizard must approach the volatile out of control spell, often requiring entire covens, even multiple ones for the strongest spells, to unbind them.[1a]
When Endless Spells are unbound their animus is pulled apart and leaving fragments of Realmstone in its place. Depending on how many lives it took the more dangerous is the objects created with these realmstone.[1a][1b]
Theories
As the reports of Endless Spells' rampages across the realms reached the masters of the arcane arts, there were many theories and speculations regarding endless spells, specially among the Eldritch Council[1a]:
- There had been many debates on their behaviour was justified as sentience or if it is according to aetheric laws.[1a]
- Another suggested they were like baser daemons of chaos, beings of pure instinct unable to act outside of of their nature. For example, a spell made to destroy could never do anything but destroy.[1a]
- One theory subscribed by the Eldritch Council says that Living Magic is ancient form of magic reawakened by Nagash's spell shaking loose some dormant power.[1c]
- Other theorise that the event has tainted magic in some way.[1c]
Rogue Spells
Once a spell has broken the caster's control over it, it will likely chase a fleeing enemy or dominate the area so that no mortals can survive in it. They will relentlessly continue to fulfil the purpose they were made for without ever needing any form of sustenance or suffering any exhaustion. Many battles turned into desperate scarmbles to survive after a Endless Spell went rouge.[1a][1c]
These spells will continue to cause disasters and become infamous, many ending up with the names of such disasters. Most are feared and avoided, while other end up worshipped by primitive tribes that feed it. Some eve start to evolve, growing in power and size.[1c]
Because there aren't Wizards everywhere, many of these predatory spells roam the wilds of the Mortal Realms like carnivorous monsters.[1a]
Spell Hunters
There are wizards that hunt down rogue Endless spells. Most seek to stop the devastation these spells cause, like Stormhosts, the Collegiate Arcane and the Eldritch Council. Others are mercenaries that do it for profit or fame, the power one gains from consuming the spell or the realmstone it leaves behind after its destroyed.[1c] Bounty hunters, wizard covens and armies grew famous on hunting down these spells.[1a]
When these spells first started to appear the Battlemages of the Collegiate Arcane and the Swifthawk Agents of each city combined forces to hunt them down.[1a]
Notable
Name | Color | Type | Description
|
---|---|---|---|
Phantom Blade | Unaligned | Aethervoid Pendulum | A Pendulum in Ulgu surrounded by pure shadow-magic, rendering it all but invisible in the fog. |
Doomed Crown of Emberkell | Aqshy | Burning Head | It has grown to gargantuan size and has left a trail of ash across the Realm of Aqshy that is one thousand leagues long. |
Living Inferno of Hallowheart | Aqshy | Burning Head | It devastated Hallowheart at the same time as the Purple Death was beginning it's own rampage. |
Amber Jaws of Aquillonth | Ghur | Ravenak's Gnashing Jaws | Was halted by Lord-Arcanum Arthleone and his warband. |
Howling Maelstrom | Shyish | Malevolent Maelstrom | One of the most infamous of the Endless Spells to earn its name. |
Death-Bringer | Shyish | Purple Sun of Shyish | Was halted by Lord-Arcanum Arthleone and his warband. |
Purple Death | Shyish | Purple Sun of Shyish | Was loosed on the streets of Hammerhal. |
Shackles of Morrgryst | Shyish | Soulsnare Shackles | One of the most infamous of loose endless spells to have earned its name. |
Bone Tide of Ull | Shyish | Suffocating Gravetide | Halted by the Necromancer Von Kressling. There are rumours that he was the one that had summoned the spell. |
Helltide of Ghur | Shyish | Suffocating Gravetide | One of the most infamous loose spell to earn its name. |
Types
Sources