Classification: Reptilia
BASE MANA LEVEL: 120
MANA ABILITIES: None
NATURAL SKILLS: Swimming
RARITY: Rare
DIET: Herbivore
ATTACK/DEFENSE: 1. Beak, 2. Shell
PHANTAUR—LEVEL 20
The Phantaur is as much an elephant as a Minotaur is a bull. With its serrated tusks, sturdy fists and a height of over ten feet, it is a force to be reckoned with. Thought to be the rarest and most powerful demon available to orc shamans, only one has ever been seen. Little is known of its behavior and habitat. It is thought that the one Phantaur to have been captured has been passed down through thousands of generations of shamans, its origins lost to the mists of time.
Classification: Megafauns
BASE MANA LEVEL: Unknown
MANA ABILITIES: None
NATURAL SKILLS: Long Reach, Strength
RARITY: Endangered
DIET: Herbivore
ATTACK/DEFENSE: 1. Thick Skin, 2. Trunk, 3. Tusk, 4. Punch
BEHEMOTH—LEVEL UNKNOWN
This demon roamed the ether thousands of years ago but is now extinct. Little is known about them, since all that remains are their bones. At twenty times the size of an elephant, these demons were gigantic, second only in size to the Zaratans, though from examination of their teeth it is theorized that they were peaceful herbivorous ruminants, grazing on treetops as a cow might eat grass. The Behemoth had a similar body structure to a hippo and a head comparable to that of a manatee.
Classification: Megafauns
BASE MANA LEVEL: Unknown
MANA ABILITIES: Unknown
NATURAL SKILLS: Unknown
RARITY: Extinct
DIET: Herbivore
ATTACK/DEFENSE: 1. Stomp
Drake—Level Unknown
Previously unknown to Hominum’s summoners, the Drake is something of a mystery to researchers at Vocans, since it is yet to be examined or tested against a fulfilmeter. From the descriptions of the owner of the only known specimen—one Fletcher Raleigh—it is clearly the first stage in the metamorphosis of a Salamander, facilitated by the extreme heat of a volcano. Somewhat larger than a Griffin, the Drake is similarly proportioned to that of a Salamander, with the addition of a long, sinuous neck, two back-facing horns on its head and a pair of large leathery wings. As with their smaller counterparts, Drakes have the ability to breathe fire, self-heal and heal others with their saliva. Rumors have circulated that a Drake’s summoner becomes immune to fire, but the veracity of these claims is yet to be determined.
Classification: Reptilia
BASE MANA LEVEL: Unknown
MANA ABILITIES: Fire Breathing, Healing
NATURAL SKILLS: Flying, Agility, Fireproof
RARITY: Extremely Rare
DIET: Carnivore
ATTACK/DEFENSE: 1. Fire Breath, 2. Tail Spike, 3. Claws, 4. Beak
DRAGON—LEVEL UNKNOWN
According to the testimony of one Fletcher Raleigh, the Dragon is the final stage in the metamorphosis of the Salamander species. Appearing as a giant Drake, this demon is complemented by larger horns and scaly skin that is extremely difficult to penetrate. Only one specimen is thought to have existed—belonging to Khan, the religious leader of the orcs. It is theorized that only an albino orc is capable of summoning a demon of such power, stemming from the hypothesis that a quirk of evolution has given the albinos of the orc species immensely high fulfilment levels.
Classification: Reptilia
BASE MANA LEVEL: Unknown
MANA ABILITIES: Fire Breathing, Healing
NATURAL SKILLS: Flying, Agility, Fireproof
RARITY: Extremely Rare
DIET: Carnivore
ATTACK/DEFENSE: 1. Fire Breath, 2. Tail Spike, 3. Claws, 4. Beak, 5. Armor Plating
TRUNKO—LEVEL UNKNOWN
Few sightings of this demon have been made, but most reports describe the Trunko as a white, whalelike creature with a trunk like an elephant’s. Trunkos use these trunks to discreetly replenish their air reserves when they are at the surface, rather than breaching and allowing predator demons to know their presence. It is suspected that the Trunko is hunted by most sea predators, for their half-eaten remains have been known to wash up on the shore.
Classification: Aquarine
BASE MANA LEVEL: Unknown
MANA ABILITIES: Unknown
NATURAL SKILLS: Swimming
RARITY: Very Rare
DIET: Unknown
ATTACK/DEFENSE: Unknown
WURM—LEVEL UNKNOWN
Not much is known about the Wurm, though a few notes can be found in the journals of Hominum’s summoners, based on the infusion memories of their demons. The Wurm is native to the more arid parts of the ether, traveling alone beneath the ground. When it senses tremors above it, the blind demon bursts out from below and swallows its prey whole. Based on the rough sketches available, the demon has a long segmented exoskeleton and a round mouth full of serrated teeth. They can grow so large as to fill the moat around Vocans, tail to tip.
