Ritual Magic

The most versatile and varied form of magic in terms of its effects, ritual magic is the primary way of directly converting essence into physical or metaphysical work.

Every ritual begins with a circle drawn either with chalk or salt to contain the magic, once or more candles to channel ambient essence into the circle, and various objects, called catalysts, that guide the essence into the desired function.

A catalyst can be almost anything, from a crystal, to a herb, to a playing card or diary - the nature of the ritual dictates the type of catalyst required. Some rituals are strict in their required catalysts, such as an apple that ripened under a full moon, while others are looser, like requiring any kind of agate crystal.

Most rituals are performed by rote, following a strict formula as one does when creating an alchemical infusion. Though unlike with alchemy, skilled mages can adjust their rituals on the fly, making alterations or even designing new ones to suit their needs.

Rituals generally need a large amount of essence to perform, and as such are usually only done during times of power - though sorcerers can channel their inner essence into a circle to power it themselves if they need to rush the spell.