Magic



Magic is a mysterious power that has existed in Remnant since its creation. The Gods created the world through magic and the God of Darkness gave its people the power to wield it. After Salem persuaded Humanity to rebel against them, the God of Darkness purged the planet and left with the God of Light. Later, the second era of Humanity blossomed, but they had no magic nor had any knowledge that it had ever existed, to begin with.

Salem, Ozma's reincarnations and those Ozma lent some of his magic to are the only known users of magic known in the world.

Gods


The Gods of Light and Darkness are two immensely powerful magical beings and the creators of the World of Remnant. They are two brothers, the elder being the God of Light and the younger being the God of Darkness. The God of Light created life, and the God of Darkness created agents of death, including the Creatures of Grimm. At one point, they compromised and created Humans together.

The Gods appear as translucent humanoid beings with featureless faces, horns and antlers. Both can also transform into dragons.

The Gods are nigh-omnipotent entities of immense power and knowledge. The two created Remnant and Humanity together as well as their own individual creations. The two together are essentially invincible and have no actual weaknesses besides being fallible and vulnerable to the manipulations of certain, exceptionally cunning people. The God of Light also created the Four Relics, which are the ideals Humanity was based upon, Creation, Destruction, Knowledge and Choice, and each Relic is immensely powerful on its own.

Both brothers are able to manipulate matter and energy, are able to interact with entities through multiple plains of existence including the afterlife and are able to use their abilities with pinpoint precision. The God of Darkness was able to wipe out all of Humanity except for Salem without harming any other form of life on a global scale.

God of Light


The God of Light is one of the Gods who created Remnant and the older brother of the God of Darkness.

In his humanoid form, the God of Light appears as a golden humanoid male with a crown of antlers. In his draconic form, he resembles real-world Eastern traditional dragon. In this form, his eyes appear to emanate a pure, white glow. This is likely due to him being the originator of the power possessed by the Silver-Eyed Warriors.

As a being with abilities that transcend multiple plains of existence, the true power of the God of Light has yet to be seen. As a being that represents creation, he is naturally attuned to its forces. He presumably shares his brother's ability to create and resurrect souls from the afterlife, as his refusal to bring back Ozma was a matter of principle-over-power. He also shares in his brother's powers of teleportation, energy and matter manipulation, shapeshifting, flight in dragon form, immense physical strength and powers of creation.

He is even able to alter the very ability of a person to enter the afterlife, as he was the one who burdened Ozma with the task of redeeming humanity and reincarnating endlessly in order to do so.

He is also a skilled sorcerer, able to create the four Relics, each with a quality that embodies the four ideals on which Humanity was founded around. These inanimate creations tend to sport ornate designs yet thus far appear to carry a spark of life all on their own, such Jinn, the spirit that resides within the Relic of Knowledge.

He is believed to be the originator of the Silver-Eyed Warrior, as he was shown capable of obliterating his brother's Grimm with a similar white light as them.

God of Darkness


The God of Darkness is one of the Gods who created Remnant and the younger brother of the God of Light.

In his humanoid form, the God of Darkness appears as a purple male with curved horns.In his draconic form, he resembles a real-world Western dragon.

While the majority of his abilities have yet to be seen, the God of Darkness is an unfathomably powerful being whose power transcends the mortal world. As a being of destruction, he is naturally attuned to its forces.

He and his brother seem to possess a set of powers common to entities of their like, such as the ability to shapeshift between a humanoid and draconic form, the power to create sentient life, recall a soul from the afterlife, teleport and unleash massive shock waves of magical energy capable of wiping out all life of a single species on a global scale, while leaving all other forms of life utterly untouched. He and his brother also appear to be able to manipulate matter and energy to a great extent, able to create a physical body for Ozma's soul that is identical to the one he originally possessed, complete with clothes.

While in his dragon form, the God of Darkness possesses the power of flight, immense physical strength and the power to breathe a torrent of dark energy from his body. His physical powers are of such magnitude that he was capable of shattering the moon with no discernible care or effort.

Grimm


The Creatures of Grimm are monsters created by the God of Darkness that hunt Humans and Faunus.

The Grimm were created by the God of Darkness in order to destroy his older brother's creations of life before the brothers reconciled and created Humanity. After the Gods left, the Grimm roamed Remnant and preying on the second era of Humanity.

They are described as "creatures of destruction" that lack a soul; hence, they are unable to use Aura. They are also drawn to feelings of negativity - such as envy, sadness, loneliness and hatred - often congregating towards the source of these emotions.

Grimm normally spawn from viscous, tar-like substance pools, commonly seen around the Land of Darkness. The Wyvern also showed the ability to exude the substance from its skin. When droplets of the substance impacted the ground, lesser forms of Grimm, including Creeps, Beowolves and Ursai rose from the black liquid.

Relics


The Relics are four powerful magical objects presented to Ozma by the God of Light. They are the key factor of Salem and Ozma's plans and are the main driving force of the plot of RWBY.
 * Relic of Knowledge - A lantern object that contains Jinn, a magical being capable of answering any question. She can be summoned by the Relic-holder calling out her name, at which point Jinn can answer three questions every one hundred years.

