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"It is a vision of beauty! Of absolute wonder! It is so bright that it burns my mortal eyes as well as my immaterial ones! It shines like mother-of-pearl lit by a thousand suns, scouring me with absolute brilliance and yet filling me with indescribable elation. How tempting it is to reach out for it, to try to grasp it and weave it as I do the purity of Hysh. And yet I know that were I to try, it would be my end, for even gazing upon it with the unseen eyes of my Gift, I am brought low and must close myself off to its glory after but a fleeting moment. How I long to stand for even the shortest time in the body of our great master and mentor, Loremaster Teclis, and be thus enabled to reach out and touch the radiance that is Qhaysh..."

—Extracted from the private journals of Volans, First Supreme Patriarch of the Orders of Magic[1a]
Qhaysh

An High Elven Archmage of Ulthuan utilising High Magic.

Qhaysh, also called High Magic or True Magic, is the art of using all eight of the Winds of Magic in harmony and unison, allowing a wizard to channel and cast some of the most powerful spells known to mortal-kind. Exclusive to the Elves and Slann, High Magic spells are powerful, beyond the ken of Human minds to master and the ability of Men to cast. In fact, the spells the High Elf Archmage Teclis taught the Magisters of the Imperial Orders of Magic at their founding were but minor spells of True Magic.

Teclis' Human students revealed they lacked the finesse at manipulating anything more complicated than what could be achieved through the use of a single Wind of Magic. The reason is because Elves are by their nature better suited to sensing the ebb and flow of the Winds of Magic than any other mortal race, and can thus anticipate dangerous changes in the flow of the magic before they occur. The polar opposite pf Qhaysh is Dhar, Dark Magic.

Applications

Spells using Qhaysh use elements of many or all the Winds of Magic at once. High Magic is far more versatile than all other forms of magic, and spells woven from it are certainly among the most powerful, as well as being amongst the most difficult to cast. The great High Elf Mages and archmages of Ulthuan can balance all the different Winds of Magic they channel directly into a spell, ensuring there is little or no magical leakage.

The archmages and Loremasters of Hoeth of Ulthuan have mastered the art of grasping and refining the separate Winds of Magic and weaving them so finely and so carefully that they can create spells of flawless and massively powerful effect. This balancing and precisely measured use of the Winds of Magic is the very essence of Qhaysh and is the most potent form of magic and spellcraft available in the mortal world.

While High Magic is a potent force in the Old World, it is beyond the means of most wizards to ever use, and certainly beyond the reach of all Men. Elf wizards adventuring in the Old World work towards mastering the fundamentals of magic and those who do return to Ulthuan to be ushered into the teachings of True Magic spend decades in study and meditation in the White Tower of Hoeth. Here the High Elves learn and study High Magic, the only spellcraft that uses the Winds of Magic in harmony. Teclis is now the High Loremaster of the White Tower and he presides over some of the mightiest wizards in the Known World.[1a]

High Elves utilise the separate Winds of Magic and their associated lores in a way akin to that of the Human wizards of the Imperial Colleges of Magic, but to them such spells as embody the entirety of the separate Lores of Magic known by Men are but minor magics taught to High Elven apprentices. In other words, the greatest wizards of the Colleges of Magic would be considered but whelps in the White Tower of Hoeth.[1a]

List of Notable High Magic Spells

A

  • Apotheosis - Waves of pure magic infuse the caster's ally to stengthen and transform them.[3a][4a][5a]
  • Arcane Unforging - The magic of unmaking flies true from outstretched hands.[3a][4a][5a]

C

  • Curse of Arrow Attraction - As the Mage completes his incantations, the air around the foe shimmers with magical energy as it warps and twists. Bolts and arrows that pass into this roiling field of sorcerous power become blessed and strike the foe with unerring precision.[8a][2a]
  • Courage of Aenarion - The High Elf Mage draws on the Winds of Magic and channels its power to embolden the Asur around him. All around the caster, High Elves recall the glory of Aenarion and fight on with courage.

