Also completely unrelated to anything, but I helped lian make a few face claims for aethergarde ("helped" is generous, I mostly sat there and talked a lot and occasionally added input lol) and HOLY SHIT THEY ARE SO GOOD!!!!! Especially one in particular (???) but I might be biased lol...
also, if somehow anyone who sees this hasn't read about @lalalian's aethergarde dr, GO DO THAT RIGHT NOW!!!! ITS SO GOOD!!!! Like its genuinely one of my favorite drs ever, like even including my own!!!
a lesson in magic PT.3 | glyphs and multi-level spells | aethergarde academy dr
date: march 18, 2026
this took forrrrr fucking ever, but i do hope it kinda makes sense?
glyph systems is by far the hardest magic system in aena for a reason; let's kinda dive into why!
all magic post parts:
magic post 1; aura-weaving/rider magic
magic post 2; spells
magic post 3; glyphs and multi-level spells (you're here!)
(WIP) magic post 4; manufactured magic/magitech
(WIP) magic post 5; sigil writ and draconic magic
table of contents:
will not be providing desc of each heading today, ive gotta get to the fairy dr
glyphs
glyphs; layers
bases and lineography
symbols
symbol uses
catalyst symbols
common symbols
movement
layers
layer one
layer two
layer three
theoretical nuances
example
mathematical nuances
circumference
trigonometry
glyph-specific occupations
glyphmaster
glyphscribe
sounds a little unfair?
multi-level spells
anti-cheating spells
documentation spells
mass dragon call
conclusion
𝒈𝒍𝒚𝒑𝒉𝒔
Oh goddd the one section I’ve been putting off writing for SO long… Glyphs. You may have seen my post about glyphs— I think it was particularly why they’re so difficult. We’re doubling down on that aspect here, sorryyyy💞💞
𝒈𝒍𝒚𝒑𝒉𝒔; 𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔
Glyphs are composed of layers of bases, lines (linography), and symbols. Certain layers affect how the lines and shapes affect the glyph, and we categorize these groupings into thirds or halves (so three equal parts for thirds, and in two halves for halves). The grouping is decided by how thoroughly the glyph can be split OR if it can’t be split in half/thirds at all. If a glyph isn’t split well enough (like if 18 was split in half instead of thirds), the glyph is going to be unstable. You must split glyphs that are divisible by three into thirds, essentially. So if we were dealing with a 27-layered glyph, it’d be grouped like this:
layer 1-9
layer 10-18
layer 19-27
What if you’re dealing with a prime-numbered glyph? One, you won’t learn about them in class because it’s just too hard for beginners to learn how to deal with prime glyphs (no professors will teach you formally, at least, about mirrored glyphs), and two, let an experienced glyphscribe deal with it. Do not tamper with glyphs if you don’t know how to unwind them; some are made to sense tampering, especially with super complex ones like primes, so it could alert whoever made the glyph that someone’s trying to fuck up their shit.
Glyphs are typically drawn with aura; either you’re etching it into something, or you’re warping your aura into the glyph itself. You can also draw them regularly. Since glyphs have layers, all you’d be drawing each layer over itself (if that makes sense) like drawing w only one layer in an art program.
𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒔 & 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒚
Bases are where the symbols, linography, and spells reside. Linography is the art and concept of lines within a glyph’s base, and symbols are just that— symbols! The most common symbols are the sun, the moon, and stars. Spells are etched into glyphs that require a spell to be used with them, those glyphs are the hardest ones to conjure. Sub-bases are smaller circles within a base, or balancing on the side of a larger base.
The only base without linography is 1; it has a symbol of a dot inside of it instead of any lines.
There are 12 main bases, they’re pictured below:
ignore the dookie patching; this is also not AI, one of the earliest posts of this (altered) image is from 9 yrs ago, og image here
𝒔𝒚𝒎𝒃𝒐𝒍𝒔
Not all of these have the linography lines, but excluding linography, these is what symbols typically look like (besides for lettering).
Again, the moon, sun, and stars are the most common. Some others include:
Wings
Compasses
Hearts
Runic language
Dragons
Planet imagery
Phoenixes/Birds
Swirls
Swords
Gems
Liquid
Fire
Vines
Bunnies
Shells
Mermaids
Lace
Eyes
Flowers
𝒔𝒚𝒎𝒃𝒐𝒍 𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒔
Their use and meaning really depend on where they are within the glyph. Large symbols usually represent a really large portion of the spell or may serve as a catalyst for other symbols.
To be more specific,
Effect symbols are symbols that provide magical effects, like fire, speed, and the cooler (and simpler) stuff.
Some effect symbols cannot stand by themselves, so they need catalysts to work properly.
Linography also plays a part in being a catalyst, though it’s centered around effect clustering rather than connection
Clustering refers to the containment of spells within a base or collection of lines (like a large triangle).
Catalysts facilitate the connection of effects. The best way I can explain this is with a diagram.
𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒚𝒎𝒃𝒐𝒍𝒔
Let the symbols mean:
Blue teardrop = hydration
Purple abstract bird = carrying
Orange flower = vegetation
Yellow four-pronged star = attraction
Besides the square linography, the abstract purple bird symbol acts as a catalyst for the blue teardrop and the orange flower.
The bird allows water to be carried to the vegetation. Because the rain drop is on the left and above the flower, it not only happens first, but it pours water on the plants from above.
