After Effects of Magic on the Body

Overview
Now that we have discussed the methods of using magic, we should now move to the long term effects that magic has on the body. It is important to note that most of the effects, unless stated otherwise, are uncommon on your everyday magician, and only truly become apparent on masters of said school. Some effects, only appear when the caster is currently using his magic, while others become more permanent, and mark a mage as a master of one particular school, which is why mages usually wear these marks with pride. Overlapping transformations are not impossible, but are not common either.

Void Magic
Let us start with Void magic, as it is perhaps one of the less outlandish ones, and often times not very noticeable. In the case of The Paths of Spirit and Order, there is no visible effect, though that does not mean there is no effect whatsoever. Warlocks of Spirit are in harmony with the void, and because of such, the energies that commune with their flesh help them withstand the test of time, aging much slower than normal. That is not shared by the path of Order, which separates one's natural energy completely from those of the void, not allowing it to affect them.

The warlocks of Chaos however, are a different story altogether. Although a more recent sect of casters, they are the ones that are most affected by the void, and not in an overly positive way. While they too are subjected to a longer lifespan, their bodies carry a sickly look, with pale skin and bloodshot eyes.

The Shinkukan are the eyes that peer into two worlds at once, they are capable of seeing the energy of the void overlaid with the physical world. Unlike the Kuchikukan, which is able to faintly see mana energy as faded colors, the Shinkukan is able to decipher the mana flow with absolute, microscopic precision. This in turn allows them to see the world more clearly, and even predict enemy movements in the highest level of focus. The Shinkukan are completely white, as if the iris and the pupil faded from existence. When being used in a strenuous manner, the veins near the eyes will dilate, becoming bloated and apparent. The Shinkukan is a new technique developed by the warlocks of the Yuli temple.

Thaumaturgy
Thaumaturges carry the greatest variation between the casters, as they take characteristics from their evoked aspects. Either Arcane, Bestial or Abominable, the first aspect a thaumaturge perfects has the most effect on his appearance.

For Arcane evokers, the more they use the Arcane Aspect, faint lines start to appear all over their bodies, resembling scars or cracks that have long since faded. While normally these “scars” are nearly invisible, when summoning ethereal weapons the arms holding the weapons will glow brightly, or in the case of summoning the arcane aspect itself, all of the “scars” on the body will glow. The color of the glow is largely dependant on the Thaumaturge, as the color of their aspects or ethereal weapons usually change depending on their personalities.

For Bestial evokers, the changes are usually more apparent than arcane evokers, and do not change much even when they are not casting. The most noticeable changes are the eyes, they lose the round pupil and become slitted, whereas the color of the iris will become more vibrant. Their teeth elongate and become fanged, following their nails, elongating into claws, while their hair becomes longer, along with their ears.

Serpentine evokers suffer a less visual change, more discreet than Bestial or Abominable thaumaturges. As their name suggests, the first change resulting from the prolonged use of the serpent’s aspect is a change of the skin. All over, the caster’s skin will start to become dry and reptilian like, more so to the touch than visually. Finally, the eyes start to change too, becoming slitted and changing color, usually to a bright yellow or green.

However, the most aesthetically changing aspect is that of the Abomination. Abominable evokers, similarly to Bestial evokers, have shifting characteristics in their bodies, due to the nature of Abominations being so chaotic, no two evokers will usually look the same. They will take akin to the image they have in their minds, either be it horns, tails, malformed limbs or any of those, no caster is similar in this way.

Animists and the Elder Arts
I will cover Animists and Elder Druids in this paragraph since there isn’t much to say about them. Animists have no real change in their bodies, Thunderous Soul or Infernal Soul casters usually have some after effect, in the form of mild static electricity, or higher than normal body temperature, but that fades with time. Elder Druids are extremely similar in appearance to Chaos Warlocks, and as such, those who dabble in the Elder Arts and on the Chaos Void will usually find themselves with the effects amplified.