Classification: Reptilia
BASE MANA LEVEL: Unknown
MANA ABILITIES: Unknown
NATURAL SKILLS: Burrowing, Sense Tremors
RARITY: Very Rare
DIET: Carnivore
ATTACK/DEFENSE: 1. Bite, 2. Swallow
The Essential List of Spells
Though there are thousands of spells available to summoners, few are useful in a battle situation. Below are a set of the most important spells for a battlemage to be aware of, compiled by James Baker and updated by Electra Mabosi, alchemist at Vocans Academy. It is important to note that several of these spells were discovered by James Baker in his study of orcish culture.
—Dame Fairhaven
Wyrdlight
The wyrdlight is the first spell a summoner learns, producing raw mana from their fingertip. Wyrdlight can be shaped into a ball and controlled with the summoner’s mind, or left to float aimlessly around the room. These balls will dissipate when they touch another spell or another object. Alternatively, wyrdlight can be blasted out of one’s finger to blind an enemy, though this is a wasteful use of mana considering the alternatives.
MANA COST—very low
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—0/10
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—1/10
Fire
One of the four battle spells most commonly used among summoners, the fire spell is useful in that the attacks can be easily shaped into beams, waves or blasts of flame, though a summoner can only direct the spell in an approximately straight line.
MANA COST—medium
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—6/10
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—4/10
Telekinesis
Perhaps the most useful of the battle spells, it is often used in emergencies to blast aside opponents in a wasteful but effective attack. Summoners who are particularly adept with this spell are able to move objects around them, creating a lasso of sorts to move them.
MANA COST—medium
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—3/10
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—5/10
Lightning
Most commonly used to tackle multiple opponents, the lightning spell is capable of jumping between foes. However, the spell kills only when expending a great deal of mana—otherwise, it will only stun the enemy.
MANA COST—high
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—3/10
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—5/10
Shield
The shield is one of the most versatile of a battlemage’s spells. It is particularly hard to master, since it must be shaped carefully with the summoner’s mind. A shield spell can protect its summoner from enemy spells, projectiles and even blows from a sword of mace, but its durability is determined by its thickness, so a balance must often be struck between surface area and depth. Shields will crack or even shatter under too much trauma, and demons are capable of shredding through them with the slightest touch—the demonic energy that forms their bodies is lethal to them.
One additional benefit of a shield is that it is able to be reabsorbed into the body, allowing the summoner to return most of the mana they used in creating it.
MANA COST—medium
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—7/10
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—7/10
Healing
The healing spell is a blessing to summoners, though it does have some drawbacks. Its mana cost is extremely high, it can leave scarring if applied too late after the wound, and it is dangerous to use near broken bones—the spell will sometimes cause the bones to fuse or regrow in dangerous ways, leaving the summoner permanently crippled or maimed, or in extreme cases, it can even cause death.
MANA COST—very high
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—5/10
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—5/10
Barrier
The barrier spell protects the skin from being cut, like a very flexible shield that sheathes around a body. Just as a shield spell does, it protects from attack spells and is ineffective against the touch of a demon. It is most useful as a deterrent from projectiles or close combat weapons. These will still do blunt-force damage, but a sword blow that might cut off an arm will instead break it, as if a bar of metal has struck. The spell is so complex that it requires at least four summoners to create an effective barrier. Across history, Hominum’s kings have used the spell to protect themselves from assassination to this day, keeping a bodyguard of several summoners nearby to maintain its effect.
MANA COST—high
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—9/10
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—9/10
Amplify
The amplify spell is most often used by officers to increase the volume of their voices so that they can give orders to their men in the heat of battle, though they must balance this against the danger of alerting the enemy to their movements. Recently, the spell has been used to allow scrying crystals to replicate sounds that their bonded demons hear through vibration.
MANA COST—very low
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—2/10
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—3/10
Muffle
The antithesis to the amplify spell, the muffle spell can make the surrounding area quieter, if not completely silent. Though it’s most useful when being used to avoid detection on a night raid, it is not unheard of for teachers at Vocans to use the spell when the students are particularly unruly.
MANA COST—very low
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—2/10
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—3/10
Growth
Upon its discovery by Electra Mabosi, Vocans’s alchemist, the growth spell was heralded as the solution for hunger all across Hominum. However, it was soon discovered that the mana cost of such a spell was far too high for such applications. Its main practical application appears to be growing the Medusa plant, as demonstrated by Fletcher Raleigh, Cress Freyja, Sylva Arkenia and Othello Thorsager in their record-breaking time spent in the ether.
