Continuous casts are a selection of magics which are exceptions to a fundamental rule of classical magic. To perform a classical magic one must first collect energy until a sufficient amount is gathered, then perform the calculation to convert the energy into the desired effect, then actually realise the magic. It is impossible to stop and go back to correct oneself at any point in these process. Similarly it is impossible to start performing one of these stages while another is ongoing. So called “multi-casting” is less a question of performing juggling multiple energy collections, calculations and realisations simultaneously and more a question of performing a single magic with multiple effects. That said any self-respecting classical magician won’t ever call such a process “multi-casting” and its more a term used by non-magicians to define those more dangerous than normal magicians. Continuous casts are not this. Continuous casts are a level above this. Few magicians have an understanding of their preferred type of energy collection at such a fundamental level they can perform collection, calculation and realisation simultaneously. The magic effectively becoming self-powering. While some continuous casts are much more common than others and the ratio of normal magicians to continuous casters vary by collection types it is worth note that on a global scale, of all classical magicians to all continuous casters the ratio is approximately 10,000 to 1 (laser not being considered a continuous cast by this measure). Pure continuous casts are undoubtedly the majority and can be found in the relevant energy collection sub sections. Dual continuous casts are rare in comparison due to both the difficulty to understand not one but two collection methods at a fundamental enough level to somehow be able to continuous cast either independently and have the required mental capacity to do both at once. Throughout history the number of dual continuous casters has never reached three-digit figures.
- Golem activation (Ore Stasisim and Kineticisim)
- Doping (Ore and Self-bio stasisim)
- Sloth (Electro and Self-bio stasisim)
- Overdrive (Kineticisim and Self-bio stasisim)
- Maelstrom (Kineticisim and chaomancy)
- Leviathan (Kineticisim and chaomancy)
- Necromancy (Kineticisim and Assimilatisim)
- Genesis (bio-plantae and bio-animalia stasisim)
Golem activation (Ore Stasisim and Kineticisim): Ore Stasisim is frequently associated with the regulating body of magic across Avelon. While the crystalline entombment’s imprisonment potential is large ore stasisim dual casts go one further. Golems themselves are autonomous devices made of inorganic materials which are controlled by a magician like a second body. This being particularly effective against the much more powerful magicians such as those that use chaomancy. It being hard to churn the biological body of an enemy magician as a source of power if you don’t know where they are. The risk associated with chasing down magicians being significantly less if your “body” is immune to anything they do and even if it got destroyed you’ve got plenty of spares.
Doping (Ore and Self-bio Stasisim): Now being to control a Golem body is all and well and good but for a select few magicians this isn’t quite satisfactory. Regulatory magicians who are particularly sensitive to the weaknesses of the flesh start trading out their real body for golem-like parts. Doping allows a magician to derive energy through the consumption of things that really shouldn’t be consumed. Such magicians can go months without sleep and have unmatched endurance. Indeed doping is the only known method of gaining immunity against a death mage’s Amrita. Perhaps strangely however such magicians do not go hunting for magicians where golems would normally be used. Their reformed body much less disposable than their unthinking allies. There are often those who attempt to use self-bio stasisim alongside another side of stasisim to emulate this continuous cast. The simple answer as to why this doesn’t have a formal name is because it doesn’t tend to work. Formal training in ore stasisim being significantly different from all other forms of energy collection other than electro-stasisim.
Sloth (Electro and self-bio stasisim): Renown for offering stupidly high rates of energy collection Sloth has the fatal flaw in that while using it magicians can do practically nothing. They can’t move, they can’t breath, they can’t even move their eyeballs if without breaking the effect. The result however is likened to lucid dreaming. In a lucid dream where you can bend reality to your will, you want a glass of water with ice you’ve got a glass of water with ice, you want to fly you can fly. Sloth is simultaneously the fastest and most versatile of the dual continuous casts so long as you consider the incredibly unfortunate offset that the caster cannot be the beneficiary of all their magical acts and that they are effectively dead whilst doing so. Sloth casters typically having extensive scaring from striking themselves with lighting in order to restart their own heart.
