User:Etzan/Circle of Ma'div

The Circle of Ma'div is a complex system of universal knowledge which originated in Milky Way Galaxy, a harmonization and codification of the beliefs and powerful essence practices of many cultures and species.

Way of Arkh'ana
The Way of Arkh'ana first originated on Hilsa as the Essence practice of the scholar-mages of the Hal'Sk race. These near-humans would evolve, as a result of the powerful energies present on Hilsa, a powerful affinity for Essence magic. Those who were born with the gift of Arkh'ana were taken from their families at a very early age and raised in monasteries and convents. There, they were inducted into a complex transnational elite which furnished the scholars, preachers, court sages, scientists, battle-mages, academics, tutors, and scribes of the warring Hal'Sk Kingdoms.

Arkh'ana is a body of knowledge which is built around the channeling of elemental essence energy in various forms for a multitude of purposes, and many orders and schools and subschools of such magic have been developed over the years. The most powerful school of Arkh'ana is, and always has been, that of pure Arcana. Masters of Arcana channel elemental essence energy without intermediary, transmutation, or substitute, though doing so requires extremely complex calculation and mental work. This creates a high bar for entry. Apprentices to this school of magic tend to be drastically underpowered, while masters tend to be overpowered.

Arcana spawned sub-schools, the biggest ones being fire and frost. Possessing a hallowed place in the annals of Hal'Sk military history, fire and frost mages lend themselves to a far greater degree to the rigors and unpredictability of military life. The scholarship and craftsmanship of orders of these mages, similarly, could rival that of any of their contemporaries. It helped that there were more of them, and that fire and frost magic were comparatively easy to learn and use effectively. It was comparatively easy to unlock the potential of these schools, but the total potential was dwarfed by that of Arcana.