Magic

"It is important that 'magic', whether natural or supernatural, is not taken lightly. It should be treated with the same respect as fire, water or high places, for it has the same power to cause injury to the careless."

- Doran, describing magic in Secrets of Deltora.

Magic is a powerful supernatural or natural force present in the world of Deltora, with the capability to change and manipulate aspects of the world. Practically limitless in potential, magic can, among other things, be used to conjure up things or beings, transform things or beings, heal, harm and kill. Though mostly seen as supernatural, magic does exist in many places of nature or within enchanted locations, and can even be found in things such as plants, or in objects that have been made with magic or been enchanted. Certain people wield magic powers that allows them to perform amazing feats that would be impossible for ordinary humans. Some of these beings include the Torans of Deltora and the Fellan of Dorne. The moral of magic, as with any force, usually depend on the user, and while there is such a thing as dark magic, no magic in of itself is evil, only immoral. The practise of magic is often referred to as sorcery and sometimes witchcraft.

Deltora
In Deltora, magic is not entirely abnormal and are not always viewed as such either, because many Deltorans are familiar with the magic powers of the Toran tribe and the Belt of Deltora. The Torans of the magic city of Tora are wise in the ways of magic and learn magic from birth. They used it to build their grand city from a single white marble mountain, and is perfect and all of one piece, without a seam or crack.

Belt of Deltora
The Belt of Deltora contains a strong magic when all the seven gems are placed in their proper medallions. When the gems are put in correct order (Diamond, Emerald, Lapis Lazuli, Topaz, Opal, Ruby, Amethyst) the Belt repels evil from the land and keeps it protected. The Belt holds the Shadow Lord at bay and protects the land from him, but only works when Adin's true heir wears it. The Belt's power only works in the land of Deltora itself.

Toran magic
The people of the city of Tora wield a powerful magic that they have had since ancient times, before their city was built and they were still living in huts of grass and branches. The Toran magic is chiefly used to protect Tora from any evil, though it can do a number of other things. Their magic can shroud an area in mist or cause people to float through the air with incredible speed, making it easy to travel great distances quickly. Outside of the Amethyst territory the magic of the Torans is weak, as it is centred in Tora. The oath stone located in the square in the middle of the city of Tora contains a magic that is so powerful that if the oath of loyalty to King Adin and all the blood that follows him is broken, the Toran people will be driven from their home and become lost souls, shamed and unable to return to their city again. The magic of the oath stone can be undone, as seen when the Toran people reunited under King Lief, helping him drive the Shadow Lord from Deltora. Sharn of Tora was able to use her magic to weave a magical cloak that would take on the colour of its surroundings, seemingly making the wearer invisible.

Fellan magic
The beings known as the Fellan wield strong magic. Some of their powers include the ability to make themselves unseen and produce powerful banishing spells. Their magic is weakened by metal and salt, so they tend to live farther inland, away from the coast and seawater, as well as in the freer air rather than in a city or fortress. The Shadow Lord is part Fellan and is therefore able to wield magic.

Pirra
Pirrans were heavy users of magic and used it to primarily protect their island from harm. The people of the island called Pirra wielded strong magic powers. The Pirrans owned a magic flute known as the Pirran Pipe, whose magic sound once protected the island from danger and evil. Many times did Deltoran boats and ships sail across the water between Deltora and Pirra to explore the beautiful land, but when they arrived at the white sandy shores of the island, a magic force kept them from venturing any further. Worron of the Plume tribe was able to create or remove light and bind people to the spot, but his power came from the trust of his people. When they removed their trust, his magic powers lessened. In the land of Pirra, the Pirrans were familiar with magic and used it to hurt each other after the Piper died and they could not decide who of the three flute players should become the new chief and Piper.

Pirran Pipe
The main source of magic in the land of Pirra was the Pirran Pipe, which could banish evil from Pirra with its music. A sorcerer was unable to use his full powers in the land of Pirra due to the power of the Pipe. When the Piper died, the sorcerer tricked the Pirrans into splitting the Pirran Pipe into three parts - mouthpiece, stem, and end. The land of Pirra was no longer protected by the magic of the Pipe and the sorcerer took it over before the Pirrans could reassemble the Pipe. The Pirran Pipe was later restored by King Lief, Jasmine and Barda, and the tribes were reunited.

