Time: Afternoon, Before the summoning
Location: Talvadi School of Magecraft and Artificery
Room: Advanced Magic Theory
The classroom was had the usual after-lunch ruckus. It fell silent as the door opened near the front of the room. Mordeki stepped in with his spellbook under his arm and a pile of papers in his hands. He places them all down on the lectern front and center. He takes a few of the papers off the stack. They all have very noticeable red ink bleeding front to back. "Mister Thistlefield... When signing a contract with a demon, you have pledged your soul. Upon completion of the contract you die and the demon receives your power. Is this a form of Innate Magic, or Acquired Magic?"
"Acquired Magic, sir." The gnome student spoke in a firm yet stressed tone.
"Incorrect. Because only demons know the the spells to form such deals, this is a form of Hybrid Magic." Mordeki put the paper down and picked up another. "Miss Strudag... We differentiate specific half-humanoids with words like -kin and -folk. Can you tell me why I'm a Lizardfolk and not a Lizardkin?"
"That's an easy answer, sir. The difference is that Kin have Innate Magic; they know and understand Magecraft almost directly from birth, and they often have types of magic that no other race can do. Folk, however, do not have Innate Magic, and instead must rely on Acquired Magic." The dwarf girl spoke confident in her answer.
"That is correct. Well done. It's what I expect of my star student." Strudag smiled, while everyone else around her grimaced. "Now, Sir Vask... Let's take the simple spell 'firebolt'. Man A is able to cast it without speaking or making a rune. Man B is able to cast it without speaking, but must use a rune. Man C is able to cast it without a rune, but must speak an incantation. Man D isn't able to cast it at all, and must rely on a scroll. Now tell me, what is the difference in all of their magical skill?
"Uh... Hm... Man A has the most amount of skill, while Man D has none." The human boy stumbled for his answer not convinced he got it right himself. Mordeki raised an eyebrow.
"Half correct, which is better than what you did on the test. All of the men, with the exception of Man D, all have the same magic skill; rather someone needs to use a rune or incantation is a side effect of how they learned to cast the spell, and is of no indication of how well they know how to use it. Man D however had no knowledge of how to use the spell, and therefor needed a scroll."
Mordeki grabbed the bridge of his nose. He wanted to let out an exasperated scream, but knew he couldn't in this setting. He needed to maintain his professional image. He picked up the dwarf girl's paper again. "Miss Strudag... Red Magic, Fire, is often associated with the school of Destruction. Can you give me an example of it being associated with the school of Life?"
"That would likely be the rare spell Cauterize. Or maybe Campfire?"
"That's correct, but Campfire is of the Creation school. It wasn't on the test so that's excusable. Alright, since Miss Strudag is the only competent person in this classroom that actually passed the test, we will be going over fundamentals again." There was a mass groan within the class. "Everyone pull out your books and flip to page..."
XXXXX
Glossary of the Fundamental Guide to Magic, 6th Edition
Casting Origins: Any living creature, flora or fauna, that is considered to have a soul or higher intelligence has some sort of mana reserve and the ability to cast magic. However, not all are able to use it simply due to lack of knowledge.
Innate Magic: Some creature are born or made with an innate understanding of magic and how to use their mana. They often have spells and abilities that no other creature can ever use or harness. This includes many fey, kin, plants, elementals, dragons, as well demons and angels.
Acquired Magic: Most creatures must learn their magic through study and teaching. Most spells often have the same name even if they are done slightly different. That's because they are a simple recipes that have passed down from wizard to apprentice through the ages. This includes humanoids, beasts and folk.
Hybrid Magic: In many exceptions, there are times where Innate Magic casters will learn Acquired Magic and form new types of spells or powers. Or Acquired Magic casters will find ways to take or borrow from an Innate Magic caster and put their own flair on their spells and powers.
Magic Colors (Elements): Many magics are typically associated with an element, referred to as it's "color". There are seven base colors of Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Purple, White, and Black.
Red Magic (Fire): All magic focused around the harnessing, manipulation, and use of fire is often referred to as Red Magic.
Blue Magic (Water): All magic focused around the harnessing, manipulation, and use of water is often referred to as Blue Magic.
Yellow Magic (Lightning): All magic focused around the harnessing, manipulation, and use of lightning is referred to as Yellow Magic.
Green Magic (Terra): All magic focused around the harnessing, manipulation, and use of the earth and plant life is referred to as Green Magic.
Purple Magic (Mind): All magic focused around the controlling, manipulation, or interacting with the conscious or unconscious of another creature or yourself is referred to as Purple Magic.
White Magic (Sancta): All magic focused around the energy granted by gods or god-like entities, forces, and philosophies; good or evil, is referred to as White Magic.
Black Magic (Necro): Known more by the name Necromancy, all magic focused around the manipulation of the dead and undead is considered Black Magic. Mind that not all Necromancy is inherently evil.
Grey Magic (Hybrid or Other): Sometimes elements get mixed, or there's an exception to the base elements. In these cases it is referred to as Grey Magic.
Magic Schools: Many spells are classified under different schools based off their intended outcome. Much like there is seven colors, there are also seven schools. These schools include Destruction, Creation, Manipulation, Divination, Illusion, Life, and Death.
School of Destruction: Magic with the specific purpose to destroy something. It's quite self-explanatory.
School of Creation: Magic with the specific purpose to create something that previously did not exist. Summoning is considered to be under the School of Creation.
School of Manipulation: Magic with the specific purpose to change something from one thing to another, or to add on to something that was preexisting such as enchantments.
School of Divination: Magic with the specific purpose to see that which cannot be seen normally. Often used for telling the future or past. A direct counter to the School of Illusion.
School of Illusion: Magic with the specific purpose to play tricks on the weak willed. The weakest school of magic, but can be quite bothersome when used by a master.
School of Life: Magic with the specific purpose to heal and assist in a creature's life.
School of Death: Magic with the specific purpose to end a creature's life. Not to be confused with Destruction which can be used on unliving things. Death targets only that which is alive.