Notice that the star isn’t apart of the bird, flower, or tear drop— it has nothing to do with the process of carrying water to plants. Instead, it subtly attracts animals and people to the vegetation.
We’ll revisit this concept again in the glyph example when multiple layers are present.
𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒚𝒎𝒃𝒐𝒍𝒔
MOONS
Glyphs with all the moon phases, or multiple phases, are usually about the passing of time— anything related to speed has moon phases, including complex mending spells where segments of flesh are healed rapidly. It can also mean transmutation/change.
Spells with crescents ease something into or out of place, but the larger the crescent is, the larger the effect. Glyphs dealing with fine movement use crescents. Crescents can also call upon water in certain configurations.
THE SUN
The Sun tracks daylight. Sun symbols only allow the glyph to activate as long as the glyph is active where it sees sunlight— they are often used as a daylight sensor too.
STARS
Stars usually specify time (like it can activate when the stars align in a certain way, usually tuned to constellations). But they can also be used to make certain crystals glow permanently, or to ring similar to a water-filled glass. Stars, if used for instrumental purposes, are typically refined with musical symbols within the glyph itself (like clefs, sharp, or flat symbols). Star-focused glyphs can be found commonly found in instruments and ancient structures.
COMPASSES
Compasses direct information to the glyphscribe. Compasses are the most variable symbol— they have almost 17 different official uses. Moving compasses (a non-static variant of the compass—ones that allow the hands to move) are almost always tracking a target.
WINGS
One wing on the outside of the glyph indicates that there is another glyph— a mirror glyph. These glyphs can be used for transportation, but they’re often hard to maintain.
HEARTS
Hearts show up in healing glyphs, accompanied by vein-like lines, to facilitate circulation. It’s very easy to mess this glyph up if you add certain elements (namely the veins and heart) too early, because they’ll start pulsing when they auto-select a target. Hearts are also found in glyphs regarding bonds of all kinds, like love.
RUNIC LANGUAGE
We’d be here for wayyy too long if I rattled on about the diff kinds of runic lettering and their meanings, Amon can do that for you LOL
The meaning of the runes correlates with their glyph use, but they’re hard to place inside glyphs since they tend to undo lines. Runic language is used sparingly.
DRAGONS
Dragon imagery refers to an ‘apex predator’ if that makes sense. Dragon imagery can be used to instill fear, drive animals to do something, or to protect. Dragons are pretty much always found in ward glyphs.
PLANET IMAGERY
Anything dealing with deep geological movement, like seismic or volcanic activity, involves planet symbols. When paired properly, they can be used to simulate some kind of planet-like movement, so a crescent + a planet can simulate waves.
PHEONIX
Phoenixes, if the focal point of the glyph, use a LOT more mana than most other symbols. Phoenixes act as both a catalyst symbol and an effect symbol. As an effect symbol, phoenixes allow you to breathe in smoke. As a catalyst symbol, it directly carries effect A through effect B. For ex, if effect A is a dragon (for warding) and effect B is the Sun (burning) that ward could burn upon touch or burn everything within the ward.
Another example is (I really don’t recommend doing this) if effect A is fire, and effect B is like a heart (healing), fire will be used to burn the affected wound on a deeper level. 😬
SWIRLS
Swirls represent enhancement, or precise movements. Precise movements are noted with keyframes and a timeline-like lines and dots. For this, the lines would still be arranged in a swirl, but like the lines would be wavy (see image caption for more details). Turmoil can be expressed alongside mask symbols to further ascribe a type of turmoil within the glyph— these combos are typically used when someone is forced to speak the truth, like in court or something. Enhancement is usually done on specific symbols, not the whole glyph, since swirls can link too many incompatible symbols together.
*so the swirl lines would look like the lines and dots shown on the right panel if it’s used for precise movement— keyframes are set with intended movement, then placed on the lines as dots, like the timelines found in after effects. Easing can be implemented too by changing the dot to >, <, or >< for ease in/ease out/ease in out, for those who aren’t familiar w animation software, it makes the action less robotic in a sense
SWORDS
Swords signal offensive actions and allow the glyph to become sensitive to metal. Metal sensitivity refers to the glyph sensing and pulling metal towards it. This is often used for traps.
GEMS
Gems represent rejuvenation. Of course, glyphs with gems can be used for lotions and serums, but they’re also used for flight drops. Flight drops are eyedrops that riders use to ensure their eyes are resistant to the wind, though they are a bit expensive. The rejuvenation effect can also be used for damaged fruit, particularly if they’re somewhat physically damaged.
LIQUID
Liquid usually denotes the state of mass that the glyph is enchanting. If the item that’s being enchanted is not solid, like flight drops, the glyph needs to know that it’s going into the liquid. Liquid could technically also be used for movement, but it’s only really used for easing moment— it’s still not recommended to use it for that purpose due to how finicky this symbol can be for fine movement.
FIRE
Fire, in glyphs, represents instability and heat/warming. The fire needs to be tempered with another symbol for it to regain some stability, typically a catalyst symbol, even when using it for warmth. If the symbol remains unstable in an active glyph, it could set the area on fire.
VINES
Vines act as a trapping element. Vines will specifically act as something that holds a foreign object down; if no material is provided, vines will do the shackling.
