- Great Spells (aka great spells, great magic, or the major spells) are the most powerful of spells.
Background[]
Over the eons a fabulous library of magical books--books that collected and explicated the great spells and conjurations devised and duplicated throughout the ages by the greatest of sorcerers. Some of these books include Al Azif, the Necronomicon, The Key of Solomon, The Principia Discordia, The Book of Dyzan, The Book of the Damned, and the The Sorcery of Old.
The greater magics and sorceries, because of their very complex natures, must be recorded in some way. Obviously, to learn and use such incantations, the sorcerer must be able to read the words inscribed in the scrolls and books of the art.
Casting great spells takes a toll on the caster, but it might also give the caster a burst of energy, as if their mind is on fire. But usually it knocks the caster out (either they grow extremely tired or they blackout or feint) causing them to enter a deep and sound sleep/trance while they regain energy, in which they cannot be awakened until they have regained their energy.
A great conclave of wizards of all colors of magic (as well as other mythical creatures) cast a great spell and withdrew from present Earth, and created for themselves a new world and named it Daventry.[1] This great spell may have had an time travel mechanic back into Earth's past along with its interdimensional travel (see On the Origin of Daventry and time warp). After casting the spell, cataclysms tore at the earth. Earthquakes rocked and volcanoes spat their lava into the sky-such were the forces needed to withdraw so many.
After Alexander returned home and saved the kingdom, great magics were unleashed; once unable to destroy the Three-headed Dragon, they rebuilt and reclaimed the land. One might suspect dread technology at work, so quickly went the transformation.
The great spells practiced by Druids on the Isle of the Mists are types of earth spell, most involve blood sacrifice. They usually attempt to cast their Great Spells on solstices and equinoxes. To the Druid religion, Great Spells require the shedding of blood. Strangers are the preferred victims. One of the such spell is the rain ritual. It is one of the most powerful of all the great magic--a blood sacrifice for fertility, for rain. According to local legend it is claimed that the great storms around the Green Isles, are an artifact of a great protective spell once cast to defeat all intruders (even the fog that hides the island is because of similar earth spell).
Karn Megiddo cast his own great spell. The great spell to become the greatest magician in the world. Requires putting oneself into a glamour manarvel to form an illusionary castle until it nearly drains the caster of magic and life, and then using certain ingredients which include a Fairy Queen, several Imps, other mystical beings along with other magical items to recharge his energy, and make the castle permanent. It takes an assistant to collect and use the items while the spellcaster is trapped in the glamour manarvel.
The Pirates of the western sea became victims of a great storm spell cast upon them by Prince Alexander some weeks after his return home. The lone survivor washed up on the coast of Llewdor babbling of shipmates being consumed by sharks and others swallowed by a great squid after being crushed in its tentacles. The unfortunate man also kept whimpering a word that sounded something like "Cthulhu," but his mind had been shattered by the experience and he only continued to chatter incoherently.
Fireball is another of the great or major spells. In its most powerful and chaotic forms it is extremely powerful.
Other spells include the flying spell, and blast spell. The latter which may be a type of wind or earth spell can be potentially be used to bust open a door, but its most powerful and chaotic form can shatter the door, the stone wall around it, furniture behind it, and even busting a hole in the wall across the room.
Others[]
- The Universe Interpreter is likely part of a great spell.
- Resurrection spells are most likely great spells (or even higher classification).
- The spell to extend Morowyn's life and was turning him into a tree was most likely a type of 'great spell'.
- The unicorn is said to be a 'great magic beast'.
- Many of the Iconomancy castings are most powerful and aggressive forms of magic. Some possibly being able to destroy worlds or even the universe. Their awesome magnitudes make them dangerous to even discuss or show their Icon in detail, lest someone learns the magic. Their names include, Walls of Flame, Total Holocaust, Chaos and Conflagration, and Eater of Worlds give some small idea how powerful these others are. Dragon of Fire is a spell of great power.
- The magic Amulet could protect one from all, but the most powerful magics. One such spell appears to be the spells of stone and death that Mordack attempts to cast on intruders, such as Graham, but later cast on Cedric. These spells either burns the victim (leaving charred remains[2], suffocates/chokes them[3], vaporizes them in a myst of sparkles[4], simply kills the victim[5], or turns them to stone[6] (it may depend on the strength of the victim and if they are magical or not). It may also depends on the strength of the wand (a drained wand may have less effect than a fully charged wand).
- Great dreaming.... spells of great dreamers are capable of not only dreaming into Daventry, but also changing it as well.
- Those capable of casting these spells are often known as 'great wizards', 'great sorcerer/sorceress', 'great necromancers', or 'great magicians', etc.
- Many of the spells in the Sorcerery of Old maybe considered 'great spells'. Alexander also describes it as a 'great book'.
- Oft times in magic, though, mere sounds can contain great powers in themselves. The aged and great Grand Wizard Chrispinophur practices a magic that relies much on such words of power. "Open Sesame!", "Abracadabra!", "Shazam!", "Etaoin Shrdlu!", and "Ia R'lyea! Cthulhu fhtagn! Ia! Ia!" are some obvious examples of sounds which, of their very nature, have extreme potency.
- Alexander kept Manannan's wand. He now uses in the preparation of all major spells.