Magic is considered as valid a tool to use as a hammer – all the spheres are given credence within the city, and there are Domii devoted entirely to living and working together in the pursuit of advancing Syradonia’s knowledge and understanding of the Spheres.
Forge and Earth magic are, as might be expected, very important to the maintenance of both the Forge District and the many mine shafts that branch off from the city. Fire mages are also common, often seen as a handy specialism in the Forge district, and Athria practitioners are central to the practice of sending almost all the dead of the city along the route to Morvalis to aid their neighbor nation in death. Athria does not carry the same ethos of Patriotic Mercy as Morvalis does towards its dead – the spirit is gone, and this is considered the only part of the Syradonian that contains the “essence” of who they are. The practicality of using Syradonian dead in Morvalis to help them grow crops to import, and maintain roads to keep commerce flowing is seen as part of a citizen’s duty.
Oracle magic is commonly used during excavation to minimise cave ins, disasters and to generally help reduce the number of mistakes that may happen in a risky environment. While some are distrustful of the more ephemeral nature of Oracle magic, it still sees use often during some stages of work and can reassure others that a building project will be safe to proceed.
Magical creatures
Giant bats
The main cavern of Syradonia connects to a few smaller offshoots and some of these are home to small colonies of Giant bats. These provide a variety of useful materials such as wool and guano from the caves which is traded as a useful fertilizer. As a herbivorous species they pose no real threat to Syradonians unless they are acting defensively but largely have grown used to them living nearby and are generally quite tame, accepting food and care.
Chasmfish
Pockets of underground water that are diverted into the filtration system that goes on to feed the aqueducts are sometimes found to hold a species of phosphorescent jellyfish. These Chasmfish taste terrible, but small varieties are kept as pets, giving off a soft glow of greens, pinks and purples. Some make a pleasant melodic humming noise when content, which Syradonian connoisseurs of the creatures appreciate for its ability to mask noises from the busy streets of the city. Chasmfish are seemingly able to grow to the size of the space they grow, with some in very large underground lakes being found with tendrils of over fifty feet long.
Shaftshadows
Usually assumed to be a story to scare children, some Hewers swear they have seen monsters in the dark that take the shape of their fellow workers, but disappear when light is shone on them. These are spoken about as fact amongst many Hewers but are generally thought to be superstition.
Underground Creatures
Despite being underground for so long there are still a variety of creatures that are difficult to classify down in the depths. This has been for a variety of reasons, sometimes the same creature is never seen again or only fleeting glances of teeth and claws. Sometimes it is because there are no survivors to tell the tales. There are monsters in the dark sometimes, and the heroes do not always win.