Magic

Mages
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A mage is any individual who uses magic, regardless of type. Those that use elemental magic are simply called "elemental mages" as a general class. Specific types of elemental mage are referred to by their element -- eg, "earth mages", "fire mages", etc. Users of arcane magic are referred to as "arcane mages", "arcanists", or "wizards". Users of shamanic magic are called "shamans". Users of witchcraft are called "witches" or (for more powerful individuals) "warlocks".

Mana
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Magical energy. Elemental mages possess intrinsic personal mana stores, which they can use to produce magical effects. An elemental mage can deplete their mana supply, but it gradually recovers over time given proper rest and nutrition.
Mana can also be found in the environment, though it generally isn't prevalent enough to be of note (however, see Arcane Magic, below). Certain locales may possess notably high mana levels, influencing the use of magic and sometimes even causing spontaneous magical occurrences; geographers note that such locales seem to be arranged in certain patterns, called ley lines. Mages of all kinds have been known to seek out ley lines to avail themselves of the increased mana supply.

Healing Magic
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While arcanists have had little success formulating healing spells, healing magic is fairly common among elemental mages, particularly those with command over earth, water, or light. Magic can be used to rapidly heal wounds and reverse the effects of poisons and diseases, with more severe damage being exponentially harder to heal. Healing magic is generally more efficient when the healer can touch the patient directly, but particularly skilled mages can heal from a distance, even healing multiple subjects at once.

Healing magic works in large part by stimulating the patient's own inherent life force to induce rapid healing. This means that, while it generally will leave a subject much better off than if they had to deal with the original wound or disease, it may induce a temporary weakness and fatigue. This drain is negligible for healing relatively minor wounds, but the expenditure of life force increases exponentially for more grievous wounds. A skilled healer mage or a good potion can rescue a mortally wounded patient from the brink of death and prevent the risk of infection to the wound, but doing so will typically leave the patient very weak or even unconscious for several days until their life force recovers. In short, while healing magic is certainly far superior to nonmagical healing, it is not entirely without a price.

Finally, it is important to note that resurrection of the dead is absolutely unheard of. While some sages speculate that it may be possible in theory (and indeed, legends tell of powerful otherworldly beings with such capabilities), it is generally considered to be far beyond the reach of human magic.


Elemental Magic
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The most common form. Certain individuals possess the innate talent to manipulate one of the seven elements that comprise the fundamental building blocks of existence. The elements govern not only material things and forms of energy, but also metaphysical concepts, and elemental mages can enhance concepts associated with their element as well as manipulating its physical manifestations.
Elemental magic is instinctive and intuitive, requiring little to no formal training and no rituals or tools. Thus, it is fairly easy to use in conjunction with conventional combat, making it popular for adventuring. The talent for elemental magic is more common among women than men, leading to a relatively large number of women taking up the adventuring profession.

The Elements
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The seven elements are broadly categorized as alchemical (earth, air, water, and fire -- so named because they are the primary components of physical matter and thus of primary interest in alchemy), quintessential (light and darkness -- so named because they are sometimes considered two aspects of a single fifth element, or "quintessence"), and primordial (aether -- so called because it is the basic, original state of all things).
	Earth: Governs soil, stone, metal, and plants. Most earth mages tend to lean strongly toward either the inorganic or organic aspects of the element. It is also associated with the concepts of dryness, hardness, stability, heaviness, gravitas, nurturing, and growth.
	Air: Governs wind, weather, and lightning. Associated with the concepts of quickness, fickleness, nimbleness, cheer, and excitement.
	Water: Governs water and ice. Associated with the concepts of coldness, mutability, flexibility, calmness, cleansing, soothing, and lifegiving.
	Fire: Governs heat and flame. Associated with the concepts of aggression, destruction, anger, passion, purification, and progress.
	Light: Governs light, naturally, but as a quintessential element is mostly defined by metaphysical associations. Light is associated with truth, revelation, knowledge, hope, blessing, and righteousness. Though it is associated with "light", this does not mean that manipulation of the light element can accomplish anything that might be accomplished by manipulating light as we understand it in real-world scientific terms. While it may be true that one can conceal or create illusions by manipulating physical light, deception is antithetical to the element of light. A light mage could create brilliant light to blind, or dazzling patterns of color to disorient, but concealing or deceiving is beyond them.
	Darkness: Sometimes also known as shadow. In addition to causing darkness, the element is associated with the metaphysical concepts of falsehood, concealment, ignorance, fear, misfortune, and dishonor. Note that while light and darkness generally carry positive and negative connotations, respectively, neither element is inherently "good" or "evil" per se.
	Aether: The most basic and unrefined element from which the fabric of existence itself is woven on the most fundamental level. Aether is not strictly speaking an "element", but rather the basic, undifferentiated form from which the other six elements are derived. Aether mages are significantly rarer than other types of elemental mages, and have the ability to handle basic forces like motion, thought, the flows of magic, and the threads of fate.


