According to Humans Divine Magic is not magic at all but the hand of the living God reaching down to aid the faithful. To channel this power all a cleric needs is a powerful faith and a symbol of the One (a circle divided into four quarters). Elves, far more learned in magic, classify faith as a kind of collective wizardry. They point to the inability of human priests to use their magic in the depths of the wild far from their flocks of believers. According to the elves what is channeled by the priests is naught but the added magic of the believers who unconsciously concentrate this energy in their worship and prayer. Although the elves may be correct, ironically without true belief one can not hope to tap into this divine energy so the very knowledge which elves possess prevents them from using this power.
Eldritch Magic (Spellcraft, Wizardry)
Mastered by the elves, spellcraft, as its name implies, focuses on spells which are complex equations compoosed of magical words, gestures and components. The later are usually harvested from magical animals and plants and are the driving force in the Elven economy. Unlike Divine Magic, Eldritch Magic requires more than faith. Most practitioners study for years before completing even the simplest cantrips. This gives elves yet another advantage due to their long life spans.
Many other races have forms of Eldritch magic and a few humans successfully apply to elven arcane academies every year. Elves, however, look down on all these inferior practitioners as 'hedge magicians'. Monster tribes often have shamans who may know a number of spells but such magics are not derived from arcane knowledge but discovered by trial and error and passed down from one shaman to the next over centuries.
Sorcery
The sole province of the Drathlocros (Dungeon Lords), sorcery requires neither rote nor wand, but only will and practice. Since the Drathlocros are themselves formed of magic they can sculpt arcane energies the way a mortal hand sculpts clay, thus conjuring form and power from their own essence. Even the armor that the Dungeon Lords wear is made by this process and thus is stronger than any known metal even mithril. Though dwarves and humans dismiss the Drathlocros as armored warlocks, the elves know enough to fear their magic more than any force in Eldrath.
Enchantment
Spells can not only be cast by hand and art, they can be bound into physical objects. This process is called Enchantment and was mastered by the dwarves many ages ago. It involves using mithril wire as a sort of magical circuitry through which the energies of a spell can endlessly flow. Such enchantments have definite life spans and must be regularly recharged. Of all the powers of colonials it is enchantment which gives them an edge over monsters, since it requires refined smelting and machining (techniques possessed only by them). Also unlike wizardry which requires decades of training an enchanted sword can be forged in a few days and thrust into the hand of a boy transforming him instantly into a lethal force. Laws prevent the trading of enchanted materials to monsters but many trading posts beyond the borders of the colonies disregard these sanctions. The result has been an increase in magical weapon usage among ogre, orc, and gnoll raiding parties.
