04. Asraith

/æzreɪθ/

The universe of Asraith is filled with magic, nature and life. Magic wasn't always so popular, in fact, at one point the only race capable of magic were Elves. Thus the, then small, race of Elves were valued highly - revered as gods. Humans craved such power and after years of studying the world, they discovered an energy source in their very atmosphere that gave them such means to perform magic. After many wars Humans and Elves became separated, with Elves keeping to themselves wanting nothing to do with other races.
This magic used by Humans and Fauni is supposedly finite as they do not produce the magic themselves however no-one is to know when or if it will run out. Those who practice this magic are referred to as witches. Most live lives using their learned magic to help others or themselves in an honest way however some witches dedicate themselves to learning dark magics - magic used to harm people or disturb spirits this magic can be extremely dangerous to everyone including the user and is extremely frowned upon.

The third most popular race of Asraith are Fauni. Compared to the age of Humans and Elves, Fauni are a relatively newer race - a mutation of humans. The Fauni are like humans in every way however they appear to have developed animal like traits. Most Fauni have visible traits that make them recognisable such as animal ears, tails or limbs however there are some Fauni who posses less noticable traits such as the echolocation of bats or the camouflage of a chameleon. Fauni all have heightened senses and instincts which make them great hunters and many of them are also able to share an empathetic connection to animals and nature. Fauni are diverse in their lifestyles, some reside in the open forest, some own houses, some are kept as pets or workers and some live with lovers. All Fauni are capable of learning magic just the same as humans however very few choose to.

Spirits run rampant in Asraith. While many spirits can pass into the spirit realm without help, the spirits of some dead who held strong opinions about their death linger in the universe on a border between life and death. Spirits can't interact with things or people in the physical world and cannot be seen by normal humans unless forming a pact with exorcists. Only exorcists are capable of seeing un-claimed spirits and are burdened with the duty of allowing them a safe passage to the spirit realm. In special cases exorcists choose to form pacts with spirits for various reasons whether they take pity on a spirit or form a connection. Exorcists can only form a pact with one spirit at a time and this pact lasts until its broken by the exorcist. The process of a pact can be taxing on the exorcist and requires a specific procedure and complete trust between spirit and exorcist. All spirits in a pact are bound to a specific object held by the exorcist should this be broken, both spirit and exorcist will experience an excruciating pain and the spirit will cease to be with no way to exist in either physical or spirit realm.
Exorcists also deal with corrupted spirits. Spirits who died holding varying strong evil intent. Often these are Humans or Fauni who were criminals in their life however those who die with strong feelings of envy or wrath towards the living can also become corrupt. These spirits must be cleansed before being able to be sent to the spirit realm - a dangerous and exhausting procedure for exorcists.
Elves don't have spirits like other races - when elves die their spirits become a bundle of energy which is then fed into nature itself, sustaining the world. Because of this Elves believe their lost ones are all around them - are the world itself.