Unwritten:Echoes of Twilight - Update #4, Let's Talk Magic Part 2
Druid Gameworks has posted the second part of the magic update in this new kickstarter update.
Ritual Magic is an ancient type of spell craft left over from the age of the Iethor; an aquatic humanoid race that is long extinct but was one of the earliest to inhabit Arthanswold. Though as a species they had no inherent magic, the Iethor learned how to tap into the source of all magic using a combination of power symbols and natural elements. The depth of their knowledge is now lost to time, but they left behind clues that will enable you to unearth their secrets.
The process of using Ritual Magic begins with discovering the ruins of Ritual Sites called the Unara, which can be found scattered all across Arthanswold; usually near a font of elemental power like a spring (water) or natural mound (earth). Each site is dedicated to a different element and each has a unique offering of ritual spells that can be unlocked. Before you can reach the mysteries within, you will need to collect the glyph markers displayed on the ruin.
The four primary elements Water, Fire, Earth, and Air form the base structure of most spells regardless of spell type because of their connection to the natural structure of the world. They represent the physical connectedness aspect of the spell formation. Elemental Glyphs are fairly abundant and can be found readily with even casual exploring. Most magic wielders will have these glyphs available for you to buy or trade for as well
Combined with elemental glyphs, Power Glyphs are the actual source of magical fortitude for Ritual Spells. These glyphs tap into the magic flow of external sources like plants and animals and roots them into your spell crafting. However, these can be harder to acquire and are very rarely purchasable. They will most likely be found in difficult dungeons, as special rewards for challenging quest work, or fleeced from high level enemies if you can defeat them.
When the required glyphs are in your possession you can then insert them into the Unara to perform the sacred rite event which gifts you a spell map for that location and opens a spell queue in your inventory.
A Spell Map is essentially a recipe of physical and/or spiritual ingredients which can be combined at a Ritual Table to create an instance of that spell in your queue. Once a ritual spell is learned from a spell map, it is yours to use and reuse as often as you choose. Ritual spells can also be crafted at any time, at any ritual table (even those within player homes), to load the queue and save for later use. As your queue is used up, you can gather more ingredients and recraft to reload your inventory for the next fight!