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Haviland · **11-09-2015, 06:03 PM**

Im currently leveling my character. And still working on back story and stuff. But I had a couple questions some of you might be able to clear up for me.Â

As of now I'm thinking my character may chaotic good or neutral good and will want to practice black magic even though he is aware it is outlawed. To be honest I don't think he will use it in the open but I want there to be that side of him.

My idea is that he will be caught using it and though it was for good, he ends up looking really guilty. And kind up escapes and lays low for a while. My questions are:

1) what exactly is the legality of Black Magic. Is it outlawed everywhere, or just Ul'dah and what exactly would that kind of punishment entail. How do most people react to it. (Maybe you can tell me what your character might think of a black Mage using it for good).Â

2) can someone explain why it's outlawed, I have an idea but I'm not sure.Â

3) what would my character have to keep in mind when "laying low"

4) any other general knowledge of Black Mage is very much appreciated. I pretty much have my story down just need to get these details.

Ashe · **11-09-2015, 06:20 PM**

1) I would think it's outlawed everywhere? Someone can correct me if I'm wrong though...but its destructive nature would make it unwelcome just about everywhere.

2) http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread....#pid133888 [best answer as to why that I've seen]

3) Don't use their magic in public would probably suffice...

4) It's important that your Black Mage have a soulstone. Those who don't will spontaneously combust...Black Magic isn't really void related, so you don't have to be all "Imma summon demons and shit."

...
I think that thread I linked is really the best explanation for what it is though...

Desu Nee · **11-09-2015, 06:20 PM**

(11-09-2015, 06:03 PM)Haviland Wrote: Im currently leveling my character. And still working on back story and stuff. But I had a couple questions some of you might be able to clear up for me.Â

As of now I'm thinking my character may chaotic good or neutral good and will want to practice black magic even though he is aware it is outlawed. To be honest I don't think he will use it in the open but I want there to be that side of him.

My idea is that he will be caught using it and though it was for good, he ends up looking really guilty. And kind up escapes and lays low for a while. My questions are:

1) what exactly is the legality of Black Magic. Is it outlawed everywhere, or just Ul'dah and what exactly would that kind of punishment entail. How do most people react to it. (Maybe you can tell me what your character might think of a black Mage using it for good).Â

2) can someone explain why it's outlawed, I have an idea but I'm not sure.Â

3) what would my character have to keep in mind when "laying low"

4) any other general knowledge of Black Mage is very much appreciated. I pretty much have my story down just need to get these details.

And for my occasional serious reply.

1) Black Magic is, while mostly forgotten, highly illegal. If someone that knows what you are doing is Dark Magic, and tell someone that also knows what that is, you can bet you are going to the chopping block, if not being killed before so it never comes out. It's highly illegal, destroys the land, and very few people would have genuine good intentions with it. Don't be fooled with the Class Quest. They are exceptions rather than the norm, and are hidden for a very good reason.

2) Black Magic drains the magic from the land itself, and in wide scale it literally slowly kills the planet. Black Magic and White Magic almost destroyed the entire world, and caused one of the Cataclysms in Eorzea. Suffice to say, no one wants to see that happen again, which is why Black Magic is highly illegal, and the elements drowned all practictioners and made only Padjals allowed to use them.

3) They would have to keep in mind that using it publicy would screw them over in the long run. While they are easier to disguise themselves as a "really good thaumaturge", if your cast is too powerful for your own body to handle (Like a Flare), be sure that SOMEONE will pick that up, and unless they are close to you, will more than likely tell you off to the authorities; again, very few people have good intentions with Black Magic.

4) Not much, my hard lore knowledge isn't very wealthy, and I'm sure others will tell you better. You can find Soul Stones in Sil'Dil and Belah'dian ruins mostly, and that the magic slowly kills the land. It is insanely powerful, but very easy to fall in the wrong hands and be abused, due to it's massive power of destruction. It's illegality is very well justified.

**Unnamed Mercenary** · **11-09-2015, 06:25 PM**

(11-09-2015, 06:03 PM)Haviland Wrote: Im currently leveling my character. And still working on back story and stuff. But I had a couple questions some of you might be able to clear up for me.Â

As of now I'm thinking my character may chaotic good or neutral good and will want to practice black magic even though he is aware it is outlawed. To be honest I don't think he will use it in the open but I want there to be that side of him.

