(07-11-2017, 03:25 PM)Val Wrote: Red magic isn't the same as Black and White magic.
Black magic takes from the world and, as far as I recall, White magic takes from the elementals. Red magic, instead, uses the caster's own aether instead of that from the world around them. The spells won't (or shouldn't) be as powerful--keeping in line with the Red Mage being a jack of all trades/master of none, but it allows them to cast the spells without having the same limitations of others.
As to how this knowledge exists, the black/white mages bailed after the war and developed the techniques to allow them to safely cast without harming their surroundings in the process.
I don't think it would be banned so much as very hard to come by since it's more or less ancient information that's only been passed down by those people. Though I imagine there exists ancient texts or whatever that could be found and such.
More exactly, White Magic aka Succor draws upon the Land in the exact same fashion than Black Magic. Not from the Elementals. This is also why it destroys the planet as surely as black magic when abused. Succor is not Conjury, for which you pray and get attuned with Elementals to borrow from the land (or else Elementals would just have to block everyone from using Succor, and we wouldn't see The Stillglade Fane Police running around and pointing fingers at trespassers and whatnot).
Now the control over Succor is strongly enforced by Elementals and Padjals, but I suspect it wasn't that so in the time of Amdapor before the Elemental got pissed and flooded everyone. Pure speculation on my part on this specific bit but I also suspect that the WhM soulstone plays a role as important as gems of Shattoto for the BLM.
Red Magic takes aether from the user like Thaumaturgy/Arcanima does yes. And like Conjury can. Or like a BLM or any WHM can. Red Magic however still remains a combination of Black and White magic, and as such, can draw upon the land like the former do. I don't have the specific quote under hand anymore from the RDM questline, but if I remember correctly it's said that RDM founders especially imposed upon themselves not to draw from the land: it is thus a self imposed constraint and not especially part of the mechanics behind the magic.
I doubt Red Magic is banned for the simple reason that nobody's really in contact with remote places in Gyr Abania but it's ultimately hard to tell how that illegality of old magics dating back from Amdapor and Mhach was seen and enforced in Gyr Abania and Ala-Migho before their fall. However, I wouldn't bet my hat that if someone with conservative views was explained that Red Magic is actually just a combination of the two magics that lead the world to the 6th Umbral Calamity, that they would turn a deaf ear over the matter. (Do we have more info on how the Crimson Duellists were seen at the court of Ala-Migho?)
Balmung:Â Suen Shyu