BUNNY
Bunnies are a very common symbol for healing, health, and mending. It isn’t uncommon for healer-specialized guilds, sick houses, and infirmaries to include bunnies somehow, simply because bunnies are very often used in deep healing glyphs. The central use of this symbol is healing blunt trauma, specifically crushed/torn blood vessels. Bunnies have different configurations that differ from their central use; like if bunnies + fire are present, cauterization will be facilitated.
SHELLS
Shells can make fabric or other items shimmery, amplify sound from an attached shoreline (though it must be attached to another shell glyph for the glyph to last longer than a few minutes).
MERMAIDS
Mermaids are never used unless glyphmaster is especially knowledgeable in knowing how to tame this glyph. Mermaids are associated with great luck or misfortune, and they require a lot of management to avoid rupturing the glyph. The actual effects of this glyph are debated, since many say that simply ‘luck/misfortune’ isn’t a realistic effect. Mermaid glyphs need a whole other set of glyphs and layers to stay together. Less than a handful of ancient glyphs utilize mermaids. If a mermaid seems distressed or is moving into a more distressed position/expression, you either need to leave immediately or console the mermaid somehow— hints to that can be within the stability glyphs.
LACE
Lace is used to slow a certain process down within a glyph. Lace is best used for this purpose than moon phases simply because lace is much more malleable in this aspect, and it’s generally not a finicky symbol.
Lace can also be used as a repeater. The repeater lace pattern differs from the slowing lace pattern.
EYE(S)
Eyes are not used lightly. The use of eyes in glyphs has been heavily debated due to their use in over-surveillance. Eyes do not only see information, but they also sense certain bits of information as well. Anything you can feel with your eyes (including your eyelashes), the eye symbol can sense. High-risk places, like prisons and the inner chambers of palaces, utilize eyes. Eyes, like mermaids, are not a static symbol; once activated, eyes will look around.
FLOWERS
Flowers allow a glyph to lightly tint fabric and hair (something thin and flexible) the color of a certain flower. With tweaking, this quality can be like some kind of duo-chrome. They can also be used in bonding ceremonies to temporarily change the color of crystals to the color of a petal.
𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕
Glyphs can be moved with spells to rotate constantly, to hide on sight, or to rise at a certain time.
Rotation really depends on the glyph’s contents, especially the symbols, so I can’t really say what it does definitively. Rotation is the easiest kind of movement to apply to your entire glyph— all you’d have to do is cast a rotation spell on the first group. Individual elements are quite a bit harder, but it’s best to integrate rotation manually (with spirals) into the glyph.
Obviously, allowing the glyph to hide on sight allows it to stay hidden, but the con with this is that you may find it hard to find it yourself. Even if you’ve set it to not hide from you, it’s hard to keep the glyph within a certain area. Usually, a ward is planted to keep it within a certain place, but then you’ll get a bunch of false alerts.
Allowing a glyph to rise at a certain time is pretty commonly done for commercially used glyphs. They sink to a room below, where riders power the glyph, then rise when it’s got enough mana/it’s been fixed.
𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔
Reminder that layers contain groups of glyphs, imagine slicing three slices of crepe cake, and then stacking them atop one another— each slice of cake is considered a layer, and each crepe in said cake is a glyph apart of the glyph system!
𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏𝒆
The first layers are referred to as the first third (in three-tiered glyphs) or the base group. All glyphs in this layer must have extremely stable bases since they’ll be supporting the thirds or groups above it. To ensure they’re strong, you’ll need to create a strong enough base. What a strong base is depends on what kind of glyph you want to create. Sometimes, making a base too weighty may trap mana inside the glyph, causing unwanted explosions— so only create super super strong bases for glyphs that actually need it.
9-12 are the most common bases found within the first layer and group because of their strength.
𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒘𝒐
Layer two generally establishes the main function of the glyph. So if we were making a glyph based on watering crops, this layer would outline the basic procedure of picking up water + dumping it on the plants. Lots of symbols are used here, and it’s probably best if at least one catalyst symbol is used if it makes sense for the function.
5-8 are used more commonly in this layer.
𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆
The last layer always groups the detailed bits of the glyph. Sometimes incredibly detailed bases are used here, other times extremely simple bases are preferred instead— it kinda just depends on how much content layer 2 specified.
Referring back to the watering crops example in layer 2, layer 3 would probably outline how often the crops are watered, along with little particularities like checking water temperature or ammonia levels, and dissuading the glyph from watering the plants with the liquid if it’s not suitable.
Bases 3-4 are used in layer 3 most often.
𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒏𝒖𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔
You’ll be required to read glyphs, so you’ll be presented with a clear photo of a glyph, and then you’ll have to predict its:
Effect
Complexity
and feasibility (will it work or not, and why, how could you fix it should it not work)
𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆
*for simplicity, symbols and glyphs would look a LOT more complicated than this, this glyph doesn’t rlly have a group 1 layer, and this would technically be layers 2-3
Each base (all of them are just plain circles for simplicity here) contains symbols, but some may overlap over the main base, aka the centerpiece (the largest glyph, usually located in the symbol + carrying the smaller symbols).
There are seven symbols here, two of them are catalyst symbols— can you guess which ones are catalysts?
The catalysts are the lilac blob and the red vine.