D

  • Deadlock - Such is their mastery in magic, High Elf Mages can mystically nullify the flow of a foe's sorcerous powers.[6a]
  • Drain Magic - Manipulating the swirling tides in the Winds of Magic with a skill won through years of practice, the Mage becalms the raging winds, making even the simplest magical task an arduous labour.[3a][4a][5a]

F

Fiery-convocation-total-war-warhammer

The Fiery Convocation striking on a formation of Dark Elves.

  • Fiery Convocation - With a single secret word, fire rages and flesh burns.[3a][4a][5a]
  • Flames of the Phoenix - Pure white flames emerge from the air itself and envelop the target, immolating the unworthy foe. With every passing second the flames grow hotter, swiftly intensifying until they can sear flesh or even melt steel.[2a]
  • Fortune is Fickle - To normal folk there is no effect, but to those with the witch sight it is obvious that the victim has been set upon by malign spirits made from the very stuff of magic itself. These creatures drag and pull at the unfortunate spellcaster, distracting and confusing his attempts to work magic.[2a]
  • Fury of Khaine - Calling upon the dread might of Khaine, the Elven god of war and murder, the mage launches a searing bolt of brilliant white energy at his enemies.[2a]

G

  • Glamour of Teclis - Those affected believe themselves to be lost in a realm of mist and shadows, and are unable to remember where they are or what they are supposed to be doing. To outside observers they appear to wander in a daze, unable to see or hear anything around them; if struck or shaken they will show fear but will not attempt to defend themselves. To those targeted by the spell, it is as if a dense mist has risen. Through this, strange and sometimes threatening shadows move, just on the edge of sight. They feel as if they have always been in this mist, stalked by creatures that never attack. Memories of the real world and their lives before the mist are vague or nonexistent. After sufficient time, the caster can give a command to the target to move in a particular direction for the duration of the spell. At the end of that time (if the targets haven't walked over a cliff or fallen into a fire) the victims will come back to reality with no memory of how they reached their present location.[7d]
  • The Great Leveller - Gathering together the energies of his brother Slann the world over, the Mage-Priest sacrifices himself to conjure a final mighty spell that will see the battlefield changed once and for all.[6b]

H

  • Hand of Glory - With a simple sign, the wizard grants his allies the might of old.[3a][4a][5a]

M

S

  • Soul Quench - White light bursts forth, banishing the spirits of those it touches.[3a][4a][5a]
  • Shield of Saphery - As the mage bends the Winds of Magic to their will, a shroud of glittering magical energy descends upon his allies, protecting them from all harm. Arrows and bolts wash harmlessly past the Elves, while sword blows and spear thrusts become enfeebled, robbed of all strength at the Mage's command.[8a]

T

  • Tempest - Without warning an eight-winded storm breaks about the foe.[3a][4a][5a]

V

  • Vaul's Unmaking - Glowing swords grow dim, blood-warm chalices cool, and enchanted scrolls crumble to dust, their magical energies drained as the Mage turns the fury of Vaul's forge upon the magical trappings of the enemy.[2a]
  • Verdurous Harmony - At a simple word of command, spring comes again to the Wood Elves, and with it renewal.[6b]

W

  • Walk Between Worlds - For a moment, the wizard's allies tread immortal pathways.[3a][4a][5a]

Notable Practitioners

All of famous practitioners of Qhayash are Elves, Slann or Dragons as all of the other mortal races who have attempted to use High Magic have failed, usually with disastrous side effects.

Sources

  • 1: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Realms of Sorcery (RPG)
    • 1a: pg. 36
    • 1b: pg. 37
  • 2: Warhammer Armies: High Elves (6th Edition)
    • 2a: pg. 21
  • 3: Warhammer Armies: High Elves (8th Edition)
    • 3a: pg. 62
  • 4: Warhammer Armies: Lizardmen (8th Edition)
    • 4a: pg. 60
  • 5: Warhammer Armies: Wood Elves (8th Edition)
    • 5a: pg. 60
  • 6: Storm of Magic (8th Edition)
    • 6a: pg. 42
    • 6b: pg. 49
  • 7: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition: Realms of Sorcery (RPG)
    • 7a: pg. 94
    • 7b: pg. 95
    • 7c: pg. 214
    • 7d: pg. 215
  • 8: Warhammer Armies: High Elves (7th Edition)
    • 8a : pp. 46–47
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