Star Pacts

Magic exists in the universe, and it is granted by the Star Triad: the Black, Silver, and Titanium Stars. Each has its own domain and associated magicks. Each Star Summoner has made a pact with one of these three, granting them abilities beyond what technology and science can explain. Each Summoner is marked with magical glyphs showing what Star they belong to, which appear automatically after a Pact is formed.

While Star Pacts grant impossible abilities, it has its downsides. It takes tremendous amounts of energy to do, and one must be in complete concentration while performing the magicks. Even the slightest disruption dispels the magic and forces the Summoner to start over. On top of that, the Stars communicate with their followers through terrifying hallucinations and dreams. It's not a pleasant process, to say the least.

Stars have a strange relationship with their Summoners, one that is sometimes like that of a God and its followers, a Master and its servants, and a teacher and its pupils. Never do the Stars consider their Summoners friends, and there is always a distance between them and the living. They seem to be incapable of empathy as people know it, instead likening social rules more akin to transactions.

Forming a Star Pact
When asked about how their Pact was formed, Star Summoners often say they had visions and dreams long before they sealed the deal with their Star. In fact, those visions are what caused them to explore themselves and the Triad in the first place, guiding them to their Star.

Through meditation, prayer, and ritual, one can reach the Stars and form a Pact with the one that chose them. This is a long process due to the fact that the way people and Stars communicate are wildly different. The Itla are the race that is most in tune with the strange language of the Stars, and they are able to heed their call the most easily. Others have a long path of trance and reflection before they understand what they are being told.

Once the path to understanding is clear, that is when the true communication starts. The Star and the Summoner will regularly convene through dreams and visions, working out the rules and requirements for the Pact. This process can take weeks, even months, and the Star might refuse if the Summoner is too greedy. At the end, when both parties are satisfied, the Pact is formed in a flare of magic, and the glyph appears on the Summoner's body in a pre-discussed location.

The downside of Star Pacts
Although Stars give their Summoners incredible abilities, from healing the injured to turning their skin into stone, it has many downsides as well. Most Summoners accept the magicks' drawbacks, the orders of their Star, and the limits of their Pact in return for the amazing power they get. One could almost say they're blinded by the power, but most are well-aware of what is happening.

Disadvantages of Star Magicks
Star Magicks require complete and full concentration from the Summoner throughout the entire time they are performing their magicks. Even the slightest disruption or loss of concentration will dispel the magic, forcing them to give up or start over. On top of that, even though Star Magicks rely on the knowledge and energy that the Star grants the Summoner, the magicks are largely powered by the Summoner's own energy. This means that the more magic they use, the more energy is consumed, and the weaker they become. If they cast too many magicks or something too powerful, it can feed off their life force and even kill them.

Disadvantages of Star Pacts
Stars communicate with their followers through terrifying hallucinations, vivid dreams, and life-like visions. These often happen when the Summoner least expects it, and it can throw them for quite a loop. Sometimes, these visions can be so severe that the Summoner will have difficulty separating what is real and what isn't, an experience that is far from pleasant.

As per the rules of every Star Pact, the Star can call upon their Summoner to complete tasks, bring them sacrifices, or otherwise follow their orders. While this isn't a frequent occurrence, a Star never lets their Summoner forgets who their master is.

Pact Levels
Star Pacts have four levels, much like the technology in the setting, ranging from the level of a complete newbie to a true master of the mystical Star Magicks. They're called initiate, advanced, master, and elder. The colonists of Skyfall only have access to the first level of magic, or they can be advanced if they're Itla. Master and Elder-level Star Pacts are incredibly powerful, special, and rare, and thus rarely available if at all.

Initiate
Initiate is the first Pact Level and is the level every Star Summoner starts at. Initiates are only capable of minor magic, and every attempt leaves them utterly drained. Still, magic can come in real useful in a pinch, even if it's limited in its current state. Daily magic uses: Three Magic drawbacks: Exhaustion (Itla get slight tiredness) Experience requirement: 0 years

Advanced
Advanced is the second Pact Level and that of most Star Summoners. At this point, the Summoner has been casting magic for quite a few years, and they have become quite adept at it. It still only has three uses daily, but using Star Magicks no longer leaves them exhausted. Itla and other highly experienced Summoners may be this level. Daily magic uses: Three Magic drawbacks: Slight tiredness (Itla get no drawbacks) Experience requirement: 5 years

Master
The third Pact Level is Master, and it is a level that few reach. It requires twenty years of dedication, and it shows. Masters are close to their Stars and have started gaining unusual benefits from them, which begin to outweigh the plethora of drawbacks. Daily magic uses: Five Magic drawbacks: None Magic buffs: Silver gets faster regen, Black can't get rotted, Titanium can permanently sense the matter around them Experience requirement: 20 years

Elder
Few Star Summoners have dedicated enough time and practice to make it to the level of Elder. By now, the Summoner has largely merged with their Star and can understand them clearly. They are focused on one of the three aspects of their Star. They have been changed - both body and mind - to align more with their Pact, and are now living and breathing Magicks. Natural means can't kill them. Daily magic uses: Seven Magic drawback: Focuses on one discipline of their Star, forgoing the other two Magic buffs: Immortality, amongst other things Experience requirement: 50 years

The Black Star
Also known as the Duskherald, the Black Star is the Star of sickness, rot, and darkness. Its Summoners are largely focused on offensive magicks, using them to their advantage mainly in battle. The Star and its followers are considered vile and evil at worst and untrustworthy at best. They bear the mark of a seven-pointed star.

Magicks the Black Summoners can cast include:
 * Causing sickness in other people, creatures, and plants
 * Causing rot in other people, creatures, and plants
 * Creating a magical darkness that can be made into primitive weapons
 * Teleporting from one area of darkness to another within a few dozen metres

The Silver Star
Also known as the Lightbringer, the Silver Star is the Star of healing, growth, and light. Its Summoners are largely focused on helping others in any way they can, and they are often pure souls. The Star and its followers are considered blessed, kind, and compassionate. Anyone bearing the mark of the triangle with a crescent planet inside is welcomed with open arms.

Magicks the Silver Summoners can cast include:
 * Healing minor wounds such as cuts and bruises
 * Curing light diseases and aiding with heavy ones
 * Aiding plants in growth and nursing bountiful harvests

The Titanium Star
Also known as the Sentinel, the Titanium Star is the Star of shielding, matter, and transmutation. Its Summoners are fairly down-to-planet people, often with an interest in tinkering. The Star and its followers are regarded in a neutral way since they can both be benign and malevolent. They bear the mark of a circle with three interlocking triangles in its centre.

Magicks the Titanium Summoners can cast include:
 * Creating magic shields to protect themselves and/or others
 * Controlling small amounts of matter (elements) and bending it to their will
 * Changing the properties of matter in a process of transmutation
 * Turning themselves (partially) invisible at will

The Crimson Star
Also known as the Distant Star, the False Star, the Blood-Red Star, and the True Star of Beginnings and Endings, the Crimson Star is nothing but a legend. It appears in myths and stories to warn Summoners of what happens when their greed for power becomes too great. Few think the Crimson Star and its tremendous power are real, and they are rightfully treated as crazy. It's only a boogeyman, after all.