Holy Magic
In the case of Holy Bishops their angelic radiance is resplendent for those to see, true followers of the faith, or rather, truly talented practitioners of the Holy Arts will develop golden irises on their eyes, alongside a very distinct mark on their foreheads. A Circum Point, the symbol of divine balance and eternal energy, blessed are those who carry this symbol, for their flesh will never grow old, and their radiance will bless all around them.

The Tentaikokan, the eyes of the celestials, are characterized by golden patterns that appear in the eyes of divine casters, becoming more complex and intricate as their skill grows. These patterns separate regular priests and bishops from beings that were truly blessed by the divines. Bearers of these divine lenses are more capable of retaining and absorbing holy energy, benefiting from an ever present celestial protection.

Figment Magic
For the true masters of the Figment school, there are two major changes that could happen, the eyes of the Diplomat, or those of the Mind Flayer. Of course, Dopplers don’t technically change, as if there was anything about them that fundamentally changed, their face stealing abilities would be rendered mostly obsolete. The changes to figment caster start to happen very early, even a few Novices can start to develop a red coloration to their eyes. As the caster progresses in skill, they start to develop a very simple dot pattern, first a single tomoe gravitating around the pupil, then a second and a third as their skill progresses. After acquiring the third tomoe, the eyes evolve into either the Gaikokan, or the Kuchikukan.

The eyes of the diplomat, or Gaikokan following the Valerian pronunciation, are very easily concealed, as they do not fully bloom unless the caster is in a stressful situation, or simply not trying to conceal them. The act of concealment itself, is fairly simple, a glamour that Diplomats can maintain for an indefinite amount of time, quickly fading away for combat situations. The pattern itself is a faint ripple, like a drop of water falling on a peaceful grey lake, as the eye loses most of its original color in place of an iris that can vary between grey and light purple.

For a Mind Flayer however, it’s a different story. Unable to hide their base transformations, Mind Flayer eyes, Kuchikukan, are deep crimson, with the simple three tomoe pattern, they remain like that in their natural state, but change drastically as soon as they begin their aggressive, forceful casts. As the illusion is formed, the eye of the Kuchikukan changes, it swirls and twists, acquiring a new pattern that reveals the nature of the caster. This pattern changes based on what type of emotions the Mind Flayer is most proficient at inflicting.

Swirling or circular patterns, symbolizing crippling rage and hypnosis, inducing forced feelings of hysteric anger and even paralysis. Jagged and angular patterns appear on those proficient on inflicting terror. Those who hold dotted patterns, as their Kuchikukan continues to develop additional tomoe beyond the three inherent to their dormant form, force apathy and hazing confusion upon their victims. Regardless, all patterns hold a symmetry to them.

Nature Magic
And finally we have those attuned with Nature, who develop patterns all over their bodies, commonly known as the Sage Marks. These patterns are very tribal in appearance, usually no more than lines, shapes and flowing curves. They vary very little in color as well, being anywhere between dark greens and browns. These markings do not appear at all times, they only start to form when the caster starts to harness his nature powers. They also do not appear all at once, but gradually start to form more and more as the caster becomes more proficient in the school.

Blood Magic
Three separate occurrences can manifest from dabbling in the art of Blood Magic. One outcome is that the Blood Mage’s blood become black and volatile, but also more plentiful. Black blood is always hot to the touch, and, upon contact with a small amount by someone without black blood themselves, feels like invasive needles clawing at the skin, though dealing no true damage.

Another outcome, most common in those who use blood magic to control others, is that the veins on their body become easier to see, even without casting a spell. When a spell is cast, the veins throb a deep, crimson red.

Finally, and the least intrusive of the three, is the outcome of the so called knights that use blood magic. Their skin and muscles become rigid, though it does not impede their movement. Blood from a wound still flows, but is known to come out in chunks. Universally, the only true indicator of a blood mage is the fact that no scar, no matter the source, ever completely heals and fades away. Wounds would heal completely, yes, but some never completely close, and no scar ever fades from their body. Simply checking hands or wrists for a plethora of scars is the simplest method for spotting a Blood Mage.