Most Sundalfolk view magic as being something much closer to a branch of engineering than the art that many other nations view it as. Sunderwyl Artificers have been delving into the secrets of Technomancy for more than a millennia. Over the centuries they have figured out how to use crystals and wire to remove the most subjective and personal aspects of spell- and ritual-working, making it much easier to standardize magical elements and apply scientific principles to them. This results in it being remarkably easy to learn the basics of magic in the Republic, but the more powerful spells and rituals tend to require a lot of study in order to get them to work right, which leaves the average skill level of the Republic’s mages about on par with that of other nations’.
There is also a blurred line between enchanting, engineering, and ritual magic within Sunderwyl. Many Artificers are skilled in all three, and it’s not uncommon for mages in other, less-engineering-intensive professions to have some knowledge of enchanting or golem-craft, just picked up as part of their educations. Particularly skilled mages in Sunderwyl are referred to as “Spellwrights,” reflecting the general view amongst Sundalfolk that mages “build” their spells and rituals, rather than weaving them together out of emotion, intuition, and ancient secrets as usually occurs in other nations.
The three Labyrinths at the heart of Sundland are deadly places. Each day spent within one of those extraplanar realms drains the life force from a Delver, and so there is a premium placed upon making the most out of every second spent inside of them. Many Delver guilds maintain circles of ritualists who specialize in casting Sorceries upon small squads of fighters — the Arcanum Potentia, Sanguis, Vitae, and Bellator — which they cast upon every member of the guild who ventures into a Labyrinth. Much of the profits earned by expeditions into the Labyrinths go to acquiring enough Aether Crystals to ensure that the next batch of Delvers who venture inside are as bolstered as they can be so that they can go in, get as much loot as they can, and then get out in as little time as possible.
Knowledge is highly prized in Sunderwyl, and so it’s no surprise to anyone familiar with the nation that divination — particularly that which can uncover secrets or answer burning questions — is one of the most-valued forms of ritual magic in the Republic. Augurs, Navigators, and Curators are greatly respected for their ability to use such rituals, and it’s considered standard practice for every guild to have at least one or two diviners on staff to attempt to find answers to the guild’s problems that more mundane methods cannot acquire.
The use of wire, crystal, and magical materials to attract and direct aether or channel mana is a flourishing magical tradition amongst the Artificers of Sunderwyl, as well as any other Sundalfolk mages who are more inclined to treat magic as an engineering problem rather than an art form. While this tradition has its roots in Petromancy, what matters most is the technomagical setting of the stone and its sheer size rather than its natural shape, clarity, or cut.
Stone Calling was once by far the dominant magical tradition of Sundland, practiced by nearly every Dwarven mage who lived on the island. Over time, though, as Technomancy grew in capability and popularity, and then especially after the influx of Fae refugees who brought new magics with them from Faen’miir, the art of Stone Calling became less and less used. It’s now about as frequently practiced as Grassweaving, predominantly by Dwarven Curators and Augurs, who find its straightforward nature useful in setting up and performing their rituals.
Without easy access to the trees of Faen’miir, the Fae of Sunderwyl who once practiced Dendromancy have had to adapt, turning the semi-magical grasses of the Golden Sea into their own unique form of magic by braiding and twisting them into complex shapes to bind and shape spells and rituals. The Tomarrans first developed the practice, and Tomarran Veilwalkers shared it with the Wylding refugees during the Faebane Churning shortly after the Fae arrived upon Sundland’s shores. Navigators, Pioneers, and Talonguards often learn Grassweaving as their primary magical tradition, as do the Delvers who grow up around the Golden Sea.
Astromancy is a small tradition in Sunderwyl, though it is fiercely beloved by the Navigators and Augurs who practice it for its use in divination. Many Sundalfolk Astromancers make use of standard playing cards for their divinations, memorizing the equivalencies between the playing cards and whichever set of Astromantic Arcana they prefer. This can make card games with Astromancers from the Republic somewhat interesting, as Navigators in particular have a reputation for slipping a bit of magic into the deck when they shuffle, with unpredictable results for the other players at the table.
The art of Spellsinging is most often practiced by Sunderwyl’s Fae mages, who enjoy mixing together old songs from Faen’miir with more modern Sundland folk songs and country dances. The occasional Dwarven mage will practice it as well, singing Dwarven work chants to the pounding of hammer on anvil. Spellsinging isn’t terribly common amongst Sundalfolk mages, but it has a loyal following in the nation’s two Great Universities and the areas around them.