Dark Magic

Main Idea Dark magic is not inherently evil, although corruption swells from its use Occasionally. The darkness is described by many as warm and comforting. The dark magics feed on the user's more resentful emotions, such as regret and hate in order to fuel it forward as a catalyst. It is, at its core a blanket that grips at the soul, wraps around it like a shroud. Accepting dark magic means accepting one's own faults and accepting that all things are imperfect beings, and in part, making those imperfections manifest while not loosing sight of your virtues.

Darkness magic is a unique magic in many ways. The darkness at seems to almost be a sentient thing at times, comforting, whispering and crawling inside users mercilessly in an attempt to help people accept who and what they are. It is debated by scholars who don't know the touch of the magic that this is just the side effects of the magic. Some say that darkness magic is a god in of itself. Lending power to those it deigns as deserving pity.

This is probably the best way to describe darkness magic, another way being as the polar opposite to light. Dark magic is a gift given to those deserving of pity and is given to the weak to help them not be oppressed by the strong, sometimes at a terrible cost when everything has gone wrong. The darkness allows people to accept their flaws and unfavourable attributes, and while those that use darkness magic are not bad, refusal to change their ways and stubbornness is one side effect. Darkness users may not be able to understand fully how what they are doing is wrong, if they are corrupted by their power and as such have failed to properly master or use dark magic.

Manifestation

Dark magic always manifests at a young age. It commonly claims children who are left out, shy, alone. Depression, anger, hate, deep-seated regrets, even extreme sadness are all capable of manifesting the darkness in young arcanists.

As they grow older, the darkness too grows. The feeling of being watched and watched until it encompasses the user and they are certain of its existence. Those under the influence of darkness are not always not in its control, but its presence is obvious. Progression varies widely between people and the way they use the magic.

Accepting the darkness is the only way forward and most do so. They submit to the dark and gain power from it. Eventually, they submit to the whispering voice that creeps in. The whispers are comforting and nice, not intrusive. The dark corrupts the mind more so than the soul, it pushes men to accept those dark things which shoved them into the dark and allows them to seek succour from its power. This can make them more susceptible to more vile acts. Those who drift too far, or lose their personality fully to the shadow risk becoming shades themselves, nothing more than a fragment of what they used to be. Shadows of their former selves. Rejecting the power once it has taken hold is a sure-fire way of bringing this upon oneself.

Capabilities

Dark magic has many uses, a vast variety of applications, unlike elemental magics, the darkness is an ethereal force, a kind of magical energy rather than a manifestation. It transmutes mana into another form, rather than using it to create an element, this is why holy and dark magics do not normally mix, the concentration needed to form these two opposites place enormous strain on the arcanist's body.

Very common abilities, especially amongst novices, are dark bolts, as well as weapons made of the substance for those who prefer closer battles. Experienced arcanists can even change their body into shadow and travel quickly through the darkness.

Of course, this is all very general, as dark is one of the most complex of the different arcane abilities. Masters of the dark arts have been capable of creating dozens of shades to fight alongside them at once, as well as maelstroms over several meters in diameter of pure dark energy.

Dark magic is Balance but can quickly turn to chaos if misused, where Light is Order.

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