Lore
The Relief
A board-like object you throw down to make a place where magic can be written.
Every practitioner carries a Relief: a board, a spirit-board of sorts, with a face given over to letters. There is one for each tradition.
It is thrown to the ground. Where it lands, it grows, and an aura spreads. Within that aura, and only there, the owner can cast.
A spell is not a gesture. The caster writes its word, letter by letter, in a visible ritual, and releases it only when the word is complete. H.E.L.P. for a lesser healing. B.L.E.E.D. for a rupture of blood. R.U.N. for a fear that sends enemies fleeing.
An interrupted word costs nothing. A finished word cannot be taken back.