It’d be easier if I categorized some of the symbols with effects, so let’s say:
red vine = growth
blob = passing of time
orange flower (not a catalyst) = flowers
green hexagon = abundance
pink heart = preference for pink
yellow four-pronged star = deterrence
blue waterdrop = bleeding (bleeding nutrients in this context)
Other notes:
The small circle on the left and the centerpiece base are within the same layer, denoted by ‘1’
The smaller circle on the right is located on the layer above
This configuration itself is very clearly about growing flowers just based on the notes and symbol definitions alone. The centerpiece consists of a heart, vine, abstract shape, and a flower; as time passes (the blob), flowers (orange flower), are encouraged to grow (the vine). The flower is placed on the lower right side of the triangle to connect the flower with the preference base. The preference base, located in the same layer, has a pink heart, and a green hexagon in it. It notably resides on the other side of the triangle— opposite of the flower— which allows the preference for pink (pink heart) and the green hexagon (abundance) to link to the process of flower growth to the function of preference by chunking each function into a different base. The second layer contains a smaller base with a tear drop and a star. This base represents the process of depleting nutrients (tear drop) from unwanted products, in this case, flowers. (yellow four-pronged star).
Will this work?
One major thing to consider is context. Is there enough context for mana to assume the meaning of a cluster of symbols? I’ll specifically visit the base with the tear drop and the star in it. Is there enough context here? Yes and no, because the presence of a deterrence symbol and a bleeding symbol overlaid (within the same group, but diff layers) on a glyph centered around preferred flowers— in this case, pink flowers. All other flowers will bleed themselves of nutrients… but where will it go? To fix that base, adding a catalyst behind the tear and star, specifically the vine (vine represents growth here), will allow the glyph to assume that depleted nutrients should facilitate the growth of desired flowers.
𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒏𝒖𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔
NOTE that I’m good at math as I am with narrative writing, so if anything seems realllllly off, do let me know! I did a slight bit of research for this, and this is what I could find for this class.
It is not unlikely that you will be learning more mathematical theorems than what is presented here, but here are the concepts that you will learn for sure. You will, of course, be tested on this.
𝒄𝒊𝒓𝒄𝒖𝒎𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆
Ya’ll, for the most part, won’t struggle with this— It’s pretty simple. Just know how to find the circumference of a circle!
𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒚
I fucking HATED trig in high school, but sadly, I do think that we’ll learn this in a LOT of depth in magic theory and glyph systems.
You’d be required to learn the circle theorems. Here’s a chart on all of them, but I will provide some step-by-step guides on each of these theorems. I recommend that you kind of skim all the pages very briefly, you don’t necessarily have to read them— just log them into your subconscious— if that makes sense!
𝒈𝒍𝒚𝒑𝒉-𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄 𝒐𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔
Many places and people need to utilize glyphs somehow, but since those who typically have the capacity to use and learn glyphs go into fancier jobs (mercenary guilds, healing, knights), not many riders go into this profession since it’s a lot less exciting. Because of this, the glyphscribe arose.
What is the difference between a glyphscribe and a glyphmaster?
𝒈𝒍𝒚𝒑𝒉𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓
A glyphmaster is someone who can activate, form, read, and use glyphs. Only riders can be glyphmasters because only riders can do all these things to create a glyph. By law, glyphmasters must oversee glyph operations due to the constant need for large amounts of mana, so they’re usually the heads. But since there aren’t enough glyphmasters to do public glyph work, human glyphscribes stepped up to fill in this gap.
𝒈𝒍𝒚𝒑𝒉𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒆
All glyphmasters will start as glyphscribes since their work is heavily reviewed and reworked, but humans cannot ascend to the title of glyphmaster due to their lack of natural mana. Humans can still learn the art of glyphs and activate them with mana crystals.
Because glyphs are so tediously made, many organizations will almost bribe a rider to become their glyphmaster by ensuring human glyphscribes do all the hard work. Hard work includes inspecting the expected field site, drafting the glyph, etching the glyph into the site, decipher information collected from the glyph, and replacing all low mana crystals used to artificially power glyphs with new crystals.
All a glyphmaster has to do is critique the drafts and power low mana crystals.
𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓?
Well, it is, and glyphmasters get paid a lot, too. The caveat is the societal dislike of glyphmasters. Your glyphscribes (unless they’re high-tier riders) will hate you because you genuinely do nothing, and even people who don’t know you will dislike you since you are the one listed as the author of the glyph.
This specific situation is particularly bothersome to Traditionalists. While laws and rules have been passed to lessen the workload of glyphscribes + increase the workload for glyphmasters, it’s often met with boycott among glyphmasters. Glyphmasters will threaten to leave their jobs if policies change, and a significant number of them have actively left their jobs enough for laws to change.
Many have argued that glyphscribes don’t need glyphmasters, but because it’s a lot cheaper to have a single rider recharge mana crystals instantly than it is to buy them, it just isn’t so feasible.
𝒎𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊-𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒔
Multi-level spells include both a glyph and a regular spell to execute an action with magic. This is also called stacking.
These spells are often created for a very specific purpose, and multiple versions of them may exist.
𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊-𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒔
A very good example of this is academy-tailored anti-cheating spells. Typically, only private academies will do this; public ones or less wealthy schools will use a general anti-cheating spell
Aethergarde’s infamous anti-cheating spell differs in its communication network. Of course, everyone is going to know eventually— though, Aethergarde’s spell communicates it not only extremely efficiently, but it also catches cheating quick. If a student is suspected of cheating, the spell will automatically blacken the entire page, and alarm the proctor/professor.
