Sacred 2:Book 2 - Fire Magic

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From the Books of Magic
Book 2

Fire Magic

"Fiery balls sped like comets across the battlefield and destroyed everything in their wake. Spirals of flames and the bright lights of explosions blinded friend and foe alike as they lit the night sky. I wielded my sword relentlessly but wherever my blade struck, it only cut deep into the charred flesh."

--- Description of the battle of An-Athail

The destructive powers of fire have been known since the beginning of time. Fire kills effectively and fast. Thus, it is not surprising that the school of Fire Magic focuses on destructive fire spells.

The most basic form of fire magic simply heats an item. The ethereal essence of the target object is transformed into energy. As this process is straight forward it is possible to reach extremely high temperatures. Although this form of Fire Magic can only be applied to inanimate matter it has a variety of uses. Some suspect that the famous alloys, which the Dwarves manufactured in their forges, were the result of strong fire magic as the temperatures for these alloys were impossible to create by natural means.

Evoking and focusing fire in an open space is much more difficult and requires considerable experience. Once this step has been mastered, the evoker is able to stabilize and maintain fire energy, confining it to a small space until it hits its designated target discharging its full potential upon impact. These fire globes are magically accelerated, which renders them deadly projectiles typically referred to as "Fire Balls".

"My first successful fireball required half an hour of preparation. When I finally bundled enough energy and attempted to hurl it towards the stone target in front of me, my strength faltered and my fireball sped off in the opposite direction towards the window. There, it struck my mentor's chest - may the Gods be merciful - and singed off his beard. I think he never forgave me for that."

--- From the memoirs of Arch Mage Jaquemart

The most complex part of Fire Magic has to be the combination of all known aspects in order to create or conquer flame beings that are able to act independently or follow their conjurer's orders. This aspect of Fire Magic can create fire elementals or conjure existing beings such as fire demons. Only the most powerful and experienced magicians are able to deal with this aspect and control these beings. However, many have succumbed to the temptations of these powers and have lost their lives during their feeble attempts. Despite centuries of research, fire magic has not been conclusively explored yet. New possibilities to make fire effects even more deadly are constantly being discovered. Fire Magic is already consistently being used by all civilized armies and has become a tactical element during battles and sieges.

However, no mortal being has been able to compete with the annihilating powers of Dragon fire. The fire breath of these creatures is the most devastating form of fire magic. Many magicians have attempted to research the nature of the Dragons in order to reveal the secret behind their fire breath. So far, all their efforts have been in vain.

"The old dragon regarded me with an expression resembling both boredom and concealed curiosity while I concentrated. I hurled the fire beam towards the rock and barely held onto my footing during the recoil. The impact of the beam split the rock in two. 'Well, what do you think?' I inquired.

The Dragon stared at the split rock for a while, then his eyes turned towards me and finally wandered back to the rock. He made a vague movement with his head and a thin, bright beam shot towards the rock, melting it down to a small puddle of lava. 'It does make things easier, when you use fire,' he retorted before he rose and flew away."

--- Torquez the Elder, in "Pyrotechnica Arcana"

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