SPECIESCLASSES
Manaweavers are unique in that they can cast any element with the help of instruments. Even if someone was born of water, they can call upon fire by using an object that retains its memory.
Manaweaving is a learned profession like any other, a skill passed on from generation to generation since its inception. While it can be learned without schooling by experimentation, it can be dangerous to meddle with magic of that caliber alone. The potential of it becoming untethered scares most into forcing potential mana weavers into schools rather than taking the risk.
However, most people choose not to pursue weaving. Like all magic, it's difficult to master and dangerous to attempt. Manaweaving is as much about learning the elemental forces of the world as it is about learning the weave of magic: plucking the strings of the world and rearranging them into a harmonious new whole is a skill few can master. When casting a spell, manaweavers look like they're dancing, weaving, or playing a harp, though the exact variation varies from region to region.
Those who do become manaweavers can spend their entire lives seeking perfection and power.
While historically there wasn’t much restrictions to magic, that changed after the Triad’s reign of terror. In current days, manaweavers aren't generally allowed to practice in public places. Instead, they go to schools in the wilds, isolated in case a spell should go awry, or the unthinkable happens and a spell becomes untethered. Some small cities and towns don’t have such restrictions, but in general casting large spells in crowds will cause people to panic.
All manaweavers start as students in the craft, learning through books, practice, and study. Much of becoming a manaweaver is spent bent over a desk, reading long into the night. Most manaweavers will learn at the Countermarch, where they go through structured courses and the materials are provided for them. Because manaweavers cannot practice spellcraft until after they earn their own staffs, most of their learning is theoretical in nature.
It isn't until they master the basics that they're allowed to put what they've learned into practice. They're given a training staff to practice the movements. These staffs have a tiny shard of godsblood crystal at their tips. They're incapable of casting complex and sustained spells, merely strumming the chords of elements rather than rearranging them. This is usually just summoning simple orbs of the element: water, fire, etc. Many manaweavers don't make it past this stage. Putting theory into practice is rarely as easy as the books make it seem.
Those that do, however, become true manaweavers. Their accomplishments are recognized by crafting their own stave and being given the godsblood crystal, which are used to manipulate the weave of magic itself. Manaweavers who come into the craft on their own must either purchase or acquire a stone through some other means.
Some villages and towns throw big celebrations when a manaweaver graduates, with feasts and week-long parties to celebrate their accomplishments. At the end of this celebration, the manaweaver either sets off to find their own path or is set upon one. Every manaweaver has a job and a purpose- if they can't find it, many others are happy to provide one.