First off, some links to aether and black magic lore that I'm pulling from that you might find helpful:
- Crash Course in Eorzean Aetherology
- The Gem of Shatotto and assorted Black Magic Lore
- Soul Crystal Lore
It is a forbidden magic. Until roughly a century ago, mention of it remained only in the darkest recesses of the Ossuary's library and it was passed down only through word of mouth by select beastmen families, in secret, until Ququruka. Other than that, it was a magic that all but died out some 1,600 years ago during the 6th Umbral Era.
As for how difficult it is to cast, that ultimately depends on the wielder. Originally, magicks were cast using only one's own internal aether. However, black magic was a technique that altered the source of a magi's magicks to come from the planet/the land/the lifestream instead. This allowed the practitioners of early black magic to perform nigh impossible magical feats, such as calling a meteor down from the heavens or animate mountains. As their spells became more extravagant, the more aether was required to fuel these incantations.
So how difficult is it to cast these spells? As difficult as you believe it should be for your character. How did they learn about black magic? They have a soul crystal, which helps a black mage learn and control some of the more powerful spells, but a soul crystal only gives so much insight. A mage must still practice and hone their abilities.
I've gone ahead and pulled some relevant quotes I had on hand about Black Magic:
Hope this helps! ^^
- Crash Course in Eorzean Aetherology
- The Gem of Shatotto and assorted Black Magic Lore
- Soul Crystal Lore
It is a forbidden magic. Until roughly a century ago, mention of it remained only in the darkest recesses of the Ossuary's library and it was passed down only through word of mouth by select beastmen families, in secret, until Ququruka. Other than that, it was a magic that all but died out some 1,600 years ago during the 6th Umbral Era.
As for how difficult it is to cast, that ultimately depends on the wielder. Originally, magicks were cast using only one's own internal aether. However, black magic was a technique that altered the source of a magi's magicks to come from the planet/the land/the lifestream instead. This allowed the practitioners of early black magic to perform nigh impossible magical feats, such as calling a meteor down from the heavens or animate mountains. As their spells became more extravagant, the more aether was required to fuel these incantations.
So how difficult is it to cast these spells? As difficult as you believe it should be for your character. How did they learn about black magic? They have a soul crystal, which helps a black mage learn and control some of the more powerful spells, but a soul crystal only gives so much insight. A mage must still practice and hone their abilities.
I've gone ahead and pulled some relevant quotes I had on hand about Black Magic:
Encyclopedia Eorzea - Black Mage Wrote:In days long past, there existed an occult and arcane art known as black magic - a potent magic of pure destructive force born forth by a sorceress of unparalleled power. Those who learned to wield this instrument of ruin came to be called black mages, out of both fear and respect for their gift. Yet great power served to corrupt the judgement of mortal man, and so he unknowingly set out upon the path of ruin.
In the lands of Yafaem at the peak of the Fifth Astral Era, the genius sorceress Shatotto wove the first spell of the art that became known as "black magic." Over the course of her lifetime, the Mhachi mage's obsessive research into destructive power gave rise to a host of devastating incantations and arcane weaponry.
This new school of magic found many willing students, and cadres of black mages soon formed the offensive core of Mhach's forces in the War of the Magi. But the casting of so many mighty spells drained the land dry of aether, and both sides of the terrible conflict knew defeat when the tortured balance of elements sought to right itself with the great floods of the Sixth Umbral Calamity. It is small wonder, then, that practitioners of the arcane were mistrusted and reviled in the years following this realm-spanning catastrophe. Black magic itself was branded a forbidden art, its secrets consigned to the darkest depths of history. In any age, however, there always exist those whose hunger for knowledge and power drive them to explore the most lightless abyss. Thus it was that scarcely a century ago, a thaumaturge by the name of Ququruka broke the seals of an ancient tome, and secretly donned the black robes of a long-forgotten cabal...
Encyclopedia Eorzea - Ququruka Tataruka Wrote:In his youth, Ququruka was an accomplished thaumaturge who, in his insatiable thirst for arcane knowledge, turned his hand to the forbidden art of black magic. His research was painstakingly slow until he encountered three beastmen who shared his all-consuming obsession. Combining their efforts, they pieced together broken secrets and prepared a ritual by which black magic could be fully restored to the world. In his prideful arrogance, however, Ququruka altered the rite with his own incantations. His meddling disrupted their tenuous command over the chaotic aether, unleashing energies that tore his beastmen friends apart, and reformed them into a singular abomination.
Overcome by horror and remorse, Ququruka returned to Ul'dah, and convinced the authorities to confine him to the Marasaja Pit - the sultanate's deepest of dungeons. There would he lose himself in meditation for a hundred years, until one worthy of donning the black appeared - a successor who could undo the dark deeds he had committed in the name of glory.
Ququruka Wrote:I was an ambitious mage in my youth─insatiable in my thirst for knowledge of the arcane. In the course of my studies, I discovered ancient writings which told of a black magic. A magic capable of destroying as only the gods can. It was innocent at first. Until it wasn't. But then questions began to arise in my mind that demanded answers. Where had all the black mages of old gone? Why had the existence of the art been hidden? And so I probed. Endlessly. Tirelessly. The more I uncovered, the more it drew me in. There was such...power to be had. I was not merely ambitious. I was also vainglorious. I desired recognition. Deference. By accomplishing that which no other could, I sought to make my legacy an eternal one.
