Magic is as much a part of Kingdom as the River. The songs of Filidhean echo with power, the Ponters carve their runes, the heraldic emblems borne by the Knights and other warriors of the nation blaze with primal might, and the words of the Riversages carry the magic of the Rothlin itself. The secrets of the arcane and divine have been passed down from generation to generation like shining gems, used for the profit and glory of those who possessed them and for the defense and prosperity of the Kingdom. Rivermarkers see magic as a path to glory, whether through martial prowess, economic profit, or political leverage, and respect those who have achieved mastery of the magical art just as much as they respect those who have mastered the ways of war and mundane mercantilism.
Outside of the Towers run by the Scrivener Houses, the Songhalls of the Filidhean, and the temples of the Riversages, there are few organized schools of magic in the nation. Marchers who seek to learn magic must either join one of these institutions or find a House renowned for its magical capabilities — most Houses jealously guard any magical secrets they’ve acquired over the generations, and only accept apprentices who swear oaths of fealty to serve the House’s interests.
The mages of Rivermark have a tendency to prefer to work in large groups when performing rituals, building large cabals of ritualists in order to accomplish a task. They find the cooperation and communal accomplishment of large-scale ritual work to be an uplifting experience, and so even mages who are not particularly skilled ritualists often join such cabals to be able to take part in such efforts. This is particularly true when a ritual is needed to assist the community as a whole, such as to repair a road or bless a swathe of cropland or herd of beasts — mages from all around will answer a summons by the local Baron to assemble for what the Marchers call a “grand chorale” ritual to help the community as a whole. Such events often turn into a feast for the exhausted mages after the ritual is completed, as thanks for their contributions and time.
Just as the warriors of Rivermark have a hallowed place in their tales and folklore, so too do the mages who fight upon the battlefield and have bled and died for the nation’s freedom and glory. Battle-mages are highly respected by Rivermarkers of all stations, and though the “default” for most martial archetypes is a warrior in armor, mages can often be found amongst the ranks of Knights, Galloglaich, and Reivers. A mage who seeks the title of Knight may face more challenges on the field of battle due to their lack of armor, but so long as they can survive and achieve the same results as a warrior they will still gain the title they seek. Similarly, mages are welcome amongst the ranks of Galloglaich and Reiver Clanns, as their unique skills can be a considerable boon for the warriors around them upon the battlefield.
There is a tradition amongst Rivermark Houses of employing a cabal of mages skilled in Sorceries that bolster a warrior’s abilities in combat. Knights, especially, prefer to go into battle under the effects of a Sorcery to aid them on the field, especially if they can find a Riversage to cast it upon them. Many of the greatest Houses in the Kingdom’s history made it a point to develop the size and capabilities of their ritualist cabals in order to apply Sorceries to whole squadrons of warriors before sending them into battle, and this focus on improving the quality over quantity of fighting forces has percolated into the rest of the Kingdom’s attitudes towards the use of Sorceries in battle preparations.
Rivermark has a long history of using curses to balance the scales of justice. Scriveners in particular frequently offer their services as ritualists to place a curse upon someone who has committed a wrong, and many Scrivener Houses make quite a handsome living off of such services. However, the business of curses has inevitably led some Rivermark mages down dark paths, and so there are strict laws against the misuse of such spiteful magics — placing a curse upon a Rivermarker who has not been identified by an honorable Sheanadh, at the direction of the person or House who made the denunciation, is strictly illegal and subject to a stiff fine by the Crown.
The Filidhean of Rivermark are famous for their Spellsinging, using fiddle, pipe, bodran, harp, and song to perform feats of magic both subtle and grand. The droning of bagpipes across the moors and hills of the highlands is often a sign of a ritual being performed, and many a Ceilidh Hall has been the site of a bardic ritual as well. Spellsinging is also used by non-Filidhean Marchers, usually in the form of hymns sung by Riversages or ballads sung by Ponters as they place an enchantment upon something. It’s considered terrible luck amongst Rivermarkers to interrupt a Filidh’s song or Riversage’s hymn, as it’s not always clear when they’re in the midst of a ritual.
Hydromancy is a core part of the magical traditions of Rivermark. The Rothlin’s power resonates with any Marcher who spends time meditating upon it, and it isn’t terribly difficult to learn how to invoke its magic for one’s own use. As such, many Rivermark Hydromancers call upon the Spirit of the Rothlin in their spells and rituals, either in addition to or completely replacing the Spirits of the Seven Seas that are traditionally used in Hydromantic magics. The Rothlin is such a vast and all-encompassing Spirit that its powers can be used for almost any spell or ritual, provided that the Hydromancer uses the proper chants and riverine effigies and symbols. Riversages, unsurprisingly, frequently use at least one or two Hydromantic elements in their magic, though most still pray or sing hymns to their gods rather than invoking the Rothlin itself.
Rune Kenning is frequently practiced amongst Scriveners and Ponters, who use the Elder Runes as the primary source of power for many of their spells, rituals, and enchantments. Scriveners often prepare runic talismans upon parchment, which they either attach to their person to use to cast spells in battle or arrange in a ritual circle to aid them in performing a ritual. Ponters use the runes within their enchantments, carving them into steel, stone, wood, or hide in order to create the effects they desire, often finishing them with a song to ignite the enchantment’s power.
Osteomancy is as old as the land of Rivermark itself. Originally, it took a form fairly similar to Grimmwold Osteomancy, with bone and hide talismans used to invoke the magics of the Primal Wilds. However, after the founding of the Kingdom, and especially after the use of House heraldry began to spread throughout the nation, the tradition of Osteomancy quickly shifted into using emblems of heraldic beasts on a tabard, standard, or shield. In modern times, heraldic Osteomancy is practiced by many mages of Rivermark, especially those who learn their arts within a noble House rather than in one of the magical schools of the nation.
The Dwarves of Rivermark, especially those raised in the southern highlands that once were part of the fallen Dwarven kingdom of Malokron, often prefer to use Stone Calling as their primary magical tradition. The many Dwarven ruins that can still be found amongst the peaks, valleys, and hills of the Spine and its northern foothills make the study of the Stoic Runes very appealing to up-and-coming Dwarven mages in search of power or a link to their heritage, or both.