At first glance, magicians appear to be completely human, right down to having the same range of heights and weights, can wear human clothing and armor, and frequently carry weapons and other types of gear. There are, however, several indicators that distinguish magicians from humans, some of which are less obvious than others. Outside of the ability to naturally cast spells, or the stereotypical attire of a hooded robe and iron-shod staff, magicians possess a few distinctive physical traits, such as burned fingertips (presumably from repeatedly casting elemental spells), or prominent and bulging veins on the arms and hands. Magicians also seem more likely to have rare eye colors, such as red, purple, black, or golden. Some have reported that certain individuals seem to exhibit a visible "aura", particularly when casting spells, though it was never confirmed to be real, and may have been the result of lighting or optical illusions.
Least obvious is the life expectancy of a magician, which appears to have no known upper limit. Magicians have three life 'stages' instead, referred to as "[[Apprentice magician|apprentice]]" (young to adult), "[[Magician|magician]]" (mature), and "[[Magus magician|magus]]" (elder).
Apprentice magicians, or simply apprentices, as they are called, are the youngest life stage, ranging from ages 0 to about 30 years. They can only cast