𝒅𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒔
Documentation spells, like the one used in Harklorn, may document who/when someone leaves/enters an area and/or alarm wards when someone blacklisted or unidentified tries to enter.
𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒐𝒏 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍
To call bonded dragons to gather somewhere, a multi-level spell is needed. Note that this is a request, not a demand nor some kind of mind control spell— so it’s entirely possible the dragons won’t show up. It’s courteous to create an identification glyph, and attach it to this spell, so the dragons you’re calling have a full run-down of who you are.
𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏
so um definitely my longest post on record
i will probably take a break on magic for a sec to work on gods (again.. sigh sigh) and then plan out student profiles part two
i have shit ass memory, so this is all i currently remember asking me to tag them? i think? I took these from my last magic post, so if ive forgotten, you can comment here for tags, and I'll reference this when i post next time!
What would kairos act like in each stage of his life?
hihi!
it's been awhile since I've answered a kairos ask--! It's really important to consider his temperament when caring for kairos since gildeds are specifically far more prone to anti-social behaviors and having a lack of innate trust in their rider.
It will mostly depend on how you reward and discipline him, but if we're gonna go by canon care guides (wip atm), it'll go smth like this!
In first year, when he just hatches, he'll be incredibly hot and cold. He'll latch onto you and refuse to be away from you so much so that you'll probably get called out of class to soothe him. If even one thing seems unfair or off to him, he'll attempt to deal with it on his own, so it may be hard to properly pinpoint the issue. When he's cold, he'll be nippy, growly, and accuse you of things he thinks you feel. Like let's say he's been eating too much liver and not enough lean meat-- he could say that you're making him eat lean meat simply because you think he isn't allowed to enjoy things, or that you think he's not eating enough 'strong dragon feed' because he's behind in his little dragon lessons.
Speaking of dragon lessons, in the nursery, Kairos will also be learning things while you're in class. At first, it'll be basic things. How to hunt, fly, produce fire, that kind of stuff. But since he doesn't respond well to the presence of other people, he'll likely be a little behind in certain things, especially in social etiquette. He'll be really stubborn, but once you point out a bunch of things + with a bit of nudging, he'll warm up to his social obligations eventually.
It's best to be someone he can look up to and rely on. You have to really display a 'strong front' for baby kairos, or he'll lean too far into your weaknesses. If he thinks you're too weak, he's much less likely to trust you with extremely important things, like plot and dire stuff-- which would, of course, cause him to try to figure those things out himself.
Around mid-end second yr, he'll be going into his tweens. His hormones are prob gonna be ALL over the place, esp again bc of his breed, soooo you'll see a lot of sulking and protesting here. If you're doing things right, his 'cold' side will start warming up a lot in this stage despite his body's changes. Do note that Kairos will NOT BE ALLOWED in the dorms anymore as a tween-- keepers will herd him out (if thats even possible). He'll still be really REALLY snappy to strangers, even more so to humans. Remember that dragons pick up an almost sulfuric scent from humans, so this unpleasant smell won't make his reaction towards them any better. Plot will make it even worse, but that's a topic for another time! Tween Kairos is gonna think he's a big strong boy already, but at the same time, he doesn't think he's strong enough to protect himself, nor you.
This cognitive dissonance will mess with him a lot more than you think. Again, make sure you are his 'rock'. If things are continuing to go well, he'll be more open befriending other dragons, namely ???'s dragon. Through ???'s dragon, ??? will seem more trustworthy to Kairos, which will later encourage him out of his shell regarding riders a tad bit more.
In 3rd yr, Kairos will be a full-fledged teenager. If Kairos trusts you and sees you as capable, his protective instincts will go haywire in third year-- which sucks since this is a pretty plot-heavy year. He'll be a big ol snooper in his teens, so expect your bags to smell like ash or dragon breath in the morning.
He'll watch and judge you ALL the time when you're fighting and casting magic. If you're going with the scythe, he'll either complain that you chose too hard a weapon to learn, OR he'll subtly praise you for looking cool fighting. Or both, actually.
I do think he'll be really interested in you fighting on dragonback as well in his teens!
4-5th yr is when he's considered a young adult dragon. I do not ever see Kairos being a social butterfly, but I do see him having a close relationship with the main cast's dragons. I do not see him having a mate before grad yet, though, since so much stuff will be happening.
He'll still be pretty thorny, but his irritability will not be directed at you anymore. He won't be so nippy with humans as long as he's not touched or provoked without permission. Still, he'll hate receiving pets from humans and unknown riders. Do expect some growling around humans when touched.
By this time, he may allow some of the main students to ride him, specifically ??? and azel.
He will still default to a more defensive attitude around people he just does not know.
A few years after grad, he'll be considered a full adult. I don't think he'd change too much aside from the things he'd become fearful and defensive of due to the events happening bc of plot.
a lesson in magic PT.2 | spells | aethergarde academy dr
date: january 20, 2026
I may add more spells since there's only 51 of them so far (in this post). Note that these spells are not the only spells; this is just a comprehensive list of the spells you'll be required to learn for now.
