
An Antari creating a blood mark
Antari (an-TAr-ee[1][2] or An-tar-E)[3] are the strongest and rarest kind of magicians. They are the only ones able to use blood magic and travel across the four Londons: Red, White, Grey, and Black.
Antari is also the name Kell Maresh gave to the language of magic.[4]
Overview[]
It is unknown how Antari come to be. Over the centuries, many theories have been postulated: Some hypothesize that it is random, others that Antari are chosen and meant for greatness. Yet another theory says that Antari resulted from interdimensional magic transference—that magic from different worlds intertwined. This theory would explain why Antari became rarer after the doors between the worlds were sealed.[5]
All Antari are made of balance and chaos. Their rich red blood stands for balance, as red is the color of magic in harmony between humanity and power, whereas their black eye—the Antari mark—stands for chaos. The eye is a "signature of dark magic," and black is the color of magic without restraint and order.[6] Antari are either born with the mark or develop it in their early childhood.[7]
The abundance of magic in their veins allows Antari to wield all elements, manipulate bone, and use blood commands. Blood commands are not instantaneous and need time to work, like any other kind of magic.[7] They also need to be voiced out loud,[8] and cannot be constantly used as they drain energy quickly.[5] However, unlike priests, Antari cannot balance magic because "they are a flood where nature requires a steady rain to flourish"[9] and "life was fragile at the start, and required a gentle touch." Antari can only "impact things already grown."[10]
Furthermore, Antari heal quickly because of the high concentration of magic in their blood.[5] This makes it is very difficult to kill Antari.[11] For example, when Holland Vosijk is pierced close to the heart with a metal rod,[12] he is still alive a significant amount of time later.[13]
History[]
A long time ago, Antari magicians opened the doors between the four Londons—Red, White, Grey, and Black. This arrangement held well until Black London was corrupted by magic over three hundred years ago. To protect itself, Red London sought out the help of Antari to close the doors they had opened all those years ago.[14][15] Since then, only Antari can travel between the different worlds.[14]
After Black London's fall, all items originating from there were destroyed—and Antari hunted down and killed, as it was believed that their black eye-mark was a sign of the same corruption that had befallen Black London.[14] This severely decimated the already low number of Antari, and after the doors were sealed, they became even rarer.
In the process, all books written in Antari were destroyed. The original, runic language of magic got lost, though it was preserved and passed down as best as possible as phonetic transcriptions and reproductions. Kell Maresh possesses one of the few books in phonetic Antari.[4]
Known blood commands[]
Command | Meaning | Notes |
---|---|---|
As Anasae | to dispel | |
As Athera | to grow | |
As Besara | to take | |
As Enose | to seek | |
As Hasari | to heal | not meant for Antari to use on themselves or for minor wounds because of the energy drain[5] |
As Herena | to give | |
As Illumae | to light | |
As Isera | to freeze | |
As Narahi | to quicken | |
As Orense | to open | |
As Osoro | to darken[16] | |
As Pyrata | to burn | |
As Sora | to unbreak[17] | |
As Staro | to seal | |
As Steno | to break | |
As Tascen | to transfer | used to travel between places in one world; start and destination have to be marked by the exact same symbol;[18] can be used to transport yourself to a person if you possess a token from them, though this process is more difficult[19] |
As Tosal | to confine | traps a soul in their own body, making the body unmovable and unresponsive; irreversible, and forbidden in Red London |
As Travars | to travel | used to travel between the worlds; a token from the destined world is needed |
Known Antari[]
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- Helina from Red London
- Rowan from Red London
- Holland Vosijk from White London
- Kell Maresh from Red London
- Lila Bard from Grey London
- Kosika from White London
Trivia[]
- The blood commands for travelling, As Travars and As Tascen, do not function when the caster is on a moving craft.[20]
References[]
- ↑ "An-tar-ee, with emphasis on tar :)"
(V. E. Schwab on Tumblr) - ↑ "Antari = an-TAr-ee"
(V. E. Schwab on Tumblr) - ↑ "An-tar-E."
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 A Darker Shade of Magic, V: Black Stone, IV
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 A Darker Shade of Magic, II: Red Royal, III
- ↑ A Darker Shade of Magic, II: Red Royal, II
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 A Darker Shade of Magic, X: One White Rook, II
- ↑ A Darker Shade of Magic, XIII: The Waiting King, V
- ↑ "In this system, there are priests–those who possess the ability to balance the elements and enhance nature [...].
Interestingly, Antari magicians and priests both possess the ability to speak to all elements, but Antari cannot balance them–they are a flood where nature requires a steady rain to flourish."
(V. E. Schwab on Tumblr) - ↑ A Gathering of Shadows, VI: Impostors, III
- ↑ A Darker Shade of Magic, VII: The Follower, II
- ↑ A Darker Shade of Magic, XII: Sanctuary & Sacrifice, V
- ↑ A Darker Shade of Magic, XIV: The Final Door, I
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 A Darker Shade of Magic, VIII: An Arrangement, I
- ↑ A Darker Shade of Magic, IV: White Throne, I
- ↑ A Gathering of Shadows, II: Prince at Large, I
- ↑ A Gathering of Shadows, VII: Intersections, II
- ↑ A Darker Shade of Magic, I: The Traveler, I
- ↑ A Darker Shade of Magic, VI: Thieves Meet, III
- ↑ A Conjuring of Light, XII: Betrayal, IV