Arcane Magic
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A learned art, a means of producing magical effects by way of complex rituals. It requires extensive study, making it a rarity outside of the wealthy elite (who are the only ones with time to spare for such things). Arcanists are often also referred to as "wizards". Arcane magic is capable of creating far more varied and exotic effects than elemental magic, making arcane mages far more versatile than elemental mages. However, there are several drawbacks to the method from an adventuring standpoint. In spite of these drawbacks, it's still not uncommon for arcanists to find a place with adventuring parties due to their uniquely varied skillset.
Arcane magic is based not on elements (though it does ultimately manipulate the elements), but rather concepts and symbolism. Arcane rituals work by combining components (including items, inscriptions, gestures, and incantations) evocative of a particular concept or principle in such a way that their individually negligible metaphysical signatures interact synergistically to shape the flow of mana, producing a magical effect. A crucial part of all arcane rituals is the mindset of the caster, and much of arcane training involves learning to cultivate the proper thought patterns necessary to produce specific effects. Because of this subjective influence, arcane spells always have a certain personal flair, unique to the caster -- for instance, while two wizards may perform the same ritual to create a fireball, one wizard's fireball may manifest in the form of a swarm of fiery bats tearing at the surroundings, while the other's may appear as an eerily placid orb of eldritch blue plasma.

Arcane Spell Preparation
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Arcane rituals require a lot of time and a lack of distractions, making them more or less impossible to perform in stressful, rushed circumstances like combat. Fortunately, arcanists have found a way to work around this by preparing spells in advance. Spells can be prepared by means of a modified ritual that leaves the spell as an unfinished magical imprint, allowing it to be triggered at a later time by means of a relatively simple ritual. However, these prepared spells take a toll on the caster's stamina to maintain the magical imprint, limiting the number of spells that an arcanist can prepare at once. And of course, this means that an arcanist needs to try to anticipate what spells they might need on short notice throughout the coming day.

Arcane Vestments
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Arcane rituals require specialized vestments, typically in the form of intricately woven and embroidered robes, effectively precluding the use of armor. Specialized vestments are sometimes made to accentuate certain types of spells, incorporating details and motifs that enhance those types of magic.

Wands
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A wand is a long, roughly cylindrical item, typically wooden (though sometimes other materials may be suitable), ranging in size from a short stick to a full-size staff, necessary for all arcane rituals. Urban socialites typically favor short, thin wands, similar to a conductor's baton, which can be comfortably carried in one's pocket. Wizards in positions of political or military authority typically use scepter- or rodlike wands, serving double duty as arcane implement and symbol of office. Wizards who do a lot of traveling (including most practically-minded adventuring wizards) favor full-size staffs for their usefulness on the road and in combat. Wands often get in the way of using a weapon (though wands of sufficient size can serve as passable weapons in their own right), and losing one's wand prevents the use of spells, so clever enemies will often try to separate arcanists from their wands.


Shamanic Magic
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Shamanic magic stems from old religious traditions that worship various ancestral or nature spirits, and with the decline of these religions, the shamanic form of magic has similarly passed into obscurity. Shamanism in most contemporary cultures is viewed as quaint, archaic superstition at best, and borderline demon worship at worst. Thus, in most regions, shamanic magic is by far the rarest form.
Shamans use offerings and ritualistic worship to please the spirits, inducing them to form a pact allowing the shaman to borrow the spirit's power. Shamans generally have few limits, if any, on how frequently they can use their magic, since drawing on the spirits' powers doesn't require any expenditure of personal energy reserves like elemental or arcane magic does. However, their magic is typically much more narrowly focused than even elemental magic, and even the spirits can be exhausted if the shaman asks for too extreme a favor.


Spellsong
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A rare and most peculiar form of magic, spellsong is basically just what it sounds like: the mage uses music to channel magical forces. Like elemental magic, spellsong seems to be an inborn talent, with spellsingers displaying their potential from a very young age. Practitioners of the art are called "spellsingers", though this is not entirely accurate as not every spellsinger actually sings. While a spellsinger must always make some form of music in order to exert any sort of magical effect, this might be singing, playing an instrument, or possibly both at once. Whichever form of music the spellsinger is most comfortable and proficient with is generally the most effective for spellsong, and in fact the potency of the song seems to correlate to the quality of the accompanying musical performance. The effect of the spellsong usually has some connection to the style of the song; for instance, a soft, soothing song can induce sleep or slow a combatant's reaction speed, whereas a fast, energetic song might enhance one's own reflexes or provoke a subject to recklessness. The effects of spellsong most often are subtle, affecting perception, emotion, and the like, but more powerful spellsingers have been known to also be able to manipulate environmental features (for instance, causing plants to grow rapidly and move at their will). However, spellsong is generally believed to be incapable of more dramatic effects, such as summoning, conjuring, and blasts of elemental energy.


Witchcraft
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None of the above-mentioned categories of magic are readily accessible to just anyone. Elemental magic and spellsong are simply inborn talents -- either you have it, or you don't. Arcane magic requires years of intense study, and even that is no guarantee of success if you have trouble mastering the basic principles and cultivating the proper mindset. Shamanic magic requires a sincere devotion to the spirits; simply going through the motions doesn't cut it.
But there is one route to supernatural power that anyone can access with ease: Witchcraft. Powerful demon lords lie sealed away in the Abyss, able to exert only the tiniest influence on the mortal realm. They use this influence to reach out to mortals, offering them power in exchange for aid in loosening their bonds. By performing the twisted rituals their demonic patron prescribes, the mortal patsy -- the witch -- helps to free the demon from its restraints bit by bit, and in return the demon allows the witch to draw upon its growing influence in the mortal realm for his or her own purporses. The longer a witch serves his or her patron, the more that patron's power grows, and thus the greater the witch's own power by proxy. Given enough time, a demon served by one or more witches can break free of its abyssal prison entirely and roam free in the mortal realm.

Needless to say, this is not much fun for the natives of that realm. As such, witches are nigh-universally reviled, and purged at every opportunity to prevent such catastrophic outcomes.