Overdrive (Kinetics and Self-Bio stasisim): Tachypsychia is the response where under certain high stress circumstances, time seems to slow down for an individual. In the case of overdrive the world actually slows down. Keneticisism used, on a small degree, on everything on a individuals surroundings. Amongst weak users this effect is barely noticeable but against high level users it is likened as if the whole world is moving through syrup. Of course in such a wide range, all inclusive form of energy collection most find it impossible to exclude themselves from this form of energy collection. Those capable of using overdrive however don’t need to. Capable of using self-bio stasisim to accelerate themselves to normal speeds, many capable of accelerating themselves to unnatural speeds which are only accentuated by the natural slowness of their surroundings.
Maelstrom (Kineticisim and chaomancy): An irregularity. Mainly because it was never intended to be used as a dual continuous cast. Even despite the fact that Maelstrom is the height of complexity requiring not only the ability to use kineticisim, the ability to use both frozen world and cease and catch fire (separately thankfully) but also the fact technically Maelstrom requires chaomancy to be able to use. In practice Maelstrom is used to teach chaomancy and eventually the real kineticisim/chaomancy cast Leviathan. As such Maelstrom was intended to be a teaching aid. In practice Leviathan is practically impossible, chaomancy practically impossible to teach and Maelstrom became renoun as as dual continuous cast in and of itself. Maelstrom allows for the magician to freely manipulate wind, kineticisim to slow air and chaomancy to stir it. While in the grand scheme of continuous casts Maelstrom is not all that impressive considering the most common “quick” classical magic used is the firing of compressed air Maelstrom not only supplies immunity but also allows the wielder to manipulate the wind without inducing magical collapse.
Leviathan (kineticisim and chaomancy): Since it’s inception there was always doubt that Leviathan came from a blessed mind. Even at low energy levels Leviathan was ruthless, at higher levels it was simply monstrous. Leviathan uses energy collection from kinetics to turn air solid then chaomancy to turn the solid into a liquid. Strangely the energy amassed from this process is only used to form a container for the resulting fluid. If the cryogenic liquid wasn’t dangerous enough the ability to force it in a flexible container which could be manipulated however the magician wishes certainly was. Tentacles which crush walls like foil. High pressure beams that slice metal like butter. Even the failure to wind down Leviathan properly has explosive effects. The first practitioner of Leviathan was undeniably the strongest. Capable of wrestling control of a magical collapse but also work around magical singularities with a degree of accuracy where they could form arcane glyphs without the use of a glyphing stone. Users after the first barely capable of making a cup’s worth of liquid and fumbling around with it’s shape.
Necromancy (Assimilatism and Kineticsisim): Much like Immortality, bringing back the dead is impossible for classical magicians. However death mages have a habit of pretending to have powers they don’t actually have. Necromancy works less like “bringing back the dead” like it’s name implies but more works like “Golem Activation” where all such “Golems” are of course corpses. The immense power gathered from assimilatisim and the fact that corpses already have control systems and natural forms of locomotion make them exceptionally simple to control and use. Between Necromancy and Amrita Death mages are known to raze armies that oppose them to raise armies of their own instants later.
Genesis (bio-Plantae and Bio-Animalia). Bio-plantae magicians are typically fond of natural environments. Similarly Bio-Animalia magicians typically form life long bonds with their companions. Genesis is particularly rare among dual continuous casts not for its difficulty, but for its perversion of the moral code of both its constituent parts. Magicians of either of these types considering Genesis casters with a similar view as others view Assimilatism magicians, if not worse. By nature Genesis involves the enslaving of an artificially created species. Such species are infertile by nature but being born by magic the magician essentially gains the role of queen be alongside being able to slowly grow their own army. Genesis frowned upon not only for the unethical nature of creating a new species but the fact said species lacks any form of free will. While there are a number of accounts of Genesis magicians having to build communities revolving around them due to being outcasts but there has been evidence of at least one Genesis magician creating a discrete species and living among the blessed masses.