My idea is that he will be caught using it and though it was for good, he ends up looking really guilty. And kind up escapes and lays low for a while. My questions are:

1) what exactly is the legality of Black Magic. Is it outlawed everywhere, or just Ul'dah and what exactly would that kind of punishment entail. How do most people react to it. (Maybe you can tell me what your character might think of a black Mage using it for good).Â

2) can someone explain why it's outlawed, I have an idea but I'm not sure.Â

3) what would my character have to keep in mind when "laying low"

4) any other general knowledge of Black Mage is very much appreciated. I pretty much have my story down just need to get these details.

1) Black Magic is strictly outlawed in Thanalan and from what I've heard, The Black Shroud (Gridania). Punishments from what I can speculate would likely involve being gaoled (put in jail) and probably having your wand/scepter/focus confiscated, if not destroyed.
1a) Most people looking at Black Magic could probably not tell that it was any different from Thaumaturgy. This is a major sore point of FFXIV 1.0 Lore being overwritten by patch 1.18 (and later 2.0) Battle team adjusting classes/jobs to fit into thematic roles. (1.0 Thaumaturge was more a blood mage. Conjurers had all the elemental magic. This is not the case anymore). To someone knowledgeable in magic, and perhaps skills in measuring/sensing aether, it would be very clear that the caster was not using their own internal aether reserves (like a thaumaturge) and was instead forcibly ripping aether out of the land to power their spells.

2) Highly recommended: War of Magi threads. Black Magic is a destructive force (made for destruction) that steals aether from the land to generate its spells. While not related to the void/void magic in any way, it is said that voidsent did help the Black Mages of old learn more destructive spells. After the fall of Mhach, the magic was outlawed for its destructive power, but high-ranking thaumaturges are said to have the old tomes and continue to practice it.

3) Do. Not. Cast. Black. Magic.

4) I'll try to find some of the related threads, if someone doesn't beat me to it. (Looking at Sounsyy for that. She's the lore queen and has better sources).

FreelanceWizard · **11-09-2015, 07:11 PM**

1. Based on the ARR/HW BLM quest line all the way to 60, Black Magic is illegal in Thanalan as it's considered heretical and dangerous by the church of Nald'thal. Across Eorzea, the Hearers of Stillglade Fane (the Conjurers' Guild) enforce the ban and seem to have no quarrel with bringing a Black Mage back to Gridania for judgment, no matter where in Eorzea they're caught. It's clear the Fane doesn't consider Coerthas, Dravania, or even Thanalan outside of its jurisdiction. It's not known how Limsa Lominsa feels about it from those quests. In short, it's not a safe thing to advertise if you know how to use it.

2 and 3 others have more or less answered. Smile

Of course, you needn't have Black Magic to be able to produce impressive effects; by way of comparison, a very powerful Thaumaturge can shake the heavens, while a Black Mage can call down meteors. There are also other magicks and techniques capable of producing impressive destruction, including repurposed Allagan technology, machinistry, and magitek, as well as your character's own personal magical research.

As for question 4, the BLM 50-60 quest line indicates a few interesting things. One, there is (was) at least one organization, the Defiant, actively seeking to recover Black Magic for their own use. However, without a soulstone to mediate the magic's power, a Black Mage can incinerate themselves from the inside out with the forces they try to unleash. Stillglade Fane remains well aware and actively opposed to the practice of Black Magic, attempting to stamp it out wherever they find it.

Sounsyy · **11-09-2015, 07:23 PM**

(11-09-2015, 06:03 PM)Haviland Wrote: 1) what exactly is the legality of Black Magic. Is it outlawed everywhere, or just Ul'dah and what exactly would that kind of punishment entail. How do most people react to it. (Maybe you can tell me what your character might think of a black Mage using it for good).

As best we can tell, it's illegal across Eorzea. We have specific examples of its illegality in Gridania, Ishgard, and Ul'dah. In Gridania, it's punishable by death. In Ul'dah, life in a gaol known as the Marasaja Pit. In Ishgard it's considered heresy and also punishable by death.

