you are in the city of Aurelia, in the continent Frojure known for its harsh winters and mountains. like most places Magic is outlawed by the Enclave of the White Spear confederation which oversees much of the religious, political and governmental facets of this continent and surrounding areas.

for about 60 years now the practice of magic, aka using ones Chroma has been outlawed unless specifically allowed by the Enclave, such as their elite guard, or more scarily their elite 10, also called the Heralds. powerful Chroma users using unique styles that do diplomatic or hostile missions to other nations to manipulate them.

Magic has been outlawed for 60 years for the specific reason of the Calamity, a near global event in which mages and nations had wars that tore apart even land masses.

about one in a thousand people are able to use magic, aka a Chroma. the color is the base energy while a practice called Weaving is what casting is. using runes and structures of your Chroma to create effects, materials, properties or alter things. certain Chromas are better at one thing or another. such as Red being the most naturally gifted in dealing Damage in general. while Blue is the most Defensive. doesn't mean a Red Chroma user cant make barriers or be defensive. it just means they would have to work extra hard to achieve results similar to a blue Chroma user and vise versa. the base energy is white and is called Mana however that's just the fuel for magic.

using runes and such in your magic is common practice for more advanced magic casters, its also how enchanting and alchemy works. just on a more physical basis..