MANA COST—very high
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—7/10
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—3/10
Illusion
The illusion spell symbol is unknown. Vocans is only aware of its existence due to historic encounters in the ether with the rare Shen demon, a creature that can create strange visions for prey and predator alike. It is not clear whether the spell creates an actual image in the air or is simply a hallucination caused by the spell itself. For now, it has been classified as an illusion and shall remain that way until a specimen can be captured and dissected.
MANA COST—unknown
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—unknown
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—unknown
Strengthen
The strengthen spell is sometimes confused with the beserk spell, but is in fact only effective against nonorganic matter. Historically it was most often used on weapons and armor before a battle, duel or tournament to prevent them from chipping or shattering, but this practice has fallen out of favor given the high mana cost of the spell and its short lifespan, lasting only for approximately an hour and swiftly becoming less effective throughout. The barrier spell has replaced the strengthen spell’s use on armor in tournaments. In organized duels it is only used when a companion is there to use their mana instead. During battle it is considered a waste, with other spells being more cost effective.
MANA COST—high
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—5/10
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—5/10
Mist
This spell is almost never used due to its complexity, the high mana cost and its relatively useless applications. It is able to draw moisture from the surrounding air to create a mist. The size, shape and longevity of this mist is determined by the skill of the summoner and the humidity of the environment. Some summoners have used this spell to create clean drinking water in a survival situation, concentrating the mist into a ball of liquid above a container. This is an emergency measure, as it would likely take up all the summoner’s mana to do so.
MANA COST—very high
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—8/10
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—8/10
Frost
The frost spell is a recent discovery and has yet to be tested more than a few times on the field of battle. It is most effective in humid or wet environments, turning the moisture into ice, though even in dry conditions it can freeze and shatter an orc’s limb with enough mana.
MANA COST—medium
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—8/10
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—7/10
Ethereal Blade
The ethereal blade is an emergency measure, using a solid white substance to form a double-edged sword of sorts, fixed around the hand used to perform the spell. Though its edges and point are sharp enough to cut, it is easily shattered and is a poor substitute for any other blade. It is also near-useless against demons, dissipating into white light upon contact.
MANA COST—high
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—4/10
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—6/10
Darkness Cloak
This spell was discovered when a summoner named James Baker dissected an Enenra. It has an extremely high mana cost and is complex to etch, but it is occasionally used in battle when the situation warrants it. Darkness cloak literally shadows an area in darkness, hiding those within from sight. It is only effective at night, for during the day the spell will not completely obscure everything within it and the strange shadow effect draws too much attention.
MANA COST—very high
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—8/10
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—8/10
Berserk
The berserk spell is extremely dangerous and should only be used in the most dire of circumstances. The spell caster will gain boundless energy and significantly greater strength, its duration and potency determined by the amount of mana used. However, this comes at a cost. Once the spell has run its course, the summoner will become exhausted. It is not unheard of for a battlemage to fall unconscious in the midst of battle and remain so for several days after the use of this spell, if not collapsing to the ground and being unable to move for several hours. In some cases, where too much mana was used, the user will die. The mana needed for the spell to be effective is surprisingly low, but the amount used is hard to regulate, making it a risky spell to use. It is recommended that summoners always train in this spell with a companion to watch over them and even then to only do so when their mana levels are low, so as not to accidentally use too much and do themselves injury.
MANA COST—low
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—7/10
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—8/10
Anesthesia
This spell is rarely taught at Vocans, given that the healing spell will usually fix most injuries, making the anesthesia spell moot. It has a high mana cost, making it a poor solution for those with long-term chronic pain. However, should there be an injury that a healing spell cannot fix, such as a broken bone, disease or poisoning, and the summoner has no need of their mana at that time, it is possible to provide temporary pain relief through the use of this spell.
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MANA COST—high
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—6/10
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—7/10
Detect Life
This spell is most often used by veteran summoners when hunting for new demons in the jungles of the ether, but it is rarely taught at Vocans anymore due to its difficulty to master, even when studied over several years. Once cast on a living creature, including the summoner themselves, that individual will be able to see nearby living creatures as surrounded by a yellow glow, making it easier for them to track prey. The effect is temporary, usually lasting no more than thirty seconds, but can be useful to use periodically on night watch to help track enemy movements when the cat’s-eye spell will not suffice.
MANA COST—high
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—8/10
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—9/10
Tighten Knot
This spell is extremely simple and is mostly used by lazy summoners when tying their laces, though it has been found to be helpful on ships during strong winds. It is also useful when used in conjunction with the ethereal threads spell.
MANA COST—low
SYMBOL COMPLEXITY—2/10
DIFFICULTY TO MASTER—2/10
Loosen Knot
This is the antithesis of the tighten spell. Though simple, it has saved a few summoners’ lives, especially when being held captive by orcs, though it is hard to perform when their hands are bound. Unfortunately, the focus on the four primary battle spells at Vocans has led to novice summoners forgetting this spell, even when it might help them escape.
The Summoner's Handbook Page 12