Yet the pursuit of black magic was...trying. I would pass days, weeks, months at a time, unsure of how to proceed. And what little progress did come, came but slowly. It was then that I met your ancestors. The Gem of Shatotto, the power to sense magic, the relics─all of these things I owe to them. With their vast knowledge, the slow crawl of my studies turned to leaps and bounds. We toiled together, learning what we could. And learn we did. Much and more. Imagining we had gleaned all that was to be known, we prepared to hold a dark rite─one we believed would restore black magic to its fullest expression.
Encyclopedia Eorzea - The Books of Nald'thal Wrote:These two occult volumes were scribed by the contemporary black mage, Ququruka Tataruka. Written in an obscure code and containing all the knowledge he had gleaned on the forbidden art, Ququruka is said to have set down these secrets of black magic in preparation for the arrival of a worthy successor.
Dozol Meloc Wrote:Many black mages, there were. Long ago. One more powerful than rest. Very powerful. Epic, even. Epic black mage. Black magic too powerful. Too dangerous. Wrong hands must not have. Know this, he did. Ciphered spells. Hid secrets. Dark way passed to few. Very few. Teaching, writing, spread over realm. Lost to time, they were. Forgotten. Knowledge of my line, this is. Passed to Dozol from mother. From mother of mother. From mother of mother of mother. Four hatchings past. Strong mage, she was. Epic, even. Epic mage! Great love for dark art. More than anything. Joined with lizardmen to learn all. Named betrayer, she was. Chased from village. Squaaawk! Her words, Dozol keeps. Teach to strong now.
Lalai Wrote:The origins of black magic can be traced back many, many years - to the beginning of the Fifth Astral Era, to be precise. There lived at that time in Eorzea a powerful sorceress named Shatotto, who strived to push the destructive power of magic to its very limits. The typical practice of magi is to weave magic using their own aether. The ability to do so is the greatest magical gift, yet at the same time that gift’s greatest limit.
Shatotto was able to overcome such inherent limitations by developing a new technique which allowed her to draw upon the aether all around her as the fount of her magic. It was this technique that came to be known as black magic. Following the War of the Magi and the Sixth Umbral Calamity, however, black magic was branded far too great a danger to life, and so its use and even its mere mention were made forbidden. Over time, it came to be forgotten entirely. Or so it was thought…
Raya-O-Senna Wrote:It was then that a brilliant young sorceress - for the first time in history - succeeded in channeling not merely her own life energy, but the aether that inhabits the very land itself. Her magic was that of destruction: black magic.
Lalai Wrote:But as you well know, the power of black magic lies in its great potential for destruction. The slightest errancy in its use may give rise to the most tragic of disasters. Of the disappearance of the black mages from Eorzea, Master says only, “We must not repeat the errors of the past.â€
Zhai'a Nelhah Wrote:That being said, I am a conjurer. Were I to witness black magic used with ill intent, I would not hesitate to take action. Even if it were you, Lalai, I would hunt you down without mercy. You'd do well to not forget that my order still considers your black magic forbidden.
Encyclopedia Eorzea - Ambient Aether Wrote:Ambient aether suffuses the natural world - when this energy is leeched dry, the surrounding land is stripped of its capacity to bear forth life. For most arcane arts, a mage’s own reserves of mana suffice to fuel even the most powerful incantations, but certain formidable spells from the school of black magic drink deep of the world’s wells of life energy.
Dozol Meloc Wrote:Dozol understands now! Squaaawk! Read the Book of Thal, they did. Learned of mother of mother of mother of Dozol, learned of her secrets─Dozol's secrets. Made clear, their pursuit is! But these wounds... Perhaps Dozol has an explanation. These men did not have the Gem of Shatotto! Squaaawk! Dozol thinks that is why they died. Gem is proof that Sounsyy is true black mage. Gem brims with magical power. Without the Gem of Shatotto, impossible to control, the most powerful black magic is! Squaaawk! Lost control, these mages did. Aether within their own bodies ignited! Burned alive from the inside. Painful way to die, it is.
Zhaia Nelhah Wrote:So these Defiant mages fell victim to their own arrogance─using dark magicks that far outstripped their ability to control them. So Sounsyy isn't at fault...
Encyclopedia Eorzea - The Ruins of Belah'dia Wrote:Descendants of Mhachi mages sought to escape persecution through the founding of Belah’dia. As a result, the forbidden black magicks of their forebears did not die out, and were instead cleverly integrated into their worship of the sun goddess, Azeyma.
Yayake Wrote:The nation of Ul'dah inherited its traditions from ancient Belah'dia, a city founded by the descendants of the first mages. The secrets of these illustrious sorcerers were ultimately entrusted to the priests of the Order of Nald'thal, who have passed them down from generation to generation ever since.
Yayake Wrote:The prisoner's name is Ququruka Tataruka, and as if his story were not proof enough of his lunacy, he also styles himself a black mage. But such magic was lost to Eorzea centuries ago. Who does this senile charlatan think he will fool with such rubbish?
Hope this helps! ^^
