Paramagic

From Mizahar Lore

"The induction speech taught me that a good wizard should be a philosopher, physicist, mathematician, poet, astronomer; he should practice the fine arts, be well-versed in courtly etiquette and politics, have a solid grasp of history and law, and experience as an artisan and a soldier. That is probably why good wizards do not exist." - Vuld Shaik, "Magic and I"

Paramagic is an umbrella term for a series of skills, sciences and disciplines that, while not magical, are or were considered to be useful as support skills for magic users. The list of subjects is long and quite fluid, as the needs of mankind and the applications of magic have changed much over the centuries, and often differ from place to place.

Before the Valterrian, paramagical studies were part of supplementary curricula at most serious magical institutes like the Imperial Academy of Magic in Alahea and the Martial Wizard Society in Suvan. Today, these skills are rarely taught in magic schools anymore and must be acquired in more general-purpose schools such as the University of Zeltiva.

Paramagic skills

The following is a partial list of commonly taught paramagic skills.

• Ancient tongue - Study of the ancient Protohuman language, while not granting advantages in terms of magical power (as the ancient tongue is, after all, just another language), is very useful in deciphering ancient writings and tomes, as well as interacting with very old creatures.
• Cryptography - Hiding one's research from unwanted eyes is a foremost concern of many higher-level wizards, and with good reason.
• History - A solid cultural skill, with an emphasis on the history of magic and its users.
• Law - The legal consequences of casting a spell used to be very important before the Valterrian; nowadays, not so much.
• Mathematics - Numbers and quantities are important in several branches of world magic such as Alchemy.
• Meditation - Useful to maintain clarity under stressful conditions, it was believed to mitigate the consequences of overgiving in personal magic to a degree.
• Philosophy - Wizards of the past, especially those who did not study magic for war, engaged in discussions on the ethics of magic. Other academies used philosophy as a propaganda tool to promote convenient ideas.
• Physics - Understanding the physical consequences of one's spells helps to avoid deadly incidents.
• Tactics - A crucial subject for battle wizards, it was mandatory at the Martial Wizard Society.