Magic
From Guild Wars Wiki
In the year 1 BE, Abaddon gave the ability to use Magic to the sentient races of Tyria. However, the gift of Magic was given out too freely and, as such, caused immediate bloody wars. King Doric, the leader of the three human kingdoms in the continent of Tyria at the time, traveled to Arah to seek audience with the the gods and begged at their feet for their passion and to take back their gift of magic. The gods heard his plea and created the bloodstone, which limited the use of magic that the races could use, and then split it into five portions that represent the four schools of magic and a keystone to forever seal away the full power of magic and the mistake that was made in giving it to the races of Tyria. After the creation the bloodstones, the gods plunged the giant stones into the largest volcano of the Ring of Fire Island Chain. Soon after, they left the world in the act known as the Exodus
Thus in current times, beings on Tyria are unable to harness all the potential power that magic offers. Instead they must work together to make the most use of it and accomplish anything large.
Despite the fact that magic was not given to the races of Tyria on a whole until just before the Exodus, there are cases where magic was used before such time. Those cases are based on two cases - the chosen of the gods and the Ritualist profession. Before magic was given to the races, the Canthan Ritualists were able to call upon their ancestors for use in magic. With the introduction of magic, the Ritualist profession became even stronger - in both the old ways, and new.
Magic has four principle schools to it – Preservation, Destruction, Aggression, and Denial. The four schools are linked to the four core caster professions – Monk, Elementalist, Necromancer, and Mesmer respectively.
