CastingCircles

Casting Circles

Mages can use casting circles to temporarily change the magic level of a small area.

When the mage draws a casting circle they can exert their will to pull magic into or out of the surrounded area.

How much a mage can affect the magic level depends on many factors:

The Strength of the Mage

The mage must exert their will and concentration to cause the effect. Mages with greater willpower will have a more pronounced effect.

The mage must maintain concentration to build up the magic. Once the desired level is obtained, the mage must maintain awareness to prevent the magic from "leaking" back out - though they will be able to do other things so long as they maintain conscious awareness of the circle (the mage must stay close and must remain conscious).

How Big the Casting Circle Is

A small circle can hold less magic, but the relative difference in magic levels can be greater and the effect will be easier to maintain.

A larger circle can hold more magic, but the magic user will have more trouble keeping it contained so the magic will leak out faster.

A new mage might be able to influence a ring-sized circle, while a powerful mage might be able to control a casting circle as big as a room.

How Perfect the Circle Is and What Material It Is Made From

A roughly crafted circle of dirt or rope will be harder for a mage to work with while a finely crafted silver ring might be easy enough for even a novice to affect.

Mages often carry circles of various sizes that they can use to help collect magic if needed - especially when charging tokens or enchantments.

Iron, Silver, and Bone

A circle of iron or steel will resist changes in magic, either holding the magic in or keeping it out. A circle of iron will be harder to charge, but will hold a charge longer with less mental effort. Well-made iron circles have been known to hold magic for very long times.

Because iron circles resist changes in magic, they can also be used defensively against magic. Items inside an iron circle are harder to influence with magic, and powerful people will often surround themselves with finely crafted iron circles as protection - the better the circle is made, the more protection it can offer.

A circle of silver will be easier to charge and will charge higher than other circles, but will also require more concentration and awareness to keep charged.

Circles of bone are rare because they tend to be fragile and very finicky - a mage can rarely have more than 2 or 3 on their person without them interfering with each other. A circle of bone will draw in magic without the mage's conscious effort (though with their effort a bone circle will draw in faster). Circles of bone tend to be fairly small due to their source, but mages seek them out and will often embed them in staves.

Multiple Mages

If multiple mages work on the same circle, the effect of their willpower will "average" out so the final effect will be a bit less than the most powerful of them, but on the plus side only one of them has to maintain full concentration to maintain the accumulation of magic - so others can work on building the spell to be cast.

Also, multiple mages can work a larger circle so will be able to have a greater effect that way - but again the effect is not additive. A large group of mages might be able to influence a circle as big as a small house, but it would be extremely exhausting.

Other Effects of Casting Circles

Once a casting circle is created and a mage activates it by pushing their will into it, it will act as a kind of "shield" against many magical effects either dampening or completely negating the spell.

Once activated, the casting circle will also prevent fairy activity both inside the circle as well as in nearby areas outside the circle.