War in the shadows background

The war in the shadows: Magic first appeared in the days of the akkadian empire, after which in dozens of cultures across the globe sorcerers would be born with seemingly no relation to each other. Early civilizations thrived or were lead to ruin thanks to the unrestrained spells cast by the sorcerers of old who drew their magic through the relatively weak barrier with the demon realm; their gross overuse and careless experimentation with magic resulted in a further weakening of the barrier between the human; all it took from there was more careless experimentation to tear open this thin veil, and release swarms of demons upon the world which tore down many civilizations without a trace through calamity and blood letting. Eventually some of the sorcerers of old formed an order known as the wardens who drove out most of the demonic hordes, and patched up the veil as best they could. The Warden’s order remained to monitor the use of magic, and deal with the occasional demonic incursion, their order would outlast them, and even the art of sorcery itself which died along with the sorcerer two thousand years ago; today the order is comprised of Witches and Wizards who strive to fight off the increasingly severe demonic incursions, put a stop to demon summoning witches, and keep magic a secret from humans.





Witches: While only a few people every century or so are born with the natural power of a wizard many are touched by magic in lesser ways. Witches possess an echo of a wizard’s power, sparks and embers of natural power next to the fire of a wizard; yet it can still be channeled into spells through combinations of incantations, a catalysts, or gestures. While Wizards are born with their abilities Witches often acquire their's through contact with magic. Covens are commonplace alliances between witches, some Covens are dedicated to driving off demons trying to enter our world, some form in an attempt to find safety in numbers. some wish to manipulate humans and gain power, some even ally with demons. Of course most of the Wardens are witches.


Wizard: Wizards are ridiculously rare individuals with powers inherited from their forefathers, perhaps two or three will be born in a century, and they might live for two. Wizards possess the ability to call upon magic through sheer force of will, and it would take a witch beyond rare to match their magic in terms of power. A wizard’s soul is a full meal to a demons, yet many are successfully recruited into the anti demon forces in the secret war. While they are rarely a match for a demon lord, they can contend with one for a time, and are the only known individuals able to traverse the demonic realm alone.


Demons: They are creatures from another realm, they feed upon fear, pain, and misery, so it’s fortunate that the most powerful demons are unable to slip through the veil between worlds. Of course many demons that can pierce the veil are powerful enough to cause serious trouble, Your average veil piercing demon is roughly the power of your average witch, and with the aid of a witch even weaker demon lords have been summoned. The sole saving grace of the situation is that while they have strong instincts most demons aren’t too bright most demons possess the mental faculties ranging from barely sentient beasts to a human child, there are a number of exceptions, but it is important to remember intellect and natural power are not linked among demons, as such most demon lords are no smarter than the demon.








Magic: The sorcerers of old cast spells with power drawn from the demon realm, but today’s witches and wizards draw upon their own innate power and the power of this world, all texts on the use of ancient sorcery having been destroyed due to its effects on the veil between world. The appearance of magic and spells depends on the individual Spellcaster.

Witchcraft: The invocations and gestures of witchcraft are used to amplify the witches fairly weak magic while casting spells either by combining it with the latent magics of our realm, or channeling it through it through an amplifying catalyst such as a wand, crystal, staff, Necklace, glove, or any other such item imbued with with mystical properties. Witches can master a wide range of spells, from invoking sickness and bad luck with curses, to crafting charms that harm demons or bring health or good luck. Enchanting is much like charms, it is the art of imbuing an object with a magical function, most witches only dabble, but nearly all can craft catalysts and flying brooms. Potions of course are a staple of witchcraft, potions can heal, enhance, poison, cure, or cause ailment upon the ones who drink them. In terms of offensive powers among the earliest spells most witches learn due to the dangers posed to them by demons is a magic blast to incapacitate humans, and harm demons; more experienced witches can render these blasts lethal. Elemental magic is achievable, but rather rare due to its complexity; simply manipulating an element like wind, water, earth, fire, or ice requires flowing incantations and/or gestures, and generating one from magic requires a thorough understanding of said element. Counter magic is the art by which witches defend against hostile spells involving either a warding charm or basic shield spell, counter magic is nowhere near as powerful as a wizard’s abjuration unless you have a hell of a charm. One of the few things a witch can do that a wizard simply can’t is call befriend or make deals with, and call for help from natural earthly spirits.

Wizardry: Wizardry is much simpler than witchcraft, and much more blatant. Wizards channel and shape their inner magic with their will, requiring no implements, incantations, or gestures, and indeed are unable to supplement their magic much with natural magic, or catalyst. Nearly the polar opposite of witches, they find generating and projecting elemental forces to be comparatively easy, and tend to neglect things like potions and Enchanting in favor of healing magic and Charm crafting. Curses are often mostly neglected as well as well, with the exception of the ever important memory curse to erase recent memories from a human’s mind. Wizard’s are also capable of creating illusions, sometimes so lifelike they can actually harm people. Teleportation is completely unique to wizards. More advanced Abjuration and warding charms are usually sufficient to protect them from hostile magic use