Dragaera

Dragaera is the fictional world in which a series of novels by Steven Brust is set. The word "Dragaera" can refer to the planet, the Dragaeran Empire, or its former capital, Dragaera City.

Dragaera is inhabited by several intelligent species, including:

In addition, there are a number of immortal creatures that transcend the physical world of Dragaera to some degree, including:

Magic exists in many forms, and is thought to have its origins in the Jenoine's manipulations of the world.

Sorcery involves gathering power from physical manifestations of , shaping it into spells, and releasing it. Citizens of the Dragaeran Empire can use the Imperial Orb as a conduit to access chaos safely. The Imperial Orb itself is linked to the Great Sea of Chaos, a body of liquid chaos called amorphia. Sorcery that does not use the Imperial Orb as a conduit is called Elder Sorcery or Pre-Empire Sorcery. It is performed by converting amorphia into small stones and accessing their power directly. Elder Sorcery is much more difficult, powerful, and dangerous than standard sorcery, and it has been outlawed by the Empire. A cataclysm resulting from a mishap with Elder Sorcery, called Adron's Disaster, destroyed the former capital Dragaera City (creating a new sea of chaos in its former location) and caused an interregnum in the Great Cycle and temporary collapse of the Empire.

Before the Interregnum, sorcery was somewhat rare and less potent. During the Interregnum, the gods modified the Orb to increase the power of sorcery. Since the restoration of the Empire, sorcery has become far more common and powerful. Another theory is that it is not the Orb that was modified to make sorcery more powerful, but the extreme skill it took to work sorcery during the Interregnum lead to it being more powerful post-Interregnum. This theory is proposed by scholars, and later Verra herself. While the lower classes such as Teckla, and Easterners rarely learn any, all nobles of the Empire learn to perform at least a few basic spells. Exceptional skill takes a great deal of effort and study. Experts in any aspect of sorcery are distinguished as "wizards". Sorcery can take many shapes, but some of the most common uses include teleportation, telepathic communication, attack spells, and revivification.

Used primarily by Easterners, witchcraft is a subtler form of magic that uses complex rituals to focus psychic energy. Witchcraft lacks the raw power of sorcery, but can produce some unique effects that sorcery cannot replicate. One unique ability of witchcraft is the acquisition of a familiar. Also, witchcraft can be performed with a group to enhance the power of the spell cast. Practitioners of both sexes are called "witches". Easterner witches tend to live longer than normal, and some rituals can preserve a witch's youth for hundreds of years. Other common feats of witchcraft include seeing auras, and telepathic communication.

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