There are two different types of magic users on Mara: those who can use it naturally, and those who must rely on the assistance of stones called valui. Users of valui far outnumber natural mages—and most valui users are inhabitants of the city Aduro Aurum, as it sits on top of the island's only deposit of the stones. Most who live outside of Aduro Aurum possess no magic at all, although there is nothing to stop them from journeying to the city and acquiring their own valui.
There are four different types of playable elements, as well as eleven different secondary powers to choose from. Additionally, there are six playable degrees of skill, each with five stages to progress through before the next 'level' is reached. Stages may be advanced automatically through the mentor system, but staff must approve all level changes. This prevents cheating, such as a player using their own alts to quickly raise a character to Master class.
Each character may have one element and one secondary power, or two secondary powers and no element; no character may have two elements. Due to the way @request is set up, however, if you opt to have a character with two powers and no element, you will have to page a staffer to get your magic set up. In a case such as this, simply list 'None' for your element when you @request, and one secondary power. Then page a staff member to set the second power manually.