Blood Magic

Summary

Throughout the history of Veltrona, all sorts of cultures have ran face first into different ideas about what 'blood magic' is. Since all living beings contain mana in varying and different ways, many try to use magic to exploit that fact. Whether to extract the mana for themselves, or sacrifice blood (their own or others) for power, there's been quite a lot of attempts. Some successful, but more because there is mana to use rather than anything exceptional. Blood magic in that manner depends entirely on the target, and its capabilities are wholly limited to what they can provide. In the end, other and better forms of magic supplanted it because they weren't so immediately limited in their potential applicability. Those who tried to use blood itself as a weapon simply arrived at the concept of liquid magic.   What became much more useful were concepts of blood magic for medicinal purposes. Practiced mages could peer into the bodies of others, and gain a rudimentary understanding of their health. Those who delved deeper into understanding the intricacies were able to better comprehend that understanding. This laid the foundations for wider applications of blood magic, in ways that quickly overshadowed the ill-begotten attempts of before. Some even ended up rebranding it under a completely different name for social or influential reasons.   While it formed a useful part of a great doctor's arsenal, the understanding needed for blood magic made it prohibitive to employ regularly. That one can see into the body is one thing; knowing what to change and how is far more serious. It can easily inflict (unintentional) damage that can adversely affect a person's health in all kinds of debilitating ways. Some military and assassination usages of that fact emerged, once again subverting blood magic in the public eye. It easily seemed more of a problem than a boon, and so many ended leaving it behind.   At least, until the breakthroughs of the vampyr of Etzli Cuauhtla became known.   By their very nature, vampyr are closely attuned to blood. It is a vital component of their diet, and also an expressive social mechanism. The deadly jungles of Etzli Cuauhtla birth all sorts of diseases and sickness, and they learned quickly to find and eradicate them. In a sense they might all be considered some form of a doctor, as blood tells them health in a way others have trouble comprehending. Their magical development built from these foundations, giving them insight and capability no one imagined even being possible. While a practiced mind remained the best, they'd also innovated more 'universal' methods, working with the body rather than against it.   It opened all kinds of doors, one that some took to newer and different heights. The post-vampyr idea of blood magic centered on a medicinal artform that gave almost unparalleled power over the body. It is then that blood magic and physical magic started colliding as people toyed with where the boundaries of either might be. Like so many times before, however, some opened doors with blood magic that horrified others.   Its ugly head showed during the time of the baarham. Their vile King Ghown commissioned all sorts of projects toward horrific experimentation. The baarham, seeking stronger bodies capable of even greater power, ground through countless peoples. They, more than anyone, showed how terrible blood magic could become. The results of it made even dragonkind, normally aloof, intervene with decisive destruction. Following the baarham's sudden and mysterious disappearance, the full extent of their heinous work came to light.   Knowing that simply banning such powerful magic was pointless, many of the world's greatest mages of the time period instead created even more powerful countermeasures. They systematically dismantled blood magic's workings, and created methods to prevent, reverse, or undermine its effects. They spread them to the farthest corners of Veltrona, ensuring everyone–even those ignorant of the magic at first–had the tools to counter it. Seemingly satisfied, the world at large left blood magic behind as a simple doctor's tool.   Yet the vampyr of Toi'drinn and the tokyau of Kubuadac continued their own, incredibly advanced forms. They, who made even the baarham seem timid in their ability, kept to themselves as they fought to survive in their harsh jungles. Word of their potent ability yet reached farther and farther away again, stirring both new and old greed alike. There are those who are trying once more to unlock the full potential of blood magic in earnest. Others, lacking the patience or means, instead send terrible invasion forces to try and conquer the vampyr and tokyau.   What may come of the resurgence in blood magic is yet to be seen. No historian worth anything would be willing to deny its priceless contributions to medicine. Without its key breakthroughs in body treatment, Veltrona would have far, far less people on it.