Magic in the Land of Neng

     The Land of Neng is a world filled with supernatural spirits. Humans and others can use magic by manipulating and binding those spirits.

Spirits

     Spirits is a generic term for many things in this world. Spirit includes the life-force of humans and animals, plus a host of supernatural beings who represent various aspects of the physical world. Neng is not quite animist (i.e. not everything has a spirit), but they are extremely common.

     Spirits can be divided up into intelligent spirits and sprites, which are to intelligent spirits like beasts are to humans. All of them can be categorized on what physical shape they represent.

• Running Water: erosion, weakening bonds
• Lakes and Ponds: contemplation, meditation, revelation
• Stagnant Water: corruption
• Ocean: destruction, impermanence, entropy
• Wild Woods: change and mutability
• Farmlands: growth, fertility
• Forest: remembrance
• Rock: permanence, stability, binding and enslaving
• Air: capriciousness, prevents bonding
• Fire: energy, power
• Darkness: concealment, subtle or hidden bonds
• Shadow: deception, lies

     There are other spirits as well. Demons are spirits which devour other spirits, and are universally reviled.

Magic

     Magic in the land of Neng works almost entirely from the binding and manipulation of spirits.

Witchcraft

This is the talent of manipulating bonds. Typical tasks include unraveling curses, applying or nullifying sympathetic magic, and so forth. The local witch will usually specialize in healing, protective charms, and divination.

Sorcery

This is the talent of binding spirits into inanimate objects, creating magical items. Sorcerors deal with passive spirits rather than intelligent ones. However, they are also called upon to bind people's spirits to objects, forming personal links for them. The mage-smith is a common sorceror type, specializing in ensorcelled arms and armor. Mage-smiths are mostly found in Fericope, Harmody and Port Autumn.

Enchantment

This is the talent of binding the spirits of living people or animals to the magician's spirit, forming mental bonds. This is the magic of telepathy and mind control.

Necromancy

A forbidden art of binding the spirits of the dead, and binding other spirits into corpses.

Thaumaturgy

Binding the magician's spirit to a force of nature, controlling elemental spirits (elemental spirits being defined as spirits that are bound to a force of nature)

Wizardry

Communicating with and making willing bargains with spirits.

Demonology

Communicating and bargaining with carnivorous spirits (i.e. spirits that eat other spirits).

Theology

     The current pantheon includes

Harm, god of storms

An old god adopted into the current pantheon.

Baal, god of sleep and death

An old god adopted into the current pantheon.

Lilith, goddess of love (daughter of Baal)

Tyn, goddess of the lake

Bar-ara, goddess of safe voyaging on the sea

Alea, goddess of agriculture

Adero, god of fire and sex

Rei, goddess of Mount Rei

Basatia, goddess of the sea harvest

     The old pantheon consisted of The God of the Stone, Uruth (god of the sun), Erish (goddess of the wild), Harm, and Baal. Of these, Baal and Harm were adopted into the new pantheon while worship of the other old gods ceased.

     There are also minor gods, such as the God of the volcano.