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.

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(11-09-2015, 06:03 PM)Haviland Wrote: 2) can someone explain why it's outlawed, I have an idea but I'm not sure.

More information on the specifics will become available during tomorrow's Void Ark story, but what we know is that roughly 1,600 years ago three great civilizations built upon magic went to war. These were Amdapor, Mhach, and Nym. We believe the Mhachi Black Mages were the aggressors who attacked both Amdapor and Nym. But all three nations wielded magicks so powerful that it began to take a toll on Hydaelyn. At some point during the War of the Magi, the Mhachi began using their magicks to open Voidgates and summoning powerful, uncontrollable entities into the world. By this point, so much aether had been drained from the planet that Hydaelyn nearly died. The Archons of the time period tried to stop the war, but the damage was too extensive. In one last attempt to save the world, the elementals summoned the Element of Nihility, Oha-Sok, who drowned the world in water and called the Great Flood.

What few people survived the flood vowed to never again use those magicks. What followed was several hundred years of witch hunts against sorcerers, magi, and even scientists. Books were burned and all traces of the magicks were buried. Out of the ashes, a city called Belah'dia was formed by fugitive mages from around Eorzea who banded together to preserve their knowledge of magic, though they agreed that Black Magic should never again see the light of day, they reverted to the magic's forefather, Thaumaturgy, and over time came the religious Order of Nald'thal.

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.

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(11-09-2015, 06:03 PM)Haviland Wrote: 3) what would my character have to keep in mind when "laying low"

Your character needs a Black Mage Soulstone, known as a Gem of Shatotto, in order to safely cast Black Magic. Also, attempting to summon anything using the dark arts is a dead giveaway of your secret, so might not want to do that in public. Most people should not be able to distinguish a Thaumaturge using Fire from a Black Mage using Fire though.

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.

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(11-09-2015, 06:03 PM)Haviland Wrote: 4) any other general knowledge of Black Mage is very much appreciated. I pretty much have my story down just need to get these details.

You might find these links helpful:
-THM/BLM Lore Compilation
-War of the Magi Theories, Summary, and Lore
-Spellcasting and Aether Sources
-Black Mages and Materia Theory (THM Quest Cutscenes)

Hope this helps! ^^

Haviland · **11-10-2015, 12:05 AM**

Thanks guys, I'm thinking the soul stone could be something that was passed down, and I only pull it out when necessary to survive or extreme anger.

OverlordOutpost · **11-13-2015, 07:44 PM**

(11-10-2015, 12:05 AM)Haviland Wrote: Thanks guys, I'm thinking the soul stone could be something that was passed down, and I only pull it out when necessary to survive or extreme anger.

It's definitely worth noting that if you pull it out to survive or in extreme anger; your character's goals should be "no survivors"... friend or foe. Â Any survivors reporting it would mean your character's life is forfeit. Â It's that kind of cost that makes a Black Mage either incredibly limited in use, or a one-time pony ride before the chopping block.

V'aleera · **11-13-2015, 11:03 PM**

(11-13-2015, 07:44 PM)OverlordOutpost Wrote:
(11-10-2015, 12:05 AM)Haviland Wrote: Thanks guys, I'm thinking the soul stone could be something that was passed down, and I only pull it out when necessary to survive or extreme anger.

It's definitely worth noting that if you pull it out to survive or in extreme anger; your character's goals should be "no survivors"... friend or foe. Â Any survivors reporting it would mean your character's life is forfeit. Â It's that kind of cost that makes a Black Mage either incredibly limited in use, or a one-time pony ride before the chopping block.

Not necessarily. Black Magic is not inherently distinguishable from typical Thaumaturgy except by those with either the ability to recognize when a Thaumaturge is no longer drawing from their own aetheric stores or the knowledge to know that a given spell is strictly impossible to cast without the use of Black Magic.

Using a Flare spell to vaporize a small army will out you for sure. Pumping some extra juice into an otherwise standard fire spell, on the other hand, is more likely to go unnoticed.

Reiner Dorn · **11-13-2015, 11:08 PM**

Yes letting you know, I'm always watching. I'd hate to have to add you on the Witch Hunt list XD

Black Mage legality and questions.

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes