The Haan Study, What is a Catcher?

These pages feature chapter one of ‘’The Haan Study’’, a collection of chapters talking about the series’ magic system in greater detail then the information given in the main chapters found in the back of the volumes of The Eferian Day series. One chapter is given out per volume and a complete work of The Haan Study is planned to be created in the future featuring all chapters alongside more text and artwork of spell characters and more. Chapter one has been given out for free for promotion of the series.

This chapter is subjected to change until The Eferian Dawn volume one: Together We Once Held Up Heaven and Sky is fully published.

Latest edit done: 2024-10-19

The Thirteenth Scroll: What is a Catcher?

A Catcher is a category of Haan Dast Casting Spell Casters who specialise in the ability of catching projected spells in the air. Being a Haan spell the Catcher composed themselves or a projected spell by someone else, the Catcher class can catch both compositions.

The Catcher Haan class works by using the pulling and draggability of the Dhemsen elements. Using this elemental group: the Catcher is then capable of manipulating the projection and control of the Haan spell being casted. To gain this type of ability: Catchers use specialty tools to achieve this spell power. The two primary tools are what’s called a Hath and a Ramsahar.

The Hath is a cylindrical-shaped rod, normally made of metal to gain the swinging weight, attached to either a chain or rope. On the top of the cylinder is a bowl-like shape with multiple ‘’plates’’ layered on top of each other. By channelling the Caster’s Minbry-Point through the Hath like a wand, said Caster is then able to construct a spell-like composition made entirely of Dhemsen elements through the plates by having the Minbry-Point reside within them. Because the Dhemsen elements are restrained by the Minbry-Point without being able to surround it: the Dhemsen elements ‘’reflect’’ off the plates on the Hath. This creates a dome-like movement of the Dhemsen elements around the Hath’s bowl-like top.

The other tool is a Ramsahar.

The Ramsahar is like the Hath, only its constructed as a quarterstaff. This makes it so the Caster can catch spells further up in the air without having to time the swing with the spell. This is one of the preferred tools to use among Catchers since there isn’t a great need of training to use it. And it can be used by more people in general due to the Hath being a much more personal tool specifically made for the Caster who use it. Using the Hath over the Ramsahar requires both a great deal of time and experience to use it effectively. But, once the Caster is familiar with it, the Hath is much easier to carry, conceal, and store opposed to a giant stick.

Though the ability of being able to catch Haan spells have been known in Sagen for most of the Eferian Elven reign: the Catcher is a very new concept as a Haan casting class. This is due to the tools needed to gain the ability to catch spells in the first place. Before the invention of the Hath and the Ramsahar: Dast Casters used Dhemsen elements primarily within Evaporation spells to the same extent of elements used compared to Catcher tools.

Because of this: Catchers are mainly seen in Varangia and ROUE.

These are the primary places where Catchers are trained as well, adding to the number of people with Catcher class abilities. The skills needed and the money to get a hold of the tools to practice spell catching makes it so only a handful of Haan Dast Casters even practice the class at all. The largest training location for the Catcher Haan class, The Sunset River University, is one of the only Haan schools holding these types of trainings with rare exceptions within Highmore. However, since the Catcher class is seen to be of higher study in many Haan circles: the Catcher Dast Caster have great deals of status among those who practice Haan in general.

This makes it very lucrative to many different types of Casters. Even if the person isn’t going to pursue Catcher spellcasting overall.