Jinn
Jinn is a powerful being created by the God of Light and though the full extent of her powers is unknown, it is clear she is an omniscient keeper of knowledge and secrets. She knows the answer to any question and knows any secret or knowledge that other people possess or have witnessed, such as Oscar being the current incarnation of Ozma.

She also appears to be able to transport others into another dimension which she can freely control and shape at will in order to show her users visions or memories from the past. However, she cannot answer questions about the future - only present or past knowledge. Jinn is also able to sense if a person has a question for her when she is summoned. Upon answering a question, time stops, with the exception of the person asking a question and Jinn herself. She implies she has some degree of control over being summoned, as she alludes to not allowing herself to be "used" unless the user intends to ask a question.

First Humanity
When The Gods decided to create something together they created Humanity and the God of Darkness decided to bless them with the ability to use Magic. They have been shown to conjure magical energy and create magical blasts of different colors. The Gods also lived on the planet and Humanity was free to interact with them by giving them tributes or asking them for favors.

After Salem's rebellion, the Gods left the planet and the God of Darkness erased the entire population except for Salem, leaving her as the last specimen of the first era of Humanity on the planet. After the second era of humanity evolved all over again the God of Light reincarnated Ozma in a new body, leaving him as another member of the first Humanity roaming the planet, although in soul only.

Salem


Salem, being a member of the first wave of Humanity has access to magic. She is shown to be able to fire blasts of magic from her hands. In addition to her other magic, she appears to be able to project telekinetic force as seen when she crushed a Nevermore and shattered the windows in her council chamber in a fit of uncontrolled rage.

She also possesses some form of superhuman strength, as she easily flips the massive table in her headquarters, all while seated.

She was also cursed with immortality by the Gods, making it impossible to destroy her. Any injuries she sustains heal, even getting totally demolished.

After the Gods destroyed the first era of Humanity and left Remnant she jumped into the Grimm Pools in the Land of Darkness which altered her body further and gave her more powers and abilities. She is the Grimm's master and can command them to do her bidding. She can also alter the physiology of Grimm and mutate them and is even capable of grafting Grimm body parts to a Human's body. She causes Beringels to sprout wings in "Our Way" and gives Cinder a Shadow Hand. Salem also has the ability to summon multiple Shadow Hands on command as seen in "So That's How It Is".

She also possesses means to steal the magical powers of Maidens, a feat of which was never accomplished before according to Ozpin's group.

Ozma


Ozma, now known as Ozpin, was an ancient warrior of first humanity before dying. Ozma was revived by the God of Darkness but killed again by the God of Light soon after. Ozma was eventually given a choice by the God of Light before he abandoned Remnant; he would be able to return to the land of the living to act as a guide for Humanity and protect the Relics, powerful items that when brought together would bring the Gods back to Remnant.

The God of Light gave him the ability to reincarnate after death, joining souls with another like-minded person so that he would never be alone. After returning to the world, Ozma reunited with Salem. The two used their magic to act as gods and create a prosperous kingdom. They eventually started a family with four daughters, but turned on each other after Salem wanted to take over the world and get rid of Humanity. Their children were killed in the ensuing battle and Salem murdered Ozma, who reincarnated again. Thus began the centuries-long feud between the two, with Ozma making it his mission to protect the world from her evil.

At the start of RWBY, Ozma is incarnated as Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. Following Ozpin's death at the hands of Cinder Fall during the Battle of Beacon, Ozma/Ozpin's soul joined with Oscar Pine.

Magic
As one of the original Humans during the time of the Gods, Ozma is capable of performing powerful feats of magic. At the time of Humanity's second coming, his powers were so great that people worshiped him alongside Salem as gods.

In "Rest and Resolutions", Ozpin reveals that he himself possessed powerful magic that he used to create the original four Maidens, as well as grant Qrow Branwen and Raven Branwen the ability to shapeshift into corvids. It is stated that the amount of power expended in the creation of the Maidens greatly drained his magic. Ozpin himself admits that his magic powers are dwindling, but does not state the exact reason for it.

Reincarnation
Due to accepting the task of uniting humanity, Ozpin has been endowed with the ability to reincarnate. This ability causes his soul to attach to a new like-minded host when his previous body is destroyed, the two merging memories and abilities over time until only a single soul remains. As of Volume 5, Ozpin's soul is attached to and merging with that of Oscar's. Oscar can grant Ozpin control of his body, enhancing his combat prowess and the strength of his aura, though only for limited periods of time. In addition, he can forcibly take control of Oscar's body, though he seems severely drained and Oscar relays that Ozpin needs to rest after the fight. However, as shown in "The Lost Fable", Ozpin can keep his soul separate to his current host, living alongside them if he so chooses.

Salem and Ozma's Children


Salem and Ozma had four daughters and the oldest showed magical abilities. This triggered Salem's plan to create her own magical Humanity

Maidens


The four Maidens are the hosts of a vast magical power that has existed in Remnant for thousands of years. They are said to be the physical embodiment of the four seasons. They were given their powers by Ozma.

There are four Maidens in existence at any time, each one corresponding to the four seasons - Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.

