The magic of The Nordean Continent (refer to the maps) is elemental. Gealgath, the kingdom in the west, is the kingdom of earth magic. Each type of magic is ruled by certain guidelines and procedures. Below, the first of four (earth) is explained in detail. The others will follow.
Earth Magic
Earth magic encompasses the realm of rocks, minerals, geologic forces, and animals that walk upon the land (excepting reptiles). It includes dirt, but not grass or any other living plants. It is divided into five fields of study: Manipulation of Earth Substances, Energy Utilization, Earth Healing, Animal Communication & Location, and Earth Communication.
With all mages, it is important to be able to access your power. Dedicated meditation is the only way to access power and restore it once spent. Every mage has a power store within them. For earth mages, that store lies in their hearts. During meditation, a mage can relax and connect with the earth, filling up their power store to maximum capacity. The longer and more practiced the meditation, the more power a mage can hold.
Once meditation is mastered, an earth mage will be able to detect when earth magic is being used. The warning signal will be a red haze. Earth mages cannot detect when other forms of elemental magic are being used, and the same goes for other elemental mages.
The chart below shows the five fields and the minerals that can be used to access power from each.
Links
Each earth mage will form a link with one land animal. The link is as binding as linking with your power stone, and is for life. Once linked, the animal’s lifespan becomes attached to the mage in question. If the mage dies young, the animal dies as well. If the mage lives a long and happy life, the animal exceeds its own natural lifespan by many years. It is a gamble most animals are willing to make, as the benefits of such a link outweigh the risks.
There are many types of animals a mage can link to, although not all animals are suitable for every person. It is not always wise to link to the first animal that exhibits linking potential. For those who find it hard to find potential links however, it may be in your best interest to link with the first match you come across. It mostly depends on the mage.
Links are useful in many respects. First of all, they are lifelong companions. Although they do not speak as humans do, they can still communicate mind to mind, and as long as you live, you will never truly be lonely. Second, links can often go where a mage can’t, for one reason or another. Perhaps you need to glean valuable information, but it would be impossible for you to get it without giving yourself away. You can send your link to innocently overhear the information for you. Most people wouldn’t stop all conversation if a cat happened to walk into the room, but they would if the wrong person did. Third, with your link you can be two places at once. If you are on a journey but you need to know what’s going on back home, you can send your link to check on things. Lastly, you can see through the eyes of your link and into their minds. While you are looking through your link’s eyes, you will not be able to see through your own, so it is suggested that you make sure you are in a secure location before attempting this maneuver.
Power Stones
The earth mage uses minerals as his tools of magic. If he does not have the proper mineral on hand, his access to that field of power will be severely limited and mediocre at best. It can be done, but is not recommended as it is virtually ineffective.
A mage will have a mineral for each category. However, she will specialize in only one field. She will need to choose two stones for the field in which she specializes: a power stone and a secondary stone. The power stone pulls the maximum amount of power from the earth, and the secondary stone supports and focuses it. It is possible to perform earth magic in that field with only one stone, but the mage will not be working at maximum capacity. A mage should have six minerals in total to work with.
When choosing stones in all minor fields, a mage will feel a slight pulsing and the minerals will glow when picked up. The power stone is different. You will feel its effects long before you pick it up. The call of a power stone can be felt as far as five feet away. The closer you get to it the more intense the call becomes, and it doesn’t stop until you’ve finally picked it up. Once you do, your power stone binds with you. The binding process is intense and immediate. The stronger you are naturally, the stronger the bind. The effects can range anywhere from a gentle tingling warmth to a blinding light and force of energy that knocks you off your feet.
Once a mage has chosen his stones those are the six minerals he can use to access his earth powers, and they cannot be substituted with other minerals. All other minerals will be useless to him in terms of magic.
Below is a comprehensive list of possible power and secondary stones for each field. There are additional varieties of the minerals below that are not listed, but still available for use. For example, beryl is the listed mineral, but it has several varieties including (but not limited to) emerald, morganite, and heliodor.