The much maligned art of Necromancy evokes fearful images of sacrifice, blight, corruption, and fell rites to raise the dead.  This is not an inaccurate portrayal.  The fundamental practice of Necromancy is that of energy transference, particularly vital sympathetic Aether.  All necromantic rites and ritual require sacrifice, it may be as small as a few drops of the casters blood or as much as the life force of several sentient beings.  In some cases effects MAY be achieved with the destruction of material objects of great importance to the Necromancer or their subject but such a link is far weaker than blood and vital Aether.  Such dark arts leave a mark upon flesh and spirit both of the user and the areas where they practice.  These Tells are as varied and unique as the Necromancer may be but all leave an indelible mark that reveals the caster and the nature of their magic.  The rites and rituals of necromancy can be harnessed with greater sacrifice to grant power beyond the Necromancer's usual power joining with others or enacting grander sacrifices to feed ever growing needs of the rites.  Even without such means Necromancers may catabolize their own Vital Aether to feed mighty necromantic workings at the cost of their own energy and very life force.

Psychics sit nearly outside the traditional definition of magical school.  These potent minds use neither ritual nor rote, prayer nor kata nor maneuver.  Psychic phenomenon can come upon the untrained mind under stress, alteration, or manipulation.  The school of Psychic Techniques as taught in the schools that accept it among traditions however refine and prepare the mind for unlocking the unimaginable might of the mortal mind.  These techniques and training leave a mark upon the body and Aether; all Psychics wear the mark of the source of their powers revealing the use of the powers with a signature effect on body or environs.  The mortal mind was also not made for such energies and there is a price paid for each use of power as personal reserves of Aether are tapped to manifest phenomena.  Psychics can push themselves to their limits and beyond but at great cost to the mind and body, but a psychic with nothing left to lose can unleash daunting manifestations of the mind.

Faith magic has long been one of the most contentious forms of traditional magic. It contains within it worshipers of gods and demons and those who would call one the other.  But despite such contention it remains among the oldest. After all, for as long as humanity has wandered the earth they have yearned to be noticed and blessed by powers beyond their own, or at the least to avoid their wrath. Such beings of course are not of unified purpose where they even deign to acknowledge others existence they often treat other figures as opponents, demons or foul spirits, invariably lesser. All however hold their followers to strict guidance of how to serve and worship, these tenets are not uniform even among similar faiths no less between divergent structures of belief. However all Faithful must abide by their own tenets and utilize some sort of foci, an idol or symbol or scroll of prayer or relic in order to call upon the power of their chosen power. More involved prayer among the faithful and observance of ritual worship allows even greater miracles or acts to be performed.

Witchcraft is an intuitive form of sorcery matching the raw will of the practitioner against the fickle winds of Aether. The Witch learns to master the self as much as the Aether they command, herb and crystal or wand and sickle, the tools of the trade are but foci of that will and easy sources of sympathetic Aether. Witchcraft channels the Aether of the world around the witch coaxing and guiding it to the effect the witch desires allowing the witch a wide variety of capabilities should their will be the match of the power they call upon. Guiding their will through motions to focus that aether where they intend the flow of Aether from the world through them leaves a personalized mark on the self or their surroundings. These tells are as unique as a witch's practice. Intricate rituals can allow skilled witches and covens to meld their powers to work grandiose workings on scales outside the reach of most solitaries, more dangerous paths allow the Witch to pour their very essence onto great works exhausting their personal Aether and health in the pursuit of powerful spells perhaps even unto the witches death.

The Aetheric Sciences or technomancy as it is more commonly known is the youngest of the magical traditions as an outgrowth of the Hermetic Traditions applying the scientific method to the study of Aether and its use. Despite its youth, Technomancy has largely reshaped the world over the last century or so as its wide adoption and use has touched nearly every aspect of society. The technomancer channels Aether though strictly constructed devices melding Aetheric power sources and materials with traditional mechanical and electrical machines. As such there is little a technomancer without sufficient tools and time can not create. Tools and Time being the operative conditions. Technomantic devices, particularly prototypes, are complex and often fragile machines requiring exacting construction and built for singular purpose (though several devices MAY be housed in a single form factor). Some advanced technomancers may be able to jury rig simple devices with limited time and material (In a CAVE from a box of SCRAPS) but even such endeavors are on the order of minutes or hours not the seconds with which other magicians may cast a spell. Experimental devices pushing the limits of the builder’s skill, less reliable and likely good for a single or small number of uses, are possible but still will require the time and tooling to construct.

Elementalists are the most physical of the Traditional Magic Schools honing their body, mind, and soul to harness and channel raw elemental Aether into spectacular displays of prowess and aetheric might. The wide array of orders within the broader school of Elementalism may concentrate on a single element or approach the art and study of magic more holistically but all fundamentally use the elementalist’s body as a conduit to guide and command elemental forces. The gestures shaping these elemental forces often resemble martial arts and it is not uncommon for practitioners to also be formidable hand to hand combatants. Acting as a conduit to such energies is taxing on the body of course so most elementalists are by necessity prime physical specimens even into old age. The practitioner may push beyond their bodies normal limits to produce even more extreme effects at great personal costs the aether burning its way through their body as they bend the chaotic elemental energies to their will though nearly every order within the tradition warns against such risky use of the art.

Originating cults of Hermes and Thoth but continuing in the traditions of mystery cults and secret societies throughout the ages Hermetic magic applies a rigorous study of Aetheric power through the secrets of Arcane Language, Gesture, Alchemy, and Astrology. The systemic approach allows a great breadth of potential effects to be harnessed but an inflexible application of any given effect. Without the words and motions to shape the Aether precisely into the specific form desired a hermetic spell will fizzle uselessly. With study and preparation or extensive experimentation nearly anything is possible to a knowledgeable hermetic but working on the fly they have only those incantations they may have committed to memory. The structure of Hermetic thought allows exceptional works to be achieved through careful application of ritual. High rituals allow channeling of great power and combination of several magi but the requirements are exacting and failure with such power can be disastrous. The most common Hermetic texts involve control of fundamental matter and energies, more complex texts may expand into metamagical effects while esoteric texts and research expand into the study of the mind and body.