Powers and Abilities


While the full extent of their abilities is not known, they have displayed several astounding abilities like being able to levitate and manipulate the elements. While they have been shown to use elemental powers, they are capable of using a much wider range of magic. In battle, they are capable of conjuring weapons comprised of the elements.

When a Maiden uses her powers, her eyes appear surrounded by a fiery glow.

The Maidens are also each tied to the Vaults hidden under the four main Huntsman Academies. Their presence opens the chambers of the magical Relics. Spring can access the Vault in Haven, Fall can access the Vault in Beacon, Summer can access the Vault in Shade and Winter can access the Vault in Atlas.

Succession
The powers of the Maidens have been passed down for thousands of years upon the holder's death. Under normal circumstances, the next Maiden, who is always a young woman, is the last person that the previous Maiden holds in her thoughts before she passes away. However, if the person in the dying Maiden's thoughts is male, too old, or not eligible to receive the power, the next host is chosen seemingly at random.

Original Maidens


The original Maidens, as well as the origin of their powers, has been memorized as The Story of the Seasons, a fairy tale passed down through the cultures of Remnant.

The story tells of how Ozma, then known as just an old hermit, was visited by four sisters who each in their own unique ways show kindness to him. The old man gives the four sisters great powers in return for their kindness, and as the embodiment of the four seasons, they go through Remnant spreading their gifts. They were shown being able to freeze water (Winter), cause plants to grow (Spring), create fire(Summer) and control wind(Fall),

Amber


Amber was the host of the Fall Maiden powers before Cinder took them. She was said to still be inexperienced in using her powers.

In her battle against Cinder, Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black, she displays several astounding powers, including the ability to levitate in the air, create enormously powerful gusts of wind, telekinetically move leaves and freeze them solid to create deadly projectiles, manipulate the weather and bring lightning down upon her enemies, as well as shoot deadly fireballs.

Cinder Fall


Cinder Fall is one of the main villains and one of Salem's underlings. She is the current host of the Fall Maiden's powers which she stole from Amber using a special Grimm glove. She is also part Grimm with her left arm being replaced by a Shadow Hand after her damage by Ruby Rose's silver eyes at the Fall of Beacon.

Magic
After fully acquiring the Maiden's powers, Cinder is able to utilize more elemental attacks, though she most often chooses fire-based attacks, and gains the ability to fly. Additionally, she is strong enough to withstand great force and uses fire-based power to melt items in her grip.

As the Fall Maiden, she has access to the chamber of the Relic of Choice.

The World of RWBY: The Official Companion states that Cinder has some control over the Wyvern through her Maiden powers, being able to influence its behavior.

Shadow Hand


During the Fall of Beacon, Cinder gets hit by Ruby's Silver-eyed power and is crippled. Her left arm is replaced with a Grimm limb known as a "Shadow Hand". Her arm is able to stretch very far and has incredibly sharp claws, which she uses to easily impale Vernal in the stomach. She can also use it to siphon the powers of a Maiden. While it cannot channel Aura, she is still able to channel her Maiden powers through it. It's implied that the arm itself possesses some sort of sentience, as Salem instructed her to make her new limb respect and fear her.

Weaknesses
Having the Shadow Hand gives her a crippling weakness to the powers of the silver eyes. And the arm's innately soulless status prevents Cinder from protecting it with her aura, leaving it vulnerable to other weapons and silver eyes. Upon her first exposure to the silver eyes, Cinder was greatly weakened and significantly injured, and during her second exposure, her weapon dissolved and her arm reacted badly.

Raven Branwen


Raven Branwen is the current leader of the Branwen Tribe and the current Spring Maiden as well as a former agent for Ozpin, who gave her the ability to turn into a bird.

She hid her Maiden powers from the public and Vernal covered for her as the Spring Maiden.

As the Spring Maiden, her power can be used to open the chamber at Haven Academy, which contains the Relic of Knowledge. Her eyes gain a dark red aura when she demonstrates her powers.

Raven was able to cause much of the damage to Shion village with her destructive Spring Maiden powers. She is able to generate a lightning strike in "Lighting the Fire", summoning it from the sky like the previous Fall Maiden Amber could. In "A Perfect Storm", she is able to summon strong gusts of wind and turn the sky from clear to cloudy in an instant

In "Downfall", during Raven's fight with Cinder, she makes use of several different elemental powers. She can generate ice, either by condensing it into weaponry, forming ice spikes or freezing from a distance. She can also generate electricity from her hands, using them to supercharge her weaponry, release it in close-ranged strikes, and generate fields of electricity around her. Lastly, she demonstrates the ability to fly, which she has been able to use additionally to propel herself at high speeds.

Her ability to transform into a bird was given to her by Ozpin when she worked for him as his agent. The power allows her to take the form of a small black raven at will. While being transformed she is still capable of using her Semblance.

Qrow Branwen
Qrow Branwen is the twin brother of Raven, a former member of the Branwen Tribe and an agent for Ozpin who gave him the magical ability to turn into a bird.

His ability to transform into a bird was given to him by Ozpin when he worked for him as his agent. The power allows him to take the form of a small black crow at will.