There are multiple types of spells! I have included some of the planned multi-step spells here, too, but those need to be followed up with a glyph. We'll get to glyphs tho another time!
all magic post parts:
magic post 1; aura-weaving/rider magic
magic post 2; spells (you're here!)
magic post 3; glyphs and multi-level spells
(WIP) magic post 4; manufactured magic/magitech
(WIP) magic post 5; sigil writ and draconic magic
table of contents:
aura-weaving spells - spell formats, overview of spells using aura
spell collection - all the spells
lvl 1 (novice spells)
lvl 2 (standard spells)
lvl 3 (intermediate spells)
lvl 4 (advanced spells)
conclusion - self-explanatory
aura-weaving spells
Spells are more complex forms of aura manipulation. Instead of simple intention and movement, spells require some kind of multi-step guidance to fire properly.
The simplest spells may only require a few steps, while others may need you to go through a more specific process. Complex spells, if mastered properly, can take seconds to cast. A simple spell usually uses a DPCD format (Decide, Prepare, Chant, Disperse), though do note that not all spells— even simple spells— will follow this format exactly.
DIAGRAM:
DECIDE —
Decide represents the choosing of a spell. What would best counter that attack, or what would protect me in this scenario? Choose a spell to cast.
PREPARE —
The prepare step allows the user to enter first position physically and aurically. This stage is often called ‘First Form’. Sometimes spells need you to ‘wind’ up your aura if that makes sense, if this is the case, your body essentially mimics that sentiment. Some spells, especially really complex may require different kinds of movement, namely, hand movements.
CHANT —
Once your aura + your body is in the right position, say the auric phrase, then…
FOLLOW THROUGH/DISPERSION —
Enter the final form, again, both aurically and physically.
spell collection
level one — (novice spells)
ACAST
•°. ࿐ ‘e tuu atea’
DESC | Acast repels things away from you; this is great for rain, falling debris, and hordes of monsters.
DIFFICULTY | I
TORCH
•°. ࿐ ‘kahea aku’
DESC | Call for light, typically will appear as if your hand is ‘burning’ with your aura when it’s unrefined. As magic becomes easier, it’ll look more like a ball of light. Depending on aura, you can light lanterns with it.
DIFFICULTY | I
FETCH
•°. ࿐ ‘iaʻu’
DESC | Pull something to you; this is the lower rank version of attract. This spell is typically used to draw something off a table or cabinet into your hand or to help a mother give birth (but the spell is much weaker in that case).
DIFFICULTY | I
REVOLUTION
•°. ࿐ ‘te haereere noa’
DESC | Causes an object to orbit around you slowly, this is usually used for convenience when someone needs to use multiple tools.
DIFFICULTY | I
SIGNAL
•°. ࿐ ‘hoʻāla i ka wā [time/place]’ or ‘ʻōlelo hoʻāla i ka wā [time/place]’
DESC | Sets up an alarm, usually used on pocket clocks for kids and keystones. There are two versions: ‘hoʻāla i ka wā’ is a standard alarm spell that makes the charmed item vibrate upon a certain time. ‘ʻōlelo hoʻāla i ka wā [time/place]’ is a mental alarm of sorts; an image or phrase is presented in your mind when it goes off.
DIFFICULTY | I
AIR PURIFY
•°. ࿐ ‘fa'ate'a le ea leaga’
DESC | Used to neutralize bad odor.
DIFFICULTY | I
DRAXI CALL
•°. ࿐ ‘haere mai draxi [name of draxi]’
DESC | Used to call your draxi to you.
DIFFICULTY | I
MESSENGER CALL
•°. ࿐ ‘kitea ahau [messenger bird name]’
DESC | Used to make your messenger bird find you quicker.
DIFFICULTY | I
DRY
•°. ࿐ ‘mata'i’
DESC | Dry yourself, fabric, hair, or some other object.
DIFFICULTY | I
AMPLIFY
•°. ࿐ ‘hoʻonui i ka leo’
DESC | This spell amplifies your voice— it’s very helpful for singers and professors who teach in a larger room.
DIFFICULTY | I
LOCK
•°. ࿐ ‘laka ia’
DESC | This spell is used over top of objects with traditional locks— like a chest. If the spell is done by someone skilled, a locking glyph will be used below this spell. It can also be used with objects that don’t have a lock, though it’s not recommended since it just won’t be as secure.
DIFFICULTY | I-II
UNLOCK
•°. ࿐ ‘iriti’
DESC | This spell is used to unlock a locking spell.
DIFFICULTY | I-II
WARM
•°. ࿐ ‘mahana’
DESC | Allows you to warm an object up, and it’s typically used on bowls to keep food warm. This spell is often used with maintain if the bowl is sitting out for a prolonged period of time. This spell is too weak to get too warm, but with maintain, it can get really hot.
DIFFICULTY | I
COOL
•°. ࿐ ‘makariri’
DESC | Allows you to cool an object down, and it’s typically used on cold dessert bowls. This spell is often used with maintain if the bowl is sitting out for a prolonged period of time. Like the warming spell, the cooling spell is way too weak to make things cold on it’s own— so it’ll require the maintain spell to get super cold (new ice boxes will use this spell + maintain).
DIFFICULTY | I
ROTATE
•°. ࿐ ‘liliu lenei’
DESC | Rotates an item in place.
DIFFICULTY | I-II
PAPER COPY
•°. ࿐ ‘tata'i i te pei’
DESC | Copies paper, used for assignments.
DIFFICULTY | I
SOFTEN
•°. ࿐ ‘eraso'ede’
DESC | Make an object softer.