The Crystal of Maris
The Maris coast is guarded by the Keeper of the Crystal, who wields the magic Crystal. The Crystal allows the Keeper to live much longer than ordinary Maris, to control the tides, to feel fish below the sea, to taste the wind and say when storms are coming, and the ability to look into people's hearts and read their minds. The Crystal is vital in protecting the island from invasion by the Zebak, the ancient enemies of the people of the land. When a Keeper dies, all his memories and wisdom is transferred into the Crystal, and gained by the next chosen Keeper.

Dark magic
Dark magic is used for selfish reasons and to accomplish evil purposes, such as harming or controlling others or killing. The Shadow Lord uses dark magic to reach his cruel goals, to create creatures, and to rule over people and places. Over time he turned to dark, powerful magic, which gave him the power to keep himself alive for thousands of years, and eventually he became more of a thing than a living person. With his dark sorcery, the Shadow Lord was also able to burn people's minds and control them, and he created various inventions that worked through magic, not all of which were evil per se, but most of which were used for evil purposes, such as creating his horrible nightmarish monsters in the Factory.

Disguising magic
Magic can also be used to disguise or hide something, so that it becomes almost invisible. It was used by Lief's mother Sharn when she sewed his cloak for his birthday present. It is also used by Laughing Jack on his cart.

Clairvoyance or psychometry
Some people have the ability to hear and see - or 'feel' - memories stored in objects. There are written accounts of people being able to 'feel' memories locked in iron, stone, deep pools of water and in ancient places like forests. It is a rare talent.

Potions
Magical potions are beverages which affect its drinker in a magical way. They are brewed from different ingredients. Tamm made love potions. Ava offered love potions for sale, but it is unknown if she made them herself.

Spells
Spells are magical acts used by people to cause changes in the fabric of reality or accomplish certain goals. Spells are sometimes accompanied by a series of spoken words, and they are one of the most basic aspects of magic. Protective spells can banish people, hold evil back from specific locations, or protect entire lands. Some exist for harming others and doing evil, while others exist for healing injuries. Killing spells are spells that kill their targets.

Fortune-telling
The ability to tell the future in general or to tell an individual being's future. It can be accomplished in several ways. Some people believe fate rules the events of the future. The Torans of Deltora used special stones bearing symbols with different meanings and cast them to tell the future, finding all the possible meanings or future events by reading the symbols together. Ava, the sister of Laughing Jack and Tom the shopowner, had the ability to tell people's future of her own accord seemingly without any physical tools. She made a business of this and her other magical abilitties and knowledge at her shop at The Finger on the Diamond coast. The Opal of the Belt of Deltora sometimes gives glimpses of the future to people when they touch it.

Eyesight-enhancing
The Opal of the Belt of Deltora had the ability to enhance the eyesight of a person touch it. Sometimes, it gave glimpses of the future instead, however.

Strength-enhancing
The Diamond of the Belt of Deltora had the ability to bestow superhuman strength to whoever touched it, as long as they kept their hand on it.

Sensing disloyalty or broken vows
The Emerald of the Belt of Deltora had the ability to show whenever a vow had been broken, turning paler in the pressence of someone who had done such a deed. It also paled when near the Oath stone in the heart of the city of Tora, sensing that the Torans had broken their vow to the king of Deltora. They were not in Tora at that point, as the magic of the oath stone had swept them away from it as a result of their breaching their oath.

Sensing evil
Sometimes, people may sense evil in a location or in a magical object, or from a certain being. The Ruby of the Belt of Deltora had the ability to show whenever evil was nearby, turning pale whenever it was near someone evil or when it was near a trap or likewise evil contraption.

Poison-sensing
The Amethyst of the Belt of Deltora pale in the pressence of poison.

Mind-clearing and sharpening
The Topaz of the Belt of Deltora had the power to clear and sharpen the mind of whoever touched it. It grew in power during the Full Moon. As with the Topaz, this form of magic may also sharpen the mind to the point of seeing through magical illusions and evil pretense, causing magical illusion to completely vanish in the eyes of the user of this magic.

Communication with the spirit world
The Topaz of the Belt of Deltora has the power to call upon the spirits of the dead, drawing them from the spirit world to the material world. It appears as if the gem tends to summon the spirits of one's ancestors most of the time, but once, when used by Lief, it also summoned the people of Del who thought of King Lief during the night of the destruction of the Shadow Lord's crystal, either in mind or spirit. Their thought strengthened the magic of the Belt and they aided him in the destruction of the crystal.

Warding off evil spirits
The Ruby of the Belt of Deltora has the ability to ward off evil spirits, meaning that no evil can attack the wearer when the Ruby shows its power.

