In the Valley of a Thousand Footprints

[iii] Magic - |part 1|

In all of Cayrnr there was only one orphanage. Partially because it was a small town and partially because not many people actually lose their parents in Cayrnr. 

You see Cayrnr was more of a travelers town. A place where travelers and wanderers alike could take up work or stay for a desired period of time in exchange for labor or some sort of monetary fee. As such, it was a popular transit spot for apprentices and students who had come to the Southern part of the vale in search of research for their thesis and also for academy professors who had come to to do official research. 

Due to this, the people who actually called Cayrnr home; the locals in other words, had been living in Cayrnr for generations. It was because of this that very few people get orphaned in Cayrnr, the families are large and extended, it was rare that any child from Cayrnr would be left without living relatives.  

Therefore, when the past major had decided to build an orphanage for the odd child who lived on the streets, the council had elected to build it in an out-of-the-way sort of spot. It was nestled behind back alleys and in close proximity to the one of the three local taverns. Not many actually visited the orphanage. Although the nuns who worked there were kind enough. 

So when Efa glanced out her bedroom window at midnight and saw men in cloaks near the tavern, she thought nothing of it. Indeed it was probably just a few drunk wizards partying the night away. As for Efa, she couldn't sleep. She was curled up in a chair near the window. 

Her eyes flitted away from the book she had been reading and rested over the various items she had bought that day, before continuing on to her roommate who was fast asleep. 

The royal letter was on the table in front of her, neatly folded. The memory of reading it and feeling overjoyed still flashed into her mind. She was glad that she burned the envelope and the seal, else her nosy roommate would have started badgering her about it. Efa had even hidden the letter up until this point. 

 She was a good roommate, and an even better friend. The two of them had caused quite a bit of mischief during their stay at the orphanage, with both of them having been abandoned by their parents; and in the same year no less. fourteen years ago. Efa didn't remember much about anything fourteen years ago, and nor it Alyaeh; the roommate, but they had both vowed to not dwell on the past and focus solely on the future. Efa would miss her. 

She had decided to tell the post office in the morning, Pagnodd would be there by then too. She'd tell Wydde and Sackn, and Osian as well. All through the day, she had been going over her course of action. Wait till morning, then tell the orphanage, go to the office, let everyone there know, say her goodbyes and hopefully be on the road by dusk. She was sure that Pagnodd would give her some good advice and maybe plot out some places for rest during her journey. He seemed like he would be experienced in that sort of thing. Her stomach churned with excitement and anticipation. 

She repositioned herself in her chair and found where she had been reading. It was a book about magic and the classifications of lledrith users that she had gone and bought right after receiving the letter. She had just finished reading the part about the Magai Records and moved on to the next paragraph. 

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". . . Witches, Wizards, Sorcerers, Sorceresses, Enchants, Enchantresses, Prophets, Prophetesses, all of them can be classified into four categories: Wi-Rhaniad, So-Rhaniad, Encha-Rhaniad and the Propha-Rhaniad. Divisions that were assigned for the usage of a certain type of magic. The Wi lledrith or wizardry dealt with the use of one time lethal spells against man and beast. The So lledrith or Sorcery dealt with illusions and use of magic on oneself. Encha lledrith focuses on the application of long term magic onto external objects, an enchanted broom perhaps. And the Propha lledrith is the magic which is involved with time and spirits, the metaphysical if you will. Any person could plausibly learn all four branches but, It is a challenge in itself to understand the theories and memorize the incantations for even one singular branch of magic, let alone two. All people are born with the ability to do magic, but can't do so without the necessary understanding and incantations. A very small collection of people however can perform incantationless magic, though it requires a high level of skill to pull it off. Magi is the term given to a person who does spells from all Rhaniads without actually mastering any single one. If your child can cast the basic water spell then he is a Magi, simple as that. In the event that you actually do study the various divisions and master one or two Rhaniads, then you will be known by the titles given to those proficient in those Rhaniads, As in; a man versed in the Wi and Encha Rhaniads will be called a 'Wizard Enchant'. the maximum number of Rhaniads ever mastered by a single person was three. . . "