DIFFICULTY | I
level two — (standard spells)
COUNTERFIT MARKER
•°. ࿐ ‘imi i te moni haavare’
DESC | This spell is used to check if marks are fake or not.
DIFFICULTY | II-III
AURASTONE/AURAMARK
•°. ࿐ ‘tapa'o i teie vahi’
DESC | This spell allows you to temporarily leave your aura somewhere. This is done to mark a specific location, but note that other riders can sense it. You can do this by either marking a stone (easier) or the air. It’s best to use as little mana as possible to mark something. An aurastone will pulse the color of your aura when you’re in range, but an auramark will not unless you bring that bit of your aura into the physical realm.
DIFFICULTY | II-III
NIGHT SEEING
•°. ࿐ ‘vaai i le pogisa’
DESC | This spell allows you to see in the dark. Surprisingly, this also works decently well in the water.
DIFFICULTY | II
WATER PURIFY
•°. ࿐ ‘lafo ese vai leaga’
DESC | A harder variation of the air purify spell, this one purifies water enough to drink it, though you’re still going to taste the burnt undertone of magic in the liquid.
DIFFICULTY | II-III
DISINFECT
•°. ࿐ ‘faaore i te ma'i’
DESC | Yet another variation of the purification spells, this one allows you disinfect objects you’ve dropped and minor scrapes.
DIFFICULTY | II
SIMPLE REANIMATION
•°. ࿐ ‘ara mai’
DESC | Often simply called ‘Animation’, this spell ‘awakens’ a folded paper animal (also known as ‘orikata’). The most commonly seen paper animals are frogs, swans, and dragons. Orikata that can fly are more expensive since the user needs to properly animate the wings. Cranes or other flying animals that aren’t marked up are usually unable to fly, or can’t fly well. Note that this spell can only reanimate orikata to a certain degree (ex: walking and jumping up moderately high)
DIFFICULTY | II
SIFT
•°. ࿐ ‘taviri’
DESC | Allows the user to find something small in a large pile of content. Like a ring in a bed of sand.
DIFFICULTY | II-III
SORT
•°. ࿐ ‘tao’a’
DESC | This spell allows the user to sort items in minutes— or even seconds. With this spell, you outline how you want things organized and what items are grouped, and then release the objects into position.
DIFFICULTY | II-III
SIMPLE MIRAGE
•°. ࿐ ‘haavare ohie’
DESC | Produces a simple, small illusion that lasts for a short period of time.
DIFFICULTY | II-III
SOUND PROOF
•°. ࿐ ‘ua leai se leo’
DESC | Use it in a small enclosed space (like a closet or tent) to prevent anyone from hearing you. You can still be sensed with your heartbeat and aura through this spell, however. This spell cannot be used in open spaces, like a forest or courtyard.
DIFFICULTY | II
CAUTERIZE
•°. ࿐ ‘tahu iti’
DESC | Cauterized veins with this spell!
DIFFICULTY | II
STRAIGHTEN
•°. ࿐ ‘sa'asa'o lau’
DESC | Often used to straighten staircases (creating a ramp) or to straighten hair.
DIFFICULTY | II
HARDEN
•°. ࿐ ‘yaa’keki’
DESC | This makes an object harder. Note that it can also make it more brittle.
DIFFICULTY | II
level three — (intermediate spells)
ATTRACT
•°. ࿐ ‘e ike mai ia'u’
DESC | This is a far larger-scale spell of fetch. You can move large, heavy objects with this spell, and a ton of smaller objects.
DIFFICULTY | II-III
TAMPERING SCAFFOLD
•°. ࿐ ‘fa'asa le mata fesēa'i’
DESC | The first spell of the anti-cheating cycle cast by teachers.
DIFFICULTY | III
MAINTAIN
•°. ࿐ ‘taurite te wera’
DESC | Maintains a certain temperature in an area, commonly used with AOE glyphs.
DIFFICULTY | III
ANIMATION
•°. ࿐ ‘ata vali’
DESC | Not to be confused with ‘reanimation’, this spell allows you to attach paintings or photos together to make them seem like they’re moving (like an anime).
DIFFICULTY | III
IMPLODE
•°. ࿐ ‘pahū i kēia’
DESC | Causes something to implode.
DIFFICULTY | III-IV
RESTRAIN
•°. ࿐ ‘kaohi i kekahi mea’
DESC | Wrap a chain around your opponent with your aura.
DIFFICULTY | III
FIRST HAND
•°. ࿐ ‘a hamani i te hoê mauhaa tama'i’
DESC | Create your main weapon with your aura. Every time it’s hit, though, you’ll have to ‘heal’ it with mana.
DIFFICULTY | III-IV
EXPAND
•°. ࿐ ‘faarahi i te piha’
DESC | Make the space in a bag or container contain more things than it should; very useful for larger weapons. The weight of the bag remains the same as it is without the items if a suitable glyph is used alongside this spell. The con is that the moment a hole is ripped in the bag, and you take an item out, you can’t store it inside the bag again.
DIFFICULTY | III
PIERCE
•°. ࿐ ‘hou aku’
DESC | Particularly good at piercing through shields, but depending on how much mana you have left, it’s not foolproof. It’s a level three spell purely bc it consumes a generous amount of mana.