Warding off evil
There are many different ways of warding off evil magic, evil spirits and curses. Although it is unknown if this is simply bound in superstition, the people of Weld crossed their fingers and their hands at their wrists in an attempt to ward off evil, also saying special, magical words in addition.

Venom-remedy magic
The Ruby of the Belt of Deltora has the power to cure snake venom, as well as the venom of ooze toads.

Teleportation
Some magic-wielders have the power to whisk others away to different areas or magically "teleport" oneself at will. Examples include the Shadow Lord, who used the power to transport himself from the western coast of Deltora to the Barrier Mountains in the north to escape an Emerald dragon, and the Pirrans who transported the enslaved Deltorans from the Shadow Arena to their secret underground sea near the end of King Lief, Captain Barda and Jasmine's quest for the Pirran Pipe.

The sorceress Thaegan also had the power to transport herself in some manner, posibly teleportation. Every time she transported herself around in her territory, the sky would seem to split open with a jagged streak of light and yellow, foul-smelling, choking smoke would belch from the split with her body appearing in the midst of it.

Flight and levitation
The sorceress Thaegan had the power to levitate.

The horse hair ring from Eldannen's bag of nine powers was able, through Fellan magic, to make the wielder fly.

Torans can cause anyone or anything to levitate and fly through the air, speeding up someone's journey. The power is however limited by distance and the further the person being spirited is from the Toran territory, the weaker the power, until it completely stops working.

Time travel
The sorcerer Eldannen crafted the two magic Doors, one of gold and one of silver, which each lead to the past and the future respectively. These Doors are the only known examples of time travel in the world of Deltora.

Telekinesis
Certain wielders of magic are able to telekinetically move things without touching them. The sorceress Thaegan displayed this power, hurling Lief, Barda and Jasmine around with her magic.

Shielding
The sorceress Thaegan had a magical shield that made her entirely invulnerable to any attack. It covered her entire body as close-fitting sheath and looked like shining green glass. Only her left little finger was not shielded, as she used it to cast her spells, and if the shield was in place her spells would not be able to be shot from the tip of the finger and away from her as it would hit the shield.

One of the nine powers of Dann was a snail shell that, when worn on one of one's fingers, made the wearer invulnerable to any attacks, even causing attacks to bounce off of the wearer's body.

Looking through solid objects
One of the nine powers of Dann was a light crystal which, when put against a surface, created a round window on that surface through which it was possible to look and see what was on the other side of the object.

Illumination
One of the nine powers of Dann was a light crystal which lit up when used, illuminating the surrounding area.

Tom sold a pipe in his shop that created floating bubbles of light.

Pirrans
The Pirrans have powerful magic. They posesss a strong magic flute known as the Pirran Pipe. Its music protects them from evil. The Pirran Pipe is the only weapon strong enough to defeat the Shadow Lord in his own domain.

Tier
Tier created the Staff of Tier to do his bidding and also shaped the amber mud from Two Moons into moving shapes. Tier was able to live for centuries and only died because he chose to at last. Tier's magic was weakened by salt and metal, just like the Fellan were. It is unknown if there is any connection between the two's power.

Master of the Staff
Whoever is in possession of the Staff of Tier has the power to control the wraiths of the Isle of Tier to an extent, cure all ills and ailments and conjure objects and food out of thin air. The Master of the Staff or King of Tier has no need to drink or eat and are practically immortal, with the power to decide when it is time for them to die. The Staff of Tier practically make its wielder all-powerful, with some limitations.

Sharn
Sharn weaved magic into Lief's cloak to give it the ability to disguise any being beneath it. The cloak has the ability to change and match the colour of any background the wearer stands in front of.

Sorcerers and wizards
A sorcerer or wizard is a male who possesses magical powers. They practise different types of magic. Some prefer to use their powers to heal and aid, but others are fascinated with dark magic and uses their powers to harm, control, rule and kill. Some sorcerers and wizards have the ability to grant magic to others.

Sorceresses and witches
A sorceress or witch is a female who possesses magical powers. They can use dark magic ( like Thaegan), or helpful magic (like Tamm). Thaegan was a sorceress who could only be destroyed if a drop of her blood is spilled (it is unknown whether this applied only to her or to other sorceresses).

Torans
The Torans have been strong and wise in magic since ancient times, before their city was built, and have used it to build and protect Tora. They also supply their every need within the city through their magic.