Black Magic - The dilemna of the Gem of Shattoto

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Additional Black Mage Lore

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 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 mageâ€™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 worldâ€™s wells of life energy.

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 giftâ€™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 thoughtâ€¦

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.

Encyclopedia Eorzea Wrote:Descendants of Mhachi mages sought to escape persecution through the founding of Belahâ€™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.

Dozolmeloc Wrote: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.

The Waning of the Sixth Sun Wrote:The Sixth Umbral Era
The peoples of the Fifth Astral Era will be remembered for building their civilization on a foundation of magic, relentlessly tapping Hydaelyn of her lifeblood to indulge their decadence. The burden of the planet, however, would prove too great. Aetherial balance was lost, and the elements ran wild. At the urgent behest of a party of twelve shadowy figures history only remembers as the Archons, the nations agree to consolidate their remaining resources and form the Grand Companies of Eorzea in an attempt to forestall the coming apocalypse. But it was too little, too late. The damage done to Hydaelyn was irreversible, and the people could only wait and watch as their fates played out.

Rain fell from the skies for three score days and three score nights until all but the highest peaks were submerged in an endless sea. Whole cities were swallowed, entire populations lost. The Fifth Astral Era had come to a close, ushering the darkness of the Sixth Umbral Era.

Rebuilding a Realm - (Year 1~400)
The scars of the Sixth Umbral Era ran deep, instilling despair into the hearts of the realms survivors. Fearing that its continued use might further their woes, the art of magic was forbidden. Libraries housing ancient tomes were put to flame, while those who practiced - or were rumored to practice - the art of spellcraft were hunted down and tried as criminals. Many a learned man met the same demise, as the masses had become so incensed they could no longer distinguish the difference between science and sorcery. With the majority of their greatest minds lost, the few remaining nations of the Fifth Astral Era crumbled and vanished, their peoples scattering about the realm to lay claim to what little resources remained. Driven by the primal urge to survive, tribes and clans banded together into small communities and began a centuries-long journey to rebuild their broken lives.