Uses Of Magic

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Ideally, there are certain noble uses for which magic may be used. These noble uses are knowledge, conquest and glorification of the gods. (An unspoken but almost universally accepted fourth use is helping others.) It is considered unwise to use magic for a base or selfish purpose, for fear of offending the mona or the Circle Gods.

However, magic is often used for entertainment; magic shows, duels and other displays of power are seen as paying tribute to the gods, and are quite common. Magic may also be used to teach others, to help others, to experiment, or to punish. Combat with magic is not unusual, justified through "conquest." Most galdori use perceptive magic to fight with, since it can be the most painful.

Because of the "no base magic" rule, most societies have developed scientific methods of replicating spells. Spells are often used to aid scientific advancement, such as in the case of air balloons, timekeeping and steam engines. This way, the galdori have every convenience they need without having to resort to selfish magic.

Many galdori do not adhere to the noble uses, although they outwardly pretend to. In reality, a single slip-up does not often affect the potency or effectiveness of spells; however if they abuse magic repeatedly, they might gain a bad reputation among the mona and their spells might not work as well as they would otherwise. With more complex spells, it is very wise to follow the noble uses.

Wicks are not bound to the noble uses, mostly because their magic is weak. However, some wicks try to abide by the noble uses on principle.