DIFFICULTY | III
WHIP
•°. ࿐ ‘hahau i kela’
DESC | Use your aura like a whip.
DIFFICULTY | III
MEND
•°. ࿐ ‘suii manu'a oti’
DESC | Stitch deep cuts together, does not account for organ damage other than muscle and skin. Internal bleeding will still affect you if this spell is used too early in the healing process (like it being the 1st step).
DIFFICULTY | III-IV
level four — (advanced spells)
ASUNDER
•°. ࿐ ‘vavae ese’
DESC | Asunder allows you to rip things out of your aura, namely, a scenting imprint.
DIFFICULTY | IV
SUMMON
•°. ࿐ ‘vala'au [entity chant]’
DESC | Allows you to summon a contract entity; does not have to be signed, but non-signed entities can’t exist in the physical realm for longer than a few minutes. Note that some entities require completely different summoning spells.
DIFFICULTY | III-IV
SNITCH
•°. ࿐ ‘pale i ka hana ʻana i kekahi mea’
DESC | This is a diff spell from the cheating one. It alerts either the afflicted, the caster, or both if an action was performed while they were under the spell.
DIFFICULTY | IV
SUN PROTECTION
•°. ࿐ ‘paruru i te mahana’
DESC | This spell is typically applied to a charm to protect riders from the sun’s rays. Stronger charms are recommended.
DIFFICULTY | IV
COMPLEX REANIMATION
•°. ࿐ ‘haere mai ta'u e parau atu, rere mai ta'u e ani’
DESC | This is a far more difficult version of simple reanimation. With this spell, orikata can fly, sing, chirp, dance, avoid obstacles, and even lead people places. A simpler version of the complex reanimation spell allows the folded paper animal to fly (like cranes)— this simpler version is denoted as a III-ranked spell.
DIFFICULTY | III-IV
COMPLEX MIRAGE
•°. ࿐ ‘aumai se faafoliga’
DESC | A quicker mirage spell like this one can be used on the battlefield if the user knows how to use it really well. You can essentially produce a clone of yourself; they’ll phase through things and stuff since it’s an illusion. Oh, and yes this is the complex variant to the simple illusion spell.
DIFFICULTY | IV
DAGGER
•°. ࿐ ‘vave togi naifi’
DESC | Summon daggers made out of your own aura and chuck them at your opponent. This spell gets harder to cast depending on the number of daggers you’re summoning.
DIFFICULTY | III-IV
TARGETED STRIKE
•°. ࿐ ‘mulimuli atu i fai faiva’
DESC | Let a piece of your aura quickly follow your opponent, eventually hitting them. Can be used with dagger.
DIFFICULTY | IV
INVISIBILITY
•°. ࿐ ‘le mafai ona vaai’
DESC | Make yourself invisible. Riders can still hear your blood and heartbeat through this if they begin grounding, though. Some can sense your presence without grounding.
DIFFICULTY | IV
CLEANSE
•°. ࿐ ‘maʻemaʻe loa’
DESC | This spell helps rid the body of infection. Must be cast on a potion and consumed for this to work.
DIFFICULTY | IV
conclusion
dfndfnjdsf this was hard cuz i had to think of what would and wouldn't clash with existing niches!
I also keep forgetting that people have asked me to tag them in my posts. These are all the ppl that I remember who asked!
Your aethergarde academy dr is so beautiful and well written! and I love that we get to live hundreds of years in that dr.
I was thinking that as soon as I get shifting down I'm going to respawn there!
-💫
hihi!
omg hi 💫 anon!!!!!! it's good to see you in my inbox again!!
tysm! i honestly made riders live so long BC i personally wanna live a long life in this dr, so im glad you also feel the same!
after plot, it'll be pretty peaceful, so honestly it's a great place to settle down then hehe
EDIT 6/14 LIAN JUST REALIZED I CONFUSED THIS ANON W CANDLE ANON. im not sure how that happened, i added this one to the list-- WHOOPS, srry T-TTTTTT
EDIT 6/14 LIAN ONCE AGAIN.
Actually I swear I had a 💫 anon before?????????? but i think i forgot to add this to the masterlist-- perhaps? maybe???? IDK IM SORRY I HAVE RLLY BAD MEMORY
Sorry if you answered this before, but what exactly is the difference between aura and a niche in your Aethergarde Academy Dr?
Because my aura is irregular aurora with the color pale pink and white with adularescence, but I don't know what my niche should be.
hihi!
ive not answered this before, dw!
an aura is where your personal vault of mana is stored-- think of it as your own personal ziplock bag. It can have different colors and different patterns too; each trait affects how you'll be able to use magic, especially later on.
your niche comes from your awakening! A niche is a specialized ability only YOU can use, and you'll take classes to hone that ability. Your niche can stem from your aura, aura colors, your dragon's elements, OR it can be a mix of them! I generally try to mix them, but it's not always possible sometimes!
as for your personal aura,
Irregular auroras in the script can significantly aid you in summoning spirits from the beyond as long as you've made a contract with them-- and that pure white helps with this too!
The pink will marginally boost your stamina and oxygen uptake!
Because your aura is very heavily influenced by white, you're likely gonna have something related to spirits or the allure of your aura itself if we're just going off your aura-- so it's more likely to be some kind of passive skill.
I would personally advise you to look at your dragon's elements here for a flashier niche-- I personally will be doing that for my own niche!
