Air Magic
Many people look down upon Air Magic for its perceived uselessness; after all, what use is wind magic in the void of space? To that, I ask if those people saw the attempted Aurelian invasion of the world Pisces Four; the invaders had much the same thought, but they quickly changed their tune when met with freak weather storms and lightning magic slung from flying mages! I'll grant, that was on a planet, but people tend to forget that lightning works just as well in a ship - if not better if destruction is the goal - as it does on a planet.Air Magic has historically been something of a black sheep within the magical community, having been overshadowed by its other elemental magic peers. This began to change only as more and more nuanced and potent abilities began to become uncovered by investment into it, as the ability to conjure lightning, storms and even permit flight were each discovered.
History of Air Magic
Before the Gates
Little is known of most magic before the gateway network came online, but ruins of the ancient Hysilens paint the picture that they were avid users of the magic, utilising it heavily in planetside projects where its extreme mobility was required. For the cluster, Hysilens' ruins were the first indicator that air magic could do more than simply manipulate the air, and in many ways this discovery was vital to beginning to change how the cluster viewed the magic.Early History
Prior to the Shard Ritual's development, the cluster's interest at large in air magic was circumstantial at best; it was generally seen as the ugly duckling of the magical types, seeing little uptake and with the perception of those that wielded air magic of the era being that they were little better than a nonmagical person - known in the magical community as a layman, or sometimes in a derogatory way as a lame, as they lack the magical expertise - which only began to change as the ruins of the Hysilens were uncovered and the breakthroughs were made with regards to the potential capabilities of air magic. In the years leading up to the Vekh war, air magic had gained a far more positive reputation, and was seen as one of the great forms of magic to learn for those undertaking the Shard Ritual.Modern History
In the modern age, air magic is widely respected, but still somewhat derided within the cluster for its seemingly planet-bound nature, though this is seldom the case. The development of Crystal Aspecting aided air magic exceptionally, granting Anemancers the ability to wield truly devastating power, and on a large scale.Aldrin History
Unlike in the cluster at large, adoption and research into air magic by the peoples of Aldrin was far faster, and all of the major abilities were discovered by the Aldriners long before the cluster knew of them. This was in no small part due to the harpies and wyverns of Aldrin, whose cultural way of life and natural air magic bloodlines lent them to this magic, seeing it soar upon their wings. Within the confines of Aldrin's lower-technology climate, the Anemo Shards are one of the most vital Crysium Shard types on the planet, being used for great air-based projects such as Feiten's legendary airships and anemo-based weaponry... though as with much on Aldrin, there's a dark side to that technology.Anemo Shards
Anemo Shards are generally found most concentrated near the galactic central west of the cluster's sectors, within the borders of the Munaar Republic chiefly, but can be found all across the cluster with the notable exception of the cluster's galactic north east, within the lands of the Odanis Patriarchate. As a result of these distributions, the Patriarchate sees little to no natural-born air casters, while the Munaar Republic sees the majority of air magic bloodlines in the cluster focused there. By contrast, on the world of Aldrin, Anemo Shards feature sparsely across the world, but are replete within The Roost and the Wandering Isles, the homelands of the harpies and wyverns, respectively. Some believe that the harpies and wyverns know how to cultivate these shards in their homelands, but nobody knows for certain.Uses of Air Magic
Lightning and Wind Manipulation
In the earliest days of the art, air magic was primarily used to control the wind itself, to influence its flow and create blasts of air. The abilities in this group allow a caster to create air blasts, redirect wind currents, speed up or slow down the wind itself, as well as blow projectiles off course, and the truly skilled casters of Air Magic can even use wind manipulation to fly. Later on in the development of air magic, casters found out how to wield the magic in far more direct offensive ways through the medium of lightning. From defensive lightning manipulation to merely shock and knock opponents off of their pace, to offensive electromancy capabilities, once lightning manipulation became a standard part of the air magic toolkit, these mages could cleave through many enemies at once, and even traditional energy shields were of little value, spurring further innovation in Shielding Magic in order to counter it.Sound Manipulation
Sound is ultimately a by-product of the air, which allows an air mage some limited control over it in turn. Sound Manipulation can allow for an Anemancer to diminish and muffle sounds, project those sounds over huge distances, and much more, as well as utilise the wind to carry a message on the caster's behalf.
Offensively, Anemancers can use sound manipulation to create thunderous blasts of sound which have little issue hurting the ear drums of those standing in the caster's way. Experienced casters can even take this to such a point where they can cause objects to create a sound resonance.
