I thought I'd post this before people started asking me how magic works so there are seven base forms of casting and three inherent forms of casting

the first form is channeling, this is the base and most common form of casting, if a cast type says 2x power, it has twice as much power as a channeled version of that spell.

the second is incantations, they have 1.5x power, but 1.75x cast time, in the higher levels, the power difference makes a lot of difference, while time isn't that big a factor.

the third is 'runecasting' or preparing scrolls or wands beforehand, it has 0.5x power, but 0.1x cast time.

the fourth is 'ritualized casting' this uses 0.05x mana, but has 50x casting time, but buff spells cast in a ritualized format last 20x longer.

the fifth is the silent cast. even runecasting makes a small noise when being prepared, but users of this type suffer from vocal paralysis when casting spells and for five minutes after, preventing them from making any vocal sound, including a moan.

the sixth is  'motionless cast' which allows one to cast a spell from any position in the same amount of time a channeled spell would take. In addition, muscle atrophy after completing the cast makes users of this technique physically weak, even among mages

the seventh, and last is enchanting, unlike runecasting, which stores a spell for later use, an enchanted item will have an 'aura' placed on it that gives it more durability, more apparent weight without increasing it's weight physically and sharper edges, or elemental damage.

every one of these methods can be trained, but the three 'special methods' randomly show up in a mage from time to time, these will be more powerful than the normal methods, but at major levels the cast type doesn't matter much.

the first is instant cast: it has instant cast speed and uses 0.1x mana and 0.75x power, those who have it usually become assassins or spellswords.

the second is mysterious, no one really knows how it works, but it seems to involve drawing power from the web of invisible lines of power that encircle the planet, without more information, it is impossible to write it down (I couldn't come up with a good idea, so sue me)

the third is by far the rarest, and most deadly: songcasting, or spellsinging as it is called by some. while a spellsinger cannot pierce the levels of grand magic without decades of training, their songs will summon up a copy of the spell being cast every two seconds at 0.5x power and for the same amount of mana as a ritualist, however, all spellsingers are mute and only when they sing a spell can their voices be heard, every one of them has a beautiful voice, and many of them suffer from blindness, deafness or a frail body. the most powerful spellsinger in existence is the weeping angel

comment on ideas you have for the second special casting technique

there is no 'elemental affinity' in this world,though the 'travelers' can manipulate mana of a certain element easier, they don't necesarily wield that element, it all depends on what the person wants to specialize in.

the six base elements are:

fire

water

heaven(wind)

earth

light

and hell(darkness)

the sub-or fusions are:

sun(fire and light)

moon(water and light)

vapor(water and fire)

mist(water and heaven)

ice(water and earth)

poison(water and hell)

blast(earth and wind)

magnet(earth and light)

life(earth and hell)

storm(heaven and light)

lava(earth and fire)

ash(fire and heaven)

destruction(earth and darkness)

and the most powerful: twilight (light and hell)

anyone can train dual-elements, but it takes decades of practice to master a single dual-element spell, so only elves and immortals practice it.

please comment on what elements you'd like to have me add, next chapter is in the works and will be out within a week

edit: metal/ranking system.

metal value system is same as earth.

metal rarity system: gold is more common, but still one of the rarest, whereas iron is very common.

magic affinity system: ranks E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, and X

E rank is unenchantable, this rank includes live plants, meat, and iron.

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D rank degrades enchantments placed on it. includes: low-grade steel, and all metaloids.

C rank degrades enchantments slightly, includes: med-grade steel, all alkali earth metals, and most metals.

B rank is considered the ¨null rank¨ enchantments will not be degraded or bolstered. includes: medium high-grade steel, and all noble gases, and the two alkaline series, plus dead plants.

A rank provides a small boost to enchantments. includes: silver, and some metals such as aluminum.

S rank provides a moderate boost to enchantments. includes: electrium, and carbon.

SS rank provides a huge boost to enchantments placed on it. includes: gold, and adamantium.

X rank is practically mythological due to the amount of time needed to make one ingot of the material. includes: aldarium, mithril, and dragonhide.

how to make adamantium and similar metals.

adamantium: is made from gold at a 100:1 rate, because of this, a single adamantium item is worth far more than any amount of gold due to it's semi-unique hardness that prevents it from being scratched by non-magic weapons/items.

Mithril: this one is easy, enchant silver, and wait a couple milennia.

Electrium: mix in gold and silver at a 3:2 ratio, then forge like silver. electrium is prized for both it's hardness and it's enchanting capacity.

Obdurium: mix Adamantium, iron, and silver in at a 3:1:1 proportion wait three months. Forge like iron. Obdurium is the pinnacle of non-magic strength, with hardness surpassing adamantium, it's possible to make Obdurium without silver, but doing so will degrade enchantments placed on the metal.

Aldarium: same process as Mithril, but substitute silver with electrium.

hope everyone enjoys!

-edit- races

dwarf(moreinasir ¨the children of Moradin¨) they maintain a culture of moon-worship similar to ancient greece in social hierarchy but closer to medieval Europe´s tech level.

elves([äruffënil][nightsworn*]) culture is Norse and a small group maintains a Finnish culture. they are known as ëruffänil (daysworn*)

orcs have a culture with very powerful magic and physical prowess, but a low tech level. their culture resembles that of the Aztecs in central america.

Bärumin or ¨those with the blood of the bear/Bearbloods¨ maintain a rigid and vast empire that covers much of the central continent that remains stable despite never expanding. see if you can figure out what type of culture I based their culture off of.

Lycans are fringe hunters that maintain a clan/tribe structure with powerful ritualized and rune magic though there is low tech power. all Lycans draw power from the sea and can often be found near there.

Dragonkin look like humans but always have part of their body adapted into that of a dragon ie. finger or toe becomes a claw. it´s considered good luck if a girl has a dragon´s talon in exchange for her ring finger. the more of a Dragonkin´ś body that´s covered in scales, the more inherently strong they will be. they follow a very celtic-like culture.

fey and other magical beings have no unified culture and are often found in the wilds.

humans have a nomadic culture based on that of ancient tribes in Africa. they are also the second-least populous species, after fey.

power ranking system.

there are no specified ¨stats¨ but they can usually be grouped into six ´categories´ and from there you get into the real complex stuff. for example, in the ¨Strength category¨ you have ¨muscular strength, muscular endurance, mental strength, and mental stamina.¨ it is quite common for a ´group` to be in more than one category. then you get action stats like ¨pushing strength, pulling strength, lifting strength, and leg strength.¨ each stat is categorized on a rank from E-X same as the metal ranking system. 

E rank: lift one pound, resist very weak mind control for one minute, or influence someone under the influence of drugs are tasks that have a 50% chance of success at this level. for every rank up, increase the power by a multiple of ten. the average adult strength in this world is rank B (able to lift 100,000lbs of material at 100% muscle capacity. needless to say, the amount they can actually lift is far, far less.